That was the plan. Now everyone in the world had shut their mouths, and no one dared to say another word about the Western Expedition Army. You can’t reason with madmen. Du Ruhui had started killing people—tens of thousands at once. Yun Ye had started beating up members of the imperial family—he’d allowed the massacre of a city for three days straight. These weren’t things that people with normal thinking could do, yet these two men, famous throughout the Great Tang for their wisdom and rationality, had done exactly that. And as soon as they acted, they’d shrouded all of Chang’an in an atmosphere of unease.
No one dared to provoke these two madmen anymore. These were Fang Xuanling’s words.
In the vast desert, the Camel City continued its unhurried journey. Yun Ye and Du Ruhui sat in a clean room drinking tea and chatting, relieving the loneliness of the long journey.
“The things we’ve done must have shocked everyone in the world!” Yun Ye said with a laugh as he refilled Du Ruhui’s tea.
“What else could we do? We can only explain our difficulties to His Majesty after we reach Chang’an. But if we head straight to Yumen Pass like this now, won’t it cause unrest?” Du Ruhui asked thoughtfully.
“Unrest? No. Minister Du, the Camel City fundamentally cannot enter the interior. Never mind anything else—can the Camel City even fit through Yumen Pass? Even if we lined up in single file, we couldn’t get through. Who would dare dismantle the gates of Yumen Pass? And even if we did tear down the gates of Yumen Pass, how many places along this route are suitable for the Camel City to traverse? Let’s not even mention narrow passages like those in Qinzhou.” Yun Ye was quite composed about this matter.
Du Ruhui started, and the hot tea in his hand immediately sloshed out of the cup. He set down his teacup, wiped away the water stains with a handkerchief, and looked at Yun Ye with a self-deprecating smile. “I’m old, truly old. My composure has become unstable. The Camel City has its time limitations. There really is no need to maintain such an enormous war machine anymore.”
“However, that’s your thinking. His Majesty won’t think this way. You’ll see—someone will definitely come to take over the Camel City. And not all of our army can return to Chang’an. The auxiliary troops have already headed to Gaochang. We’re traveling slowly because you’re waiting for the court’s response, aren’t you? Could it be that you really can’t stand staying in the Western Regions for even one more day?”
“It’s not that I can’t stand it, but rather that I can no longer remain in the Western Regions. As a subject, one is not allowed to have one’s own reserved territory. This is the Great Tang’s rule, and we must all abide by it.”
“Yushan Academy’s relationship with the Yun Family has already become too deep. If I also treat the Western Regions as my family’s back garden, even if His Majesty doesn’t suspect anything, the ministers at court will rise up to attack me. At that time, it will put His Majesty in a difficult position. After His Majesty is put in a difficult position, there are only two possibilities: either the Yun Family yields, or the ministers yield.”
“Neither of these possibilities is beneficial to the Yun Family, so I’m cutting through the mess with a swift blade. I’m bringing back a whole pile of problems to Chang’an. I should be scolded, I’ll be scolded. I should be punished, I’ll be punished. In any case, I plan to farm at the Yun Family estate. If possible, I won’t even go to the Academy. Once I’ve weathered this storm, I’ll slowly settle old scores with those big-mouthed bastards.”
Du Ruhui chuckled and patted Yun Ye on the shoulder. “Then it’s settled. After I return, I’ll move to the Yushan Villa to live, rowing boats, fishing, drinking tea, enjoying wine. If you don’t mind being bored following a bunch of old people around, you can come too.”
“I’m not going. You old gentlemen just love to criticize me for no reason. If you have a falling out, you definitely won’t look for anyone else’s trouble—you’ll just vent your anger on me. I’m not fool enough to do that.”
“There are plenty of fun things to do in Chang’an. Going to Yanlai Tower to watch erotic dances is better than suffering along with you all.”
Hearing this, Du Ruhui just smiled. He didn’t believe that after Yun Ye returned home, he would settle down peacefully. His own retirement petition had already received the Emperor’s approval. Fang Xuanling’s petition had probably been approved as well. Retreating at the height of one’s career is called knowing the proper moment. Retiring at this time was good for everyone, and feelings could be preserved. For the Emperor, this was a rare good story. Two old, weak dogs that could no longer chase rabbits—giving them a dignified exit was only proper. He seemed to already see the grand scene of his honorable retirement. His expression became somewhat intoxicated, and somewhat melancholic. Leaning against the window frame, gazing at the endless yellow sand, he forgot for a moment that Yun Ye was still there foolishly watching him.
Not wanting to disturb an old man reminiscing about his illustrious years, Yun Ye quietly slipped out the door and instructed the guards to attend carefully and not let anyone disturb him.
Old Du’s spirits seemed to have become quite dejected. He hid in his room for three days without showing his face. When Yun Ye saw him again, he found that his eye sockets had sunken deeply.
This was retirement syndrome. The higher the official position, the more severe the illness. Yun Ye had experience treating this kind of illness. He’d already cured Li Yuan’s depression syndrome. A mere prime minister was nothing.
So when Sun Renshi saw Du Ruhui, he found him playing mahjong with Yun Ye, Wu She, and an old man he didn’t recognize. Lady Na Rimu fluttered around the mahjong table like a flower butterfly, attending to the four players.
Sun Renshi, who had traveled nearly two thousand li in half a month, touched the frostbite on his face and suddenly felt very wronged. Why did he have to march day and night through the Gobi Desert in the cold season?
Looking at the four men in light, thin clothing playing mahjong in the warm room, with all kinds of unknown fruits around the table—though they were just canned goods, those green pears sitting there were extremely precious in the desert, something Sun Renshi knew perfectly well. He himself came from a very wealthy family, but seeing these fruits now, he still couldn’t help swallowing several big mouthfuls of saliva.
“Yanke has arrived. Sit for a moment. Wait for this old man to finish this round of mahjong, then we’ll have a good chat. This old man has been losing for two consecutive days. Your arrival brings me good fortune. Stay behind and observe the battle. Watch how this old man slaughters in all directions.”
Sun Renshi’s official rank was more than a notch below these two. Before Du Ruhui, he could only nod in agreement. When Lady Na Rimu brought Sun Renshi tea and candied fruit, he felt somewhat overwhelmed by the favor.
He drained the tea in one gulp and picked up the fruit plate, eating continuously with a small fork. Seeing the four absorbed in their mahjong game, his curiosity grew. He left his seat and watched the battle while eating.
From the moment he encountered the main army, Sun Renshi’s heart had settled firmly in his stomach. Although the army still emanated killing intent, no matter how he looked at it, he felt this army carried an air of joy. The soldiers on the Camel City were even more so. This wasn’t the atmosphere of an army about to do something major. As a veteran general, he still had the ability to read such atmospheres.
A victorious army returning to court after a great victory was exactly like this—pride mixed with a trace of satisfaction, and even a bit of anticipation. He was most familiar with this. By the time he reached this room, even his last bit of worry had vanished. Now, watching the superiors play mahjong was the important matter. As for the military handover, naturally someone would handle it.
“Hehe, this is the good fortune that Yanke brought! This is your dividend—don’t refuse!” Du Ruhui took two gold coins from the pile in front of him and slapped them heavily into Sun Renshi’s hand. Then he smiled at the gloomy-faced Yun Ye and said, “You should go handle the handover first. Once the handover is complete, we’ll have no more responsibilities. If you want to win it back, we’ll continue our battle.”
Yun Ye pulled out the seal of the Grand Governor of Beiting from his bosom and tossed it to Sun Renshi. “Yanke is no outsider. Look, I’ve given you my seal. That counts as completing the handover. The rest will naturally be handled by Wuli Sima and the others. We just need to sign and stamp. If there’s anything else, come, come, come—today’s mood is excellent. We’ll battle for another eight rounds.”
Wu She stood up and jerked his chin at Liu Fang, who was counting money. “The journey is still long. There’s plenty of time. Now it’s time for this old man’s daily exercises. Please excuse me.”
With that, he pulled Liu Fang out of the room.
Yun Ye idly played with the mahjong tiles in his hand and asked Sun Renshi, “Does His Majesty have any other instructions? Since you’ve received the seal here, does that mean we don’t need to go to Gaochang?”
Hearing Yun Ye’s question, Sun Renshi quickly stood properly to answer. “That’s correct. His Majesty ordered this subordinate to rush to Kucha to take over Beiting affairs precisely to request that the General return to the capital as soon as possible. His Majesty misses you greatly.”
Hearing Sun Renshi speak so diplomatically, Du Ruhui and Yun Ye exchanged a smile but didn’t expose his falsehood. Yun Ye asked again, “Didn’t His Majesty say how to arrange the Camel City? Should it be left to you, or should I bring it back to Chang’an?”
Sun Renshi shook his head regretfully. “His Majesty didn’t mention the Camel City, which means it hasn’t been left to this subordinate. Naturally, the General may dispose of it freely.”
Du Ruhui smiled. “You’d better send His Majesty an eight-hundred-li express and ask about this clearly. You’ve also seen the Camel City—it’s so large it fundamentally cannot enter Guanzhong unless it’s dismantled into scattered pieces. But if it’s dismantled, the Camel City is ruined. This Camel City only took shape after countless integrations, and the soldiers on it have already been fully deployed. Dismantling it would be too much of a waste.”
Sun Renshi immediately became anxious. From the first moment he saw the Camel City, he’d coveted it intensely. With this thing, he could travel freely and easily across the vast desert and sea of sand. It would save him so much trouble. Moreover, the Camel City’s combat power was astonishing—it was the invincible overlord of the desert. As long as the Camel City existed, he could guard the Western Regions so tightly that not even water could leak through.
“This subordinate will immediately submit a memorial to His Majesty. Please, General, give this subordinate a little more time.” Sun Renshi was practically begging Yun Ye.
“Fine. You’d better get a definite answer before I reach Yumen Pass. But don’t get your hopes up too high. I estimate that if you take over, many things on the Camel City will be dismantled, because your rank isn’t high enough. Some of the Camel City’s secrets aren’t things you should know yet.”
Sun Renshi stamped his feet and quickly left the room to busy himself with writing his memorial. He also needed to request that Wuli Sima co-sign it with him—this would add some credibility.
Du Ruhui pulled out a blank tile from the mahjong pieces and tossed it to Yun Ye. “The vast white land is truly clean!”
Yun Ye caught the blank tile and pressed it hard against the back of his hand until an imprint of the blank tile appeared. Only then did he stop. “Doesn’t this leave a mark?”