As the royal court’s scouts were sending back report after report, intelligence from Northern Rong spies was also arriving one after another in Wahan Khan’s hands.
The judicial official said, “The royal court’s four armies have just gone through upheaval, and morale is unstable. The newly appointed commanders haven’t yet won everyone’s trust. Now that Su Dan Gu is dead and there are no regents managing state affairs, the Buddhist Prince is busy with government matters. Moreover, with his birthday approaching, diplomatic envoys from various countries and common people are flooding into the Holy City. The city is filled with song and dance, extraordinarily lively. Surely the royal court, both inside and out, is preoccupied with these matters and has no attention to other concerns.”
Wahan Khan pondered for a moment, then summoned several of his sons and Haidu Aling to analyze the situation.
His sons all felt that now, with the royal court just having experienced internal turmoil and defenses being sparse, it was the perfect opportunity for a surprise attack. As for an excuse to break the alliance, they could simply capture and kill some herders, and they’d have their reason.
Only Jin Bo’s expression was somewhat strange.
Wahan Khan dismissed his other sons but kept Jin Bo, asking, “What are your thoughts?”
Seeing no one else in the tent, Jin Bo stepped forward, putting on a smile, and said, “Father Khan, the royal court once saved my life… one of their merchant caravans saved me…”
Wahan Khan rolled his eyes dramatically, “Fool! How could every person in a merchant caravan be a skilled fighters? The one who saved you must have been someone important. Aling’s assassination plan can proceed simultaneously—they’re bound to help stir things up. Besides, this winter has been exceptionally long. We must find a way to feed all the tribes, or they’ll rebel again!”
Jin Bo scratched his scalp: “But I promised to repay the royal court’s kindness. Father Khan, I’m your son—how can descendants of the Divine Wolf go back on their word?”
Wahan Khan’s eyelid twitched: “We are the wolf tribe who grew up on horseback. Raiding and conquest are our means of survival. Gratitude is gratitude, grudges are grudges. When facing external enemies, all alliances are just temporarily dormant. Your promise to repay their kindness doesn’t mean the Northern Rong won’t launch a surprise attack on the royal court.”
Jin Bo looked bewildered: “Father Khan, didn’t you always teach me to keep my promises?”
Wahan Khan smiled mockingly: “Jin Bo, you only earn the right to keep promises when you’re the stronger one. We Northern Rong people only need strength, not the virtues of dead men. After you defeat the royal court, then you can fulfill your promises.”
Jin Bo stared in astonishment: So this was what Father Khan meant by keeping promises! First defeat the opponent, then mercifully spare them.
Wahan Khan looked at his youngest son, who had never led troops in battle alone, thought for a moment, and said, “Your elder brothers will join me in battle. Aling will lead three thousand men in a surprise attack. I’ll give you four thousand cavalry—you go guard the Desert Sea Road.”
Jin Bo said disappointedly: “I want to join Father Khan in battle too.”
Wahan Khan shook his head: “Since you owe the royal court a debt of gratitude, stay out of this surprise attack. Just guard the Desert Sea Road well, don’t be careless. If the battle goes poorly, I’ll lead the central army to retreat through there.”
Jin Bo hastily agreed respectfully, secretly wondering if the merchant caravan guard who had saved his life would be going to battle.
If he met his benefactor, he would still have to keep his promise.
…
While the Northern Rong was mobilizing their army, Bisuo was also busy deploying troops.
Fearing information leaks that might let the Northern Rong people glimpse their arrangements, after finishing military duties each day, he would go to the training grounds, as usual, to compete with warriors from other tribes, showing off his skills.
That day, just after he finished a horseback archery race with Mo Biduo, a soldier brought a message from Yao Ying, asking him to come outside the city.
Despite his fatigue, he changed clothes and hurried to the outskirts.
After the snow, the sky was clear as a jewel. In a windless valley, dozens of large carts wrapped in thick felt were crowded together in a dark mass on the snow. Personal guards and fur-coated caravan guards were busy unloading cloth bags from camelbacks.
Yao Ying wore a light veil and a narrow-sleeved robe with a lambskin collar. Looking graceful and beautiful, she walked through the snow to meet them, her gaze falling on the person accompanying Bisuo, hesitating to speak.
This brown-eyed youth with braided hair falling on his shoulders was the one who had defeated Bisuo at the training grounds that day.
Bisuo said, “His name is Mo Biduo. Princess, don’t worry, he’s someone the Lord trusts. He’ll also be part of this expedition, otherwise, I wouldn’t have brought him.”
Yao Ying nodded, gesturing for the guards to continue moving cargo. She had heard of this young prince who had recently achieved great merit and was now one of Tanmoluojia’s guards.
Mo Biduo leaned forward, holding both hands level in greeting, the movement looking somewhat comical.
Yao Ying returned a Ujiri tribal greeting, saying in the Ujiri language: “I’ve long heard of the Prince’s reputation.”
Mo Biduo started, surprise flashing in his eyes.
Bisuo was also somewhat shocked: “How does the Princess know Ujiri tribal etiquette and their language?”
Yao Ying smiled and said, “To be honest with the General, when I was among the Northern Rong slaves, I learned the customs and languages of dozens of large and small tribes.”
In the vast Gobi Desert, one could ride a hundred li without seeing any signs of human life. Every oasis deep in the desert might be a small state, with complex tribal powers. Each tribe had their language. When she learned the Hu language, she also learned different tribal customs, firstly to better blend in with locals when escaping, and secondly to avoid accidentally offending any tribe.
Mo Biduo looked straight at Yao Ying and said, “The Princess has learned well.”
Yao Ying smiled, “I only know a few simple greetings, I’ve embarrassed myself before the Prince.”
Bisuo laughed: “How is the Princess’s Sanskrit study going?”
Just mentioning this gave Yao Ying’s headache. A few days ago, Tanmoluojia had asked about her Sanskrit progress, and Prajña had become instantly excited, eager to teach her hundreds of Sanskrit sutras within days.
“The Master wants to convert me to Buddhism. Prajña chases after me every day with piles of scrolls, forcing me to study diligently. Lately, I take detours whenever I see Prajña coming.”
Bisuo’s steps faltered, a strange look flashing in his eyes: “The Lord wants to convert the Princess to Buddhism?”
“The Master mentioned it once…”
Yao Ying nodded, noticing Bisuo’s odd expression, her gaze fixed on his face.
“Is something wrong?”
Bisuo’s expression quickly returned to normal. He shook his head and said, “The Lord is always like this. When he sees someone with Buddhist potential, he wants to convert them.”
As they spoke, guards unwrapped one of the large carts. Bisuo and Mo Biduo stepped forward to find it packed full of black longbows and bundles of arrows.
Mo Biduo picked up a longbow and tested its draw weight. His brows slightly furrowed as he grabbed a handful of arrows and walked to an open area. He bent the bow and shot—whoosh, whoosh—the arrows flew fiercely like shooting stars chasing the moon, each one striking an empty cart.
Soldiers ran forward and struggled to pull out the arrows, drawing a round of cheers.
Mo Biduo showed no pride, handing the bow to Bisuo, saying, “This bow’s draw weight is close to two dan, very sturdy.”
Bisuo’s eyes flickered as he looked at Yao Ying.
For military purposes, a bow with one dan draw weight was already considered powerful. Usually, when attacking cities, they used one-dan bows to shoot at wall battlements, while for mounted archery they used slightly lighter seven-dou bows.
A bow with nearly two dan draw weights had a range approaching that of the royal court’s bow and crossbow carts.
Meeting Bisuo’s serious gaze, Yao Ying said, “The royal court’s bow and crossbow carts are powerful and can stop Northern Rong cavalry when defending cities, but they’re cumbersome and difficult to move during campaigns, mainly used for defending cities and formations. Though these longbows don’t have the range of the bow and crossbow carts, they have strong draw weight and, when used in battle formations, can pierce through three layers of armor.”
Bisuo looked around, his heart trembling—if all these dozens of carts were filled with arrows, the total might be tens of thousands!
“Where did these weapons come from?”
Yao Ying answered, “From the Northern Rong.”
Bisuo’s mouth fell open.
Yao Ying explained, “The Northern Rong have conquered many tribes in recent years. Some people refused to surrender and became wandering fugitives. A chieftain named A’le gathered these remnants and exiled warriors, forming a mercenary force—they’ll fight for whoever pays enough silver and treasure.”
“I previously hired A’le to guard my merchant caravans. When returning from Gaochang, I had him cut off Haidu Aling’s supplies during the Northern Rong’s internal chaos. These weapons were seized from a poorly defended Northern Rong camp.”
One reason Haidu Aling had no chance of victory and chose to confess directly was that his hidden forces were constantly harassed by Chief A’le’s men, running them ragged.
Finally, Yao Ying added, “Don’t worry, General. Chief A’le works cleanly and efficiently. The Northern Rong didn’t know where these bows and arrows went. They disguised themselves as cloth merchants and didn’t let any information leak along the way. Even if something comes to light, no one will know I gave the order—it won’t cause trouble for the royal court.”
Bisuo stared at Yao Ying, his mouth hanging open for a long while.
On the road back from Gaochang, when they encountered the ambush, Princess Wenzhao still thought of hiring exiled tribes to weaken Haidu Aling.
Yao Ying continued matter-of-factly, “The Northern Rong mounted archers are well-trained, each equipped with three warhorses. They use both short and long bows. Their short bows are suitable for long-range combat, while their long bows work for both close and long-range fighting, with some capable of reaching four hundred paces.”
Bisuo recovered from his shock and said, “Indeed, the Northern Rong grew up on horseback, everyone learning archery from childhood. Their arm strength is extreme—every mounted archer can draw and shoot at full gallop. Once they attack, just a few hundred men can take a camp.”
He hefted the longbow, “Their bows look ordinary but are sturdy and durable.”
Yao Ying said, “I’ve seen them make bows. They also have double-curved bows with improved bow bodies—the inner layer is boiled cattle horn, and the outer layer is wrapped with boiled cattle tendon. The bow body is flexible yet powerful, and the bowstring is made of tanned cattle and sheep tendons that can withstand great tension. Arrow shafts are mostly birch. These bows aren’t difficult to make—once you have the materials, both men and women can craft them skillfully.”
Bisuo’s brows furrowed slightly, “Not difficult to make… so their mounted archers can all be equipped with such weapons, and everyone can use them skillfully—every person a mounted archer.”
The Northern Rong might be barbaric, but this barbaric tribe was formidable.
Mo Biduo spoke from the side, “Since the Princess says their improved double-curved bows aren’t difficult to make, could we find craftsmen to produce them?”
Bow and crossbow carts were complicated to manufacture, with expensive materials, requiring several soldiers to operate, and troublesome to repair if damaged—only major strongholds in the royal court had them. Bows were simple to make, not dependent on craftsmen, and could be issued to all soldiers. If they could be improved, it would double their effectiveness with half the effort.
Bisuo shook his head, saying, “We’ve long known about the Northern Rong’s improved double-curved bows, but making exact copies isn’t so simple…”
Even though they now had Northern Rong weapons, they couldn’t replicate them quickly.
Yao Ying interrupted him, saying, “My craftsmen can make them.”
Bisuo was so startled he nearly choked on his saliva.
Yao Ying gestured for her guards to bring over a stack of silk-wrapped papers. She handed them to Bisuo, saying, “I mentioned the improved double-curved bows to my craftsmen before. They’ve been trying to improve their designs, making many attempts that weren’t as good as the Northern Rong bows. Recently they finally succeeded. With this batch of weapons arriving, they’ve already compared and tested them—the power is similar to the Northern Rong double-curved bows, though not quite as resilient. The advantage is that the materials are easy to obtain and they can be mass-produced.”
“These are the blueprints.”
Bisuo could barely contain his joy, saying, “Mass production would be perfect!”
Military bows didn’t need to be as powerful as possible—better to be adequate for soldiers’ needs while being cheap and durable, ensuring widespread distribution.
He hesitated, then said, “These weapons and manufacturing plans were obtained through the Princess’s careful efforts—you’re just giving them to the royal court?”
Yao Ying smiled, saying, “As allies facing a great enemy, of course, I should contribute to the royal court.”
These double-curved bows weren’t some rare, precious weapons. Facing a strong enemy like the Northern Rong, allies should stand united. Besides, the royal court had always traded with the former Central Plains dynasty—there were no conflicts of interest between the two nations.
Bisuo gazed at her for a long while before taking the silk-wrapped papers and having his subordinates arrange to receive the weapons.
After the soldiers finished unloading all the cargo, Yao Ying walked aside with her guards to discuss a few matters before mounting her horse.
Bisuo and Mo Biduo waited for her on the mountain path.
The three rode side by side. After half a li, Yao Ying looked back at the long line of departing carts and sighed thoughtfully, “The Northern Rong cavalry not only excel at mounted archery and coordinated movement, able to launch quick attacks anywhere, but each person also has several warhorses. Their horses are all excellent with great endurance. If only A’le could help me steal a batch of warhorses…”
Bisuo’s mouth twitched, and after a moment of silence, he shook his head with a slight laugh.
Mo Biduo turned to look at him: “What’s the General laughing at?”
Bisuo glanced at Yao Ying, moved further from her, and said quietly, “I’m thinking, if Haidu Aling knew what Princess Wenzhao has been doing these past two years, he’d regret it bitterly.”
Mo Biduo followed his gaze.
Princess Wenzhao wore a veil covering her face, concealing her features, but just seeing her bright eyes and figure confirmed that she was indeed as rumored—incomparably beautiful, radiant as the bright moon.
The people of the Holy City looked down on the Ujiri tribe, but these days, Princess Wenzhao was the first woman who hadn’t laughed when he gave his greeting.
Mo Biduo suddenly asked, “General, are the rumors about Princess Wenzhao and the Lord true or false?”
Bisuo laughed: “How can rumors be trusted?”
After speaking, his heart jumped, and he looked at Mo Biduo.
Mo Biduo met his gaze frankly, his young face showing sharp insight.
Bisuo frowned slightly.
The three returned together to the royal temple. Yuanjue had just walked out from the direction of the pagoda forest. Seeing Yao Ying, his expression changed, and he coughed several times, saying, “Princess, didn’t you go out of the city today? Why are you back so early?”
Yao Ying looked up—the sunset spread across the sky, its slanting rays casting a golden glow over the high towers.
She was back early?
Yuanjue’s face was slightly red, his gaze evasive.
Yao Ying thought for a moment, guessing that someone must have come to the temple and she needed to avoid them, so she said, “I’ll return by way of the Justice Hall.”
She wouldn’t encounter outsiders that way.
Yuanjue said nothing, his face growing redder.
After Yao Ying and her guards turned to leave, Bisuo glanced at Yuanjue and asked, “Who came?”
Yuanjue let out a long sigh and said quietly, “Princess Manda from India has arrived! She’s in the main hall, and hasn’t left yet.”
Bisuo’s frown deepened.