Heaven is the shore of mortal dust

Chapter 84

"I'm not hurt. You can go now."

When did Helu become so kind? He actually called her Khan and referred to himself as a subject.

"I know the Khan doesn't want me to worry, but how can I leave without knowing if the Khan is truly alright?" Helu continued walking over.

Wei Zijun glanced at her swollen chest, where two tender pink nipples, visible through the thin, damp fabric, revealed their perfect shape. The two pink buds stood erect, protruding in front of her chest.

He Lu! Does he want to die? If he does, come and try.

As He Lu stepped forward and was about to approach, Wei Zijun spread her sleeves, rose up from the ground, and swirled in the air, creating a charming flow of light. Crystalline water droplets scattered rapidly, and a dazzling color spread behind He Lu. Before the latter could even see clearly, several major acupoints on his back had been struck.

He grabbed a spare robe and wrapped it around himself before the entourage surged towards him.

"Khan, I am late!" Geshufa said with a guilty expression.

Wei Zijun remained expressionless, only glancing at the person in the bucket.

"Pour out that bathtub."

The wind outside the tent still howled, and the world was shrouded in mournful yellow sand, obscuring the sun.

Looking at the food on the table, Wei Zijun couldn't eat a single bite; all she could see were Re Yikan's tearful eyes.

"Sigh..." She let out a long sigh, touched the small mouth on her lips with her hand, and felt a slight stinging pain. She frowned.

The soft moans and groans interrupted Wei Zijun's thoughts. Glancing at He Lu, who had been carried into the tent that morning, and seeing his stiff figure lying on the carpet, her mood suddenly improved.

"He Lu, are you hungry?" Wei Zijun grabbed a leg of lamb.

He Lu stared intently at her, his eyes practically spitting fire.

Wei Zijun chuckled, "He Lu, it's not good to look at people like that. Look at you, your eyes could roast a live sheep."

"Come on, don't starve yourself, have something to eat." Wei Zijun tore a very thin strip of meat from the lamb leg and put it in He Lu's mouth.

He Lu's eyes were about to pop out when he suddenly rolled his eyes a few times, blew hard, and sent the shredded meat flying to the side.

"Oh dear, what a waste!" Wei Zijun sneered. "Does He Lu think it's not enough?" She tore off a large piece of mutton and stuffed it into He Lu's mouth. He Lu couldn't dodge, his handsome face turning red as he whimpered.

"Khan, there is news!" A voice from outside announced.

"Bring it in." Wei Zijun casually released He Lu's pressure points. He'd been tormented for so long; she'd let him off the hook for now.

Ignoring He Lu's menacing gaze, he opened the secret report and glanced at it. A moment later, he tossed it aside, saying, "Finally!"

"What's wrong?" He Lu looked at her with concern.

"Tibet!" Wei Zijun said calmly, "This time, the commander is the Tibetan prince... Gongsong Gongzan. Three hundred thousand troops! Ha! Songtsen Gampo really thinks highly of me!"

With 300,000 troops, they intended to annihilate the Western Turks in one fell swoop. However, the Turkic military strength...

As Wei Zijun was deep in thought, a tugging sound came from outside. "Princess! You can't go in! The Khan is in a meeting!"

"Let me go! You servant, how dare you disrespect this princess! Release me now..."

"Ouch—"

After a howl, Ashina Dilan ran in.

Upon seeing Wei Zijun, he lunged straight at her. "I'm going to kill you! I'm going to kill you..."

With a quick movement, Wei Zijun wrapped her arms around Ashina Dilan and pulled him into her embrace.

Ashina Dilan was unable to move. After struggling for a while, he sobbed, "I hate you... I hate you... You killed my mother... I hate you..."

After a long while, Ashina Dilan cried until he was exhausted, and then gently put her down.

Once freed, Ashina Dilan suddenly grabbed a teapot from the table and smashed it hard against Wei Zijun's forehead.

Wei Zijun stared straight at her without flinching, a line of blood sliding down her forehead.

He Lu watched all this quietly. When the teapot hit her forehead, his heart felt as if it had been stabbed. The blood was like a sharp sword, piercing deep into his heart.

He stepped forward, grabbed Ashina Dilan, and slapped her hard on the buttocks.

"He Lu, what are you doing? She's still a child." Wei Zijun stepped forward and snatched Di Lan away. "Bahar, take her away."

"Helu, how dare you hit me! I will sentence you to death!" Ashina Dilan cried and struggled in Bahar's arms as he walked away.

"Let me see the injury." He Lu picked up a handkerchief and gently wiped away the bloodstain. Fortunately, the wound wasn't big.

He took out a small blue porcelain bottle from his bosom, poured out some grayish-white powder, and smeared it on her wound.

"Wait, what's this?" Wei Zijun grabbed He Lu's wrist.

"This is the most commonly used external wound medicine in Western Turkic areas. Don't worry, it won't leave a scar."

Hearing him say that, she let go of his hand, having heard of this medicine before.

He carefully wiped the wound, afraid of causing her discomfort. His smooth, clean forehead felt slippery and cool to the touch, and his fingertips trembled slightly.

Letting him do as he pleased, Wei Zijun lowered her eyes and remained silent.

If she had been a little weaker, she wouldn't have died. She didn't want to kill her, she really didn't want to kill her... Even if she stabbed her again, she still didn't want to kill her...

For Dilan's sake, she didn't want to kill her...

Volume Two, Chapter Seventy-Four: Defeating the Enemy

The first year of Jiande in Dayu.

The Year of the Rabbit in the Western Turkic Khaganate, May.

The Tibetan army of 300,000 men marched through the southern mountains of Khotan and approached the city. They set up camp ten miles away from the city and began a standoff with the Khotan garrison.

Inside the Western Turkic Khan's court, a group of ministers whispered among themselves, discussing the matter animatedly.

Finally, another person spoke up and asked, "Khan, Tibet is eager to attack Khotan, why are you sitting idly by?"

Seeing someone ask another question, Geshu Que Sijin couldn't help but say, "Yes, Khan, if Khotan is lost, the Tibetan army will enter our territory, and Shule will be next."

Wearing a black royal robe embroidered with gold, Wei Zijun leaned against the sofa. The black robe made her jade face appear even whiter and more translucent. A black jade crown was tied high on her head, and on her smooth forehead, there was a small red mark that had not yet fully healed.

She still found it difficult to change her old customs, always wearing her hair up in a crown and unable to get used to the braided and loose hairstyle of the Turks. However, when she was the Left Wise King, everyone was used to this behavior, so no one thought it was inappropriate. On the contrary, they regarded it as a pleasure to see her looking neat and tidy every day.

Seeing that the ministers were asking one question after another, all of which were the same, Wei Zijun did not answer. Only after everyone had asked enough questions did she move her body. "I understand the questions of my beloved ministers. As for why I have been indifferent to Khotan, it is because I will govern Khotan properly in the future."

Seeing the ministers buzzing with discussion again, Wei Zijun continued, "The Tibetan army of 300,000 is coming with fierce momentum. Our warhorses are dying one after another, and we currently only have 200,000 cavalry. To send infantry against the enemy's cavalry is tantamount to sending our own brothers to their deaths. Moreover, we must leave some troops to guard the royal court. With such a force, it is truly unsuitable to engage the enemy head-on. I understand that my beloved ministers are worried about the country, but how can Khotan not put up a fight? Khotan also has a population of 80,000, all of whom are soldiers in wartime. The strongest soldiers number 30,000, and the city walls are equipped with heavy crossbows. Attacking the city will not be easy."

"But Khan, Khotan is a vital town on the Silk Road. If it falls into the hands of the Tibetans..." Old Chen Yan Hongda said with concern.

Wei Zijun glanced at it indifferently, "How could it be as they wish! The Tibetan land is cold and harsh, and its resources are scarce. Their purpose in attacking our country is nothing more than to seize our four vassal states of Khotan, Kashgar, Kucha, and Yanqi to control the Western Regions and the Silk Road, in order to amass wealth. However, the Tibetan roads are not smooth, and the supply lines for military supplies are too long, making it impossible to provide supplies in a timely manner. They rely entirely on local logistical support. Now that they have penetrated deep into our country, it is even more difficult to sustain. This huge expenditure on military supplies will be their fatal weakness."

"Khan, does that mean we won't send troops?" Geshu Que Sijin still couldn't understand their Khan's intentions.

"Go out! Why not? But how to go out? When to go out? There will be a well-thought-out plan, but definitely not now. As for his 300,000 troops..." Wei Zijun smiled faintly, his eyes gleaming, "I hope they are all wiped out."

...

The endless felt tents stretch like clouds across the vast, verdant grassland. The wind is warm, the sunshine is intoxicating, and the sweet scent of grass fills the air. Flocks of sheep graze on the high slopes, while herds of wild horses leap and frolic in the distance.

Having removed his royal robes and changed into a snow-white riding outfit, Wei Zijun jumped off his horse and sat down on the grass. He leaned back and lay down on the ground. Dieyun and Liu Yunde followed suit, lying down on either side of him.

Wei Zijun had a blade of grass between her teeth, her hands behind her head, her eyes gently closed. A gentle breeze brushed her cheek, making her long eyelashes tremble softly...

If that's the case, how wonderful it would be to lie down forever.

"Zijun..." Liu Yunde called softly.

"Hmm?" he answered lazily, without opening his eyes.

Liu Yunde didn't say anything; he just wanted to call her name and gently remove the grass from her head with his large, kind hand.

Seeing this behavior, Dieyun felt extremely annoyed, but the person was his cousin, so he didn't seem to be angry. However... he just felt uncomfortable.

He couldn't dispel this pent-up frustration. Why didn't he do something simple like picking some weeds or dusting himself off? Why didn't he notice that blade of grass first?

Frustrated, Dieyun plucked a handful of grass, looked at the tips, and suddenly had a bright idea. She gently inserted the grass tips into Wei Zijun's nostrils and gently rotated them.

Wei Zijun felt an itch in her nose, reached out and plucked the thin blade of grass, rubbing her nose vigorously. "Well, Dieyun, you dare to ambush me."

She suddenly flipped over and grabbed Dieyun's pulse point, her slender fingers hooking threateningly in front of Dieyun twice before sneaking under his armpit.

Unable to dodge in time, Dieyun laughed and begged for mercy. Wei Zijun continued her rapid attack until Dieyun's face turned red and she was laughing so hard she could hardly breathe before she finally stopped.

She lay back down, holding the blade of grass in her hand, lost in thought. When she was little, her father used this method to wake her up.

Standing at a distance, He Lu coldly observed all of this, a sour feeling welling up in his heart. Just how many more people did he want to provoke?

He turned his face away angrily, just in time to see a messenger riding up on horseback. Upon seeing Helu, the messenger asked, "Yaghu, have you seen the Khan?"

He Lu coldly raised his head in that direction, and the soldier then raised his horse and rode away.

"Khan..." the soldier called out as soon as he saw the figure.

Wei Zijun straightened up and, before the soldier could get close, she had already mounted her horse. She knew that Geshufa had returned.

"Khan, things are going very smoothly." Geshufa took two big gulps of water and continued, "I have arranged things according to your wishes. Huluju Quechuo's 50,000 elite cavalry have bypassed the Tibetan garrison and secretly ambushed them in the southern mountains, sealing off the Tibetans in Khotan and cutting off their logistics supplies. Their current provisions are only enough to last for a month."

"Hmm, did you intercept the messenger along the way?" Wei Zijun picked up her teacup.

"Yes, several. Ever since you ordered me to thoroughly investigate Fuja's letters and discovered his collusion with Tibet to divide the Western Turkic Khaganate, I have been keeping watch there. Haha, Khan, you are truly a visionary! Those letters were indeed discussing the conspiracy between Tibet and Khotan. I intercepted those messengers and, as you instructed, forged new letters, disguising myself as a secret envoy to deliver them to both sides." With that, Geshufa pulled several secret letters from his robes. "Khan, these are the secret letters we intercepted."

Wei Zijun took the letter, picked it up, and gently unfolded it. "Actually, when I heard that the Tibetans had stationed their army outside Khotan, I knew you had succeeded. Otherwise, they would have attacked Shule first. It seems they have finally become enemies."

"Yes, Khan, this letter you have was sent from Khotan to Tibet. After I intercepted it, I followed your instructions and had Khotan make many unreasonable demands for cooperation. And the Tibetan reply I intercepted actually agreed to all these demands. Songtsen Gampo is indeed cunning. And then, following your instructions, I changed the letter to one full of accusations. Before long, it turned into a war of words, hahaha!" Geshufa laughed heartily.

Wei Zijun burst into laughter, it had been a long time since she had been so cheerful. "In that case, they will definitely have to fight this battle. When Khotan is on its last legs, Tibet will also suffer heavy losses. Then we can strike Tibet hard from the rear. Without supplies and exhausted and hungry, they will surely try to escape back to Tibet through the South Mountain. Our ambush troops on the South Mountain will then strike these exhausted soldiers hard, and I'm afraid the Tibetan army will not be able to return. Hahaha."

"The Khan is truly a visionary." The person Geshufa admired most in his life was this young Khan before him. Therefore, he remained utterly loyal. He felt that being able to share some of the burden and do his best to fulfill all the Khan's wishes was his happiness. "Khan, what about Tutun, whom we withdrew from last time? We've already found a large amount of wealth in his home, including Khotan jade of the highest quality, which only the Khotan royal family possesses, yet he still refuses to speak."

“The matter is clear now, so let’s not keep him alive…” She pressed her hand to her chest. Had she really started killing indiscriminately? No, this was what that person deserved. If she didn’t kill those people, how could she protect her people?

“But…” Wei Zijun took a sip of tea, “I hope to capture Gongsong Gongzan alive. I haven’t done enough business with Tibet yet.”

"How much can Songtsen Gampo's only son fetch?"

...