Chapter 38: The Withering of the Fiery Flower

On the walls of Nie Duo City, flames burned brightly, casting light as if it were day. Subishi stood on the wall with a group of nobles, anxiously watching the Tang army below. The Tang army had not attacked the city but stopped a mile away—a strange behavior that left them puzzled. No one knew what the Tang army intended.

At that moment, a cavalry rider rushed over and shot a letter at the top of the wall. He shouted, “We are going to attack Da Bo Li and request to use your country as a passage.”

The soldiers on the wall picked up the arrow with the letter and quickly handed it to Subishi. After reading it, Subishi was filled with doubt. The Tang army was planning to attack Da Bo Li? That was completely unexpected.

One of the nobles whispered, “Your Majesty, the Tang army is afraid of startling the enemy, so they plan to attack Da Bo Li first. But once they turn around, they will surely come after us. Do not fall for it.”

Subishi pondered for a while. If they really planned to attack him after dealing with Da Bo Li, he would be relieved—by then, Tubo’s reinforcements would have arrived.

“How can you prove your sincerity in asking to use our land to attack Da Bo Li?” Subishi asked loudly.

“Our commander is willing to offer a thousand bolts of silk, twenty chests of fine porcelain, and two hundred loads of high-quality tea as payment for using your land. Please accept this gift from us, Your Majesty and all the nobles.”

The Tang cavalry pointed to the distance, where countless soldiers were carrying large boxes, each over ten feet long, to the city gates. They opened a dozen boxes, revealing silk and porcelain inside. The nobles gasped in astonishment.

“Very well! I approve of your request. Go ahead!”

With the permission of King Subishi of Xiao Bo Li, the Tang cavalry turned south and rushed away like a gust of wind. Only the large boxes remained outside the city.

After watching the Tang army leave, several nobles exchanged glances and almost simultaneously rushed down to the city gates. “Open the gates quickly!” they shouted at their men, eager to seize the treasures. The Tang commander had said those treasures belonged to them as well.

“Wait!” Subishi shouted to stop them, but he couldn’t halt the greedy nobles. The louder he cried, the faster they rushed.

The city gates creaked open, and hundreds of soldiers rushed out toward the large boxes. Just as they approached, the lids of the nearly hundred boxes suddenly opened. Inside were not silk or porcelain, but heavily armored soldiers wielding halberds.

Li Siye roared and charged forward with his sword. In an instant, limbs flew through the air, and blood sprayed everywhere. With a wave of his hand, he ordered, “Kill!”

A hundred swordsmen charged forward with their blades, slaughtering enemies and filling the air with screams. Just then, a rocket was launched into the sky, and the sound of thundering horse hooves came from afar—the Tang army’s cavalry was returning.
Subishi was stunned into silence. Seeing that the Tang army had already breached the city gates, he suddenly screamed and turned to flee toward the palace.
…
Inside the palace, Xuelian had her clothes stripped off and her limbs hung from ropes. Princess Galan sat on an ivory chair, holding a cup of butter tea, enjoying the spectacle about to unfold. Three years earlier, another woman had been here, hanging from the same ropes, slowly turning into a drum skin through agonized cries. Today, her daughter would become the new drum she had long desired.
Princess Galan’s exquisitely beautiful face wore her most enchanting smile, her eyes already filled with excitement.
With a gentle wave of her hand and a soft utterance, she said, “Begin!”
Two Tibetan men, bare-chested, drew their knives and stepped toward the pale, trembling figure hanging from the ropes. In shame and despair, the girl had fainted, her head hanging limp. Just as the men were about to act, Princess Galan waved her hand and said with a smile, “I don’t want to see a dead woman’s face. Wet her to wake her up.”
With a splash, a bucket of water was poured over the girl’s head. She slowly regained consciousness, staring fixedly at Princess Galan—her sadness gone, replaced by endless hatred.
“Dig out her eyes first.”
As soon as Princess Galan spoke, loud footsteps were heard outside. Subishi rushed in, surrounded by dozens of guards. Xuelian looked at her father and cried, “Father, save me!”
Subishi could no longer care for his daughter. He grabbed Princess Galan and ran, “My princess! Run away! The Tang army has entered the city!”
Princess Galan was terrified. Her teacup clattered to the ground and shattered. She was dragged away by Subishi, but she still felt reluctant. However, she had no chance—several prison guards had already rescued Xuelian, wrapped her in clothes, and carried her away in the opposite direction.
Princess Galan gritted her teeth inwardly. “You wretched girl! One day, I’ll still skin you!”
The palace was adjacent to the east city gate, with a secret passage leading outside the city. Subishi led the princess and dozens of guards through the passage and ran toward the mountains to the east.

About fifteen li to the east lies the Poyi Water Grand Canyon. The canyon is about a hundred zhang wide, stretches for a thousand li, and is over two hundred zhang deep. The water flows rapidly, and in summer, mist fills the canyon, with the sound of the water audible from miles away. There is a vine bridge across the canyon, built by the Tubo army over a full year; it is the only connection between the two sides of the canyon. About thirty li across lies the Tubo camp, housing twenty thousand of their elite troops.

Su Bishi and Princess Galan fled all the way. After an hour, dawn began to break, and they finally approached the vine bridge, with less than two li left. They could already hear the sound of the water in the canyon.

Su Bishi was so exhausted he could hardly breathe. He stopped and gasped for air, saying, “Princess, let’s rest for a moment! I can’t go on anymore. I really can’t run any further.”

Princess Galan sat on a large rock, also panting, and said, “There’s only two li left. Once we cross the bridge, we’ll be safe. Hold on a little longer!”

Just then, a Tubo guard pointed in terror from afar and shouted, “Look! It’s the Tang army!”

In the distance, a group of hundreds of Tang soldiers was rushing toward them. They had also spotted the king and his entourage, so they sped up even more. Princess Galan was terrified. Ignoring the king, she ran desperately toward the vine bridge, with her two trusted guards protecting her on either side.

Su Bishi’s guards had all fled, leaving him alone. He cursed loudly as he crawled up the hill on all fours. Suddenly, an arrow whizzed by and hit his thigh. Su Bishi screamed as he rolled down the hill. Two Tang soldiers immediately stepped forward and pressed their spears against his throat.

This army was sent by Li Qing’an to destroy the vine bridge. Due to difficult terrain, they arrived an hour late and happened to encounter Su Bishi and the others. At that moment, Li Qing’an also saw a young woman wearing a golden crown. Under the glow of the dawn, her figure appeared exceptionally beautiful and graceful. Li Qing’an realized she must be the peerlessly beautiful Tubo princess. He shouted, “Chase after her!”

Dozens of Tang soldiers shouted as they pursued Princess Galan, getting closer and closer. Seeing the critical situation, her two guards roared and charged at the pursuing Tang soldiers.

Princess Galan reached the vine bridge and ran across to the other side. Just then, a large group of Tubo troops appeared on the opposite side as well. They had received urgent news and were rushing to aid Nieduo City.

“Help me quickly!”

Princess Galan cried out for help loudly. Dozens of Tibetan soldiers saw her and rushed over at all costs. As they got closer and closer, Princess Galan had reached the middle of the vine bridge, less than ten feet away from the nearest Tibetan soldier. She stretched out her hand to him.
At that moment, a wolf-toothed arrow shot forward like lightning. The arrow shaft was inscribed with the words “Lingshan Blood Arrow.” With great force and speed, the arrow pierced Princess Galan’s back, its tip emerging from her snow-white, full chest. Dark red blood stained her silk robes. With a mournful cry, she slowly turned her head and saw an Tang Dynasty officer standing on a large rock at the bridge’s end, holding a bow, his helmet plume fluttering in the mountain breeze.
Princess Galan weakly reached for the Tibetan soldier who was now less than three feet away from her, but her body seemed to be blown away by a gust of wind and she fell into an abyss thousands of feet deep…
“Cut the vine bridge!”
Li Qing’an gave the order. The soldiers swung their swords in unison, and the vine bridge shattered with a loud noise, crushing the Tibetans’ last hope deep within the vast canyon.
Only a white ribbon fluttered in the air, refusing to leave for a long time.
…
Volume 2: The Bright Moon Over Tianshan