“Are you framing me?” After hearing Old Zhou’s report, Li Er thought briefly and understood the whole cause and effect. Well yes, such a deadly scapegoat was better borne by me. What I like most about you, boy, is this point—heaven protects those who cherish human life. Very good. You four aren’t complete scoundrels—you didn’t casually use those palace maids and eunuchs to take the blame. This makes me very comfortable.
“However, Yun Ye, you’re not giving me an advance warning, are you? You’re about to go to Liaodong—are you going to create an even bigger scapegoat for me to bear? Tell me your plan. I’ll listen, and if there are loopholes, I’ll supplement them for you.”
Li Chengqian looked at Yun Ye in shock. When he was speaking with Old Zhou earlier, he’d been focused on watching the burning effect and hadn’t paid attention. Only after hearing his father finish speaking did he realize that the target of Yun Ye’s framing was actually his own father. This was too bold.
“Your Majesty, since you and the civil and military officials have sent this subject out, you must be prepared to receive bad news. This subject doesn’t have any particularly good plans. All actions are prepared to revolve around the safety of the thirteen thousand soldiers and those remains left in Liaodong from the previous dynasty. This subject doesn’t care about good methods or bad methods—as long as a method achieves the objective, it’s a good method. So sometimes I’ll do things that incur the wrath of heaven and the resentment of men. Please bear with me. As for the Sixteen Prohibitions and Forty-Eight Capital Offenses of military law, this subject will definitely strictly enforce them.”
Sitting in his chair, Li Er laughed so hard he swayed back and forth. Pointing at Yun Ye, he said loudly, “The way of warfare has always been to use every means possible. As long as you achieve your objective and can bring back the thirteen thousand soldiers safely, whatever you do is on me. If it must be written in the history books, if the civil officials must scold—I’ll bear it for you. It’s not a big deal. As for the opinions of other nations, hehe, boy, does my Great Tang need to consider their opinions?”
Finally obtaining these words from Li Er’s mouth, Yun Ye bowed slightly to show respect. Li Er laughed heartily and returned to the rear palace. Yun Ye and the others saw the Emperor off, only then breathing a sigh of relief. Leaving the great hall, they sat on the steps to chat.
“Ye Zi, didn’t you just say it wrong? Military law clearly has Seventeen Prohibitions and Fifty-Four Capital Offenses. Why did you say only sixteen prohibitions and forty-eight capital offenses?” Li Huairen was finally clever for once, grinning as he mocked Yun Ye.
The same question was asked by Empress Zhangsun after Li Er returned to the rear palace. The smile on Li Er’s face disappeared. In an instant, he transformed into an imposing commander. Patting the chair’s armrest, he said to Empress Zhangsun, “That boy did it deliberately. Watch—when he leads the troops in the oath-taking ceremony, Article Nine of military law: ‘Wherever one goes, to abuse the people, if there is rape of women, this is called corrupting the army, violators shall be beheaded,’ and Article Ten: ‘To steal others’ property for one’s own profit, to seize others’ battle achievements for one’s own merit, this is called pillaging the army, violators shall be beheaded’—if these two articles appear from Yun Ye’s mouth, then I would be surprised.”
Empress Zhangsun was shocked. She set down her teacup and urgently asked, “Your Majesty, you’ve approved this? Good heavens, if this gets out, won’t it incur the wrath of heaven and the resentment of men?”
“All the Great Tang is forcing Yun Ye to go to Liaodong to do this unprecedented thing. Their lives and deaths hang by a thread. At this time, if we still forcibly order him to comply with military regulations, that would be a great cruelty to him. That Yun Ye has this insight—my confidence in his ability to complete the military mission and return safely has strengthened by two points.”
“Your Majesty, an army without these two articles of military discipline restraining it would be a pack of savage beasts. The Great Tang’s reputation accumulated over many years would be destroyed in an instant. What if others imitate this in the future?”
“They won’t, because once Yun Ye leaves the Great Tang’s borders, he’ll become a pirate—just a pirate force with somewhat more men, somewhat more organization, and somewhat better equipment. As for what the pirates want to do, what does it have to do with my Great Tang? The Lingnan Navy was ordered to go to Lingnan to transport grain, honestly doing their own business. What do pirates have to do with them? In the future, if anyone dares violate these military disciplines, do they think my sword can’t kill people?”
After hearing Li Er’s explanation, Empress Zhangsun still looked worriedly toward the hall’s exterior, sighed, and said no more. For a moment, both the Empire’s sovereign and queen in Liangyi Hall bathed in the evening’s afterglow, falling into contemplation.
Yun Ye didn’t plan to explain this matter to Li Huairen. After all, it wasn’t anything glorious. He could only pretend he’d forgotten, scratching his head. The expression in Li Chengqian’s eyes was uncertain—he wanted to ask, but was stopped by Yun Ye.
“Ye Zi, I’m truly envious. When you go to Liaodong this time, there will definitely be continuous battles. You can kill to your heart’s content. What’s even rarer is that this time you’re the commander. Whatever you want to do, you can do. Even if you die on the battlefield, it would be supremely satisfying. Unlike me, who can only stay in Chang’an, guarding the palace all day—too boring.”
“Dream on. This trip to Liaodong, I’m scouting ahead for you all, testing the Goguryeo people’s response. Once we discover a breach, the Great Tang’s troops will pour in like a swarm. Then it’ll be your turn.”
Yun Ye stood up and hugged each of the three brothers one by one, then led Wang Cai out of the palace. From today on, he officially accepted the imperial command and could only live in the military camp until the great army returned triumphantly.
Cheng Chumo listlessly returned home. After paying his respects to his father and mother, he wanted to go to the rear courtyard to see his daughter. Only in the whole house could his daughter make him a bit happy.
“Come back. Your father hasn’t finished questioning you yet. What are you running around for? Looking at the child can wait. You caused a big disaster in the palace. Father doesn’t blame you—for your own brother, this disaster was worth causing. The question is, how did things turn out?” Wearing a soft cap and loose everyday robes, Cheng Yaojin sat on a soft couch and called back his son who was preparing to leave.
“Of three cartloads of gunpowder, we only got one out. Your son, the Crown Prince, and Huairen were caught by the internal guards. If Ye Zi hadn’t gone to plead for us, your son would have already been punished by now. Father, we worried a bit too much. Ye Zi made another formidable thing himself. Having gunpowder or not is the same.”
“Father knows. That thing’s power is very terrifying—it truly isn’t inferior to gunpowder. Getting some gunpowder for Little Ye was just in case. Since there’s a full cartload, that’s enough. Tell me in detail about your experiences in the palace today. How did you come to know about the existence of incendiary bombs?”
“Ye Zi said so. He also demonstrated how to use them in the palace. They’re truly terrifying—if a person gets that stuff on them, they can’t survive.”
“He demonstrated in the palace?” Hearing his son say this, Cheng Yaojin was so shocked he stood up. After watching the demonstration a few days ago, Yun Ye had also asked several old commanders to keep it secret, saying he wanted to equip his own family’s armies with it. When the time came, combat effectiveness would greatly increase. After his own family had earned enough military merit, it wouldn’t be too late to spread it around. How could he have demonstrated it in the palace today?
Cheng Chumo looked at his astonished father, not knowing why his father was looking at him this way. Ye Zi had just demonstrated the incendiary bomb in the palace—what was so surprising about that? Last time he’d even demonstrated gunpowder, and when Ganlu Hall was blown up, nothing happened.
Cheng Yaojin was an extremely clever person. Pondering in his mind, he guessed the course of events with about ninety percent accuracy. Looking at his bewildered son, he helplessly waved his hand, letting him go. Since Yun Ye hadn’t explained clearly, he didn’t plan to burden Cheng Chumo psychologically. He himself couldn’t ruin Yun Ye’s good intentions either.
Once his son left, Cheng Yaojin let out a long sigh and punched the table. Lying back in his grand armchair, he remained silent. Madam Cheng, seeing her husband in a bad mood and worried there might be complications with their son’s matter, quietly asked her husband, “Why is my lord so gloomy? Are there complications with the child’s matter?”
Cheng Yaojin impatiently opened his eyes and said to his wife, “Several children all fell for His Majesty’s scheme. His Majesty’s purpose was for the treasure in Little Ye’s hands. Initially, Little Ye said this thing would only equip our few families. On the battlefield, it would earn our families much more military merit. But His Majesty also found out. Not comfortable asking directly, he set up a scheme, making the Crown Prince, Prince Wei, Chumo, and Huairen go steal gunpowder from the Wude Hall. The result, of course, was that these children were caught red-handed by him.”
“How could Little Ye watch his own brothers be punished? He could only obediently present the incendiary bombs—no other choice. Little Ye did this without telling our son, accepting Chumo and the others’ gratitude himself. Wife, the old Cheng family’s ancestors must have burned high incense for this old man to pick up such a child. Incendiary bombs, such a military treasure—for Chumo and the others, he didn’t even blink before handing them over. The Yun family is absolutely a family to whom one can entrust wife and children.”
Hearing her husband say this, Madam Cheng immediately jumped up, her voice shrill: “How could His Majesty do this? Little Ye going to Liaodong—isn’t that serving the court? Chumo and the others stealing gunpowder was also for the smooth conduct of warfare, not for private use. Why should he demand the treasure in Ye Zi’s hands? That was a magical treasure Ye Zi prepared for my lord and Chumo. How could he do this?”
“Quiet! What are you shouting about? When Ye Zi returns from Liaodong, he’ll definitely have new tricks. If His Majesty wants treasures, then give them to him. But how to use them still depends on judging Ye Zi’s usage effectiveness in Liaodong this time. Our family doesn’t need to lead others by much—just one step is enough. You’re just a woman—what do you understand? The difference between inside and outside—one is in heaven, one is on earth. When the time comes, the military merit that should be ours will still be ours.”
“But this concubine is very worried for Little Ye Zi. The previous Sui’s million-man army couldn’t conquer it. Ye Zi is leading just over ten thousand men to fight hard. Your hearts are too hard. For a few corpses, you force Ye Zi to risk his life. Those are dead people from the previous Sui. Why must we exchange the lives of my Great Tang’s soldiers for them?”
Cheng Yaojin helped his wife, who was wiping tears with a handkerchief, to sit down and said gently, “In this world, there’s no reason to speak of. Everyone lives for the sake of face. The nation is the same. Whether it was the previous Sui or now, we won’t tolerate our compatriots’ remains being used by others as symbols of glory. Goguryeo—how can they not pay a price!”