Chapter 105: Westward Advance

Calculating the days, the critical moment was fast approaching, and it was time to accelerate matters on his side. Li Wenyuan delegated the tasks of pacifying the people and managing official affairs to Xue Renyue. After all, with prior experience, he was not worried. Li Wenyuan refocused his attention on the two western prefectures and, beyond them, the Western Turkic Khaganate.

The Western Turks ruled over various tribes such as the Tiele, Karluks, and Basmils, and levied taxes on the states of the Western Regions. They represented a significant threat along the Silk Road. Should relations between his side and the Turks deteriorate, the Western Turkic vassals in the Western Regions would certainly side with the Khaganate and impose trade embargoes against them.

Li Wenyuan had promised substantial reductions in land tax, making revenue from farmlands negligible. Yet, with his support of merchants, annual tax income increased slightly rather than decreased. With these funds, Li Wenyuan was free to act as he pleased. This new understanding of revenue from merchants sparked an idea to establish an official caravan to conduct trade along the Silk Road. He had heard from a Sogdian that a modest porcelain vase could fetch a fortune in distant Byzantium.

Recently, news had arrived along the Silk Road. After the collapse and division of the Roman Empire into East and West, the Western Roman Empire had been spared from destruction by the Huns only to be invaded and partitioned by barbarian tribes. Only the Eastern Roman Empire remained as the legitimate continuation, known as the Byzantine Empire. (In Chinese historical records, it is called Fulin, pronounced “buz din” in Old Chinese during the Sui and Tang dynasties, but here it was simply referred to as Byzantium.)

Following the Southern Migration of the Western Jin dynasty, the northern aristocratic clans had weakened, replaced by the Hanized Hu clans of the Guanlong aristocracy. Though these clans possessed considerable troops and resources, they were obsessed with power at court. Unlike scholars who sought only prestige within the civil administration, these clans were intent on controlling actual military forces—a situation no ruler desired. If the struggle were confined to court politics, any emperor could balance factions and watch the drama unfold. But once the military was involved, the options were limited: either to disarm the generals through persuasion or to use forceful suppression. Both were troublesome and could lead to the downfall of a dynasty, as had happened with Emperor Yang Guang. The easiest solution was to exclude such threatening forces from power altogether, often through orchestrated “accidents.”

Li Wenyuan planned to operate an official Silk Road caravan to transport Chinese handicrafts to Europe and earn gold coins. A fiercely warlike nomadic tribe posed the greatest threat to this trade route. Coupled with the natural enmity between the agrarian Central Plains and the nomads, even though the nomads now submitted humbly, they would certainly interfere should chaos erupt in the Central Plain, as exemplified by Li Gui. To ensure stable future income, the Western Turks could not be left standing. Clenching his fist in resolve, Li Wenyuan decided that while the Central Plain could delay conflict for a few years, the Turks must be eliminated as soon as possible, at the very least the Western Turks. Now, with the advantage of gunpowder and firearms, a decisive strike was the safest choice.

At that moment, news arrived that Dunhuang Prefecture had fallen. The city’s garrison, upon learning that Li Gui had been defeated at the Guazhou front and had fled without trace, chose to surrender outright. Zhang Juntai sent a swift horse to report the victory. Since this was the first enemy city to surrender, Li Wenyuan himself was required to personally go and pacify it.

After reading Zhang Juntai’s letter, Li Wenyuan smiled and told the rider to rest first. He then tidied his few belongings and went to find Qiu Niang.

Qiu Niang had come to Guazhou to deal with some of Li Gui’s clandestine agents and to root out spies sent by various Central Plain factions. Under her direct command, several minor conspirators had been caught, followed by gruelling interrogations. Qiu Niang often fashioned “special” torture instruments, which proved remarkably effective—no one had yet endured them successfully. Li Wenyuan had only witnessed one such session and could not bear to watch more. Although her captives laughed during the interrogations, their laughter was tinged with despair and sorrow, tightening Li Wenyuan’s heart.

This time, Li Wenyuan was wiser. Sitting in the reception room sipping tea, he waited patiently for the servants to summon Qiu Niang. Soon, she entered. Li Wenyuan looked up to see her dressed in a simple, coarse linen garment befitting a rural woman, marked here and there with hidden dark brown stains.

Qiu Niang handed a damp linen cloth to a maid, then plopped down casually beside Li Wenyuan, drained the tea in one gulp, and asked, “Master, what business do you have with me?”

“Are you still interrogating those pawns? I’ve told you many times—such dirty work can be left to the servants. Why do you insist on doing it yourself?” Li Wenyuan took her hand, noticing the blood between her fingers, and reproached gently.

“I have no choice. Some of these pawns are too stubborn. If my subordinates aren’t careful, they might kill them. I have to handle it personally, and it’s a good chance to teach these novices a lesson,” Qiu Niang smiled, reverting to her usual gentle and refined demeanor.

“Just be careful, don’t always cover yourself in blood like this. I’ve spent years killing on the battlefield, and I don’t carry as strong a scent of blood as you do,” Li Wenyuan said, holding her hand. “How much longer until you’re done? I have other matters that need you by my side.”

Qiu Niang didn’t withdraw her hand but leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes briefly. “We’ve interrogated the Yuwen clan, and the Yuan clan should be mostly done today. The Pei clan hasn’t shown any extreme intentions, so we left them alone. As for Yang Guang’s men, a bit of bribery smoothed things over. There’s no big leader left among them. If you’re eager, we can depart today.”

(End of chapter)