Chapter 7

Holding a flat silver flask in his hand, Cheng Chumo winked and pulled out the stopper to smell it. It turned out to be wine, not very strong, just a small sip, the wine was quite dry, about thirty degrees, not distilled or flavored. The strongest wine in the Tang Dynasty was Sanlejiang, which was made through three fermentations and could reach about thirty degrees. The wine was a bit cloudy, but it didn't matter. "Live for today, drink for today," he lifted the flask and took a couple of gulps, "glug glug." For Yun Ye, who was used to drinking strong barley wine, this was nothing. Cheng Chumo's face twitched.

"Sanlejiang?"

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why?"

"Brother Yun is only fourteen or fifteen, right?"

"Fifteen."

"Why can you drink strong wine like water and name it at first taste? Clearly, you are a connoisseur. It's evident that you often drink this wine. Sanlejiang comes from the Western Regions and is highly esteemed in Chang'an. It's very expensive, and ordinary people can't even get a taste. I took this from my father's collection to show off to Brother Yun, but I didn't expect you to drink it without changing your expression and name it right away. It really surprised me. Brother, you must come from a noble family. Why are you in this remote place?"

"Brother Cheng, you flatter me. My story is hard to explain. I was adopted by my master since childhood. My master said I should be from Chang'an. When he found me, I was still in swaddling clothes, with the character 'Yun' written on them. My master named me Yun Ye. It was a chaotic time, and we couldn't find my parents, so we traveled all over the country. When I was ten, my master fell ill, and we settled by a river. This spring, my master passed away. I honored his last wish, cremated his body, and scattered his ashes in the river. I built a hut by the river to mourn him, but a flood in the spring destroyed my hut at night. I barely made it to the shore and wandered in the wilderness for a month before meeting Uncle Zhang and his group, which led to this salt-gathering task." I had to fabricate a complete background. Since the Yun family has lived in Lan Pass since the Sui Dynasty, I might have to visit my ancestors later. This way, I'm not lying. My background is too bizarre; if I told the truth, he would think I was lying, and not in a sophisticated way.

"Let's not talk about my past. It's like smoke, fading away. Just being alive is a blessing from heaven. Today, meeting Brother Cheng and feeling a connection, we should drink to our heart's content." Saying this, Yun Ye took another big gulp.

"So, Brother Yun, are you now alone and without any ties?"

"Exactly, a man without ties should roam the world freely." Pretending not to see Cheng Chumo's eager eyes.

"What do you think of my brothers in the camp?"

"They are all loyal and brave warriors."

"Would it be a disgrace for you to join us?"

"I am new to this world. Being able to join you is what I desire. I'm just afraid that as an unknown, I might cause trouble for Brother Cheng."

"Trouble? Brother Yun, my family is never afraid of trouble." Indeed, a troublemaker like Cheng Chumo wouldn't be afraid of trouble.

---

Since Yun Ye agreed to join the Cheng family last night, he hasn't felt at ease, worried about Cheng Chumo's character, feeling like he's on a pirate ship. History is written by people. If the historian's pen takes a turn, using the Spring and Autumn style, Yun Ye feels he would be wronged. They say a son resembles his father. If Old Cheng is like this, where can he go to complain? This is the aftermath of Yun Ye agreeing to be Cheng Chumo's military secretary, and the wine flask being taken away by Cheng Chumo. Yun Ye feels he was born to be a Tang Dynasty person. In just one day, he had a leader, a brother, and a group of people to eat with. Life is thriving. The past is like smoke, fading away. There is only a faint pain. Life must go on. Once you start, you must finish. This is the worst of times, but also the best of times.

In the early years of the Zhen Guan era, the young Tang Empire faced its most perilous moment. The Turks invaded the Central Plains, and the states of Jing and Wu were in danger. Jili advanced to the Wei River. Emperor Taizong, with the might of the 2,000 Turk iron cavalry slain by Yuchi Gong at Jing, set out from Chang'an with a small entourage of six riders to meet Jili at the Wei River. The next day, they met on the bridge over the Wei River, killed a white horse as a pledge, and the Turks retreated. Yun Ye knew this was Emperor Taizong's delaying tactic. The Tang Empire was still dealing with internal rebellions, struggling with the people's livelihood, and the food left by the Sui Dynasty was almost gone. The eighteen rebel kings and seventy-two warlords had killed each other, leaving only one in ten men alive, and the population had dropped from 1.7 million households to 640,000. The Han people still existed but had lost their former glory. The surrounding tribes were restless, the Turks continued to raid the borders, Tuyuhun wanted to take advantage of the chaos, and Songtsen Gampo of Tubo had grown up and started his conquests. Silla and Goguryeo coveted the Northeast Plain. Throughout history, great emperors have always fought their way through thorns and brambles. Now, Emperor Taizong was gathering his strength, healing his wounds, and waiting for the moment to rise to the heavens. Yun Ye knew that the Tang Dynasty's glory would shine for generations. Thinking of this, Yun Ye would tremble with excitement. He would watch these clowns' final performance with a cold eye. In Cheng Chumo's eyes, the Tang Emperor was a wise, open-minded, brave, and enlightened leader. In Yun Ye's eyes, Emperor Taizong was a cunning man shrouded in many glories. Cheng Chumo was happy and proud, while Yun Ye was in pain. The higher the leader's intelligence, the harder it is to deceive. Thinking of living with so many great people, Yun Ye felt his future was dark and bleak.

The entire camp was now under Yun Ye's control. As the military secretary, he was the biggest in the logistics camp. He pushed away the thick leg pressing on his neck, no wonder he had nightmares all night. Cheng Chumo was still snoring loudly.

The Chinese people are hardworking and kind, and Yun Ye has always believed this. Look at these guys, working from dawn till now, their strong muscles tanned by the sun, like bronze statues, much better than those who tan themselves in the future. Yun Ye didn't dare to take off his clothes; compared to them, only his limbs were tanned, the rest was still white, like a panda. When he tried to help, he was politely persuaded to sit down. "Please, Secretary, let us handle the rough work. We will take care of everything." Being persuaded to sit down was fine; as a secretary, he wasn't supposed to do the work, regardless of the size. In the future, secretaries rarely did any work. Besides, they were working so vigorously, and the assembly line method he suggested yesterday was going smoothly. There was nothing to criticize.

Cheng Chumo woke up, rubbed his waist, and walked out of the tent, asking Yun Ye why he had a sore back from drinking. Yun Ye wouldn't tell him it was because he kicked him. Who wouldn't get angry if someone put their foot in their mouth?

He called Zhang Cheng to bring him a bow and arrows, planning to go hunting. After seeing the bow and arrows last night, he became obsessed with this main weapon of the cold weapon era. You've heard storytellers say, "Push the bow to a full moon, hold a baby in the other hand, release the string, and hear the enemy general scream."

Yun Ye drooled over Cheng Chumo's precious bow, but he couldn't pull it no matter how hard he tried. It was a three-stone bow, made by the best craftsmen over three years, worth 300 guan, equivalent to 600,000 RMB. Good grief, a BMW could be bought with that money. Here, it was just a broken bow. By the way, Yun Ye liked the value of this bow. Yun Ye was completely immersed in the dream of holding an AK-47 and sweeping the world. Thinking of having an AK in hand, he felt he owned the world, and he couldn't help but grin. Cheng Chumo and Zhang Cheng instinctively took a step back, staying far from Yun Ye, while the two women looked at him with loving eyes, thinking he was having a nightmare. Ignoring these low-quality people, he sent Zhang Cheng away, took Wangcai and the two women into the forest to pick wild onions. Cheng Chumo, who couldn't even pull the softest bow, took a few guards into the forest to hunt, saying he wouldn't bring children or women, considering it bad luck.

The uncultivated land was a huge treasure. The wild onions were fat and tender, and he could pick a bunch at a time. This was a delicious treat. Spread on dough and fried in oil, it would be a fragrant scallion pancake, making your mouth water just thinking about it. He was lucky to find a Sichuan pepper tree, still green but good for seasoning. The women picked for a while but only got a handful because the tree was full of thorns. Wangcai took a bite and started drooling, probably because it was numbing. Tired of the trouble, he cut down the tree and dragged it back. They also picked two large baskets of wild vegetables before returning to the camp.

He was teaching the women how to make dough for pancakes when Cheng Chumo returned, having killed three wild sheep. Looking at one of them, with its long, twisted horns, he knew the head sheep didn't escape. The ancients said that the butcher who could cut a cow into pieces, but Zhang Cheng, with a half-foot-long knife, quickly turned the three sheep into pieces of meat ready for the pot, leaving Yun Ye speechless.

Yun Ye decided to cook the meat in a simple way. He didn't wash the sheep, threw them into the pot with blood, and when the water boiled, he dumped it and added fresh water. He added wild onions and Sichuan pepper, and when it was done, he added salt. This was a heavenly dish.

The two women had been serving him diligently for two days, and he couldn't neglect them. After asking, he learned that one was Zhang Wangshi and the other was Liu Heshi. They had no names, and in the war, they were assigned to Zhang and Liu by the government. Since they were government-assigned, they had no choice. This time, they were going to Black Wind Pass to meet their husbands. In the army, soldiers were like brothers, and if a woman was assigned to a soldier, no one else would think about her. If someone did, it would be a serious offense, and no one would let it go. It seemed that Emperor Taizong was using any means to increase the population. To give the two women a skill, he decided to teach them how to make scallion pancakes with mutton fat: "Sisters, you've worked hard these two days. I'm very grateful for your care. I have a small skill to teach you. It won't make you rich, but it will ensure you have food and clothing. In the future, you can open a small shop. Would you like to learn?"