The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 709 Simple and crude

On a cold night, a few stars dotted the sky, dewdrops clung like pearls, and the moon hung like a bow. Shaanba pushed open Amulang's door and strode in, like a lone wolf hunting for food in the dead of night, startling Amulang and his maid, Maya, from their beds.

"Godfather, I have something important to discuss with you," Shanba said in a deep voice from the darkness.

Upon hearing the voice of a Shaanxi native, Amulang instantly calmed down from his panic, patted Maya's round bottom, and ordered, "Go light the lamps!"

Maya got up and lit the oil lamp, instantly illuminating the dark room. There stood Shanba, a curved knife hanging from his waist, standing straight behind the door.

Amu Lang frowned his graying eyebrows and asked, "Shaanba, what brings you to your father in the middle of the night?"

Shaanba shifted his gaze from Maya's plump figure to Amulang's wrinkled old face and said in a deep voice, "Father, I made a deal with Amahei in your name."

Amu Lang was taken aback for a moment, then his expression changed slightly, and he blurted out, "What deal?"

“I have made a deal with Amahei. Tomorrow he will attack the city as usual, while I will take the opportunity of assisting in the defense on the city wall to assassinate Jia Huan. Then I will open the city gates and let the Turpan army into the city. After the deed is done, Amahei promises to make Ayina the queen of Hami.”

Amu Lang's face was ashen, and he angrily said, "Why didn't you discuss such a big matter with your father beforehand?"

Shaanba said calmly, "Didn't I discuss this with you, my godfather?"

Amulang's expression shifted, and after a moment of silence, he sighed, "Shaanba, if your father disagrees, are you planning to kill me?"

Shaanba shook his head and said, "Your son dares not, but this matter is of great importance. I beg you, godfather, not to leave the room even for a moment until the Turpan army enters the city. In addition, godfather should know very well that if my plan fails, you and Ayina, and even all our clansmen, will be doomed. Don't forget the fate of the Yibusili tribe and the Halahhui tribe. They were all wiped out by that dead eunuch Duan Yong."

“Shaanba, Amahei is not trustworthy. Why are you suddenly doing this?” Amulang asked in a deep voice.

Shanba sneered, "Amahei is untrustworthy, but Jia Huan is trustworthy? He stole the treasures from the Hami treasury, opened schools to teach our children Chinese, and tried to assimilate our people. He even appointed Han people as commanders of the Hami Guard. It's clear that he wants to annex Hami. Ayina will never become the Queen of Hami."

Amulang frowned and said, "Jia Huan is indeed up to no good, but the Jin people's roots are not here. Jiayuguan is too far away for them to reach. They are destined not to stay long. We just need to wait patiently for a few years..."

“I don’t even want to wait a few days, let alone a few years!” Shanba interrupted angrily, “That Jia Huan is too cunning. He not only has his eye on Hami, but he also has his eye on Ayina.”

Upon hearing this, Amu Lang finally understood why Shanba had suddenly acted on his own initiative. This boy had always regarded Ayina as his own. Jia Huan, in terms of appearance, talent, status, and wealth, was far superior to Shanba. Ayina was naive and admired Han culture. If Jia Huan really had designs on her, this girl would probably be easily deceived... Wait, Shanba is so angry, could it be that Jia Huan has succeeded?
“That’s enough. It’s come to this now. I won’t stop you. Do what you want to do,” Amu Lang sighed.

Upon hearing this, Shanba released his grip on the knife hilt, bowed, and said with his hand on his chest, "Father, rest well. Everything will be over by noon tomorrow. Ayina will become the Queen of Hami, and Father will become the first Grand Chancellor of Hami."

Amu Lang shook his head and said, "I'm getting old. The future belongs to you young people. But I must remind you..." Suddenly, a cold light flashed in Amu Lang's hand, and he pierced the heart of the servant Maya.

Maya opened her eyes wide in terror, but before she could even scream, she collapsed and died.

Shanba instinctively stepped back, gripping the hilt of his knife and looking at Amulang with suspicion. Amulang casually pulled the dagger from Maya's chest and wiped the blood off her clothes, as if it were nothing more than killing a chicken or duck.

Amu Lang calmly warned, "Shaanxi, to achieve great things, one must be ruthless. Not a single person can be left alive. If a ruler is not discreet, he will lose his ministers; if a minister is not discreet, he will lose his life; if matters are not kept secret, they will lead to disaster. Remember this well!"

"Your son understands and will follow your godfather's teachings!" Shaba glanced regretfully at Maya's corpse. This woman was his mentor, the first person to let him experience the pleasures of being a man.

Just then, a heavy thud was heard outside the door. Amu Lang and Shanba's expressions changed drastically, and they shouted sharply, "Who's there?"

Shanba drew his scimitar, about to rush out, when a slender figure slowly emerged from the darkness outside the door. It was none other than Ayina, whose pretty face was deathly pale and whose gaze was incredibly complex.

"Na Yina!" Shanba and Amulang were both stunned.

Ayina looked down at her maid Maya lying in a pool of blood. Suddenly, she felt that the two men she had once respected and been closest to were so strange and terrifying. In that instant, she only wanted to escape far away and flee from this terrible humanity.

Amulang's face darkened, and he shouted, "Shaanba, stop her!"

By the time Shanba realized what was happening, Ayina had already escaped into the darkness. Shanba hurriedly gave chase, shouting, "Stop Ayina!"

Shaba came to Amulang tonight to "discuss" important matters, so naturally he didn't come alone. He also brought two trusted subordinates who were guarding the gate. So Ayina ultimately couldn't escape and was caught and brought back, tied up and thrown into the room.

Ayina glared with her almond-shaped eyes and angrily cursed, "Shaanba, you damned traitor, I really misjudged you before."

Shaanba's face was extremely gloomy. He ordered his confidants to take Maya's body out and dispose of it before softening his expression and saying, "Ayina, I'm helping you. After Amahei enters the city, you can become the Queen of Hami."

Ever since Shaba's treacherous intentions that night, his image as a good older brother in Ayina's eyes had collapsed. Tonight, after witnessing Maya's ruthless murder, how could she still trust Shaba? She sneered, "Help me? Amahei and Baiwa conspired to kill my whole family. This is an irreconcilable feud. Is this how you help me? I think you just want to be the King of Hami yourself. Bah!"

Shaanba frowned and said, "Ayina, I really want to help you. Jia Huan is a treacherous and cunning fellow, a hypocrite. Don't be deceived by his appearance and sweet words. He will never help you become the Queen of Hami. He just covets your beauty and wants to get rich but not love."

Ayina was both ashamed and angry, and sneered, "Jia Huan is indeed cunning, but you, Shanba, are shameless. Jia Huan has never promised me anything about the Queen of Hami, nor has he ever said any sweet words to me. These are all just your filthy conjectures."

On the contrary, you, Shanba, keep saying you're thinking of me and helping me inherit the throne of Hami, but look at what you've done! You just want to use me to get the throne of Hami. In the end, it's you, Shanba, who really wants both power and sex.

Shaanba was furious and raised his right hand high. Ayina glared back fearlessly.

Shanba ultimately didn't deliver the slap. Instead, he had his men gag Ayina with a cloth and said coldly, "I know you won't listen to anything I say now. Your heart has already been deceived by that pretty boy Jia Huan. But it doesn't matter. I'll kill Jia Huan tomorrow, and then you'll know who the real strongman is."

"You two guard the room. If anything goes wrong, you'll lose your heads!" Shanba ordered his two trusted men to watch over Ayina before leaving. Ayina's hands and feet were bound, and she couldn't break free at all. She could only shed helpless tears.

The next morning, the Turpan army indeed launched an attack. Upon hearing the news, Jia Huan rushed to the city wall, and even Duan Yong, who was recuperating, came. The Shanba were secretly delighted to see this. With them here, they could wipe them out in one fell swoop. As long as they killed Jia Huan and Duan Yong, the Jin army would be leaderless and would inevitably fall into chaos.

The Turpan army's offensive today was significantly more intense. Even under the hail of bullets and heavy artillery fire from the Jin army, they continued to advance wave after wave. After paying the price of hundreds of deaths, they finally filled in several sections of the moat surrounding the city, enough for cavalry and siege equipment to pass through.

"Kill!" The Turpan warriors shouted as they rushed to the foot of the city wall, using all sorts of tools to climb it fearlessly.

"Damn it, they've all gone mad!" The Jin soldiers on the city wall cursed and kept throwing logs, stones, and oil at the people below, finally repelling the attack of the Turpan army.

Watching the Turpan soldiers retreat like a tide below the city, the generals and soldiers dared not let their guard down in the slightest, because the enemy in the enemy camp was still moving around like a revolving lantern, and various siege weapons were being pushed to the front line one after another, obviously preparing for the next wave of even more fierce attacks.

“Your Excellency, this is a bit unusual!” Chu Sheng swallowed hard and said, “Judging from this, Amahei wants to achieve his goal in one fell swoop.”

Jia Huan nodded. The Turpan army had been in high spirits from the beginning. They did not back down in the face of the Jin army's fierce artillery fire. Even though the ground was littered with corpses and the casualties were heavy, they still fought to the death and refused to retreat, showing a determination to win.

Where does Amahei get his confidence?

About half an hour later, the Turpan army finally gathered its strength and charged forward again like a tidal wave, with catapults, archers, and other ranged weapons firing at full force...

At this time, the Shaba were leading dozens of their people to assist in the defense of the city wall, while Shaba people near the city gate were also helping to move supplies for the defense.

As the Turpan army's attack grew increasingly fierce, Jia Huan and Duan Yong watched the battle intently. Shan Ba ​​felt that an opportunity had come, so he prepared to move forward and look for a chance to strike.

Just then, two tribesmen rushed up to the city wall, looking around anxiously. Shaba's heart skipped a beat, for these two were his trusted men whom he had sent to guard Ayina.

"What are you doing here?" Shan Ba ​​greeted them, his face grim as he questioned them in a low voice.

The two trusted aides lowered their heads and said tremblingly, "Ayina is not in the room; she ran away sometime ago."

Sha Ba was both shocked and furious. These two good-for-nothings couldn't even keep an eye on a woman who was tied up!

However, at this critical juncture, Shanba could not afford to lash out, so he had to suppress his anger and quickly take action to avoid any further complications.

Shanba, carrying his curved knife, strode quickly toward Jia Huan from behind. Closer and closer, a strange excitement welled up inside him. He licked his lips, as if he could already smell the blood gushing from Jia Huan's neck...

Just at this critical moment, a pretty young girl with disheveled hair rushed anxiously up the city wall. It was none other than Ayina. Seeing Shanba walking up behind Jia Huan with his knife, she hurriedly shouted a warning: "Lord Jia, watch out behind you!"

Everyone turned to look at the sound. Shanba's eyes sharpened, and he leaped forward, slashing his sword at Jia Huan's face. However, a cold light was faster than him. Dong Dao made his move, parrying Shanba's sword with lightning speed.

when……

Shaanba was forced back several steps, and filled with rage, he shouted, "Attack!"

The dozen or so clansmen behind him drew their swords and rushed forward, only to be met with a row of dark gun barrels. After a burst of gunfire, they all fell into pools of blood.

Shanba stood there dumbfounded. Dong Dao sneered, "Shanba, with your little skill, you think you can outsmart our Third Master? You're overestimating yourself. Come on, let me, Dong, spar with you!"

It turned out that Jia Huan had been on guard since he caught the murderous intent in Shan Ba's eyes that day. Shan Ba's every move was under surveillance, and even if Ayina hadn't reminded him, Shan Ba ​​wouldn't have been able to harm him in the slightest.

Knowing that his plan had been exposed, Shan Ba ​​gritted his teeth, leaped up, and slashed at Dong Dao with his sword, intending to fight to the death.

Dong Dao smiled easily, preparing to fight, when a gunshot rang out and a bloody flower exploded on Shan Ba's face. He fell from the air like a dead dog.

"Who fired the shot?" Dong Dao turned his head in annoyance, only to see Jia Huan blowing away the gunpowder smoke from the muzzle. He couldn't help but smile wryly and say, "Third Master, you have excellent marksmanship."

"Don't waste time, dispose of the body!" Jia Huan casually ordered, then nonchalantly holstered his pistol back into its holster.

At this moment, Ayina walked over, her long hair disheveled, looking at the corpses of Shanba and the others with a dazed expression.

Jia Huan frowned, about to speak, when suddenly a volley of arrows rained down from below the city. His personal guards immediately raised their shields to protect Jia Huan.

Dang Dang Dang...

After a series of clanging sounds, the guards removed their shields, and Jia Huan then discovered that Ayina was lying in a pool of blood, an arrow piercing through her upper right chest, half of her body stained red with blood.

Jia Huan's expression changed slightly, and he shouted, "Military doctor!"

Ayina was clearly still conscious, but she was in so much pain that she kept trembling and pleading intermittently, "Lord Jia... Lord Jia, it was all done by the Shanba people, please... please don't implicate my people." After saying that, she fainted.

At this moment, a military doctor rushed over, quickly examined Ayina's injuries, and said, "She hasn't suffered any internal injuries, so she should still be saved, but we need to remove the arrowhead immediately to stop the bleeding."

Jia Huan nodded and said, "Save them!"

(End of this chapter)