The Yun Family had a thrifty wife who was skilled at salvaging things, so there wasn’t much left on the camel city. When the camel city was initially built, the Yun Family had invested enormous capital, and naturally now they wanted to recover it.
The weapons all belonged to the imperial family and the nation, so those couldn’t be touched. Therefore, items like the eight-ox crossbows were all left behind. The camel city’s armor was experimental equipment provided by the academy, and now that the time had come, the academy planned to dismantle and haul it back for reevaluation. The gunpowder workshop was something Yun Ye had borrowed from the Emperor under contract, and now it had to be returned to the Emperor as well. As for the officers and soldiers aboard, every single one was a meritorious subject who needed to follow the Commander-in-Chief to Chang’an to receive their rewards.
The eunuch in charge of the handover sat on the camel city secretly weeping, not knowing how to handle these camels and the remaining five thousand-plus warhorses. He was merely a palace eunuch—although he could swagger and throw his weight around once outside the capital, when truly confronted with such matters, he had absolutely no solution.
“General Sun Renshi has a very favorable impression of the camel city and wants to take it over. Why don’t we place the camel city under General Sun’s name? At least that’s a way out. Otherwise, relying on just us hundred or so people, we’d work ourselves to death and still couldn’t manage the camel city.”
“That won’t do. His Majesty ordered me to receive the camel city!” The eunuch’s speech had a whistling quality to it.
“Our camel city still needs to survive, doesn’t it? Truth be told, the most important thing about the camel city isn’t these objects, but the people on the camel city—they’re the most important component of the camel city. Now that the people are gone, the camel city is just a dead city. We’ll have trouble even feeding the camels.” Tian Yuanyi had no way to deal with this obstinate eunuch.
“Heh heh heh, this servant can’t afford to provoke Yun Ye—he’s the kind who can walk sideways even in the imperial palace. But does that mean I still can’t provoke Su Dingfang or Li Jing? Old Tian, just follow this servant and carry out your duties properly. Maintain the camel city well, and your benefits won’t be lacking. I’ll definitely put in a good word for you with His Majesty.”
Hearing the eunuch’s crude and simple-minded attempt at winning people’s hearts, Tian Yuanyi only wanted to weep bitterly. He hadn’t even accepted the recommendation from that person you called someone who could walk sideways in the palace—why would he want a recommendation from a eunuch? He himself had his eye on the camel city, was determined to achieve merit and establish his career on the camel city, and to reach his goal of bringing glory to his ancestors through an alternative path. If not for this objective, he would have returned to Chang’an with the Commander-in-Chief long ago.
The Commander-in-Chief actually hadn’t planned to destroy the camel city. The reason he took away those people and the armor was precisely to protect the camel city. These camels had traveled across grasslands, deserts, and the Gobi for three years, and many of them already had hidden injuries. Within two years, these camels would gradually die off, just as the Commander-in-Chief said—they were flesh and blood after all, not cast from steel or iron.
The reason Tian Yuanyi stayed behind was because he couldn’t bear to part with these camels and all the facilities on the camel city. No one knew what price and effort he had paid for these things. Staying was to hold the fort, but he didn’t know how long this vigil could last.
Those who stayed behind like him, out of fondness for the camel city, were all Western Region veterans. Their daily tasks consisted of controlling and feeding the camels. They were also unwilling to return—Hanzhong and Chang’an were too distant for them, and they had nothing to miss in the Central Plains. Better to just herd camels on this vast sea and live freely…
A miniature camel city was rapidly advancing toward Chang’an. Yun Ye sat leisurely in a very small wooden cabin, watching his great army through the window with pride. This was what you called a strong army—under his command were precisely such troops. When they left the pass, these fellows had nothing going for them except their ferocity, but now they had naturally acquired a certain noble bearing.
This kind of military spirit was very difficult to cultivate. It could only be slowly developed through countless bloody battles, and only by fighting and winning could one gradually nurture pride, confidence, and the bearing that looked down on everything.
“Those great red cloaks are wasted on these fellows. Those things are for keeping warm, not for them to bare their chests and let the wind blow them about to look handsome. We’re in the wilderness now—who are they showing off their bellies to?”
Yun Ye smiled and shook his head, placing his wine cup on the small table and speaking to Cheng Chumo sitting across from him.
Cheng Chumo never liked using cups for drinking. What he most preferred was the military canteen—the kind with half-inch-wide straps attached to it. No matter how fine the wine, he needed to pour it into his own canteen. Only by raising that crude flask did he seem able to drink heartily, and it was the same now. He was holding a wine funnel, pouring wine into his canteen. His canteen was custom-made, slightly larger and heavier than others’—a wind-polished copper flask that gleamed with a golden luster.
Seeing that Cheng Chumo had no time to answer him, Yun Ye continued, “This kind of wine looks most elegant in white porcelain cups, and is suitable for small sips, taken gently. Why do you always put it in a canteen?”
“Mind your own business! Can’t even let a man drink in peace. I’m leaving.” Cheng Chumo picked up his flask and nodded with satisfaction, then drank the remaining wine from the jar in one gulp. Glancing sideways at the white porcelain wine cup in Yun Ye’s hand, he lifted the door curtain and walked out.
This fellow had been in a terrible mood lately. Ever since learning that his father was living a life worse than death, his whole person had become somewhat abnormal. When he had nothing to do, he liked to climb to the highest place and look westward. This made Yun Ye quite nervous—if he suddenly went crazy and ran off to Dafeichuan, it would be the death of him. When Old Cheng returned, he would definitely fly into a thunderous rage. Cheng Chumo would receive punishment, and Yun Ye absolutely wouldn’t escape it.
Old Cheng’s private letter was quite right—working your life away for the imperial family, one person from the Cheng household suffering was enough. If two came, that would be operating at a loss. Cheng Chumo should obediently go to Chang’an to receive the Emperor’s inspection, then bring home the Emperor’s rewards, bring home the newly issued official robes, and best of all, bring home the title of nobility too. That would be ideal—no need for him to suffer at Dafeichuan.
Everyone had their own things to do. When Cheng Chumo returned to the capital this time, he should be ostentatious and obtain every benefit the Cheng family could get to the utmost. When Yun Ye returned to the capital, he should find a mouse hole to hide in, slowly let the storm aimed at him pass, then wait for his own merits to ferment and mature, and finally put them in a steamer to steam, making them white and large. This was what great families should do.
After entering the pass, Du Ruhui stopped talking to Yun Ye and stayed alone on another small camel city, tinkering with his metal, stone, and jade artifacts, often not emerging for an entire day.
This was blatant avoidance of suspicion. Local officials were all handed over to Xu Jingzong to manage. They couldn’t easily see the prestigious Du, Minister of the Great Tang, much less the mysterious and unfathomable Marquis Yun. Many times, Marquis Yun, who was called a disciple of the immortals, could be considered the most mysterious person in the Great Tang.
Because he never received local officials, and if necessary, he wouldn’t even want to leave his home. The only places where one could see him were the court or Yushan Academy. He rarely attended gatherings of the nobility, and even at weddings and funerals, it was difficult to see him in person. Unless some very close nobles had great joyous occasions or great mourning events would he appear for a fleeting glimpse.
Mysterious, aloof, proud, unsociable—this was the impression Yun Ye left on officials of the Great Tang.
In fact, that wasn’t the case at all. The places Yun Ye went conflicted with where they went. What he most disliked was sitting together with those elder nobles. He preferred mingling with the younger generations of their families, would rather go to Yanlai Tower to watch sensual dances than stay with the old fellows drinking tea and listening to music. Those sickeningly sour pieces of music Yun Ye couldn’t appreciate.
Those old nobles also knew Yun Ye’s habits. Those who came out to entertain him were all the most outstanding young men of their families. When the old folks gathered together, if there was no necessity, they wouldn’t call for him. Yet those officials sharpened their heads trying to squeeze into such occasions—it would be strange indeed if they could see Yun Ye.
The more they couldn’t see him, the more they wanted to. But the Yun family’s threshold was very high, and the steward was a snobbish fellow who, after receiving visiting cards, always said with a smile that his marquis wasn’t home, and that when there was time, the marquis would return the visit.
Return visits? That would be seeing ghosts!
Bearing was very important, especially the bearing of a battle-hardened elite force that had fought on battlefields—it could almost shatter people’s courage. When had local officials ever seen such a great army? After tremblingly presenting items to reward the army, they quickly departed, because they themselves discovered that their presence in such a place was extremely inappropriate.
Yun Ye discovered that the military temperament about himself had become very strong. From his manner of speaking to his way of handling affairs, everything had become very militarized. This wouldn’t do if it continued. A soldier’s character was too rigid—such a character would suffer greatly when mixing in the Great Tang. This had to be changed. Only rogues could mix things up brilliantly in the court.
Just as Yun Ye was pondering how to ruin his reputation as the new generation’s god of war, Li Er was reading a very long memorial, laughing so hard he couldn’t catch his breath as he read. Duan Hong was very curious—what kind of matter could make the unsmiling Emperor laugh like a child?
Fang Xuanling was also laughing heartily. After the Emperor had laughed enough, he said, “Everyone has a temper, and Yun Ye is no exception. Moreover, he achieved fame at a young age, and has been ever-victorious in battle and invincible in assault. Naturally, he’ll have some pride in his heart. With his intelligence, he couldn’t fail to realize that Your Majesty long ago had methods for dealing with the camel city. That’s why he dismantled a war fortress so thoroughly and cleanly, making Your Majesty’s plans completely fall through. Now that there’s no longer any basis for comparison, his camel city can truly be invincible under heaven.”
“Invincible under heaven? Isn’t the current Great Tang also invincible under heaven? What’s truly invincible under heaven is human wisdom. One mountain is always higher than another. I’ve seen through it—this path of military equipment has no end at all. Since we’ve already been led onto this path by Yun Ye, then let’s stride forward boldly. Although Li Gang and others vehemently oppose it, my heart has never wavered. We cannot refrain from eating for fear of choking. Whether for the prosperity of the nation’s fortunes or for the people to live and work in peace, I will not permit foreign enemies to step one foot into the Central Plains!”
Fang Xuanling looked at the high-spirited Li Er and sighed inwardly. Such thinking ran counter to ancestral teachings. Since ancient times, the combination of firmness and gentleness had been the way to govern a country. Excessive militarism couldn’t be considered the mark of a sage ruler!
Turning it over in his mind, his heart became clear again. People just lived generation by generation. The world never lacked those of stunning talent and brilliance. After he stepped down, naturally someone would clean up the mess.