I caught the grapes, smiling; then I put one into the mouth and bit the thin peel of it. Suddenly, the cool and sweet juice exploded over my tongue – it was so delicious. I turned back and asked Shifu: “Hey! Do you want to have some?” I never called him Shifu, because I was simply cheated by him to be his apprentice. At that time, we just met, and I didn’t know that his swordsmanship was extraordinary. I was provoked by his words and tried my skill of wielding a sword with him. The one who lost in this competition had to respect the other as Shifu. You could imagine how miserable I was in the competition, and I had no choice but to recognize him as my Shifu. Although he was my Shifu, he often made a lot of despicable things. Therefore, I refused to call him Shifu. Fortunately, he did not feel embarrassed and let me feed him from time to time.
Shifu shook his head absently, and he was still talking to the man in a white robe. Occasionally, Shifu also taught me the words written on the books of Central Plains. “Whoever meets Junzi (an ideal man who has noble virtues; it’s a Chinese philosophical term) will feel joyful,” or “A noble and modest Junzi resembles a warm jade.” After hearing for many times, I then believed that Junzi only wore a white robe. Shifu also loved to wear a white robe, but how could he be a Junzi? I would rather say he was more like a rogue.
Gu Xiao Wu stayed in the city of Western Liang. He lived in Shifu’s place for the time being. Shifu arranged his house like all the Central Plains’ people did, in a refreshing and clean way, and he did not raise camels.
I often went to Shifu’s place to play as I used to. Gradually, I was very familiar with Gu Xiao Wu. I heard that he was the young master of the tea house, and most of those who contacted with him were tea merchants from Central Plains. In his room, there were always good tea to drink and delicious foods to eat. Those pastries of Central Plains or other strange gadgets, all attracted me a lot. But what I hated was that Gu Xiao Wu would ask me every time I met him: Ninth princess, when will you marry me?
I felt so annoyed and embarrassed that I finally got irritated. It was all Shifu’s fault, as he didn’t act like a venerable teacher and stirred up such troubles. Each time, I would respond to him loudly: “I would rather marry the Prince of Central Plains than marry a rogue like you.” He laughed.
In fact, in my heart, I didn’t want to marry anyone. Western Liang was so good, why bother marrying in Central Plains?
That being said, but the Central Plains’ envoys began to urge my father; while Yuezhi, which sat in the north of Yan Zhi mountain, heard that Central Plains sent an envoy to propose marriage to my father, they also sent an envoy to bring a lot of gifts to Western Liang.
Yuezhi was one of the best countries in the Western Region, its people were brave and good at combat, and there were about one hundred thousand warriors in this country. My father did not dare to look down on Yuezhi, so he received Yuezhi’s envoy in the palace. I sent a maidservant to eavesdrop on their conversation, and she ran back in a breathless manner and secretly told me that the Yuezhi’s envoy also came to propose marriage; furthermore, the groom would be the Great Chanyu of Yuezhi. The Great Chanyu of Yuezhi was already fifty years old this year, and his main Yanzhi (the main wife of Chanyu) was originally the Crown Princess of Tujue (a nationality in ancient China), who was also my mother’s elder sister. Unfortunately, the main Yanzhi was dead the year before, but the Great Chanyu hadn’t picked one from his numerous Yanzhi (the concubine of Chanyu) to be the main Yanzhi, as they came from different tribes and had incessant disputes.
Now Yuezhi heard that Central Plains sent an envoy to propose marriage, so they sent an envoy to my father too, asking me to be the main Yanzhi.
My mother was quite angry with this proposal, and I was angry too. The Great Chanyu of Yuezhi was obviously my uncle, and his beard even became gray, but he still wanted to marry me as his main Yanzhi. I would never marry an old man. My father was not willing to offend Central Plains, nor would he offend Yuezhi, so he had no choice but to postpone this thing. However, the two envoys both lived in the city, and it was difficult to avoid their proposals completely. Therefore, I made up my mind to sneak out to my grandfather’s.
Every autumn, Tujue’s notabilities would hunt in the pastures at the other side of Tian Gen mountain. People in Central Plains called this event as “Autumn Hunt”. My grandfather would always send someone to pick me up around this event. Especially these two years, his health condition was not good, so I would be taken to him every year. He once said to me, “Seeing you is like seeing your mother, I am so happy.” According to Tujue’s traditions, the daughter who has married cannot go to her direct parents’ home, unless she is abandoned by her husband and parents-in-law. So every time my mother was also happy to send me to visit my grandpa and her relatives in Tujue.
I secretly told my mother about this plan. She didn’t want me to marry to Central Plains, neither to marry Yuezhi, so she prepared the water and dry food for me without father’s knowledge. As my father was not in the city, I slipped away.
I rode the little red horse, running towards Tian Gen mountain.
The city was surrounded by mountains on three sides. The Yan Zhi mountain extended from the west to the north, the towering mountain resembling a dragon, or a giant’s arms embracing the city. The mountain blocked the wind and the cold, making the city at its foot a warm oasis. The Tian Gen mountain was in the east. It was a lonely mountain like the screen sold by the merchants from Central Plains, standing tall in the clouds with its peak covered in snow. It was said that no one could climb all the way up this mountain. Bypassing it was a boundless and beautiful grassland, which was mother’s hometown.
Before leaving the city, I left a note to Shifu. Shifu had been very busy recently, and since Gu Xiao Wu came here, I had never seen Shifu. I thought if I went to Tujue, I would have to be back after the winter. So I left a note to remind him to feed A’Ma and A’Xia in his backyard. A’Ma and A’Xia were two little gerbils that I accidentally caught. Father didn’t allow me to raise gerbils in my own room, so I turned to Shifu.
Taking advantage of the cool weather, I followed behind a caravan leaving the city at night. The caravan rode to the west, while I turned to the east.
The desert at night was really quiet. The black-velvet-like sky was so low that it seemed I could touch the stars. They were big and bright, low in the sky. I was reminded of the cool dew on the grape leaves.
I crossed large sand dunes and saw the sparse needlegrass to confirm that I did not go the wrong way. I followed this route almost every year, but at that time there was always cavalry sent by my grandfather to protect me. Today I was alone. The little red horse ran briskly in the direction of the big dipper. I began to consider that after seeing my grandfather, I would ask him to let the slaves catch a bird that could sing for me.
When the sky was turning bright, I felt very sleepy. The red sun would be coming out soon, and the sky in the east began to glow in the light purple. The stars had disappeared, and the blue-gray sky revealed a kind of white, reminiscent of the sheepskins that had just been peeled off by the slaves who turned over the steaming skins, which steamed half of the sky up turning into the early morning mist. I knew that I had to find a place to rest – the sun in the afternoon could kill me, and it was not a good time to hurry on with my journey.
After walking across a shallow river, I found a shady hill, so I rolled out of my saddle upon the ground and let the horse go to eat grass. I slept with a dry food being my pillow. I had been sleeping until the dusk fell. The sun shone in my face, making me feel very uncomfortable, and then I woke up.
I took the dry food from my package and ate some. Then I drank half a bag of water and filled the bag with water again before I whistled.
In a short while, I heard the sound of the little red horse’s hooves. It happily rushed toward me and snorted. It stopped beside me and kissed my hand intimately. I touched its mane: “Are you full up?” Unfortunately, it couldn’t talk, but it looked at me with his eyes. I saw myself reflected in its warm, big eyes. I patted it on the belly and it suddenly hummed uncomfortably.
I felt a bit strange as the little red horse kept digging the grassland. It seemed very uneasy – were there wolves nearby?
The wolves from prairie were the most dangerous. They flocked in groups and dared to fight against the monkeys. A shepherd living alone would also be attacked. But now it was autumn, a season with plenty of water and lush grass. There were now yellow sheep and hares everywhere, so the wolves had plenty of foods. At this time they were usually hidden in Tian Gen mountain and should not be seen here.
But there must be a reason for the little red horse being so irritating. I mounted a horse and ran forward to the foot of Tian Gen mountain. To see the junction of Tujue and Western Liang, one had to turn around the mountain foot. Mom had sent a servant to give a letter to grandfather, and someone would pick me up there. It was safer to go to a place where there were people.
After a horse ride for several miles, I heard some clop. I stood on the horseback and looked into the distance. A line of black and grey could be dimly seen, which seemed to be a large number of people. Were they sent by my father to chase me? I couldn’t see their flags clearly due to the long distance. Anxiety drove me to ride towards Tian Gen Mountain. If I rushed into Tujue’s territory and encountered grandfather’s men, it would be hard for my father to take me back.
The cavalry in pursuit was getting closer. My little red horse was like an arrow shot from a bow, running fast on the vast grassland. Although it could run a long distance, there was nowhere to hide, sooner or later I would be caught.
I kept looking back at the cavalrymen as they got increasingly closer. There were nearly one thousand cavalrymen. Such huge calvary was astonishing on the grasslands, even my father wouldn’t send a troop like this indeliberately. If they were sent to chase me up, it would be a fuss over me. I wondered where the cavalry came from while riding the horse.
It didn’t take me long to ride to the foot of Tian Gen mountain. I saw some black dots in the distance and heard the long, familiar and cordial pastoral song sung by people in Tujue. They must be sent by Aweng to pick me up, thus I drove my red horse to run even faster. When those Tujue’ men saw me, they stood on the horseback and waved their hands warmly towards me.
I waved my hands back strongly. They must have seen the cavalry behind me. As getting near, I saw Tujue’s white gonfalon with a long tail fluttering in the wind at dusk, just like a fish swimming in the water. I knew the man who was holding the flagpole, he was the most popular archer in grandfather’s army, He Shi. Seeing a mass of cavalrymen caught up, He Shi put the flagpole into the rocks and took off the bow on his back.
I saw clearly on the galloping horse and shouted, “I don’t know who they are. They are chasing me all the way, but I want to figure out where they come from.”
My horse slowly stopped about 30 meters behind He Shi’s horse. The arrow bunch in the archers’ hands behind He Shi flickered blue light under the setting sun. They surrounded me with the horses while aiming at the cavalry. He Shi smiled and greeted me happily, “Hello, little princess.” I was not the Crown Princess in Tujue, but because of my mother, Neng Gan in the great Chanyu’s army started to call me this way since I was very young. Seeing He Shi made me relieved, and even forgot hundreds of cavalrymen chasing after. I replied in great joy, “Hello, He Shi.” The cavalry was getting close enough, making the earth shake and the clop filled up my ears. He Shi felt excited and said, “Is such a huge cavalry coming to fight with us?” He Shi talked to me while preparing to shoot. Tujue’s white flag was flapping in the air. Everyone in the tribe on the grasslands knew Tieergeda’s (the great Chanyu) people were somewhere around when they saw the white flag. Anyone who fought with Tujue’s warriors would be killed, and people in their tribe would be executed. Their cows and sheep would be rob away. Everyone showed their respect to the white flag outside Yumen Gate.
It seemed that the cavalry didn’t see the white flag and continued rushing towards He Shi’ troop. The golden light of the setting sun shone on their armor and reflected in cyan. I took a deep breath suddenly.
This was Yuezhi’s cavalry, their light armor, saddle, and helmet… Although there was no flag, I still could recognize it Yuezhi’s cavalry. Though I had not been to Yuezhi, when I went to Protectorate General to Pacify the West, I saw Yuezhi’s cavalry training. They had good horses, bright armors, elastic bows, and sharp arrows. What’s more, their knights were brave and good at fighting.
He Shi also found it. He looked back at me and said: “Princess, first go east and bypass the Bin Li river. The Chanyu’s tent is in the east of the river.”
I spoke loudly, “If the fight is inevitable, I would fight. I won’t run away alone.”
He Shi seemed to admire my words and nodded, then he gave me his own machete. I took the machete, with lots of sweat in my hands. I knew what a good cavalry Yuezhi’s was. What’s more, there were so many people marching over here. Though He Shi was the greatest archer, we, dozens of people, couldn’t resist them, no matter how hard we tried.
Seeing the cavalry getting closer and closer, I even couldn’t hold the saber. Although I thought I was as good as my brothers since I was a child, to be honest, it was the first time for me to fight in a battle.
The white gonfalon was behind us, rustling. At the end of the prairie, the sun went down slowly, and the grass was undulated by the wind, just like the sand in the desert.
The temperature suddenly became colder. I blinked because sweat drip down into the corner of my eye and it made me very uncomfortable.
The cavalry saw the white gonfalon and then slowed down gradually. They took up position and approached gradually. He Shi loudly said: “He Shi is here. You have stepped into the grassland of Tujue. Would you want to start an undeclared war?” He Shi was a famous archer in the land and the meaning of his name, He Shi, is the arrow. It was said that if he wanted to shoot the left eye of the geese in the sky, he would never shoot the right eye wrongly. So the Great Chanyu specially trusted him.
As expected, those people heard He Shi’s name and were shocked. Then one person rode out from a row and said something. I didn’t know Yuezhi’s language, so He Shi translated it for me. That person said that they were running after a lost slave. As for another aspect that they were in Tujue, they said it was at the foot of Tian Gen mountain. The place was actually the boundary among Yuezhi, Tujue, and Xiliang, where was not controlled by all three sides. If He Shi said it was the territory of Tujue, it was not persuasive.
“Lost a slave?” I repeated the words inexplicably. Their general pointed me with his horsewhip and said some words.
He Shi seemed to be angry for what the general said. He said in a loud voice: “That man should say you’re their lost slave.”
I became angry as well, and said as drawing my machetes out: “Nonsense!”
He Shi nodded: “It is just their excuse.”
That Yuezhi’s general started saying again. I asked He Shi: “What is he talking about?”
He Shi said: “He said, if we don’t hand you over, he will lead the cavalry to catch you. Once we start a battle with Yuezhi because of our hiding Yuezhi’s slave, we will have no excuse.”
I was so angry that I laughed out inversely, “It is he that behaves so rudely. Now, he dares to say that we have no excuse?”
He Shi said in a deep voice: “You are right, little princess. But there are so many people coming for you…” He said to me, “Little princess, go east to the Chanyu’s tent and take reinforcements here. Yuezhi is so arrogant and rude, and if we cannot stop them, you must report it to Chanyu in case of that they plot to attack Chanyu.”
Anyway, He Shi still persuaded me to withdraw first. Frightened as I was, I straightened my chest and exclaimed: “Send another one to report it. I won’t go!”
He Shi said softly: “If princess stays here, I cannot send more people to protect you.”
Thinking over what he said, I understood that if I insisted on staying here, I would only drag them down. Although I was also good at archery, I had never practiced it in a real battle. However, all people here, except for me, were experienced warriors of Tujue.
I caught the grapes, smiling; then I put one into the mouth and bit the thin peel of it. Suddenly, the cool and sweet juice exploded over my tongue – it was so delicious. I turned back and asked Shifu: “Hey! Do you want to have some?” I never called him Shifu, because I was simply cheated by him to be his apprentice. At that time, we just met, and I didn’t know that his swordsmanship was extraordinary. I was provoked by his words and tried my skill of wielding a sword with him. The one who lost in this competition had to respect the other as Shifu. You could imagine how miserable I was in the competition, and I had no choice but to recognize him as my Shifu. Although he was my Shifu, he often made a lot of despicable things. Therefore, I refused to call him Shifu. Fortunately, he did not feel embarrassed and let me feed him from time to time.
Shifu shook his head absently, and he was still talking to the man in a white robe. Occasionally, Shifu also taught me the words written on the books of Central Plains. “Whoever meets Junzi (an ideal man who has noble virtues; it’s a Chinese philosophical term) will feel joyful,” or “A noble and modest Junzi resembles a warm jade.” After hearing for many times, I then believed that Junzi only wore a white robe. Shifu also loved to wear a white robe, but how could he be a Junzi? I would rather say he was more like a rogue.
Gu Xiao Wu stayed in the city of Western Liang. He lived in Shifu’s place for the time being. Shifu arranged his house like all the Central Plains’ people did, in a refreshing and clean way, and he did not raise camels.
I often went to Shifu’s place to play as I used to. Gradually, I was very familiar with Gu Xiao Wu. I heard that he was the young master of the tea house, and most of those who contacted with him were tea merchants from Central Plains. In his room, there were always good tea to drink and delicious foods to eat. Those pastries of Central Plains or other strange gadgets, all attracted me a lot. But what I hated was that Gu Xiao Wu would ask me every time I met him: Ninth princess, when will you marry me?
I felt so annoyed and embarrassed that I finally got irritated. It was all Shifu’s fault, as he didn’t act like a venerable teacher and stirred up such troubles. Each time, I would respond to him loudly: “I would rather marry the Prince of Central Plains than marry a rogue like you.” He laughed.
In fact, in my heart, I didn’t want to marry anyone. Western Liang was so good, why bother marrying in Central Plains?
That being said, but the Central Plains’ envoys began to urge my father; while Yuezhi, which sat in the north of Yan Zhi mountain, heard that Central Plains sent an envoy to propose marriage to my father, they also sent an envoy to bring a lot of gifts to Western Liang.
Yuezhi was one of the best countries in the Western Region, its people were brave and good at combat, and there were about one hundred thousand warriors in this country. My father did not dare to look down on Yuezhi, so he received Yuezhi’s envoy in the palace. I sent a maidservant to eavesdrop on their conversation, and she ran back in a breathless manner and secretly told me that the Yuezhi’s envoy also came to propose marriage; furthermore, the groom would be the Great Chanyu of Yuezhi. The Great Chanyu of Yuezhi was already fifty years old this year, and his main Yanzhi (the main wife of Chanyu) was originally the Crown Princess of Tujue (a nationality in ancient China), who was also my mother’s elder sister. Unfortunately, the main Yanzhi was dead the year before, but the Great Chanyu hadn’t picked one from his numerous Yanzhi (the concubine of Chanyu) to be the main Yanzhi, as they came from different tribes and had incessant disputes.
Now Yuezhi heard that Central Plains sent an envoy to propose marriage, so they sent an envoy to my father too, asking me to be the main Yanzhi.
My mother was quite angry with this proposal, and I was angry too. The Great Chanyu of Yuezhi was obviously my uncle, and his beard even became gray, but he still wanted to marry me as his main Yanzhi. I would never marry an old man. My father was not willing to offend Central Plains, nor would he offend Yuezhi, so he had no choice but to postpone this thing. However, the two envoys both lived in the city, and it was difficult to avoid their proposals completely. Therefore, I made up my mind to sneak out to my grandfather’s.
Every autumn, Tujue’s notabilities would hunt in the pastures at the other side of Tian Gen mountain. People in Central Plains called this event as “Autumn Hunt”. My grandfather would always send someone to pick me up around this event. Especially these two years, his health condition was not good, so I would be taken to him every year. He once said to me, “Seeing you is like seeing your mother, I am so happy.” According to Tujue’s traditions, the daughter who has married cannot go to her direct parents’ home, unless she is abandoned by her husband and parents-in-law. So every time my mother was also happy to send me to visit my grandpa and her relatives in Tujue.
I secretly told my mother about this plan. She didn’t want me to marry to Central Plains, neither to marry Yuezhi, so she prepared the water and dry food for me without father’s knowledge. As my father was not in the city, I slipped away.
I rode the little red horse, running towards Tian Gen mountain.
The city was surrounded by mountains on three sides. The Yan Zhi mountain extended from the west to the north, the towering mountain resembling a dragon, or a giant’s arms embracing the city. The mountain blocked the wind and the cold, making the city at its foot a warm oasis. The Tian Gen mountain was in the east. It was a lonely mountain like the screen sold by the merchants from Central Plains, standing tall in the clouds with its peak covered in snow. It was said that no one could climb all the way up this mountain. Bypassing it was a boundless and beautiful grassland, which was mother’s hometown.
Before leaving the city, I left a note to Shifu. Shifu had been very busy recently, and since Gu Xiao Wu came here, I had never seen Shifu. I thought if I went to Tujue, I would have to be back after the winter. So I left a note to remind him to feed A’Ma and A’Xia in his backyard. A’Ma and A’Xia were two little gerbils that I accidentally caught. Father didn’t allow me to raise gerbils in my own room, so I turned to Shifu.
Taking advantage of the cool weather, I followed behind a caravan leaving the city at night. The caravan rode to the west, while I turned to the east.
The desert at night was really quiet. The black-velvet-like sky was so low that it seemed I could touch the stars. They were big and bright, low in the sky. I was reminded of the cool dew on the grape leaves.
I crossed large sand dunes and saw the sparse needlegrass to confirm that I did not go the wrong way. I followed this route almost every year, but at that time there was always cavalry sent by my grandfather to protect me. Today I was alone. The little red horse ran briskly in the direction of the big dipper. I began to consider that after seeing my grandfather, I would ask him to let the slaves catch a bird that could sing for me.
When the sky was turning bright, I felt very sleepy. The red sun would be coming out soon, and the sky in the east began to glow in the light purple. The stars had disappeared, and the blue-gray sky revealed a kind of white, reminiscent of the sheepskins that had just been peeled off by the slaves who turned over the steaming skins, which steamed half of the sky up turning into the early morning mist. I knew that I had to find a place to rest – the sun in the afternoon could kill me, and it was not a good time to hurry on with my journey.
After walking across a shallow river, I found a shady hill, so I rolled out of my saddle upon the ground and let the horse go to eat grass. I slept with a dry food being my pillow. I had been sleeping until the dusk fell. The sun shone in my face, making me feel very uncomfortable, and then I woke up.
I took the dry food from my package and ate some. Then I drank half a bag of water and filled the bag with water again before I whistled.
In a short while, I heard the sound of the little red horse’s hooves. It happily rushed toward me and snorted. It stopped beside me and kissed my hand intimately. I touched its mane: “Are you full up?” Unfortunately, it couldn’t talk, but it looked at me with his eyes. I saw myself reflected in its warm, big eyes. I patted it on the belly and it suddenly hummed uncomfortably.
I felt a bit strange as the little red horse kept digging the grassland. It seemed very uneasy – were there wolves nearby?
The wolves from prairie were the most dangerous. They flocked in groups and dared to fight against the monkeys. A shepherd living alone would also be attacked. But now it was autumn, a season with plenty of water and lush grass. There were now yellow sheep and hares everywhere, so the wolves had plenty of foods. At this time they were usually hidden in Tian Gen mountain and should not be seen here.
But there must be a reason for the little red horse being so irritating. I mounted a horse and ran forward to the foot of Tian Gen mountain. To see the junction of Tujue and Western Liang, one had to turn around the mountain foot. Mom had sent a servant to give a letter to grandfather, and someone would pick me up there. It was safer to go to a place where there were people.
After a horse ride for several miles, I heard some clop. I stood on the horseback and looked into the distance. A line of black and grey could be dimly seen, which seemed to be a large number of people. Were they sent by my father to chase me? I couldn’t see their flags clearly due to the long distance. Anxiety drove me to ride towards Tian Gen Mountain. If I rushed into Tujue’s territory and encountered grandfather’s men, it would be hard for my father to take me back.
The cavalry in pursuit was getting closer. My little red horse was like an arrow shot from a bow, running fast on the vast grassland. Although it could run a long distance, there was nowhere to hide, sooner or later I would be caught.
I kept looking back at the cavalrymen as they got increasingly closer. There were nearly one thousand cavalrymen. Such huge calvary was astonishing on the grasslands, even my father wouldn’t send a troop like this indeliberately. If they were sent to chase me up, it would be a fuss over me. I wondered where the cavalry came from while riding the horse.
It didn’t take me long to ride to the foot of Tian Gen mountain. I saw some black dots in the distance and heard the long, familiar and cordial pastoral song sung by people in Tujue. They must be sent by Aweng to pick me up, thus I drove my red horse to run even faster. When those Tujue’ men saw me, they stood on the horseback and waved their hands warmly towards me.
I waved my hands back strongly. They must have seen the cavalry behind me. As getting near, I saw Tujue’s white gonfalon with a long tail fluttering in the wind at dusk, just like a fish swimming in the water. I knew the man who was holding the flagpole, he was the most popular archer in grandfather’s army, He Shi. Seeing a mass of cavalrymen caught up, He Shi put the flagpole into the rocks and took off the bow on his back.
I saw clearly on the galloping horse and shouted, “I don’t know who they are. They are chasing me all the way, but I want to figure out where they come from.”
My horse slowly stopped about 30 meters behind He Shi’s horse. The arrow bunch in the archers’ hands behind He Shi flickered blue light under the setting sun. They surrounded me with the horses while aiming at the cavalry. He Shi smiled and greeted me happily, “Hello, little princess.” I was not the Crown Princess in Tujue, but because of my mother, Neng Gan in the great Chanyu’s army started to call me this way since I was very young. Seeing He Shi made me relieved, and even forgot hundreds of cavalrymen chasing after. I replied in great joy, “Hello, He Shi.” The cavalry was getting close enough, making the earth shake and the clop filled up my ears. He Shi felt excited and said, “Is such a huge cavalry coming to fight with us?” He Shi talked to me while preparing to shoot. Tujue’s white flag was flapping in the air. Everyone in the tribe on the grasslands knew Tieergeda’s (the great Chanyu) people were somewhere around when they saw the white flag. Anyone who fought with Tujue’s warriors would be killed, and people in their tribe would be executed. Their cows and sheep would be rob away. Everyone showed their respect to the white flag outside Yumen Gate.
It seemed that the cavalry didn’t see the white flag and continued rushing towards He Shi’ troop. The golden light of the setting sun shone on their armor and reflected in cyan. I took a deep breath suddenly.
This was Yuezhi’s cavalry, their light armor, saddle, and helmet… Although there was no flag, I still could recognize it Yuezhi’s cavalry. Though I had not been to Yuezhi, when I went to Protectorate General to Pacify the West, I saw Yuezhi’s cavalry training. They had good horses, bright armors, elastic bows, and sharp arrows. What’s more, their knights were brave and good at fighting.
He Shi also found it. He looked back at me and said: “Princess, first go east and bypass the Bin Li river. The Chanyu’s tent is in the east of the river.”
I spoke loudly, “If the fight is inevitable, I would fight. I won’t run away alone.”
He Shi seemed to admire my words and nodded, then he gave me his own machete. I took the machete, with lots of sweat in my hands. I knew what a good cavalry Yuezhi’s was. What’s more, there were so many people marching over here. Though He Shi was the greatest archer, we, dozens of people, couldn’t resist them, no matter how hard we tried.
Seeing the cavalry getting closer and closer, I even couldn’t hold the saber. Although I thought I was as good as my brothers since I was a child, to be honest, it was the first time for me to fight in a battle.
The white gonfalon was behind us, rustling. At the end of the prairie, the sun went down slowly, and the grass was undulated by the wind, just like the sand in the desert.
The temperature suddenly became colder. I blinked because sweat drip down into the corner of my eye and it made me very uncomfortable.
The cavalry saw the white gonfalon and then slowed down gradually. They took up position and approached gradually. He Shi loudly said: “He Shi is here. You have stepped into the grassland of Tujue. Would you want to start an undeclared war?” He Shi was a famous archer in the land and the meaning of his name, He Shi, is the arrow. It was said that if he wanted to shoot the left eye of the geese in the sky, he would never shoot the right eye wrongly. So the Great Chanyu specially trusted him.
As expected, those people heard He Shi’s name and were shocked. Then one person rode out from a row and said something. I didn’t know Yuezhi’s language, so He Shi translated it for me. That person said that they were running after a lost slave. As for another aspect that they were in Tujue, they said it was at the foot of Tian Gen mountain. The place was actually the boundary among Yuezhi, Tujue, and Xiliang, where was not controlled by all three sides. If He Shi said it was the territory of Tujue, it was not persuasive.
“Lost a slave?” I repeated the words inexplicably. Their general pointed me with his horsewhip and said some words.
He Shi seemed to be angry for what the general said. He said in a loud voice: “That man should say you’re their lost slave.”
I became angry as well, and said as drawing my machetes out: “Nonsense!”
He Shi nodded: “It is just their excuse.”
That Yuezhi’s general started saying again. I asked He Shi: “What is he talking about?”
He Shi said: “He said, if we don’t hand you over, he will lead the cavalry to catch you. Once we start a battle with Yuezhi because of our hiding Yuezhi’s slave, we will have no excuse.”
I was so angry that I laughed out inversely, “It is he that behaves so rudely. Now, he dares to say that we have no excuse?”
He Shi said in a deep voice: “You are right, little princess. But there are so many people coming for you…” He said to me, “Little princess, go east to the Chanyu’s tent and take reinforcements here. Yuezhi is so arrogant and rude, and if we cannot stop them, you must report it to Chanyu in case of that they plot to attack Chanyu.”
Anyway, He Shi still persuaded me to withdraw first. Frightened as I was, I straightened my chest and exclaimed: “Send another one to report it. I won’t go!”
He Shi said softly: “If princess stays here, I cannot send more people to protect you.”
Thinking over what he said, I understood that if I insisted on staying here, I would only drag them down. Although I was also good at archery, I had never practiced it in a real battle. However, all people here, except for me, were experienced warriors of Tujue.
