Chapter 96: Is There a Celestial Empire That Changes Its Faith Three Times a Day?

Itihad Nasr ibn Mansur, Governor of Shule, had a signature Persian beard, faintly green eyes, slightly yellow hair, and a lead-gray complexion.

His father, Nasr Mansur, had originally been a prince of the Samanid dynasty. After losing in the Samanid political struggles, Nasr Mansur came to Shule and sought refuge with Orghuchak, then the deputy khagan of the Kara-Khanid Khanate.

Once in the east, Nasr Mansur was anything but idle. To secure his position in the Kara-Khanid Khanate, he hit upon the weapon of Islam.

At that time, Shule was predominantly Buddhist, and Orghuchak also followed Buddhism. As an infidel prince, if Mansur did not think of something, he would be nothing more than a parasite in Shule.

So after long planning and observation, he chose Orghuchak's nephew, the young Kara-Khanid prince Satuq.

Satuq's father, Bazir, had been the Arslan Khagan (senior khagan) of the Kara-Khanid Khanate, but he was defeated and killed in war with the Samanids, leaving the young Satuq and his mother dependent on his uncle, the Bughra Khagan (deputy khagan) Orghuchak.

Orghuchak treated Satuq poorly and even schemed to take the position of heir to the senior khagan that was rightfully his.

Thus, under Mansur's enticement, Satuq Khagan soon converted to Islam. Relying on the young Muslims of Shule, he modeled his own ghulam guards on the Samanids and steadily won converts among the royal clan and the minor nobles dissatisfied with Orghuchak.

At last, sensing the moment had come, Mansur stabbed his benefactor Orghuchak in the back. He opened the gates of Shule and let Satuq's ghulam guards into the city. Satuq then seized power, killed his uncle and his cousins, and proclaimed himself Bughra Khagan.

"Bughra" means "male camel" in the Turkic tongue. In the desert, the lead male camel is the natural leader of the herd. By calling himself Bughra Khagan, Satuq meant that he was the leader of the entire Kara-Khanid Khanate.

Having successfully seized the throne, Satuq Bughra Khagan immediately announced that he had long since converted to Islam and authorized Nasr to build the first mosque at Artush outside Shule. From then on, the Kara-Khanid Khanate began its brutal campaign of Islamization.

And after Nasr's death, his son Itihad Nasr ibn Mansur continued to enjoy the trust of Satuq Bughra Khagan.

He was now able to serve as governor of Shule, the de facto capital of the Kara-Khanid Khanate, while Satuq Bughra Khagan himself campaigned against the old nobles entrenched in Balasagun who still followed Buddhism and Manichaeism.

When Wu Yuan'er and Ma Yaozi entered Shule, they immediately sensed the change in the city.

Women appeared on the streets far less often than in Khotan. Men mostly wore black or white Islamic-style cloth wrapped around their heads; Turkic leather caps had become rare.

Black and white banners filled the city, and shops mostly chose black or white cloth as signs fluttering outside.

At this time, the most representative colors of Islam were still white and black. As for green, it would only gradually become prevalent in the middle and later periods of the newly founded Fatimid dynasty (the Green Banner Caliphate).

Loud quarreling rang out, followed by the sounds of beating and screams. Wu Yuan'er looked to his left, following the noise. It turned out several men had surrounded a short man, cursing him while slapping him hard across the face.

Ma Yaozi rode up beside Wu Yuan'er and asked curiously, "What are they cursing about?"

Wu Yuan'er took a deep breath, his expression grim. Staring at the cursing and beating at the street corner, he said slowly, word by word.

"They're shouting, 'Allah is the greatest! Our whole family has converted — do you want to remain an infidel all alone?'"

Ma Yaozi looked at Wu Yuan'er, who seemed barely able to suppress his anger, then at the group at the street corner. Puzzled, he scratched his head.

"Sounds like they're one family. Is there something wrong with them? If you want to believe in the Great Merciful Father, believe in him. If you want to believe in the Buddha, believe in the Buddha. Why make such a fuss? Who can control what gods others worship, or whether they worship at all?"

"There is every reason! Every reason!" Wu Yuan'er took another deep breath. He suddenly felt the tension throughout his body ease considerably.

As a devout believer in the Buddha, Wu Yuan'er suddenly understood why Zhang Zhao was so hostile to the Kara-Khanid Khanate.

Perhaps seeing the "Gaochang envoy" constantly observing the cursing at the street corner, several guards rode over and scattered the quarreling crowd with a few lashes of their horsewhips.

"Great-great-grandson of the Great Gaochang Bugra Heavenly King, envoy Zhai Yuan, sent by Yidu Bugra Feng'en Darqan, greets the Governor of Shule of the Kara-Khanid Khanate! The Darqan sends his regards to Your Excellency the Governor."

At the Governor's residence of Shule, Wu Yuan'er gave Governor Itihad of Shule a deep bow with hands clasped and announced himself in a ringing voice.

Among the Uyghurs of this time, the surname Zhai was quite common. No one knew what these Uyghurs were thinking — whether Gaochang Uyghurs, Ganzhou Uyghurs, or Uyghurs who had submitted to the Guiyi Army, when they adopted Han surnames, they all liked to change their surname to Zhai, a surname rarely seen among the Han.

Itihad stared at this Gaochang Uyghur envoy who did not look like a Uyghur, his pale green eyes gleaming with a beast-like light.

"Among the Uyghurs, someone with the envoy's appearance is rather rare!"

The man could actually speak Gaochang Uyghur without any accent, more like a Uyghur than an ordinary Uyghur.

Wu Yuan'er smiled faintly, raised his chin slightly, and let his upper eyelids droop just a little.

"Has the Governor not heard of my Darqan's name? For three generations, my Darqan's family has intermarried with the Li clan of the Central Plains. The Darqan's great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother were all noble ladies of the Great Tang imperial clan. Even my own mother was a daughter of a great Tang family. How can I be regarded as an ordinary Uyghur!"

Having said this, Wu Yuan'er deliberately looked at Itihad's pale green eyes. The meaning was clear: I have the superior looks of mixed Great Tang blood. Can a green-eyed beast like you compare with me?

Itihad's face darkened as if water might drip from it. His right hand kept stroking the hilt of the short knife at his waist, inlaid with gold and jade, and his voice was unusually low.

"In this world, it is not only the Tang of China that is a celestial empire. Our Persian Samanid Empire is also a celestial empire!"

Wu Yuan'er smiled faintly. "Is there a celestial empire that changes its faith three times a day?"

"Insolence!" A military officer standing beside Itihad drew the curved blade at his waist with a sharp ring.

Wu Yuan'er's words were vicious, directly pointing out that the Persians had been conquered by the Arabs and forcibly converted from their original Christianity, Zoroastrianism, and other religions to Islam.

Although Itihad was furious, once his subordinate officer drew the curved blade, he instead calmed down.

Because he saw anger in Wu Yuan'er's eyes. This "Uyghur" was deliberately provoking him. This must be an infidel who believed in Buddhism.

"Does the envoy wish to stain my Governor's residence with blood? Unfortunately for you, you are an envoy, so I will not kill you. But I will write a letter to Bugra Feng'en Darqan. His subject actually wants to stir up conflict between the Gaochang Khanate and the Kara-Khanid Khanate!"

A few beads of cold sweat appeared on Wu Yuan'er's forehead. That had been far too dangerous. He had clearly seen the killing intent Itihad was struggling to conceal in his eyes.

"Speak, envoy! What does Bugra Feng'en Darqan want by sending you? I imagine that a royal who is not a descendant of the Umu Sultan Khagan would have no matter of importance between our two states to bring to me. This Governor's time is very limited!"

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