Chapter 37: Camel Bells (IV)

After days and nights of trekking through the Qianquan Mountains, Xie Smith’s “caravan” finally left Ashibulai City far behind.
Traveling through the mountains was extremely exhausting. Not only were soldiers like Li Kuo and his men worn out, but even the horses and camels carrying luggage and goods were exhausted, often requiring their riders to whip them several times before they would move reluctantly.
At a beacon tower about ten miles from Julan City, the group stopped. Li Kuo sent Xianyu Yucheng and other scouts ahead to investigate the situation. After what had happened in Ashibulai City, the young man dared not take things lightly anymore. The forces of the Tianfang Sect were too powerful; failing to disguise themselves properly could lead to many unnecessary troubles.
“Brother Kuo, do the Arabs also build beacon towers?”
Seeing Li Kuo order a rest, Zhang Yanji quickly dismounted and found a stone surface to sit on. The days of trekking through the mountains had truly worn him out—the constant jolting almost scattered his bones.
This beacon tower could accommodate hundreds of people. Though it had been abandoned for a long time, it could still be used as a resting place for the “caravan.”
“How could the Arabs build such magnificent structures?”
Li Kuo sighed as he gazed at the distant mountains. “These beacon towers were built by the Anxi Protectorate during the reign of Emperor Gaozong. I’ve seen the map of the Anxi Protectorate from the second year of the Zongzhang era—it shows that the western border stretched all the way to Huoxun City!”
At these words, Li Kuo was filled with emotion. Times changed; how much of what existed back then remained today?
At the height of the Tang Dynasty, its territory was vast, covering almost the entire Hexi region and bordering ancient Persia. To ensure effective rule in this area, the Anxi Protectorate established many military commands and placed numerous beacon towers in strategic mountain passes. In case of an enemy attack, the number of smoke signals could be used to estimate the enemy’s strength, allowing for timely responses.
“What? You mean our Tang Dynasty’s borders once touched ancient Persia? So all the places we’re going to are once been vassal states of the Tang Dynasty?”
Zhang Yanji was stunned, his mouth wide open as he asked in disbelief. In his view, even at the height of the Tang Dynasty, Suiye and Xiuxunzhou were already the farthest reaches controlled by the Tang forces. How could the distant Huoxun also have been a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty?

“What’s so strange about this? Our mission to the countries in the Western Regions is precisely to reach an agreement with them. As long as the barbarian tribes remain loyal to the Tang Dynasty, there’s no need to worry about reclaiming our territories in Hexi. A war is inevitable between our Tang Dynasty and the Arabs. It’s just that since our troops are currently resting, we have to use appeasement tactics to calm them down.”
Although Li Kuo said this, he wasn’t optimistic about such appeasement. Right now, the Arabs actually controlled Hexi, and those barbarian tribes, under oppression, dared not speak out. If the Anxi army didn’t show enough strength, even if those tribes wanted to side with the Tang Dynasty, they would be helpless.
“In my opinion, Your Majesty might be setting a trap!”
Li Sheng also leaned in and analyzed carefully: “With Your Majesty’s decisive tactics, how could he tolerate other countries having ulterior motives against our Tang Dynasty? I think this plan is meant to stir up discord between the countries in Hexi and the Arabs.”
“You mean? To make them suspect each other!”
Li Kuo moved forward slightly, sensing something important. If it were possible to successfully ignite internal strife among the countries in Hexi, it would be excellent news for the Anxi Tang army.
“If we send envoys to those barbarian tribes in Hexi, the Arabs will surely notice. Whether those tribes agree to ally with us or not, the Arabs will definitely become suspicious. Once the seeds of suspicion are sown, they will take root. By then, those barbarians will probably be forced to side with our Tang Dynasty!”
Li Sheng nodded and replied in a deep voice.
What a ruthless strategy!
Li Kuo felt uneasy and forced a bitter smile. His Majesty was indeed an expert at playing political games, able to see so far ahead. Provoking conflicts and causing internal strife might be the best thing for the Anxi army.
“Hehe, in my opinion, we should lead five thousand cavalry and march straight ahead. Anyone who resists will have their city destroyed—then see who still dares to be friendly with the Arabs!”
Pu Dachi always thought such clever plans were just fancy but useless. Force was the best way to solve problems; whoever had the stronger fist had the say.
“Don’t talk nonsense. Your Majesty must have his reasons!”
Li Kuo glared at Pu Dachi and said, “Since ancient times, those who win the hearts of the people win the world. Being too brutal will only drive them to oppose us!”
“Hmph, they’re not our subjects anyway…”
Pu Dachi muttered under his breath and shrugged resentfully.
“Stop talking and come here to wet your mouth—refresh yourself! Although the beacon tower is destroyed, the well remains. We’re almost there. If we don’t fill our leather water bags now, it would be a shame for ourselves.”

Li Sheng smiled and pointed at the well about ten steps away, calling over Pu Dachui. With such a big mouth that never stopped talking, it was best to fill it with well water!
“Hehe, hehe! If I drink from this well, I can drain it dry!”
Pu Dachui happily ran to the well, scooped up the cold water, and splashed it on his face.
“Wow! That’s really refreshing! Governor, you should try it too—it’s so exciting!”
Pu Dachui felt much more energetic and immediately recommended it to Li Kuo.
“We’d better leave some water for others. After all, it’s not just our ‘caravan’ that takes this route!”
Li Kuo quickly intervened, saying they shouldn’t waste such a good well.
“I was just joking, hehe, hehe.”
Pu Dachui spread his hands, showing he meant no harm.
“Governor, governor! General Xianyu has returned!”
A bodyguard rushed over to Li Kuo, knelt down, and reported.
“Oh!”
Hearing this, Li Kuo stood up and strode forward to greet him.
“Yucheng, how’s the road ahead? Are there any patrols from the Great Eaters?”
Compared to the city gate guards, Li Kuo was clearly more concerned about the patrols from the Great Eaters. To prevent spies from sneaking in, checkpoints were set up regularly, and Li Kuo and his group certainly didn’t want to get involved with those people.
“There are about three groups, one every five li, with each group having fifty to sixty spearmen!”
Xianyu Yucheng bowed to Li Kuo and replied respectfully.
“In that case, it gets a bit tricky.”
Li Kuo frowned and called over Ashina Luosi.
“Brother, what do you think are our chances of passing the checkpoints?”
Ashina Luosi thought for a moment before saying with a wry smile, “The soldiers guarding the checkpoints are usually fanatical Zoroastrians who act without hesitation. A normal caravan can pass smoothly without bribes. But if it’s…”
Ashina Luosi glanced at Li Kuo’s expression and stopped speaking appropriately.
“It seems we need to change our route. If we don’t go to Julan City, is there another path straight to Xiuxun Prefecture?”
Li Kuo raised his eyebrows, staring intently at Ashina Luosi. It wasn’t that he was afraid of those over a hundred Great Eater soldiers, but their mission required as much discretion as possible. Avoiding conflict was ideal.
“There is such a path, but it requires crossing the Jela Snow Mountains.”
Ashina Luosi subconsciously shrunk his shoulders. “I heard there are frequent avalanches there. Most caravans that take that route never make it out of the mountains. Over time, no one dares to use it anymore.”

Judging from his expression, Li Kuo knew that Ashina Luoshi didn’t seem to be lying, and he hesitated for a moment. Going to Julan City meant risking being discovered by the Arabs; crossing the Jela Snow Mountains could lead to avalanches… “Perhaps, perhaps we could try crossing through the Sega Marshes?” Seeing Li Kuo in such distress, Ashina Luoshi cautiously suggested an idea… In the palace of Bakhna, King Ashilanda paced anxiously. A letter sent by his friend He Runshi filled him with both excitement and worry. “Nearly six hundred Tang soldiers, disguised as merchants, are coming toward Bakhna via Suiye City and Ashibulai City!” Although He Runshi didn’t explicitly state the purpose of these Tang soldiers’ visit to Bakhna, he hinted at something. Could it be that the Anxi army was about to go to war with the Arabs? Could this be his chance again? Since the Arabs invaded from the east, the countries along the River Regions had been forced to adopt Arab teachings, suffering greatly. As a king who had previously been close to the Tang court, he was also under strict surveillance by the Arabs, with his freedom of movement severely restricted. The Arab missionary Nasir was an obstinate old fool who insisted on collecting double religious taxes. The heavy taxes made the people of Bakhna complain bitterly about his “tyranny,” not realizing that he himself was helpless! It was all because of those damned Arabs! The king of the Shi State had risen to such a high position just because he had sided with the Arabs before! That Kuchan also was a spineless coward who had embraced Arab teachings! The Arabs’ tactics were truly vicious—trying to stifle the cultures of the River Regions culturally. Great Fire God Ahura Mazda, how could you stand by and watch your followers turn into heretics of that Arab religion! Ashilanda felt extremely frustrated and waved his fists in frustration. Sigh! It seemed that if he wanted to regain the favor of the Kaiyuan era, he could only rely on the Tang army of Anxi! Did these people truly represent the will of Gao Xianzhi or even the Tiankhan? How many of them had arrived? When would the Anxi army launch a full-scale attack on the Arabs? Were these Tang soldiers really reliable, or could they be spies disguised as Arabs, sent to test him? A series of questions left Ashilanda deeply frustrated, so he simply sat down in a chair and closed his eyes in exhaustion. “Father, Father, Mr. Nasir wants to see you. He says it’s about discussing the increase in religious taxes!” Outside the luxurious palace, his son Alvis’s urgent voice rang out.

Note 1: Zakat: The Arabic name for Zakat is “Zakat,” which means purity. Zakat is an obligation upon Muslims; Allah entrusts the wealthy with fulfilling His mercy toward the poor, so that the wealthy may receive reward for their generosity and the poor may be relieved of their hardships.