The Western Regions actually had no roads. Even if there were roads, they would disappear without a trace after a sandstorm. Cavalry with clanging armor thundered past the sides of the camel city—appearing atop sand dunes one moment, beside dried-up oases the next, like a pack of idle hyenas.
The greatest problem with war is that people die. Once large-scale warfare occurs in a place, you’ll discover something strange—the people there become very few. In the Western Regions’ Gobi Desert, you could occasionally see dead camels, dead cattle and sheep, but you couldn’t see people. Whether alive or dead, you couldn’t see them.
Only humans have the habit of burying their own kind. When merchants on the trade routes encountered dried bones of the dead, regardless of whether the caravan leader was a profiteer or not, they would find a place with relatively little wind and sand to bury these bones properly. Rest in peace in the earth—this custom must be passed down. Should one die in the desert oneself, those who come later would do the same. In the desert, no one is safe. This is what the old-timers said.
As for bandits, they respected the tradition of burial even more. After killing someone, they had to quickly bury them, just like dogs burying bones, not letting Heaven see, only letting Mother Earth know. After all, Heaven would strike with thunder, while Mother Earth would be more merciful, like an indulgent mother who covers up for her children after they do bad things.
When a small wind blew through, the desert would raise dust. The flying dust struck the camel city like a phantom battering ram—fierce in momentum but lacking real force. The sturdy camel city endured countless such attacks each day without knowing.
However, the people in the large wooden house at the center of the camel city had no mood to appreciate the desert’s rough grandeur. Each hurried in and out of rooms clutching thick documents, even running when going to relieve themselves.
Whenever soldiers passed by, they would crane their necks to peek at the large wooden house. Meeting a clerk who came out for air, they would smile and offer a handful of roasted beans, quietly asking how much longer before the military merit calculations would be complete.
The clerk chewed the beans with loud crunching sounds, made a mysterious gesture, and the other party would immediately show an expression of sudden understanding. They desperately wanted to know how much military merit they had earned—was it enough for their whole family to be tax-exempt? Enough to become a constable back in the county? Enough to obtain some kind of military merit medal to take home?
“His Majesty intends to use this thing to fool my Western Expedition Army? No great quantities of silver, gold, treasures, land, women, or high offices and generous salaries—only this broken iron piece? Not even cast beautifully enough. Could you pawn this at a pawnshop for one silver coin?”
Yun Ye’s roaring voice could be heard by eagles flying in the Western Regions’ skies. In his later life, he had suffered enough of such deception.
“Comrade Yun Ye made outstanding contributions in the past year… hereby awarded a medal for encouragement, everyone applaud…”
“Comrade Yun Ye in the year nineteen ninety-eight displayed extraordinary hardship and effort… hereby awarded a medal for encouragement, everyone applaud…”
“Comrade Yun Ye…”
To say more would be all tears. Working like an ox or horse for a year, what one received was either a paper slip or an iron plate. Euphemistically called spiritual rewards, supposedly much more advanced than money or gold…
“Whose wicked idea was this?” Seeing those familiar medal designs on the table—add a few stars and they’d be no different from what he received before—Yun Ye thought of his own experiences, then thought of these fools eating sand in the desert. His rage was about to spew forth from his anus.
“Hehe, Old Yun, don’t get angry at me. I rushed here from Boulder City just to tell you about this. This is the court’s new initiative this year, a new policy. Look, this golden dragon medal is specifically awarded to generals of the highest rank. You have one, and this old man has one too. Oh right, this golden dragon holding a scroll medal is Old Du’s. He’s a civil official, so he can only receive this type of medal.” Xu Jingzong held a teapot, appearing very pleased—another fool befuddled by honor.
“You’re also a civil official. Why didn’t you get a four-legged lizard dragging toilet paper medal?”
“Different, different, vastly different! This old man personally led troops in bloody battle against the Tibetans atop city walls. What I obtained is genuine military merit. How can I be compared with civil officials like Old Du who provided rear support?” When Xu Jingzong spoke of this matter, he was filled with pride. No matter how great a civil official’s achievements, they couldn’t compare to the substance of military merit. In the Great Tang, military merit could sometimes save one’s life. Even if one accidentally embezzled or took a liking to some family’s daughter and forced himself upon her, with military merit present, the Emperor might show mercy considering you had risked your life for him, and give you a way out. When Great Tang civil officials did such things, their reputations would be ruined, basically with no hope of resurrection. Military officers were different. Could one who didn’t embezzle, falsify military reports, or forcibly seize civilian women be called a military officer?
The old lecher Liu Hongji who bedded ten women nightly, the habitual embezzler Zhangsun Shunde—hadn’t their titles been stripped by the Emperor? However, during the Emperor’s grand birthday celebration, they clutched the Emperor’s legs and wept bitterly. They were dragged to a side hall where who knows how many slaps they received, then returned cheerfully. After the birthday feast, their titles were restored, and even the salaries not paid all these years were calculated and given to them.
By comparison, Wei Zheng didn’t have such good fortune. His title was restored, but his reputation was also ruined.
“Old Yun, never underestimate these medals—they’re precious! This time you received six medals in one breath. These things can be worn on court robes for display. You need not bow when meeting officials—that’s the minimum.”
Xu Jingzong picked up a fierce tiger badge made of white silver and kept comparing it against Yun Ye’s chest.
“Are you stupid or am I stupid? Is there anyone in court now whom I must pay formal respects to? At grand court audiences, paying respects to His Majesty is unavoidable for everyone. What does this tiger badge have to do with me? No way, I’m submitting a memorial immediately. His Majesty cannot fool these battle-hardened soldiers this way. They’re all people whose blood has been recorded in my merit ledger after being spilled on battlefields. If they’re fooled this way and it triggers a mutiny, that would be bad.”
“Mutiny? Who would rebel? When this system was tested in Chang’an, the soldiers who received medals wept so loudly it shook the heavens. Especially Qibi and those other foreign tribe commanders—they cut their faces with knives and swore loyalty to His Majesty. The military officers all shouted ten thousand years in unison. No one was unwilling! The armies in the east, south, and north have already finished this process. It’s just that we ran the farthest. The Imperial Envoy only just delivered these things. His Majesty said these items are to thank the soldiers for their brave fighting. After returning to Chang’an, there will be further rewards.”
“There’s more after we return?”
“Yes! I heard the Empress has already ordered the Inner Palace to prepare. This time the great rewards will come directly from the Inner Palace, not occupying national treasury funds.”
Hearing there would be further rewards, Yun Ye finally became happy. This was right! They’re all honest, simple men who farm the land. Why learn from nobles? In the end, real gold and silver move people’s hearts. Using these medals as a means of spiritual comfort isn’t bad either. His own golden dragon medal felt heavy when weighed—worth one gold coin!
After admiring the medals for a while, Yun Ye suddenly remembered the Imperial Envoy that Xu Jingzong mentioned. He quickly asked: “Where did the Imperial Envoy go? Why haven’t I seen him come over? We mustn’t slight him—we need to host him properly. When he returns, he can speak well of us.”
The corner of Xu Jingzong’s mouth twitched. He smiled bitterly: “Dead. He died at Boulder City. Stayed less than a month, drank water that made him vomit and have diarrhea, lasted three days and died. I don’t even know how I endured these three years. When I return to Chang’an, this old man plans to stay at Yanlai Tower and not come out. Damn it, my barbarian girl died. Even native-born people can’t withstand it. These three years have shortened this old man’s life by at least ten years.”
Yun Ye looked at Xu Jingzong suspiciously: “Don’t tell me the Imperial Envoy had designs on your barbarian girl so you did him in? Tell me, how did you do it? Don’t worry, brother will help you clean up the loose ends. I’ll make sure it becomes an unsolved case.”
Xu Jingzong couldn’t help but laugh and cry. He thumped the teapot on the table, pointing at Yun Ye and laughing: “In these three years in the army you’ve become increasingly wretched. A barbarian girl I’ve used for four or five years—who would kill for her? Even if I gave her to Huang Yuanshou, he’d have to accept her first!”
Meeting an old friend was joyful. Talking nonsense for a while could immediately lift one’s spirits. This place called the Western Regions was too sinister, basically a graveyard for friendships. Once people arrived in the Western Regions, their ambitions would skyrocket. Xi Tong was like this, Han Zhe was like this, even the perfectly fine He Shao was like this. After seeing endless lands, they developed the desire to dominate. Seeing the vast heavens and earth, they wanted to engrave their names upon this land. Little did they know, the northwestern skies could not accommodate many with heroic ambitions.
Old Xu, this ancient grand villain, was reliable—having no grand aspirations, single-mindedly drilling into wealthy circles. Having seen much of the northwest, he only thought of his ten zhang of worldly pleasures, wholeheartedly raking wealth home. This was what a long-lived person looked like.
Yun Ye vowed that from now on, his household would absolutely not allow those fellows with heroic ambitions to visit. The more far-sighted the fellow, the more vigilant one must be. From now on, his home would only entertain those who were short-sighted and lacked grand ambitions. Those who mixed around waiting for death must be hosted well—these people were truly his kind. This would prevent investing emotions only to harvest a belly full of grievances.
The merit ledger was delivered by Fan Hongi. Old Fan’s eyes were red—these past days he hadn’t slept well even once, always feeling he couldn’t bury the soldiers’ achievements. Together with his subordinate five-li commanders, he worked day and night verifying and investigating, trying his utmost not to overlook a single person. He was originally an extremely upright person. When he had matters at hand, if he didn’t handle them properly, he couldn’t sleep. The Commander wanted it urgently, so as soon as the merit ledger was compiled, he delivered it.
Yun Ye flipped through the merit ledger, took a red pen and crossed out his own name, then crossed out Du Ruhui’s name, then moved Guo Ping’s name from further back to the front, placing it alongside Cheng Chumo’s name. After completing these tasks, he said to Fan Hongi: “Increase the brothers’ merits by thirty percent above the current basis.”
“What?” Fan Hongi’s mouth opened like a hippopotamus.