Chapter 7: The Reason Behind It All Is Heartwarming

"Zhongweng! If only my father could... ah!" Zhang Chao edged a little closer to Zhongweng, then let out a long sigh as he spoke, looking rather forlorn.

This was a very clever all-purpose remark; combined with Zhongweng's jubilant cry of "the great matter is accomplished" not long before, the old fellow was sure to pick up the thread.

Sure enough, while Zhang Chao was still striking his forlorn, nostalgic pose, tears were already glistening in Zhongweng's eyes.

"The thing the Son of Heaven thought about his whole life was reviving the Zhang family. Hateful that great clans like the Cao and Murong families—the Son of Heaven even issued an edict blaming himself, yet they still pressed him relentlessly. True traitors! True villains!"

So it really was an imperial family—out came "Son of Heaven," and one forced from the throne by the realm's great clans.

Uh! This Son of Heaven was too pathetic, wasn't he? Forced from the throne by a few great clans? Eh? Also surnamed Zhang? The Zhang family? In thousands of years of Chinese history, there's never been an emperor surnamed Zhang! Even the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms after the Tang...

No!

There is one!

The grandson of that great hero Zhang Yichao who recovered the six commanderies of Hexi—he seems to have founded something called the Western Han Jinshan Kingdom.

My God, please don't let this be a joke! If it's the Guiyi Army Zhang family, that's hell difficulty!

"In that case! Zhongweng, now that we've gathered in righteous alliance today, do all the lords of the stronghold know of my father's mighty name?"

Zhang Chao felt his own voice trembling. Heaven help him—please don't let it be the Guiyi Army Zhang family!

"Of course everyone knows. The young lord's father is our sovereign—the White-Clad Son of Heaven of our Western Han Jinshan Kingdom!"

Zhongweng roared, as if what he bellowed was the last glory of the Longshe Zhang clan!

What the hell! Western Han Jinshan Kingdom? White-Clad Son of Heaven? Zhang Chengfeng? Screw you!

A boom went off in Zhang Chao's mind, and countless memories flooded in at once. It really was the damn Guiyi Army!

But couldn't the transmigration time have been moved up a bit? Wouldn't it have been better to transmigrate to Zhang Yichao's era?

The father of the body he'd transmigrated into, Zhang Chengfeng, was already gone—which meant that even Zhang Chengfeng's little Western Han Jinshan Kingdom had been defeated and fallen who knew how many years ago.

Good heavens, at this point in time, not only had the Zhang family already fallen, but even playing the Cao family's Guiyi Army directly in Europa Universalis IV, simulating Cao Yijin—that was hell difficulty!

Because at this time the Guiyi Army was squeezed between the Gaochang Uyghurs and the Ganzhou Uyghurs, unable to move. At its peak it had held the twelve prefectures of Gua, Sha, Gan, Liang, Yi, Xi, Su, Lan, Shan, He, Min, and Kuo; now only the two prefectures of Gua and Sha remained, with a population of no more than four hundred thousand and troops of no more than ten thousand. Even self-defense was a huge problem.

Damn it all! Better to have transmigrated to the era of Emperor Zhaozong of Tang and become his son.

At least then he could have found a way to get to Li Keyong's territory and exploit the conflict between Li Keyong and the loyal minister Zhu Quanzhong.

But before the dazed and reeling Zhang Chao could digest any of this, hurried footsteps and a mass of bright torches came from outside the door.

"Geduo Tagan has arrived!" came a loud shout from outside, and with a crash, a dozen or so men entered the main hall.

Zhang Chao turned to look, and his pupils instantly contracted. This so-called Geduo Tagan was a short, fat, deep-eyed Uyghur with only a few sparse hairs on his head.

In the memories that had just flooded in, this Uyghur had an even more resounding nickname—Bald Tiger—and was the biggest Uyghur horse-bandit chief in the area.

And even more shocking, beside that Geduo Tagan was someone Zhang Chao knew very well—the very Sha Gou'er who had said some nobleman wanted to abduct the Cao family's daughter!

Something's wrong! How could Zhang Chengfeng's son and household servants be tangled up with Uyghur horse bandits? And what was this "the great matter is accomplished"?

Zhang Chao suddenly looked at Lady Cao Sanniang. The woman who had not wept even when Zhai Tongjin flicked off her veil with his dagger now had eyes full of terror and anguish, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Lady Cao Sanniang looked at Zhang Chao, her whole body trembling slightly, her voice like a whimpering puppy. She clearly knew who Zhang Chao was, and had figured out the implications even faster than he had.

"Young lord! Grand Protector Zhang Yichao was a hero under heaven, and the Longshe Zhang clan led Gua and Sha for several hundred years. How can you conspire with barbarians against your own kin? What face will you have to meet the generations of Zhang ancestors beneath the Nine Springs?"

Zhang Chao was speechless too. He remembered now—what a great matter indeed! A truly great matter!

The "great matter" of this gang flying the banner of his father, the White-Clad Son of Heaven Zhang Chengfeng, was actually to borrow the Zhang family's prestige and ally with the large force of Kucha Uyghurs recently come down from the Qilian Mountains to split Gua and Sha apart.

And Zhang Chao also knew that in later history, the fall of the Guiyi Army had been caused precisely by infiltration and assimilation by the Kucha Uyghurs, who evolved into the Shazhou Uyghurs.

The last Han regime on the Hexi Corridor—its final outcome was that one part of its people was assimilated by the Uyghurs, and another part defected to Western Xia and was Tangut-ized.

One could not say this was not a tragedy, and it seemed that in history, the one who had set this tragedy in motion... was actually himself?

"Hahaha! So this is the young lord. I wondered where such a likeness had come from! I have eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai—my deepest apologies!

Lady Cao Sanniang is here too. It seems you two truly are fated. I am here at the Tagan's request, to bring about the hundred-year union of the young lord and Lady Cao Sanniang!"

While monstrous waves surged in Zhang Chao's heart, Sha Gou'er whispered a few words into Geduo's ear, then walked straight over.

You bastard! Zhang Chao didn't even dare look at Lady Cao Sanniang's eyes. The reason behind all this really was heartwarming—after all this, he himself was the source of all the calamity, the true and undisputed chief culprit.

Zhang Chao now truly felt the urge to cleave that old servant Zhongweng beside him in two with one stroke. When other people transmigrated, they got loyal servants and little loli maids protecting them the whole way. When it was his turn, this fine loyal servant had dug him an enormous pit!

A deadly pit!

To be a puppet of the Uyghurs, to harm his own countrymen, to topple the only Han regime on the Hexi Corridor—bah! If I did such a thing, what face would I have to keep living?

Zhang Chao was lost in self-reproach, and Lady Cao's heart ached beyond measure. But Zhongweng, who had brought them up to the stronghold, wore an utterly indifferent expression. He cupped his hands and walked over.

"Geduo Tagan, the young lord of the Jinshan Kingdom's Zhang clan is right here. From now on, the young lord is our common sovereign. Whether Uyghur or Han folk, we will support the young lord in retaking Gua and Sha. In days to come, the Tagan shall be a founding hero of the restored Jinshan Kingdom!"

But before Zhongweng could get close, a burly Uyghur pressed the Kucha short blade in his hand against Zhongweng's chest, stopping him from advancing. Though the blade was still sheathed, the contempt was plain.

And that Geduo Tagan paid no heed whatsoever to Zhongweng's words, instead gazing intently past Zhongweng's shoulder.

Zhongweng, his expression turning somewhat ugly, followed Geduo Tagan's gaze. That peerlessly beautiful Lady Cao was standing dazed behind the young lord, like a peach blossom in spring.

"The Tagan says that since Lady Cao has already arrived at the stronghold, the happy matter should be sooner rather than later. It happens that the Tagan has women skilled in makeup and adornment. Please, Lady Cao, come with me first. After you are washed and dressed, we will choose an auspicious day for the wedding! The union of the Zhang and Cao families—would that not be even better for winning the hearts of the people of Gua and Sha!"

Sha Gou'er, who had withdrawn, came over again. He cast a contemptuous smile at Zhongweng, then stepped past him and spoke to Zhang Chao.

Zhang Chao looked up, and he too noticed that the short, fat Bald Tiger Geduo's eyes were gleaming with lewd light as he stared at Lady Cao behind him. The man was clearly lusting after her.

Hah! If Lady Cao went off with these Uyghurs, the great Tagan Geduo would probably get to play the groom in Zhang Chao's place first, wouldn't he?

Lady Cao had clearly realized this too. Involuntarily she drew closer to Zhang Chao, hiding behind his back and trembling softly.

Zhang Chao felt a surge of fury blaze from his dantian to the crown of his head. These Uyghurs—not one of them would live!

After Sha Gou'er finished speaking, he suddenly felt as though a fierce tiger had fixed its gaze on him. He abruptly remembered Zhang Chao's ferocity in that cave—Captain Zhai, always renowned for his martial skill, had his neck broken by the man before him in a single exchange.

"Get lost!" Zhang Chao squeezed the words out through clenched teeth. The few men around him had likewise noticed Bald Tiger's lecherous gaze. Zhongweng hurriedly retreated back, and the burly man called Yin Yaozi, along with Qi Xiahu, who had greeted them at the gate, all shifted expressions several times before ultimately taking their stand on Zhang Chao's side.

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