Chapter 15: As Expected, They Were Up to No Good

The setting sun sank in the west, and orange-red clouds spread across the horizon. In the valley, logs of firewood were being piled onto the open ground by the stream, where those Uyghurs were about to roast sheep again.

In just a day and a half, the Uyghurs Ge Duo had brought had already eaten seventeen of the mountain stronghold's sheep. Although Ge Duo promised he would soon return twenty to Qi Xiahou, his careless tone did not sound like that of a man who intended to repay them.

Qi Xiahou glanced over and sighed deeply in his heart, believing Zhang Zhao's words all the more. These Uyghurs were not people one could rely on at all. They would take his stronghold, his cattle and sheep, his wife and daughters — but they would never take him.

"Brother Qi, you must persuade the young lord. Now, apart from Ge Duo the Tarkhan, who else would support him as lord of Gua and Sha? Besides, behind Ge Duo the Tarkhan there are ten thousand warriors to command.

Compared to that, as for a beauty — once he sits in the Military Governor's seat, he can have as many as he wants. How can a man who would achieve great things begrudge a mere woman!"

Following behind Qi Xiahou were Sha Gou'er and two short, stocky Uyghur warriors. They had come up the mountain to "persuade" Zhang Zhao. Lord Ge Duo had waited a day and a half and still Zhang Zhao had not sensibly sent the beauty down on his own, and he was finally beginning to lose patience.

"Brother Sha speaks truly. This Cao family is arrogant beyond measure. Not only are they usurping traitors, they won't even put a talent like Brother Sha to proper use. A mere squad leader of Ziting Town is all they gave you — they are utterly blind."

Qi Xiahou flattered him continuously, and even turned around deliberately so that Sha Gou'er could clearly see his fawning smile.

"Ah! Brother Qi, you flatter me! Hahaha!" He said it was flattery, but Sha Gou'er's face was split wide with laughter.

From the way this fellow had unhesitatingly taken the rank of squad leader that had belonged to Zhai Tongjin — the man Zhang Zhao had thrown to his death in the cave — and put it on his own head, one could tell he was an utterly vain creature.

"But for Brother Qi's information, I am not serving in the Ziting Town army. When I was in Dunhuang, I was a yabing guards squad leader of the Military Governor's headquarters."

The yabing guards of the Military Governor's headquarters were the Military Governor's regular troops, commanded by the headquarters Troop Commander. The Ziting Town army, by contrast, was an outer garrison town, and its soldiers were more like militia who farmed and fought as one.

Therefore, within the Guiyi Army, the status of the headquarters yabing guards was clearly higher than the latter. Qi Xiahou had described Sha Gou'er's "borrowed" yabing guards squad leader rank as that of an outer town army squad leader, so of course he had to correct him.

"A slip of the tongue! A slip of the tongue!" Qi Xiahou said, and as he said it he hurriedly turned away, because he was afraid Sha Gou'er would see how drastically his expression had changed.

Damn it, these barbarians really were up to no good. Since this Sha Gou'er was a headquarters yabing guards, he must certainly know Lady Cao Sanniang's identity.

One must understand that the Guiyi Army was still in the era of Cao Yijin. Although the Guiyi Army had begun to decline from its peak in Cao Yijin's early years, to the surrounding Ganzhou Uyghurs, Gaochang Uyghurs, and Zhongyun people, it was still the most powerful military force in the Hexi region.

Lady Cao Sanniang was the own granddaughter of Lord Cao Yijin, the Commandery Prince, the eldest legitimate daughter of Military Governor's Administrative Assistant Cao Yuanzhong, and the eldest daughter-in-law of Murong Guiying, Prefect of Guazhou. Was such a status something ordinary people could casually covet?

If Ge Duo and his men truly wanted to establish themselves in Shazhou, how would they dare set their sights on Lady Cao Sanniang?

Could lust truly make one fearless of heaven?

No! The most likely possibility was that the Uyghurs had never taken this alliance — acknowledging the young lord as their leader and jointly plotting for Gua and Sha — seriously at all. Most likely, they had simply come with the intention of grabbing a haul.

From this mountain stronghold to the Loulan region stretched a thousand li of yellow sand, sparsely populated. Ge Duo had two or three hundred men, all mounted. Unless the Military Governor's office sent out several hundred or even a thousand troops, they could never be caught.

So they could boldly come and grab a haul, and at worst simply return to the Qilian Mountains. They would lose nothing, and might even carry off some supplies and people.

Catching rabbits while gathering firewood — what a fine scheme! If not for the young lord, I would have died without a burial place!

At this thought, Qi Xiahou pointed at the main hall of the temple and said to Sha Gou'er and the others: "Brother Sha, I have already sent Zhang Zhong and the others away. In the room there remain only the young lord and Lady Sanniang. Why don't you gentlemen escort Lady Sanniang down the mountain?"

At these words, the eyes of Sha Gou'er and the three Uyghurs behind him lit up. Sha Gou'er's walnut-sized brain spun rapidly a few times. Although this young lord was highly skilled in martial arts, his own side, counting Qi Xiahou, had four men, and they were prepared now and could not be ambushed by him. Moreover, over a hundred of his own men had already arrived in the stronghold, so surely he would not dare to erupt in violence again — did he not value his life?

"Good! Then let the three of us personally escort Lady Sanniang back. This young lord certainly enjoys great fortune with women! In this day and a half, he must have been very busy! Ahahaha!"

Sha Gou'er wore a lecherous expression, his face saying "you know what I mean." The two Uyghurs behind him also let out a few excited **** sounds. Letting the three of them escort Lady Cao Sanniang down — although they wouldn't dare take Ge Duo the Tarkhan's first prize, surely taking a few liberties with their hands wouldn't be too much?

"Clang!" The door was pushed open by Sha Gou'er, smug and impatient, and the four men filed in.

In the main hall of the temple, Zhang Zhao sat on a square stool, looking somewhat dejected. Beside him, Lady Cao Sanniang knelt on the ground in a hemp robe and long skirt, her forehead resting on Zhang Zhao's leg, her shoulders trembling as if she were weeping.

Sha Gou'er had been quite wary when he first entered, since Zhang Zhao had left too deep an impression on him in the cave. But now, seeing Zhang Zhao with no imposing air at all, as if he had accepted his fate, his fear faded somewhat.

"Why does Lady Sanniang weep? It is only a bit of dressing up and making herself presentable — this is a good thing! Lady Sanniang and the young lord will soon be joined in marriage. Can she not bear even a day or half a day's separation?"

As Sha Gou'er spoke, he involuntarily drew a few steps closer. Under the dim yellow oil lamp, the half of Lady Cao Sanniang's bare shoulder actually gleamed with a silvery-white luster, looking even smoother and more delicate than Shu brocade worth a thousand gold.

Kneeling prostrate on the ground, her slender waist seemed too thin to grasp, while her buttocks, resting on her heels, were full and round. Such a stark contrast could drive any man mad.

Sha Gou'er gulped audibly. Before he could even step forward, the two Uyghur warriors behind him could not restrain themselves and strode quickly over.

They were not Sha Gou'er's subordinates, and of course knew even less of Zhang Zhao's fearsomeness. The two fellows stared fixedly at the graceful figure of Lady Cao Sanniang, their drool nearly falling to the floor.

"You sons of..." Sha Gou'er grew anxious. This Lady Sanniang was a beauty of Shazhou — what right did you bastards have to lay hands on her first?

Although Sha Gou'er was also an Uyghur, he was a Gaochang Uyghur from Yizhou, and he had been in Shazhou for over ten years. In his heart, he actually regarded himself as a man of Shazhou.

Now, seeing two Kucha Uyghurs from the Qilian Mountains rush toward Lady Cao Sanniang, he suddenly felt a sense of humiliation, as if he had been cuckolded.

But before the words left his mouth, he felt something cold pressed against his lower back. Sha Gou'er turned his head and saw that Qi Xiahou, who had just been fawning and flattering him, was now staring at him with a cold expression.

"Don't make a sound! Make a sound and I'll stab you dead!"

All chapters have been cached for you. Download the APP to view them.