Chapter 1638: The Eagle King of Goguryeo, Kim U-Seok!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
In the end, Zhu Tong’en overca his hesitation to speak up.
“But, we know that Old Eagle has a disciple called Zhang Que. With Old Eagle heavily injured, his disciple has already taken full control, and everything seems to be operating normally. Moreover, they’ve recently been removing many of our spies. Senior’s plan... seems to not be very effective.”
The Eastern Palace beca eerily still. Even First Prince Li Ying couldn’t help but turn to the Ghost King. Although the First Prince remained silent, it was clear that he had the sa thoughts.
“A disciple is just a disciple. If a disciple could so easily surpass their master, then they should have just switched places. Are you sure that Zhang Que can really replace him?”
The Ghost King chuckled.
“Reporting!”
At that mont, one of the First Prince’s personal guards rushed inside.
“Your Highness, the scout outside the King of Foreign Lands Residence reports that the King of Foreign Lands has begun to move. Many of our scouts and infiltrators have been eliminated. Of our forty-so infiltrators, only three are left!” the personal guard reported, getting down on one knee as soon as he entered the hall.
Everyone instantly grimaced at these words. This was not the first ti the King of Foreign Lands had taken action against the Eastern Palace’s n. They would occasionally allow the various parties to freely scout the area, even allowing them to jump over the wall of the King of Foreign Lands Residence. But in the space of a single breath and without any warning, they would unleash a thunderous strike that would wipe out all these spies.
But this was not what was important. What was important was that in past operations, when the King of Foreign Lands took action, all the spies would be wiped out. This ti, however, three spies had survived.
One had to realize that for the purpose of intelligence gathering, as long as all spies were not eliminated, one was no different from one hundred. As long as a lookout was present, one could receive a constant stream of information.
The Ghost King’s judgnt had been correct. That disciple, Zhang Que, truly could not replace Old Eagle.
A strange expression appeared on everyone’s faces.
The First Prince smiled as he stepped forward. “Senior, this prince believes. No one should have any more doubts about your judgnt. What should we do next?”
“This old man has readied everything!”
The Ghost King’s eyes flashed as if he had been waiting for these words from the First Prince.
He suddenly rose from his armchair, and his body erupted with an imnse pressure. Everyone watched as the Ghost King strode over to the model in the center of the hall.
This was a model of the entire capital. Not only did it cover the entire Imperial Palace, but the residences of the nobles and common folk as well. Even Wang Chong’s King of Foreign Lands Residence was included.
The model was simply enormous, a scaled-down version of the capital that was exquisitely detailed.
The laws of the Great Tang decreed that it was forbidden for anyone to make a duplicate of the capital’s layout, and those who defied this law faced heavy punishnt. This was not without reason, as no one who decided to make a model of the capital ever had good intentions. If the news of this model got out, the First Prince would be impeached by the entire court.
Buzz!
The Ghost King reached his right hand out of its sleeve and flicked a finger. Imdiately, four small flags flew through the air and landed on four separate residences in the model.
“As long as Your Highness follows my plan and does these four things, everything will flow as smoothly as water through a canal. Your Highness will be able to fulfill your desires and sit upon the throne to beco the overlord of the realm!”
The First Prince couldn’t help but be moved by these words.
“Senior, what are these four things you refer to?”
“Your Highness will understand when the ti cos!”
The Ghost King gave an unfathomable smile.
......
Zhang Que’s investigation quickly produced results. Wang Chong’s judgnt had been correct. There was a reason those Tibetans had been able to find Old Eagle’s location so quickly.
According to Zhang Que’s investigation, the spy team mber who had been delivering information to Old Eagle had abruptly disappeared in the aftermath.
Not only that, when the carrier pigeon that Old Eagle had received right before the incident had been inspected, claw marks of a bird of prey had been found on its body, indicating that it had been captured. It was now apparent that the carrier pigeon Old Eagle used to send information had been watched, and soone had used a gyrfalcon or a similar type of bird to capture it.
This was why the carrier pigeon had been five minutes late, and the enemy had used the carrier pigeon to find Old Eagle’s location.
While all this seed simple, it was easier said than done. The birds used by Old Eagle, even the carrier pigeons, had all undergone rigorous training that included aerial combat and escaping capture.
Old Eagle had long ago developed a unique training system that even involved feeding his birds a special kind of food that was mixed with herbs that would strengthen the bones and muscles of his birds. This would allow them to fly long distances and escape any sudden ambushes.
Old Eagle’s birds were not sothing that an ordinary bird of prey had the strength to catch.
And it wasn’t like all the birds would personally go to Old Eagle. It was only for certain special incidents that Old Eagle would receive them personally. Rigorous analysis and screening were needed to find the right bird, and it wasn’t sothing that those Tibetans could have done.
While Wang Chong had so lingering doubts before, he was growing more and more certain as he obtained more and more intelligence that pointed to that man in the inner palace.
After looking through the report, Wang Chong handed it to Zhang Que and coldly ordered, “That man in the Imperial Palace has too high of a status to do such a thing. Investigate anyone who has bought birds in the capital recently, particularly birds of prey like gyrfalcons. There can’t be many people like this. Find the man behind all this!”
Zhang Que affird and left.
Half a day later, Zhang Que found the news Wang Chong desired.
“Around half a month ago, a Goguryeon rchant who could train gyrfalcons appeared in the capital. He began to sell various birds of prey, and a few days after that, the Imperial Army appeared at his store, but the man had already vanished. According to the information we gathered, that Goguryeon rchant was called Kim U-Seok!”
“It’s him!”
Wang Chong’s brow creased upon hearing the news.
He had heard the na ‘Kim U-Seok’ before. There had been a Goguryeon on the execution list after the Imperial Palace incident concluded.
For there to be a Goguryeon in the middle of this incident was far too bizarre, and it had drawn much curiosity at the ti. Wang Chong only knew that this man’s na was Kim U-Seok. Wang Chong had never expected him to appear here.
As the investigation continued, even more information was revealed. That Goguryeon rchant called Kim U-Seok was extrely famous in the Goguryeo Empire, known as the supre Eagle King of Goguryeo. The gyrfalcons he raised were extraordinarily vicious, and according to the information from the spies in Goguryeo, Kim U-Seok was an extrely ambitious man. He had been an extrely prosperous rchant in Goguryeo and had even sold his gyrfalcons to the imperial household.
But later on, those talks with the Goguryeo imperial household apparently fell through, seemingly because he felt that the price offered was too low. Based on what Kim U-Seok had said before, he seed to think that the Goguryeo Empire was too poor. As the Central Plains was far wealthier, he turned his attention to the capital of the Great Tang.
He was now on the wanted list of Goguryeo.
So it was him. Old Eagle had no idea who he was facing, so it was no wonder he was caught!
Wang Chong pensively raised his head.
Wang Chong was sure that the matter of Kim U-Seok was no simple affair. It was obvious that the First Prince was beginning to recruit n. Kim U-Seok was a Goguryeon, but the First Prince didn’t care. It was clear that the incident from his mories was getting closer and closer.
The Rebellion of the Three Princes!
As the mories of that incident reerged, a hint of sorrow appeared in Wang Chong’s eyes.
Kim U-Seok had already entered the Eastern Palace, and he probably wouldn’t show his face again for so ti, at least not after that attack. But Wang Chong was in no rush. No matter where Kim U-Seok was, his fate was sealed. When the ti ca, Wang Chong would make him pay the price, and that day was not too far off in the future.
His first priority was still to treat Old Eagle’s injuries.
“Pass on my order! Distribute posters with Kim U-Seok’s face. If he is discovered, kill on sight!” Wang Chong sternly said.
This news traveled all over the capital and was even sent to the distant Goguryeo.
Ti slowly passed. The attack on Old Eagle had made all of Wang Chong’s subordinates wary. Moreover, following Wang Chong’s order, a password system had been implented in the intelligence network. Even if the carrier pigeons were captured or the communication thod used by Wang Chong’s spies were revealed through torture, the spies could use a secretive thod to inform the others that they were in trouble.
Old Eagle’s injuries were stabilized and slowly began to improve, marking a temporary end to the incident. No one knew Wang Chong’s plan, but after the incident, a map of the capital had appeared in the King of Foreign Lands Residence.
While no one knew what Wang Chong was doing, he spent many hours each day pondering the map, occasionally drawing incomprehensible signs upon it.
After the incident, the First Prince seed to settle down, and the capital cald down.
Ten days later...
After administering his usual treatnt to Old Eagle, Wang Chong had returned to the main hall to ponder the map.
Whoosh!
There was a sudden flapping of wings. Wang Chong looked up and saw a mottled bird at the window. Wang Chong glanced at it and imdiately raised an eyebrow. This bird was not one of those fierce birds of prey, nor was it the usual carrier pigeon. Rather, it was a beautiful lark.
Many people in the capital raised birds, but none of them used larks to deliver ssages.
It’s her!
Wang Chong gently smiled. This lark was extrely familiar to him. It was the one he had gifted to the young lady of the Bai Clan, Bai Siling.
Reviews
All reviews (0)