Chapter 86: Gazing at the Sky (IV)

From Yiwu City to Kucha, and then to Suire, ran a road compacted with loess. Along this road rode dozens of soldiers in black armor.

During the Tang Dynasty, the postal system was highly developed. In theory, a post station was set up every thirty li, and the government allowed civilians to build inns between two such stations. Thus, if one traveled along the official roads, there was generally a station every fifteen li for travelers to rest at.

However, due to lack of maintenance, the road from Kucha to Suire was in poor condition. Naturally, the post stations along this route were also destroyed in the wars.

With the autumn rain, the already difficult path became even more muddy, and the horses might sink into the mire at any moment.

These dozen men, likely in a hurry, kept whipping their horses, but the beasts seemed determined not to move an inch further.

“Sigh, Qin Lin, let’s dismount and rest here,” said the rider at the front, looking up at the sun high in the sky. He seemed to be the leader of the group. Qin Lin quickly replied, “Okay, I’ll tell the others to get ready. General Bai Yuanguang, it’s still some distance to the tavern. What about you?”

“Don’t worry about me. It’s a good chance to get off my horse and stretch. Riding all this way has almost broken my old bones.” He waved his hand with a smile, clearly in high spirits.

The group dismounted and walked along the dirt road, their attention drawn by the scenes along the way. There were people in tattered clothes by the roadside—ranging from elderly folks in their twilight years to young children. Bai Yuanguang was filled with confusion. He dismounted and approached a group of refugees. “Old man, where are you going?”

Looking up slightly, an old man with completely white beard said sadly, “Child, are you heading to Suire City? Listen to my advice—don’t go. The Arabs are about to arrive. Ordinary people like us, if not conscripted as laborers during war, will be abandoned outside the city to lighten the burden inside. With our worthless lives, we had no choice but to flee with our families. We have distant relatives in Anxi, so we’re going there to seek refuge. Alas, why does the emperor insist on clashing with the Arabs? Does he really want to deprive us commoners of a chance to survive?”

In the eyes of these common people, it was the duty of high-ranking officials, nobles, princes, and generals to save the nation from crisis. Since they received salaries from the court and enjoyed such favorable treatment, it was only natural for them to step forward in times of national distress. As for ordinary people like themselves, struggling to make ends meet, they certainly didn’t need to worry about such trivial matters.

Judging from the appearance of these people, they must be some wealthy young masters seeking fortune. Was it that easy to achieve fame and wealth? The Grand Protector of Anxi led many soldiers to fight against the Arabs, yet not a single one returned alive. According to news from west of Suiye, the Tang allied forces suffered a crushing defeat, and even Gao Xianzhi was captured alive and repeatedly humiliated.

Sigh, it’s better to flee quickly. It seems the Arabs are about to attack Anxi. If Anxi is in danger, they’ll flee to Longyou; if Longyou is in trouble, they’ll move to Guanzhong. Could it be that in such a vast empire as Tang, there’s no place left for them?

Bai Yuanguang wanted to say something more, but Qin Lin stepped forward and said loudly, “Uncle, then we won’t disturb you anymore. Hurry up and set off so you can reach Anxi as soon as possible and find a place to settle down.”

After that family of refugees left, Bai Yuanguang asked in confusion, “Old Qin, how could you let them go? We should advise them to return to Suiye. According to Tang law, anyone who encounters refugees should assist the authorities in capturing them. Although we won’t hand them over to the authorities, we can’t just let them flee to Anxi either.”

He was right. In the past, it wouldn’t have been a problem for these people to flee to Anxi. But just a month ago, Li Kuo, the governor of Shule, led the Tianwei warriors to recapture Suiye City and bring it back under Tang’s control. Thus, the people of Suiye should abide by Tang law and not migrate without permission.

Qin Lin sighed deeply. “General Bai, please give them a chance to survive. Didn’t you hear them say they can’t live in Suiye anymore? In Anxi, they are still subjects of our Tang Dynasty. I’m just worried that if this continues, how many more common people will be willing to be subjects of Tang?”

Bai Yuanguang’s words were highly disrespectful. If they fell into the hands of those with ulterior motives, the consequences could be disastrous. Fortunately, this was a private conversation between the two, so it wasn’t too serious.

“Old Qin, are you saying our Tang Dynasty isn’t as perfect as I thought?”

Looking at the retreating figures of the refugees, Bai Yuanguang asked doubtfully.

Shaking his head slightly, Qin Lin replied loudly, “General Bai is extremely brave. There are some things that don’t need to be said in detail—surely you understand.”

“Is the Tang Dynasty really not as wonderful as I imagined? Or is this just an exception?”
Lost in thought, Bai Yuanguang glanced unconsciously at the fleeing refugees and was momentarily stunned。……
The weather cleared in the afternoon. Bai Yuanguang was drinking alone in a small tavern near the palace in the north of Suiye City. A month ago, the news that Li Kuo had captured Suiye City brought great joy to the military officers stationed in Kucha. Everyone thought it was a good omen—that General Gao would surely be able to launch a decisive attack and defeat the Arab forces at Talas. But as time passed, unease began to set in. If General Gao had truly won, scouts should have brought back news by now. Yet half a year had gone by with not a single word of news.
At first, Suiye City would send a handwritten letter to Kucha every ten days to report on the situation. But since that letter arrived seventeen days ago, there had been no further messages. Seeing that communication with Suiye had also ceased, Bai Yuanguang grew increasingly anxious. He then led a dozen of his trusted men to Suiye to find out what was going on.
He had assumed Suiye’s situation was quite stable, but upon entering the city, he realized that the Tang Dynasty’s control over it was far from that of the four garrisons in Anxi. In other words, Suiye could easily fall if not careful! He also learned that Li Kuo, the governor of Shule, had led five thousand cavalry to Talas to provide support!
He naturally understood what this meant—even if General Gao hadn’t been defeated, he must have encountered some trouble. Otherwise, given his determined nature, he would never ask others for help!
As he sipped strong liquor alone, he saw a group of soldiers fervently arguing at a square table nearby.
A man who seemed to be a squad leader complained, “In my opinion, these days are unbearable. The military pay we owe hasn’t been paid yet, and now there’s a drought. With this situation, even the commanders won’t open their granaries to share food. It seems a tragedy of exchanging children for food is imminent. Tell me, if they can’t even share food, how can they pay our wages? After working hard for over a year, we’ve ended up with nothing. Honest people shouldn’t be treated like this.”
The soldiers were already full of resentment, and his words acted like kindling on a powder keg, setting things off completely.
“That’s right! They clearly promised to strengthen our military pay after capturing Suiye City. Why do their men get so much while we get nothing at all?”

“I heard that the Anxi army was utterly defeated by the Arabs at Talas, and it seems the Arabs are about to invade us. By then, do you think the Turgesh will still join forces with us to defend the city? I’m afraid our heads will become a gift for them when that happens. That Tuohuo is no easy opponent; even Governor Li could barely hold him back when he was here. Now that there’s no one in the city, won’t he wreak havoc?”
The speaker was a field commander with triangular eyes. His words carried a sarcastic tone, intensifying the sense of impending battle, as if the Arabs would soon arrive at the city gates and slaughter everyone.
“Yes, we can’t let ourselves be bullied like this!”
“We’re doomed; there’s no way out.”
“Has the commander embezzled our military pay?”
“In my opinion, it must be him!”
“If Governor Li were still in Suiye City, he wouldn’t let things go this far. But since he’s not here, that Wu Fuhui is clearly a incompetent general. Following him is just asking for death!”
These soldiers chattered loudly back and forth. Bai Yuanguang, standing nearby, tried hard to suppress his annoyance and listened patiently.
“Gentlemen, thanks to all of you for supporting me, Wei Ba. Today, let’s speak openly. That Wu has not only stolen our military pay but also the money meant to save the common people. If we keep tolerating this, how can we face our fellow villagers?”