The Human Emperor
chapter-388

This grab was incredibly fast and filled with incomparable might.

"Stop!"

In that split moment, a white silhouette abruptly stepped in between Wang Chong and the brawny man, and with a resounding blast, a slender hand stopped the big man’s arm.

A powerful shockwave diffused into the surroundings, whipping up a furious gale. Under the immense force, it was difficult to even keep one's eyes open. Everyone was forced to take several steps back.

Huang Qian-er's face paled, and she hurriedly retreated several steps to ward off the force from the collision. Her breathing became ragged.

On the other hand, the huge man remained completely unmoved, like a mountain fixed in place.

"Oh? Seems like I have underestimated you, young lass. You do possess some capability. Come, take another palm of mine!" the brawny man exclaimed in surprise, and his face turned grim.

Boom! Abruptly charging forward, his massive arms reached out to grab at Huang Qian-er.

This grab was different from the one before. It wielded a might so immense that it seemed like it could overturn the heavens, unstoppable by anything.

"Stop!" Looking at Huang Qian-er's pale face but tightly-pursed lips before him, seemingly unwilling to step aside, Wang Chong finally bellowed furiously.

Weng!

The incredible momentum behind that attack abruptly came to a halt, and the immense hands stopped just a chi away from Huang Qian-er's head.

Hu, breaths of relief could be heard from the surroundings. That immense force that the big man commanded felt like a huge boulder weighing down on everyone else, depriving them of their ability to breathe.

"Brat, what do you intend to do?" the brawny man harrumphed as he pulled back his arm. With a pair of sharp eyes, he stared at Wang Chong with open hostility.

At this moment, he was bursting with rage. The life he sought was stopped in its tracks due to the mere whim of a scion in the capital. When he received the news from the frontlines, he nearly went on a destructive rampage.

The three days in the Deflecting Blade Manor didn't quench his fury; if anything, it further fueled it.

Since this brat went to the extent of pulling some strings to have him deployed back to the capital, he wanted to see what he was up to!

On the other hand, even though Wang Chong was staring at the brawny man before him with a nonchalant expression, his mind was in turmoil.

"Li Siye!" The two words that the brawny man howled echoed endlessly in Wang Chong's mind.

The man before him was the Invincible Great General Li Siye!

Wang Chong had never thought that the furious man who was causing a ruckus in front of his Deflecting Blade Manor would turn out to be the much-anticipated Li Siye!

In the history of the empire, there were very few who had managed to climb to the position of Great General, and those who did were all masters of warfare.

It should have been impossible for anyone to obtain that esteemed position with just brute strength and valiance, but Li Siye had broken this convention!

In the long history of Great Tang, he was the only one who had managed to become a Great General based on his superior martial arts, putting him on equal standing with Fumeng Lingcha, Go Seonji, Geshu Han, Zhang Shougui, Zhangchou Jianqiong, and the others.

While he was still beneath the others in terms of influence and prestige, it was still an unassailable fact that he had become one of the esteemed Great Generals of Great Tang!

Part of this could be attributed to his charisma. Despite his lack of understanding of warfare, his incredible might and valiance allowed him to single-handedly raise the morale of an entire army, granting them the momentum to reverse a dire situation!

"When Li Siye stands, the empire stands!"

"So long as Li Siye is undefeated, the empire is infallible!"...

His ferocious roars that echoed throughout the battlefields bring courage to his allies and fear to his enemies.

His presence was the cornerstone of the army. No matter how strong an enemy they faced, no matter how dire a situation stood before them, Li Siye's army always stood unwaveringly.

The army he commanded was as fierce as he was, and they always stood as the infallible fortress halting the progress of their enemy, bringing hope to those they protected.

There was no one in history who were like him, influencing the morale of an entire army based on just valor itself, turning the soldiers who pursued him into unstoppable berserkers of the battlefield!

Through this commanding power, he reversed the tides of the battle, bringing seemingly impossible victories to Great Tang time and time again, thus eventually giving rise to the title of his Conferment, "Invincible Great General"!

Li Siye might not understand warfare, but the incredible strength he commanded allowed him to neglect any tactics and crush his enemies in a direct confrontation.

Based on what Wang Chong remembered in his previous life, even the bravest and most formidable of enemies ended up stopping hesitantly in the face of the Invincible Great General!

In order to reshape the military of the empire, Li Siye was an important ally he had to rally to his side regardless of the cost. It was to the point that Wang Chong even went to the extent of tapping into his connection with King Song in order to have the Bureau of Military Personnel deploy the latter under him.

From that, it could be seen how highly he regarded Li Siye.

Just that, Wang Chong had never expected the future Invincible Great General to appear before him in such a fashion.

Despite the other party's resounding reputation in the previous life, Wang Chong never had the opportunity to meet him, so this was their first encounter.

King Song has really brought him to me!, Wang Chong thought excitedly.

As King Song hadn't informed him of the matter in advance, this had come as a huge surprise.

As Wang Chong gazed into the furious expression of the future Invincible Great General, several thoughts ran through his mind, and he swiftly understood what was going on.

Born a warrior, the only thing Li Siye had in mind was battle.

He had spent the first half of his life training diligently, silently growing stronger. Even as his capabilities matured, the only wish he had was to guard the borders of the empire and do what he did best.

Eastern Han's Ban Chao had once spoken these grand words, "How could a man allow himself to trapped amidst cutting pens, blinded by paltry gains?", and bravely devoted his body to protecting the borders. His efforts had helped pave his country's way into the Western Regions, earning him everlasting prestige.

This was also how the story of "abandoning the pen and donning the armor" came about.

"A man should be buried amidst galloping steeds and the corpses of enemies, how could I slowly wither on this bedframe?" With those words, Xin Dynasty's Ma Yuan devoted his entire life to fighting by the borders, and while he eventually died in the middle of the battlefield, his spirit had kindled the souls of many to come.

Li Siye shared the same ambitions and goals as those old patriots as well. He wished to dedicate his life to the borders and devote his proficiencies to leading the country to higher grounds.

"Should my homeland fall to ruins, let it begin from me!"

Wang Chong could still remember the last words of the Invincible Great General when Great Tang fell into ruins.

Li Siye had devoted his entire life to trying to salvage the broken Central Plains, and when the darkness of the night set in, he was the only ray of light remaining in this world.

His fall, just like his prophecy, signified the inevitable descent of a once powerful empire into the annals of history!

Wang Chong never had the opportunity to meet the Invincible Great General back in those desolate times, but those sincere distraught words from him had been etched deep into his heart.

That was a true military man!

Through practical actions, he showed the world what his convictions, even up to the point of his death.

There were few whom Wang Chong admired, but the Invincible Great General had won his earnest respect!

This was also the reason why Wang Chong had tapped into his connections with King Song to have the Bureau of Military Personnel deploy the other party to him.

Looking at the brawny man before him, an indomitable figure emerged in his view, and in a moment of daze, it seemed to overlap with Li Siye, leaving Wang Chong with a complex expression.

He probably still doesn't know anything at all!, Wang Chong sighed.

Li Siye's current goal was to enter the Western Regions and dominate the battlefield. Yet, through using underhanded means, Wang Chong had dragged him into the capital, the land of decadence.

This was contrary to what Li Siye had always stood for, so it was no wonder why he was so furious at these manipulations.

To start off on a bad foot right from the start, it seemed like it wouldn't be an easy task for him to rally the Invincible Great General to his side.

"You have misunderstood!" Wang Chong suddenly spoke up. His voice was calm, seemingly unworried about the situation at all.

"I didn't summon you here to have you serve as a servant or a fighter. Rest assured, I won't order you around and force you into anything you don't want to.

"I have the deepest of respect for valiant soldiers like you who have devoted their lives to the battlefield. However, how could one brave through the battlefield without a set of handy equipment? As such, in admiration of your deeds, I wish to offer you a gift."

"Brat, what nonsense are you spouting before me? Do you take me to be a three-year-old child? What kind of weapon does the military lack that I need a child like you to offer me?" The towering Li Siye glared at Wang Chong menacingly.

In his view, Wang Chong's words were nothing more than a cheap excuse. How could he possibly believe such blatant lies?

"Hehe!" On the other hand, Wang Chong chuckled lightly, paying no heed to Li Siye's rage.

"Have you ever heard of Wootz steel?"

"What Wootz steel or Blue Steel, don't even try to fool me with such shallow lies!" Li Siye flung his sleeves in annoyance. He didn't feel the slightest goodwill to the cosseted young brat before him.

"Hahaha!"

However, upon hearing Li Siye's words, a bizarre expression began creeping onto the faces of the crowd gathered in the area. Some of them even began clutching their stomachs and laughing uncontrollably, as if they had heard the funniest joke in their life.

In the capital, there was not a single person who hadn't heard of the might of the Wootz steel swords, or their maker. And yet, Li Siye thought that Wang Chong was trying to hoodwink him.

Many of those here had suffered a great deal under Li Siye's oppression over the past few days, so how could they miss this opportunity to mock him?

Just because he was just that bit stronger than the rest, that bastard toyed with them as if they were mere monkeys. He even went to the extent of even blocking the entrance to the Deflecting Blade Manor today, hindering their passageway.

Yet, to think that such a "formidable figure" would turn out to just be an ignorant oaf!

__________________________

“Pen” refers to the razor sharp knives used to carve words onto wooden scrolls back in that era. By cutting pen, it actually hints at the officials engaging in politics, sending indictments to harm one another with their brushes for their own personal interest.