I struck a deal with the general: I provide the grain, and he builds the well. Even migrating birds need a pla…
I struck a deal with the general: I provide the grain, and he builds the well.
Even migrating birds need a place to rest on their long journey. For the Sogdian caravans, these resting places are always found where there is water.
But this time, my stay has been longer than I intended—perhaps because digging a well is a slow and arduous task.
At first, the Tang army sent only a few men. They still had a city to guard, so progress was slow. Just as I'd calculated, it was not a profitable deal.
But then, villagers started to appear. They helped the soldiers, not for coin or for profit. They couldn't quite explain why, only murmuring about wanting to see the Central Plains, to see Chang'an again.
Chang'an. I once longed for that city myself. In the lessons of trade passed down from my elders, it was a land one could only travel to after becoming a great merchant, carrying credentials and chanting prayers.
But what reason did these soldiers and villagers have, most of whom had never even been there?
I asked the general as he stood on the city wall. He told me Chang'an is the heart of their country. Their homeland.
I didn't understand what "homeland" meant. "A homeland," he explained, "is where you have ties. It's the place that lets a wanderer stop wandering."
His meaning still eluded me. "If I go to Chang'an myself," I asked, "will I understand?"
He shook his head. "You would. But you shouldn't go. Not now."
"If I would understand, then I must go." I smiled, countering with a new business proposal. "You've been looking for a foreigner the Bodchen wouldn't suspect, someone to travel light and carry a message to Chang'an. Let me go for you!"
I leaned forward, snatched the whip from his hand, and set off on his white horse, crossing three passes and a thousand miles to reach the fabled city of Chang'an.
It was magnificent. But strangely, I found myself missing the simple market where I'd spent my days with the soldiers and villagers.
When I returned, I saw a small light flickering in the shelter where I had stayed.
The guard at the gate greeted me with a smile. "The general said your return was uncertain, Master Kang, so he ordered us to keep a lamp lit for you."
In that moment, I understood. This is what a homeland is.
Suddenly, I had a new dream: to build this place bigger, better. To let the desert poplars sink their roots here and grow a thousand golden branches.
I want to build my "homeland" into a true home for the Sogdian people.