Chapter Fifty-Eight: Raising the Blade to Establish Authority

After Teng Ba'er fell in battle, Yu Lang seized the opportunity to lead his troops in a fierce pursuit. The remnants of Lanxie City's cavalry scrambled to retreat, only to discover that the city gates had been tightly shut at some unknown moment. The banners of the Longyou Army now flew from the ramparts—clearly, Nan Jiyun and Li Guangbi had successfully captured the west gate with their troops, securing Lanxie City in its entirety.

That night, Lanxie City fell. The defending general, Teng Ba'er, was slain in combat; twelve hundred men were killed, and three thousand surrendered.

Of the five hundred veteran soldiers under Yu Lang’s command, one hundred and fifty-seven fell, three hundred were wounded. Not a single man from the Lang Battalion or Heavenly Strategy Army lost his life, though some sustained minor injuries. Li Guangbi and Nan Jiyun, with three hundred light cavalry, escorted the siege engines onward to Bainin City, while Yu Lang was tasked with organizing the city’s defenses, detaining the prisoners, and taking charge of the citizens.

Though the casualty ratio marked the battle as a resounding victory for the Tang forces, Yu Lang was keenly aware that his triumph was not a glorious one. Had it not been for Li Mi’s supernatural prowess—slaying the enemy from a thousand miles away—both he and Qingqing would have perished at Teng Ba'er’s hands. Teng Ba'er could have regrouped his forces and withdrawn from Lanxie City, awaiting another chance to strike. In strategy and might alike, Yu Lang considered himself defeated; the one who turned the tide was Li Mi, still commanding four siege battles from afar.

Lanxie City lay desolate, its poverty stark even when compared to the western capital. Most of the Tibetan civilians within the city wore tattered clothing; aside from military households, there were scarcely any wealthy families. Despite Yu Lang’s strict orders, incidents of soldiers looting or even abusing women and children still occurred. Because Lanxie City bordered Great Tang, most of its inhabitants wore Han clothing and spoke the Tang dialect. When mistreated by Tang soldiers, their soft pleas only seemed to rouse the soldiers’ brutality further, rendering the scenes all the more heartrending.

The scholars of the Lang Battalion, men of letters all, could not tolerate such misery, often clashing with the soldiers of the Longyou Army. The soldiers, however, dismissed the scholars as naïve; to them, risking life and limb in battle warranted such moments of wild revelry. Previous commanders had mostly turned a blind eye, at best accepting the spoils in the privacy of their own tents.

The seasoned veterans, aware that the Lang Battalion disapproved, committed their misdeeds in secret. Some of the more brazen, however, flaunted their actions as if to challenge this young commander.

Li Dahu and Xue Wenyang dragged three of the ringleaders before Yu Lang, followed by several weeping Tibetan women.

"Well, well, Junior Captain Yu, you certainly won this battle in style! Half of your five hundred men were lost, and it was only thanks to us taking the west gate that you turned the tide. If you won’t show gratitude, fine—but do you intend to silence us now?" sneered one of the bound soldiers, a man in his thirties with slanted eyes and long brows, showing no respect for Yu Lang.

The other two soldiers wore similar expressions of contempt, clearly unimpressed by this acting Cavalry Captain, a mere fifth-rank officer appointed by the Crown Prince.

"Wang Huaisheng, you and your men have earned your reward. The enemy heads you claimed are all recorded in the military registers. Once reported, you’ll receive your due. But break the military code, and punishment awaits all the same," Yu Lang replied calmly.

Wang Huaisheng seemed surprised that this newly appointed captain even knew his name. "May I ask, Captain, which article of the code have we broken? Why has neither Commander Zhao Weide nor even Military Governor Huangfu Weiming ever mentioned this rule? And even if such a rule exists, surely we’re not the only ones in violation. All those who have breached it, speak up!"

"I have!" At that moment, hundreds of soldiers cried out in unison, emboldened by the knowledge that the law rarely punishes the many.

Clearly, the Longyou Army was dissatisfied with these newcomers from the Lang Battalion. Hundreds formed a circle, hemming Yu Lang and his men in.

The Longyou Army was not a monolith; factions existed within. This group comprised Zhao Weide’s confidants from the Zhenwu Army. Previously, none dared defy the overwhelming authority of Li Mi, but now, seeing Yu Lang as a soft target, they were determined to press their advantage.

If not handled properly, this matter could easily spark a mutiny. Xue Wenyang and Li Dahu both felt a chill, even considering letting the offenders off for now and leaving judgment to the Crown Prince upon his arrival.

But Yu Lang stood his ground. "I don’t care what was or wasn’t enforced before. Today, I am telling you: those who loot, those who violate women—beheaded!"

The Longyou Army clearly held the advantage in numbers. Wang Huaisheng showed no fear. "What a joke! Who do you think you are, making up new laws for us? Do you hold any office in the Longyou Army?"

Yu Lang’s title was a direct appointment from the Crown Prince and had little to do with the Longyou Army. His brows arched sharply. "You are soldiers of Great Tang, not private soldiers of some regional governor! I am a fifth-rank Cavalry Captain of Tang, acting under the Crown Prince’s orders to assume command of this unit. My word is military law!"

Wang Huaisheng’s earlier words exposed the flaw in the Tang recruitment system: regional governors’ powers had grown monstrously, and many soldiers were loyal not to the empire, but to their local warlord. Though Huangfu Weiming bore no ambition to carve out his own fief, his men thought otherwise. If even the soldiers thought this way, what could the emperor think? Such attitudes among the Longyou Army were digging the governor’s grave.

Wang Huaisheng scarcely listened to Yu Lang. To men like him, loyalty followed the paymaster; the governor, seen monthly at inspections, was far closer than the distant Son of Heaven.

"Enough talk! If you dare, cut off my head now. But once you do, don’t think you’ll leave this city alive," Wang Huaisheng scoffed, convinced he held Yu Lang’s fate.

Yu Lang could easily escape alone, but rescuing all his men would be difficult. Even if he did, he could never face the Crown Prince or Li Mi again—a commander chased off by mutineers would be a laughingstock.

Just then, Li Dahu, having hurriedly checked the soldiers’ dossiers, whispered a few words to Yu Lang. Yu Lang sighed, personally untied Wang Huaisheng, and spoke in a mournful tone, "You have a virtuous wife at home. Your son, Hutou, is just beginning to babble..."

Wang Huaisheng’s face shone with triumph, certain this captain had finally capitulated.

"Your elderly father’s eyesight is failing; he’s clumsy in the fields, often falling..." Yu Lang patted Wang Huaisheng’s shoulder, then gestured to the three terrified Tibetan girls. "These are the very women you were so eager to approach—go ahead."

"But if you do, I will have you executed according to military law. And if there is even the slightest unrest among your comrades after your death, your crime will become incitement to rebellion—a capital offense for your entire clan. Your wife, your son, your father—all will die for your actions. Even your ancestors’ graves will be dug up, their corpses flogged."

As he spoke, Yu Lang’s whetstone dagger slipped from his hand, spinning above his head, its dark blade radiating lethal intent.

Yu Lang turned to the rest of the Longyou soldiers. "As for the rest of you—any who wish to follow, step forward. Let’s see if my blade can claim your heads, if I can wipe out your families."

Wang Huaisheng was seized with terror, collapsing to the ground and kowtowing frantically. "General, I was wrong! I beg forgiveness! Let the punishment fall only on me, not my family!"

Yu Lang turned away, issuing his order. "From this day, the Lang Battalion will serve as the city constabulary. Any caught killing or looting—beheaded! Any who incite unrest will face charges of treason!"

"Next time you consider harming someone's daughter, remember: one day, your own city may fall, your wife threatened, your son’s innocent eyes staring up as he is slaughtered—think of that, and see if you still have the stomach for it."

The whetstone blade flashed, carving a yard-long fissure in the street.

The Longyou soldiers sheathed their blades and hung their heads. Not one dared cause further trouble.