Chapter 153: Martial Prowess Halts Conflict, Forgetting the Perils of War-Tang Dynasty Night Songs(Saint Morning Thunder)

There is no reason why this cannot be drunk.

Nan Jiyun set down the wine cup before him, picked up the wine jar directly, and drank it down like a whale inhaling. The burp that followed sounded like thunder, and in this manner, he emptied the entire jar to the last drop.

"A true warrior indeed!" the company praised him one after another.

Ye Chang nodded. "Indeed a true warrior, but Number Eight Nan's capacity for liquor is secondary; his divine archery is the real marvel. I have long known that among you gentlemen, quite a few harbor ambitions for the frontier. A warrior of Number Eight Nan's caliber, crammed here in the Eastern Capital and serving as a mere doorkeeper, is truly letting a great talent go to waste. When you gentlemen set out for the frontier in the future, you should recommend him to the commanders, so that his exceptional skills may not remain buried."

Upon hearing these words, a few of the poets fell into thoughtful silence, while Nan Jiyun turned to look at him with a very peculiar gaze.

Nan Jiyun was already past thirty years of age, yet he was still nothing more than a lowly archer; had it not been for encountering Ye Chang, even this minor squad leader position would not have been his. Confident in his own abilities yet letting his thirties slip away in frustration, how could he not harbor resentment in his heart?

Ye Chang was introducing him to these men—though none of them had achieved great worldly success, Nan Jiyun had just inquired of Old Dun the Vintner outside and knew these were the famed scholars of the present day. If even one of them were to reach the frontier, then he, Nan Jiyun, would have the opportunity to display his talents.

"Why... would he do this?"

Thinking of how he had always spoken coldly and worn a sour face toward Ye Chang, Nan Jiyun felt a pang of shame: Ye Chang was truly not the ungrateful ingrate of legend.

He cupped his hands in salute toward Ye Chang, then bowed to the rest of the company, and silently withdrew, retreating to stand behind Ye Chang.

"Speaking of frontier affairs, nowadays there are fierce generals stationed on all four borders and the beacon fires are quiet. Only over at the Dog Rong, Huangfu Weiming is locked in a standoff with them, and I fear there will be a major war come next year."

Once Ye Chang started the topic, Gao Shi chimed in. Cen Shen, Wang Changling, including Wang Wei, had all at various times harbored ambitions for frontier affairs, and Li Qi was the same. Moreover, in any era, at a man's drinking table, beautiful women and military strategy were eternal topics.

"Ever since Princess Jincheng passed away, the Dog Rong have been growing restless..."

"Huangfu Weiming is a fine general of our times; how could the Dog Rong Zanpu, a mere barbarian, be a match for Huangfu Weiming?"

The company discussed animatedly. Some of their views were correct, while others painted a flattering picture of peace. For instance, the phrase about beacon fires being quiet—Ye Chang knew it to be false. Border conflicts could be said to have never ceased, whether with the Dog Rong (that is, the Tubo) as they called them, or the Xi and the Khitans in the northeast.

"I hear His Majesty intends to summon Pei Kuan, the Military Commissioner of Fanyang, back to the court, and is currently selecting someone to replace him. I wonder who might take his place. Now that Lord Li Shizhi and Lord Pei Kuan have successively entered the court from Fanyang, if the wrong person is chosen, future trouble will inevitably arise." After discussing the western frontiers for a while, Li Qi turned the conversation toward the northeast.

At this mention, Zhang Xu frowned slightly. Lowering his voice, he said, "The two tribes of the Xi and the Khitans in the northeast have always practiced marriage alliances with princesses. Now that both tribes have established new rulers, there are people at court pushing to send another princess for a marriage alliance."

"If a marriage alliance can be achieved, perhaps the northeast can enjoy peace for a while longer..."

"There is absolutely no way!" Ye Chang suddenly blurted out.

Previously, when everyone was discussing border matters, Ye Chang had simply listened with a smile, playing the modest role of a junior. When he spoke up now, his tone was so resolute that it made everyone realize how firm his opposition truly was.

"Eleven-Lad Ye, why do you say that?"

Ye Chang pondered for a moment, then said, "During the Han dynasty, the princesses sent for marriage alliances were too numerous to count. Yet was it princesses who drove back the Xiongnu, or was it Wei Qing and Huo Qubing?"

When these words were uttered, the company all shook their heads.

"Eleven-Lad, you excel in poetry and domestic governance, but when it comes to military and state affairs, I fear you are not as familiar. Without the policy of marriage alliances, the Xiongnu would have raided the borders year after year, leaving the Han with no time to cope. How else could there have been the powerful national strength of Emperor Wu's reign? Without the support of such national strength, how could figures like Wei and Huo have been able to display their talents?" Chu Guangxi sat beside Ye Chang; since the two of them had conversed extensively earlier, they had grown familiar. Thus, he spoke up directly as well, "Besides, how can campaigns on the battlefield compare to universal peace? Emperor Wu's northward attacks against the Xiongnu drained the state's strength entirely, leaving millions of soldiers to bleed on the fields, only to exchange it for some Ferghana horses and grapes. What benefit was that to the state or the people?"

While Chu Guangxi was speaking, the room fell completely silent. Before Ye Chang could reply, Li Qi struck his bowl with his chopsticks and chanted in a generous, mournful voice:

*In the bright sun I climb the mountain to gaze upon the beacon fires,*
*At dusk I water my horses beside the Jiahe River.*
*The traveler's alarm-gong sounds through the darkening wind and sand,*
*The princess's pipa is heavy with mournful grief.*
*Ten thousand miles of wild clouds surround a land without city walls,*
*Rain and snow fall thickly, linking to the great desert.*
*The barbarian geese cry mournfully, flying night after night,*
*The barbarian children let fall tears in pairs.*
*Hearing that the Jade Gate Pass is still blocked,*
*They must cast away their lives following the light chariots.*
*Year after year, bleached bones are buried in the wild wastes,*
*While to no avail we see the grapes enter the Han imperial house.*

When this poem was chanted, everyone was struck dumb. Even Ye Chang had not expected that this ancient masterpiece would be improvised and spilled forth right before him in this very setting.

" marvelous! Marvelous!"

The company pounded the tables in wild acclaim. Over there, Li Junlan had already lowered her brows in deep thought, and shortly afterward, she was whispering quietly with several musicians. Once the company had finished drinking toasts of congratulations, she smiled and said, "Hearing these verses, I am itching with curiosity and desire to sing them to aid the drinking mood."

With that, the musicians changed the tempo of their stringed and wind instruments, sounding like the sorrowful horn of the frontier and the cold frost of the desert. Immediately following, Li Junlan parted her red lips and raised her voice in song.

When the song ended, she came before Li Qi, bowed, and offered him a drained cup of wine. The company once again showered him with unified praise.

"Lord Chu's lofty discourse, though born of a heart pitying the people, is sadly lacking in far-sighted vision." Everyone assumed that after Li Qi's poem, Ye Chang would surely be rendered speechless. Yet unexpectedly, Ye Chang raised his cup, rose to his feet, and addressed the company again: "You gentlemen only see Emperor Wu's northern expeditions exhausting the national strength, but do you not see how during the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing, the Xiongnu marched south and plunged all the borders into helpless distress? Have you gentlemen ever deeply considered why the barbarians repeatedly invade the Central Plains?"

This was a question the company had not pondered deeply. Barbarian invasions were commonplace in history, and perhaps precisely because they were commonplace, no one bothered to examine their deeper causes.

"The barbarians of the borders, those who have not received the civilizing influence of Cathay, how are they different from beasts? The barbarians are lazy, while our Cathay is diligent; the barbarians are foolish and stubborn, while our Cathay is wise; the barbarians govern with cruelty, while our Cathay rules its people with benevolence. Thus the barbarians grow ever poorer, while Cathay grows ever richer. Therefore the barbarians raid again and again. What is their purpose? Simply being stirred to evil by the sight of wealth. You gentlemen are all versed in border affairs, and you must know that my words are not false."

The company nodded repeatedly. They all shared a consensus regarding the plundering nature of the surrounding barbarians.

"As for princess marriage alliances, a mere woman sent far away to desolate and alien frontiers—can she transform the barbarian into a Chinese? Since she cannot, sending a princess among beasts is no different from casting a person into a tiger's mouth. Furthermore, when a princess marries far away, she cannot go without craftsmen and servants in her retinue, nor without silks and gold as dowry. The craftsmen and servants transmit our Cathay's manufacturing arts to their state, and the silks and gold drain the fat and blood of our Cathay's people to subsidize the enemy!"

"Surely it wouldn't come to that..." someone exclaimed in shock.

"Not come to that? To leave aside ancient matters and speak solely of our own dynasty, Princess Wencheng entered Tibet, taking countless books and craftsmen with her. Originally the Dog Rong were merely a minor scurf-like affliction, but ever since then, the Tubo have grown increasingly powerful and their arrogance even more blazing, leaving the western borders with scarcely a moment of peace."

This was a direct condemnation of Emperor Taizong Li Shizhi—or rather, Emperor Taizong Li Shimin—sending Princess Wencheng into Tibet as a blunder. The company exchanged glances; although some among them also disapproved of marriage alliances, to directly criticize Emperor Taizong was something none of them truly had the courage to do.

"In Eleven-Lad's view, if we do not use marriage alliances, how should we guard the borders?" another asked.

"Guard the borders? Why guard them?" Ye Chang said. "I once remarked to someone: if you seek peace through marriage alliances, then peace will not endure; if you protect peace through war, then peace will be everlasting!"

"Not so, not so! Eleven-Lad, your words are mistaken. The character for 'military' (*wu*) is formed by combining the characters for 'stopping' (*zhi*) and 'weapons' (*ge*)—meaning 'to stop weapons is martial'. Those who are fond of war are bound to perish." Zhang Xu was older, and though his temperament was erratic, hearing Ye Chang's words, he also felt something was amiss and immediately spoke up in refutation.

"Lord Zhang's words are correct, but I believe the reverse is equally valid: martial is to stop weapons; those who forget warfare are in peril!"

The two of them stood toe-to-toe, yet without damaging harmony. Moreover, whether it was 'stopping weapons is martial' or 'martial is to stop weapons', both were conventional etymological wordplay used by scholars. As for 'those who are fond of war are bound to perish' and 'those who forget warfare are in peril', they both originated from *The Methods of Sima*, except that the two men had each taken phrases out of context, resulting in completely opposite meanings.

Consequently, everyone burst into laughter.

"Guarding the borders with military force is one thing, but judging by your meaning just now, Eleven-Lad, you advocate attacking." Chu Guangxi said.

"Naturally it is attacking; offense is the best defense. Every year when autumn comes and the horses grow fat, the pastures of the barbarians wither; with nothing to do, they think of raiding the Central Plains. Year after year it is thus, which is why the states of Qin and Yan vied with one another to build the Great Wall. Solid though the Great Wall is, there are always places where defense falls short; how can it compare to taking the initiative and attacking? The Art of War states: 'He who strikes first holds the initiative.' A common saying also puts it: 'There are men who act as thieves for a thousand days, but there are no men who can guard against thieves for a thousand days!'"

The company all knew something of military affairs and naturally understood the importance of seizing the strategic initiative. Therefore, on this point, everyone nodded in agreement. However, Li Qi thought for a moment, rose, and added, "Even so, it ultimately borders on exhausting the state's resources through militarism, bringing toil to the people and drain to the treasury like Emperor Wu of Han, causing the common folk to suffer at the very least."

"Lord Li's poem just now was excellent: *'Year after year, bleached bones are buried in the wild wastes, / While to no avail we see the grapes enter the Han imperial house.'* Yet, are grapes the only things that entered the Han house? What a pity that the ministers of Emperor Wu's time were narrow-minded and failed to understand their utility! Using grapes to brew wine spares the common people from having to use their grain to brew liquor. Alfalfa is an excellent forage grass that can remedy the inadequacy of the Central Plains' horse pastures, and planting alfalfa on raw land can increase soil fertility. Ferghana horses are the finest steeds under heaven; if we use them for breeding to improve our Central Plains' warhorses, why fear that our horses' strength will fall short of the Xiongnu's? Emperor Wu of Han waging wars in foreign regions for his own selfish desires is not worth imitating, but what if we draw the sword for the benefit of all the people under heaven?"

"For the benefit of the people under heaven?"

"Precisely for the benefit of the people under heaven. Ever since Zhang Qian opened up the alien regions, merchants have traveled back and forth across the border unceasingly. If we can select vital locations and levy taxes on passing barbarian merchants, for every fraction of an increase in commercial tax, we can reduce the corvée tax levied on the common people of the Central Plains by a fraction. The people will not be distressed while the state treasury is full—this is truly a policy of great benevolence! To balance the wealth of the realm and nourish the living people of Cathay, is this not a supreme virtue?"

Ye Chang spoke fluently and with great ease. Although his commentary on the actions of the ancients did not rely on profoundly obscure principles, his perspective on viewing problems possessed a unique originality. For a moment, no one could find a rebuttal.

Wang Wei had originally intended to speak, but remembering that his relationship with Ye Chang had only just eased, he firmly clamped his mouth shut. Seeing no one respond, Qiwu Qian stood up and said, "Though Eleven-Lad's words make sense, military affairs are the most crucial matters of state and cannot be treated lightly. Recklessly brandishing the sword is neither a blessing for the state nor for the people."

"Lord Qiwu speaks correctly. Whether to fight or to make peace, both should serve as blessings for the state and the people, rather than gratifying the personal whims of the ruler." Ye Chang pressed his lips together, finally deciding to voice what was in his heart: "There is one matter that worries me deeply."

"What matter?"

"When I read historical texts and observe the rise and fall of various dynasties through the ages, I have gained some small insights. Taking the Han as an example: at the beginning of the Han, weathering the decline of the late Qin chaos, the population of the realm was no more than fifteen million. But by the time of Emperor Wu, it had increased to thirty million; and by the reigns of Emperors Xuan and Yuan, the population reached fifty or sixty million. Population growth was originally a sign of a golden age, yet it planted the seeds of a chaotic age."

Everyone listening was deeply moved: "This is alarmist talk!"

"Gentlemen, consider this: during the reigns of Emperors Xuan and Yuan, the population was three times that of the early Han. Yet were the arable lands, mountain forests, and rivers three times that of the early Han? Those extra thirty or forty million people beyond the early Han exhausted the land's fertility, lacking food and clothing, and eventually came to be deluded by wicked men. Western Han had the Green Woods and Red Eyebrows rebellions, and in the Eastern Han the cycle repeated once more, leading ultimately to the calamity of the Yellow Turbans." At this point, Ye Chang raised his voice: "At the founding of our Great Dynasty of Tang, the population was fifteen million, comparable to the early Han. By the twenty-third year of Taizong's Zhenguan era, it was nineteen million; by the first year of Zhongzong's Shenlong era, the population exceeded thirty-seven million; and in the first year of Tianbao under our present ruler, the registered population is forty-five million—and gentlemen, you all know that these figures do not count bondservants. If we add the thirty million bondservants, the total population exceeds seventy million!"

Just moments before, everyone had felt Ye Chang was merely exaggerating to scare people, but now that this chain of statistics had been laid out, though they did not know where Ye Chang had obtained these numbers, they could not help feeling a chill in their hearts.

"The fertility of the land is limited; sustaining the more than seventy million people of today is already nearing exhaustion. His Sacred Majesty made an eastern tour from Chang'an to Luoyang not out of luxury, but simply because the land resources of Guanzhong are exhausted and insufficient to feed the million souls of Chang'an. For now, it can still be maintained, but as the population continues to multiply, what will the state do when it reaches one hundred million? What will the state do when it reaches two hundred million?"

*Clack.*

With that, Ye Chang drained the wine in his cup and sat down. The poets seated around him, however, sat like wooden chickens, and some even lost their grip on their chopsticks, letting them tumble to the floor.

Population was the wealth of the imperial court, but Ye Chang had exposed another terrifying truth: when this wealth swelled beyond a certain quantity, it would become a burden to the court.

Those seated here were all clever people. Those well-read in history even deduced a conclusion from Ye Chang's subtle hints: war—only a war that overthrew dynasties—could eliminate the surplus population.

Thinking of that outcome, everyone shuddered with dread.

After a long silence, Zhang Xu managed a forced laugh. "We were originally talking about border affairs; how did Eleven-Lad drag this into population growth and the rise and fall of the Former Han... Let's drink, let's drink!"

The company raised their cups in a perfunctory manner, yet every one of them found it hard to swallow.

Wang Changling could not hold back any longer; after setting down his cup, he asked again, "Eleven-Lad certainly does not shoot without a target. From border affairs you turned to population—could it be that Eleven-Lad wishes to use warfare to restrict the population?"

"Not at all. Using warfare to eliminate one's own country's population is a policy of being lenient to outsiders while cruel to one's own—unless there is no other choice, it must never be done." Ye Chang shook his head. "Though I am devoid of talent, I would never resort to such an exterminating scheme. Enough, enough; let us not dampen everyone's spirits. Let us return to border matters—I also have a poem that I would like to ask you gentlemen to critique."

When poets talked things through to the end, they naturally had to circle back to poetry. However, what Ye Chang had said just now was far too startling, and the company's responses were inevitably sparse.

Ye Chang had long since formed a plan in his mind. Looking at the company, he slowly said, "This poem was something I saw in a dream..."

The company fell dumbfounded at once.