Chapter Seventeen: Early Spring (Six)

The sun gradually set, sucking away the last traces of heat from the air, leaving behind a bone-chilling dry cold. In this vast Gobi desert, the temperature difference between day and night was astonishing. The biting cold in the early morning and the scorching heat at noon had already tormented everyone to the point of suffering, yet at night, an icy cold seeped deep into one’s bones. This kind of cold was different from the sharp chill in the morning—it didn’t touch the skin or cause chills, but instead penetrated straight into one’s bones.

Despite the soldiers of Shule wearing thick cotton clothes and armored suits of various designs, they couldn’t retain any warmth. They had no choice but to huddle together in groups of three or five to keep each other warm.

On this mission to Anxi, the Shule army did not carry much baggage. Gao Xianzhi was only ordered to provide troops by the emperor, not military equipment. The northern borders were engaged in battles against the Khitans, while forces had to be withdrawn from Jiannan and Longyou to defend against the ever-watchful Tibetans. Although the northern desert was temporarily peaceful due to Wang Zhongsi’s campaigns against the Turks, it was better to be prepared—after all, who knew whether the seemingly friendly Uyghurs and Tielers might turn against them?

“Those who are not of our race surely have different hearts.” Though they showed great loyalty to the Tang Dynasty now, it was because of our nation’s strength! If there was even a slight disturbance in the Central Plains, they would surely pounce to seize a piece of territory.

The Tang Dynasty had vast territories and numerous border towns, and military equipment was already in short supply. Since Anxi was known for its iron production, the emperor granted Gao Xianzhi permission to forge weapons on his own, but the quantity produced had to be reported to the court regularly. With military supervisor Bian Lingcheng in charge, Gao Xianzhi wouldn’t dare to overstep his bounds.

The emperor doted greatly on this newly assembled Shule army and ordered the Ministry of War to provide them with the finest warhorses from Hexi, so the entire army consisted solely of cavalry.

At that moment, Li Kuo, the commander of the Shule army, ordered his troops to camp behind a series of raised earth walls. The warhorses were tied together, forming an arch shape, with only a space of about ten steps left open on the north side, covered with shrub branches readily available in the Gobi.

Though the makeshift camp looked somewhat crude at first glance, it was very practical. Hiding behind the earth walls provided shelter from the wind, and tying the horses together created a soft barrier that concealed the dozens of green eyes in the nearby bushes. This saved a lot of trouble—otherwise, how could anyone sleep with those green eyes in sight?

In the Gobi Desert, there are hungry wolves everywhere. With scarce water resources and even rarer prey, these wolves would closely follow their targets, waiting for the right moment to strike. Some packs numbered in the hundreds, while others had dozens of members, all targeting larger prey. To survive, once they chose a prey, they wouldn’t let go easily, determined to fight to the death.

The best way to deal with wolf packs was fire, and the military commander had extensive experience in this regard. Back then, when dealing with these beasts in the valleys of Zhongnan Mountain, he used fire and thick smoke. Although the location had changed to the Gobi Desert, the beasts remained the same—could the wild wolves outside Yumen Pass really be more ferocious than those in Guanzhong?

For safety, Li Kuo ordered several layers of iron thorns to be scattered outside the camp, a highly effective measure. Whether it was a hungry wolf pack or ruthless sand bandits, if they rushed in recklessly, they would surely be pierced and cry out in pain.

Of course, adequate guards were essential. The general ordered that every fifty men would guard for one hour, rotating shifts until the army reached Shule City. With such strict defensive measures, even if they encountered regular Uyghur wolf riders, the Shule army wouldn’t lose its composure.

Of course, the Uyghurs were herding sheep far to the north of the desert—how could they appear thousands of miles away in Guazhou? They had just taken over the Turkic people’s vast pastures and were already extremely busy. Even if the spring breeze warmed the grasslands this year, the lush grass wouldn’t grow from Wenkun to Daze. (Note 1) “It is said that these earthen walls in the Gobi Desert are actually piles of graves!”

Wang Xiaochun huddled together, telling stories word by word to keep everyone entertained. The silent, endless night was filled with howls of wolves—how could anyone sleep? If they didn’t talk to pass the time, they might die of boredom.

He had heard some stories about the Gobi Desert from a Tibetan herder back then and remembered them. Every summer, some young and ambitious Tibetan horse thieves would go to the Yangguan area to plunder. According to the herder, that area was even more desolate than Guazhou—nothing but Gobi and desert, with no trace of greenery in sight. In comparison, the route they were taking was much smoother.

“Back then, when Eastern Turkic was defeated, some of their remnants submitted to our Tang Dynasty and moved inland. Others tried to resist stubbornly, daring to provoke our Tang army…”

After a brief pause, Wang Xiaochun swallowed hard and said, “But how could they be rivals to our Tang Dynasty? General Li Wei used just ten thousand cavalry to rout nearly thirty thousand Turkic horsemen. General Li understood the importance of eliminating all threats completely; he pursued them all the way and drove them beyond Yumen Pass. By then, the blood had stained the marshes red. Since winter was approaching, General Li stopped pursuing them, giving those Turkic scum a chance to survive and flee to their relatives in the Western Regions.”
He spoke vividly, as if he had personally experienced these events. The soldiers around him showed proud smiles; in their eyes, the Tang Dynasty was an invincible force, and everyone—whether Turkic or Tubo—had to bow before them.
But as soon as these words were spoken, Bidaqan immediately stood up angrily and said, “What do you mean by that? Since the Turks have submitted to our Tang Dynasty, they are now part of the Tang people. Why do you deliberately belittle the Turks? What’s your ulterior motive?”
His grandfather was Turkic, and his mother was Tang; they fell in love and gave birth to him. Thus, he was extremely sensitive to anyone discussing his identity. Although Wang Xiaochun’s words were unintentional, they touched a sore spot in him, making him unable to tolerate it any longer.
Logically, Bidaqan had arrived at the Shule army earlier than Wang Xiaochun and had more seniority. But Wang Xiaochun valued his ethnic identity above everything else—how could he allow a Turk to act arrogantly?
“A scum is still a scum. Even if they’ve submitted to our Tang Dynasty, they remain scum!”
Wang Xiaochun glanced at Bidaqan disdainfully and spat out those harsh words. In fact, his relationship with Bidaqan was fairly good, and he didn’t intend to insult the Turks deliberately. But since the argument had been sparked, he couldn’t back down or lose face.
“You…”
Bidaqan’s eyes widened, and he reached for the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it. Seeing the situation turn tense, the soldiers around him quickly grabbed his arms and shouted, “Xiaochun, admit your mistake! Do it now!”
Wang Xiaochun spat out a mouthful of phlegm and said, “Never expect me to apologize to those Turkic scum!”
“I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you! Don’t stop me—no one stop me!”
Bidaqan, eyes red with anger, pushed aside those holding him and swung his sword at Wang Xiaochun.
Wang Xiaochun didn’t expect him to really fight to the death and rushed to draw his own sword in defense. But either due to nervousness or the sword getting stuck, he couldn’t pull it out right away.

A cold wind brushed his neck, and Wang Xiaochun instinctively fell backward. Using all his strength, he rolled to the side, dodging Bidagan’s deadly strike. But Bidagan seemed truly enraged and continued to slash at Wang Xiaochun’s body repeatedly.
“Are you crazy? You madman, get away!”
Wang Xiaochun kept rolling, his cheeks covered in yellow dust. Yet Bidagan had no intention of stopping—he would not cease until blood was shed.
“Stop!”
A stern voice came from ahead. Both Bidagan and Wang Xiaochun stopped at the sound.
“General… I…”
When he realized it was Li Kuo, his own military commander, Bidagan lowered his head in shame. He indeed was at fault, but Wang Xiaochun had gone too far.
“Slap!”
The crisp sound of a slap echoed loudly in the quiet night. Before Bidagan could understand what had happened, a bright red handprint appeared on his cheek.
“Do the soldiers of Shule use their swords against their comrades? Do they shoot arrows at their own brothers? We are comrades, brothers who share life and death. No matter what happens, we must never harm our own brothers!”
Li Kuo’s cold gaze made Bidagan shiver.
“General, I…”
Holding his cheek, Bidagan was too ashamed to look Li Kuo in the eyes.
“Xiaochun, come here!”
Li Kuo sighed and ordered firmly.
“General, he’s just a madman. I was just joking, but he still attacked me. You must punish him properly this time… Ah!” Seeing Li Kuo slap Bidagan in public, Wang Xiaochun felt proud and strode over, only to find that the same treatment awaited him!
“General, you… you’re hitting me?”
Staring in shock at Li Kuo, Wang Xiaochun’s eyes filled with tears.
“Is this a joke? Can such jokes be made casually? If someone said in front of you that the soldiers of Zhenwu and Xiongwu camps are slaves, how would you feel? Barbarians who integrate into China become part of China. As long as they truly embrace our Tang culture, they are Tang people!”
Li Kuo’s powerful voice soared into the sky, spreading along with the stars and moonlight across the vast, silent Gobi Desert.
Note 1: All are names of rivers and lakes from the Tang Dynasty.