Chapter 38 Aftermath
There were no wild geese in the sky from beginning to end. The migration of wild geese from the north to the south was just a legend. The city of Lanzhou was built on a hill, with walls no more than two zhang high and six chi thick, rammed with loess. The battlements on the parapet were like the gaping mouth of an old man. The Tang Dynasty flag on the city gate is also drooping. Except for the occasional soldiers patrolling the city walls, the entire city is as quiet as a dead city. It is almost winter, and it should be a bustling time for trade, but it is about to become a ghostly place.
Yun Ye pulled back on the reins, and the big blue horse stopped reluctantly. Behind him, Cheng Chumu, Changsun Chong, and Li Huiren became chatterboxes. They just talked for the sake of talking. As for what they were talking about, they probably didn’t even know. This was a side effect of being locked up after being locked up.
When he thought about the three of them being released, Yun Ye felt funny. Changsun Chong burst into tears, holding Li Chenggan and not letting go. His snot and tears covered the Tang prince’s body. It was not good to blame him, so he could only let Changsun Chong hold him.
The iron man Li Huiren was like a pile of soft mud, being carried out by the jailer. His eyes were vacant, his lips were dry, and he made a strange whining sound in his throat.
Cheng Chumo was the best behaved of the three. He looked down on the other two and said to the military judge, “What’s the big deal? I slept for four days in there, and my muscles and bones are all loose. I was just getting ready to get up and do some boxing to get my spirits up when I was kicked out. Little bug, bad guys aren’t men anymore.”
Although he spoke with bravado, his limp legs betrayed his fear. The military judge was also a wonderful person, and he said, “Lieutenant Cheng is truly a model for us. He has been sitting in solitary confinement for four days and his spirit is undiminished. Iron man, the general has ordered that anyone who does not comply will be locked up for another four days.”
When Cheng Chumo heard the words “four more days,” he sat on the ground and cried for help. The soldiers passing by looked at him with contempt. These three iron men, who didn’t even flinch when they were beaten with a military rod, were reduced to a pile of mud after only four days. They didn’t know what kind of torture could be so terrifying. From then on, the left military guards would rather be beaten with a military rod than be locked up.
It took three days for the three of them to recover. According to Changsun Chong, the prison was not fit for human beings. The low walls seemed to be about to crush down and bury them the next moment. All they could hear was their own breathing and heartbeat. The jailers didn’t say a word, and they wouldn’t say anything even if you asked them. They only gave them food and water every day, and sent new buckets and took away the urine buckets. There was no other sound. Even if he farted, he would at least make a sound.
Li Huai Ren grabbed Yun Ye’s hand and thanked him for stopping him from being locked up by the Bull Demon King a few days ago. Now, when he thinks about it, his hair stands on end. If he had been locked up that time, he would not have come out alive. This time, at least he had his brothers to keep him company, and he felt at ease in his heart, so he survived four days, otherwise he would not have been able to last two days.
Cheng Chumo was also scared. The four brothers vowed never to enter the punishment room again, while Li Chengqian planned to implement the punishment system in the six divisions of the crown prince. Those who were locked up last time all had psychological scars.
General Cheng is a good man. Knowing that my brothers have suffered, he sent Yun Ye, Cheng Chumo, Changsun Chong, and Li Huiren to Lanzhou to hand over the salt fields to the county magistrate. After all, the salt fields were established by the army. Although they are now in the hands of the local government, you can’t take them for free. You have to compensate them somehow.
It’s a fat job, a very fat job. The army doesn’t lack those broken things, but some oxen and horses, stone mills, wooden barrels, and the like. I didn’t expect to get much money or silk back by sending them. It’s just a little compensation for the suffering of the four of them. After all, the face of Changsun Wuji and Li Xiaogong must also be considered.
The personal bodyguard entered the city to report that they were waiting outside the city and would not enter without orders. Cheng Yaojin dared not disobey, let alone the four juniors.
Before long, the personal bodyguard came wheezing along on a cart, and before the four men could dismount, a plump man with a pot belly struggled to climb down from the cart. His green official robe was tightly wrapped around his body, as if he were a silkworm, and a middle-aged man with a goatee and scholar’s robe supported the fat man, who looked exhausted.
Despite his corpulence, he was courteous and respectful. He straightened his clothes and bowed to the four generals, saying, “Your humble servant Liu Fulu greets the four generals. The generals have come a long way, and I apologize for not welcoming you.
Usually these three would not even look at this little seventh-rank county magistrate, but today is different from the past. The brothers have been sent on an official mission, so they will not be arrogant.
Yun Ye jumped off his horse and helped the fat county magistrate up, smiling and saying, “Lord Liu, you are too polite. I, Yun Ye, the magistrate of Ping’an County, have been specially sent by General Cheng of the Zuowuwei to discuss matters concerning the Yellow River salt fields with you. Please take good care of me.”
Yun Ye knew that the devil is easy to see, but the little devils are hard to deal with. In the previous life, a document had to go through more than a dozen departments, with everyone stamping their seal on it. In other words, everyone had to share the benefits, and the Tang Dynasty was probably no exception, so he was not at all careless with him.
He took the official document from his bosom and handed it to County Magistrate Liu. But the guy just put it in his bosom without even looking at it. His fat face was all smiles, and his five facial features were drawn into a bun: “Of course, of course. I naturally obey the general’s orders. It’s getting late now, so I’ve prepared some wine and food to wash the dust off the feet of the young generals.”
Yun Ye looked up at the sun, which had just risen not long ago, and thought it was strange that it was already late. Chang Sun Chong added, “Although we are soldiers and are bound by military orders not to enter the city without reason, it is already late, so we will reluctantly enter the city for a short rest.”
Damn, Liu Xianling is using this as an excuse to get us into the city. Fortunately, Chang Sun Chong is very familiar with this and uses the excuse to get us into Lanzhou.
The external dilapidation could not hide the internal prosperity. After passing through the city walls, they arrived at the inner city not far away. No wonder they could not see anyone. It turned out that everyone was gathered in the inner city. Bags of salt were stamped with the official salt mark and loaded onto oxcarts to leave the west gate and roll away in the direction of the outer city. The left military camp was in the east, and no one had the guts to visit the military camp for nothing. If you were not careful, you would be labeled a spy and be miserable. It is estimated that the local government also explicitly ordered the people not to harass the army.
Yun Ye never imagined that the salt-making method he taught by accident would become an industry in Lanzhou. He saw a steady stream of oxcarts loaded with salt from the salt fields entering from the north gate, laborers carrying bags, accountants weighing goods, and merchants in rough hemp clothes but with a heroic spirit.
A foreigner with a red face, brown eyes, and a head wrapped in white cloth probably saw that Yun Ye and the others were extraordinary, so he came up to sell the colorful foreign gems in his hand. Seeing that the crowd was unmoved, he pulled over a veiled foreign woman and patted her plump buttocks to show off how hot her figure was.