Chapter 2281 - Crowning of Kings
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The war in Youzhou hadn’t been very long, but Wang Chong felt like it had taken years.
Regardless, An Lushan had been executed and the Youzhou army no longer existed. That An-Shi Rebellion that had set the Great Tang on the path to decline had vanished without a trace.
So long as the Great Tang was prosperous, the people would be safe and happy, and the sort of widespread misery from his last life would not exist. For Wang Chong, this was the greatest reward.
Amidst a sea of people, the army passed through the gate and entered the capital. The excited and admiring eyes of the crowd made all the soldiers feel that their efforts had been worthwhile.
“His Majesty arrives!” A shrill voice rang out, instantly silencing the crowd.
Escorted by numerous Imperial Army soldiers and Golden Guards, and leading the officials of the court, a dragon palanquin swiftly began to make its way toward Wang Chong.
Upon the palanquin was a youthful figure in an imperial robe, his eyes calm and his demeanor hallowed as he glanced at Wang Chong.
The Emperor of the Great Tang, Li Heng!
Ever since they had received news that the war was over, Li Heng and the officials had been itching with excitement. When they received news that the army was returning to the capital, Li Heng had decided to personally lead the officials to the city gate to welcome them.
Since ancient times, the Son of Heaven had always presided over the court. The farthest he would go was the gate of the Imperial Palace. Li Heng was giving Wang Chong an unprecedentedly high level of treatment.
“The lowly subject pays respects to His Majesty!
“In the Youzhou war, your subject fulfilled his mission, and returns today victorious to report to Your Majesty!”
Wang Chong took several steps forward and bowed, his voice resounding over the eastern gate.
The world grew still as the entire crowd looked to Wang Chong and Li Heng.
At this moment, these two seemed like the center of the world.
The sovereign was the sovereign and the subject was the subject.
But the relationship between the two of them could not be described simply as one of sovereign and subject.
The friendship between Wang Chong and Li Heng was known throughout the entire world.
Wang Chong had raised Li Heng from that dejected soul in Kunwu Training Camp all the way to his current status.
And only Li Heng was capable of still trusting Wang Chong at the zenith of his power, handing him control over the entire army and giving him the support of the entire country.
‘Do not suspect the people you use, and do not use suspicious people.’ In this aspect, Li Heng had surpassed the vast majority of sovereigns.
“King of Foreign Lands, We did not misjudge you. You will forever be the Great Tang’s most meritorious subject! From now on, you no longer need to bow before Us.”
Li Heng helped Wang Chong up as he spoke.
The officials were all stunned by Li Heng’s words.
In past dynasties, it was common for generals to put aside courtesy when they were on the field.
But for a general in court to not need to bow to the sovereign was a privilege that only Wang Chong enjoyed.
From this, one could see how much Li Heng trusted in Wang Chong.
The common folk gathered around the gate did not think about as much. They simply felt that the sight of Li Heng personally helping up Wang Chong was the ideal expression of a friendship between sovereign and subject, and was certain to be noted down in the annals of history, certain to be branded in their memories for the rest of their lives.
Amidst this grandiose welcoming ceremony, Wang Chong boarded Li Heng’s dragon palanquin and entered the Imperial Palace.
But things in the capital were far from over. The common people continued to celebrate for three days and nights, countless fireworks lighting up the night sky.
And the celebrations weren’t confined to the capital. All the people of the realm knew that the war in Youzhou was over, and all the other countries, including the distant Arabia, had yielded to the Great Tang.
The world peace that the sages had preached and the storytellers had spoken about had truly been realized in this dynasty.
Starting from now, there would be no more wars between countries. This was an unprecedented golden age!
Starting from now, the Great Tang would only grow more and more prosperous!
……
Once the audience was over, Wang Chong returned home to spend a rare moment of leisure with his family.
Ever since he had been reborn, Wang Chong had either been fighting wars or preparing for them. After fighting one, he would have to move onto the next, like he was on a spring.
But with this war over, everything had truly ended. There was no enemy left in all the land that could threaten the Great Tang.
Several months flew by.
It was time for the morning court session, and with the crack of a whip and the call of a eunuch, the officials filed into Taihe Palace.
In this grandiose Taihe Palace, Li Heng was already seated, his back straight and his eyes bright.
Clang!
As the bells rang, the officials cried out in unison, “May the Emperor live ten thousand years!”
This wasn’t the first morning court session in Taihe Palace, but there was something different about today.
As Li Heng looked down from his throne, he saw that the sovereigns of the other countries had joined the officials in kneeling.
Eastern Turkic Khagan Ozmish, Goguryeo Emperor Yeon Gaesomun, the Khitan King, the Xi Queen, the Great Generals of the various countries, Ü-Tsang’s Tsenpo and Dalon Trinling, and even Mutasim III were in the ranks.
All of them were humbly prostrating on the ground.
There were no other empires on this continent, only vassals and subjects of the Great Tang.
On this continent, there was only one empire: the Great Tang!
“Announce the decree!”
Li Heng’s eyes flashed as he withdrew his gaze.
Li Jingzhong stepped forward and unrolled the decree in his hand.
“Acceding to the will of the heavens, the Great Tang’s Son of Heaven declares:
“At present, the world is at peace and all countries rejoice together. Now, Kings shall be crowned to keep peace throughout the realm!
“Yeon Gaesomun is no longer Emperor and has been granted the title of King of the East!
“Mengshe Zhao’s sovereign is granted the title of King of the South!
“The Tsenpo of Ü-Tsang is granted the title of King of the West!
“Eastern Turkic Khagan Ozmish is no longer Khagan and has been made King of the North!
“Caliph Mutasim III of the Arabian Empire is no longer the Caliph and has been made King of the Far West!
“Western Turkic Khagan Barshad is granted the title of the Loyal King!”
The announcement of the titles resounded through the hall.
“Thank you for Your Majesty’s grace! May the Emperor live ten thousand years!”
Yeon Gaesomun, Ozmish Khagan, Fengjiayi, the Tsenpo, Dalon Trinling, and the others respectfully bowed.
The victor was king while the loser was scorned. The other countries had started this war, and since they had lost, they naturally had nothing to say. In fact, the other countries were more willing to accept this than the cultures of the Central Plains. After all, this sort of thing was extremely normal in tribal cultures.
Moreover, this war had proved that the Great Tang was far stronger than the other countries. It was the unquestioned supreme empire of the continent!
Now that they had lost, it naturally wasn’t difficult to accept this fact.
“In addition, several Governors will now be appointed to handle affairs!
“Zhangchou Jianqiong is made Governor That Subdues the East!
“Wang Zhongsi is made Governor That Subdues the North!
“Bahram is made Governor of the Far West!”
After the sovereigns were made Kings, Li Heng issued a decree appointing Governors.
Starting from now, Ozmish Khagan, Yeon Gaesomun, and the other sovereigns would become Kings of the Great Tang. But the actual governance of these countries would be under the Great Tang, handled by the Governors.
This was the result of discussions between Wang Chong, Li Heng, and the officials of the court.
Using this war with the other countries as an opportunity, they had decided to bring all of these countries under the administration of the Great Tang so that they could be integrated into the empire. This was the only way to realize a long-lasting peace.
This was beneficial to both the Great Tang and the other countries.
“This lowly subject accepts the decree.”
Zhangchou Jianqiong and Wang Zhongsi stepped forward.
In the ranks of the officials, neither Yeon Gaesomun nor the other sovereigns were surprised to hear this.
From the moment they had surrendered to the Great Tang, they had known what their fate would be.
As Li Heng looked down on the sovereigns and officials, his eyes flickered, pride swelling in his heart.
Since ancient times, the unification of the entire continent had only been something that the wise sovereigns of the Central Plains had dreamed about. None of them had actually been capable of this feat.
Not the First Emperor of Qin, the mighty Wu of Han, or even this dynasty’s Taizong… None of them had been able to do it.
But he had been able to realize it under his reign.
Imperial Father, did you see it? Your son did not let you down!
Li Heng felt himself trembling in excitement.
Flapflap! A few moments later, the court session ended, and a messenger bird flew out of the hall and toward the southern face of the Imperial Palace.
The gusts of wind were warm as they blew through the palace avenues, and if one looked down from the heavens, one could see that all of the capital had thawed. Jubilation was in the air.
Crowds thronged the streets, and there were Tibetans, Arabs, Goguryeons, and Turks within them.
Although the capital had never lacked for foreigners, the number of Hu in the capital was far greater than ever before.
Though the countries had lost and submitted to the Great Tang, for the people of these countries, this was an opportunity.
This war with the Great Tang had made everyone acknowledge the Great Tang’s power and prosperity.
Anyone would feel a yearning to live in such a powerful empire.
