Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 134 The Uyghur Princess
Zhu Wen and Tian Jun walked out of the cave and strolled hand in hand along the mountain path.

Suddenly, a low sobbing sound came from ahead.

The two men's expressions changed slightly, and they hid behind the rocks by the roadside.

Under the starlight and moonlight, a young girl dressed in Hu clothing rode a tall horse. She was tall and slender with a beautiful figure, fair skin with a rosy glow, delicate features, a small and high nose, and was surrounded by jewels.

Several gray-haired, Hu-style men knelt before the horse, weeping and babbling in a language Zhu Wen couldn't understand at all. They were all Hu people from the northern frontier, each with a thick beard and a broad forehead, but they didn't have the high noses and deep-set eyes characteristic of the Hu people from the Western Regions.

Zhu Wen, unaware of their conversation, turned his gaze to Tian Jun.

Tian Jun lowered her voice and said, "They were probably speaking Uyghur. I understood one word, which seemed to mean 'princess'."

As a native of Hebei, Tian Jun had access to far more Hu people than Zhu Wen, who was born south of the Yellow River.

Zhu Wen was startled and whispered in Tian Jun's ear, "Is that girl the princess of the fallen Uyghur kingdom?"

Thirty-five years ago, the Uyghur Khanate perished in the north winds of the Killing Hu Mountain. Shi Xiong, the last war god of the Tang Dynasty, defeated a Uyghur army of one hundred thousand with only three thousand men, and personally beheaded the last Uyghur Khan, Wujie Khan. That head still hangs on the Mingde Gate tower of Chang'an City. After being preserved and dried, the face is still faintly discernible.

Tian Jun nodded and said, "I'm afraid so. Her name seems to be Xia Die Na Na Han."

The Xia Die clan was the surname of the Uyghur royal family.

"The most beautiful and talented singer and dancer among the disciples of the Tianfeng Sect of Datong Army is named 'Naji,' it seems to be her." Zhu Wen speculated, "Judging from her age, she is probably the granddaughter of Wujie Khan."

At the height of its power, the Uyghur Khanate not only plundered gold, silk, and women from Luoyang as payment for helping the Tang Dynasty quell the An Lushan Rebellion, but also publicly humiliated the Tang Dynasty's crown prince, displaying an extremely arrogant attitude.

As the saying goes, fortunes change every thirty years. Unexpectedly, after the Battle of Shahu Mountain, not only did the last Khan of the Uyghurs hang his head at the gate of Chang'an, but even their princess, who had lost her kingdom, ended up in a brothel.

The Uyghur princess appeared to be around the same age as Tian Jun, also around twenty years old. Most Uyghurs have long, horse-like faces and rough features, so it was rare to see someone as beautiful as her.

Despite the weeping and kowtows of her people, she still showed a degree of pride and forced herself not to shed a tear.

After a while, Princess Xia Die Na Na Han of the Uyghurs dismounted and personally helped the several Hu people up. The men were even more grateful and moved to tears.

As Tang people, Zhu Wen and Tian Jun had little affection for the Uyghurs. However, witnessing the princess of a fallen kingdom reduced to a prostitute still evoked some sorrow in them.

Princess Nanahan, as the head of the Tianfeng Sect, was like a goddess in the eyes of ordinary frivolous men; even if they spent a year chasing after her, they might not be able to touch her hand. But when they encountered a truly distinguished guest, they still could not escape the fate of serving her in bed.

It's incredibly fortunate that Chuoying could remain chaste at the age of twenty-one in such a fiery environment.

"The fact that the court did not save your sister Tian Xiang is certainly disheartening. But for Wang Jingchong, the military governor of Chengde, Wujie Khan is, after all, his sovereign and father. He lives a life of luxury in Chengde, yet he allows the descendant of his sovereign and father to be humiliated in a brothel. This is even more unjust."

When the topic turned to Wang Jingchong, the Uyghur who had tried to force her into marriage, Tian Jun was in no good mood. Zhu Wen noticed her expression change and immediately covered her mouth to prevent her from being too loud and alerting the Uyghurs.

Princess Nanahan is exceptionally talented and is one of Chuo Ying's next rivals.

After a long while, Princess Nanahan mounted her tall horse and left with several Uyghurs. The faces of those Uyghurs still bore the sorrowful tear stains of their lost country and home.

However, since ancient times, which people of a fallen country have not been in this situation? For example, before General Zhang Yichao launched his uprising and recovered Hexi, weren't the elders of Liangzhou, who were suffering under the rule of the Tibetans, even more miserable than Princess Nanahan?
"It's a good thing you covered my mouth." Tian Jun finally understood what Zhu Wen had done: "Otherwise, it would have been quite awkward if we had disturbed them in this situation." Although she clearly disliked the Uyghurs, she couldn't help but feel a little pity for Princess Nanahan and her entourage when she saw their appearance.

Zhu Wen could understand Tian Jun's thoughts. Her great-grandmother was even Princess Jiacheng of the Tang Dynasty, but within two or three generations, the Tian family of Weibo had fallen to an insignificant, impoverished household in Weizhou City. Seeing this Uyghur princess, whose country had been destroyed and whose family had been ruined, and who could only make a living by selling her smiles at the door, Tian Jun couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for her kind.

"Wang Jingchong had his leg cut off by the cavalry of your Wei Bo Han Jian Jiedushi." Zhu Wen laughed, "There's no need to bother with this scoundrel anymore. If he's not treated properly, he'll have to go to Changsheng Tian to apologize to Wu Jie Khan in a few years."

Thinking back to how Zhu Wen had plotted to use someone else to kill Wang Jingchong, not only making him look like a stray dog, but also ensuring that the Tian family would have Han Jian, the military governor, to protect them and no longer have to worry, Tian Jun's anger immediately dissipated. She couldn't help but kiss her lover on the cheek: "Do you want me to praise you? Then let's reward you like this."

Zhu Wen found her so adorable that he couldn't help but pull her into his arms and tease her by blowing on her fan-like earlobes. This made the girl both shy and happy, and her blushing face was more captivating than any long dialogue.

The melodious music continued until the third watch of the night. However, the first day was just appetizers, with no exciting programs to watch. Zhu Wen and Tian Jun watched the song and dance performance by Zhuo Ying, but they also found these ordinary women uninteresting. After watching for a while, they went to bed early.

The following day at the hour of Si (9-11 AM), accompanied by the resounding chime of the hour bell, a large group of strong young servants dressed in black, with red flowers pinned to their chests, struck the drums with jade drumsticks. Amidst the cheers of the sea of ​​people, Princess Nanahan, accompanied by a group of female knights, rode into the arena. Each knight carried a quiver at her waist and a horn bow on her back, their dashing figures astonishing all who beheld them.

"Tianfeng Sect is located in the border region, where the Han and non-Han peoples meet. The heroes and chivalrous knights of You and Bing regions love this kind of dashing and heroic style of wearing non-Han clothing and riding horses," a bystander commented.

Another young man, wearing a blue turban, stared intently at the round, heavy, peach-like buttocks beneath the female knights' close-fitting clothes, his eyes almost spitting out lust: "People privately call them 'Datong women.' These girls have practiced the 'sitting in the urn' skill since childhood, and are known as 'double-doored, overlapping doors.' When they rise and fall like galloping horses, even bodhisattvas and vajras would linger for them."

A young man beside him chimed in, “Not bad, what beautiful buttocks! They’re both young girls who haven’t given birth yet, but their hips are fuller than those of mature women. It’s quite a sight to behold!”

The first onlooker to speak suddenly flicked the foreheads of both boys: "These slippery words are fine to say in ordinary times, but you should be careful what you say at the Five Peaks Incense Gathering, lest you offend the gods and spirits?"

The two boys could only lower their heads in embarrassment and nod in agreement.

Princess Nanahan glanced slightly in this direction; the wind was blowing from this side, and she had clearly heard the gossip.

But she had no time to wallow in self-pity over her past. Princess Nanahan's expression shifted only slightly before she drew her bow, nocked an arrow, and spurred her horse forward at full gallop. She aimed at a weeping willow a hundred paces away and fired three arrows in quick succession. The arrows whistled through the air, and the three willow branches seemed to fall simultaneously.

The art of rapid-fire archery requires holding a bow while simultaneously gripping two or more arrows and firing them in quick succession. The highest level of skill is known as "Yi Shooting Down Nine Suns," which involves firing nine arrows in succession.

Zhu Wen had personally witnessed Kou Qianzhi use the "Shattering Gold Arrow Technique" to shoot five arrows in succession, killing five soldiers of the Grass Army. His junior sister, Duan Hongyan, also possessed the ability to shoot five arrows in succession.

Princess Nanahan's ability to shoot three arrows in succession is quite impressive.

The audience cheered loudly and threw out countless red silk ribbons and gold coins.

“The bow is too soft, it’s a literary shot.” ​​Seeing that Zhu Wen’s eyes were fixed on Princess Nanahan, Tian Jun spoke up as an expert: “The softer the bow, the faster it shoots, and the less likely the bow-drawing posture is to go astray, making the shot more accurate. But such power is not enough to kill on the battlefield.”

“Jun-mei, you’re right,” Zhu Wen nodded, “but your shooting accuracy is really not as good as hers.”

Tian Jun was speechless. Unlike An Renyi and Mi Zhicheng, she had indeed not learned the essence of General Kou's archery skills.

Zhu Wen once jokingly told her that she didn't need to be afraid even if she lost a battle in the future, because the Arrow God would come to her aid to express his gratitude for her kindness in not harming her.

(End of this chapter)