Matters in the world were originally quite simple—it’s just that we, considering ourselves the spirits of all creation, artificially complicate them. When one person falls in love with another, there are no chasms or such things in between. Just like the shepherd girl who fell in love with Yun Ye—in her simple mind there were no messy things like race, status, or appearance. She liked being with Yun Ye, liked smelling his scent, and found it very comfortable. So she specially washed her face and even washed her hair with snow water. Mother said Han men liked clean women. She didn’t like washing her face or her hair because it was very cold—when the wind blew, her skin would crack, which was too painful. But she liked the feeling of being with that good-smelling Han man so much that she gritted her teeth and washed her hair with melted snow water. Mother braided her hair for her. She took out the rouge flowers she’d gathered from distant mountains in summer, ground them into powder, applied a little on her face, and rubbed some on her lips. Looking at the water in the pot, the woman in the water was very beautiful. Mother also said she was beautiful—the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen.
Full of confidence, she waited by the roadside. A heavy snow was coming—they would definitely return, otherwise they’d die. She was a bit worried…
She saw him again. He sat on a wheelless cart, looking at her with a gentle smile. But he was very foolish—seeing such a beautiful girl, he didn’t even know to speak, just smiled foolishly there. Were all Han men this stupid?
Fortunately, I’m not stupid. The gala khan is what I’ve saved since childhood. Every time I ate a sheep, I saved one gala khan. Now it can already hang around my neck. If I give the gala khan to him, he’ll know a beautiful girl likes him.
Why was it different from what Mother said? He didn’t chase after me, didn’t press me down in the snow. Can’t he see my beauty?
A blind man, a blind man who can’t see beauty—I’ll just give him one more chance. This time I’ll run slower. He’s not very sturdy built, might not be able to catch up…
The shepherd girl walked back leading a horse, tears streaming down her face. She felt very wronged. A tall Han man had given her the horse, saying it was from his beloved, a gift to her. The horse carried many things, said to be the beloved’s return gift. So he already had a wife. Was his wife better looking than me? The shepherd girl took out the beautiful white stone from her bosom, rubbed it on her face, and looked back at the snow-covered grassland behind her.
On this journey, Yun Ye tried not to think about the brutal battlefield. He was even somewhat avoiding the battlefield. A normal person wouldn’t like an environment with rolling heads and flying limbs—only someone with a completely twisted psychology would enjoy such a bloody environment.
If he could avoid seeing it, he wouldn’t. For the sake of his fragile soul, it would be best never to witness such scenes in his lifetime.
Upon returning to Shuofang, Sun Simiao showed Yun Ye no pleasant expression, maintaining a stern face all day, neither speaking nor acknowledging Yun Ye. Only after Yun Ye swore an oath never to place himself in danger again did things improve slightly.
Chai Shao received Li Jing’s severe reprimand, ordering him to defend Shuofang to the death without fail. This was an ineffective order—there were no enemies around Shuofang anymore. The nearest enemies had just been killed off by Chai Shao. The Tuyuhun people? The Tiele people? Laughable! They should consider themselves lucky if the Great Tang didn’t seek them out for trouble—did they still dare swat flies on a tiger’s head?
It was just a reprimand. Li Jing had no authority to punish Chai Shao. Whether by official position or seniority, he had no qualification. He seemed to have understood something and no longer demanded to lead troops in campaigns, only lavishly rewarding the soldiers who had campaigned with him.
All the wealth ended up in He Shao’s hands. His fat round face showed only his mouth, delighting people to the point of annoyance.
Niu Jinda needed to march out, taking his twenty thousand soldiers to Yinshan. This was Li Jing’s predetermined battlefield and would also be Xie Li’s final resting place. Old Niu left without waiting for Yun Ye to return. He took all the sleds, and twenty thousand Tang garrison soldiers followed him to the new battlefield.
Perhaps Yun Ye’s actions had angered Li Jing. He and Cheng Chumo needed to go to Qikou to report to him, but Sun Simiao was kept in Shuofang.
Looking at the flying snow outside, Yun Ye’s heart was like the gloomy sky. Knowing history, he understood that the grassland campaign was Chai Shao’s last battle. Upon returning to Chang’an, he would transfer to civil service and never have another opportunity to lead troops abroad. Yun Ye, as an unstable element, needed to be transferred away.
Chai Shao roasted a sheep—roasted it himself—and called Yun Ye and Cheng Chumo over for a farewell. The mutton wasn’t delicious—aside from salt, there was no other flavor. But the atmosphere was good. Chai Shao sang songs at the banquet and composed a poem. Cheng Chumo performed a sword routine. Finally, all three quieted down. Yun Ye suddenly remembered a legend—whether Princess Pingyang had died of illness or in battle, and why her funeral was held with military honors instead of princess ceremonies. Surely Chai Shao would know.
“Among the women of our Great Tang, this junior most admires Princess Pingyang. It’s only regrettable that I never had the fortune to meet her.” Yun Ye specially mentioned Princess Pingyang when toasting Chai Shao.
Chai Shao set down his wine cup and said to Yun Ye: “If my wife hadn’t passed away, she would certainly have welcomed you and Chumo to our home to play with Lingwu and the others. Unfortunately, she died young, which pains me greatly.”
“Such a pity. This junior was born too late—otherwise I would never have let such an extraordinary woman leave this world so early. When this junior heard the Crown Prince speak of the princess, I felt infinite regret.”
Chai Shao’s eyes turned red as he said hoarsely: “What do you think compelled me to forcibly dispatch troops? Those Turkic dog thieves took advantage of an unguarded moment and killed Pingyang. Xie Li was the chief culprit. When I had the chance to surprise attack him, how could I let it pass? If I don’t utterly annihilate those dog thieves, how can my heart be at peace? How can Pingyang rest in peace? It’s only regrettable that in the Battle of Xiangcheng, Xie Li escaped. This is my eternal regret.”
Understood—completely understood. No wonder Chai Shao, as a military strategist, would commit the military taboo of unauthorized troop deployment, relentlessly determined to eliminate Xie Li. So the root was here. The somewhat negative views Yun Ye had held about Chai Shao immediately vanished like smoke. If this matter had happened to him, he would have done it even more ruthlessly than Chai Shao.
No wonder the steady and experienced Niu Jinda hadn’t tried to dissuade him but had wholeheartedly supported him. As a friend of many years, he knew that dissuasion would have no effect whatsoever. Rather than let him take risks, better to formulate a feasible plan. Old Niu was truly the best choice for a friend—willing to be punished together rather than prudently protect himself. Next time, he should treat the old man even better.
It was also no wonder Li Jing dared not use Chai Shao, fearing his hatred would cloud his judgment and implicate the entire campaign. His own rash departure from the city this time, in the eyes of these big shots, had firmly labeled him a hothead. Now he still had to run another thousand or two miles across the grassland. The root of the trouble was all with Cheng Chumo—he’d settle accounts with him later.
“Daoist Sun, as you can see, it’s not that this junior wants to leave the city himself—military orders are like mountains and cannot be disobeyed. Doesn’t the document say they hope you’ll stay in Shuofang and return to Chang’an when spring arrives?” Looking at the bustling Sun Simiao, Yun Ye feared he’d scold him again and hastily explained.
“This time it’s a military order—naturally I have nothing to say. We’ll go together. As for the document, I’m not a soldier—Li Jing has no authority over me.” Sun Simiao’s stubborn spirit flared up. He quickly had Gou Zi help pack—going together was best.
Sun Simiao was one thing, but Xu Jingzong actually claimed sixty-some sleds, covering them with thick sheepskins and even making a canopy—completely the posture of going on an outing.
“Old Xu, what are you doing? Your health hasn’t recovered. From here to Qikou is a long journey—you won’t be able to endure it. Stay well in Shuofang and return when spring comes.” Xu Jingzong currently seemed to pose no threat, so Yun Ye didn’t mind coexisting peacefully with him.
“Marquis Yun, you’ve misjudged me, Xu Jingzong. You should know that in my day I rode with weapons and banners across ten thousand miles. If you can go to Qikou, why can’t I? Last time going to Xiangcheng, if my body hadn’t truly given out, do you think I would have stayed in Shuofang? I’m your assistant official—naturally, wherever you go, I follow. This is my duty.”
This bastard is talking to me about duty? Since when did he have such a thing as duty?
Watching him and his old servant happily attending to the sleds and selecting horses, Yun Ye couldn’t say anything more. Let him be.
He Shao actually claimed over sixty sleds, acting important as he directed auxiliary soldiers to load various supplies onto them. Just the copper coins Yun Ye saw filled several sleds.
“Why are you moving copper coins to Qikou? We’re going to a military camp, not to be merchants. Along the way there are barbarians, bandits, horse thieves, and the roads are difficult—what if you’re robbed? You didn’t accumulate this family wealth easily. Would you be willing to give it to barbarians?” Old He was timid—scaring him might work.
“Don’t pull my leg. What family’s horse thieves or bandits dare rob the army? With their escort, I even save the money for hiring an escort agency. You know, wherever you go, there’s big business. I need to follow closely. Another deal like Shuofang, and when I return to Chang’an I can retire comfortably.”
Only pigs retire and eat! Yun Ye felt he’d ruined Old He. A perfectly good lustful dandy now not only understood frugality and household management but also knew how to expand trade routes, even disregarding his life. The current Old He was like a completely different person from the wretched fat man in Chang’an, no longer the hoodlum who’d crack his head open for friends—he now had the bearing of a great merchant.
Old Gongshu took his whole family back to Chang’an with Old He’s merchant caravan. He couldn’t stand staying in the wilderness another day. He asked Yun Ye for a letter and left in a hurry. His luggage was simple—Yun Ye said there was no need to bring luggage since at the academy he’d have to throw it away anyway, as the ragged stuff was embarrassing. The whole family was only forty or fifty people. He asked Old He for a cart of copper coins and stuffed them into Old Gongshu’s hands, saying it was their settlement fee. The entire family’s eyes went straight. Yun Ye felt somewhat proud—what does nobility mean? Being able to casually throw out a cart of copper coins, that’s nobility. Toward the Gongshu family, Yun Ye had just one word: “generous”!
Only Gongshu Jia was kept behind. His brother’s sharp weapons were the strong guarantee for this grassland journey. Someone needed to know how to use life-preserving equipment.
After handing over the crossbow carts and hand crossbows to the Yun family guards, Gongshu Jia was completely unburdened. He would go to Qikou with Yun Ye, and after the battle was finished, return to Chang’an together. When Chai Shao saw the crossbow carts and hand crossbows, he froze for a moment, then instantly gave a self-mocking smile and waved farewell to Yun Ye.
Coming to the grasslands again, the tracks pressed by sleds days ago had long been covered by heavy snow. Half a foot of snow made travel exceptionally difficult. This time Chai Shao assigned experienced barbarian soldiers to guide Yun Ye. They were all men born and raised on the grasslands who had somehow mixed into the garrison soldier ranks—their ranks seemed quite high.
They were very fond of the black gauze face coverings. Upon receiving the black gauze, they’d long since thrown away their broken leather.
The two hundred-some auxiliary soldiers Yun Ye had trained followed him without exception this time. Chai Shao didn’t try to keep them either, only the escort was reduced to fifty men. He believed that having the auxiliary soldiers was actually sufficient. Yun Ye didn’t think so—he wished he had ten thousand troops escorting him. That would be safe.