War was a process of accumulated contradictions erupting. In Yun Ye’s view, the Battle of Talas, under the current political conditions, was inevitable to break out. Since it would erupt sooner or later, it might as well erupt now.
Beating the Abbasids until they hurt, until they feared greatly, and establishing a buffer zone—these were things that must be done at present. Since he currently lacked neither manpower nor equipment, and with morale soaring high, conducting a necessary decisive battle was very reasonable and necessary.
Du Ruhui’s opinion was the same. Ever since the old fellow arrived in the Western Regions, he had thoroughly abandoned his refined and scholarly facade of hypocrisy. One ruthless decree after another, exceeding Yun Ye’s imagination in cruelty, came from the hands of this great Confucian scholar who had received Confucian education since childhood. The Thirty-Six Kingdoms of the Western Regions were kneaded and pinched in his hands. When he finally let go, Yun Ye was astonished to discover that the Western Regions had already transformed into another world. Under his command, there were suddenly more than one hundred thousand additional vassal troops.
“Using these people to scout ahead, attack cities, and build roads is still quite good. They’re all desperate people. Give them a way to live and they’ll be deeply grateful. The Western Regions occupy a remote corner. If they want to integrate into the Empire, without shedding blood for the Empire, they cannot develop feelings. So, Yun Ye, use these people to death—no need for courtesy.”
Du Ruhui put down the “Doctrine of the Mean” in his hands, looked into Yun Ye’s eyes, and then walked out with his hands behind his back.
They were all old veterans of killing like mowing grass! Yun Ye couldn’t help but admire him. Holding Confucian sacred texts like the “Doctrine of the Mean” in his hands, speaking words that deserved the eighteenth level of hell from his mouth—the old fellow felt not the slightest bit of discomfort.
However, Yun Ye also felt this wasn’t any big deal. Du Ruhui didn’t know how many times he had gathered manpower for the nation. When recruiting and pacifying Du Fuwei, the persuader was this fellow. Then Du Fuwei was finished. When recruiting and pacifying Li Mi, it was still this old fellow who went forth. Then Li Mi was also finished. It was said that Li Mi’s subordinate general Wang Bodang died a horrible death, shot into a sieve by random arrows. As for small figures like Xiao Xian, who knew how many had been schemed to death by him and the Great Tang’s various strategists.
In any case, Yun Ye had never seen in Chang’an those so-called grass-roots kings who were supposedly enjoying retirement and blessings. The likelihood of them being underground was extremely high. Kill a batch, recruit a batch, then die another batch—finally, the people who remained could enjoy the Great Tang’s benefits. This was a fundamental process, and the old fellow had long played it with perfect ease.
Handing these matters over to Fan Hongyi and Tian Yuanyi presented not the slightest problem. Tian Yuanyi liked to toil laboriously, and Fan Hongyi liked being abused. Having two such capable subordinates made Yun Ye very happy. Whatever tasks were entrusted to their hands, they could complete them both quickly and well. Add to that Cheng Chumo, who loved warfare—no matter what unreasonable mission he received, he would happily complete it. Even dying was no problem. Under Yun Ye’s command, he didn’t need to consider being stabbed in the back. As long as he fought well in battle, all would be perfectly fine.
In short, in Yun Ye’s camp, the atmosphere was very harmonious. No one up or down in the Camel City took the impending great battle seriously.
However, this was a spiritual level matter. Even if Yun Ye went to kill rabbits, he prepared to mobilize fifty thousand troops. The stratagem of Guo Ping and Chen Shu preparing to lead three thousand iron cavalry to first conduct a probing major battle with the enemy was directly rejected by Yun Ye. He didn’t want to waste that effort. Since the Camel City was alive, then move forward. No matter when or where they encountered Abbasid forces, the Abbasids would feel as if troops were at their city gates. Yun Ye would only defend and not attack. Since the Camel City was an invincible existence, why should he let his officers and soldiers use their own blood to probe the enemy’s reality?
To obtain the final dividend, the Abbasids must capture the Camel City. Yun Ye only hoped that Yusuf could bring over all the Abbasid forces from the East. Only when there were many enemies could the Camel City display its maximum effectiveness.
Only by thoroughly crushing the Abbasids could the Turks follow this passage to the distant West, like a scourge of God fiercely whipping those Westerners. The Turks, who only knew destruction and not construction, were natural bandits. Their existence in the West would bring to Westerners the same fate that caused the rise and fall of the Han people. He wondered whether historians a thousand years hence, when organizing their own nations’ histories, would feel that their own nations’ fates were also like leeks, needing to be harvested crop after crop. Now, Yun Ye’s greatest wicked amusement was sending the Turkic sickle to the distant West.
Na Rimu finally began to love her own child, because this child was full of spirit, would open her little mouth to smile at her, and was rarely heard crying. She was nothing like Yun Mu, who would cry wah-wah at the slightest discomfort and couldn’t be left alone for a moment.
“After giving birth to a child, I’m no longer beautiful.” Na Rimu looked at the stretch marks on her belly and said softly to Yun Ye.
“What use is being so beautiful after giving birth to a child? Having become a mother, you must abandon many things. Previously when you gave birth to Yun Mu, you were still young and didn’t understand these things. Now you must understand. You’re different from Xinyue and the others. In your nature, there’s a wild side. I’ve never restrained you, but now for the sake of the child, you must also give up some ideals you previously insisted upon.”
“Our family doesn’t want the Western Regions. In the future, this place will be a land of conflict. Li Yuanxiang wants this place simply because he wants to contend for Transoxiana with the Great Tang at his back. From now on, the Western Regions will never know peace. To surround Tubo, we must capture Greater Bolu and complete the encirclement of Tubo. Even if we cannot force Songtsen Gampo to surrender, we must re-establish our own forces in Tubo. It would be best to divide Tubo into fragments.”
Yun Ye held the child and spoke volubly to Na Rimu.
“This concubine doesn’t understand.” Na Rimu timidly replied.
“I’m telling you precisely because I know you don’t understand. I’m just feeling a bit vexed in my heart, so I’m speaking what’s in my heart. These words can only be said to you—saying them to others wouldn’t be appropriate. When I’m talking to you, just listen and don’t speak too much.”
“Oh.” Na Rimu took the child and also sat up properly, preparing to listen to Yun Ye speak.
“After finishing the war with the Abbasids, we’ll return home. Very possibly we’ll be short two friends—one is Xi Tong, one is Han Zhe. They want to establish themselves as kings and overlords in the Western Regions. This way, they’ll very likely become figures like kings. The premise for us being able to befriend Han Zhe and Xi Tong is that they’re idle clouds and wild cranes. After becoming kings, it won’t work. What can sever friendship in this world is power and influence. The saying ‘a great man cannot be corrupted by wealth and honor, cannot be subdued by power and force’—in the end, it’s all nonsense. People impervious to persuasion die the fastest.”
“After returning home, I’ll very likely take up a position at court. This is very annoying. No matter for what purpose, His Majesty won’t let me go back to teaching. Under no circumstances will he allow it. I actually very much want to be the Prefect of Yuezhou, to return to the side of the great lake, far away from the court. During the day, boating on the lake; at night, holding lantern banquets, finding two good friends to drink a few cups—that would be good. But this is purely dreaming.”
“After returning to Chang’an, just live in drunken stupor. You can also dance and sing all day long. Don’t you think that would be good…”
By the time Yun Ye had finished rambling through the future he could foresee, when he looked at Na Rimu again, he discovered she was already asleep holding the child. He gently helped Na Rimu pull up her collar, settled the child properly, and tiptoed out of the room.
Finding a pot of wine, he sat on a wooden plank drinking alone. He didn’t dare drink excessively—such a small pot of wine couldn’t intoxicate anyone. What a boring life! Unable to laugh heartily, unable to cry tears. Everyone had pursuits. Xi Tong, Han Zhe—who knew where they got such determination to desperately torment this world. Perhaps they were just finding things to do for themselves because they were bored?
Wu She had become obsessed. His room was like someone was arc welding inside—continuous dazzling white light shot out. The jade plaques that had been on the verge of death some days ago had recovered their vigorous and lively state after being exposed to the scorching sun for several days. Yun Ye very much wanted to smash such powerfully luminous pearls to see what was actually inside. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do that. If he did, Wu She would definitely go mad.
Du Ruhui, emerging from Wu She’s room, bumped his head straight into a flagpole. Someone whose eyes had been strongly flashed by intense light for half an hour, suddenly coming into the dim framework—not bumping his head would be the strange thing.
He didn’t know what was wrong with their eyes—they didn’t even experience red swelling or tearing. Regarding the quality of this lamp, Yun Ye admired it with prostrate devotion.
“His Majesty is preparing to establish thirty-two provincial military governorships in the Western Regions. What does Marquis Yun think?” Du Ruhui rubbed his forehead. To cover his embarrassment, he immediately assumed a serious expression and asked Yun Ye.
“I know. This policy is not wrong—it’s just that the number of governorships is too few. I believe sixty-four is an appropriate number. I don’t want to lead troops to reconquer the Western Regions all over again when I’m old in the future. Coming here this once, I’m already fed up. I only want to find a place with clear mountains and beautiful waters to retire.”
This was Fang Xuanling’s idea. Since the Emperor was preparing to enfeoff various princes, then reducing each person’s fief somewhat was the best idea. In this place called the Western Regions, if you didn’t personally make the trip yourself, there was no way to have a clear understanding of its vastness. Even Fang Xuanling couldn’t make an accurate judgment based on imagination alone.
Du Ruhui sat down, sighed, and said: “I’m afraid you wanting to retire won’t work. At thirty years of age, you’re precisely in your prime years of usefulness. This old man should indeed withdraw, properly living a few more years for himself.”
“After this great battle, I’m afraid many veteran officials should all step down. Unfamiliarity with policies and the times has already become the Great Tang’s greatest obstacle. The reason His Majesty is unwilling to change chancellors is that we can still barely be used.”
“As long as the Great Tang achieves great victory in this war, this world will turn to a new page. All people will have to re-examine our world with completely new eyes.”
“As the terminators of the previous era and witnesses to the next era, this old man’s heart is filled with boundless joy. As veteran officials, in the past years we never dared to slack off for a single day. We’ve finally given birth to a brand new era. Yun Ye, the new world belongs to you all. Don’t let us feel disappointed.”