Chapter 57 (First published on Jinjiang Literature City)
Chapter 57
The Western Regions, situated at the crossroads of trade, served as a crucial link between the Central Plains and the northern frontier, and was also a strategically vital location fought over by military strategists.
The rulers of the Central Plains controlled the Western Regions not only to monopolize the lucrative trade routes beyond the Great Wall, but also because they knew that the Western Regions had complex terrain, making them easy to defend and difficult to attack.
Once the Western Regions fall into enemy territory, they will become a military breakthrough point for the Western Wei, posing a huge threat to the Hu troops breaking through the pass and entering the country, with unimaginable consequences.
This is why Pei Zan established his capital in Liangzhou, strengthened his military, and firmly controlled the various kingdoms of the Western Regions, attempting to bring all thirty-six kingdoms under the control of Western Wei.
The wealth of the Western Wei was already common knowledge among the various nomadic tribes, which aroused the ambitions of the Rong and Di tribes north of the Western Regions. They were determined to invade the Western Regions and then attack the Western Wei along the trade routes, hoping to one day invade the Central Plains and plunder resources and wealth at will.
Recently, the Khan of the Northern Rong has been making moves, and has even led his army to conquer Gushi, east of the Kingdom of Kucha, and is now attempting to expand westward, directly threatening the ancient Kingdom of Kucha.
Lin Rong vaguely heard rumors of war and prepared herself to relocate.
Because the small kingdom of Kucha had not submitted to the Western Wei, and no military posts or protectorates had been set up there to protect its people, Pei Zan was not so kind as to send troops to aid a small kingdom with whom he had no connection.
If Lin Rong were to be attacked by artillery fire, she would be forced to migrate westward and seek refuge in the Western Regions kingdoms that had submitted to the Western Wei.
However, Yang Feng told Lin Rong that the King of Kucha seemed to have already sent a letter of submission to the Western Wei, requesting the emperor of the Central Plains to send troops to support him. It seemed that under the protection of the Wei army, the Northern Rong would not dare to make any rash moves.
There's no use in Lin Rong being anxious about such national affairs; she can only focus on living her life as an ordinary citizen and taking things one step at a time.
However, the world outside had become chaotic, so Lin Rong, to be on the safe side, did not go out to do business with Yang Feng and the others.
But she wasn't the type to "sit around and do nothing." There were plenty of jobs she could do in the city. For example, since Lin Rong had a horse, she could use a cart to help transport drinks to the inn.
It was September, the end of autumn.
Lin Rong bound her chest with a cloth strip and changed into a neat and warm Hu robe with a lotus flower pattern. She covered half of her face with a birthmark to conceal her delicate and charming features. Because her voice was naturally that of a woman, her gender was immediately apparent. Therefore, when she was out and about, Lin Rong tried to avoid talking to strangers unless Yang Feng and the others were with her.
The neighbors were familiar with Lin Rong, and as soon as they saw her coming, they greeted her with smiles, wanting to trade her a stack of fragrant sesame seed cakes for a lotus leaf roasted chicken.
Those dried lotus leaves were specially bought by Yang Feng, whom Lin Rong asked to do business in Western Wei.
First, wrap the poultry in dried lotus leaves, then coat them with yellow mud, and throw them into the heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove) to roast. The roasted chicken and duck will have a lotus fragrance and taste extremely delicious.
Sometimes, the tavern owners would order some roast chicken from Lin Rong, but since Lin Rong occasionally went out with caravans and her return time was unpredictable, this business naturally could not be sustained for long.
Lin Rong loaded several jars of meat wine onto the cart, and piled a few roasted chickens in the corner of the cart. She rode on Sesame, stroked the horse's mane, and said with a smile, "After this trip, let's go home! I'll buy you some carrots at the market later."
White radishes are abundant in the Central Plains. This sweet radish, which grows in the Hu region, resembles a white radish, so Lin Rong calls it "carrot".
The carrots are yellowish in color, dry and shriveled with little water, but sweet in taste.
Lin Rong doesn't like to eat it, but she really likes sesame seeds and can eat three or four of them every time.
Lin Rong rode Sesame towards the inn.
Halfway there, Sesame suddenly twitched its ears and stopped.
Lin Rong was puzzled and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
Sesame can't speak human language, so it naturally can't answer. It just snorted and blinked its long, dark eyelashes.
Lin Rong frowned and listened intently, but with crowds of people in the distance, she couldn't see what was happening in the streets and alleys. At most, she could hear the rumble of hooves and the urgent neighing of horses.
Sesame only paused for a moment before continuing to run forward.
Lin Rong had no suspicions. She was in a hurry to deliver the goods and didn't meddle in other people's business.
Upon arriving at the inn, Lin Rong carried the wine inside, intending to ask the customer who had ordered the wine for payment.
Before she could even step into the dark and cramped earthen building with her wine, she suddenly smelled a strong stench of blood.
Lin Rong frowned slightly, her guard up.
She took the jeweled dagger from her boot and tucked it into her palm, just in case.
Unlike the peaceful state of Wei, the small kingdoms of the Western Regions did not have soldiers or officials to arrest people even if they fought in the streets. Therefore, when people went out, they had to carry some weapons for self-defense.
Before Lin Rong could call out to anyone or ask what was going on, she turned her head and saw a person crawling on a wooden table to the side.
The man stared in disbelief, his head severed from his body, his eyes wide open in death!
Lin Rong recognized the man as the innkeeper, who had been murdered here with a knife!
Lin Rong was terrified and turned to run, but before she could even get out of the shop, a blood-stained ape arm grabbed her wrist.
Lin Rong was terrified. She looked up and was met with a rough and fierce-looking face of a Hu man.
The man was tall and burly, reeking of alcohol and blood, clearly someone who had just committed murder.
Lin Rong realized that this person was not from Kucha. His sword hilt was decorated with wolf patterns, which were the totems of the fierce and bloodthirsty Rongdi tribe!
He was a Northern Rong person.
Lin Rong knew that the Rong and Di peoples were ferocious, even more so than the Tibetan cavalry.
Previously, the small kingdom of Gushi fell, all the men of the tribes were killed, their property was looted, and the women were dragged back to their tents to be raped. They even bore children for the murderers of their husbands, which can be described as utterly depraved.
Lin Rong didn't know what the man in front of her wanted to do, but she couldn't speak and reveal her female voice.
Lin Rong didn't want the money for the drinks; she just wanted to escape this place as soon as possible.
Lin Rong bit her lip and remained silent, her almond-shaped eyes shimmering with tears, which aroused the man's desire to conquer her.
He seemed to notice Lin Rong's petite figure and delicate skin, and recognized her at a glance.
The Northern Rong man leered and laughed, making a violent gesture as if to tear Lin Rong's robes open.
But the next moment, Lin Rong seized the opening, swung her blade, and stabbed him in the left eye with all her might, causing blood to gush out.
"Sesame!"
While the Northern Rong people covered their eyes and screamed, Lin Rong scrambled towards the shop door, shouting for help in the Hu language, trying to grab the reins of the horse that was right in front of her.
Before she could even grasp the sesame seed, her delicate ankle was grabbed from behind by a strong man, and she was dragged back to the inn...
Sesame, seeing the tightly closed shop door, frantically pounded on it. But it was bound to the cart's side and couldn't get inside.
The foal snorted impatiently and kicked twice in place.
After a while, Sesame seemed to have thought of something, and suddenly it took off running towards the other end of the street!
-
The second floor of the inn in Kucha was brightly lit and completely silent.
On the low poplar wood table, a brocade carpet with four-clawed dragon patterns was laid out. A silver basin was piled high with juicy fruits and roasted meats, and a tall gold wine glass inlaid with rubies was filled with fragrant Western Region meat wine.
King Mengti of Kucha sat nervously at the lower end of the table, frequently glancing at the stern-faced Emperor of Western Wei at the upper end.
The Kingdom of Kucha was rich in mineral resources, and King Mengti always took pride in his country's iron smelting technology, refusing to submit to the Western Wei and cede the means of wealth to the Wei people of the Central Plains.
But ever since the Kingdom of Gushi was annihilated by the Northern Rong army, its national strength has declined, and all its tribes have been destroyed. Only then did King Mengti realize how weak and tempting the Kingdom of Kucha was.
He watched as the Northern Rong people frequently migrated to the border of the Kingdom of Kucha, plundering their caravans and killing their people. Finally, he could no longer suppress his fear and sent a letter of submission to the ruler of the Western Wei Kingdom, thousands of miles away.
King Mongti pleaded earnestly in the Hu language: "The Kingdom of Kucha is small and weak, and the Northern Rong royal court is eyeing us covetously... We beg the Emperor of the Central Plains to lend a helping hand and save our people of Kucha from this dire situation."
After King Monti finished speaking, he asked the translator beside him who was fluent in the Great Wei language to help convey his message.
Before the official could speak, the man's clear and composed voice came from the seat of honor.
"Since Kucha is willing to submit, Western Wei will naturally agree. However, it is not easy for Western Wei to maintain its army, and its cavalry camp is thousands of miles away. If Kucha wants to win a great victory in the battle against the Rong, it should help hone its weapons and prepare provisions to show its sincerity in submitting to Wei."
Pei Zan spoke fluent and elegant Hu language, which made King Monti feel flustered... He did not expect Pei Zan to be proficient in multiple languages. He could only hope that his ministers had behaved themselves and had not uttered any disrespectful words.
With such subtle hints, Monty naturally understood Pei Zan's meaning.
Kucha was renowned for its iron smelting, producing high-quality steel. Many smaller states would exchange money with Kucha for blades that could cut through iron like mud, to be used in battle.
The Western Wei emperor personally traveled to Kucha, undoubtedly to practice iron-making techniques.
With the nation in peril, even though this was a way for the Kingdom of Kucha to make money, King Monti dared not keep it to himself.
He sighed and bowed his head, saying, "The Kingdom of Kucha is willing to devote all its national strength to preparing tens of thousands of iron-bladed weapons for the Emperor of Western Wei, and to offer the method of smelting iron in crucibles, only asking Your Majesty to send troops to reinforce us."
Upon hearing this, a hint of tenderness finally appeared on Pei Zan's handsome face. He gently curled his lips and said, "From now on, since Kucha is a vassal state of Western Wei, it will naturally receive the protection of Western Wei. Please, Your Majesty, do not worry too much."
Upon hearing this, King Monti's gloomy expression, which had been sullen for several days, finally brightened.
He poured wine with a smile, clapped his hands, and wanted to present Pei Zan with several beautiful women from Kucha who could sing and dance.
Before the fair-skinned and beautiful woman could even take her seat, Pei Zan suddenly frowned at the sound of a horse neighing urgently.
The street outside erupted in shouts and curses, causing chaos and making Pei Zan somewhat displeased.
King Monti was uneasy and hurriedly sent his personal guards to check the situation.
Pei Zan also glanced at the source of the sound with a cold indifference.
But the moment he saw the scraggly horse downstairs, his icy black eyes narrowed sharply, and his calm demeanor vanished.
Before King Monti could inquire about the reason, the black-robed monarch, who had been sitting at the head of the table, suddenly stepped up from the table and moved with lightning speed.
Without uttering a word, Pei Zan, holding only a gleaming, cold blade, leaped down from the wide-open earthen window on the second floor!
King Monti stared in disbelief, then cried out in alarm, "Your Majesty?!"
Monty hurriedly climbed to the window to look, only to see Pei Zan, his robes fluttering, already landed steadily, not even a strand of hair disheveled.
Pei Zan held the reins with one arm, leaped onto his horse, and galloped forward. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared into the rolling sandstorm.
King Monti stood there dumbfounded, staring at the Western Wei official beside him, and asked in broken Wei dialect, "Wh...what's wrong?"
The official was completely baffled, and he replied in a daze, "I...I don't know..."
This was the first time he had ever seen his emperor so out of control, and he was completely baffled.
-
Inside the guesthouse, due to the dim lighting, Lin Rong blinded one of the Northern Rong men in one eye, making it difficult for him to move around and preventing him from catching Lin Rong several times.
However, with the door closed, Lin Rong's escape speed was no match for a man from a nomadic tribe. Several times she tried to escape, but he grabbed her wrist and threw her back into the corner.
Lin Rong, exhausted and at a disadvantage, gradually collapsed to the ground.
This stalemate can't go on; we might as well fight to the death.
Lin Rong devised a plan. She deliberately hugged the dagger, curled up in a corner, intending to deliver a fatal blow to the Northern Rong people.
When the Northern Rong people saw her panting, they assumed that Lin Rong had no strength left and had already resigned herself to her fate.
He covered his eyes, cursed "bitch," and lunged at Lin Rong.
Before Lin Rong could even draw her sword, a flash of silver light caught everyone's eye.
In an instant, with a whoosh, a spray of boiling blood unexpectedly splattered onto her face.
Lin Rong was stunned for a moment, then opened her eyes blankly.
She looked down and saw that the dagger was still intact, resting in her palm.
She hadn't made a move, yet her eyelashes and between her fingers were filled with boiling red blood.
The stench was overwhelming, like a tidal wave, making people want to vomit.
A huge human head landed with a thud at Lin Rong's feet, almost touching her dress.
One eye socket was empty, while the other eye snapped open, revealing the Northern Rong man who had attempted to humiliate her.
The next moment, Lin Rong looked up and saw a scene she would never forget.
The man, holding a long sword, with cascading black hair and an aura of ferocity emanating from him like a raging storm, stood before her.
Crimson blood splattered onto the man's elegantly sculpted jawline, like blood-red plum blossoms. The blood then meandered down his pale cheeks, slowly dripping to the ground.
"Lin Rong!"
His voice was cold and detached, and his phoenix eyes were dark and cold, like those of a jackal without human understanding, staring intently at Lin Rong in a corner of the house.
Lin Rong was surprised.
The person before me... was none other than Pei Zan, whom I hadn't seen for many years!
"You..." Before Lin Rong could speak, Pei Zan had already squatted down and picked her up with one arm.
Pei Zan was overwhelmed with emotion upon regaining what he had lost. He didn't know whether to feel joy or fear. The man's strong arms wrapped around Lin Rong with great force, as if he had lost his mind and only knew to hold on to Lin Rong tightly.
Lin Rong was helplessly held tightly by Pei Zan. She could feel the man's body was cold and his shoulders were trembling. He was actually shaking.
Pei Zan pressed his thin lips together, holding back for a long time before finally squeezing out a difficult sentence from his throat.
"Lin Rong...you're still alive."
Author's Note: I know you're all anxious, but don't worry, I won't be home on Thursday, and I won't be back until Friday in China. That means the next chapter, Chapter 58, will be released on Friday, and I'll definitely post it around 11:50 PM on Friday night. =3=
Rong'er is 24 years old now, and Pei Zan is 33 (nine years older).
The Northern Rong, along with the Mountain Rong and the Wuzhong Kingdom, were classified as Rong and Di.
Believing his wife had passed away, Pei Zan said: "If we ever have the chance to meet again, I will definitely turn over a new leaf and start anew."
Seeing his wife resurrected, and seeing any man around her as an imaginary enemy, Pei Zan thought: "Between the adulterer and me, only one can live."
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