Chapter Twelve: Early Spring (I)

The weather in early spring is very cold. As thick frost descends, it turns into fine ice crystals that scatter across the vast wasteland. From afar, along the ancient Silk Road, a group of dark-colored cavalry can be seen winding their way forward. With each step, the riders take time to rub their palms together and exhale warm breaths to prevent their fingers from freezing stiff. Unfortunately, before their breath can warm their nearly numb fingers, the unforgiving weather sucks away the warmth, forming a thin layer of frost. At such times, the riders strive to scrape off the frost and stretch their aching, swollen backs to gather strength to keep moving forward.

On both sides of the road stand dead poplar trees, standing tall with unyielding resilience, silently watching those who pass by. Throughout history, countless caravans have traveled along this ancient road, and the sandstorms that have swept through this desert have piled up to great heights.

The pursuit of fame and profit has existed since ancient times—both in the past and present, in the West and in the East. Wave after wave of travelers come and go along this road, yet only the desert, the rising sun, and the endless rivers remain unchanged.

Li Kuo, an envoy from Shule, rode on “Clear Breeze” at the forefront of the group. The weather was cold, but what was even colder was people’s hearts. No matter how cold the weather, there is always a time when it warms up. But once people’s hearts turn cold, can they ever return to that state of passion?

“Eighth Brother, Eighth Brother… hurry up! Don’t use the official roads during the march, don’t pass through city gates. It would be best, really best, to take a detour through the desert!”
“Don’t hesitate! Once we leave Chang’an, don’t stop. Remember, avoid city gates if possible. After leaving Yangguan, head straight west—don’t look back!”

These words by Pei Hui kept appearing in his mind whenever they set up camp to rest. Pei Hui’s panicked and fearful expression didn’t seem feigned, but when pressed, he wouldn’t explain why…

“Brother Kuo, do we really have to follow the route suggested by Big Face? Abandoning the excellent official roads, we’ve already suffered enough. Now that we’ve left Ganzhou, do we have to live amidst sandstorms every day?”

Zhang Yanji spurred his horse to catch up and complained. It was no wonder—he had had good official roads to use before leaving Liangzhou, but Brother Kuo insisted on following Big Face’s advice and taking a longer route. Now, once out of Liangzhou, Ganzhou was nothing but desert sand, leaving no choice but to follow this single path!

Now that they were in Suzhou’s territory, they could have taken the southern route, but Big Face insisted on taking the northern path through the sand…

By “Big Face,” he meant Ni Xin.

It was unclear whether Ni Xin possessed extraordinary powers or had sent someone to keep an eye on Li Kuo. In any case, on the night before the young man set out with his team, she approached him uninvited and insisted on acting as their guide. Since they had worked together before, Li Kuo couldn’t easily refuse.

The words from Pei Hui left the young man troubled, and after discussing it with Ni Xin, he decided to take the longer northern route. The Silk Road along the north was even more desolate and dangerous, but the threat came from sand pirates rather than the imperial court.

That day, from Pei Hui’s gaze, Li Kuo was at least certain of one thing: his threat came from Yang Zhao.

Whether it was bargaining with a tiger or trapping oneself, in any case, the young man completely severed ties with Yang Zhao, leaving no last shred of pretense left.

Since Pei Hui had taken the initiative to warn him, it proved that Yang Zhao was truly determined. Li Kuo had no doubt that Yang Zhao would kill him for his own selfish interests. For someone from a lowly background, making such a decision was easy. In this regard, Yang Zhao was even more suited for internal strife than Li Linfu.

So, the young man preferred to take the risks of encountering sand pirates on the northern route rather than pass through the various military forts along the way.

“The northern route has its advantages. Don’t you think the sky is very blue?”
Pointing at the sky, Li Kuo smiled slightly.
“That’s right. Sometimes people need to change their mindset and not be so stubborn about everything!”
Dou Qing always followed Li Kuo’s lead, so naturally he unconditionally supported his general in this matter.
“Hmm, the sky is indeed blue, but my ears are almost frozen off. Just thinking about the hot water in the forts along the way makes my stomach tighten.”
Zhang Yanji, however, wasn’t grateful at all and muttered with a pout.
“Hurry up and reach Yumen Pass, then we’ll have hot water to drink. Go!”
Li Kuo cracked his whip and laughed as he rushed forward.……

Throwing the headless body back, Ni Xin frowned.
By her judgment, this group must have been a caravan of merchants. More than twenty people, all with their bodies separated from their heads—the enemy must be ruthless! Only sand pirates would act like this, so it seemed the journey ahead wouldn’t be easy.

Yet they numbered nearly three thousand. Even the largest wolves in the desert couldn’t devour such a large camel at once. But if the wolves were starving, they would attack prey many times their size.

With bites after bites, even the biggest camel would eventually show weaknesses and be torn apart.

This plump camel clearly had enough value to attract a pack of wolves to attack it—value in the form of everyone’s horses, armor, and weapons.

“They died not long ago.”

Ni Da Biao Shi coldly threw out these words, as if the disappearance of over twenty lives in the desert were entirely normal.
“All decapitated—I think it’s the sand bandits.”
Leaning against a wooden crate, Ni Xin warmed her cold fingers by the campfire. Choosing this wind-sheltered area was her idea. When traveling in the desert, it’s best to avoid camping in open plains. The yellow sand is deadly—just moments ago, hundreds of animals might have stood there, only to be swallowed by the sand with not even a bone left.
Li Kuo moved closer to Ni Da Biao Shi and asked, “In your opinion, what’s the chance we’ll encounter sand bandits?”
He wasn’t really worried about running into them. If sand bandits saw a group of over two thousand heavily armed cavalry, they’d surely charge recklessly, and everyone wouldn’t mind using their swords to teach them a lesson. But in the dead of night, chatting with Ni Da Biao Shi seemed like the best way to start.
“ Fifty-fifty—I can’t say for sure.”
Ni Xin pointed northward. “Two hundred li away is Yumen Pass, and to the south is Yangguan Pass. Beyond Yumen Pass lies the territory of Anxi; before that is Hexi. Sand bandits like to operate in the border areas so neither side has to bother sending troops to suppress them.”
“That’s indeed a good strategy. If they do that, they’ll surely reap huge profits.”
Li Kuo smiled and chimed in.
“You’re wrong. They do it just to survive better!”