Yun Ye was extremely clear about these matters Old Du spoke of. The Zhangsun family, for the sake of hot air balloons, had almost gambled their entire family fortune and lives. They had smashed large sums of silver at the academy, hoping to obtain the best propulsion device. Currently, there was still no progress—they could only rely on wind power for short-distance flights.

Li Tai’s ambitions were higher than the heavens. He dreamed that one day his flying speed could surpass the fastest flying birds. The flight in his heart absolutely wasn’t something that could be represented by slow things like hot air balloons.

The Great Tang’s commerce had now almost reached its peak. Merchants exhaustively searched remote regions, bringing back countless rarities from deserts, the Gobi, oceans, and foreign lands. Countless barbarian merchants in Chang’an market held up rare treasures and hawked them along the streets. Yet proud Chang’an people, facing these treasures, would only snort contemptuously and begin picking at the treasures’ various flaws, until the barbarian merchants’ faces turned red with embarrassment.

Along with the flourishing of commerce, various new accounting methods emerged endlessly. On the Eastern Han Dynasty Wuliang Shrine relief, there is a record: “Fuxi created granaries, initially established royal enterprise, drew trigrams and tied knots, to manage all under heaven.” That is to say, when Fuxi served as tribal chieftain, he relied on the Eight Trigrams and knotted rope counting and recording methods to manage tribal production activities and daily life. Such economic activities were already distant legends for Tang people. Yet Tubo people, Turkic people, Tuyuhun people, and Xueyantuo people still used knotted ropes to record their own account books.

Thus, in mutual economic activities, people who kept accounts with ropes had no way to conduct complex transactions with people who kept accounts with writing brushes. Especially in Chang’an—account books that even Fang Xuanling couldn’t understand—could one expect barbarians to comprehend them?

Military plunder was only one part. The most cruel plunder was commercial plunder. Barbarians would only discover that their own goods were becoming less and less valuable, while the Great Tang’s materials became increasingly expensive. The Great Tang only wanted their most primitive products and had absolutely no interest in those already finished products. That is to say, if you took an uncarved jade stone to Chang’an, you might be able to sell it for a good price, but taking exquisitely carved jade sculptures to Chang’an, you instead couldn’t sell them.

Cunning Tang merchant traders discovered that the more complex the accounting methods and business models, the more advantageous they were to themselves. So much so that account books were now obscure and abstruse to the point that even a wise man like Fang Xuanling couldn’t understand them.

“Prime Minister Du, doing it this way is wrong. If development continues like this, account books will lose their original meaning. What are accounts? Accounts are a method of recording the economic activities of nations, commercial firms, or individuals. The more concise and clear, the better. How did it become one person’s secret? Keeping accounts like this shows the original intention is deception. Once account books begin to be used for deception, it will become a great harm.”

“When Prime Minister Fang first saw such account books, he should have taken harsh action, bringing these bastards into the Court of Judicial Review to question their crimes. The first thing to investigate should be whether there are matters of corruption and bribery. If there are, light crimes should be heavily sentenced. I believe banishing them far away to Yazhou is a good idea. Even if there are no crimes, we should use the most malicious thoughts to speculate on their intentions in keeping accounts like this. Dismissing them from office should be an effective method.”

After listening to Yun Ye’s words, Du Ruhui put down his rice bowl and said with confusion: “The state dynasty is now in a time of rapid change. This old man and others can no longer determine the advantages and disadvantages of matters. Just like before, we believed certain things were wrong. Yet after more than ten years, we discovered they were right. For example, lifting the prohibition on merchants—since ancient times, we believed that farming had only three times profit, craftswork only five times profit, while engaging in commerce would have over a hundred times profit. We greatly worried that once prohibitions were lifted, it would recreate Guan Zhong’s old affairs in Qi state—that farmland would be abandoned, the hundred crafts neglected, and everyone would want to become merchants pursuing hundred-fold profits.”

“However, looking at it now, it’s not like that. Those who farm still farm. Farmland hasn’t been abandoned. Those who do craftswork still do craftswork. The hundred crafts are increasingly ingenious. The number of merchants has indeed increased, yet they’ve brought countless taxes to the nation. Marquis Yun is far at the border and doesn’t know—this year agricultural taxes have once again dropped by thirty percent. Not only that, rent, labor service, and tribute—these three items are also steadily declining. This old man optimistically believes that in another ten years, agriculture without taxes will be thoroughly realized.”

“Does Marquis Yun know what agriculture without taxes represents? It represents that the common people will never again rebel. As long as they cultivate, they’ll have no lack of clothing or food. The Great Tang’s imperial foundation can naturally extend for a thousand years. Therefore, His Majesty has begun transferring the focus of prevention from the common people toward us meritorious nobles. Hehe, His Majesty’s policy will inevitably further relieve farmers’ burdens. Even though Marquis Yun’s current predicament is dire to such a degree, His Majesty still refuses to use troops on a large scale precisely because His Majesty has decided to make pacifying the common people the first priority.”

“Do you know? Old Wei has now become a gate officer. His body has miraculously improved. Every day he straps on his horizontal blade and stands imposingly at Changle Gate inspecting lawbreakers. He’s already become a local tyrant of Chang’an.”

“Even someone like this old man gets searched by him. Last time he actually took away this old man’s jade pendant, saying it was the entry red envelope he should give. He said he forcibly endured being honest his whole life—now he can finally openly extort all the officials. He also said the city gate official position has too much profit—these past several decades of being an official were for nothing.”

Speaking of Wei Zheng’s affairs, Du Ruhui stroked his belly, unable to contain his amusement. Old Wei had angered the emperor half to death. If not for Sun Simiao, he might have ascended to meet his ancestors. Having barely survived, it seemed he had forgotten Wei Zheng’s existence. This was very good.

“This old man now envies Old Wei! Every morning after rising, he strolls to Changle Gate to guard the gate, treating it as loosening up muscles and bones. He can also freely bully everyone from His Majesty and the Empress downward. He makes being a city gate official more glorious than being prime minister. If this old man, after retiring from office, can have half of Old Wei’s prestige, he’ll be completely satisfied.”

Yun Ye could see that Du Ruhui was now truly preparing for his retirement. Not only was he like this—Fang Xuanling was also so. Otherwise, having academy students help him interpret account books absolutely wouldn’t happen. In the past, encountering such matters, he would definitely send the official who made the accounts into the Court of Judicial Review for interrogation.

The old fellows all planned to muddle through to a good beginning and end. Who knew if their plans could succeed?

Xu Jingzong had one greatest advantage: that was, a gentleman doesn’t stand beneath a crumbling wall. Since he led a group of supply troops guarding Luanshi City, naturally he would manage his own lair watertight. Ever since Yun Ye left, he had continued reinforcing the fortress according to the Eight Formation Diagram left by Yuan Shoucheng. Saving money was something Xu Jingzong didn’t do in the army. No amount of money was worth as much as his own life. All merchant caravans returning from Jade Gate Pass had to transport cement for him. Those who didn’t transport it needn’t dream of obtaining supplies in the Loulan area.

Daily inspection of Luanshi City had already become his routine official duty. When he saw a goshawk land in the government office, he hurriedly descended from the city wall, his heart continuously pounding. He only hoped the news the goshawk transmitted was good.

After carefully reading the note poured out from the bamboo tube, he plopped down in a chair. The vice general took the note and after reading it, immediately shouted hoarsely: “Prepare the army for battle!” Xu Jingzong was a civil official. At this time, preparing to defend the city, naturally it was his own responsibility to wage war.

Xu Jingzong took a long breath and stuffed the note back into the bamboo tube. He immediately took up his brush and wrote two letters. Two teams of riders on fast horses headed one toward Guanzhong and one toward Gaochang.

“What should come can’t be avoided! Damn it, following Yun Ye, this bastard—this lifetime has been lived with three frights a day. But that’s also good. Can’t be counted as living in vain. Since the whole world attacks Tang now, nowhere is safe. Luanshi City is where my life’s work lies. Taking it to gamble isn’t anything remarkable.”

Having finished psyching himself up, he had the Hu dancers dress him in battle armor. The Yun family’s battle armor was light yet sturdy—the best choice for civil officials. He himself had bartered for a set from the Yun family in earlier years, originally thinking to use it as decoration. Who could have thought there would still be a day when he’d rely on it to preserve his life?

The Turks wouldn’t come to give him trouble. He still had Guo Xiaoke blocking in front of him. Those who could come were only Tubo people. That son-of-a-bitch Guo Xiaoke—what was he doing running to Kucha for no good reason? Wasn’t this delivering himself into the wolf’s mouth?

Brainless and stubbornly obstinate to death. When the Turks’ allied army rushed over, the numbers totaled a full five hundred thousand. Instead of organizing defensive lines, he kept charging forward. This was seeking death!

Xu Jingzong sighed. Guo Xiaoke’s death wasn’t worthy of pity, but his subordinate officers and soldiers couldn’t go unrescued. So he called in another team of scouts and rewrote a letter, commanding them to deliver this letter into Guo Xiaoke’s hands no matter what, using the fastest speed.

Ascending the city wall, watching the vice general and lieutenants vigorously preparing city defenses, he couldn’t help but raise his head to look at the sky. Only then did he discover that the sky above Luanshi City was filled with dark clouds. Wind blowing through the chaotic rocks produced sounds like nomadic whistles—utterly desolate.

“Hard to port!” Liu Renyuan stood on the bridge continuously issuing orders. The Great Emperor sailed through the waves. Its enormous bow savagely pierced into a Dashi people’s vessel. As it rose with the sea waves, that ship was lifted high, then broke into two sections. The crossbow ports on both sides of the warship all opened, madly spitting out thick crossbow bolts.

Flames continuously erupted on the great sea. The Dashi people’s ships still attacked madly.

“Commander, our auxiliary ships can barely hold on. Six warships are all surrounded by enemy ships. We should return to rescue them.” His vice general loudly advised Liu Renyuan.

“Don’t return. Ahead is the enemy chieftain’s flagship. What we need to do is destroy it. Tell the auxiliary ships to hold on, hold on another half hour, and we’ll return.”

A deep horn sounded on the Great Emperor. The captains on the auxiliary ships, hearing the horn, wiped the blood from their faces and said loudly: “Brothers, the Great Emperor wants us to hold firm for one hour. It’s going to catch the enemy chieftain. Hold on! Oil fire barrels, elevation three feet, fuse three portions, fire!”

“I want to capture this beast and ask him if he ate the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard, daring to destroy the strait checkpoint. This old master will impale him alive on wooden poles at Crab Island and let sea birds devour him.”

Liu Renyuan was already nearly mad with rage. The Dashi people actually dared to ambush the strait, dispatching red-clothed warriors to forcibly breach the checkpoint. All soldiers were impaled on wooden poles by them for public display. How could such hatred not be avenged?