Gou Zi grinned as he put on his animal hide outfit, strapped his bow and arrows on his back, his quiver filled with sixteen chicken-feather arrows he’d made himself. He tied a machete to his waist along with a coil of hemp rope, waved at Yun Ye, and dove into the forest. This time he was going to meet up with Dan Ying, who had already gone to Cangyan City.
“You’re not worried about Gou Zi? You really want him to go alone?”
Yun Ye asked Wu She, who was craning his neck watching Gou Zi, in puzzlement. Wu She had always doted on Gou Zi. These past two years, he had taught him everything he knew, holding nothing back. The two got along like actual grandfather and grandson. He never let Gou Zi get entangled in those tedious court disputes. Otherwise, with his connections, getting Gou Zi an official position would be quite easy.
“When a pup grows up, he should hunt for himself. How many years do you think this old man has left to live? If I don’t let the pup out to test himself now, should I wait until after this old man kicks the bucket to test him?” Wu She was in a foul mood. Having stretched his neck to watch until Gou Zi disappeared, he impatiently answered Yun Ye, shook his sleeves, and was about to return to the ship. Halfway there, he turned back and asked Yun Ye, “Are you certain you want to use that vicious acupuncture technique on that Goguryeo man? Last time, Sun Simiao severely rebuked this old man, saying something about how silver needles are for saving lives but were sullied by sinister people like us. He even told this old man that if he dared teach this acupuncture method to Gou Zi, he would immediately attach two dog paws to him, making him unable to use silver needles for the rest of his life.”
“Who told you to use that thing on Tang people? Master Sun refuses even to conduct pathological experiments on our own people. You ran to tell him you have a secret, untransmitted method for stealing vital essence and withering bones—weren’t you just asking to be scolded? Of course such a vicious skill can’t be taught to Gou Zi. He’s such a good child—you can’t let him carry the reputation of a demon in the future.”
“I think you should just teach it to me. I’m a wastrel, one of the Three Scourges, and an official to boot. Look—I embody all three of the world’s most disgusting types of people. This acupuncture method was naturally prepared for me. Having a disciple like me is your old man’s blessing—clever, capable, kind-hearted. It’s destined that I won’t spread this acupuncture method around carelessly.”
“A butcher who just burned tens of thousands to death has the face to call himself kind-hearted. From now on, I absolutely won’t stand next to you. When Heaven strikes you with lightning, what if it hits the wrong person? You want to learn acupuncture? No problem. You already have sores on your head and pus on your feet anyway—one more thing won’t be conspicuous.”
After the increasingly garrulous Wu She boarded the ship, Yun Ye glanced at Old Xiong. Old Xiong nodded and led ten men into the forest as well…
Chang’an’s Hall of Myriad Citizens was now as noisy as a marketplace. Various voices mixed together became cacophonous. Several masters pointed at Li Xiaogong and a few others through gritted teeth, saying, “In early years when warfare was rampant, using harsh laws was acceptable. As long as chaos could be quickly quelled, it accumulated great merit. We old men have never criticized your excessive killing.”
“Now the realm is at peace. Why must there still be bloodshed? The Turks have been pacified, the Xueyantuo have also submitted with clasped hands. Though the Tuyuhun people still harbor treacherous hearts after suffering severe defeat, now they’ve obediently dispatched their High Priest to pay court. The Goguryeo people are building their Great Wall—which means they’re preparing to lock themselves away.”
“We old men have yearned for decades for the peace that’s about to arrive. Why at this time must you force onto the battlefield a young man who neither wishes to fight nor knows how to fight? What’s wrong with the Lingnan Navy transporting grain every year? Chang’an’s grain prices have been guaranteed below four coins for two consecutive years—that’s their achievement. Much more useful than your killing and arson. You old thieves forced a perfectly good young man to kill and set fires. Now that a huge disaster has erupted, how will you answer to His Majesty and the people of the realm?”
Old He Chou, as the most senior commanding official, faced those generals who ignored him and accused them with heartfelt pain. Li Jing claimed illness, reportedly suffering unbearable leg pain. Li Ji hid in the very back. Li Xiaogong had no way to avoid it and could only tilt his face up to receive the spittle.
“Duke Chou, Yun Ye’s journey was to retrieve the remains of fallen soldiers from the previous dynasty and to demonstrate our national prestige. What fault is there in that?” When Li Xiaogong remained silent it was fine, but once he spoke, he stirred up a hornet’s nest.
Yu Shinan stepped forward, pointing at Li Xiaogong and saying, “Who asked you to meddle? I’ve already petitioned His Majesty to enfeoff King Yeongnyu Go Geonmu as Grand Pillar of State, Prince of Liaodong Commandery. We need only send an envoy with kind words to settle his heart. Then retrieving the soldiers’ remains would be a natural outcome. Why use military conquest? This time Yun Ye penetrated six hundred li deep into Liaodong alone. The slightest reversal means total annihilation. If Yun Ye is defeated, the fault lies not with him, but with you!”
Fang Xuanling continued being his Buddha, saying nothing. Du Ruhui also kept silent. Their positions were sensitive—better to say less. Only Wei Zheng stepped forward, holding his tablet, and reported to the Emperor, “Your Majesty, regarding征 征 征 征 征 征 征 征 征 征 征 Liaodong, this subject has no objections. The Goguryeo bandits are ambitious, with the gaze of eagles and glance of wolves, coveting our territory. They are indeed a nation that must be attacked.”
“征 征 征 征 征 征 Liaodong is a major undertaking requiring the entire nation’s strength to succeed. Why quietly dispatch Yun Ye on a lone expedition? We subjects only heard rumors, never heard court deliberation. What is the reason? Could it be we subjects are not worthy of trust?”
Li Er sat on the imperial throne watching his ministers argue endlessly below, giving him a tremendous headache. He knew far more details than those ministers below. The Bai Qi Si had people who reported early on about the causes and effects on the battlefield. Regarding Yun Ye’s ruthlessness, he was quite alarmed. Thinking of that Beisha City completely burned to ash, Li Er faintly felt he’d been tricked again. Retrieving the remains wasn’t difficult for Yun Ye—why use such heavy-handed methods? This way, even if Goguryeo didn’t want war, they’d have to fight. Could it be the Goguryeo people had the guts to invade the Great Tang?
“Minister Wei, what are you saying? We merely sent Yun Ye to handle a small matter. It didn’t warrant informing the realm. Calculating it, this was also Our private affair, so We didn’t tell everyone.”
“The Son of Heaven has no private affairs. Your Majesty’s every private matter relates to national welfare and people’s livelihood. How can it be treated so lightly…”
In fact, no one in the court cared how many Goguryeo people died or whether they deserved to die. What they cared about was their own power and position. These past two years without warfare, military power had been compressed to the minimum. Aside from a few great generals guarding the frontiers, the remaining old generals were basically idle at home. Four old generals were guarding the imperial palace gates—actually, so many weren’t needed. To placate those generals and demonstrate his absolute trust in them, Li Er had no choice but to hand his gates over to four people to guard. Now entering the imperial palace required passing through four checkpoints.
These years, the civil officials had actively displayed their talents, attacking the meritorious aristocrat groups from all angles. All were vested interest holders, all wanting to grab the largest share. Even fools knew why those old generals sent Yun Ye to Liaodong, yet no one exposed it. They wanted to force those old generals to admit themselves that sending Yun Ye to Liaodong was to provoke warfare. Only this way would the civil official faction have a good handle to strike.
Li Er, mired in this muddy mess, finally became angry. He slapped the table heavily. After everyone automatically returned to their positions and stood still, he said, “Yun Ye is Our personal guard. Dispatching him to handle small matters is nothing significant. Since the matter has occurred, we must prepare defenses. Order Zhang Jian to maintain full vigilance. Qibi Heli should accelerate his march, striving to rendezvous with Zhang Jian in the shortest time to defend Liaodong without negligence. Beloved ministers, this matter isn’t finished. We dare say this is merely the beginning.”
“Let us watch developments quietly. It’s nothing major—just retrieving remains…”
Gou Zi had ropes over his shoulders, pulling a sled made of bound wooden poles. On the sled lay a wild boar and a deer. Several grouse were also tied to the sled frame. After several days of forest life, his fur coat had become tattered and torn. His shoes exposed his big toes. Cangyan City was ahead. He figured entering Cangyan City as a Liaodong hunter shouldn’t be too difficult. As a qualified scout, these past days he and Ren Xiong had learned to speak fluent Liaodong dialect.
Cangyan City was the largest city within three hundred li. Its population alone accounted for twenty percent of Liaodong’s population. It was also the seat of Goguryeo’s government in Liaodong Province. The population was mixed—Goguryeo people, Tang people, survivors of the former Sui, Heishui people, Baekje people, Mohe people—all traded here. Its strategic importance was second only to Anshi City. Guarding here was the Great Nusa of northern Goguryeo, Gao Huizhen. This man was also a famous Goguryeo warrior. Years ago, he alone defended Anshi City, forcing Emperor Yang of Sui to retreat—a famous reputation. Only after that battle did he earn the title of renowned general.
The high city walls didn’t have as many flags as Tang cities. There were only armed warriors with bows and swords. Several mountain folk timidly emerged from the city gate tunnel. Clearly, defenses had already begun here. Gao Huizhen, as a battle-hardened general, had caught wind of something unsettling.
Gou Zi had just reached the city gate when a portly shopkeeper-looking man ran out from inside the gate. As soon as he emerged, he shouted at Gou Zi, “Gou Zi, Gou Zi, why are you only arriving now? Hunting game and you’re three days late. Any later and the city gates would be sealed!”
Though Gou Zi didn’t recognize this man, seeing the wooden carved eagle hanging from his neck, he immediately knew this was his inside contact. Pulling the sled, he hurried forward two steps and complained, “Shopkeeper, you don’t know—I ran into a bear. That creature kept me treed for two days. If I hadn’t climbed a thorny tree, it would have climbed up to bite me.”
The angry shopkeeper was quite frightening. With one slap, he knocked off Gou Zi’s fur hat, then cursed from behind, urging him to hurry. He pulled out a large handful of copper coins from his bosom and casually tossed them on the ground. He didn’t even glance at the Goguryeo people on either side of the city gate. Gou Zi curiously looked back at those Goguryeo people scrambling for copper coins and quietly asked the shopkeeper, “These are Goguryeo soldiers?”
“Kid, these are slave soldiers. Even the Goguryeo people themselves look down on them. When you see Gao Huizhen’s personal troops, you’ll know these bastards aren’t bad either.”