Yun Ye thought all the fighting would only occur in Chang’an. Who could have predicted that all of Chang’an would be calm and peaceful? Never mind killing people—the monks and Daoists didn’t even quarrel. The monks continued their water and land prayer ceremonies, while the Daoists busied themselves delivering peace talismans to commoners’ homes. Quite a few white-haired Daoists carrying whisks descended to various wards and markets to provide free medical treatment to those who couldn’t afford it, and even generously gave away medicine.
Sun Simiao insisted on returning to his own small Daoist temple and didn’t plan to return to Yushan in the short term. Watching him walk alone into the temple, Yun Ye’s heart heavy, commanded Liu Jinbao to lead guards to stand watch outside the temple. At the slightest disturbance, they must report, and he would immediately bring a large force over.
Yun Ye had just finished making arrangements when a cavalry unit from the Right Mighty Guard galloped over. The lead captain with a dark face drove everyone away. When Yun Ye produced his waist token and told him he was a marquis, that military officer didn’t give him any face. The Left Militant Guard and Right Mighty Guard had always been rivals—no need to give anyone face.
Li Er had arranged things very well. Never mind just dispatching a hundred-man unit—even if there was just one府兵 府soldier guarding the door for Sun Simiao, the monks wouldn’t dare come knocking.
Li Er’s grand ceremony was still continuing. It was said it would take eighty-one days to be complete. Deciding to make a trip to the Left Militant Guard to gather some information—Chang’an was quiet in a way that was too strange. Entering the military camp, he discovered many unfamiliar commanders. The old acquaintances had either been transferred to other guard posts or converted to civil officials. Old Lai stood at the tent entrance holding his belongings, greeting Yun Ye with a bitter smile: “Marquis, why have you come? Commander Cheng has entered the pillar-state rank and will no longer manage camp trivialities. Only when appointed as a regional commander can he lead troops again. The current camp commander is General Du. Are you looking for the General?”
“Old Lai, where are you moving your things to? I remember besides fighting, you don’t seem to know anything else. Where are you leaving the military camp to go?” One sentence caused this tough man who had taken three sword wounds without changing expression and still shouted battle cries to have reddening eyes.
“Marquis, you know what kind of material this subordinate is. If you want this subordinate to lead troops in charging and killing, this subordinate dares to break through mountains of blades and seas of fire. But now, General Du wants to test military strategy. Although this subordinate recognizes a few characters, how can I be a match for those youngsters who came later? When two armies clash, the commander naturally should be both civil and military, but shouldn’t a roving general like me just follow the General’s orders, take care of the brothers, and fight desperately? Why ask me about provisions and military supplies? Why must I know on which day of which month the moon is where? This subordinate has fifteen hundred men under command. When charging, the arrow formation is best; when defending, the five-flower formation is good. This has been tested on the battlefield—it’s the best. Why must this subordinate know the crescent moon formation? This subordinate just asked two questions and was immediately discharged from camp. Marquis, please beg for mercy on this subordinate’s behalf. Let me off this time. I won’t dare again.”
Looking at the man who had thrown himself at his feet, crying aggrievedly, Yun Ye felt very uncomfortable. Li Er was updating and replacing his army. First, he lifted the old commanders high, then sent people to take over the camps. Without the old commanders backing them, small fry like Old Lai—weren’t they just at others’ mercy?
Did Li Er really think that with explosives he could win every battle? That he no longer needed these brave warriors? Not likely. Current explosives were still in their most primitive state. To put it bluntly, their deterrent power was far from enough. At first, they might surprise the enemy, but as time progressed and warfare became frequent, the nature of explosives would sooner or later be figured out by the enemy. At that time, without brave and fierce generals, how would you deal with enemies who understood and knew about explosives?
Others might not be clear, but wouldn’t Yun Ye know? Before guns were invented, bows, arrows, and spears would still be the main troop types—indispensable. As for firearms and cannons, the current Great Tang didn’t even have enough copper to mint copper coins—where was the spare capacity to make cannons? Furthermore, cannons required too much technology. Yun Ye acknowledged he didn’t have the ability to create firearms and cannons with current primitive means.
The ground bar steel he refined was adequate for making a few knives, but if used to cast cannons, if one out of a hundred succeeded it would be the Li family ancestors showing their divine power. Most frightening was that after making them, you still wouldn’t know which was good and which was bad. Air bubbles and cracks produced during the casting process were all inside the castings. In an era without detection instruments, you could only guess.
After Old Lai had cried enough, he said to him: “What are you crying about? When did the Left Militant Guard produce a coward like you? If you can’t stay here, we’ll just change places. Old Du doesn’t want you—that’s his lack of vision. We’re all soldiers eating military grain. Come to my place then. I’ll talk to Old Du, withdraw your discharge order, and change it to a transfer order. Report to the Lingnan Navy camp. As it happens, I, the Marquis, am preparing to establish a marine corps. You go to the marine corps and continue as a roving general. Which other old hands can’t stay? Call them all over.”
Old Lai was so happy he nearly jumped up. Though the Lingnan Navy was called a local garrison force, the main camp was actually in Chang’an. Each year they only needed to make two trips to Lingnan to escort supplies back. It was said that now each one was rolling in fat. The Marquis sold kelp that even pigs at the seaside wouldn’t eat for sky-high prices. Now Chang’an people had developed the habit of eating kelp—no worry about provisions being distributed.
He threw his things aside and rushed back into the military camp. Soon he brought seven or eight old hands over. Upon seeing Yun Ye, they all knelt on one knee in unison, addressing him as General. In the military camp, all commanding officers were called General.
With the General backing them, naturally their courage strengthened considerably. Old Lai, who had just been dejected, immediately recovered his usual bold temperament, and his voice became much louder too.
A young military officer wearing armor walked over and loudly scolded Old Lai: “You black thief, you’ve already been discharged by the General. Why don’t you get out of camp? Waiting to be beheaded?”
He then raised his hand to point at Yun Ye on horseback, about to curse, when Yun Ye whipped him across the face. After all, he was a military camp man—taking a whip, he wasn’t afraid. He spat a mouthful of bloody saliva, looking ready to say something even more unpleasant than before, and was even about to draw his sword.
He actually pointed at his face and said to Yun Ye: “Boy, if you’ve got guts, give your grandfather another whip. One whip wasn’t satisfying enough for grandfather.”
Hearing him say this, Yun Ye naturally wouldn’t be polite. Over these years, he’d developed some skill with the whip. The two-chi-long whip with a whistling sound struck this fellow’s face. The first whip hit the mouth; the second whip struck solidly on the brow. When he released his hands from covering his face, that face was already unfit to be seen.
Yun Ye looked down at the officer and said: “I whipped again. Do you think I should do it one more time?” The young captain was like an enraged lion, jumping up to fight Yun Ye desperately. His fist hadn’t yet reached Yun Ye when a waist token dangled before his eyes. On it was written “Left Militant Guard Campaign Chief of Staff,” and on the reverse, in a peach heart circle, was a prominent character “Yun.”
When he didn’t know before, he could play dumb, but now that he knew, if he dared to offend Yun Ye again, he would immediately be chopped into mincemeat by Old Lai and the others behind Yun Ye. The military law against offending a superior officer was enough to leave him without a burial place.
Before Yun Ye could speak, a white-faced man in his forties with three long whiskers walked over smiling, loudly greeting Yun Ye: “Oh my, Marquis Yun, what wind blew you here? I’ve always heard you were doing well in the navy. I didn’t expect you were still the Left Militant Guard’s Chief of Staff. Du Yu has been remiss. Mainly there are too many waist tokens—this brother didn’t remember clearly. No blame, no blame.”
“Old Du, you know that my Chief of Staff position is just hanging a token to bully small soldiers. You don’t need to mind me. I came today for these disappointing subordinates. I heard they couldn’t even pass the General’s basic assessment—so embarrassing. I’m preparing to take them back to the navy to retrain them. Old Du, you must give me, your brother, this face.”
Du Yu was Du Ruhui’s nephew. This time he was arranged into the Left Militant Guard’s position as Campaign Chief of Staff, but Li Er seemed to have forgotten that although this position had been removed from Yun Ye, the token hadn’t been taken back. When he saw Yun Ye, eight out of ten times he was angry, and the other two times he was certainly overjoyed with laughter, so he forgot, and Yun Ye also pretended to forget. With this token, after curfew he could wander the streets freely without anyone questioning. With this token, he could bully people at will without bearing consequences, just like now.
Du Yu chuckled and said: “Marquis Yun doesn’t forget old friendships—truly admirable. It’s just that these few people all have small problems. I’m worried they’ll bring trouble to Marquis Yun.”
“What small problems? If there’s trouble, it’s Minister Du’s trouble. Back then with the Ministry of Works matter, one word from Minister Du nearly made your younger brother a pauper. I wonder if Brother Du now wants to say the same words.”
Yun Ye didn’t need to give Du Yu face. Last time, if Du Ruhui hadn’t been so talkative, he wouldn’t have needed to build any imperial palace at all. Now it was good—one Hall of Ten Thousand People had completely become a Palace Complex of Ten Thousand People. The workload had more than doubled and still wasn’t completed. Many of the Yun family’s craftsmen were trapped there unable to return home. This made Yun Ye very dissatisfied.
Du Yu knew he couldn’t afford to provoke Yun Ye. Those who truly angered Yun Ye had not one good ending. His uncle Du Ruhui had also nearly shed a layer of skin. Now Yun Ye’s noble rank would last as long as the state existed. He could be counted as the Emperor’s first favored minister. Offending him brought no benefit. He was very clear about these few people’s abilities. Originally, he had planned to keep them in hand to manipulate, then use them for himself. Who knew Yun Ye would pick up the bargain?
Taking that Campaign Chief of Staff token from Yun Ye’s hand, he tucked it into his bosom, sighed once, and ordered the military clerk to issue transfer orders for Old Lai and the others. Military officers of fifth rank and below didn’t need the Emperor’s approval.
Yun Ye also wrote appointment documents himself, ordering Liu Jinbao to take them to report at the Wei River bank. He himself rushed home lifeless. In the great environment, the fates of small people had never been grasped in their own hands.
Old Lai and the others were like this, Sun Simiao was like this, Li Chengqian was probably like this too. In a trance, Yun Ye somewhat missed his own era full of resentment. At least then, one could speak. Not like now, where all matters had to be stifled in one’s heart, unable to explain to anyone, unable to tell anyone.