Chapter 127: Darkness Before Dawn

Laughter thundered through the tent. At first, with Zhang Zhao present, everyone had been somewhat restrained, but after the little flower-cloth lady pulled that stunt, no one cared about anything anymore, and quite a few were laughing so hard they were pounding their chests and stamping their feet.

Zhang Zhao, caught between laughter and tears, watched old Zhang Zhong cursing with a blackened face, and slowly began to understand.

This Uyghur little lady called Huabu was a clever one. With her thin, frail build, if she married a stout man like Ma Yaozi, even if they waited two years to consummate, she still couldn't withstand the rough handling of a bear of a man like that.

And how many warriors on the battlefield have good tempers? Following a crude, bloodthirsty killer like Ma Yaozi, who knew how many beatings she'd take.

But old Zhang Zhong was different. He didn't have to go to the battlefield, he looked rather refined, and being older, if he married a young wife decades younger than himself, he would surely know how to cherish her.

His body being a bit weak was even better — he certainly couldn't roughhouse like strong men such as Ma Yaozi or Dunzhu.

Most crucially, people in this era generally had short lifespans. In one's thirties one could already call oneself "old man," and most people only lived to their fifties or so. That meant, in the eyes of people of this time, Zhang Zhong only had about ten-some years left to live.

And Huabu was only thirteen. If she served Zhang Zhong for ten-some years and saw him off, she'd only be in her twenties, with Zhang Zhong's land and gold and silver in hand, and still plenty of years left to find someone she truly fancied. How perfect!

"Hahaha! Good! You little lady are indeed no simple one. I'll make the decision on this matter. Once the mission is complete, I'll give you to Zhang Zhong!" After figuring out the whole reasoning, Zhang Zhao laughed until tears came.

"Young Lord! Absolutely not! Absolutely not! At my age, what business do I have marrying? I must stay by the Young Lord's side."

When Zhang Zhong heard Zhang Zhao joining in the teasing, he immediately ran from behind Zhang Zhao to the front, his face full of anxiety.

However! Zhang Zhao could hear the thick insincerity in Zhang Zhong's words, and he waved his hand with a smile.

"Old Zhong has protected me for twenty years, and I have always treated Old Zhong as my own kin. I'd long intended to arrange a marriage for you — isn't this just perfect now?

I see that little lady Huabu, though she's Uyghur, has features quite like those of the Central Plains. She's spirited and sharp-witted; a bit thin, but a couple years of good care will fix that.

And besides, she chose this herself — it's not me forcing the business of a fifty-year-old man with a girl of sixteen. The matter is settled!"

"This... ah! This... this isn't right! I'm old enough to be her grandfather! I beg the Young Lord to rescind his order!"

Zhang Zhong looked utterly flustered. He said he was refusing, but it didn't seem all that resolute. Zhang Zhao simply stopped paying attention to him and turned to look at the last child.

"Heigou'er, can you speak Han Chinese? Do you still have family?"

Zhang Zhao had been speaking to them in Uyghur the whole time, but this Heigou'er looked very much like a Han child, so he asked once in Han Chinese.

Heigou'er raised his head and shook it with a somewhat bewildered expression. It seemed he didn't understand Han Chinese, so Zhang Zhao had to ask again in Uyghur.

"Replying to the Beg lord, Heigou'er's father died long ago, and his mother died in the trench ten-some days ago. The people of the rear camp helped bury her."

Heigou'er's face suddenly turned very sorrowful, and tears seemed to be welling in his eyes — whether he was thinking of his father or his just-dead mother, who could say. Zhang Zhao rubbed his nose. This damned chaotic age — even people with intact families were rare!

"What damned 'father died long ago'? What father do you have? The one who brought you out of the city was your mother? If you dare spout nonsense in front of the lord again, I'll knock your teeth out!"

Zhang Zhao was still feeling melancholy when Li Qilang slapped Heigou'er across the head, making the boy flinch.

Hm? When Zhang Zhao looked at the boy again, there wasn't a trace of sorrow left on his face, and the tears had vanished without a trace. All that remained was a fawning, ingratiating grin as he rubbed his head.

"Young Lord, don't listen to this brat's nonsense. His mother was a half-door woman who sold her flesh. Probably even his mother didn't know who his father was — how could he know? And the one who brought him out of the city wasn't his real mother either. His real mother died years ago!" After slapping Heigou'er, Li Qilang hurriedly explained to Zhang Zhao.

Zhang Zhao's cheek twitched. This little bastard — a child of eight or nine with acting skills already at the level of divine perfection. Facing someone who held his life and death in his hands, he still dared to lie. Bold indeed.

With a wave of his hand, Man Xiong walked over and hoisted Heigou'er straight into the air. Only then did a trace of fear appear on Heigou'er's face.

"Brat, you dared to lie in front of me. Your reward is gone. And I'm telling you, you'd best complete the mission properly. Complete it, and the lord will give you a chance to live. Fail it — heh heh!"

As Zhang Zhao spoke, he let out a few cold laughs. Just now, Huangyang'er and Huabu had only seen his amiable side, and he'd been wondering how to put some pressure on them — and this Heigou'er had delivered himself right to his door.

Small in years, but no small courage — lying without changing expression or quickening heartbeat. If properly educated for a few years, he might yet become a talent.

"Young Lord! Shi Chongmin reports! The earth and gravel between the stone slabs have been cleared. I personally measured it — the tunnel has indeed been dug to the bottom of the western city wall. We're just waiting to carry the divine fire thunder in!"

Wu Yuan'er's voice came from outside the tent. Zhang Zhao sprang to his feet. The moment that would decide success or failure had arrived.

Outside the city of Shule, scattered points of firelight burned. Each fire represented one regiment of the great Khotan army besieging Shule.

Crackling and popping sounds came from the Karakhanids burning their own drawbridge with fire oil. They had blocked all four gates with boulders anyway, so the drawbridge mattered little. Leaving it might even let the Khotan people make use of it, so better to burn it.

In the silent night, low moans and sobs rose like the cries of wild wolves — these came from wounded soldiers below the walls who had not yet died.

There were Khotan men and Karakhanid men alike, but neither side had any intention of retrieving their own. This place lay within reach of both sides' arrows, and the risk of retrieving men was extreme.

Compared to the intermittent moans and scattered fires, what was more numerous were the ruined siege engines below the walls. Even one of the observation nest-carts had been smashed to pieces across the ground, struck by a trebuchet.

The year before last, the Karakhanid Khanate had defeated the Persian Samanid dynasty at Talas. Saktu Bughra Khan had seized large numbers of Persian-style trebuchets, and had actually equipped all of them at Shule.

In the fierce assault that Li Shengtian had personally commanded just now, these trebuchets had played an enormous role.

They had not only destroyed the one remaining nest-cart the Khotan army could still use, but had also smashed nearly all of the Khotan army's remaining wooden mantlets.

When the assault came tomorrow, the Khotan army would have to rely purely on flesh and blood against the Karakhanid arrows and trebuchet stones.

The hour was already the beginning of mao (five o'clock), and in the governor's mansion of Shule, Ithihad still felt his spirits highly roused. He had not the slightest trace of sleepiness.

Today's defensive battle had gone extremely smoothly. The Khotan Golden Kingdom's siege equipment had been almost entirely expended.

Although the losses from the sortie outside the city in previous days had not been small, Ithihad knew that the Khotan people, without siege equipment, could no longer take Shule.

"Thanks to those Taohuashi stonemasons who built the city!" Ithihad softly praised.

That Shule was so sturdy was thanks to the Taohuashi people who had occupied this place a hundred years ago. They had expended vast manpower and resources to build it so solidly — never imagining it would finally become a fortress blocking their own people.

But then Ithihad shook his head again, half talking to himself.

"No! I should not thank the Taohuashi stonemasons. I should thank my Lord. All of this is the will of Allah!"

Zhang Zhao took a deep breath. All the gold-miners had withdrawn from the tunnel. The two hundred-plus jin of black powder, sealed in a small coffin-shaped container, had also been laid in place.

Now, everything depended on the power of these giant "firecrackers." Success was the only option — failure was not — because these two hundred-plus jin of black powder were Zhang Zhao's entire stockpile!

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