Chapter 61: This Is What You Call Professional

"Now let's divide up the tasks!" Zhang Zhao cleared his throat and said.

He had summoned Fan Quan, Fan Shun, Bai Congxin, Yan Jin, Qiong Re Duojin, and Ma Yaozi. Right where Aluoduo had just drawn the map of Wuni City, Zhang Zhao began assigning tasks.

He drew a line at the position of the Sheep-and-Horse Market. "Bai Congxin, take twenty men from your squad and hold this biggest exit of the Sheep-and-Horse Market for me.

Tell the traveling merchants inside that I've come to the Zhongyun King's place seeking wealth, and it has nothing to do with them. Tell them not to stir up trouble. Once we've opened the Zhongyun King's treasure vault, we'll sell them half the goods at half price!"

Bai Congxin nodded. As a bandit who robbed travelers on the road, the group he dealt with most was the traveling merchants of the Silk Road, so he was very familiar with their ways and knew how to intimidate them.

He looked at Zhang Zhao with admiration. "Young Lord Erlang, this is a fine move! Men who travel a thousand li for trade care only for money. The gold, jewels, and jade in the Zhongyun King's vault will of course be ours, but there's also plenty of grain, meat, fine wine, and cloth that's inconvenient to carry.

Not only do we not rob them, we even give them a share of the spoils. These merchants will certainly sit on the fence, or even secretly help us."

"Ma Yaozi, look here!" Zhang Zhao pointed at the Zhongyun residential area south of the Sheep-and-Horse Market.

"Most of the people living here are Zhongyun warriors. I'm giving you ten men. You don't need to fight. Take tung oil, dry firewood, and flint, and damn well set a few places alight!

Remember, don't set them too close together — spread them out. Make these warriors focus on putting out fires and have no time to reinforce the royal tent!"

Tung oil refining techniques in the Tang era were already fairly mature. Tung oil ignites on contact with fire and makes an excellent fire-starter.

Most of those Zhongyun warriors' households had a bit of money. According to Aluoduo's clansmen, nearly every household had some timber-framed buildings, unlike the other poor folk whose houses were only stone, mud, and branches — very easy to set alight.

The only problem was that this plan was somewhat costly. At this time, tung oil was mostly produced in Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and southern Shaanxi.

But Yunnan was controlled by Yang Ganzhen's Great Yining Kingdom, Guizhou was still under the control of the Zangke barbarians, Sichuan had already been taken over by Meng Zhixiang, who was blocking the Sword Gate Pass and seeking independence, and southern Shaanxi was depopulated. So tung oil was quite precious in the Hexi region.

Ma Yaozi hadn't wanted to take this task at first — he wanted to go into battle and kill enemies. But when he saw that Zhang Zhao had even brought out tung oil, he understood that Young Lord Zhang Erlang had put real money into this, so he didn't make a fuss.

Zhang Zhao patted Ma Yaozi on the shoulder. "Don't underestimate just going to set fires — this matter is very important. If the fires don't catch, the Zhongyun warriors will be able to intercept us, and then we won't be able to crack the Zhongyun King's turtle shell. That's why I'll only be at ease if you're the one doing it!"

Half of this was to spur Ma Yaozi on, and half was the truth, because although Ma Yaozi liked to act odd and play the fool in daily life, he was actually extremely cunning — the cunning of a street thug.

If you sent him to negotiate with the merchants of the Sheep-and-Horse Market, there would certainly be problems. But if you sent him to set fires like a hooligan, he'd absolutely do a perfect job!

When he heard Zhang Zhao say the arson was important, Ma Yaozi's face immediately relaxed, and even seemed to glow. Looking somewhat smug yet feigning the gravity of one bearing a great responsibility, he nodded.

"Young Lord Erlang, rest assured — Ma Yaozi will get this done for you!"

"The rest of you, Yan Jin and I will each take thirty men and push straight through the wooden stockade to the front of the Zhongyun King's great tent. Fourteenth Brother, you follow me and bring all the gunpowder. Yan Jin will lead men in a feigned assault on the right gate, and we'll go blow up his left gate!"

Cao Shisi, Cao Yanming, also nodded, though he was still somewhat reluctant. These past days his hands had been rubbed raw, and he'd only managed to mix a few dozen jin of gunpowder. Now Zhang Zhao was going to use it all in one go — and there were many ratios in it he hadn't quite figured out yet!

"Don't be reluctant. Once we reach Khotan, I'll get you a big house just for you to play with gunpowder in!"

Zhang Zhao really did think highly of Cao Shisi. Although he himself had mixed gunpowder before, that had been for playing with flintlock rifles abroad and cosplaying as an Old Guard of the Emperor.

He had not the slightest interest in the tedious work of gunpowder ratios and research, and his own status didn't allow him to spend large amounts of energy on it either. Now that he had Cao Yanming, he only needed to open his mouth and someone else would run his legs off — how wonderful!

"Uncle Zhong! Cousin!" The remaining twenty men I leave to you two. No matter what, you must hold our horses and camels. Once we succeed, we'll use them to load the gold, jewels, and jade. If there's trouble, they'll also let us retreat!"

A line of retreat absolutely had to be arranged, and it could only be entrusted to Zhang Zhong and Yin Yaozi.

One of these two might be simple-minded, but he was loyal enough!

The other was a bit slow-witted, but his martial strength was sufficient, he was steady, and he was Zhang Zhao's own cousin. As long as Zhang Zhao gave him a task, he would carry it out without the slightest discount.

"All of you, remember this — pass the orders down to every man. No acting on your own, no killing indiscriminately, no looting, and absolutely no kidnapping or rape!

Once we succeed, we leave. All goods will be distributed according to merit. Those who follow my orders are my brothers! Anyone who dares to act out of line — I'll cut off his dog head myself!"

At dawn, the wooden gate of the Sheep-and-Horse Market outside Wuni City slowly opened. The traveling merchants huddled inside the city also came out one after another to the Ruoqiang River outside to wash up and feed their livestock. Some caravans preparing to leave early in the morning had already begun packing their gear and replenishing fresh water.

Vendors selling flatbread and salted fresh milk had long since begun hawking their wares in this place reeking of livestock dung. Occasionally one could see men who had slept alongside horses and camels rubbing their bleary eyes and getting up.

"Traveling merchant" was not a glamorous word. You went out to make money, so you saved wherever you could. Many people didn't stay at inns at all — they basically slept with their livestock. It cost nothing and was warm. A bit of stink and filth wasn't even worth considering.

Within a few minutes, the gate between the Sheep-and-Horse Market and the inner city also gradually opened, signaling that trading was about to begin.

The residents of Wuni City wanted to buy things from the traveling merchants outside, and they also had handmade goods like woolen blankets waiting to be sold. Some also hoped to find work in the Sheep-and-Horse Market.

In the distance rose the crisp sound of camel bells — residents of the oases around Wuni City had also come to trade. But those were only the nearby ones; those from farther away wouldn't arrive until the sun was well up.

Several young women dressed in locally produced white hemp cloth were washing clothes by the Ruoqiang River. The cold river water turned their hands bright red, but seen from afar, the red hands against the white clothes had a strange beauty of their own.

The Zhongyun people of this time (the ancient Loulan people) belonged to a branch of the Indo-European peoples. Those familiar with them knew that such ethnic groups easily produced beauties!

At this moment, those graceful beauties by the river had the whole crowd of traveling merchants in the Sheep-and-Horse Market itching with desire.

A somewhat plump merchant weighed a small packet of salt in his hand, figured it probably wasn't enough, and with gritted teeth added a wooden comb.

Many of the women here came to whoever asked. The good-looking ones gave their bodies; ones like the fat merchant could only spend a bit of money.

And this wasn't because Zhongyun women were shameless or anything of the sort. In fact, this was the custom of most ethnic groups in the region, including the Qingtang Plateau.

In these places, people from one area and another lived far apart, contact was difficult, and the population was small. If you didn't want the whole tribe to become a clan of inbred idiots after a few decades, loosening things up in certain respects was a necessity.

Many places even had the custom of entertaining guests with one's wife and daughters. It had nothing to do with morality, and even less to do with romance — it was purely for survival!

The fat merchant, having staked real money, had his eye on a beauty with a big bottom. At this moment the woman had her back to him, washing her long hair. That peach-like shape and those strong long legs — she was surely full of vigor!

And it looked like she was just lacking a comb. He could make this work!

"Ah! Ah!!" The woman washing by the river suddenly let out a scream like a marmot's.

But it wasn't because she'd been startled by the fat merchant beside her. It was because across the river, almost in an instant, a troop of cavalry had suddenly appeared beside the quietly flowing Ruoqiang River.

They carried a great banner the woman had never seen before, and in almost an instant they charged across the river. The few warriors guarding the small wooden bridge didn't even have time to draw their blades before they were knocked straight into the water!

The scene instantly descended into chaos!

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