Chapter 1596: Massacre on the Border! Rage!Translated by: Hypersheep325Edited by: Michyrr"Lord Marquis, do you remember when you had me send men to watch the movements of the other countries, particularly of the soldiers that had retreated?" Zhang Que asked, his tone hesitant."Of course!"Wang Chong's brow furrowed, a hint of displeasure in his eyes.In the previous militarist-Confucian conflict, the Confucian Sect had negotiated with the other countries and eventually had the Great Tang and the other countries jointly withdraw their armies, but Wang Chong had never believed this. Thus, he had organized a well-trained group of soldiers to gather information on these countries and watch to see if they were actually complying with the treaty.But this was not what Wang Chong was worried about. He had always been a stern taskmaster, and he had long ago ordered Zhang Que and the others that when it came to official business, they needed to be straightforward and resolute, not hesitant and stammering."What in the world happened? Talk!""Yes! Your Highness!"Zhang Que's heart froze and he hastily gave his report."I just received word from our scouts that a few days ago, when our men were watching the movements of the Eastern and Western Turks, they came upon a village while passing through an area of the border guarded by the Beiting Protectorate. But when they arrived, they discovered that the four hundred inhabitants of the village had all been massacred and all the buildings burned down. They discovered the hoofprints of Turkic horses on the scene."Zhang Que sneaked a glance at Wang Chong and then hesitantly continued."In addition … our men looked through the site and found the massacre unbearable. Even the corpses of women and children were burned black."Bang! Wang Chong's body shivered as he raised his head, a dreadful light in his eyes."What did you say?""Your Highness, if my guess is right, the Turks have probably broken the peace treaty and crossed the border to strike with the autumn wind."Zhang Que lowered his head even further.The room fell silent, but even Zhang Que could sense that a terrifying storm had arisen from Wang Chong's body. Zhang Que was extremely familiar with this omen, an omen that preceded Wang Chong's fury.'Strike with the autumn wind!'Wang Chong was familiar with this phrase. The Turkic people raised nothing besides their herds, and in times of plenty, this was enough. However, when they lacked food, they would ride south to kill and plunder food.This was called striking with the autumn wind.In the eyes of the Turks, the people of the Central Plains to their south were a large and plump sheep, one they began to think about the moment they started getting hungry. Later on, it became a case where they raided and plundered regardless of whether they were hungry.This was also why the dynasties of the Central Plains would always invade the north once they were strong enough to subjugate the Turks.With the Confucian Sect signing so many peace treaties, Wang Chong had believed that everyone would not do anything too excessive, even if they were plotting something beneath the surface.But to Wang Chong's great surprise, the Turks, even with their peace treaty with the Great Tang, had still chosen to do something like this.The Great Tang and the other parties had all withdrawn their soldiers several hundred li and reduced their armies to show their sincerity. In reality, many small skirmishes and raids had occurred in secret, but none of them had resulted in large losses of life."Our men were also astonished when they discovered it."Zhang Que's voice was quiet.The study continued to remain eerily quiet, an uneasy mood in the air.After serving Wang Chong for so long, Zhang Que knew that Wang Chong loathed those Hu who raided across the border, and he even more hated those Hu who slaughtered the people living on the border after their raids.Of course, no general of the Great Tang could tolerate such a thing.Kaclack!A cracking sound could be heard, and when Zhang Que looked up in shock, he saw that Wang Chong was clenching his fists so hard that his joints were going white.Wang Chong's head was slightly raised and his eyes were shut, but Zhang Que could still sense the stifling and frightening energy billowing off his body."Investigate! Within three days! I want all the details of this incident!" Wang Chong sternly said, each of his words seeming to thud against the floor.Following Wang Chong's order, countless messenger birds took flight. When the youngest and fiercest War God of the Great Tang was angered, the entire continent would tremble.Countless cavalry surged toward the northern border. Even though he was seven to eight thousand li away, even the north could feel the chill from Wang Chong's anger.Soon after, streams of information began to converge on Wang Chong's residence.As the youngest War God of the Great Tang and the King of Foreign Lands, Wang Chong had a considerable force under his command, and it had formidable abilities whether it came to war or intelligence gathering.With the immense compensation he had obtained after the Battle of Khorasan, Wang Chong had even been able to pull a few Turks into his scouting team.It was quickly determined from analysis and intelligence, some of it gathered from within Turkic territory, that the group that had raided and burned down the village consisted of forty-eight men.After carrying out the massacre, this group of cavalry had ridden away with the one-year food supply of the village and all the gold and silver.The intelligence reports said that they were now located within a Turkic border garrison of eight thousand men, around six hundred li from the Beiting Protectorate.These men were all on the defensive, and it seemed like they already knew of the incident. And it also seemed like their superiors were not going to blame them for their actions.However, the Turks had increased their patrols, apparently worried about how the Tang would react.When Turkic shepherds got within twenty li, they would be intercepted by cavalry and questioned. If they were this suspicious of their own people, one could only imagine how they would treat Han.Wang Chong's scouts had run into many difficulties while carrying out their surveillance, but they had still managed to complete their mission.More and more details were being revealed, and Wang Chong was receiving sixty to seventy messenger birds each day.As all these scattered bits of information congregated, the report on those eight thousand Turks became more complete.These eight thousand soldiers were originally a vanguard stationed on the border. When the Great Tang and the Western Turkic Khaganate entered peace talks, both sides reduced their armies. As a result, those Turkic soldiers who were old or crippled were all 'disbanded'.The remaining eight thousand soldiers were all stronger than the Turkic cavalry of the past.Moreover, the scouts within the Turkic territory had learned from a Hu merchant that there was a force of around three thousand special soldiers in this army of eight thousand.From what they had gathered, this force of three thousand had been sent by Ishbara Khagan to the border to gain experience. This played a major role in the audacity of that squad of forty-eight to cross the border and engage in such a massacre.A significant portion of the food and wealth they had plundered was gifted to that special force.The more Wang Chong read, the dourer and grimmer his expression became.All of Wang Chong's subordinates from the capital to Qixi sensed this change in mood, and the frequent activity also made the countries watching Wang Chong very uneasy.But Wang Chong had always acted with utmost secrecy, having even left Zhangchou Jianqiong in the dark as to his goals regarding the Public Order Squad. If even those at his side were like this, the foreign countries were in an even worse state.On the tenth day of Wang Chong's operation, shocking news erupted from the northern border, unleashing great waves.A caravan that specialized in trading between various countries had passed through that village and discovered the massacre that had taken place. When this news spread through the other caravans, it caused fear and panic.And then the entire north began to quake.At the start, many people thought that this was just a rumor with no evidence.After all, the steppe was just too vast and communications were not smooth. But several days later, a woman presented herself at the governor's office in the north, wailing and weeping as she cried out for justice. Only then did all the north take note of this tragedy.It turned out that this woman had lived in that village, but because she had returned to her parental home to spend the New Year's celebrations, she had managed to avoid this disaster. Only when she returned home with dried and salted meat had she discovered what had happened to her village.The woman had a fierce personality, and the massacre of all four-hundred-some inhabitants had given her an immense shock. She undid her hair, put on a white gown, and made her way barefoot from the village to the governor's mansion, kowtowing every three steps.By the time others saw her, she was covered in thorns and blood. She had a box with her that contained the ashes of the villagers.She kowtowed her way to the governor's mansion, where she implored the governor for justice.This incident caused the entire north to quake. Not one person didn't shed tears upon seeing that woman.Once Zhang Que had finished his report, the study became eerily quiet. Everyone looked at Wang Chong, not even daring to breathe too loudly.Wang Chong raised his head and suddenly asked, "Does the Beiting Protectorate know of this incident?""They should!" Zhang Que cautiously replied."What have they said?" Wang Chong continued."There's no activity from the Beiting Protectorate, and Protector-General An Sishun isn't showing signs of coming forward," Xu Keyi replied.They could all sense the anger in Wang Chong's heart, and none of them knew what he might do next."Zhang Que, ask An Sishun for me what it means to be a Protector-General! What is the duty of the generals?! If he can't even protect a small village, for what reason does the Beiting Protectorate have one hundred thousand soldiers?!"Chapter 1597: The News Spreads, the Capital in Shock!Translated by: Hypersheep325Edited by: MichyrrBang!Everyone in the study trembled at Wang Chong's words, not daring to utter a word!There was no subordinate relationship between Wang Chong and Protector-General An Sishun. For Wang Chong to say such things despite this lack of status could only mean that his rage had reached an extreme. The Beiting Protectorate was responsible for the border, but even though this incident had taken place right under An Sishun's eyes, the Beiting Protectorate showed no signs of activity. This was what infuriated Wang Chong the most."And what has the Imperial Court said? After what's happened, can the Imperial Court act like nothing has happened?" Wang Chong coldly said.Su Shixuan bowed and respectfully reported, "In the Imperial Court, although the Confucian Sect has expressed anger, with Li Junxian writing a letter in the court's name to Ishbara Khagan harshly denouncing him for this act, the Imperial Court is doing all it can to suppress this matter for the sake of the Great Tang's relationship with the Western Turks. Thus, this news has yet to spread through the capital.""Hmph, can he suppress it?"Wang Chong's eyes turned cold, his body seething with killing intent.While the Great Tang and the Western Turks were nominally at peace, four-hundred-some people of the Tang had been killed, but Li Junxian's reaction was to send a letter of 'harsh denouncement' and then suppress the news for all he was worth for the sake of the overall situation. This was why Wang Chong could never agree with his views and could never compromise with him.Blood could only be repaid with blood!Only a pain that bored into their bones could properly discipline these brash and ruthless Western Turks and teach any other potential invader what the consequences would be."Pass on my order! Spread all the information regarding this incident throughout the capital! And also bring the surviving widow to the capital. Tell her that I already know of this matter, and that before she arrives at the capital, I will give her and all the massacred villagers a proper response. The Confucian Sect can't dominate the Great Tang just yet. I'd like to see who would dare oppose me on this matter!"With these last words, Wang Chong's eyes exploded with killing intent."Yes!"Everyone in the study seemed to come to life as they replied in unison.Boom!Wang Chong's scouts began to spread the news, and when the capital learned of the tragedy in the north, it exploded. The effects of this incident far exceeded even the expectations of Wang Chong and Li Junxian.Whoosh!A carrier pigeon flew into the Secretariat Advisor Residence. In the hall, Li Junxian was holding a jade brush as he checked over a document. Upon opening the message, he instantly paled.Within the capital, the storm stirred by this incident was still building strength."These beasts! To think that they would dare to do such a thing!""Where's the Imperial Court? Why hasn't the Imperial Court done anything yet?""Settle down. I'm confident that the Imperial Court will act.""Haaa, is this a sign of another war between the Great Tang and the Western Turks?""Bastard, you're still saying stuff like that at a time like this?"In the streets and alleys, tea houses and taverns, conversations and quarrels were ever-present. The people of the Great Tang had received an immense mental blow.All the people of the capital had begun to doubt the 'Harmonious World' promoted by Li Junxian and the Confucian Sect.Before this, the majority of the Great Tang's people had supported Li Junxian. It was for this reason that Wang Chong's 'Might Makes Right' had ended up being put on the banned book list during the militarist-Confucian conflict.They had all believed that since the Great Tang had signed peace treaties with all the foreign countries, there would be no more wars in the future.With the threat on the borders of the Great Tang removed, the Great Tang naturally no longer needed to expend its treasury, foodstuffs, and soldiers on war.The Great Tang had existed for many years and had lost innumerable soldiers. This was why the people had longed for peace and opposed war.But the incident on the border had torn a bloody wound in their dreams, letting all of them see the truth.That peace treaty could not protect the people of the Great Tang. This had been the blood-drenched lesson paid for with the lives of four hundred people."Let's go! To the Secretariat Advisor! Hasn't he always been talking about his Harmonious World? Everyone, come with me! No matter what, we have to get an answer for those killed on the border!"In a restaurant in the western part of the capital, a denizen of the capital was getting angrier and angrier. With a wave of his hand, he led countless others who were deeply disappointed by the Confucian Sect toward the Secretariat Advisor Residence.In the capital, those who felt the most conflicted were none other than the Hu. Before this, the Hu had taken advantage of the Great Tang's tolerant policies to act as they pleased within the capital, but after this incident, the mood had turned strange, and many Hu decided to become more reserved."Wang Chong!"Within the Secretariat Advisor Residence, Li Junxian threw a memorial to the side. As he listened to the uproar coming from outside, he closed his eyes.This report was even more detailed than the one he had seen in the court. Only Wang Chong was capable of such a thing. He had to admit that Wang Chong's move had completely upset his tempo, and for the first time, he felt deeply troubled.How could he not be angry over the border incident, and how could he not empathize with the people of the Great Tang?But the Great Tang had no evidence on this matter, and the Imperial Court couldn't just declare war on the Western Turks based on the hoofprints left in the village. What if someone had been trying to frame them?Relationships between nations were different from those between private individuals. Evidence was absolutely necessary. Moreover, the ones behind this massacre were several dozen Turkic cavalry who had defied their orders and launched a raid over the border. But the actions of this small squad could not be taken to represent all of the Western Turks!For the sake of four-hundred-some people, would they start a war that would result in the deaths of four thousand, forty thousand, four hundred thousand?Once the relationships between the two countries worsened and both sides regarrisoned the border, even more raids would occur, and the raids would strike deeper into the heartland. Ten, one hundred, or even more massacres would take place.Was he not promoting the Harmonious World precisely to avoid such disastrous consequences?It was fine if others did not understand, but did the King of Foreign Lands not understand this principle?Li Junxian felt his heart burning with rage.Putting aside Li Junxian's reaction, from the moment he had decided to announce this news, Wang Chong had made up his mind. He would teach the Western Turks a harsh lesson, engraving into their hearts the consequences of such conduct.At this moment, Wang Chong had gathered all his subordinates in his study."Milord, we've found the location of the cavalry."Zhang Que unfurled a map of the north on the table and then pinned a small flag to it.Influenced by Wang Chong, all his subordinates had a habit of carrying this sort of map and not the traditional models. There was even a division under Wang Chong that was solely tasked with creating maps of different countries."There's been a small development. The Western Turks have received the news and know the effects the incident has had on the capital, so the force of eight thousand has been bolstered to twelve thousand."In addition, the Turkic border armies have exploded in activity, with Hu cavalry appearing around the Beiting Protectorate day and night. They're probably worried that the Beiting Protectorate might attack. Not only that, we've also discovered people disguised as Hu merchants around Qixi Protectorate who are constantly sending messenger birds in the direction of the Western Turks. At this time, the soldiers on both sides are keeping a close watch on each other. If we move our army, we'll immediately be noticed."That Turkic army has also noticed the danger and greatly increased their patrols. Even if we get past the lookouts, if we even try to get close, they'll probably immediately retreat.""The situation right now is extremely problematic," Su Shixuan suddenly added, his eyes tinged with worry. "That group of forty-some cavalry never goes out, and hides like a turtle in its shell within that camp of twelve thousand soldiers. If we want to deal with twelve thousand Turkic cavalry, we will need at least seven thousand soldiers. But such a large target would be spotted from hundreds of li away."The room instantly fell into silence.With all the countries watching and the Western Turks increasing their guard, dealing with the Western Turks was far more difficult than they had imagined."However, our only opportunity right now is because the Western Turks refuse to admit anything, so they can't withdraw their soldiers immediately, because this will be tantamount to admitting that it really was their fault. Thus, we still have a chance right now, but this chance won't last forever. The Western Turks will probably use the excuse of a normal change of shifts to transfer that army away," Zhang Que said. That the opportunity was still in their grasp was the only good piece of news.But the twelve thousand regular soldiers and the even larger Western Turkic garrison behind them were clearly problems that needed to be dealt with. If they didn't solve them, they would never be able to punish the Western Turks.Everyone turned to Wang Chong, awaiting his order.After a long period of silence, Wang Chong finally opened his eyes and spoke."Pass on my order!"