“Woo woo woo…” The sound of horn trumpets rang out. Yun Ye rode Wang Cai out of the camel fortress, while Du Ruhui did not follow him out. This moment of glory belonged to Yun Ye, to Xiao Miao, Liu Fang, Dan Ying, and also to the entire Angel Legion.
Du Ruhui stood atop the fortress walls. He had already taken command of the camel fortress. According to the fortress’s military regulations, the commander must not leave the fortification. Since Yun Ye insisted on going to greet Liu Fang, relinquishing command authority was a necessary procedural step.
Na Rimu held her child and followed behind Wu She, watching from afar as Yun Ye rode his horse galloping through the heavy snow that filled the sky. She said proudly to Wu She, “Old grandfather, my husband is truly outstanding, and Wang Cai is beautiful too. No matter how you look at them, they’re magnificent.”
Wu She unsympathetically shoved the umbrella in his hand into Huan Niang’s hands and walked away with his hands behind his back to tend to his tea leaves and jade plaques. His old friend had traveled tens of thousands of li, his body severely depleted. He definitely needed the white light’s nourishment. To save some white light for his old friend, Wu She had deliberately not enjoyed the white light’s blessing for over ten days.
The vast sea was a sheet of white. Yun Ye reined in his horse atop a hillside, his crimson cloak billowing and snapping in the cold wind. To reward the achievements of Liu Fang, Xiao Miao, Dan Ying, and He Tianshang, Yun Ye had deliberately armed himself fully. Even the cold face mask was lowered, and only through two round black holes could one barely see a pair of pitch-black eyes.
A single rider emerged from the wind and snow, bearing a banner on his back. Upon reaching Yun Ye, he dismounted and knelt on one knee, reporting: “I report to the General, the Angel Legion has arrived three li away.”
“Advance one li to respectfully welcome our army’s triumphant return!” Yun Ye coldly issued the command.
Ten thousand cavalrymen controlled their horses’ pace and advanced forward in unison. During the march, countless banners were all raised—one commander’s flag, twelve lieutenant’s flags. The cavalrymen took down their round shields and placed them at the front of their saddles, drawing their horizontal sabers. After reaching their destination, they stopped once more and gazed uniformly toward the front.
Liu Fang no longer rode in a carriage. Clustered beside him were Xiao Miao and Dan Ying. Qu Zhuo’s face streamed with tears. Gou Zi was too excited to speak. Only He Tianshang wore a smile, drinking mouthful after mouthful from the wine gourd in his hand.
“Ten thousand victories! Ten thousand victories! Ten thousand victories! Wind, great wind! Great wind!” The sons of Guanzhong used their distinctive ritual to welcome this already exhausted army. Cheng Chumo stood in the distance, watching enviously as the Angel Legion slowly advanced forward. He whipped his mount once and galloped toward the route from which the Angel Legion came. His chest grew burning hot—he would not allow anyone to disturb the glorious moment of this heroic army.
From far away, Liu Fang dismounted from his horse, walked before Yun Ye’s horse, and cupped his hands, saying: “This subject is fortunate not to have failed his mission!”
“Elder Liu has worked hard. The Yun family will never forget this!”
Liu Fang laughed heartily and mounted his warhorse to find Wu She. That old fellow should have the tea service ready by now. On this snowy day, you simply couldn’t skip adding ginger slices to the tea.
Dan Ying sat high on his horse, rode around Yun Ye in a circle, then laughed once and said to Yun Ye: “The battle is concluded. I’m leaving. I miss home.”
Yun Ye nodded and took out a jade plaque from his bosom and tossed it to Dan Ying. Dan Ying caught it in midair, then took an enormous saddlebag from Liu Jinbao’s hands and placed it behind himself. He rode off and directly vanished into the snow that filled the sky, without any superfluous words.
Seeing the shy Xiao Miao, Yun Ye rode forward and said softly to Xiao Miao, who was lowering her head and fidgeting with the corner of her clothes: “Go back and change out of your military garb. Na Rimu is waiting for you. Rest well. The Yun family will never again need women to take the field.”
Xiao Miao’s face became even more flushed, rouge color appearing on her neck. She stole a glance at Yun Ye, then led the Iris sisters galloping toward the camel fortress.
He Tianshang very much wanted to learn Dan Ying’s carefree manner of leaving after accomplishing his task, but he truly lacked the ability to discern direction in a great snowstorm and return safely to Chang’an. He could only stand awkwardly in place.
“Old He, this journey has been hard on you. The document awarding you nine ranks of merit has already been dispatched. Henceforth you will be incorporated into the Beiting Protectorate and will no longer be subordinate to the Ministry of Justice or the Court of Judicial Review.”
He Tianshang looked at Yun Ye in surprise, quickly dismounted, knelt on one knee, and said in a deep voice: “Many thanks, Commander!”
“This is what you deserve. Ten thousand li of campaigning, a hundred-plus life-and-death battles—nine ranks of merit are insufficient to reward your achievements.”
Hearing Yun Ye’s words, He Tianshang threw the wine gourd in his hand far away, once again mounted his warhorse and positioned himself behind Yun Ye. Immediately a great banner bearing the character “He” rose up behind him.
Ren Xiong, Gou Zi, and Qu Zhuo controlled their less than ten thousand subordinates. Under their puzzled gazes, Qu Zhuo said loudly: “We are subordinate to the Great Tang’s Beiting Protectorate. From this moment, you are subjects under the Beiting Protectorate’s jurisdiction. You may freely graze and live anywhere within Beiting territory, and absolutely no one will come to drive you away. Each of you will have a fertile grassland, and will also be rewarded with ten head of cattle and one hundred sheep. As long as you diligently tend your herds hereafter, the Yun family will purchase the wool and livestock you produce, and will provide you with necessary protection. From this moment, you are no longer anyone’s subordinates. Your lives and cattle and sheep belong only to yourselves.”
He Tianshang said to Yun Ye in surprise: “This is an army of a hundred battles. It’s too much of a waste to disband them so easily.”
“There’s nothing to waste. Exploitation for too long is not a good thing. Giving them a free life to reward their achievements is perfectly complementary. It’s nothing.”
While the two men were conversing, Xiao Miao, who had already run far away, came back. She carefully approached Yun Ye and said: “I have some servants. I hope you won’t obstruct them from pursuing their own lives.”
Yun Ye lifted his face mask and said with a smile: “This is your matter. You handle it yourself. After you’ve handled it, just tell me the result. No matter what decision you make, I’ll agree. You needn’t feel troubled.”
Xiao Miao made a low sound of acknowledgment and came before Moasis and Xerxes. Of the fifty Persian warriors who had originally followed her into battle, now fewer than fifteen remained; the rest had all died in battle along the march.
Moasis pointed at Yun Ye and asked Xiao Miao: “Is that your husband?”
Xiao Miao nodded and said: “Yes, he is my betrothed husband.”
Xerxes urgently asked Xiao Miao: “Master, how will you dispose of these powerful cavalrymen?”
Xiao Miao hesitated for a while and said to Xerxes: “Xerxes, I know your thoughts. If you still haven’t tired of war, then continue fighting. Go fight for yourself. As long as you can take all these cavalrymen away, they will be your subordinates. I will ask my husband to equip you with the best weapons. Go and fight as you wish.”
Moasis shook his head and said to Xiao Miao: “I have grown weary of killing. Let me follow you to live in that beautiful country you often speak of. I want to marry a wife and start a family. Xerxes likes combat, so let him fight. He has formed deep friendships with those cavalrymen. He probably wants to fight until death.”
Yun Ye’s figure appeared behind Xiao Miao. Unable to understand what they were chattering about, after hearing Xiao Miao’s account he immediately said to her: “There are countless Turkic suits of armor and weapons on the camel fortress. No matter how much they need, give them that much.”
Yun Ye had no need for this army of mixed races. They had long been accustomed to living by plunder. Even if he offered cattle, sheep, and pastureland as rewards, probably not many would be moved, because plundering is an addictive activity.
Sure enough, Yun Ye watched with a half-smile as Xerxes solicited opinions from all his subordinates. Under Xiao Miao’s guidance, a fellow named Abbasid, coercing a large number of soldiers, loudly proclaimed that he was unwilling to disband the unit.
In the end, those willing to return to Beiting to herd numbered less than a thousand, and this still included the old and weak among the troops. Yun Ye shook his head. Originally, he had wanted to cut the Gordian knot and deal with these people decisively, but now it appeared there were new complications…
Liu Fang drank three cups of scalding strong tea in one breath, exhaled long, and said to Wu She: “The matter isn’t finished yet. The marquis’s temperament makes him unable to be ruthless with his own people, so no matter how this transaction is done, he’ll suffer a loss. You watch—the marquis’s captured supplies will sooner or later all be handed over to those people.”
Wu She furrowed his brow and said: “Even if you can’t stand Yun Ye’s irresolute temperament, why didn’t you help him handle everything completely?”
Liu Fang stuffed a dumpling into his mouth. After swallowing it, he rolled his eyes at Wu She and said: “Have me do everything? This old man is already over seventy this year. For his sake, I’ve traveled tens of thousands of li and nearly lost my old life here. No matter how you look at it, I’ve already done right by him. These small matters he should handle personally.”