Chapter 82: Khotan's Vital Point

Youth was indeed an asset, but Li Shengtian shook his head. As Zhang Zhao had said, no matter how much he cherished his elder sister, he was no ordinary man — he was the King of Khotan, and everything he did had to put the interests of the Kingdom of Khotan first.

At present, although the Kingdom of Khotan was prosperous and powerful, one of the three great states of Anxi,

to the north, the Kara-Khanid Khanate, formed by the Nine Clans of Oghuz and the Three Clans of Karluk, still posed no small threat to Khotan — and not an ordinary threat, but a religious one.

Ever since the Great Tang's power had withdrawn from Anxi, the Arabs, riding the victory at Talas, had ceaselessly spread the religion of Heaven eastward.

In particular, fifteen years ago, when Satuq Bughra Khan of the Kara-Khanids publicly proclaimed his conversion to the religion of Heaven, many nobles within the Kara-Khanid Khanate began to change their faith.

Moreover, an unending stream of monks of the religion of Heaven and believers in the religion of Heaven infiltrated from Shule into Khotan's territory to proselytize.

At present, the only place the Buddhists and Manichaeans in the Kara-Khanid Khanate could still control was Balasagun, and even that was under siege by Satuq Bughra Khan — its fall was only a matter of time.

One could well imagine that once Satuq Bughra Khan captured Balasagun, the number of believers and monks of the religion of Heaven infiltrating Khotan would no longer be the current trickle.

Khotan had a population of seven hundred thousand, already a great state in Anxi, but once the Kara-Khanid Khanate recovered Balasagun and even Ferghana, it would hold at least three hundred thousand households — roughly one and a half to one and eight-tenths million people.

A population of that scale was not something Khotan could contend with, at least not in a prolonged struggle.

So while Li Shengtian constantly strengthened Khotan itself, he also pinned his hopes on the Gaochang Uyghurs to the east, the Guiyi Army, and even the dynasties of the Central Plains.

What Li Shengtian longed for most now was the revival of the Great Tang — five hundred thousand heavenly soldiers sweeping over to give the Karluk traitors and the Arabs a savage beating.

Of course, he himself knew this was not very realistic, but obtaining help from the Central Plains, and from the Guiyi Army, was still quite realistic.

Therefore no matter what, no matter how much grievance his elder sister had suffered — even to the point that her only bloodline, the Crown Prince of the Jinshan Kingdom, Zhang Geng, had died young — Li Shengtian still maintained friendly relations with the Cao family. This was dictated by Khotan's reality.

Thinking of all this, Li Shengtian's mood was heavy. He shook his head at Zhang Zhao.

"Do not speak of open support — even covert support, I cannot give you. I am the King of Khotan, and I must answer for Khotan!"

Zhang Zhao was somewhat disappointed, but he had anticipated this situation before coming, and in truth he had never expected Li Shengtian to intervene directly in his plan to seize back the great power of the Guiyi Army.

If Li Shengtian were willing to do that, he should now be going up to the Qilian Mountains to collude with the Kucha Uyghurs, slowly destabilizing the Guiyi Army and then seizing power.

The path of destabilizing the Guiyi Army and seizing power through a bloody coup was one Zhang Zhao would absolutely not choose.

"Your nephew fully understands Uncle's difficulties. I also understand the principle that one should not act when a matter cannot be done. But before it has even begun, one cannot lightly speak of giving up. As for the matter of Wuni City, I beg Uncle to be lenient!"

"Ah!" Li Shengtian looked at Zhang Zhao and could not help letting out a long sigh.

"Your father died far too young — he never even taught you these things. Do you realize that for the few things you have done recently, any other sovereign would have had your head on the ground, or at the very least sent you packing back to Shazhou long ago!"

Zhang Zhao understood Li Shengtian's meaning. Whether it was rewarding the queen of Sanpoba to his subordinates, or only presenting the spoils from the Zhongyun Kingdom to his imperial uncle after Li Shengtian had to remind him upon reaching Khotan City, or getting entangled with the politically sensitive Li Ruoyu and Li Ruoliu siblings —

every one of these matters was, in fact, rather taboo.

Of course, part of the reason was Zhang Zhao's lack of political experience, but the greater reason was that he had gradually felt out Li Shengtian's "pulse" and knew that this imperial uncle was no ruthless sovereign. Furthermore, he was supremely confident that once Li Shengtian saw his usefulness to Khotan, he would overlook all his shortcomings.

"Zhao'er dares to be so reckless only because he understands that Uncle truly loves me. Even though I am not my mother's natural son, love for the house extends to the crow on its roof — Uncle has treated me as his own nephew."

A trace of warmth appeared on Zhang Zhao's face. "But Uncle need not worry. Though your nephew is rash, I am willing and able to share Uncle's burdens!"

Li Shengtian smiled and nodded. Though this nephew was a bit rash, his affection for him was plain to see.

But he would not show it on his lips. This boy was still too heedless of consequence and needed to be pressed down a little longer. So Li Shengtian's face turned cold.

"Uncle knows you are famed for ferocity, and every armored soldier under your command fights with the strength to break enemy lines. But you number only a hundred or so — how much help can you be to Uncle? Helping me guard the house? Stop bragging!"

"Would it count as help if Zhao'er could blast down the walls of Shule City for his imperial uncle?"

Zhang Zhao smiled faintly. This was the advantage of a transmigrator — though he had only a hundred-odd men, he could accomplish what tens of thousands of Khotan's soldiers could not.

"You mean... hmm? Boy! What did you say? You can blast down the walls of Shule City?"

Li Shengtian had not caught it clearly at first and did a double take.

Moreover, he paused heavily on the word "blast." At this time, "blast" did not yet carry the meaning of explosion; it was mainly used to describe an extremely loud sound that burst forth suddenly.

Zhang Zhao said no more. He directly pulled a small object from his bosom and displayed it to Li Shengtian.

It was a short hollow bamboo tube, packed full of the black powder Cao Shisi had prepared in Yuechang, with both ends plugged with sun-dried yellow clay. A fuse wrapped with a large amount of powder dust extended out from the clay.

This was a rather primitive firecracker, just with a generous charge of powder.

Li Shengtian looked at Zhang Zhao strangely, not understanding what his nephew was trying to do.

It seemed his intelligence network was not all-powerful after all — at least Li Shentian still did not know how Zhang Zhao had blasted open the palace gate of the King of Zhongyun, Sanpoba.

"Uncle can have a palace servant dig up a lump of yellow clay, and Zhao'er can demonstrate for Uncle how to breach the walls of Shule City."

The yellow clay was quickly brought over, and the look of puzzlement on Li Shengtian's face grew deeper. If Zhang Zhao had not worn an expression of complete confidence and utter composure, and if Zhang Zhao were not the only son of his elder sister, Princess Fengtian, Li Shengtian would very much have liked to have someone throw Zhang Zhao out.

Four generations of Khotan's kings, six times mustering the entire nation's forces, had failed to breach the gates of Shule — and you, a callow boy with a strange-looking bamboo tube, dare to boast that you can breach the gates of Shule?

Li Shengtian made up his mind: if Zhang Zhao could not give him a reasonable explanation shortly, then even if it meant grieving his elder sister, he would send this fellow back to Dunhuang!

At worst, he would personally write to his father-in-law Cao Yijin and ask the Cao family to stop making trouble for Zhang Zhao.

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