Yun Ye and Sun Simiao, along with dozens of medical auxiliary soldiers holding sharp blades, made rounds through every tent, pulling out the hands and feet of the campaigning soldiers one by one to examine them. Their bodies smelled terrible, and the odor of their feet was even more nauseating. The smell inside the tents was enough to give one nightmares.
Yun Ye, who had a slight cleanliness obsession, remained very calm. He didn’t even wear a mask as he pulled out a filthy large foot from the blankets and held it in his hands to carefully observe.
“Two toes on the left foot have completely blackened. There’s no hope of treatment. I recommend amputation, immediate amputation. Otherwise, it will become infected.”
The soldiers had no family members here, and they themselves were sleeping unconscious. The only one who could make decisions was General Zhang Gongjin. He looked carefully, then wrote the word “approved” on the document. This was what Yun Ye had strongly requested—he didn’t want these brave warriors to think he was casually severing their limbs from their bodies. This was respect, and also to reduce trouble. If soldiers became unreasonable, they would use their blades.
Seeing Zhang Gongjin’s signature, auxiliary soldiers immediately washed the soldier’s foot clean with warm water, then applied alcohol to disinfect it once. A pair of sharp scissors was handed to Yun Ye. Along the edge of the blackened skin, the scissor blades closed, and a section of toe easily separated from the foot. The soldier being operated on only gave light grunts twice and remained in deep sleep. The two blackened toes were wrapped in clean hemp cloth by an auxiliary soldier and placed at the soldier’s pillow. His foot had already been tightly wrapped in hemp cloth.
Over the entire day, Yun Ye didn’t know how many fingers, toes, and even half a foot sole he had cut off. Without anesthesia, those poor soldiers screamed in their sleep, tears streaming down their faces. No matter how loud they cried out, they all thought they were just dreaming. These past days, they had experienced scenes more terrifying than nightmares. Exhaustion and pain had never left them.
Yun Ye amputated a soldier’s little finger, then used silk thread to suture the skin on both sides together before bandaging it. When he raised his head, he discovered this soldier was looking at him, but his eyes had no focus—he was sleeping. Yun Ye gently closed his eyelids and, hearing him breathing evenly, left his side.
When amputating frostbitten limbs, people have no sensation because all the nerves have been killed. Some fingers, when cut off, didn’t even bleed—only pale yellow bodily fluid seeped out. Yun Ye didn’t remember how long he worked until he met Sun Simiao and learned they had finished processing everything.
“Today I cut off many fingers, toes, and even several ears. What about you?” Yun Ye asked Sun Simiao while washing his hands.
“Same as you. I merely cut off two people’s noses. This surgery went exceptionally smoothly.” Sun Simiao washed his hands on the other side, his tone calm. “We won, didn’t we, Daoist Sun? This battle ensures at least thirty years where the Great Tang will have no more suffering from Turkish attacks at our gates. It’s worth it, though they suffered for it.”
“Heaven and earth are not benevolent—they treat all things as straw dogs. This old Daoist understands in his heart that people come to this world to suffer. You and I both endure hardship between heaven and earth, not knowing when it will end.” Old Sun had witnessed too many human tragedies these past days, so he unconsciously believed that human life was born to suffering.
“Daoist, it’s now the depths of winter, precisely when heaven and earth are at their most harsh. It’s not strange that you have such thoughts. However, you’ve been a Daoist for many years—why are you so easily invaded by external demons? This young one thought your Daoist heart was firm and unwavering. Who knew you also have weak moments?” Coming out of the tent, Yun Ye removed the small cloth strips stuffed in his nostrils and took several deep breaths. The ice-cold air filled his chest cavity, instantly lifting his spirits.
Returning to his own snow house, Tang Jian, who had already slept for a day, was still snoring thunderously. Without disturbing him, Yun Ye placed a clay pot on the stove, planning to make himself some dinner. When away from home, Yun Ye never let others handle his meals unless he was serving as the camp’s commanding officer. Only then would he give up eating alone and dine with the soldiers. Even if it was pig slop, he tried his best to eat it with relish.
He had learned this habit from Cheng Yaojin. Old Cheng actually had a discerning palate, but he equally enjoyed military camp meals. You could see him gorging at banquets, and you could also see him holding a large coarse bowl, shoveling soup noodles that looked like snot into his mouth. He didn’t know why he was thinking of Old Cheng for no reason—probably because he himself was already very weary of killing and warfare.
The thin porridge in the clay pot bubbled continuously. He stirred it constantly with a spoon. He suddenly remembered a secret his mother had told him about cooking thin porridge. If you want good-tasting porridge, there’s only one word: stir. He kept stirring.
After a while, he suddenly laughed and tapped his head. Just now, he had been thinking random thoughts, nothing more than wanting to drive today’s events from his mind. People all hope to remember the most beautiful things and forget those cruel, tragic events, even if these things were caused by themselves.
He found two preserved eggs. Grandmother had given him these—a whole jar. Now only a few remained. To celebrate that he hadn’t forgotten the distant past, he planned to make a pot of preserved egg and lean meat porridge. He just didn’t know if adding beef would taste good. He wanted to try it—very much so.
Not bad. It smelled fragrant. He took a long, intoxicated breath and was about to ladle out a bowl when he heard someone speak behind him: “Ladle out two bowls. Use a large bowl for mine.” The words were impolite, but Yun Ye still followed his instructions and ladled him a large bowl. For a fellow who had just narrowly escaped death for his country, this request wasn’t excessive.
Tang Jian, who usually prized elegance and subtlety as beautiful, ignored the hot steam from the preserved egg and lean meat porridge and swallowed large mouthfuls, like a starving ghost reincarnated. He was constantly burned by the hot porridge and had to stick out his tongue to cool it. Where was even half a trace of his usual grace?
“Slow down. I’m not competing with you. You’re such an old man acting so childish. Who’s really older, you or me?”
Tang Jian wiped his mouth with his sleeve and handed the empty bowl to Yun Ye, indicating he wanted another bowl.
“If you freeze in the snowfield for more than ten days, this old man doesn’t believe you’d be any better off than me. You stayed in the military camp with a warm house and good food. Do you know what kind of days this old man has been through? My head could have fallen off at any moment.” After speaking, he even gave Yun Ye a sidelong glance.
“How did you escape back from the chaos of soldiers? That’s quite a skill. Teach me so I can gain some knowledge too.” The story of Tang Jian’s escape was legendary. Yun Ye wanted to know.
Unexpectedly, this question made Tang Jian, who always liked to joke, cry. He even forgot to eat, holding his rice bowl as he cried more and more sorrowfully, finally bursting into great sobs.
Tang Jian was a strong person—Yun Ye knew this. As the envoy the Emperor sent this time to appease Xie Li, his wisdom and courage were top choices. Otherwise, this burden wouldn’t have been placed on his shoulders.
The thin porridge cooled, and Tang Jian stopped crying. He lowered his head and slowly ate the porridge, eating very slowly. Finally, he put down his bowl and chopsticks and said to Yun Ye: “Is Marquis Yun truly interested in knowing how this old man narrowly escaped death?”
“There’s nothing unusual about it. The Grand Commander raided the camp at dawn, and the Turks were thrown into chaos. I had already dug a pit in my tent. When the chaos started, I crawled into the pit. My guards placed a wooden plank over me and gave me a small tube to hold in my mouth for breathing. Finally, they covered me with sand and earth. I relied on that small tube to breathe—that’s how I survived this calamity. What does Marquis Yun think?” Tang Jian looked at Yun Ye, then picked up the porridge bowl again and continued eating.
“I only want to ask one thing: Where did your guards, attendants, and subordinate officials go? Are they still alive?”
Tang Jian’s hand trembled, and the bowl in his hand nearly fell. He smiled bitterly and asked back: “What do you think?”
Seeing Tang Jian in such agony, Yun Ye suddenly remembered the historical records about him: On the eighth day, Li Jing raided the Turks, and Tang Jian returned.
From Tang Jian’s broken narration, Yun Ye finally pieced together the sequence of events. After Kang Sumi coerced Empress Xiao and Crown Prince Yuande surrendered to Tang, Xie Li knew things were going badly. He absolutely couldn’t withstand one hundred thousand fierce Tang soldiers, so he sent Zhishisili as a special envoy to Chang’an to apologize and surrender to Emperor Taizong of Tang, expressing his willingness to submit the entire nation. In reality, he planned to wait until the grass was green and horses were fat before moving to the northern desert to bide his time for a comeback. Emperor Taizong of Tang sent Minister of State Ceremonial Tang Jian and others to appease the Turks and ordered Li Jing to lead troops as support. Li Jing believed that although Xie Li was defeated, his forces were still numerous. If allowed to flee to the northern desert and depend on the Xueyantuo and other tribes, it would be very difficult to pursue and annihilate them. Now that Tang Jian was among the Turks, Xie Li had let down his guard and was unprepared. If they selected elite cavalry to raid them, they could capture him without battle. Li Jing ordered Zhang Gongjin to command the main army to follow, while he personally led ten thousand elite cavalry, each preparing twenty days of rations, setting out overnight and racing toward Iron Mountain. When Li Jing’s army reached Yinshan, they encountered over a thousand Turkish tents and captured them all to follow the army. Seeing the Tang envoys come to appease them, Xie Li believed all was safe and did not take precautions.
In the coldest weather, Li Jing took advantage of the thick fog rising on the grassland and ordered vanguard Su Dingfang to lead two hundred fierce soldiers in a surprise attack. Under the cover of the fog, they weren’t discovered until they reached Xie Li’s main camp. Xie Li, who loved fleeing most, once again abandoned his people, found the fastest horse, and fled first, leaving one hundred thousand Turkish herdsmen to be completely captured by Li Jing in one net. The Turks’ most elite cavalry were also completely destroyed in this surprise attack. It could be said that although Xie Li escaped, the Eastern Turks had already perished.
The transformation of time and space was so swift. When Yun Ye first arrived in the Tang Dynasty, it was when Xie Li was showing off his might in Guanzhong. Two hundred thousand mounted archers once approached the Wei River. The ink on Li’er’s White Horse Alliance with Xie Li was barely dry, yet Xie Li had already rapidly declined.
It could be said that as a person of the Great Tang, Yun Ye’s first enemy was Xie Li. Now seeing this formidable enemy finally defeated, his heart involuntarily lightened by several degrees.
Presumably, Li Ji, this best scorer, wouldn’t miss this excellent opportunity for a follow-up shot. Thinking about how in the future in Chang’an he could freely humiliate the king of the grasslands, Yun Ye couldn’t help but grin with laughter.
“Why is Marquis Yun laughing alone? Tell me about it so this old man can also change his thoughts. After this great victory, let this old man also relax.” Tang Jian finally emerged from his grief.
“I’m certain that this time Xie Li cannot escape even with wings. General Li Ji won’t miss this good opportunity. According to convention, we and Xie Li might even have the possibility of serving as officials in the same court. If I encounter Xie Li in Chang’an and act a bit mischievous, do you think His Majesty would blame me?”