Chaotic Stone Beach—this was a Gobi region on the edge of the desert. Before Di Renjie stretched an endless expanse of scattered rocks. What kind of crisis could force people to survive on this land?
Wind was the sharpest great blade in this world. The original rocky mountain ranges had been carved by it into countless stones of all sizes. The largest boulders were even bigger than Wanmin Palace, while the smaller ones were still a full two zhang in circumference, randomly scattered along the desert’s edge. Perhaps many years later, these giant stones would also be carved by the wind into even finer grains of sand, ultimately becoming part of the desert.
Elder Heifeng had hemp cloth wrapped around his head. Just moments ago, he had desperately wanted to bash his head against a rock and die, but the officer supervising him had pulled him back again. His lips trembling, he kept pleading with Di Renjie.
“Have mercy, have mercy! Just leave my people one piece of land to survive on! We’ve already surrendered Loulan City, we don’t want the fertile land anymore—just leave us this Chaotic Stone Beach!”
Di Renjie seemed not to hear Heifeng’s pleas. Half-squinting his eyes, he continuously surveyed this chaotic stone beach, as if seeing a treasure land filled with gold.
A few days ago, Scholar Jinzhu had said that human communities needed water, space, and land to survive. Since these Loulan people could survive here, they must not lack these factors—especially for a tribe of over ten thousand people.
Blackstone Mountain was not a suitable place to build a city. The area was filled with towering mountains and was completely desolate. Although it could block the Tubo people’s mountain exit routes, expecting Tang people to hold firm in the high mountains would likewise be a great test. There was no water source there, no extra land. The Emperor wanted to build a city there and had already prepared to pay an enormous price. He had merely marked a black dot on the map, never considering how his subordinates should accomplish this.
“Perhaps building a great city here is feasible. There’s stone material, manpower, and vast lakes and flatlands. The Loulan people don’t know how to organize their living environment, so let the Han people teach them.”
Di Renjie muttered a few words to himself in a low voice, then lowered his head and said to Heifeng: “Call out your tribespeople. This is good news. I can guarantee that from now on you will no longer suffer oppression. Perhaps from now on, you should be given Tang citizenship.”
“How can you guarantee this? By what authority can you guarantee it? You’re wearing a green robe—you have no qualification to guarantee anything!” Hearing Heifeng’s shouting, the border army officer struck his shoulder and back heavily with the flat of his blade again, which only intensified his rebellious thoughts.
With a wave of Cheng Chumo’s hand, countless soldiers dressed in black began leaping forward across the rocks. They advanced easily, because the Loulan people had never been a nation fond of resistance. They had been submissively enduring for over a thousand years.
When encountering danger, their first reaction was not to resist but to flee. This was completely different from the fierce Guanzhong people, who always wanted to build high walls to circle themselves in. But things went against their wishes—no matter how tall and grand they built Loulan City, it never withstood the test when the time came for it to fall.
The Tang army’s experienced scouts quickly found the correct path, and Cheng Chumo chuckled as he led the large force into the rocky area.
The path was narrow, barely wide enough for two horses to pass side by side, and rough and uneven. Heifeng, who had just wanted to resist, began wailing again. This time, no one paid him any attention. Everyone was absorbed in marching, continuously leaving squads of soldiers along the route they came to prevent their rear from being attacked—this was standard procedure. When marching and fighting, one could never be too careful.
After walking for half a day, the view suddenly opened up before them. Di Renjie’s first reaction was to shout: “What a paradise on earth!” No one would have thought that in this most desolate place, there would be such a hidden marvel.
Not only was Di Renjie stunned, but Cheng Chumo also gaped with his mouth wide open. Outside, bitter winds assaulted their faces and dust flew everywhere, but inside it seemed as if they had instantly arrived in Jiangnan. They could hardly believe their eyes—here there was actually green grass growing beside a crystal-clear lake.
Di Renjie bent down and scooped up a handful of water from the lake. The water here was actually warm! Everything was very similar to the palace at Mount Li—except without those tall, magnificent, and exquisite pavilions and towers. His master had taken him to the palace at Mount Li. Li Tai had a large estate there. Who would have thought they could see such a place beyond the frontier?
“This is land bestowed upon us by the Sun King—you cannot take it away!” Whether Heifeng was pleading or threatening was unclear, but those soldiers who had long had enough of the wind and sand laughed heartily as they rushed toward those low thatched huts. For them, being able to winter here would absolutely be one of life’s most memorable experiences.
“Restrain your subordinates—no killing!” Cheng Chumo was also very pleased. He issued his order to the dumbstruck officer, then turned to Heifeng and said: “Restrain your tribespeople from resisting. Without resistance, there will be no killing.”
The grief-stricken Heifeng lay on the ground like a walking corpse as he followed the soldiers into the village…
“Xiaojie, you think this place is suitable for building a city? Are you planning to construct an official residence here for your master at the Beiting Protectorate?” Cheng Chumo sat down by the lake, took off his shoes and socks, and soaked his feet in the water, letting out a comfortable moan.
“Impossible. Xiao Wu said my master will definitely choose Luntai as the seat of administration. This is desert—it’s impossible, especially since it’s over two thousand li from Luntai. It’s too far. This place can only become a fortress to guard against Tubo. In the future, if the great army wants to attack Tubo, attacking from here can create the effect of making Tubo face enemies on both flanks. Moreover, troops can be stationed here long-term. Blackstone Mountain is not a good choice. I’ll have Scholar Xu memorialize the Emperor immediately. I hope His Majesty will approve.”
Cheng Chumo laughed and rubbed Di Renjie’s head as he sat beside him, saying: “His Majesty has never been a stubborn person. As long as it benefits the Great Tang’s state and ancestral temples, the old man changes his mind faster than anyone. These past two years, His Majesty’s temperament has become much gentler—it’s probably related to advancing age.”
“Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui have also become elderly gentlemen. Even the fiery-tempered Wei Zheng, since his eye disease was cured, has begun to keep a low profile. He hasn’t attended court for three consecutive months, yet His Majesty hasn’t reprimanded him. Instead, he sent imperial physicians to attend to him.”
“My father and all those old generals were summoned back to the capital by His Majesty, who said he missed them terribly and wanted to spend his remaining years with his old friends. That’s an interesting way to put it—His Majesty is forty-three this year, and my father and the others aren’t even sixty yet. For a military general, this is precisely the prime time to achieve merit and establish one’s career. His Majesty is also in his prime—how can they speak of old age?”
“Just look at the generals His Majesty has promoted these past few years and it becomes clear. Your master is one. Su Dingfang, upon returning from Beiting this time, will definitely be greatly favored. Liu Renwill is another. That Xue Rengui who guards the palace gates has actually risen to the rank of commandant. Zhangsun Chong is now a Grand Master for Splendid Happiness with Silver Seal and Blue Ribbon, the same rank as your master. I hear your Uncle Jianhu will also be heavily relied upon. Yuchi Baolin is now a provincial governor.”
“As for the inner administration, haven’t plenty of Academy students entered these past few years? Last year’s copper coin case that shocked the whole nation was orchestrated by Academy disciples. Wang Xuance, after suffering hardship in Tubo, has finally emerged successful and entered Tianzhu as a Great Tang envoy.”
“Xiaojie, you’re the youngest among them. I don’t understand why your master arranged for you to enter the Court of Judicial Review. I asked him, but he just smiled and didn’t explain—he probably has his considerations.”
“Your Uncle Cheng is telling you all this to let you know that His Majesty is laying out a plan, preparing to play a very grand game of chess. Your master’s appointment to Beiting is probably the opening move of this game.”
As soon as Cheng Chumo finished speaking, Xu Jingzong’s voice came from behind: “Listen carefully. Though your Uncle Cheng seems crude, he’s actually quite astute. I don’t dare say these things, so you’re right to listen to him. Your master ran off outside and left you behind—not for you to achieve merit and establish your career, but for you to idle away in Chang’an and wait for death. If you want to achieve merit and establish your career, you’ll need to wait until the next emperor appears. This is all karma created by your master. What was wrong with following me to study history back then? He had to study mathematics instead.”
Xu Jingzong grimaced as he stuffed his feet into the small lake, looked around, then said to Di Renjie, who was only smiling without speaking: “You master and disciple have such good fortune! This old man just let you solve the Blackstone Mountain problem yourself, and you discovered such a treasure land. You’re not planning to eliminate all the Loulan people, are you?”
“Young man, the Empire’s era of slaughter has ended. Now is the time to stabilize the frontier. This phase will last a very long time—perhaps a hundred years. But starting now, there must be no more killing. Your master received his commission as general in Chang’an—this is the first military order he issued. Violators will be severely punished without mercy! Hahaha, young man, I can already smell blood!”
Di Renjie took the military order and looked at those panic-stricken Loulan people, saying: “I had originally planned to kill a batch of people. They’re very cowardly—just a little blood would be enough to make them submit completely. That’s the fastest method. Now I’ll have to think of other ways.”
Cheng Chumo put on his shoes and came before the Loulan people together with Di Renjie. The noisy scene immediately fell silent. Suddenly, two young women were pushed out from the crowd by the Loulan people, trembling as they prostrated themselves on the ground awaiting judgment.
Di Renjie suddenly felt he had overthought things. To deal with such a group of people, intimidation was sufficient. In order to survive, these people not only pushed out beautiful women but also pushed out the three people including the recently released Heifeng.
The meaning was very clear—the beautiful women were to bribe him, and Elder Heifeng was pushed out to be killed by him to vent his anger. These people had considered everything very thoroughly.
If Heifeng could still maintain a tough man’s dignity just moments ago, the current Heifeng lay face-up on the ground, staring at the sky with tears streaming down like rain. This was someone whose heart had truly died.
“From now on, Heifeng will be your tribal chief. You can still live here, and starting now, you are officially incorporated into the Great Tang’s territory. Your household registrations will also belong to the jimi prefecture registrations. Except for not being able to enter the pass at will, your treatment will be the same as Great Tang subjects.” Di Renjie issued his command matter-of-factly.
Xu Jingzong smiled wryly. Heifeng, lying on the ground, slowly sat up. The soldiers untied his bindings, and he loudly spoke a sentence facing his tribespeople.
The interpreter said in Di Renjie’s ear: “He says, from now on, he is the tribal chief!”