Chapter 1604: The Confucian Sect Moves Out I (1/2)
Chapter 1604: The Confucian Sect Moves Out (I)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
”Young Master, we've just received a letter from Ishbara Khagan of the Western Turks harshly criticizing us for the misdeed of our attack on the Western Turks. At the same time, he demands that Young Master resolve this situation, that we must bring those two Western Turkic soldiers back to their homeland.”
The Confucian Sect expert offered a letter as he spoke.
Li Junxian took the letter and glanced at it, and his eyes immediately went to the large square seal stamped upon it. This was the Seal of the Khagan, which was an imitation of the custom in the Central Plains.
”Senior Brother, what do we do?” the white-clothed girl suddenly asked, her expression grave. Everyone else in the room had similarly grave expressions.
”Young Master, it hasn't been very long since the Public Order Squad incident, but the King of Foreign Lands is already causing trouble on the border. If this continues, our Confucian Sect's thousand-year wish, the ideal that generation after generation of sect masters have sacrificed themselves for, will all be destroyed at his hands!” a Confucian Sect expert resentfully said.
”But we don't have any evidence,” Elder Song suddenly said, his face fraught with concern. ”Everything right now is just a one-sided accusation from Ishbara Khagan. The King of Foreign Lands simply needs to flatly deny it and we'll have no way of getting at him.”
The entire room fell silent. Yes, although the incident in the north had caused a great stir and was the focus of all sides, the Confucian Sect had no evidence with which to make trouble for Wang Chong.
”That's not all. Even if there was proof that this was the handiwork of the King of Foreign Lands, we still can't do anything to him. The laws of the empire state that the great clans, including the noble houses, do not break the law as long as their number of private soldiers remains at one thousand or below. Those four hundred men are well below that limit, and the King of Foreign Lands only needs to claim that they are his private soldiers and we'll immediately lose our authority over them. In addition, the laws of the Great Tang say nothing about killing the Hu or attacking the regular army of an enemy country, so it's not breaking the law. In other words, even with evidence, we have no means of doing anything to him!” another Confucian Sect expert sternly said, great unwillingness in his voice. Wang Chong had sent only four hundred soldiers, placing the Confucian Sect in a very difficult position.
In the silence, Li Junxian rubbed his forehead, his eyebrows twitching.
Wang Chong! It was Wang Chong again! This name kept on popping up and causing problems for the Confucian Sect, far more than the rest of the militarists put together.
”Senior Brother, we cannot ignore Ishbara Khagan's letter. If we don't handle this matter properly, our negotiations with the Western Turks before this will all have been for nothing!” the white-clothed girl sternly said.
Everyone awaited Li Junxian's order.
”Forget the consequences! Pass on my order! Mobilize all the experts of the Confucian Sect! And inform King Qi and the First Prince to mobilize all the soldiers we can mobilize within the city. The cavalry who attacked the Western Turkic army are to be captured on sight!”
Li Junxian raised his head, his eyes radiating sharp light.
”No matter what, we cannot retreat again! We can no longer tolerate his actions. I will take responsibility for any consequences!”
”Yes, Young Master!”
The entire Confucian Sect moved in response to Li Junxian's voice, swiftly spreading out from the Secretariat Advisor Residence to watch the roads leading west.
……
At the same time, while Li Junxian and the Confucian Sect experts were spreading out over the capital, one hundred li from the outskirts of that city, a black-armored horseman rode up to the white-tasseled general.
”Milord, the capital is up ahead! Once we reach the capital, it will all be over!”
The latter said nothing, only gazed at that imposing and grandiose city looming over the horizon. Even from this distance, one could hear the hubbub produced by its busting prosperity.
”Don't get careless. The safer it seems, the more dangerous it is. Until we deliver these two Hu to His Highness, we cannot get careless,” the white-tasseled general sternly said.
”Yes, Milord!” his men roared in reply.
On this journey, all of them had come to deeply comprehend the wisdom in these words. They had originally believed that the most dangerous part of this operation was advancing into the steppe and capturing alive the two culprits behind the massacre, but it was only on their way back that they realized where the real danger was.
They had not lost a single person in the attack on the twelve thousand Turks, but once they reentered the Tang borders, they had lost quite a few men. The dangers they had encountered were too frightening to describe.
”Let's go! Keep an eye on those two criminals. No mishaps can be allowed until we get back to the capital!”
With the order from their general, the cavalry hastened their pace and escorted Hulugan and Ashide toward the capital.
Whoosh!
But as they rode off, several carrier pigeons flapped their wings and reached the capital before them.
As the carrier pigeons descended, a Confucian Sect expert hastily walked up to Li Junxian and bowed.
”Young Master, we've found the cavalry. They're less than sixty li from the capital. It will be at most two hours until they reach the western gate!”
”Keep watching! I need you to keep your eyes fixed on that cavalry force. Tell the spies that I need to know their every movement! No mishaps can be permitted.”