Yuan Shoucheng refused to let Yun Ye bury the old eagle. He claimed he could use secret techniques to revive the eagle. Ever since witnessing Sun Simiao’s abilities, Yun Ye no longer dared to underestimate these old fellows’ capabilities. Half-believing and half-doubting, he handed the eagle over to the old Daoist, and everyone once again boarded the ice sleds to slowly descend the mountain.
With the help of the ice sleds, they covered over a hundred li in just two hours. When they met the officer guarding at the mountain base, the sun had just reached its zenith. The officer was exceptionally delighted to see the Commander return safely. As for the two missing Daoists, he completely didn’t care about such matters.
Returning to the command tent, Yun Ye had no time for other matters. He picked up the official documents from the past few days to carefully read through them. The scouts from various locations should have sent back intelligence by now. Whatever the Turks intended to do at this time should be reaching the moment of revelation. Remaining holed up at the border for an extended period was not a good plan. In critical moments, even a bad plan was a hundred times better than having no plan at all.
Liu Fang had taken over Qu Zhuo’s command authority—this was an expected development. When Xiao Miao’s matter appeared on paper, Yun Ye was so astonished he couldn’t utter a single word. Anji? After killing someone’s entire family, she instead received incomparable support? Now stationed with ten thousand troops, ready at any moment to strike into the Shache Kingdom and open the prelude to the Western Expedition?
Closing the document, his fingers continuously tapped on the desk. This was a new development—he had never dreamed that matters would actually diverge onto a different path. How Liu Fang would use these ten thousand men to entice everyone into the Western Expedition remained an unknown variable.
He himself had dispatched Dan Ying there. Adding Han Zhe, Xi Tong, and He Tianshang, one could already foresee that these ten thousand men would absolutely become a force of tigers and wolves. Han Zhe hoped to spread his teachings in the Western Regions—this was his condition. West of the Pamir Mountains was already beyond the Great Tang’s control; whatever he wanted to do there was his business. Xi Tong hoped to establish a small kingdom to satisfy his addiction to being a king—let him do as he pleased. As for He Tianshang, his brain had purely been kicked by a donkey; he actually wanted to lead an army to fight all the way to the edge of the world.
Let them do as they wished. The farther these disasters stayed from the Great Tang, the better. Han Zhe wanted to establish his own religion. Xi Tong’s desire to become a king had existed for a long time. Ever since being humiliated by Han Zhe, He Tianshang had been seeking death. Now having the rare opportunity to live as explosively as a firecracker was a precious chance indeed.
Once wolves were released, don’t expect them to eat grass. Han Zhe brought a large group of believers, Xi Tong brought a large group of bandits, and He Tianshang carried his late mother’s ashes, ready at any moment to be buried together with his mother. What an excellent group of people they were! Suiye City must be extremely lively right now.
In the spring, Suiye City was bathed in bright spring light. Lush green grass grew everywhere, and sheep herds were grazing on the newly sprouted grass in all directions. There were too many sheep, spreading all the way to the horizon. In the distance, shepherds could still be heard singing melodious pastoral songs.
Bolu’s mood was not good at all. Tears were about to flow from his eyes. A burly man wearing only trousers, bare-chested from the waist up, was competing with the Turks’ first warrior, Boma. Enormous hammers collided continuously, producing thunderous sounds. Boma kept retreating backward. With each step back, he left a deep footprint in the ground. Clearly, Boma was no match for this giant man as solid as steel.
“Turkic man, not bad! You can take seven of this old master’s hammer blows. Take three more, and we’ll make it an even number to loosen up the muscles and bones!” Xi Tong grinned with his mouth wide open, laughing heartily. The great hammer in his hand circled around his body once before heavily pounding down again. Boma’s great hammer also fiercely met it. After a tremendous boom, Xi Tong threw down the hammer in his hand and patted the continuously blood-spitting Boma, saying: “Good fellow! To the west are countless cities waiting for us to conquer, waiting for us men to plunder. What are you doing staying in this godforsaken place? If you’re a real man, follow me west to carve out our territory! Large bowls of meat, large gulps of wine—as much as you want! Pretty women you can pick first, treasures you can take first. This old master only seeks satisfaction. How about it? Interested?”
Han Zhe removed the golden crown from his head, wiped the dust from it, then placed it back on his head and said to Xi Tong: “Those who want to get rich, those who can get rich, are only true warriors. The Turks have already been beaten by the Tang people until they lost their courage. Now they don’t even have the guts for a Western Expedition. No need to call out to them. We’ll do our own business ourselves. The Shache Kingdom is also an ancient kingdom—there won’t be a shortage of treasures.”
Boma’s eyes were practically shooting fire. He spat out a large mouthful of blood and was supported by Bolu as he retreated to the side of the carriage.
“Tang people, this is the Turks’ final starting ground. Are you planning to hunt us down to extinction, not leaving us even a bit of room?” The elder’s voice transmitted from inside the carriage.
“This old master is a Tang person, a Tang person who specializes in doing business without capital investment. Damn it, I couldn’t get by in the country anymore. Do one transaction and the government troops would chase you for half a year. So I came west to see if there are any ways to get rich. I came to make money, not to drive you away. That kind of work is the government army’s business. This old master has no intention of selling his life for the old emperor.”
Xi Tong wiped the sweat from his chest and casually flung it away. He slapped his chest with resounding thuds. Behind him, those greenwood bandits also joined in the commotion. The scene was extremely lively.
Han Zhe’s side was full of beautiful Tubo women. Seeing the elder ask questions, he also smiled and said: “I am a divine king from the Great Snow Mountains, preparing to spread the divine will in all directions. Turkic people, I’ve heard you’re preparing a Western Expedition. Having one more friend is always better than having one more enemy. How about we go together to see the western world?”
The elder was silent for a long while. Xi Tong was a bandit, and Han Zhe was a charlatan, and both were people with considerable backgrounds. At least the Tubo people could identify Han Zhe’s origins—he truly came from the Great Snow Mountains.
“If we move east, what would you two think? I wonder if you two gentlemen still intend to go display your skills in the prosperous Tang nation?” After hesitating, the elder still voiced this suggestion.
“Not going!” Both men answered extremely decisively, with almost no concealment whatsoever. The elder was somewhat confused and asked again: “Why?”
Xi Tong sighed and said, “If we could establish a foothold in the Tang nation, only an idiot would come to such a remote place. Old man, you probably don’t know this, but the damned government army no longer holds swords and spears to fight you head-on. They shoot crossbow bolts wreathed in firelight from far away, and with one explosion, a large group dies. They can only hit you; you have no chance to strike back. This old master doesn’t want to die in confusion, which is why I came west to take a look. Old man, save your energy. We’re going west, not heading east.”
Bolu looked at Xi Tong with surprise. In his view, a heroic warrior like Xi Tong could walk sideways anywhere. How could he display such a scared-out-of-his-wits appearance? He was unfamiliar with Tang people and asked the elder in confusion: “Elder, are the Tang people truly that terrifying?”
The elder painfully closed his eyes and said: “Bolu, they are demons who commit every evil. Our lush grasslands have already become their pastures. Our ancestors’ burial grounds have now been covered by wild grass, haven’t they?”
“We’ll fight back, Elder! We’ll kill those demons!” Bolu clenched his fists tightly.
“Bolu, demons aren’t only meant to be hated. They are simultaneously another way of saying ‘powerful.’ When the Tang army came, the Ashina clan fled two thousand li in one month. Your grandfather and father continuously fought the Tang people, continuously failed. They too were heroes, all dying in battle. Bolu, your heart shouldn’t harbor hatred. Instead, you should think about how to save your pitiful tribesmen. This is your responsibility.”
The carriage carrying the wounded Boma and the grieving Bolu departed. The elder didn’t answer Xi Tong’s words—perhaps even he himself couldn’t find a suitable answer.
“Han Zhe, I’m planning to borrow some money from Liu Fang to recruit some horse bandits. After plundering, I’ll return it to him. What do you plan to do? You’re surely not actually going to help that little girl conquer territory, are you?”
Han Zhe shook his head and said: “The reason we didn’t go see Yun Ye is precisely because we have our own objectives. If we had met face to face, it would be awkward not to obey his assignments. Now that we’ve already arrived at Suiye City, naturally we should do our own business. I brought two simple-minded servants from the Divine Palace, along with some fanatical believers. With them, my strength is basically sufficient. No need to add outsiders.”
“I asked Dan Ying. He’s rigid-minded. He said this time he came precisely to help his brother-in-law solve troubles, so he’s staying in Xiao Miao’s army. He Tianshang is also staying there. Among us three groups, theirs has the most powerful strength.”
“We can form an alliance. This is the safest approach. Xi Tong, just now from your meaning, are you planning to seek an alliance with the Turks? Don’t think about it. To them, we’re outsiders. There’s no chance.” Han Zhe couldn’t help but remind Xi Tong to pay attention to his position.
“Friends should be made throughout the four seas to be worthwhile. These years in the Hebei region, although I could be counted as law-abiding, my friends are still everywhere under heaven. The words I spoke just now were actually said on behalf of my brothers. The Great Tang now has no external enemies, so they’ve begun organizing domestic order. Prefecture soldiers from various regions are continuously mobilizing, beginning to suppress mountain strongholds. Even mountain strongholds with previously good reputations can’t escape attack. The ones leading the teams are all fierce generals, damn it. If you don’t run, it won’t work. Now that we’ve arrived on Turkic territory, befriending them has benefits without harm.”
Han Zhe shook his head again and said: “Of the three groups, your队伍 is the most chaotic. No matter how good a mountain stronghold’s reputation, it’s still a bandit nest. Be careful. Unequal distribution of spoils and power struggles are the essence of bandits. I’d rather have fewer people of my own than mix in outsiders.”
Having finished speaking, he returned to his own carriage and went back to set up his own camp beside Xiao Miao’s encampment, creating a mutually supporting position. Today upon arrival, they received interrogation from the Turks. Xi Tong’s great battle was the stepping stone for these people to enter Suiye City. Seeing Xi Tong pitch his camp in a distant location, Han Zhe sighed once but had nothing more to say.
When Yun Ye suppressed bandits at Dongting Lake, his methods were excessively brutal. To this day in Yuezhou City, there were still water bandits with severed hands and feet begging for survival. These mountain bandits no longer believed anyone from the Yun family. It was only for the sake of everyone being Tang people that they didn’t expose this fact.
The one watching Xi Tong’s camp wasn’t only Han Zhe. Liu Fang was also observing these people. For the sake of her own safety, annihilating these people was the best choice. She didn’t understand why Xi Tong had become so wildly ambitious.