Many years later, in the world’s account of that magnificent war, the first counterattack of the Tang Empire began from the moment Ning Que escorted the queen and the Six Prince back to Chang’ an and killed Li Huiyuan.
However, in fact, the initial counterattack of the Tang Empire did not come from Ning Que. It was not from the Northern Army fighting against the Golden Palace. It was also not from Chao Xiaoshu, who brought the Valiant Cavalry Battalion out of Chang’an to fight the invasion at the Eastern Border. It was not done by the navy officers and soldiers who turned the Qing River red and pledged never to surrender. Instead, the first counterattack came from a farmer.
There was a village in the fertile wildlands south of the Tang Empire.
There was a stream near the village, and there was a stone mill by the stream. Across from the mill was a raised meadow with numerous grape racks. The grapes on the racks have long been picked away, leaving only some stunted grapes forgotten by the people. It looked rather unassuming after being covered with autumn frost and dust.
This was a beautiful village, but it was not much different from the other villages of Tang. It looked just as unassuming as the grapes hanging under the trellis on the grassy slope.
There was a farmer named Yang Erxi in the village. Although he insisted that he was a painter, he was skilled at using a pitch-fork and his pigs were fat and healthy; so to the other villagers, he was a farmer. In fact, he was considered as a skilled farmer. Yang Erxi could not refuse such praise, so he could only accept it silently.
Just like many men in the Tang rural areas, Yang Erxi had been in the military before and fought with the Yans at the frontier fortress. He had cut down many grassland cavalries, and even his good painting skills were acquired when he was in the army.
In the years after his retirement, he married and had children. He earned money to support his family and lived a very quiet and happy life. Apart from some common quarrels among families, he had nothing to worry about.
The interesting and intense life all remained at the frontier fortress, where he had spent time at many years ago. Apart from meeting a big black horse that liked drinking grain porridge, his life was rather boring and unexciting.
Sometimes, Yang Erxi missed those days when he was in the frontier fortress.
One day, he carried a paint bucket and painted the wall of a public school. Suddenly a local government runner entered the public school, posted a blank sheet of paper on the wall and hurried away.
After complaining for two years, the yamen still refused to pay for the paint. He was given a thrashing by his father and his daughter cried for half a day before he agreed to paint the school. He was already in a bad mood, so when he saw the paper, he felt even more annoyed. Did the man not see that he was painting? How could he paint if there was a piece of paper stuck on the wall?
Of course, he would not admit that what annoyed him most was that he could not understand the words on that piece of paper.
The literacy rate of the Tang people was extremely high. However, he had been a naughty child, and that did not change even after he joined the army. He would rather be beaten than to join the literacy classes. As such, he was one of the few illiterate in the village. He was often laughed at by the neighboring children, and it became something that he regretted the most.
Fortunately, moments later, the bell rang in the public school. The villagers heard the bell and came up, waiting to hear the law teacher to explain what law the imperial court was promulgating.
The law teachers of the public school had yet to come out, but those who could read had already understood the contents on the paper. It was not a new law, but a war report.
Everyone was silent and their expression turned grave.
Yang Erxi, however, did not know what was written on it. He grew anxious as he looked at everyone’s expression. He grabbed a child who wanted to go home to inform his parents. He waved his fist at him before getting an answer.
“The Northeast Border Military was defeated in an ambush by the Yan Kingdom.”
There was still many more content in that imperial court document, especially for the people in the counties and villages in the Eastern Border, requiring them to evacuate as quickly as possible. State Garrison Troops were to organize to provide on-site defense and to recruit males who have military experience…
No one paid attention to these contents, because there was still a distance between them and the Yan Kingdom. Those words were not meant for them. The people were shocked and angry at the failure of the Empire and there was a flurry of discussion.
Some people asked worriedly whether the Yan’s troops would attack where they were and were instantly ridiculed. Some people did not believe that at all. They believed that as long as the imperial court sent out an army, the Easter Border would be fine.
Yang Erxi remained silent. After the crowd dispersed, he stopped the law teacher of the public school and asked him to read the content in the imperial court documents to him.
He was no longer in the mood to paint. Furthermore, the county government did not pay him much anyway.
When he returned home, he ate pig trotters and vegetables with wine. The more he drank, the gloomier he felt.
His wife squatted near the door, scooped out grape skin from the bucket in preparation to make wine. She suddenly realized that the man had not spoken for a long while and asked, “What’s the matter?”
Yang Erxi said, “Nothing.”
His wife said, “Eat some rice as well; it’s not good to drink on an empty stomach.”
Yang Erxi grunted and continued drinking. The more he drank, the more silent he fell. Then, his eyes suddenly brightened.
He suddenly said to his wife, “I’m going to take a long trip.”
His wife looked up and asked in confusion, “Why?”
“Something’s happened in the east.”
Yang Erxi told his wife what was written on the document and said, “I want to go there and take a look.”
The wife paused for a long time, then she laughed. The grape juice on her hand flew everywhere, and she ridiculed, “Something happened in the east…is it to the east of your pigsty or to the east of the grape rack? You’re saying it like the Tang Empire is your home. Are you the Emperor or the Empress? You are just a farmer.”
Yang Erxi said in annoyance, “I am a painter, not a farmer!”
His wife ignored him, thinking that he was drunk. She bowed her head and continued to work, all the while muttering, “He likes speaking nonsense every time he drinks a little.”
After a moment of silence, Yang Erxi said, ” I am not drunk. It is written on the imperial court documents that males who have military experience will be called if they are not over 40.”
Only then did his wife realized that he was not speaking drunkenly. She took her hands out of the wooden barrel and wiped them on the clothes. Then, she asked nervously, “The imperial court order was issued to the Eastern Border region. What does it have to do with us?”
“We are near Chang’ an and far away from the Eastern Border. It will take several days for the imperial court documents to arrive. Perhaps by that time, the Yans and barbarians would have already broken in, what’s the use of the documents then?”
“Even if the court wants to call the men up… it has to wait for the county government to organize it. Nothing has happened yet, has it?”
Yang Erxi said softly, “It’ll be too late by the time the county government organizes anything.”
His wife said with a shaky voice, “But…what’s the use of just you going?”
Yang Erxi said, “Even if the Eastern Border falls, the imperial court will definitely set up a wartime yamen there. When I get there, I will naturally serve with them.”
The more she listened, the more uneasy his wife became. She screamed to the next room, “Dad, come quickly! ”
Yang Erxi hit the table forcefully. His vegetable dish and the leftover pig’s feet all fell to the ground.
He said angrily, “Why are you shouting! I don’t hear you shouting this loudly when I ask you to get dad over for dinner!”
The gate was pushed open with a creak, and a hunched back old man entered.
Yang Erxi stood up and asked, “Dad, have you eaten yet?”
The old man looked at the mess on the ground and smacked his lips. “No,” he said.
Yang Erxi said, “Then let your daughter-in-law chop up some barbequed thigh for you.”
His wife looked at her father-in-law with tears in her eyes, thinking that she always gave the old man food. And he shouldn’t be angry just because she didn’t give him barbequed pork legs last time. Then again, if he could manage to keep the drunken man in the house, she would even give him her legs, much less pork legs.
The old man did not speak.
Yang Erxi grew anxious.
“You two were so loud. There’s only one wall between us. How can I not hear?”
The old man said.
Yang Erxi was very strong and tall, but now he bowed his head just like when he made a mistake when he was a child. He mumbled, “I am a retired member of the frontier army, and if I don’t go now, what…”
The old man glared at him and rapped out, “Is it that great to be a soldier? I was a soldier, too, and so was your father! I was even a field officer! What are you trying to show off here?”
When his wife heard this, she stopped crying and looked at her father-in-law hopefully.
The old man fell silent and suddenly said, “Go if you wish. If I were not 60 and still 40, I would go with you.”
Yang Erxi retrieved a wooden bow from the cabinet that was in pristine condition.
Then he carried a sharp reflective straw fork on his shoulder. His wife tied a heavy leg of barbequed pork to one end of the straw fork and asked, “Do you want another pot of wine?”
The daughters-in-law in the Tang rural areas were usually of this temperament. Seeing that the situation cannot be changed, she would accept it in silence and take care of her own man carefully.
Yang Erxi said, “This is a war. Drinking is against military discipline.”
His wife put down the newly brewed wine and thought to herself that he was not a serious soldier, so why would he care about military discipline?
Their two children ran home at this time. The younger brother panted and flushed. He wanted to say something but could not say it. The older sister looked at Yang Erxi and said angrily, “Father, the painting for the public school is not done yet. The lecturer is very angry. Do you want us to fail school and become like you?”
Yang Erxi would normally be very angry if he had heard his daughter speak like that. Then, he would finish the rest of his chores at the school with his paint bucket. However, he smiled today.
“Tell the teacher that I will finish painting it when I return.”
Yang Erxi looked at his father and said, “Dad, I am leaving.”
The old man nodded and said, “Be careful.”
Yang Erxi kissed his wife hard and loud.
The two children were not shocked, having seen this many times. However, they were very curious.
His son looked at him with wide eyes and asked, “Father, where are you going?”
Yang Erxi said, “To the east.”
His daughter asked, “Father, why are you going there?”
Yang Erxi answered, “To fight in the war.”
His daughter said excitedly, “Father, you must win!”
“Of course.”
Yang Erxi laughed and walked out the door, carrying his bow, arrows, and pitch-fork.