Liu Fang watched coldly from the sidelines. Yun Ye had decided to set this fire himself. Regardless of success or failure, at least he had done his utmost. If not for that last trace of obsession supporting him in his heart, he would have long since taken his troops and fled back to Chang’an. As for the outcome of the battle and the impact of events, they were completely outside Yun Ye’s considerations. As long as his subordinates could still happily follow him transporting grain, fishing, and selling kelp, who cared whether the military had battles to fight?
With this most simple-minded thinking, Yun Ye led his army to set great fires at all four city gates. At the same time, three thousand auxiliary soldiers began digging open the mound of corpses to retrieve the bones. There was no room for grievance, nor any ceremony—they simply opened the burial mound and transported all the bones inside. The auxiliary soldiers carried sacks of bones on their backs, just like carrying sacks of grain, going back and forth between the Liao River and the mound.
No illumination was needed—the flames soaring from Daewang Fortress were the best candles. The moat was like a flowing river of lava, burning furiously as it entered the city through the low waterways. One hundred thousand pounds of black oil and as much as three thousand pounds of kerosene—who knew what state this city would be ravaged into? Yun Ye didn’t care. He only needed the people inside Daewang Fortress not to come out and cause trouble while the auxiliary soldiers transported the bones.
The Goguryeo forces finally felt fear. They didn’t know how long this great fire would burn. To survive, they charged out through the flames at the city gates. The catapults continuously threw oil jars at the gates. To break out through the sea of fire was completely impossible. They still stubbornly poured water at the gates, trying to extinguish the fire. Due to their improper methods, the flames burned even more fiercely.
“How many bones have been transported? If we can’t finish before the oil burns out, we’ll abandon what’s left. Immediately prepare to retreat. No disobedience permitted.” With his face streaked black and white, Yun Ye looked quite comical at this moment, but Lai Chuanfeng didn’t dare disobey in the slightest. Even he could see that his commander was on the edge of violent rage.
“General, rest assured. More than half have already been transported. In three more hours, we can definitely move them all.”
“Good. Four hours is the limit. When the time comes, everyone must board the ships. Pass the order—Liu Renyuan should prepare for retreat. I don’t want to stay in this damned place for even a quarter-hour longer.”
Lai Chuanfeng stared blankly at the Goguryeo people running out from the flames. Some ran a few steps before collapsing to the ground, mouths open as if trying to cry out, but no sound emerged. Their bodies gradually curled up and twitched, finally beginning to burn themselves until they turned into charcoal. This hellish scene made even this fierce general, who had witnessed death countless times and never valued human life, swallow twice before calming himself down. His gaze toward Yun Ye grew increasingly reverent.
Yun Ye rode Wang Cai back and forth outside the city. His face was wrapped in cloth, and Wang Cai’s mouth was also wrapped in cloth—not to cover their faces, but because the thick smoke was truly unbearable.
When dawn broke, Yun Ye discovered that the river of lava no longer spouted fire, and the flames at the city gates were gradually extinguishing. Perhaps the Goguryeo had built this city too solidly. After the great fire, aside from changing from green to black, everything else seemed unchanged—even the gatehouse remained intact.
More than a thousand cavalry suddenly charged out from the city gates, completely disregarding the crossbow bolts flying like locusts. Bodies pressed against their horses, they galloped desperately. Many warhorses suddenly pitched forward and fell to the ground while running, helplessly spitting black foam from their mouths. The horses were like this, and so were the men. Many people ran while coughing madly, as if trying to cough out their lungs.
Liu Fang pointed at those fish that slipped through the net, running wildly across the wilderness, and said: “If you’d listened to me and set an ambush of cavalry there, there absolutely wouldn’t be any fish slipping through the net.”
“You’re right. It truly was my miscalculation. I didn’t intend to kill everyone. I only wanted to move the bones back. As long as they didn’t obstruct my retrieval of the bones, I didn’t even care about what happened to this city.”
“Those aren’t the words a general should say.” Liu Fang sighed and returned gloomily to his tent.
After the soldiers fled, countless women and children carrying bundles ran out from the city gates. They were even braver than those soldiers, supporting each other as they walked, as if they couldn’t see those Tang troops watching like tigers eyeing their prey.
These could no longer be considered human. Whether adults or children, all were pitch black, with tear-stained tracks carved across their faces. Clustering together, calling out, wailing, they followed the direction indicated by the Goguryeo cavalry corpses, trudging forward with difficulty. Some people collapsed headfirst to the ground as they walked, and those behind would help them up to continue their arduous journey.
Yun Ye lay on Wang Cai’s broad back, chin propped on his hands, watching wide-eyed as these women and children passed before him. From beginning to end, he said nothing. Not hearing Yun Ye order an attack, even the most ruthless Tang soldiers couldn’t help but exhale in relief, feeling their entire bodies relax.
No one else emerged from the gate tunnel. Bold soldiers curiously poked their heads in to look but could see nothing clearly. On their side, sunlight covered the ground, but inside the city gate, black smoke churned like hell itself.
Looking up at the sun, Yun Ye simply waved his hand and led all his soldiers toward the naval forces. Halfway there, Yun Ye discovered a leg bone dropped on the ground. He jumped off his horse, picked up the bone, and inserted it into his quiver. Along the way, many scattered bones lay about. Yun Ye picked them up one by one. When he couldn’t carry anymore, he had Liu Jinbao also hold a bundle. This didn’t look like collecting human remains but rather like a diligent farm woman gleaning wheat stalks in a wheat field.
“General, what shall we do with our remaining catapults and siege towers?” A junior officer hurried over to ask.
“Burn them. Burn them all. After lighting the fire, immediately catch up with the formation. We’re going home!”
The previously silent troops immediately cheered upon hearing the general’s words. So their battle was already finished! They followed Yun Ye closely, collecting dried bones in the wilderness. Finding a foot bone was considered a decent harvest. Finding an arm bone would earn praise from others. If someone found a skull, they’d be as happy as if they’d found gold.
At this time, no one thought those bones were filthy, nor did they feel any vengeful spirits attached to them. These people were actually their own comrades and brothers. They could feel immense joy from the bones cradled in their arms.
When Yun Ye looked back, the mound that had stood there just days ago had completely vanished without a trace. In its place was an enormous stone monument. This monument had previously been inscribed with the origins and reasons for the burial mound. Now, all those characters had disappeared, leaving only eight large characters: “Yun Ye Broke Daewang Fortress Here.” The characters were blood red, reflecting an eerie light in the sunshine.
Yun Ye’s luck was excellent. He actually found a section of finger bone by the water. This finger bone had been washed very clean by the river. He used a handkerchief to wipe away the water stains, placed the bone in his purse, and tugged the reins. Wang Cai neighed happily and began galloping wildly across the soft sandy beach beneath his hooves.
Wu She watched Yun Ye galloping wildly by the river and said to Liu Fang: “This child is quite good. Even if he can’t become a general, he can become a very good person. Why must we force him to command armies on horseback and govern the people on foot? Who says those who kill many make good generals? These past days, look at what he’s become! Even Wang Cai is unhappy.”
“This old man was mistaken. I always wanted to teach him everything I knew before dying. I always thought a general should have the proper bearing. Now it seems unnecessary. Well then, living happily through one’s life is also an excellent choice. I hope my Feng’er can also live a hundred years without illness or disaster like him.”
Cast off the moorings, raise the anchor. The wooden rafts floated downstream. The Liao River surged in spring, swollen with melted snow. The entire great river appeared even more magnificent. Though it lacked the clear ripples of winter, the turbulent muddy waters always reminded Yun Ye of that long river in Longzhong…
Yun Ye lay on the deck, his clothing loosened, wanting the warm spring sun to drive away the last trace of darkness from his heart. Wang Cai came over and lay down beside him, nudging him with his nose. When Yun Ye used to lie on the deck, he always leaned against his belly. Why was he lying on the ground today?
Shifting his body back, his head pillowed on Wang Cai’s belly—comfortable for himself, and Wang Cai felt comfortable too. Old Fang had previously been the steward of the Yun Family’s outer courtyard. Since he’d encountered the Marquis, of course he should return to his old profession. He brewed tea from the cabin, carefully skimmed off the foam, inspected it once, and only when he saw the tea was golden yellow was he satisfied. The Yun Family cook was on the ship and had made two small pastries for Yun Ye. The rose crisps were a bit hard, and the osmanthus cake was too sweet. Old Fang pursed his lips and viciously kicked the cook’s rear twice to vent a bit of his anger. Such a clumsy fellow would only be fit to cook for the servants if he were back home.
Carrying the wooden tray, he walked onto the deck and slowly placed it beside Yun Ye. Now that he’d put on weight, bending down to do these things had become difficult, but he still did it meticulously.
Eyes closed, Yun Ye suddenly said: “Uncle Fang, we’ve been apart for a while—why have we become so distant? I’m not someone who’s too particular. Why make yourself so tired?”
“Marquis, our family is now a household of reputation in Chang’an. You can’t be too indulgent with us servants. Everyone knows life at home is comfortable, but when you’re comfortable for too long, you don’t want to move about anymore. Look—these killers can’t even make two simple pastries properly now. It’s wronged you, Marquis. You’ve fought battle after battle, captured enemy generals and seized banners—the whole family shares the glory. We servants attending to you is our good fortune. Being small birds under your great tree, picking up a few worms to eat—that’s merit accumulated by eight generations of ancestors.”
“Alright, Uncle Fang, you still can’t change your habit of flattering. But as the master is, so are the servants—I happen to like this. If you want to return home to continue as steward, of course you can. The family members are scattered all over the world. Uncle Qian alone can’t manage everything. It would be good if you returned home to help Uncle Qian manage the household. At your age, constantly weathering wind and rain isn’t good. Settling down would be best. Let the young ones run around outside.”