Chapter 720: Hulayeg, the Number One Turkic Horse Merchant! (1/2)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

The grandiose Qixi Protectorate that protected the throat of the Great Tang had actually had no troops available. This sounded absurd, but it truly had been the situation of the Qixi Protectorate back then.

Wang Chong understood this fact more keenly than anyone else.

The critical area protected by Qixi Protectorate straddled the border between the Ü-Tsang Empire and the Western Turkic Khaganate. Every year, regardless of how all the other areas were doing, Qixi Protectorate would have to fight in battles big and small. And Qixi Protectorate's soldiers had been exhausted precisely through constant attacks by Ü-Tsang and the Western Turkic Khaganate.

Although the interior continued to dispatch troops to Qixi, these troops were not limitless.

In the period before the Battle of Talas, the attacks by the Tibetan and Turkic cavalry had been abnormally fierce, causing the forces of the Qixi Protectorate to truly be emptied out. And it was precisely this lack of soldiers that led to the defeat at the Battle of Talas.

Thus, in order to prevent the bitter defeat at the Battle of Talas, one first had to alter the fate of the Qixi Protectorate. This was one of the important reasons Wang Chong had established his fief at Wushang, though Wang Chong had never told this to anyone.

In order to change the fate of Qixi, he had to utterly vanquish the forces Ü-Tsang and the Western Turkic Khaganate had stationed here!

Building his City of Steel at Wushang to give himself a place to stand was the first step. The second step was to begin fending off Ü-Tsang to the west and the Western Turks to the east! Fumeng Lingcha would never be able to complete this second step.

In Wang Chong's evaluation of generals, Fumeng Lingcha was merely a general who could hold the fort, not one who could lead an assault. Admittedly, part of it was because he never had such plans, but he also lacked the ability.

Completion of these two steps would only bring him closer to his goal.

But before he could do all this, before he could carry out his plan that was bound to make the western border and the entire empire quake, Wang Chong had to complete another task.

Without that thing, Wang Chong would the most ingenious housewife in the world without any rice to cook. All he would be able to do was stare at the ocean and sigh!

Gallop!

Wang Chong left at dawn, silently leaving the City of Steel without alarming anyone else.

……

If one followed the official road seven or eight hundred li past Qixi, one would arrive in the Western Regions. The scenery here was rough, honed by sandstorms. Here, the Hu lived together with Sindhi, Arabs, Characenians, Turks, Tibetans, and even Han, though of course, the Hu far outnumbered the Han.

Such a scene would be incredibly difficult to find in any place within the Great Tang.

”Young Master, it's right here.”

A middle-aged Han with his hair wrapped in a head scarf stood in front of a bustling pleasure palace, garishly colored and with carved beams and painted rafters. He deferentially bowed to a teenager.

”Mm.”

The youth looked at the pleasure palace and gave a nod.

”Tell Yang Hongchang that I'm very satisfied. When this is over, I won't treat him poorly.”

”Many thanks, Lord Marquis!”

Elated, the middle-aged man hurriedly bowed.

”Mm? Did you forget what I told you? In this place, do not call me 'Lord Marquis',” the youth said with a frown.

”Yes, this lowly person was too abrupt, L-… Young Master, please forgive me.”

A hint of panic could be seen on the man's face as he lowered his head.

There was only one person that could make this man so afraid and could be called Lord Marquis in the Western Regions right now, and that was Young Marquis Wang Chong. Upon leaving the City of Steel, Wang Chong had disguised himself and detoured around Qixi Protectorate to reach the Western Regions.

This area was under the domain of Anxi Protector-General Gao Xianzhi.

If these Hu Great Generals were to find out that he was here, they would probably flock to his location. But even so, Wang Chong had a reason that obligated his presence.

”Let's go.”

Without another word, Wang Chong crossed the threshold and entered the pleasure palace.

This was Wang Chong's first time stepping into a pleasure palace of the Western Regions. Countless Hu were packed inside, and the music of huqins, hukonghous, huleis, huobosis1 and other instruments could be heard within.

This Hu music was completely different from the music of the Central Plains and had a completely different sound.

Wang Chong took a glance and saw that charming Hu women were dancing alluringly to the music.

They even have Arabian dancing girls!

Wang Chong could clearly make out that where the Hu were most packed and the laughter the loudest was a woman dressed in red, with skin as white as snow and bells tied to her arms and legs. She had blue eyes and red lips, and her eyes were enchanting. She bit down on a red belt of silk hanging from a roof beam and danced and twirled in the air.

The jingling of bells mixed in with the music, attracting the praise of the patrons.