After driving away Hong Cheng, Yun Ye walked out of the tent. Outside, the snow was falling even heavier. People couldn’t be seen beyond a few dozen steps. The accumulated snow on the ground was already half a foot thick. Following the paths cleared by the auxiliary soldiers, Yun Ye came before the enormous pointed tent and saw auxiliary soldiers with long poles constantly pushing snow off the tent.
The snow was too heavy. If it continued like this, it would be a threat to the entire army—at the very least, grain and fodder couldn’t be transported. Everyone knew how pleasant it was to have a sip of hot soup in heavy snow weather. Now, this enjoyment had been reduced by half—the evening hot soup was gone.
There was plenty of water, almost endless. The white snow everywhere was the best water source. But where would they find fuel?
The herders used dried cow dung. Now fifty thousand troops were concentrated within a radius of ten miles. Anything that could burn had probably long been burned up. Even if they used cow dung, even a million cows defecating together couldn’t keep up with the burning. Now it was snowing and not too cold yet, but once the snow stopped, deadly severe cold would arrive. Now, everyone could only hope this heavy snow would stop soon.
Na Rimu was right there, hiding by the tent edge refusing to come out, hugging a lamb. Cheng Chumo stood there helplessly, having no way to deal with her. When Na Rimu saw Yun Ye come in, she quickly ran over to Yun Ye holding the lamb.
Looking at the lamb in her arms, only a month old with soft white wool all over its body—excellent material for making fur coats. Na Rimu held the lamb up before Yun Ye, speaking very quickly about something. Yun Ye couldn’t understand. An auxiliary soldier nearby who understood Turkic said: “My lord, Na Rimu says this is a young ewe. Next year it will give birth to many lambs. It can’t be killed. She also says herders who want to make a living never kill young ewes.”
“Chumo, why don’t you just switch to killing another sheep? Why must you argue with her? It’s beneath your dignity.” Yun Ye said to Cheng Chumo, rolling his eyes.
“Ye Zi, your girl has quite a temper, doesn’t she? One shoulder shove nearly knocked me over. I don’t want to eat the sheep—I want that pelt.”
Yun Ye had Na Rimu apologize to Cheng Chumo, but unexpectedly she pouted and didn’t move, hugging the lamb and craning her neck to look at the heavy snow outside. After a long while she said: “No. Cow dung. We will die.”
With these words, Cheng Chumo lost his will to argue with her. He didn’t understand what the Commander-in-Chief was waiting for, why he insisted on holding position on the grassland in such weather. This wasn’t a decision a wise general would make.
He and Yun Ye walked out of the tent, strolling in the heavy snow. The soft white snow crunched under their feet. Cheng Chumo looked at the accumulated snow on Yun Ye’s hat and asked him: “Ye Zi, now neither favorable weather nor terrain are on our side. Why does the Commander-in-Chief still insist on his own way? After this blow, Xie Li will also struggle to achieve anything. Why don’t we return our army to Dingxiang?”
Yun Ye brushed the snow off his hat, pulled out a handful of roasted soybeans from his pocket, gave some to Cheng Chumo, then tossed one in his mouth and chewed it crunchily. He looked around at the vast snowy landscape, seeming not to have heard Cheng Chumo’s question.
“Ye Zi, what exactly do you know? Can’t you tell me?” He pressed again.
“Chumo, do you know what a soldier’s first regulation is?” Yun Ye looked at the somewhat impatient Cheng Chumo and finally spoke.
“Naturally I know this—courage. This is a soldier’s first regulation. Only with fearless courage can countless victories be won. Our Great Tang soldiers rely on strong armor and sharp weapons, fearless courage, to sweep away all conflicts and open up the Great Tang realm.” Cheng Chumo’s blood had always run hot.
“I don’t think so. An army with only courage but no discipline can never be called strong. Sun Wu beheading the favorite consort, and the old matter of the Willow Camp—all illustrate one principle: a soldier’s duty is to obey orders. Now that you’re under the Commander-in-Chief’s command, you should obey the Commander-in-Chief’s military orders, not harbor resentment. This is a great taboo for generals and a great taboo for being someone’s subordinate. From your performance today, you can’t yet be called a qualified soldier. Advancing like collapsing mountains and surging seas, retreating like breaching rivers and seas, united in purpose, ten thousand hearts as one—this is the way to victory on the battlefield. Today, you first used heavy force on Hong Cheng, then had a conflict with Na Rimu. All this shows your heart is unsettled, your heart is full of anger. Why?”
From meeting in Shuofang until now, Yun Ye had never had a proper talk with Cheng Chumo. He always felt Cheng Chumo had become somewhat impatient, not knowing where his irritability came from.
Cheng Chumo lay sprawled on the snowy ground, eyes wide open looking at the sky, not closing them even when snow drifted into his eyes.
Yun Ye lay beside him, also not speaking, just accompanying him like this, letting the white snow gently cover them both, just as on the haystacks in Longyou, when Cheng Chumo had accompanied him.
“I had several brothers who died in battle at Shuofang. Of course, I avenged them, uprooting the small tribe that harmed them completely. That’s not what I want to say. What I want to say is that in the morning we were still joking together. I promised them that after victory when we returned to Chang’an, I would ask you to make them a delicious meal they’d never eaten before. They looked forward to such a day. But by evening, they didn’t return. The next day I found them—all dead, their clothes stripped by the Turkic people, some bodies showing traces of being devoured by wild beasts. I buried them, but didn’t erect monuments. I knew that in that place, no one would come to pay respects to them. I set an ambush there and killed all those damned Turkic people. But I always feel lost. I feel lost for those soldiers who died in battle. They were so brave, so fearless, yet died without a sound, as naturally as autumn leaves falling from trees. I grew up in military camps, so I’m not afraid of death. I just fear dying silently like them.”
Brushing away the moisture on his face, Yun Ye said to Cheng Chumo: “So you plan to live like a firecracker? That’s somewhat difficult. When we fight the Turkic people next time, you only need to charge single-handedly into the enemy formation, kill a few enemies, then be chopped into several pieces by a group of enemies. That way someone will remember you?”
“Soldiers are meant for battle. Death in battle is unavoidable. They were fighting until death—what more are you dissatisfied with? They fulfilled their duty. You should feel happy, not worry about posthumous affairs. If you continue with this mindset, I’ll ask Uncle Cheng to remove you from the military and get you a minor official position in Chang’an. How about living peacefully until you’re eighty before dying?”
“Then I might as well be buried by the snow right now.” Cheng Chumo muttered.
“If you don’t want to die, get up. These past days I’ve encountered nothing but perverts and idiots, and now adding you, this simpleton. Can’t even control your own emotions, yet dare hope you’ll support our three families? A grown man with a young woman’s thoughts—how shameful. Stop thinking about useless things. Now think more about how to find more firewood—that’s proper. I don’t want us to freeze to death before we even finish off Xie Li.”
Having a heart-to-heart with Cheng Chumo was purely seeking discomfort. He always had strange notions and was always controlled by emotions. Who knew how Uncle Cheng gave birth to such a pervert with a rough exterior but delicate heart.
He himself felt it was somewhat laughable. With a carp flip he stood up. Yun Ye arched his belly and tried several times but couldn’t stand. Finally Cheng Chumo pulled him up. Very awkward—his clean fur cloak was stained messily with who knows what underneath.
He couldn’t tell Cheng Chumo about future history. Li Jing was probably still calculating giving Xie Li a sudden strike, so he didn’t plan to withdraw troops. Tang Jian was probably fooling Xie Li right now. Su Dingfang hadn’t been seen since arriving at camp—he was probably crouched in some corner right now preparing to ambush Xie Li.
Again he and Cheng Chumo deduced military changes on the map. To put it plainly, they were playing games with Li Jing and Xie Li. To speak of military planning was too much credit for these two people. However, looking at the Yellow River’s course on the map, Yun Ye suddenly discovered he wasn’t far from Hohhot now.
Somewhat melancholy and sorrowful—in this city he once had his deepest memories. Now it was just a grassland covered by white snow. People say seas transform into mulberry fields, but for Yun Ye it became mulberry fields transforming into seas, as if a continuously rewinding movie played over and over in his mind.
Na Rimu recently acquired a new hobby—constantly picking things up. Ever since picking up a lamb from Cheng Chumo’s place, she hadn’t stopped this fortunate journey. Today picking up a cow, tomorrow picking up a horse. Not until the owners came to the door did Yun Ye learn Na Rimu had actually picked up Zhang Gongjin’s warhorse and his treasured saber.
He Shao’s face twisted like a bitter melon, pointing at the seven or eight cows in Na Rimu’s tent, meaning those cows were his.
Yun Ye flew into a rage, grabbing He Shao and beating him violently in the snow. Who says those cows are yours? If you call them, will they answer? Since Na Rimu picked them up from outside the tent, they’re hers. Even if she picked them from inside your tent, they’re still hers. Having just been ridiculed mercilessly by Zhang Gongjin and looking for a punching bag, here one came delivering itself to the door.
He Shao shouted frantically in exasperation: “Fine, fine, they’re hers, all hers. I accept it, isn’t that enough?”
Yun Ye beating He Shao here made Na Rimu’s eyes sparkle with delight. After Yun Ye finished venting, she happily linked arms with Yun Ye and acted coquettish. Apparently she was extremely satisfied with her man.
He Shao’s big belly was gone, so beating him up didn’t have the thoroughly satisfying feeling of before. Who told him not to be a good viscount but run off to be a merchant? Didn’t he know merchants had no status in Great Tang?
He Shao was very worried his several hundred cows would be picked up by Na Rimu again, so he moved the cattle pen away from the rear tent, placing it far away outside the camp gate. Not just him—many auxiliary soldiers who had made a bit of money also re-pitched their tents beside the cattle pens.
These past two days, the dejected Na Rimu hadn’t picked up anything good and was very unhappy, until she picked up three eleven or twelve-year-old young Turkic people. Only then did she show her smile again.