Chapter 46: Tianfang (9)

As Li Kuo had expected, King Ashilanda of Bahanna was the first to become impatient. That night, the young man welcomed a distinguished guest at the dilapidated inn. This guest, naturally from the palace, had been sent by King Ashilanda. Although he tried repeatedly to conceal his true background, Li Kuo could guess his identity with high accuracy just from his luxurious attire and noble demeanor. Who else, aside from members of the royal family, could act in an arrogant manner in conversations with peers? Who else, beyond the nobility, could speak freely without caring about others’ disdainful or angry looks? If Li Kuo was right, this person was likely a prince of the Bahanna kingdom.

Li Kuo wasn’t concerned about his identity; what interested him was the information hidden behind this matter. Such rulers surely wouldn’t reveal everything openly, so the implications of their actions needed careful consideration. The fact that Ashilanda had sent his own relatives to discuss this showed his sincerity!

Li Kuo let out a long sigh of relief—he had won! Those who achieve great things don’t get stuck on trivial matters. Ashilanda still retained the boldness of his youth! As long as Ashilanda was willing to act as an insider, it wouldn’t be an unattainable dream for the Tang army in Anxi to regain control of the XiuXun region!

“Brother Kuo, I think Ashilanda should just write a letter—why use Turkic language? Since he’s cooperating with us, he should show some sincerity. If he can’t even speak Tang language, what’s the use of his fancy words in the letter?”

Zhang Yanji snatched the letter, glanced at it briefly, and smirked disdainfully. This Ashilanda—despite marrying a beautiful Tang princess—still didn’t understand even the basic etiquettes of the Tang dynasty. In our Tang dynasty, reciprocity is highly valued. Among these etiquettes, proper ceremony is of utmost importance. If one asks for help, they must do so with sincerity. It’s only because Brother Kuo is kind-hearted; if it were another envoy, they would surely frown, scoff, and walk away.

Li Kuo shook his head with a wry smile. “You do make some sense, but Ashilanda must take into account the eyes and ears of the Abbasid forces around him when acting. Using Turkic language at least provides some cover. If he used Tang language, not to mention other issues, if the Abbasids discovered it, both of us would suffer catastrophic losses.”

Zhang Yanji slapped the letter onto the table and said, “What’s this supposed to mean? The Holy Warriors of Buhara total just over ten thousand, and they’re scattered across various kingdoms in the River Regions. In my opinion, the Arabs of that generation can’t even reach two thousand at most. As for the soldiers under Ashikanda’s command, even if not many, there must be at least five thousand, right? With our six hundred elite troops, can’t we still overwhelm those two thousand Arab brutes?”
The more he thought about it, the angrier Zhang Yanji became. Having nearly three times the numerical advantage yet not daring to confront the Arabs—this Ashikanda was really cowardly.
“We can’t entirely blame him.”
Li Kuo took back the letter and said, “Even the factions within Buhara are extremely complex. Some are pro-Tang, some pro-Arab, and others are opportunists. Of course, Ashikanda has to consider all parties’ opinions when making a decision. To be honest, he can’t control more than half of the soldiers. It’s already quite remarkable that he’s willing to cooperate with us.”
“That’s true!”
Zhang Yanji shrugged and pointed at the letter. “So what exactly does it say? All these weird characters are giving me a headache.”
He only knew a few words in Turkic, and as for those messy Turkic characters, he had no idea what they meant.
“He hopes we wait a little longer, until a time that everyone can accept.”
Li Kuo had already read the letter and blurted out its contents. In fact, he had expected Ashikanda not to agree too readily, and the most important reason might well lie with the Arabs.
Was Ashikanda waiting for news from the west?
“That old fox!”
Zhang Yanji threw a punch into the air. “This guy wants to take advantage of the situation and reap benefits for nothing. But do we really have the time to keep waiting?”
Their six hundred men had been in the River Regions for nearly a month. Although the emperor hadn’t specified a exact departure time, prolonging this any longer would likely be unexcusable even to General Gao Xianzhi.
“Perhaps our mission has already been accomplished.”
Li Kuo shook his head. “Since Ashikanda has agreed to us, he won’t unilaterally break the agreement. After all, our Anxi Tang army is the closest to his Buhara. If he changes his mind, General Gao will surely march eastward to conquer Buhara.”
“That’s true!”
Zhang Yanji raised his head. “Don’t underestimate the Arabs, even though they’ve stationed nearly ten thousand troops in the River Regions. But if they really tried to challenge our Tang Dynasty, I doubt they’d have the courage.”
For some reason, Zhang Yanji had an inexplicable trust in the Tang Dynasty—no matter which barbarian dared to provoke them, they would be utterly crushed!

“At the moment, there’s one last thing we need to do.”
Li Kuo’s lips curled slightly as he spoke slowly and leisurely. …
“Father, I want to meet that wise man, Father!”
Princess Aishali of Bahanna tugged at Ashilanda’s wide robe sleeves, speaking in a soft whimper.
King Ashilanda had many sons but only one daughter, Aishali, and thus doted on her immensely. Whenever the little princess coaxed Ashilanda, the king would grant her every wish.
But today, this tactic seemed to fail.
Ashilanda patted her beloved daughter gently and said, “He’s a Tang man. According to our river’s customs, girls can only marry locals!”
Though he loved his only daughter dearly, Ashilanda had to reject her request. In truth, the reason he gave was secondary; what truly stood in the way was the other person’s status.
That man was the governor of Shule Town—someone who had become the governor of the four towns in Anxi at just seventeen or eighteen. Ashilanda had only seen such a person once in her life. In the Tang court, without connections, it was impossible to rise to the fourth rank.
That child must be here to gain experience in Anxi!
This thought flashed through Ashilanda’s mind swiftly. Her lips twitched slightly as she forced a bitter smile and said, “Besides, he’ll be returning to Anxi soon. You can’t follow him to Shule City, thousands of miles away, can you?”
But Aishali remained unshaken, pleading, “I don’t care! I just… I really want to meet him!”
Ever since she glimpsed that handsome youth outside her father’s study, she had developed a strong affection for him. Strangely enough, she had only met him once and didn’t even know his name. How could she have developed such feelings for him?
“Ah, the sacred Fire God Ahura Mazda has granted us the light of prudence, requiring us to consider everything carefully and not act on impulse. That youth is a border general of the Tang Dynasty. With your status, you definitely cannot marry him.”
In the end, Ashilanda voiced her thoughts. As a princess of Bahanna, Aishali had to take on her responsibilities. Marriage with another country was indeed an excellent way to maintain good relations, but it didn’t mean she could freely choose her spouse.
Regardless of whether that youth had strong connections in the Chang’an court or whether this marriage could be considered a mutual affection, acting behind the back of the governor of Anxi was utterly foolish.

By trying so hard to please that young governor, she not only pushed him to the brink of disaster but also put herself in extreme danger.
“I don’t care! The god Ahura Mazda bestowed the light of divine love so that we might cherish one another. Since my heart is already filled with him, why defy my feelings and put on an act?”
Aishali flung her sleeves aside, causing the faint powder on her face to fall and stain the turquoise Persian carpet white. Sometimes, love is a mad game—those who get involved must risk everything to leave it.
That young man was her future. Any words against him were off-limits to her…
Was this what they called love at first sight?
Aishali twisted her hands together, pressing her lips together, seemingly challenging her father. From her experience, when faced with difficult decisions, as long as she persisted, it would always be her father who gave in.
“Aishali, my daughter, you must understand the responsibilities on your shoulders.”
Ashindara grew increasingly angry. “I’ve tried to reason with her and appeal to her emotions, yet she simply doesn’t understand my good intentions. Now that Bahanna is at a critical moment, everything must yield to the fate of the country. How can trivial personal feelings stand in the way of making decisions?”
“No, no! I love him! No matter where he goes, I will marry him. It doesn’t matter that he hasn’t met me yet—I can make him fall in love with me gradually. Whether it’s Anxi or the Tang Dynasty, wherever he goes, I will follow!”
Without caring about the furrows on her father’s face, Aishali rushed outside.
“Stop her!”
Ashindara’s tone turned icy as she snapped an order with a wave of her sleeve.
“Execute the order immediately!”
The guards waiting outside quickly blocked her path with one arm, forcing Aishali back into the room.
“No one is allowed to leave the palace without my order! If anything goes wrong, I’ll hold you all accountable!”
Ashindara strode out of the room, giving Aishali a brief glance before walking away without looking back.
“Father!”
In tears and exhausted, Aishali collapsed to the ground.