Chapter 135: Baring His Heart

Blood and fire, shrieking screams and the wild laughter of vengeance fulfilled — for two full days they hung over the city of Shule, and for two full days the city remained sunk in frenzied slaughter and plunder.

At Shule's due-north gate, once the boulders blocking the gate had been cleared away, a vermilion banner embroidered with a golden character Li at last entered the city slowly through the north gate. Li Shengtian had finally entered the city.

Yet the entry of this Son of Heaven of the Golden Kingdom of Khotan brought little peace to a city sunk in chaos, slaughter, and plunder — nor did he have any intention of bringing peace.

For by the rules of this age, if the common soldiers under your command did not even have the right to plunder after a city fell, who would still risk their lives for you? That they did not slaughter on a grand scale already counted as obedience.

Moreover, the majority of the people in Shule were those who had changed their faith along with Satuq. Li Shengtian had no wish at all to concern himself with whether they lived or died.

As the quarter where Shule's nobles gathered, the north of the city was the worst-hit area. There, not a single person had any chance of surviving.

Because most of them were the kin of Satuq Bughra Khan's personal guards — the families of the Ghulam Guard of the Karakhanid state, living within the city.

Only once his soldiers had stained their hands with the blood of these Ghulam Guards' kin could Li Shengtian drive them onto the battlefield with greater confidence.

Lowering his head to glance at the incense clock on the elephant carriage, Li Shengtian frowned slightly. A Buddhist after all, and a Son of Heaven raised in wealth, he was still somewhat unaccustomed to this kind of bloody slaughter.

"Where is the Duke of Fengtian Commandery?" Li Shengtian asked lightly.

Where was Zhang Zhao? In truth, he already knew in his heart, because Zhang Zhao had compiled for him a catalogue of the treasures in the Karakhanid royal palace — worth a full one million one hundred thousand strings of cash.

And he had also agreed to Zhang Zhao's request: three-tenths of it would belong to Zhang Zhao, and seven-tenths to him, the maternal uncle, the Great Sage Son of Heaven.

"The Duke has already surrounded the Karakhanid royal city with the righteous troops in the city and Commandant Liu. He awaits Your Majesty's arrival," the palace attendant beside him answered in a low voice.

A satisfied look appeared on Li Shengtian's face, and he could not help stroking the beard on his chin.

"Erlang knows what matters. His elder sister has raised him well! I am not his equal!" Then his face darkened.

"Notify all the armies: take over the defense of Shule at once, as ordered. All officers of Colonel rank and above are to report to the royal city immediately. Each Commandant of the assault-resisting garrisons is to restrain his troops — no more killing!"

Li Shengtian had the right to give such an order today, because the greatest contributors to the breach of Shule were not the common soldiers now slaughtering and plundering everywhere, but his own nephew, the Duke of Fengtian Commandery Zhang Zhao, leading the Fengtian Army, and his own palace guards.

One could say that of the thirty thousand troops who attacked Shule, all had only toil to show for it, while the merit belonged to his nephew Zhang Zhao and his own palace guards.

And so Li Shengtian, in excellent spirits, was already calculating that after thoroughly crushing Satuq Bughra Khan, he would set about reorganizing the various factions, great and small, within the Golden Kingdom of Khotan.

Clip-clop, clip-clop! As Li Shengtian sat on the elephant carriage with narrowed eyes, lost in thought, he suddenly heard the sound of hoofbeats, and at once a faint sense that something was wrong welled up in his heart.

And moreover... when those riders caught sight of his carriage, they rode even faster, showing not the slightest intention of coming over to pay their respects, and faintly betraying a guilty conscience.

Hmm? Are those not the Guiyi Army's elite cavalry who came as part of the queen's dowry? Whose carriage are they escorting? Li Shengtian's expression changed.

"Quickly! Enter the palace at once!"

Within the royal palace, Cao Yuanxin stood tall and upright. Cao Shisi, Cao Yanming, knelt sitting beside Cao Yuanxin like an obedient large tabby cat, eyes narrowed in great contentment, for Cao Yuanxin was stroking the top of his head.

"Shisi has indeed grown up! He knows to worry about his aunt. For you to have such a heart makes it worthwhile that your aunt left home at fifteen to marry far away!"

After praising Cao Yanming, and after the two of them had performed a display of deep affection between aunt and nephew, Cao Yuanxin turned a solemn gaze upon Zhang Zhao.

Unlike with Cao Yanming, Zhang Zhao's relationship with her could be called extremely complicated.

From the perspective of the Great Sage Son of Heaven, she was Zhang Zhao's aunt by marriage. Although Zhang Zhao was not born of Princess Fengtian, Princess Fengtian would never again have a child of her own blood, so Zhang Zhao could be said to be no different from Princess Fengtian's own child.

This could be seen from Li Shengtian's attitude toward Zhang Zhao — he absolutely treated him as his own nephew.

And at the same time, she and Zhang Zhao were in fact cousins, for the blood of Zhang Yichao flowed in both of them.

Yet, as it happened, she was also a daughter of the Cao family. However much she revered Zhang Yichao, her great-grandfather on her mother's side, she could not stand by and watch Zhang Zhao overthrow the Caos and restore the Zhangs.

But there was another problem Cao Yuanxin could not ignore: Zhang Zhao's ability was simply too great! That the Golden Kingdom of Khotan had been able to take Shule today could be said to be owed above all to Zhang Zhao.

Whether it was bringing more than ten thousand burdensome followers — when in fact he had only seven or eight hundred soldiers — and still accomplishing the task of establishing a camp below the walls of Shule, holding out against the attacks of a Karakhanid army of over ten thousand;

or breaching the walls of Shule and using barely a thousand men to rout the Governor of Shule, Itihad, and take him alive — both were feats worthy of the highest praise for valor.

And in the Golden Kingdom of Khotan, no one could surpass such bravery!

Given time, Zhang Erlang would likely become another of those peerless heroes like Zhang Nanyang (Zhang Xiaosong), the founder of the Dragon-Tongue Zhang clan, who cried out, "If we do not save them, how can we command the Western Regions?" and with only ten thousand-odd rabble troops took the kingdom of Ferghana alone, awing the land between the rivers, so that the Arabs, Ferghana, Kashmir, and other states none dared contend with him and sent envoys one after another to offer submission.

Moreover, Cao Yuanxin understood very clearly in her heart that Zhang Zhao had just done her an enormous favor.

She had seen the queen of the Karakhanid Bughra Khan. In appearance, bearing, and learning alike, she was exactly the kind the Great Sage Son of Heaven liked best — and younger than herself.

If she truly entered the Taihe Palace, she would likely become her greatest rival.

"Erlang! For this matter, your elder sister truly must thank you. In truth, the lands of Anxi are vast beyond measure, and there is much to be accomplished there!"

Zhang Zhao very bluntly rolled his eyes at Cao Yuanxin. This woman — truly changeable. When she had him in her grip she was his aunt by marriage; when she needed something from him she became his elder sister.

And there were words within her words: in her heart she still feared he would return to Shazhou and seize back the family enterprise from the Caos.

"Does Aunt truly think so? I am one who has rolled into bed with Li Ruoliu. As things stand now, if I were willing to put down roots in the Great Golden Kingdom, would Cousin Congde still be in the mood to keep studying the Dharma in Dunhuang?"

Cao Yuanxin drew a deep breath. It suddenly struck her — yes! This Zhang Erlang before her had already become entangled with the descendant of the Prince of Wudu Commandery from the Central Plains. And one must know that the throne of Khotan should by rights have belonged to the descendant of the Prince of Wudu Commandery.

If Zhang Erlang truly put down roots in the Great Golden Kingdom, with his abilities and the still-substantial influence of the Prince of Wudu Commandery's royal line, would Congde be able to sit securely on the throne when the time came for him to succeed?

"And so I, Zhang Erlang, must still return to Shazhou. Shazhou is the ancestral land of my Dragon-Tongue Zhang clan, and the Guiyi Army was founded by my ancestor, the Grand Guardian. Aunt, do not forget why our Guiyi Army came together in the first place.

Better to be a ghost of Tang than a slave of the barbarians. Open the road through Ganzhou and Liangzhou, and return to the motherland!

My father, the White-Clad Son of Heaven, had grand ambitions but little ability, and brought the entire Guiyi Army to the brink of destruction. That was why the Great King Linggong took his place, washed away the shame, and stabilized the situation.

And now, twenty years later, on this day, the Great King Linggong's allotted years may soon run out. The Guiyi Army holds only the two prefectures of Gua and Sha, barely surviving in the Gobi. Everyone is sunk in stupor, having long forgotten the great aspirations of their ancestors!

If we cannot once more open the road through Ganzhou and Liangzhou and return to the motherland, sooner or later we will be swallowed up among the hordes of barbarians. I ask you, Cousin: does my elder brother Yuande have this ability?"

This was the first time Zhang Zhao had expressed his innermost thoughts without any concealment. Even Cao Yanming was hearing Zhang Zhao's true feelings for the first time. A flicker of discomfort passed through his eyes, then subsided into desolation.

Cao Yanming smiled bitterly and shook his head. Without waiting for Cao Yuanxin to answer, he spoke: "My father is at best a ruler who can preserve what he has. To break new ground and press forward is, I fear, not his strength. Besides, Father has suffered from a lung ailment for over ten years. Even if he wished to press forward, his body could not bear it!"

Cao Yuanxin looked at Cao Yanming in astonishment. She had not expected Zhang Erlang's influence on Cao Yanming to run so deep. In this age, for a son to speak of his father in such terms could be called unfilial.

"Then can Second Brother Yuanshen shoulder this burden?" Zhang Zhao asked next.

This time it was Cao Yuanxin's turn to shake her head. This second brother of hers could not even be counted a ruler who preserves what he has — he could only be counted a mediocre ruler.

In a strong period of a unified dynasty, a mediocre ruler was actually not so bad; he could always keep things going. But given the Guiyi Army's present situation, nothing short of a heroic ruler could save it. At this thought, Cao Yuanxin let out a long sigh.

"If Heaven's mandate lies with Erlang, then for the Guiyi Army to return to the Zhang family is only right and proper. But can the Cao family preserve its present wealth and rank?"

As expected, her son mattered most. Compared with her own blood descendants, brothers and nephews were not beyond sacrificing.

Zhang Zhao nodded. "I once made a pact with the Great King Linggong: if the day ever comes when the road through Ganzhou and Liangzhou is opened and the motherland restored, I, Zhang Erlang, shall personally bear the coffin and escort the Great King Linggong back to Bozhou, and bury him there with the rites of a prince of a commandery!"

"Excellent!" A trace of emotion appeared on Cao Yuanxin's face. She drew a fish tally from her bosom and handed it to Zhang Zhao.

"When my family sent me to Khotan back then, fearing I would be bullied, they gave me a dowry escort of two hundred Yue cavalry in two companies — all elite Han and tribal troops of Shazhou. Over twenty years of rest and recuperation, they now number four hundred thirty-three able-bodied men, all skilled in bow and horse.

Today they helped me spirit away the Khagan of the Karakhanids' queen, and I fear the Great Son of Heaven may be displeased. Zhang Erlang, I entrust these men to you. When you return east one day, do not forget today's kindness!"

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