Chapter 47: Tianfang (10)

Three or four days passed in the blink of an eye. After completing the final task at hand, the soldiers from Shule gradually withdrew from Bawhanna.
Although Ashina Luoshi repeatedly emphasized that it was not the right time to set off, Li Kuo did not want to waste any more time in Bawhanna. Ashilanda had made it clear—he needed time to prepare and make arrangements. Acting now, Li Kuo’s chances of success were slim. In that case, it was better to return to Anxi first to report to Gao Xianzhi.
After all, the purpose of this mission had been achieved. Gaining the support of the king of Bawhanna meant that the Tang forces in Anxi had opened a window into the region controlled by the Arabs. With a reliable insider and the combat strength of the Tang forces, it would not be difficult to recapture Transoxiana.
His Majesty definitely wanted to reclaim Transoxiana—it was only a matter of time.
Perhaps the soles of their feet had gained some sensitivity; the same dirt road was much easier to walk on on the way back than when they first arrived. The puddles that made the animals fall every three steps or get stuck every five steps were gone, as were the muddy swamps that had kept everyone on edge. Even those jihadists who regarded Allah’s words as divine commands had vanished without a trace.
Ashina Luoshi continued to hum that tune that no one could quite understand, whipping his horse’s rump fiercely with his riding crop. He had been frustrated in Bawhanna for days. Not only did the soldiers from Shule not involve him in the plan, but they also kept him at a distance. If they didn’t trust him, why had they appointed him as the leader in the first place? Did they not fear that he might bring a group of Arabs with him?
Of course, this was just venting anger.
He had led the Tang people to Transoxiana; their fates were intertwined. How could he benefit by betraying them? As the old saying goes, you can’t catch two grasshoppers with one rope. Those hypocritical Arabs would not reward him for his flattery.
In fact, the Arabs despised such behavior the most. In their eyes, true believers of Allah would never abandon their companions easily. Only those disloyal pagans would try to gain profit by betraying their friends.
Sigh, it was all because he had been greedy for that silver in the first place. It was deserved. Without the prestige of the Khanate, the Turks would be bullied wherever they went.
“Hey, Brother Luoshi, stop wearing that gloomy face, will you? I promise I won’t shortchange you on the silver! Look at those red eyes of yours—they’re as red as wild rabbits in a burrow!”
Dou Qing, seeing Ashina Luoshi’s low mood, stepped closer and offered words of encouragement.

It’s fine if others see this, but if General Li were to see it, how heartbroken would he be? The brothers may have done something wrong, but it was done just to be cautious. General Li himself regards Ashina Luosi as a Tang person; if he were to know that Ashina Luosi has fallen out with the Tang troops in Shule because of this, he would surely be upset.
“Not at all, not at all. It’s just the sandstorm; it got in my eyes and hurt!”
Ashina Luosi quickly flashed a smile to ease the awkward atmosphere.
“It’s best if there’s no problem! Even if you hate your brothers, I can accept that. But the general has shown you kindness and favor—we must not do anything that would hurt him.”
Travel is so boring; if there’s no topic to talk about, one might go mad.
“Of course, of course.”
Ashina Luosi, the leader of this “caravan,” was actually the one with the lowest status. He certainly didn’t dare offend the trusted followers around Li Kuo.
“Once we cross the riverbed ahead, we can rest. Those Sky People don’t even know which ditch they’ve retreated to, so we don’t need to be so nervous.”
Ashina Luosi pointed to a distant stretch of shallow water and spoke slowly。……
Since the Tang troops in Shule were operating under the guise of the Xie Misi caravan, they inevitably had to carry some supplies. This time, in Bawhan City, it was the experienced Ashina Luosi who handled the task of purchasing goods.
He knew better than anyone which families had thick, blemish-free leather and which had sufficient amounts of spices without adulteration. The market in the River Hu Kingdom was like a miniature city, where one could see all kinds of human behaviors and experience all the flavors of life—bitterness, sourness, sweetness, and spiciness.
Under Ashina Luosi’s arrangement, the fabrics, silks, and tea that everyone had carried from afar as pretense were exchanged for spices and leather. Of course, what excited everyone the most were those fine horses from Dayuan. (Note 1) Those animals were clearly different from the Turkic dwarf horses—they had excellent speed, great explosive power, and were best for short sprints. If these horses could be equipped to the Anxi cavalry…
Zhang Yanji thought about the bright prospects while gently tapping his horse’s belly, saliva dripping all over the ground.
“General Zhang, can’t you stop thinking about things while riding? You’re about to hit the wooden fence—don’t you have any awareness at all?”
Zhou Wucui’s mount was a fine Dayuan bloodhorse. That guy bribed Brother Kuo until he managed to get one of the few dozen fine Dayuan horses—how shameless!
Now, now he even dares to come near and annoy me, this fat bastard!

Zhang Yanji curled his lips and said, “So what? My horse isn’t as precious as a blood horse; a few bumps won’t hurt it.” With that, the young man pushed himself off the horse with a slight force. “Isn’t this just a grass market? Why does Brother Kuo want to rest here?” Zhang Yanji glanced around and frowned. If he wanted to bring back some goods, he had already acquired most of them in Bahuhan City—why lower his status by dealing in these small places? “You really are an idiot if you say so yourself.” Zhou Wucui gave Zhang Xiaolangjun a disdainful look and said, “Can’t you see there’s a barren valley ahead? If we don’t squeeze through here, do you expect to fly over?” Sure enough, a seven- or eight-mile-long barren valley lay ahead, clearly impassable. On the way here, everyone had taken the Sega Marsh and hadn’t passed through this area; they never expected to encounter various obstacles even on the plain. “Sigh, what bad luck! Look at how dirty and messy it is… I…” Zhang Yanji covered his nose with his sleeve and hid behind Zhou Wucui. The foul smell emanating from those barbarians’ messy hair was unbearable! “Look at you—oh, the young master’s temper is flaring up again!” Li Kuo pulled Zhang Yanji out and laughed, “We’ll just squeeze through. Tell everyone to get off their horses and push the carts through!” “Sigh!” As soon as Li Kuo spoke, Zhang Yanji lost his temper immediately and had to call his guards to pass on Li Kuo’s orders。…… This grass market was clearly makeshift—without proper city walls or tax officials to oversee it. The merchants here traded goods in the most primitive ways. Here, you didn’t need Persian silver coins or Kaiyuan Tongbao. As long as you had goods, you wouldn’t have trouble exchanging them for what you wanted. The XieMiss caravan pushed forward along the busiest “road,” with the wooden wheels making a creaking noise. The Sogdians beside them chattered away, uttering a series of monosyllabic words that no one could understand, suddenly appearing like springs bursting up in the desert. Here, they sold livestock, skins, youth—everything. When everyone turned a corner, they were shocked by what they saw. Around them stood a circle of barbarians with different skin colors and clothing. In the center of this circle stood over a dozen large cages. Inside the cages weren’t rare birds or exotic beasts, but people—living people! They were selling people! They were blatantly selling people!

Although slaves existed in the highly civilized Tang Dynasty, where their status was equally lowly, there were no such transactions that despised human dignity. In the Tang Dynasty, if someone wished to become a slave, both parties had to sign a contract. Only after both parties agreed would the contract be handed over to the master, taking effect immediately. But here, these slaves were locked up in cages like livestock and sold at fixed prices!

Li Kuo instinctively glanced toward the cages, hoping to see faces full of resistance and anger. To his disappointment, the slaves in the cages either appeared indifferent or sad and worried, completely devoid of the courage to resist.

In one of the cages nearby were several Turks. These Turks seemed quite calm, showing no signs of the usual despair of those about to be sold. In fact, a few strong young men even seemed excited, looking forward to the moment they would be sold.

The people of the grasslands in the desolate desert had traditionally made a living by herding. Since the Sui Dynasty, they had traveled through various valleys and passes, developing strong bodies and wills. After the fall of the Western Turks, their status plummeted, leaving them almost starving. Their grazing lands were taken by the Turkic Khaganate and the Uyghurs, and their water sources were seized by the Guelou people. The Turks were on the brink of extinction; if they couldn’t herd sheep or cattle, what else could they do?

Since the Silk Road was reopened during the Kaiyuan era, this golden path provided these silent, impoverished herders with a new opportunity. They could earn a living by selling their labor! Although the cost was high—losing all freedom—they could still earn enough money for their families to support them for the rest of their lives.

Life was already so difficult…

Next to that cage were two strong Kunlun slaves. Just as everyone had seen in Chang’an, these Kunlun slaves had skin as black as charcoal and eyes as docile as castrated stallions.

Li Kuo’s gaze shifted again, and when he saw those fearful eyes beneath messy hair, his mind exploded with shock. Were they… were they Tang people?

Note 1: Dayuan horses: According to the “Records of the Grand Historian,” Dayuan horses were said to be superior to ordinary horses. After running at high speed, their shoulders would swell, and sweat like blood would flow from them, hence the name “sweat-blooded fine horses.” The land belonging to the Bahan nation was the former territory of the Dayuan state.