Chapter 57: Heavenly Questions (9)

Wei Lin’s provocative gaze utterly enraged the assembled generals. They all placed their hands on the hilts of their swords, ready to strike down this reckless envoy and turn him into minced meat at their general’s next command. So what if he was the emperor’s special envoy? Right now, they only obeyed Li Kuo’s orders and ignored the emperor’s decrees!

Li Kuo stared coldly at Wei Lin before smiling faintly after a long pause. “Lord Wei is really good at joking. I’ll ask you just one thing—will you release my family or not?”

To be kind to others, you must first respect me. For those who disrespect me, Li Kuo always does one thing: he beats them until they respect him. Since both sides had already crossed the line, Li Kuo had no qualms about engaging in a fight with this envoy. After all, in this world, strength is what truly matters. Why could the Tang emperor command respect from thousands? It was because he possessed overwhelming strength. If he lost his military power and wealth, would people still treat him with such deference?

What is strength? Strength is the fist! Only by showing your fist to the other party can you make them feel fear.

Seeing the tension escalate, Gao Shi cleared his throat twice to intervene. “Seventh Brother, don’t get angry. Lord Wei was just joking with you, right, Lord Wei?”

While speaking, Gao Shi looked expectantly at Wei Lin, urging him to say something soothing. But Wei Lin clearly wasn’t someone easy to deal with. With a cold snort, he said, “Is General Li threatening me? If so, things will indeed get difficult.”

“Swish!” “Swish!”

Hearing this, the soldiers of the Copper Army Camp could no longer hold back and drew their swords. “You wretched official! Just say whether you’ll release them or not!”

Wang Xiaochun pressed his sword against Wei Lin’s neck, causing a faint trace of blood to seep out.

There were some things a general shouldn’t do personally—let him be the villain then. This Wei Lin had gone too far. There was nothing left to say to such a person; they should just strike him with the sword!

Wei Lin was truly unyielding, showing not the slightest fear. “What, is General Li going to kill someone to establish his authority? Fine, come and strike at me! Go ahead!”

Wei Lin shouted loudly and stepped forward. Wang Xiaochun’s sword plunged downward, slicing off a layer of tender flesh.

Li Kuo frowned tightly, pondering what to do. It seemed everything he had predicted was true—this Wei Lin must be Li Hen’s man sent to Jianghuai to spy on Gao Shi. It was rare for him to be so stubborn, but he seemed to have overlooked one thing: he had always grown stronger when facing the weak and even stronger when facing the strong.

Of course, if Wei Lin were killed in the governor’s mansion, the last veil between him and the Tang court would be completely torn away. By then, he might indeed be labeled as a villain like An Lushan by the Tang court and ordered to be hunted down by the regional lords. So, unless it was absolutely necessary, he would not kill Wei Lin.

“Lord Wei said he wanted to discuss terms—well, let’s hear them then,” Li Kuo said calmly, exhaling slowly.

“Hmph. No wonder General Li comes from the military. So that’s how negotiations are conducted?” Wei Lin raised an eyebrow and glared at Li Kuo.

“Xiao Chun, let him go!”

“Commander, but…”

“Let him go!”

Wang Xiao Chun glared resentfully at Wei Lin before pulling his sword back in anger.

Wei Lin let out a long sigh, wiped the blood from his neck, and said calmly, “Actually, the terms are quite simple. His Majesty the Emperor also believes you didn’t intend to defy orders. So he needs General Li to show sufficient sincerity.”

Li Kuo hated this official tone and simply asked, “What sincerity?”

Wei Lin waved his sleeve and said nonchalantly, “Hand over your military authority.”

“You’re delusional.”

Li Kuo’s reply was decisive, his right hand already reaching for his waist. He had long known what Wei Lin’s terms were; it was just that hearing them directly from Wei Lin had given him a sliver of hope. Now that Wei Lin had laid out the demands so bluntly and openly, all of Li Kuo’s hopes for the Tang court vanished instantly.

Ask him to hand over his military authority? Not to mention whether he could leave Yangzhou alive after doing so, even if Li Hen kept his promise and let him go temporarily, how could he guarantee he wouldn’t be assassinated along the way? After all, the entire Tang empire belonged to Li Hen—what couldn’t he do? In these chaotic times, if he encountered bandits along the road who killed and robbed, he couldn’t blame it on the “wise and mighty” Tang emperor.

This was an utterly unfair condition. No matter what he chose, the outcome would be the same. Li Hen wasn’t a magnanimous person. If he weren’t wearing those imperial robes right now, Li Kuo might actually compare him to street thugs.

“What if I refuse?”

Li Kuo’s tone was cold, his gaze equally so. To him, everything in the world except for his family and brothers had turned as icy as frost. Faced with such a world, the only response was to fight fire with fire, blood with blood.
“Refuse?”
Wei Lin was clearly surprised by Li Kuo’s words. “If you refuse, I naturally won’t say much. You may very well cut off my head to vent your anger. But then again, your family will likely all be executed.”
Hearing Wei Lin’s cruel words, Li Kuo felt a surge of rage rise in his heart. Yet he was right—right now, he really couldn’t kill him…
“Moreover, General Li, do you really think killing me will allow you to walk out of this military governor’s residence alive? To be honest, General Gao has already sent three thousand soldiers to encircle this place. Even if you had supernatural abilities, you couldn’t escape!”
Li Kuo’s heart sank.
No wonder Wei Lin spoke so boldly—he must have already planned everything. He regretted having trusted Gao Shi too much, which led him into this trap.
“Uncle Gao, is everything Wei said true?”
The bronze-armored soldiers turned to look at Gao Shi. Their gazes held a mix of disdain, contempt, anger, and mockery. Stunned by their stares, Gao Shi sighed softly and lowered his head.
Silence itself spoke volumes. Li Kuo’s lips curled slightly, filled with sorrow and helplessness.
“So, does that mean I have no choice left?”
Li Kuo turned to Wei Lin and asked calmly.
“What do you think, General Li?”
Wei Lin raised his head proudly and replied arrogantly.
“Hey, you wretched official! I’ll kill you first!”
Wang Xiaochun could hold back no longer. He swung his sword at Wei Lin’s neck.
This time, Li Kuo didn’t stop him. With nothing better to do, he might as well give in to his impulses.
The sword was swung high, aiming straight at Wei Lin’s neck. Just as the blade was about to pierce his skin, there was a sharp clang—the sword in Wang Xiaochun’s hand was knocked aside!
Gao Shi drew his sword, slicing past Wei Lin’s neck and sending Wang Xiaochun’s sword flying.
“Nephew, don’t make a fatal mistake out of impulse!”
Li Kuo stared coldly at Gao Shi. “Does General Gao think I have any other choice?”
Startled by Li Kuo’s address, Gao Shi was momentarily at a loss for words.

“There’s still a chance for this matter… As long as Qilang can think things through, I can go explain to the Emperor again. Right now, Lord Pei is close to the Emperor, so I’ll write a letter and send it to him someday, asking him to intercede on your behalf with the Emperor…”
Gao Shi clearly felt guilty toward Li Kuo and dared not make eye contact with him.
“No need! If Uncle Gao truly thought there was room for negotiation, he wouldn’t have sent three thousand soldiers to the governor’s residence!”
Li Kuo pointed out the flaw in Gao Shi’s words.
Perhaps Gao Shi was really forced to do this, or perhaps he truly didn’t want to put himself in danger, but none of that mattered anymore. From the moment he stole the tiger talisman and detained his own relatives, they were no longer uncle and nephew.
Li Kuo had two flaws in his life: being protective of those he cared about and being very clear about grudges. It didn’t matter what others did to him, but they must never harm his relatives or friends. Gao Shi, who knew him so well, must be aware of his principles.
Now that he had violated both of these taboos, perhaps there was really nothing left to say.
“Well, what do you plan to do, Qilang?”
Although Gao Shi’s face was red with embarrassment, he still had to force himself to ask further. Though the governor’s residence was now surrounded, everyone inside was Li Kuo’s men. If this boy really did something foolish, alas!
“Release my relatives, and we’ll be even!”
Without hesitation, Li Kuo stated his condition clearly. His mother, A Tian, Li Niang—these were all relatives who meant the world to him. He had already lost Yan Ji; he couldn’t lose them too!
Emperor Li Heng and the Tang court already owed him too much. He would never allow them to hurt his relatives any further.
“This…”
Gao Shi was sweating profusely, not knowing how to respond to Li Kuo.
His relatives were indeed detained by him, but it was by the Emperor’s orders, and he had no choice but to obey. Besides… besides, he too had his difficulties.
But he couldn’t say any of this—he couldn’t tell Li Kuo!