Chapter 30: Dawn (I)

Accompanying Guan Yuyuan were, of course, Erwa and He Runshi.
Coincidentally, Li Kuo happened to be free at that moment. If it had been a little longer, the room would have been filled with generals of all ranks from Shule. By then, even if Li Kuo wanted to see Erwa, he would likely have no chance.
After inviting everyone inside and arranging seating, Li Kuo shook his head with a wry smile. “Erwa, why aren’t you at home taking care of your grandfather? Why have you come all the way to Shule, thousands of miles away?”
If Guan Yuyuan’s appearance had surprised the young man, Erwa’s arrival was truly astonishing. Since parting in Chang’an, he had gradually forgotten about this matter, only to find that Erwa had actually come all this way to find him.
Erwa had already prepared an explanation and wasn’t afraid of Li Kuo’s questions. “General, I want to become a great hero like you!”
His chest was held straight, his eyes brimming with hope. He had come to Shule to join the army—he was determined not to return home until he achieved something significant! If General Li could do it, so could he!
“Oh, it seems I must take you in then?”
Li Kuo shrugged helplessly and joked. From the first time he saw Erwa, he had felt affection for this determined young man. Now that he had truly come to Shule to join him, of course he would take him in.
“I am willing to serve the general to the death!”
Erwa even knelt on one knee and saluted Li Kuo militarily.
“Get up, get up!”
Li Kuo quickly helped Erwa up. “Then stay in my army. I happen to need a personal attendant!”
“General, I want… I want to go to the front line!”
Erwa swallowed hard, his gaze filled with pleading as he looked at Li Kuo. Staying by the general’s side was good, but only on the front line could he have more opportunities to prove himself. Since he was new here, staying by the general’s side might lead to gossip.
“What an silly child!”
How could Li Kuo not understand his thoughts? He shook his head with a smile. “Just stay by my side and don’t worry about other things!”
A general’s personal guard had far more opportunities for promotion than ordinary soldiers. This silly child didn’t even understand that.
“Oh…”
Erwa lowered his head, clearly disappointed.
“Since Erwa has already arrived at the governor’s residence, I won’t stay any longer. I still have matters to attend to back in my clan. Goodbye!”
Ever since entering the governor’s residence, He Runshi hadn’t said a word. Now that he voluntarily asked to leave, Li Kuo didn’t have much to say either.
This man was utterly peculiar from head to toe!
“Brother He!”
Erwa suddenly turned around and grabbed He Runshi’s robe sleeve.

“Hm?”
He Runshi turned around with a faint smile.
“Be careful on the road!”
Erwa sighed, turning his concern into a blessing.
As for He Runshi, he always felt he couldn’t figure him out or understand him. Who exactly was he?
After seeing Erwa and He Runshi off, only Guan Yuyuan and Li Kuo remained in the room.
The atmosphere in the room was somewhat oppressive; none of them wanted to be the first to speak.
Li Kuo certainly knew that Guan Yuyuan’s arrival in Shule wasn’t just for simple trade, but he didn’t want to touch that sensitive topic.
Hermits were the emperor’s agents, and as an important member of the hermit organization, Guan Yuyuan’s presence was naturally related to the emperor’s will.
The freshly brewed tea floated in the cup, yet it didn’t settle. Guan Yuyuan held the cup in his left hand while occasionally scraping the tea leaves with his right. The conversation began suddenly like this.
“Kuo, there are some things I must say. You…”
Even though he had made up his mind, speaking these words was still extremely difficult. Guan Yuyuan sighed. The young man had just arrived in Shule and hadn’t had much time to rest, and he really couldn’t bear to see him face such a harsh reality.
“Brother Guan, go ahead. I can handle it!”
Li Kuo tried his best to appear calm, so as not to put too much pressure on Guan Yuyuan.
“Very well!”
Guan Yuyuan waved his hand and said, “Actually, my main purpose in coming to the Western Regions this time is to convey the emperor’s message. There are some matters that can’t be clearly stated in an imperial edict.”
“The situation in the Western Regions is complex and changes rapidly. The Turgesh people are unpredictable, and their internal strife is unbearable. Although the King of Bahanna is loyal to our Tang Dynasty, he is weak. The Kingdom of Shi has been quite active lately, relying on the support of the Arabs to defy the authority of our empire…”
Unexpectedly, even a simple matter became a long explanation when spoken by Guan Yuyuan. Li Kuo was slightly stunned.
“Gao Xianzhi has requested the emperor to send troops to attack the Kingdom of Shi to restore imperial dignity. But the emperor, considering that the Tang Dynasty has just gone through a great war and needs time to recover, believes it’s not appropriate to wage large-scale warfare. So the emperor hopes you can go to the countries in Hexi and Longyou, persuade them with logic and benefits, and pull them away from the Arabs’ camp!”
“What?”
Li Kuo was shocked. Be sent to those countries? Why him? There were many of these barbarian states, some allied with the invading Arabs. Why would the emperor try to win over these fickle allies now? Could there be major actions ahead?
Various possibilities flashed through Li Kuo’s mind as he analyzed them one by one. If the Tang Dynasty were to start a war in the west, troops from Hexi and Longyou would surely be deployed as well…
“Don’t overthink it!”

Guan Yuyuan placed the teacup on the side table and waved at the young man. “His Majesty will grant you a ceremonial standard and an imperial edict. I believe those foreign kings will reconsider after seeing His Majesty’s handwriting.”

Since it hadn’t been approved by the Ministry of State, such an edict would surely have no effect—it was nothing but a piece of yellow silk. As for a ceremonial standard, having one more or less made no difference. Those foreign kings were opportunistic; without tangible benefits, how could they be expected to change sides?

What a clever approach—using power to persuade and benefits to motivate! Gao Xianzhi was currently holed up in the four garrisons of Anxi, showing no intention of sending troops west of the Pamir Mountains. Where was his power then? Sending someone on a mission to Hexi with just a piece of “waste paper” and empty promises—where was the benefit?

“Should we discuss this with Commander Gao?”

Li Kuo sighed deeply. Though he was filled with dissatisfaction, that man was still the emperor, the sovereign of the Tang Dynasty. Besides accepting it willingly, did he have any other choice?

As the highest official of the Anxi Protectorate, Gao Xianzhi couldn’t be bypassed when sending someone to the Western Regions. Even if he had the emperor’s edict, Gao Xianzhi could easily accuse him of overstepping his authority.

“Of course, we need to inform Gao Xianzhi!”

Seeing the young man relax, Guan Yuyuan also breathed a sigh of relief. “But he’s currently in Kucha, and traveling back and forth might be inconvenient. You need to write a confidential report to explain the situation clearly. I believe once he understands His Majesty’s intentions, he won’t make things difficult for you.” (Note 1)

Upon returning from Yiwu City, Li Kuo naturally went to the protectorate to meet with Gao Xianzhi. He thought Gao Xianzhi wouldn’t be friendly to him due to the matter involving Gao Xiuyan, but to his surprise, the governor welcomed him warmly and held a banquet to welcome him and the soldiers from Shule.

Gao Xianzhi’s attitude left the young man puzzled. Weren’t he and Gao Xiuyan mortal enemies? Why did it seem like nothing had happened when he was with Gao Xianzhi?

It wasn’t surprising the young man was suspicious. After Li Linfu’s downfall, many of his confidants were purged by Yang Zhao, including Gao Xiuyan. Somehow, though, despite being dismissed and investigated, the matter was dropped. It seemed very likely that the investigating official gave Gao Xianzhi face, unwilling to make a big deal out of it.

If not for Yang Zhao’s interference, Gao Xiuyan would likely be dead by now! The young man clenched his fists, his eyes filled with anger. He felt it was too easy for Gao Xiuyan to get away with it. He wished he would never meet him again, never again…

Guan Yuyuan certainly didn’t know what the young man was thinking. Assuming he was afraid of dealing with Gao Xianzhi, Guan Yuyuan comforted him, “Don’t worry. Although Gao Xianzhi is a bit ambitious, he’s also quite honest. Since this is the Emperor’s wish, as long as you bring it to him, he won’t trouble you.”
“Mm.”
Li Kuo gave a brief reply, neither confirming nor denying. Had Ge Shu Han not been kind to others back then? Had Yang Zhao not been easy to get along with? In the end, didn’t they all press a dagger against their own backs and stab themselves?
After going through so much, the young man no longer dared to trust others easily. What kind of person was Gao Xianzhi? The young man didn’t know—at least not yet!
He only trusted his own eyes, he only trusted facts!
“Everything is in this package. Take a good look for yourself.”
Guan Yuyuan patted Li Kuo’s arm and pushed a dark blue package toward him.
“Brother Guan!”
Li Kuo looked at Guan Yuyuan in surprise and asked doubtfully, “Are you leaving? It took so much effort to get here to Shule. Won’t you stay a few more days?”
Guan Yuyuan had traveled a long way under difficult conditions to finally reach Shule City. As the governor of Shule, he should welcome Guan Yuyuan properly. If he left like this, wouldn’t that be neglecting their friendship?
“Silly child! Have you forgotten that I’m the leader of the Jiyuan Merchant Caravan? If I stayed, wouldn’t the entire caravan’s schedule be delayed? I’m a merchant—how could I do business at a loss?”
Guan Yuyuan looked at Li Kuo jokingly and shook his head. Although his main purpose for this trip was to deliver the Emperor’s secret orders, he couldn’t disrupt the schedule. With his official identity intact, there was no reason for him to stay in the governor’s residence.
“Brother Guan!”
Hearing Guan Yuyuan use those words to tease him, Li Kuo glared at him irritably and said nothing more.
“Don’t worry. I’m also heading to Kangju. If we’re lucky, we might even meet again.”
After saying that, Guan Yuyuan stood up and prepared to leave. “Oh, by the way, please give my regards to Young Master Zhang and Young Master Zhou!”
“Brother Guan! Be careful on your journey…”
The young man watched as Guan Yuyuan disappeared around the corner of the governor’s residence corridor, his eyes slightly moist.
“Shen Sheng Chong Er—only you can choose!”
It seemed he no longer had any choice. Sending envoys to the Western Regions—why did it sound so ridiculous at this moment?
Was Uncle Gao’s remark out of affection, or did it hide deeper meaning?
Perhaps he would have to find out for himself.
Note 1: The Anxi Protectorate was located in Kucha Town.