Chapter Nineteen: The North Wind (Nine)

The layout of Suire City was modeled after Chang’an City, resembling a Go board—extremely orderly and systematic. After Moqi Zhi issued orders to demolish houses near the city walls, within half an hour, many Tang people, driven by the Turgesh soldiers, began carrying huge stones toward the city walls.

Due to their break with the Tang Dynasty, the Turgesh constantly watched over the Tang residents in Suire City, fearing they might seize the opportunity to rebel and side with the Tang. Thus, even before the Tianwei Tang army arrived, almost all the Tang residents’ homes were under strict surveillance by Turgesh soldiers. Many who were deemed spies were executed in public squares without trial.

These harsh policies caused great suffering among the Tang residents, and since the rulers were the Turgesh, they had no one to complain to. It was not until Li Kuo led ten thousand Tianwei soldiers to Suire City that the Turgesh realized the severity of the situation.

In their panic, they naturally thought of these Tang residents. In wartime, every available resource must be utilized wisely—after all, a single stone might determine the outcome of a battle. Who knew if they themselves wouldn’t become the last straw that broke the camel’s back?

Bi Erjin, tasked by Moqi Zhi, had to transport enough stones to the city walls within two hours for the soldiers to use in attacks. Having followed Moqi Zhi for nearly a decade, he knew the Turk’s personality well. Though Moqi Zhi was kind to his subordinates, he was also extremely principled and never went back on his word. If Bi Erjin failed to deliver enough stones by the deadline, well!

Bi Erjin spat on the ground and stamped his foot fiercely. “Tch! How dare I think such depressing things!”

“Asel, Luoer, take some men to the west side of the city. If you find suitable stones, bring them here immediately. If there aren’t enough people, capture more. This is wartime—even the Tianfang lords must help if necessary! Suire City won’t support lazy good-for-nothings!”

Having barely survived the fierce competition, Bi Erjin didn’t want his head cut off by Moqi Zhi and hung on the city walls as a warning to other generals. So he shifted the pressure onto his subordinates. “I’m giving you the authority, but if you can’t get the required amount of stones in half an hour, huh! Don’t blame me, Bi Erjin, for being ruthless!”

Bi Erjin glanced at the two men beside him and gave them strict orders.

“Ah, ah, don’t worry, don’t worry!”

Asel’s huge mouth, as wide as a naan bread, covered most of his cheek. “It’s just stones, right? I promise I’ll get them for you!”

“Yes, we will definitely get it for you. At that time, could you, could you say a few kind words for us in front of Tak, hehe?”
Lor cut in, smiling coquettishly and nodding frequently at Birkin.
“You kid, you’re always thinking about pleasant things!”
Glaring at Lor irritably, Birkin spat, “First finish the task I assigned you. Otherwise, I’ll break your legs and arms and throw you into the valley to feed the wolves!”
“Eep!”
Lor gasped in shock. Though he cursed Birkin’s woman in his heart, he appeared extremely flattering on the surface: “Look what you say. Even if we were to neglect someone, we wouldn’t dare neglect you. We’ll go right now, right now!”
After saying that, Lor pulled Asel along and led dozens of his men westward toward the city…
Similar to Chang’an, Suiye City also had a hierarchy with the east being noble and the west being lowly. The eastern part of the city was mostly inhabited by Turkic nobles or missionaries from Tianfang. A very small number of wealthy merchants bought status symbols in the form of iron plaques from the ruler of Suiye City and purchased mansions in the elite eastern district.
As for the western part, it was mostly inhabited by down-and-out people and poor citizens. Everyone who lived in Suiye City knew that this area had the worst order in the whole city—casinos, brothels, and almost every kind of sleazy place could be found there. Since there was no curfew in Suiye City, after dark, many thieves and bandits would wait at key crossings, waiting for victims to fall into their traps.
Ordinary people were often robbed by thieves in the dead of night, and if the victims resisted, it could lead to tragic killings and robberies. However, since the victims were mostly low-status Khotans or Tang people, the cases often went unresolved.
Such discriminatory treatment inevitably led to wild speculation among the city’s residents. Some even believed that these thieves were disguised members sent by the ruler of Suiye City, Moqi. After all, this Turkic chieftain, Tak, had aggressively suppressed the Tang and Khotan people just a few months after becoming their leader and ruler of Suiye City, even more so than his father.
If he secretly sent some of his people to rob the Tang and Khotan people, who would dare to try them according to the law?
Over time, even some kind-hearted Turkic herders began to look down on the Tang people in the western part of the city and deliberately kept their distance from them.
Yuan Zhuo was one such Tang person.
He lived in Yushan Fang, right next to the western city wall, which in the language of the Arabs was known as the market of Sanchel.

He was originally a merchant who came to the Western Regions at the end of the Kaiyuan era in search of a living. Unexpectedly, he met Danaasha, a beautiful and kind woman from the Khotan tribe, in Shuye City. Danaasha not only helped Yuan Zhuo sell all his goods and make a fortune but also invited him to her home as a guest. Over time, Yuan Zhuo developed feelings for the kind and beautiful Danaasha. After enduring weeks of hesitation, he finally mustered the courage to confess his love to her. To his surprise, Danaasha also felt the same way, and the two got married. After starting a family, Yuan Zhuo decided to stay in Shuye City and opened a tea shop there, buying tea from Chang’an and reselling it at a profit. Although the shop was small, the profits from selling tea were substantial. Over the years, Yuan Zhuo acquired his own house and servants. What pleased him the most was that he enjoyed a high reputation among the Tang people in Shuye City, and people would readily obey his orders. Though his official status in the city was that of a lowly Tang citizen, Yuan Zhuo felt content with his stable life and had nothing to complain about.

“Uncle Yuan, Uncle Yuan, hurry and get out of the way! I heard the Turks are searching the whole city for spies. They beat any Tang person they see without asking questions, first giving them a thorough beating. After that, they lock them up to work as forced laborers, tearing down houses!”

The speaker was Bai, the owner of the neighboring silk shop. Due to his obesity, Bai walked with a wobbly gait, resembling a plump white silkworm.

“Brother Bai, you’re so anxious. How many times have the Turks caused trouble over the years? It always ends up with nothing happening. Listen to me—go home and do what you need to do. The sky won’t fall!”