Chapter 57: Choices (9)

It was unclear whether Shen Liniang had misunderstood or done it on purpose. When generals such as Tong Wu, Zhen Wu, and Xiong Wu appeared before him, Li Kuo could only shake his head with a bitter smile.
Who said Liniang couldn’t understand or see through things? She understood everything and had it all clear in her mind.
“Young master, Liniang has left first.”
Shen Liniang bowed to Li Kuo and stepped out.
The few dishes originally meant for three people turned into a full table of feasts. The happiest one was probably Pu Da Chui.
“I told you the general wouldn’t forget us. See? These dishes were ordered from Yi Xian Ju. We hardly ever get to go there—even once in a few years. Today, old Pu will really take advantage of General Li’s generosity!”
Without hesitation, Pu Da Chui picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of braised mutton.
“Tsk tsk, look at the seasonings they used. This flavor isn’t something us rough folks could ever create. I wonder why those delicate young masters like to eat out. It turns out that even the same dish can differ so much depending on who prepares it. Next time Old Zheng brags about his cooking skills, I’ll make him try some braised mutton from Yi Xian Ju—his face will surely turn red all the way to his neck!”
Though he spoke boldly, he didn’t realize he had offended those elite young masters. Right beside him was a young master from a prominent family.
Zhang Yanji shrugged, unfazed. “Good food needs to be shared among comrades, and good wine needs to be enjoyed together. It’s rare for us brothers to gather like this—let’s not go home until we’re drunk.”
“Well said!”
Pu Da Chui slapped his thigh. “Since returning from Longyou, we haven’t had a proper meal. Since the general is happy enough to gather us today, no one should be polite with him—just eat!”
Excited, Pu Da Chui waved his fists as if he were the one hosting the feast, unwilling to let his general spend a single coin.
“Old Pu, keep it in check. Otherwise, you’ll drive our general into poverty, and no one will give you red envelopes on New Year’s Eve.”
Dou Qing picked up a slice of bamboo shoot and put it in his mouth. Though he didn’t know why the general had called them together, since they were here, they should have fun. They were all men—if they held back everything and stuck to rules, wouldn’t that kill them of boredom?
“Eat and drink to your heart’s content. Today, I’ll cover it all!”
Li Kuo filled his glass and raised it high. “Everyone has worked hard these past days. Although the rewards given to our three battalions by the court have been unfair, none of you have ever complained or grumbled!”

Looking at these brothers who had shared life and death with him, Li Kuo was extremely moved. Having witnessed the intrigues of the Tang court over these years, he cherished their brotherly bond even more. Only in front of these brothers could he rest easy, without worrying about falling into traps or being betrayed. Through all the trials and hardships over the past year, they had been through it together, and their bond was even stronger than that of blood brothers.

To speak disrespectfully, even if he were to rise up now, most of these brothers would still stand by his side…

“Today, I, Li Kuo, offer this drink to all of you. I’ll drink first as a toast!”

With that, the young man tilted his head back and downed the strong liquor, then set the cup down on the table.

“Good! Since the general is so generous, we can’t act like weaklings. Whoever doesn’t drink their fill today is showing disrespect to the general!”

Wang Xiaochun owed his success to Li Kuo’s support. Without Li Kuo, he might still be herding cattle and sheep on the grasslands by the river mouth for the Tibetans. Therefore, he was extremely grateful to the young man—anyone who disrespected Li Kuo was also disrespecting him, Wang Xiaochun.

“Let’s drink heartily today!”

“Let’s finish this drink!”

“Drink!”

The brothers raised their cups and drank to the brim, the clinking of cups filling the air as the atmosphere was one of joy and camaraderie.

“Brothers, listen to me for a moment.”

Li Kuo pressed his hand downward, signaling everyone to quiet down slightly.

“Over the past year, we’ve fought bravely, and everyone has suffered cuts from swords. The men of our Tongwu Camp are not afraid of bleeding, and the sons of Tang are not afraid of dying. What we fear most is being betrayed by our own people!”

Li Kuo’s eyes reddened as he declared loudly, “I believe none of you can forget the unwilling looks in the eyes of our comrades as they died. I believe none of you can forget the terrifying glint on those swords! I, Li Kuo, have not forgotten. And you? Have you forgotten?”

“Whoever forgets is not a man! Kill that traitor, kill him!”

“Kill that traitor and avenge our brothers!”

“So, today I want to make one thing clear to all of you! It wasn’t just Gao Xiuyan who betrayed us—there was also the instigation of the current prime minister, Li Linfu. Do you want to seek revenge? Do you want to bring justice for our brothers?”

The young man looked around at everyone and openly explained the whole situation.

It turned out that not many generals knew Li Linfu was the mastermind behind the scenes. Aside from core confidants like Zhang Yanji, Zhou Wucui, and Dou Qing, the young man had not revealed the full details to the other generals. In their eyes, only Gao Xiuyan had betrayed them. This was why Li Kuo planned to start with Gao Xiuyan first—he wasn’t sure if these generals still had the courage and determination to avenge themselves once they learned it was Li Linfu behind it!

But today, he had to make things clear to them—whether to act or not was up to them!

For a moment, silence fell in the room, which was exactly as Li Kuo had expected. The young man picked up a cup of wine and said, “Those who are willing to avenge their brothers, drink this cup. No matter what happens, we’ll fight this old thief to the end. Those who aren’t willing, I won’t force you. If you face difficulties in the future, remember you still have a home here!”

Generals like Zhang Yanji, Zhou Wucui, and Dou Qing, who knew the truth, were the first to drink their cups to the bottom before slamming them down on the table. Keeping this matter secret from the entire army had been their unanimous decision, and now they couldn’t let Brother Kuo bear this responsibility alone! Although they had avoided talking about it, they knew they would have to face it sooner or later.

Since Brother Kuo had brought this up today, they might as well settle it once and for all!

The generals present had all been promoted by Li Kuo and could even be considered his direct subordinates. Li Kuo first led the Tongwu Camp, then added the Xiongwu and Zhenwu Camps, commanding over 1,500 men as a determined military officer. With the number far exceeding the quota, each brigade commander and squad leader had more men under their command than allowed, which greatly boosted their prestige and allowed some lowly-born men to indulge in the thrill of being officers.

Though their achievements had been diminished due to Gao Xiuyan’s interference after their victory, the number of heads they had cut was undeniable—no one could ignore it!

Some were promoted to lieutenants, others to brigade commanders, still others to squad leaders. Even some ordinary soldiers became fire chiefs due to their merits. Throughout the journey, everyone had reaped significant rewards—all thanks to Li Kuo, as they could all see.

But that didn’t mean they would unconditionally side with the young man—emotions could fade in the face of reality.

Sun Cheng, the newly promoted lieutenant, whose hand trembled as it reached for the cup, suddenly retracted it at the last moment, regretting his decision.

He was a native of Chang’an who enlisted alongside Li Kuo. As a member of the Shence Army, he fought bravely in the Zhuque Regiment and single-handedly defended the city in the Tongwu Camp—among the few survivors of that ordeal. For this reason, the young officers often supported him, out of old friendship. Though his family was not one of the most prominent clans in Chang’an, it was still considered a significant family. He had joined the army hoping to gain some advantages within the imperial guards, only to end up in the border forces.

After joining the border forces, he spent an entire year fighting desperately. There were endless Tubo warriors everywhere—from the Great Wall Forts to Fusi City, from the west bank of Qinghai to Jiuqu City. They never had a moment’s rest. Even after finally defeating the Tubo, they were betrayed by that scoundrel Gao Xiuyan. It was thanks to Lieutenant Li’s timely intervention that they managed to survive.

If it had been Gao Xiuyan the traitor, Sun Cheng would have been the first to draw his sword and attack without Lieutenant Li even saying a word. But their enemy was Li Linfu—the powerful chancellor of the Tang Dynasty who could turn the tide at will.

How could the high-ranking officials of the Tang court be such cunning traitors, turning against their own people?

He had just begun to gain some recognition, and now he was forced to risk it all. Besides, in his view, their side had no chance of winning this gamble.

“You damn coward Sun Cheng! You always seem so tough, but when it comes to fighting, you act like a coward. Will you drink this wine or not? If not, I’ll smash you into meat paste with my hammer!”

When Pu Da Chui saw that Sun Cheng wanted to back out, he immediately grew angry. If it were a new recruit from Longyou or a Tang civilian recruited at Hekou, he could understand their hesitation. But it was Sun Cheng—someone who had fought alongside them in the Zhuque Regiment of the Shence Army.

Strictly speaking, the Sun family wasn’t one of the wealthiest in Chang’an, but to a man like Pu Da Chui, who came from humble origins, they were already considered a top-tier family. In Pu Da Chui’s eyes, these aristocratic young men were all weaklings without backbone. They enjoyed all the perks in normal times but would betray others the fastest when faced with trouble.

“Tell me, what did our general do to you? You couldn’t even hold a simple stick properly back then. By military rules, you should have been beaten with twenty lashes. Who vouched for you in front of the supervisor and instructor? When you were shot in the shoulder by the Tubo at the Great Wall Forts, who pulled out the arrow for you? How did you go from a common soldier to a captain? Who helped you? You’re just a good-looking but useless fool who only thinks about his own interests when things get tough!”