Chapter 69: Heavenly Might (7)

Li Kuo flipped open the note written to him by Brother Nan and glanced up at the plaque above.
“Jiyuan Restaurant!”
This was it.
Ever since he learned he had become one of the hermits, Li Kuo had felt secretly delighted. Regardless of the future prospects as a hermit, merely being valued by the Emperor and nurtured as a trusted confidant was enough to fill the young man with joy. Brother Nan had repeatedly urged him to recover and then come to this restaurant to meet the owner, indicating that there was indeed an important task at hand. Ever since Marshal Geshu Han led several hundred troops to Hexi three days ago, Li Kuo had sensed a change in the atmosphere in Chang’an. The once bustling Yala Restaurant now saw few customers aside from some regulars. The Tibetan-owned leather shops and spice stores seemed cursed, with only a handful of buyers coming by all day long. Even the Tibetan envoys at the Ministry of Rites appeared to be ostracized and ignored by officials from other countries, hardly able to speak. The assassination attempt on the Tibetan prince was also buried under the Emperor’s deliberate suppression, leaving the envoys who had demanded a swift resolution to return to Lhasa in shame.
It seemed the Emperor intended to wage war in the west! The young man shook his head. After this incident, the conflict between Tibet and the Tang Dynasty could no longer be resolved. Even if the Emperor wished to endure it, the barbarian Tibetans would undoubtedly draw their spears and swords without mercy.
Entering the restaurant, Li Kuo headed straight to the back room. He had Brother Nan’s letter with him; he just needed to find an owner surnamed Guan. It was not yet mealtime, so there were few customers inside. A middle-aged man in green clothes, wearing a vest and a hairband, was sitting at a desk, fiddling with an abacus. From his appearance, he seemed to be checking last month’s financial records.
“Excuse me, sir, are you Master Guan?”
Li Kuo bowed slightly to the middle-aged man and asked in a low voice.
The man stopped using the abacus, glanced up at Li Kuo, and said, “I am indeed Guan. May I ask if this young man wishes to have a meal here or stay overnight?”
Li Kuo waved his hand lightly and said, “I am not here for meals or lodging. I am here to discuss a business deal with Master Guan.”
“Oh?”
Master Guan immediately became interested and studied the young man carefully.
Li Kuo cleared his throat and spoke in a lowered voice, “Hidden like a golden scale, when faced with storms, its three-inch claws emerge.”
Upon hearing this, Master Guan trembled slightly, nodded, and replied, “A scholar for a true friend, when faced with a lord’s command, what matters the world?”
With that, he took out a jar of finely brewed wine, opened its lid, and pushed it toward the young man.
“Brother Guan!”

Li Kuo was overjoyed. Since this man had answered the hermit’s secret code, he must undoubtedly be the hermit.
“May I ask how this young brother goes by?”
Shopkeeper Guan poured a bowl of wine for Li Kuo, his face full of kindness.
“My surname is Li, and my given name is Kuo. I’m the seventh in my family. You can just call me Xiao Qi, Brother Guan.”
Li Kuo replied cheerfully and openly.
Looking around to ensure no outsiders were nearby, Shopkeeper Guan smiled faintly. “These past few days, I’ve heard from the authorities that a military officer would come to discuss business with me. I kept waiting but never saw him show up. Just as I was about to inquire, here you are, Xiao Qi.”
Li Kuo scratched his head and laughed. “I just found out about this mission too. If not for Brother Nan pressing me urgently, I might still be figuring things out!”
Shopkeeper Guan sighed and frowned slightly. “This matter is urgent. Let me explain briefly. The emperor intends to send troops to the west soon, and you must be more aware of this in the military than I am. Jiyuan Restaurant appears to be owned by General Gao, but in secret, it serves as a meeting place for the hermit. The authorities have ordered that a batch of military supplies be sent to Wuwei, requiring military escort. Since this is a confidential mission and the emperor doesn’t want any leaks, it can’t be handled by the Ministry of War. I’ll use Jiyuan Trading as a cover to organize a merchant caravan, and your unit will provide the escort.”
Nan Jiyun had mentioned this to him many times, so Li Kuo already had an idea. He nodded lightly and said to Shopkeeper Guan, “Brother Guan, if that’s the case, I’ll go back and inform my comrades in the camp. Anyway, the Shence Army will eventually be sent to Longyou anyway, so it’s as good as setting off a few days earlier.”
Shopkeeper Guan shook his head and said with a wry smile, “It’s not just a few days earlier—we set off tomorrow!”
“What!”
Li Kuo was shocked and exclaimed loudly. “Why such urgency? How am I supposed to explain this to my comrades?”
Shopkeeper Guan pressed his hand downward, signaling the young man to calm down. “Don’t rush. Let me explain slowly. This matter is handled through the imperial household. Since they don’t want too many people to know, General Gao hasn’t reported it to the court. But since it’s the emperor’s order, we still need some official authorization. General Gao has already contacted the Ministry of War in his own name. You just need to gather your troops and set off! As for the departure date, it’s been delayed for a long time. The border regions aren’t like Chang’an—soldiers live on the edge of danger. Military supplies and rations can’t be delayed even for a day. Since the emperor has given the order, we just need to carry it out. I’ve already organized the merchants for the caravan. Now, everything is ready except for the martial artists!”
Shopkeeper Guan joked lightly, patting the young man’s arm.

Li Kuo frowned in confusion and asked, “Since this matter is so important, why do we still need to organize a merchant caravan? What if military secrets are accidentally leaked?”
“You don’t understand that yet.”
Guan, the shopkeeper, smiled mysteriously and explained slowly, “The more secret something is, the more we need to show it to others. How many times does our Jiyuan goods station send caravans to the frontier each year? Every time, there are numerous merchants gathering under our banner for protection. If suddenly all the caravans disappeared without a trace, wouldn’t that arouse suspicion?”
“Oh!”
The young man touched his forehead, suddenly understanding.
“Don’t worry. The people I’ve chosen are all experienced brothers in this line of work who know the rules of caravans. They definitely won’t ask anything they shouldn’t. It’s just about forming a group for mutual safety.”
Seeing that the young man still seemed skeptical, Guan nodded gently to reassure him.
“Go back and make the arrangements. Meet me at Mingde Gate early tomorrow morning!”
Guan was very decisive and immediately gave Li Kuo a firm order.
Although Li Kuo’s official rank was much higher than Guan’s as a military officer, in reality, Guan held a high position within the hermit organization. The young man had no advantage to rely on in front of him!
“I heard from General Gao that the Sage is truly angry this time. The Tibetans send envoys to ask for peace while at the same time sending their soldiers to burn, kill, and loot the people along our borders. What’s even more infuriating is that a song called the Luo Shu Jue has spread in the regions of Hexi and Longyou. Now, many people in Guazhou and Liangzhou have been deceived by those barbarians and joined some kind of Wudou Sect. How outrageous!”
As Guan spoke, he was filled with anger and slammed the desk in frustration.
“The Emperor has given us just one instruction: The men of our Great Tang are not weaklings to be bullied. Whoever steals from our people behind their backs is essentially insulting the men of Great Tang in front of them. If they’re men, we’ll pull back their faces right in front of them, making a cracking sound, forcing them to kowtow and admit their mistakes. Those who defy the authority of Great Tang will be punished no matter how far away they are. The Tang court will never allow any barbarian to show off their power on our land!”
Li Kuo felt a surge of warmth in his chest. Yes, we are men, men of Great Tang. We have things to protect, dignity to defend. Those who defy the authority of Great Tang will be punished no matter how far away they are—this is not just a slogan.
Whether it’s the Tibetans or the Turks, they must not bully our people on our land. This is the promise of the men of Great Tang, and we will prove and defend it with iron and blood!……

Note 1: Xi Song Huo: A Guanzhong dialect term describing a person who is timid and lacks courage.