Chapter 125: Gu and Xiao (Part I)

The scouts dispatched by Gelaoye returned to report that they had located a city, which they confirmed against the map.

Tang Jian turned to Luo Gan and said, "It is nine times out of ten Dingxiang City."

Luo Gan was initially indifferent.

Tang Jian asked, "Do you know where to find Empress Xiao?"

Luo Gan shook his head to indicate he did not.

Tang Jian explained, "During the Jiangdu Coup, Emperor Yang Guang was assassinated by Yuwen Huaji while staying at the temporary palace. Empress Xiao had nowhere to go and was taken away by the rebel army, along with her young grandson and other members of the imperial family, straight to Liaocheng."

Luo Gan replied, "I know Liaocheng; it is in Shandong."

Tang Jian was deeply puzzled by Luo Gan's response. "Shandong? Where is that?"

Luo Gan realized his geographical knowledge was still stuck in the modern era and that he had no clear concept of the Tang Dynasty map. "It was just a casual remark. Where I come from, people call everything east of the Taihang Mountains 'Shandong,' and everything to the west 'Shanxi.'"

Tang Jian remarked, "That is an interesting way to divide it, though it spans two circuits."

Luo Gan asked, "If Empress Xiao is in Liaocheng, doesn't that mean we were heading in the wrong direction toward the Northern Turks?"

Tang Jian remained unruffled. "Not at all. The story I was telling isn't finished. Later, Dou Jiande led his troops to attack Liaocheng and welcomed Empress Xiao back. The trouble began when Princess Yicheng, the wife of the Eastern Turkic Shibi Khan and Empress Xiao's sister-in-law, used their family connection to have Dou Jiande send Empress Xiao to the Eastern Turks. A large group of exiled commoners, honoring Yang Zhengdao as their king, settled down right here."

Luo Gan was not familiar with the history of the fall of the Sui and the rise of the Tang. He only knew that Yuwen Huaji had killed Emperor Yang of Sui; he had no idea there were so many other factions involved. He lamented his own total ignorance. "I am but a mere farmer, completely ignorant of the state of the world. I hope the Duke of Ju will forgive my folly."

Tang Jian replied, "I had assumed that commoners were the most interested in the state of the world; otherwise, being busy with farm work all day would be quite dull."

Luo Gan laughed in agreement and asked, "If Empress Xiao is here, can we go to pay her a visit?"

Tang Jian clarified, "It is you, not us. We have already made arrangements with Hunamu. We will stop at Dingxiang for supplies and then head to the Eastern Turks. It is not convenient for us to linger among the remnants of the Sui."

***

Luo Gan realized that his journey with the Duke of Ju had come to an end, and from here on, he would have to face things on his own to find Empress Xiao and deliver the letter.

Dingxiang City was not prosperous. Its low, sagging walls barely protected the exiled Sui subjects and their precarious masters. It was hardly a city at all; it was desolate and sparsely populated. The Eastern Turks considered Dingxiang to be at a distance from the Tang heartland, serving as a midpoint between the two nations. In the event of war, it would serve as a frontline, and they would use the Sui refugees as cannon fodder. The Sui and Tang were mortal enemies, and if they were to surrender, it would be a sign of extreme spinelessness.

Jieli Khan's calculations were shrewd. To them, the cast-offs of the Sui were not worth the effort to feed, yet too useful to discard—keeping them as mascots helped keep the Tang in check.

There were no strong troops guarding the gates of Dingxiang. A few elderly Han soldiers carried long spears, wandering back and forth; whenever they saw a Hu tribesman, they would bow and scrape. Many of the soldiers were young Turks, who treated them with utter contempt.

The Hu had no use for etiquette. Whoever held the fist was the master, regardless of age or noble Sui lineage—all were defeated foes. The horses of the Hu trampled across the wooden bridge at will, the dust kicked up blowing into the faces of the commoners. From time to time, soldiers would lash out with their whips at passersby just to vent their frustrations, and the people dared to be angry but dared not speak.

Watching this, Luo Gan sighed. It was a scene of utter despair—the land was barren, and the people were destitute. This was truly the darkest corner of the realm, where the people were the greatest victims of war.

Xiao Zhi helped up an extremely malnourished old man. The man couldn't even offer words of thanks; his mouth was dry, and he was devoid of spirit. He was little more than a walking corpse, his only sign of life being the movement of his eyes.

Yan Shan unhooked the waterskin from his belt and gave the old man a drink, allowing him to barely recover his strength.

"Old timer, hurry and get some rest," Xiao Zhi urged him with concern.

The old man was dissatisfied. "Rest? I am a man with one foot in the grave; there will be plenty of time for me to rest later."

Luo Gan remarked, "The people are suffering. Our one bag of water can save one person, but it cannot save a city. It is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot—a drop in the bucket."

He looked back at Tang Jian, who had already departed with Hunamu's army. Qin Yang and Luo Gan bade them farewell. For both sides, it was a matter of each fulfilling their own duties and going their separate ways.

Yan Shan said, "The rest depends on us now. I don't know what will happen next."

After Xiao Zhi settled the old man, a young man from the distance, Zhuang Ping, came over to talk to them.

"What is going on! What did you do to my father!" Zhuang Ping shouted.

Xiao Zhi replied, "He fell down. We gave him some water and helped him up, that’s all."

Zhuang Ping checked his father's condition, and seeing no life-threatening danger, he breathed a sigh of relief. He then carefully observed that Luo Gan and his companions did not look like locals. Calculating that foreigners must have some money, he grew greedy.

"Did you knock my father down! Speak! Was it you?"

The small-minded man put on a desperate, pathetic performance, crying about his father and cursing the streets, which greatly annoyed Luo Gan.

***

Luo Gan muttered, "They say the hearts of men are not what they used to be, but is 'professional begging' a trend even in ancient times?"

Xiao Zhi was helpless, not knowing what to do.

The old man, his eyes dull, suddenly patted Zhuang Ping's face. Zhuang Ping pretended not to notice until the old man kicked him, at which point he reluctantly held his father.

The old man said, "Ever since you were small, I taught you to be upright. We may have no other skills, but we must be honest, decent people. These people saved me, and here you are faking tears—is it not shameful?"

Zhuang Ping was exposed and, feeling helpless, turned his face away.

The old man asked, "Why have you noble guests come here?"

Luo Gan answered, "From the Great Tang. We are here to find Empress Xiao."

Zhuang Ping glared at them fiercely. "The Great Tang? You have the nerve to say that? If it weren't for you taking over, we would not have fallen to this state."

The old man interjected, "When Yang Guang was on the throne, people were already rebelling everywhere, and the people were full of grievances. The Tang merely followed the will of Heaven; there was nothing wrong with that."

Zhuang Ping retorted, "Don't you think about why we have no home to return to!"

The old man sighed, "If you want to blame someone, blame the wars everywhere and the brutality of the Hu. The world is just like this; what can we, as mere commoners, do?"

Luo Gan said, "Regardless, ending the war as soon as possible is what we all hope for."

The old man said, "Empress Xiao is inside this city, but given your identities, it is not convenient for you to see her."

Luo Gan bowed. "We are not officials, just ordinary people—remnants of the Sui ourselves. We wish to pay our respects to Empress Xiao and find that piece of pure land in our hearts."

Zhuang Ping's expression softened slightly. The old man was moved and sighed, pointing out a path for them.

"Walk straight this way," the old man said. "When you reach a remote palace, you will see Empress Xiao."