Chinese New Year

Chapter 1442 Counting
"Commander-in-Chief!"

"Grand Governor!"

"General."

Everyone looked at Yang Qin, and the soldiers also looked at him with expectant eyes.

They've been running for six months, and many of their shoes and boots are worn out; they're thinking of getting a new pair.

They endured sandstorms for most of the year, and the cold winter winds made their faces feel like they were about to crack. They didn't want to live in the drafty barracks; they just wanted to live in warm houses.

They fought bitterly for a long time outside the city, and many of them lost their comrades and fellow villagers. They were also injured and full of resentment.

Most importantly, most of them had no military pay, so what were they after traveling thousands of miles to the Western Regions?
I can obey the emperor's decree, but I am not convinced!
Yang Qin avoided most people's gazes and simply said, "Tang Xiang!"

"Your subordinate is here," said Tang Xiang, deputy commander of the Silver Spear Central Camp, stepping forward.

"Lead your troops and the crossbowmen into the city," Yang Qin ordered.

Tang Xiang understood and accepted the order.

He knew what the commander-in-chief meant. The Black Spear Left Battalion and other tribes had already had their "happy time" in the Kingdom of Dangerous Beard; now it was the Silver Spear Central Battalion's turn.

The Bantun barbarians fought very hard this time, braving the rain of arrows from the city walls to cover the various tribes' attack on the city. They suffered heavy casualties, so they were given a small reward.

Seeing that the Silver Spear Central Camp was able to enter the city, everyone was somewhat envious.

The officers were alright; they weren't so easily swayed. But the ordinary soldiers were a bit restless, especially the soldiers from the Sha Cai Prefecture. Although they didn't make a fuss, their disappointment and dissatisfaction were obvious.

However, Yang Qin quickly made another arrangement—

The death penalty for Wei Tou and Wen Su can be waived, but punishment is inevitable. The Left and Right Flying Dragon Guards, the Right Feathered Forest Guard, and the Left Long Straight Guard are to be ordered to seize the treasury's wealth and escort it to Kucha.

Gu Mo was extremely important, so a portion of the Luo Yan Army and the Liao soldiers were ordered to garrison it.

There's no need to elaborate on the fact that the Luoyan Army, the Left and Right Valiant Cavalry Guards, and the Youzhou Cavalry Commander already exist in Wulei City. Yang Qin also ordered them to thoroughly investigate and eliminate those who were two-faced, citing the fact that many people had tipped off the Kuaihu and provided supplies during the war.

Finally, there were various mines in the mountains north of the Kingdom of Kucha, which led to the formation of towns. Thousands of able-bodied men were sent to conquer them and transport their wealth.

After the orders were passed down, the soldiers cheered, while the people of Kucha turned pale.

But Yang Qin couldn't care less about the promises he had made before; he had to keep them, or the consequences would be severe—if you dare to deceive the soldiers, they will deceive you in battle.

That evening, surrounded by his entourage, he entered the city of Kucha.

At that time, the setting sun was like blood, dyeing the entire street and alley a deep crimson.

Squads of soldiers, clad in armor and their weapons stained with blood, walked back and forth, shouting "I am so poor!" They would break down the doors of wealthy houses and swarm inside. Soon, the sounds of men cursing and women screaming filled the air.

Yang Qin ignored him and went straight into the palace.

In the square in front of the palace, a civil official with a martial arts background was already sitting cross-legged, grinding ink.

First, there were the camels kept by the King of Kucha, totaling more than two hundred, all of them Bactrian camels.

The camel was a little nervous. When the soldiers pulled it out, the copper bells under its neck made a clear sound. It was breathing heavily and occasionally let out a cry.

"The King of Kucha has 236 camels under his wing," a junior officer of the Silver Spear Army shouted after counting them.

The soldier standing not far from the clerk repeated it.

The clerk made no move, only saying, "Everything in the palace must be offered to His Majesty. Have someone else count it again."

Helpless, everyone counted the items again, and only after confirming that there were no errors did the clerk write them down.

The junior officer assigned a team of men to drive the captured Kucha soldiers in the palace to lead the camels outside the city, and specifically instructed them not to mix them with camels captured from other places.

"The King of Kucha has 208 imperial horses." After a while, the horses were counted, and the number was announced as usual.

At this moment, everyone in the square couldn't take their eyes off them; wow, these horses were so magnificent.

Most of those present were military men, and who didn't love horses? To put it bluntly, if you encountered a general who was particularly fond of horses, he might even be willing to trade his favorite concubine for a fine horse.

One isn't enough, two aren't enough, two aren't enough, three...

A beautiful woman is easy to find, but a fine horse is hard to come by! This is no exaggeration.

"Stop looking, everyone. These are imperial horses," Yang Qin coughed, reminding them.

Everyone looked away with some regret; what a pity!
"Heave ho! Heave ho!" The miserable Bantun barbarian soldiers, in pairs, carried heavy wooden boxes over and placed them on the laid-out felt carpet.

When the boxes were opened, the sheer number of gold and silver ingots was almost blinding.

"Wow..." Almost simultaneously, the soldiers exclaimed in unison.

Yang Qin was the first to regain his senses. He waved his hand and said, "Take inventory and make a list. Anyone who dares to lay a hand on something will be executed without mercy."

"Yes, sir." The soldiers straightened up and responded in unison.

That's not how you make money.

Everything in the Kucha royal palace was offered to the emperor, and the royal family had to take their share: officers robbed wealthy households, and soldiers robbed ordinary people.

The clerk swallowed hard and wrote "eighty-one gold ingots" and "four hundred and sixty-nine silver ingots" in the register. After writing that, he added a note: "One ingot equals fifty taels."

The entire Central Plains produced less than 10,000 taels of silver a year, yet the King of Kucha had amassed over 20,000 taels through generations of treasury accumulation—truly remarkable. Guarding such a trade route, they were practically making a fortune every day.

After the gold and silver were counted, they were put back into boxes, sealed, and guarded by soldiers, awaiting transfer.

At this time, it slowly got dark.

Torches were lit in the square, and the Banshunmen continued to file out carrying box after box.

This will be a mixed bag of items—just a mixed bag, but not worthless.

Gold cups, silver plates, jewel-encrusted scabbards, jade belts, and other items were casually placed on the felt carpet, one after another, densely packed.

Some clumsy soldiers grabbed the blankets inside the boxes and shook the contents off onto the carpet, as if they were dumping garbage.

Everyone couldn't stand it anymore and glared at him with disgust.

Realizing his mistake, the man's face paled, and he immediately squatted down to arrange his spoils: a deep blue-green gemstone, a string of pearls as smooth as the moon, an intricately carved ivory tablet, and a sandalwood box inlaid with mother-of-pearl and agate. There seemed to be something else inside the box...

The inventory work became more complicated because it also required identification and careful description of the items to prevent them from being swapped out.

More staff were brought in to conduct separate inspections and record-keeping.

Yang Qin casually picked up a colorful glass vessel, which refracted a dreamlike halo under the firelight.

After putting them down, I saw several ivory Buddha statues that seemed to be from India, as well as gold, silver and bronze artifacts of unknown style, especially the peculiarly shaped gilded bronze incense burner, which looked very much like the Persian style.

Then soldiers brought in boxes of Buddhist scriptures. Some were written on silk, some on paper, but most were written on tree bark. The script was unfamiliar, and the language was unknown; perhaps it was Sanskrit.

"Are there many monks in this city?" Yang Qin asked.

“Indeed.” Tang Xiang strode up from behind, laughing, “I heard that the eminent monk Fotucheng of Ye City once visited here and left behind scriptures. Many Indian monks have come here, and there are quite a few Buddhist temples in Kucha. Such a small city, yet it has two temples. And there’s another funny story—”

"Oh? Tell me about it." Yang Qin was in a good mood and waved his hand.

"The King of Kucha has a younger sister, seventeen years old, intelligent, studious, and beautiful. For the past two years, suitors have flocked to her door, but she is a devout Buddhist and often goes with the king's daughter, noblewomen, and nuns to the Buddhist temple north of the city to offer alms and listen to virtuous monks preach," Tang Xiang said. "This year, an Indian monk arrived, extremely handsome. The king's sister fell in love at first sight and forced him to marry her. The monk, terrified, hid in a temple. When the king's sister arrived, the monk fled again, leaving behind only a white horse and three disciples. The king's sister-in-law, upon hearing this, was furious and has been introducing young men from the royal family to marry off her sister-in-law this year."

Yang Qin laughed heartily.

The others couldn't help but laugh, saying that the princess had become so obsessed with Buddhist scriptures that she was too humble—these murderers believed in nothing but the knife in their hands.

"Keep the sister of the King of Kucha under separate guard and treat her with courtesy. She will be transferred to the capital later," Yang Qin instructed.

"Yes, sir." Tang Xiang replied, then added, "Commander-in-Chief, I just saw the musicians and dancers of the King of Kucha, there were dozens of them, should we..."

"Need I say more?" Yang Qin glared at Tang Xiang with a look of exasperation and said, "If you want it, you have to wait for the Emperor to bestow it upon you. If you reach out recklessly now, even if the Emperor is magnanimous and laughs it off, you will suffer in silence in the future."

Tang Xiang repeatedly agreed, and then led Yang Qin to a certain place inside the palace.

Dozens of young, beautiful, and graceful dancers and musicians stood nervously on the steps.

Some people were dressed in gorgeous dance costumes, their faces filled with terror, their chests heaving.

Some people bowed their heads and sobbed, clutching their musical instruments tightly, such as the konghou, pipa, and jiegu.

Yang Qin's gaze was also drawn to it, and it took him a long time to look away.

"Lock them all up and keep them under strict guard. Do not disturb them," he ordered.

"Yes, sir," Tang Xiang replied loudly, though he felt a pang of regret.

Without another word, Yang Qin instructed a clerk to write a report of victory and send it to Chang'an before turning and leaving.

The streets were a little chaotic.

Officers rode back and forth on horseback, shouting themselves hoarse to maintain order, and whipping any soldier who tried to hoard small items—except for the portion to be presented to the emperor, all spoils of war were to be collected, counted, and distributed uniformly.

But their efforts don't seem to be very effective.

A box of treasures overturned during transport, scattering agate and pearls all over the ground. When the first person couldn't resist reaching out, the others also lost their order and began to scramble for the treasures.

In a corner, a soldier hid a pearl necklace in his pocket, only to be reported by a jealous comrade.

The officers, as fierce as wolves, rushed over, first whipping him, then dragging him away.

Some people even kicked aside an exquisite Gandharan-style stone Buddha statue just to retrieve a gold coin that was underneath it.

Yang Qin suddenly stopped and picked up a beautifully crafted painted wooden figurine of a musician from Kucha.

It was carelessly left on the roadside, already covered in dust and even somewhat damaged.

Yang Qin sighed inwardly. The soldiers judged the value of the spoils of war by the weight of gold, silver and jewels, while discarding these exquisite and rare items as if they were worthless...

Oh well, as long as they're happy.

Looking at the martial artists whose faces were filled with exhaustion, excitement, and greed, Yang Qin suddenly smiled. This was the expression of victory.

(End of this chapter)