Chapter 18: Ge Duo's Wish

Zhang Zhao did his best to curl up on a sedan chair, his whole body covered by a piece of dark-red Shu brocade with a medallion pattern.

Shu brocade was very popular in the Tang era, and naturally the price was no small matter either, especially in the northwest — it was rare that a broken-down bandit stronghold like Qi Xiahu's could even produce a piece of Shu brocade this large, just enough to conceal Zhang Zhao curled up on the sedan chair.

Zhang Zhao himself weighed one hundred forty jin, and the mingguang armor was close to fifty jin, so this weight of nearly one hundred ninety jin exhausted the four men carrying the sedan chair — Qi Xiahu, Sha Gou'er, Zhang Zhong, and Yin Yaozi — but to avoid arousing suspicion, they still had to put on an easy, relaxed look.

The lance and hengdao saber were both tied beneath the sedan chair. Fortunately, this lance was one Zhang Zhao had made himself in a later life, only a bit over six chi long — about two meters — rather than a true twelve-chi cavalry lance. Had it been around four meters, it could never have been hidden.

Along the way, the Uyghurs' laughter and cheerful voices filled the camp. They had been allotted the millet from Qi Xiahu's stronghold, and the able-bodied men had even been given a little mutton, so every one of them was grinning from ear to ear.

At the same time, contemptuous remarks accompanied Qi Xiahu and his men the whole way. The Uyghurs clearly all knew that these sons of Tang had come to deliver a lady to their Dagan, Ge Duo.

Even the Han chieftain's woman had been sent to Dagan Ge Duo's bed — then this paradise-like valley would sooner or later be theirs too, wouldn't it?

"Sha Gou'er, why are you the only one back? Where's my younger brother?" Sure enough, just as they neared the central tent, a Uyghur wearing oxhide armor came over and blocked the sedan chair.

"Brother Alezi's luck has turned!" Sha Gou'er put on an ingratiating face and winked twice. "That little lady — whiter than the snow on the Qilian Mountains!"

The questioning Uyghur froze, and an expression of intense jealousy flashed across his face. "The task the Dagan assigned isn't finished quickly, but when it comes to pleasure, he sure runs fast!"

As he spoke, the Uyghur reached out to lift the Shu brocade covering Zhang Zhao. "How is this lady so tall and big?"

The atmosphere instantly tensed. Although the light was somewhat dim, Zhang Zhao was after all more than a full size larger than Lady Cao San, and the questioning Uyghur clearly sensed something was wrong. Up ahead, Qi Xiahu's face changed, and he was already preparing to draw the short knife hidden in his inner robe.

"Sazi, has that Han lady been delivered? If she's here, hurry and send her over — the Dagan is waiting!"

A short, stout Uyghur suddenly appeared in the distance — the very one who had pressed a short knife to Zhang Zhong's chest that night to keep him from passing. The squat man had thrown on a short jacket carelessly and looked to be in the middle of enjoying his drink.

"You dog-rat curs, you eat meat and drink wine while I freeze out here! Even Alezi can find himself a little lady to amuse himself with."

Sazi's hand, halfway extended, immediately drew back. After muttering a couple of words, he waved his hand in disgust, signaling Sha Gou'er and the others to hurry past.

Ge Duo was already somewhat drunk. He was not, in fact, one of the Kucha Uyghurs who had migrated west; he was an Anxi Uyghur whose people had already been absorbed by the Gaochang Uyghurs.

His ancestors had been of the Uyghur royal clan. Back then, they had been sent out by the Anxi Uyghurs' Yabghu, Pang Tegin, to make contact with the Kucha Uyghurs.

Only their luck had not been good. When Ge Duo's ancestor reached Kucha, he happened to run into the Tibetans, who, to prevent the Uyghurs of the two regions from joining forces, chose to relocate all the Kucha Uyghurs to the Qilian Mountains for resettlement.

An invitation is not as good as a chance encounter! Ge Duo's unlucky ancestor had no choice but to settle down on the Qilian Mountains from then on.

Life on the Qilian Mountains was bitter! Most of the year it was extremely cold, snow flew even in the sixth month, the mountains were high and the weather cold so the grass never grew tall, and they lacked salt, lacked grain, lacked clothing — in short, whatever people needed, they lacked!

And if Ge Duo had been an ordinary herdsman, it would have been a bit easier — at least he could accept his fate, because no matter where a herdsman was, life was just about the same.

But as it happened, Ge Duo's crackbrained old ancestor had passed down his identity as a member of the Uyghur royal clan from generation to generation.

By the time it reached Ge Duo, comparing the godlike wealth and splendor of the Uyghur royal court in the old people's tales to his present wretched state — fortunately Ge Duo had not read many books and did not know there was such a thing in the world as melancholia, or he would surely have sunk into despair.

So Ge Duo, unable to endure the bitter cold of the Qilian Mountains, had eagerly led some of his clansmen down the mountain to Shazhou as soon as the Tibetans weakened.

The poverty of the Qilian Mountains had forged Ge Duo's powerful body and cruel disposition, so after they came down from the mountains, they quickly gained a firm foothold and became the greatest threat in the Shazhou region.

Another bowl of murky millet wine went down, and Ge Duo, his head beginning to spin, stood up. Why had Sha Gou'er still not brought that beauty over?

Whenever Ge Duo's elders told him of the wealth and splendor of the Uyghur royal court, without exception there would always appear a beauty so lovely she did not seem real, used to display that wealth and splendor.

But what the beauty actually looked like, in truth no one could say clearly, because for several generations Ge Duo's family had never seen any beauty at all.

So when Ge Duo first laid eyes on Lady Cao San, he discovered that he had found it — found the beauty he had imagined for decades!

Therefore Ge Duo decided he did not care anymore! He did not care that his original intention had been to seize this valley and swallow up Qi Xiahu, then use Lady Cao San to extort a large sum of cloth, salt, and grain from the Cao family of Shazhou.

Nor did he care about the order from Ganzhou's Renyu Khagan, who had already become Khagan of the Kucha Uyghurs, for them to infiltrate Shazhou as nomads.

Ge Duo simply had to have this beauty! Because only then would his life be complete. He was already past forty this year; if he let this beauty go, he would probably never have another chance in this life.

The sedan chair drew nearer and nearer, the medallion-patterned Shu brocade reflecting a captivating sheen. Ge Duo glanced at the two guards beside him.

The guards wore oxhide armor inlaid with iron plates, their hands resting on their saber hilts. These were his most loyal subordinates — as long as Ge Duo drank, they absolutely would not drink, always ensuring the safety of the Great Dagan Ge Duo.

"A beauty! Heh heh!" Ge Duo, holding a short knife, walked toward the sedan chair with a slight sway. Sha Gou'er and the other three set the sedan chair down according to Zhang Zhao's plan, then quickly retreated to a corner to prepare.

The two guards flanked Ge Duo on the left and right, while Ge Duo, full of joy, used his scabbard to gently lift aside the Shu brocade covering the "beauty's" head.

He had never once imagined that a paltry few like Zhang Zhao would dare resist, and even less had he imagined that with dozens of veteran horse bandits around him, Zhang Zhao would dare to walk into the tiger's den to come after him.

The gorgeous Shu brocade slowly fell away, but what appeared before Ge Duo's eyes was no beauty — it was a golden-armored warrior crouched upon the sedan chair.

The sudden change erupted in an instant! Zhang Zhao launched himself from the sedan chair, his target precisely Ge Duo.

'Ding!' The short knife in his hand stabbed into Ge Duo's abdomen, and blood immediately gushed out — but when he tried to push it deeper, it would go no further!

Damn! The dog had actually worn a ring-linked coat next to his skin — that is, Chinese-style chain mail. Though the quality was nothing special and Zhang Zhao had stabbed straight through it, it still offered some protection. It looked like there was bleeding, but it had only cut the surface.

'Shit!' Zhang Zhao cursed. This was his only chance, and the man had armor. The short knife could no longer kill Ge Duo, so he could only kick out, sending Ge Duo flying, then use the recoil to dart backward.

"Dagan!" The first to react was the guard on the left. He shouted but did not come forward to cut Zhang Zhao down; instead he turned, grabbed Ge Duo, and began running backward — truly experienced.

After the left guard's shout, the right guard swiftly drew a Tibetan knife, but he too did not come at Zhang Zhao. Instead he faced off against Zhang Zhao, his mouth letting out a strange, babbling war cry.

Not good! The Uyghurs were many and his own men few; the more time passed, the greater the danger!

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