Translator: DragonRider

  Cao Poyan lowered his head in silence. This Yousha had the noble blood of Ashinas family and was the one in charge of this mission in Chang’an. He now represented Khan, also the master of Cao Poyang’s fate.

  Yousha threw the saber and raised his hand, “Leave Fang map to me. I’ll let someone else take care of it. Now there is something else you have to do.”


  “What?” Cao Poyan raised his head in surprise.

  “I just got word in. Family of Wang Zhongsi, Provincial governor of Shuofang, is in the city. Now go kidnap his daughter, chop off her fingers and have them delivered to the military camps in grasslands, one by one,” said Yousha with blatant cruelty hanging at the corner of his mouth.

  Wang Zhongsi was the nightmare to Turk, the one that suffocated all Turks and the one hated most by Turks. Now that Wolf Guards were here in Chang’an, it would be so inappropriate not to pay “tribute” to him.

  Yet Cao Poyan was worried with a deep frown. They had long been preparing for this mission and now was right the time to implement their plan. They couldn’t bear to stand such a change on a whim. And there was one thing that he didn’t point out. Cui Liulang was the one Yousha had chosen as their guide but he turned out to be a spy of Tang. He wasn’t suspecting Yousha of colluding with Tang but only complaining his negligence in investigation that had led to the death of over a dozen Wolf Guards before they barely initiated the plan. Yet he himself had to take all the blames of this.

  This General Yousha had the same defect as most of the Turkish nobles, careless and arrogant, which wouldn’t pose a big issue in grasslands, but apparently wouldn’t make him a good commander for what they were going to do in Chang’an.

  Cao Poyan fought hard to suppress these thoughts before he kowtowed in respect, “This engagement in West Market had already alerted Tang, who might have already set a trap for us. Your humble subordinate worries that such a change at such a critical moment might bring about new problems to our great plan.”


  Yousha pulled a sullen face. This idea was a sudden inspiration of his genius yet was now suspected by this lowly wolf guard!

  “Shut up!” fumed Yousha with a violent wave of his sleeve. “The sharp fangs of Wolf Guards are what value the most, not plausible tongues.”


  Cao Poyan intended to refute but was stopped and kicked over to the ground by Yousha who, if with a whip in hand, would even give this arrogant Wolf Guard a sound slashing.

  Being reprimanded as this, Cao Poyan had to shut his mouth. He got on his knees and kowtowed to apologize for his offence. Yet his fists were clenched tight, his eyes brimming with flames of rage and unwillingness as a necklace of colorful stones that seemed to be the work of a child dropped out from his collar.

  Yousha dismissed Cao Poyan, turned to push the door and walked into a spacious workshop where about a dozen Turks were busy with woodworking. Unlike the usual Wolf Guards that were robust, these carpenters were hunchbacked with a pair of hands covered by calluses.

  Such woodworkers were priceless for grasslands yet now were kept in a narrow workshop, working like a horse. Around them were a dozen patrolling Wolf Guards with sharp eyes.

  Bamboos were cut into poles of about one meter long after the leaves were removed. On the two sides of each pole drilled ten tiny holes about 3 centimeters in size before they were placed obliquely against the wall under the window. About five or six other woodworkers were loading lanterns to carts, which were of the same bulk but varied in designs such as gourd, peach, bat, cloud, etc. All with a round hole in the middle for the bamboo pole.

  Yousha clapped his hands and began his speech after all woodworkers stopped and turned to look at him.

  “Khan is watching you through my eyes.” As those words were spoken, all woodworkers kneeled on one knee with their right hand on their left chest and their heads bowed.

  “Many years ago, everything in this city, women or herds, was at our mercy. Now we have to hole up in the grasslands as Tang and Uighur enslave us. But this time, we’re going to reclaim the glory of our ancestors. We set off from the canopied yurts, ride through the winds and storms, and cross the swords and arrows. Hatred is the best and the only ride that will bring us to Chang’an. Every one of us is the envoy of Khan’s fury and the flame of revenge. Now, we’ve sneaked into the center of our enemy like snakes and we will dug graves with the bricks of their houses. The sun will not always shine upon our enemy’s meadow where there is bound to suffer snowstorms.”


  Yousha was eloquent. Though his voice was low, he made himself clearly heard in the room and aroused the high spirits of all.

  “I just checked the speed of your woodworking. Still not fast enough. This is not grey tent nor calf cart we’re taking about. You’re making the great Kailu Hodo! Come on and work harder to build it a perfect body. Its soul is about to enter Chang’an. When the sun sets and the soul and body unite as one, we will witness as it lands in Chang’an, swallowing all residents in this city, be it the adult men at the prime of their years, the elderly, women or children. Not a bone will be left. Your names will then be remembered, bearing far greater glory than even the bravest warriors in grasslands. Your children will be blessed and protected by our ancestors and the deceased.”


  Yousha nearly roared as he spoke out the last sentence of the speech. In the eyes of woodworkers and Wolf Guards flickered the murderous light of extreme excitement and craze. Daring not to hail loudly, they all thumped their chest, stamped their feet and shouted “Kailu Hodo” rhythmically in a low voice. The sound of their boots stomping on the ground was like the thrilling drums of the army marching south.

  Cao Poyan stayed alone in the inner room, also in the half-kneeling position with hand on chest. Yet compared to the excited members outside, he just listened to Yousha’s speech with a cold face.

  Finishing the last round of speech to stimulate the men, Yousha left the workshop after a few orders.

  Before the front door of the bamboo workshop was a narrow alley leading to the main street. Yousha walked slowly as he lifted his hood over to cover his Turkish face, exposing the cross mark embroidered with golden threads on the back. Then he hung a chain of prayer beads around his neck and pinched the wooden crucifix in the middle of the beads.

  He then presented a completely different image when he stepped on the main street: An amicable and genial looking priest who would always clasp hands and bless whoever passing by, “May the merciful god be with you.”


  ***

  The horse galloped like a flash and a bamboo slip was thrown to Zhang Xiaojing, who immediately grabbed it.

  Meanwhile, Yao Runeng hurried over after gathering the information from those watching over Yuzhen Fang. The Hu merchant was quick in action and immediately sent five servants to five other shops after Zhang Xiaojing left. Then the five shops sent their servants to more shops. It was all due to Yao Runeng’s shocking ability of deploying the hands that they could easily get all the names of the shops.

  Now Zhang Xiaojing had two lists, one the merchants who had Fang maps, the other the merchants who were on close contacts with Turks. A simple comparison between the two and he could easily spot the most suspicious ones.

  It was indeed a miracle for Jing’an Department to manage something important as this in such a short time.

  “Sicheng Li is a man of great wits,” praised Zhang Xiaojing after scanning the lists. Having been the general for the Indecent for so many years who had cracked countless cases, he knew from the deep bottom from his heart that truth usually lay in the documents that everyone had access to, not those secret anecdotes unknown to all. The only thing mattered was if you had the ability to find it, which was the “Great Art of Documents”. Li Bi had specially gathered officials who excelled in looking for information through the documents, which was indeed what was needed most for the current situation. Li Bi had such a deep insight to things.

  Zhang Xiaojing then began to assign the tasks after gesturing the watchtower that he had received the information.

  There were four shops most suspectable, which, though all lay in West Market, were in different locations. Therefore, Zhang Xiaojing and Yao Runeng had to split up for the investigation.

  Before they parted, Yao Runeng respectively sought Zhang Xiaojing’s advice as to how to achieve their goal.

  “Kill whoever stands in your way. Simple as that,” replied Zhang as he clenched his fist and thumped slightly on his chest.

  Yao Runeng had met tough constables through his years as criminal catcher, but never had he ever seen anyone solving a case as rudely as Zhang Xiaojing did. Zhang gave others the impression of a heavy hammer that would smash the vase to get golds hidden in it. He just didn’t have the patience to cautiously take the golds out with hands. And Yao Runeng had a weird feeling that Zhang would still take the blunt resort even if given sufficient time.

  “You think it inhuman and cruel, don’t you?” sneered Zhang Xiaojing as he pointed the pedestrians around them. “First lesson: Your mercy towards enemies would bring cruelty and destruction to common civilians.”


  “The thing is we don’t know if they are truly our enemies.”


  “Whoever refuses to cooperate is our enemy.”


  Zhang Xiaojing first went to a gold and silver ware called Xifu with an owner from Kang (Now Samarkand, Uzbekistan). Xifu was enlisted as a suspect because it was frequently involved in bulky trades by offering loans.

  The passage paper Cao Poyan used to enter West Market also stated Kang as his origin and had the seal from local government. Such papers were hard to get unless with the help from Kang noblemen. Kang had the blood of Turks, and it was hard to say that the two weren’t plotting this together despite their long separation of ruling.

  That wasn’t about discrimination. In the four shops being suspected, two were run by Tang people while the rest were Hu merchants owned. Contrary to Honglu Temple, Jing’an Department was used to suspecting anyone of bearing most malicious intentions.

  Xifu located in the northwestern corner of the third cross street in West Street, a most prosperous place where several streets and roads intersected. The front door was unique in design with two pillars painted in black, on which inlaid patterns of dragons flying through clouds.

  Zhang Xiaojing lifted the curtain and stepped into the shop. It was quiet without any guest. Upon entering, he was greeted by a crescent-shaped stage that was one head taller than people of average height. Thus, he could only saw the empty stage without any view to the back. Zhang Xiaojing pulled the copper bell hanging by the side of the stage and soon an old man of Hu appearance, wearing long whiskers, poked his head out of the backstage and looked down at Zhang Xiaojing without expression.