Chapter Ninety-Five: Interests

Liu Ji, who knew history well, understood that the prosperous age of the Tang would peak and then plunge in an instant, while Tubo would do the exact opposite: just when it seemed on the verge of drawing its last breath, it would seize the chance to revive.

He knew it, yet had no power to change it. Even if he had become that emperor, in the years ahead there would be only one chance, the day Fat An came to the capital two years from now. But if Fat An truly were killed, then in Fanyang, where the arrow was already on the string, someone far more capable would likely take over. That man was named Shi Siming.

And what could Liu Ji do now, when he was merely a minor officer of the Anxi garrison, responsible for fewer than a hundred men?

Seated on the bank of the Skaar River, more than three thousand and close to four thousand meters above sea level, Liu Ji let his feet soak in the ice-cold water, propped his hands on the ground, and stared up at the sky. Watching the bright stars, he remembered words once spoken to him by a Pakistani officer while he was on duty in Pakistan in later years.

That officer had said this land brought no economic benefit, and under the threat of war, even herding sheep could mean stepping on a land mine. Yet they still had to stand guard there, because if they did not, their wives and children would never know peace in Islamabad or Lahore. He had even added that he truly envied the Chinese, who could recklessly squander everything and even treat war as a kind of adventure.

At the time, Liu Ji had heard it, but not taken it to heart. Only now, after truly experiencing war for himself, did he grasp the meaning. The people of Bolü stood on their own land, yet had no choice but to watch two nations slaughter one another. And in the distant city of Chang'an, thousands of miles away, those grand families whose wine and meat had already gone rotten in their larders—if they knew their easy days had only a few years left, what sort of reaction would they have?

Several thousand years of human history, compared with the stars above, were nothing more than a drop in the ocean. And a single human life, set against the long river of history, was no different. His appearing here—was it truly because, at the bridge to the afterworld, he had drunk one mouthful less of the old hag's soup?

Was his own grain of sand really incapable of raising even the faintest splash?

Footsteps sounded behind him, breaking his train of thought. Liu Ji straightened up and turned his head. Led forward by one of his men was none other than that Young Master Shi.

"Fifth Young Master... Garrison Commander." As soon as Shi Chongzhi spoke, he realized his mistake and hurriedly changed the form of address.

"You are not one of my own men. Use the old title." Liu Ji waved a hand and motioned for him to come closer; otherwise he would have to strain to hear.

Shi Chongzhi did not stand on ceremony. Merchants were naturally adept at social grace, skilled at dealing smoothly with all sides. Not to mention a minor garrison commander like this; even someone like Feng Changqing, the chief officer, would owe him some respect. After all, this trade route was the strongest guarantee that the Tang had managed to take root in the Western Regions. One had to know that Anxi was not like Beiting. There, the system was a semi-autonomous one.

That meant the local taxes were all in the hands of the kings of the various countries. What they could collect, apart from some tribute, was only the commercial tax from the different checkpoints.

"Yes." Even so, Shi Chongzhi did not presume on his standing. He answered and sat down on a stone beside Liu Ji.

That gesture immediately won Liu Ji's favor. After all, the other man had changed into a silk robe to come see him, and yet could sit here without a care. Even if there was deliberate cultivation of ties behind it, it still reflected the man's usual bearing. Otherwise he would never have been so natural.

"Are you here to ask how that fortune should be handled?" Liu Ji showed him no courtesy at all. What could move a merchant was only profit; everything else was a waste of time. And right now, he had no time to waste.

"Please instruct me, Fifth Young Master." Shi Chongzhi's official speech was extremely standard, though it sounded a little odd, as if it had been deliberately trained.

"The Tang and the Arabs have already made peace. Your Shi family must be familiar with that trade route, yes?"

Shi Chongzhi paused slightly. The two directions were entirely different, and for a moment he failed to react.

"To be honest with you, Fifth Young Master, my family does have some connections over there."

"Then it shall be entrusted to you. These goods will count as the capital contribution from my Qiankeng Garrison to a partnership with your Shi family. If your family wishes to take the lead, then put up more than this amount. How it is handled is up to you; we will take care of opening the necessary doors."

So that was it. Shi Chongzhi immediately began calculating. What had been seized from the Tubo officials' residences was all property presented by the local people to the newly appointed Dongben Xidongzan, and with the gifts offered by Qiu Jijianzan and the others in order to side with the Tang, it amounted to a considerable sum. Yet in Shi Chongzhi's eyes, that was only secondary.

What kind of background did Fifth Young Master have? Even if he had not known before, once the Tang army arrived these past few days, with his methods he could easily pry the truth out of Yang Yu or anyone else.

No need to mention anything else. Just being the favored son-in-law of the current military governor of the Four Garrisons was already enough.

One had to know that among the common people of the Four Garrisons, he was more real than the emperor in Chang'an. He was practically the king of Anxi. Could one not see it? Even the kings of those petty states had to bow and scrape before him.

Besides, this Assistant Imperial Commissioner Feng had only just assumed office and had already achieved such a great merit. His position would only grow more secure. By ordinary precedent, aside from Wang Zhengjian, who had served less than a year because of poor health, the other military governors all held office for at least five years. Five years was more than enough for the Shi family to invest.

With such status, it was no wonder the second legitimate son of the Yang family had risked his life to save him.

It was only a life. If Yang Yu could part with it, what was there for him to begrudge? Shi Chongzhi gritted his teeth, summoned the same spirit he had on that night when he had staked everything, and said in a low voice, "I am I, and Shi is Shi. If I am willing to put up my own fortune and enter into partnership with Fifth Young Master, I wonder whether such a chance might be available to me?"

Liu Ji was a little surprised. He turned and stared at him for a while. Seeing this, Shi Chongzhi wore a bitter expression and continued, "To tell the truth, Fifth Young Master, in the Shi family I am nothing important. Otherwise, how could I have been sent to such a remote place? The reasons behind it are not worth mentioning. If I can win your regard, I will certainly follow you even unto death."

Ambition? The bigger the family, the more complicated the affairs. Liu Ji did not care in the least about the Shi family's sordid business. What he cared about was only whether the man's ability could meet his demands. One had to know that along that trade route there were countless variables; a single misstep meant death and the destruction of one's clan. Without a powerful network, one simply could not move.

Seeing his silence, Shi Chongzhi seemed to sense something and continued to explain, "From Xizhou to Samarkand, I traveled that road with my father when I was sixteen. Later, I also followed the family caravans several times. Where to stop, how to arrange things—I know it all well. Though I have not traveled it in these years, if you give me a chance, I will certainly not fail your trust."

Samarkand, also called Samarhan, was the second-largest city in present-day Uzbekistan, located at the northwestern edge of Transoxiana and a famous local commercial center.

"Forty percent. Under the same conditions, I only need forty percent." Seeing that he still had no response, Shi Chongzhi had no choice but to lower his price himself.

"Thirty percent. You are not the Shi family; you are not worth those twenty percent. In those thirty percent, it is your assistance in Helou City that is the reason I am nodding."

After weighing it, Liu Ji still decided to give him a chance. What he would need to do in the future required someone who could take risks without hesitation. The Shi family might have a wider network, but it would also be entangled in more interests and complications, and might not necessarily be willing to leap into the fire for him. This man in front of him, however, had some potential.

Potential was only potential. Before it became something real, it could only be valued conservatively. That was business. There was no room for sentiment in it.

Shi Chongzhi clenched his teeth and nodded. "Thirty percent it is. One day, I will make Fifth Young Master see that I am worth those twenty percent."

A spirited child was worth encouraging. Liu Ji smiled and extended one hand. At first Shi Chongzhi did not understand, but soon he reacted and copied his motion. Their palms clasped in midair.

"Deal."

Once Liu Ji had let go, the agreement was sealed, and there were some matters he could now tell him.

"This war will be over in a few months. Go back at once, organize supplies, and recruit men. Whatever you need, send someone to me. If you cannot find me in an emergency, Yang Huzi will do as well."

"I will return at once and make arrangements. If Fifth Young Master has anything to send to your family, just give the word." Shi Chongzhi immediately slipped into the role.

Liu Ji had not expected him to say that, and was stunned for a moment before he realized that he meant the city of Kucha.

"No. You should depart directly from Tingzhou. The goods can be procured in Xizhou. Kucha is too far."

This time it was Shi Chongzhi's turn to be baffled. He could only remind the other carefully, "The Beiting military governor may not be easy to deal with."

Feng Changqing had not been granted the additional title of military governor of the two garrisons; that was common knowledge. How could an Anxi deputy protector general possibly reach that far? Was this man confused? Still, he had not been wrong about one thing: Xizhou was where merchants gathered in force, because at its far end it connected to the Hexi Corridor, the heartland of the Tang.

Unexpectedly, Liu Ji gave him a strange look, one that made Shi Chongzhi's scalp tingle. He had no idea what in his words was wrong.

"After this war, I will be promoted to watch-post commander. It will most likely be Yele. On your own turf, what are you afraid of?"

Shi Chongzhi finally understood. Qiankeng Garrison was originally under the sequence of the Beiting Protectorate; it had only been transferred here temporarily by Wang Zhengjian because of the war. After the fighting, it would certainly be restored to its original command.

Yele Watch-post, as the superior authority over Qiankeng Garrison, stood right at the choke point of that trade road!

As the saying went, a present official was not as useful as the one who was actually in charge. Even the authentic military governor of Izhou and Beiting would not be as effective as this watch-post commander. With his protection, from Tingzhou all the way to the vicinity of the Suyab River, all of it would be, in Liu Ji's words, his own turf. Shi Chongzhi suddenly felt that although he was only taking thirty percent, in truth he had gotten a tremendous bargain.

To be able to thrive in both garrisons, was that not the mark of a man with power reaching to the heavens? What was more, this man was so young, with a future beyond calculation.

He had heard that Liu Ji had long been inclined toward beauty, and wondered whether his own youngest daughter might be able to catch the other's eye. In that moment, his gaze unconsciously grew much more complicated, and the long-dormant fighting spirit in his heart surged up at once, as though he had grown ten years younger.

When he left, his steps were so unsteady that he nearly tripped, and when those with a mind to notice saw it, they naturally drew other conclusions.

Talents are all forged through tempering.