Chapter 122: So He Was a Hao Zhao After All

Zhang Zhao sucked in a breath as if he had a toothache. In the ten or so days before the Khotan army besieged Shule, he had looked down on Shule's governor, Itihad.

He thought the man had no real ability. With over ten thousand men against the fellow's thousand-odd, in three successive attacks, they had lost troops and officers and been left in a sorry state.

But after watching these past ten-plus days, the man turned out to be a Hao Zhao!

Useless in the field, but quite skilled at defending a city. No wonder the Karakhanid Satuq Bughra Khan dared appoint him governor of Shule and leave him to hold it.

It was not that he expected him to command a region, but that he knew the man was good at defending cities and could hold Satuq Bughra Khan's old nest.

Zhang Zhao knew that Li Shengtian's heart had probably gone cold by now. This great flood not only made it impossible for the Khotan army to fill in the moat, it actually made storming the city impossible too.

The ground was covered in water. Though not deep, at most reaching a man's calves, the Khotan army could not possibly fight standing in water in the cold of the third month. By the time the water below the walls receded, at least another half month would have passed.

"Lord of the Commandery, was I not right? Every time this Satuq Bughra Khan goes on campaign, he leaves that half-breed Itihad to hold the city, precisely because the wretch is extremely skilled at defending cities."

Li Qilang narrowed his eyes, watching the disordered Khotan army, and said to Zhang Zhao.

Zhang Zhao nodded in agreement. In the present situation, if Li Shengtian did not still hold his trump card of gunpowder blasting, it was very likely this siege of Shule would once again end in broken wings and a return home.

"Lord of the Commandery, the Son of Heaven urgently summons you!" Before he had finished sighing, the handsome Palace Guard Commandant Liu Zaisheng came running over.

It seemed Li Shengtian truly was frantic. Almost at the moment the floodwaters swept past below Shule's walls, he had sent someone to summon Zhang Zhao.

"Erlang! At this point, the only plan left is to rely on you. How many more days until your side is finished?

Word has just come from Balasagun. Satuq has received news that Shule is besieged and is assaulting Balasagun at any cost. Our time is short!"

Zhang Zhao had just entered the royal tent when Li Shengtian, while motioning for him to dispense with ceremony, began shouting impatiently.

Zhang Zhao also understood what Li Shengtian meant by time being short. Satuq Bughra Khan was assaulting Balasagun not because he thought he could take it, but as a final effort. If he could not take it, he would very likely withdraw at once and return to relieve Shule.

However, Zhang Zhao knew that there was actually still enough time, because although Balasagun looked only eight hundred li from Shule, the route was in fact extremely difficult.

The Naryn River in the third month, and the high mountains around it, were not easy to cross. In history, that beast Bai Yanhu, at this season, had led people across the Naryn River and directly lost twenty to thirty percent of his people.

So Satuq Bughra Khan's return from Balasagun would not be very fast. Crossing the snow mountains, he would have to abandon his baggage train and auxiliary troops, and could only bring his elite back. After returning, he would certainly need to rest and resupply. Without more than two months, it simply could not be done.

And to bring the main force over, he could only detour through the Ili River valley, which would be a journey of three or four thousand li. Riding without pause would take a month and a half, and with rest and refit, at least three months or more.

So there was still enough time. Li Shengtian was merely frightened by the shadow of past failures.

Because in past attacks on Shule, they had basically fought for months, lost troops and officers, and failed to take it. Then the Karakhanids would bring up a great army from elsewhere, the two sides would fight a major battle, and in the end they would be forced to withdraw back to Khotan.

"Uncle, do not worry. We have already pulled out Eskisa Fort and Yusuf Fort. Shule is now a lone city. Although Itihad's release of water can protect him for ten days or so, it is merely stalling for time.

With all the generals here, even if Satuq Bughra Khan returns from Balasagun, we can defeat them!"

This time Zhang Zhao put on the manner of a loyal and righteous man, and deliberately spoke very slowly.

Seeing Zhang Zhao's uncharacteristic behavior, Li Shengtian suddenly realized that what he had just said had gone too far.

What did he mean by "only rely on Zhang Zhao"? Although the truth was close to that, he could not say it in front of so many military officers!

Ahem! Li Shengtian gave a dry cough and recovered the composure a ruler should have. He stroked the few strands of goatee on his chin.

"The Duke of Fengtian is right. I misspoke just now. With all the generals here, and the Duke of Fengtian as my family's thousand-li colt, Shule is already an empty city and will surely fall sooner or later!"

With Li Shengtian's words, the atmosphere in the royal tent was no longer as chilly as before. A Khotan amozhi stationed in the former lands of the Pantuo kingdom cupped his hands.

"The Duke of Fengtian is right. May the Son of Heaven not worry. As soon as the water recedes, I will personally lead my clansmen to take Shule for the Son of Heaven. Even if Satuq returns quickly, I can join with the generals to defeat him."

"Prefect Pei is truly a brave general of our Golden Kingdom. With all of you here, I would like to see what tricks that barbarian Itihad can still pull once the water recedes."

Prefect Pei, hmm! This man was not Han, but a stout fellow with Scythian blood. The surname Pei was also not the Pei of the Central Plains, but the Shule Pei, one of the four great Han surnames of Anxi.

In the Tang dynasty, the Shule Pei, the Kucha Bai, the Turkic Ashina, and the Khotan Yuchi were together called the four great barbarian Han surnames of Anxi.

The greatest characteristic of these four surnames was that they were all closely tied to the Central Plains dynasties, and among the four surnames there were many loyal subjects devoted to the Tang.

For example, Ashina She'er, Bai Xiaode, Yuchi Sheng, and the minister Pei Bin of Emperor Dezong's reign.

Zhang Zhao gave a friendly look to this Prefect Pei, who bore the title of amozhi. Anyone still using the surname Pei at this time was, needless to say, very likely a devoted Tang loyalist, though of course it could also be to curry favor with Li Shengtian.

Prefect Pei also noticed Zhang Zhao and returned a friendly look, and seemed to have something he wanted to say. Zhang Zhao then remembered: was Pei not the surname of the former kings of Shule?

"Erlang! How is the progress of your gold-dividing tunnel? Although I personally lead a great army and do not fear Satuq's return, if we can take Shule before that barbarian reaches it, we can wait at ease for the weary enemy and give him a hard blow."

Although he had just made a great show of resolve and flattered his ministers, Li Shengtian still understood that to take Shule quickly, Zhang Zhao's tunnel-blasting method was the most reliable.

"In reply to Uncle, your nephew has already obtained the most detailed map of Shule. The gold-dividing tunnel has already been dug for several dozen meters.

From today, I will personally oversee the work. Within twenty days, we will certainly dig the tunnel through and blast open the walls of Shule!"

Zhang Zhao knew that the most critical moment had arrived. If the tunnel digging failed and the walls of Shule could not be blasted open, all previous efforts would have been wasted.

Losing Li Shengtian's favor was secondary. The most crucial point was that Khotan was the only force in the Anxi region that Zhang Zhao could rely on. Without Khotan, rescuing the sons of Tang in Anxi, finding the descendants of Wuwei Commandery Prince Guo Xin, and all the rest would be empty talk.

And the Karakhanid Satuq Bughra Khan's return would take about two and a half to three and a half months, so the time left to blast open Shule's walls was at most one month.

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