Li Jue, after confirming that this plan would indeed solve the grain problem, extinguished all the negative thoughts he had previously harbored towards Fan Chou, Zhang Ji, Guo Si, and the others. That very night, Li Jue invited Guo Si over, hosted a banquet, and during the feast, he openly admitted to the underhanded things he had done before, punishing himself by downing a large jar of wine. He then revealed Zhong Yao's strategy in full.
Back in the day, they had all shared the same hardships, and although Li Jue had been somewhat over the line before, when everything was laid bare, it was clear that it all stemmed from the issue of grain. Now that Li Jue took all the blame upon himself, Guo Si began to feel guilty. After all, it wasn't like he, Zhang Ji, or Fan Chou were without their own selfish thoughts.
"Brother Duo, I, Li Jue, owe you and the others an apology," Li Jue said, his tongue a bit thick from the alcohol, but with a light heart now that his worries were gone, he let everything out.
"Zhi Ran, we brothers know your struggles now. We were wrong too. Drink!" Guo Si, grinning drunkenly, slurred his words. "But we're all brothers who once rebelled together—what's there to fear? If the sky falls, we've got each other. Let's drink away all the past unhappiness!"
"Drink!" Li Jue grinned foolishly, clinked his cup with Guo Si's, and then promptly collapsed under the table, not even getting the wine to his lips.
"Hahaha! Zhi Ran, you're drunk! You're drunk..." Guo Si raised his hand and laughed, spilling wine all over himself.
On the other side, Li Jue, half-conscious, mumbled in response to Guo Si's words, "I'm not drunk." Struggling, he tried to climb back onto the table.
The next day, when Sima Lang was supposed to bid farewell and depart after meeting Li Jue, it was already mid-morning when he finally saw Li Jue and Guo Si emerge together from the main hall.
"This must be Sima Xianzhi, right? Handsome fellow!" Guo Si said, slinging his arm around Li Jue's neck and smiling broadly.
"Sima Lang greets General Guo," Sima Lang said, bowing deeply.
"Zhi Ran, I'm going with you this time. Whether our Xiliang army gets to eat or has to scrape by on thin gruel depends on this mission. No way I'm letting Ma Teng and Han Sui mess things up. If they try anything, I'll just take Han Sui's head! As for Ma Teng, we'll keep him around," Guo Si said, letting go of Li Jue's neck to speak more seriously. His strategic vision might be limited, but his prowess on the battlefield was unmatched.
If it had been before the previous night, Guo Si wouldn't have dared to leave Chang'an, fearing he'd never return. But now that everything had been laid bare among the old brothers, he had complete confidence in Li Jue. This was, after all, the man who had once shielded him from a blade.
"Alright. While you're at it, make sure to explain everything to Old Zhang and Old Fan. If there's any mistake, put the blame on me. No more misunderstandings like before. As for Ma Teng and Han Sui, if they don't comply, get rid of Han Sui. Keep Ma Teng alive," Li Jue agreed after some thought. He still had some foresight, knowing that killing Ma Teng might upset the Qiang tribes in the Fufeng area. While it wasn't a major issue, it was unnecessary trouble.
"Got it. I'll take 12,000 cavalry and give them a good beating. As for Old Zhang and Old Fan, they'll understand once they know what's been going on. You can rest easy now. After all, we've been through thick and thin together, and we've taken blows for each other on the battlefield. It's nothing to worry about," Guo Si said, laughing heartily as he patted Li Jue on the shoulder.
Then, perhaps to ensure that Li Jue had no lingering doubts, Guo Si pulled off his outer robe and tossed it at Sima Lang, pointing at the scars on his chest. "Look at this knife wound, this arrow scar, and this spear wound. I've taken plenty of hits for you guys. If they say you're not being fair, just strip down and show them your scars—they'll let it go. It's not a big deal!"
Li Jue, looking at Guo Si's carefree grin and the scars all over his body, couldn't help but remember the hard path they'd taken from Xiliang soldiers to where they were now. "Hahaha, you're right. What's the big deal? I've got plenty of scars too!"
With that, Li Jue ripped off his robe and threw it on Sima Lang's head. At that moment, Sima Lang couldn't help but feel frustrated. How had he, a top strategist, ended up being used as a clothes rack?
Pointing at his own scars, Li Jue declared, "Damn right! I've taken plenty of hits for you guys too. Let's grab the supplies and go help Old Fan and Old Zhang sort out the mess. Oh, and I've prepared the rewards for Bo Yuan. Take a look." He snatched the imperial edict from Sima Lang's hands and handed it to Guo Si.
"You scoundrel! Trying to fool me because I can't read!" Guo Si exclaimed, not even bothering to glance at it before handing it back to Li Jue. He then put his robe back on.
"I forgot. Just hand it to Old Zhang when you get there. He'll know what it means," Li Jue laughed, then handed the edict back to Guo Si. To them, the edict was something they could just get another one of if it got lost.
During the journey, Sima Lang had little chance to demonstrate his skills, as Guo Si led his troops directly to Changping Pass. When they arrived, Fan Chou and Zhang Ji were perplexed by Guo Si's arrival.
"Zhang Bo Yuan, hear the decree!" Guo Si smiled as he saw Zhang Ji and Fan Chou. He pulled out the edict, opened it upside down without noticing, and prepared to read it out. When Zhang Xiu stepped forward to receive it, Guo Si laughed and tossed it to him. "Bo Yuan, you know I can't read. This is from Zhi Ran. Take a look, and I'll get the official seals for you later."
After skimming through the edict, Zhang Xiu was overjoyed. The titles of Marquis of Xuanwei and General Who Breaks the Qiang were even more than Zhang Ji had expected, leaving him slightly surprised. He hadn't thought Li Jue would grant such high honors, especially given the recent tensions.
"Enough of that, Old Zhang, Old Fan, I've got something to tell you," Guo Si said as he dismounted, still grinning.
"Let's go inside," Fan Chou and Zhang Ji exchanged glances, feeling slightly uneasy.
Inside the tent, Guo Si threw off his armor and robe, pointing to a scar on his chest and asking Zhang Ji, "Old Zhang, do you remember how I got this scar?"
"During the battle of Jincheng, you blocked a Qiang spear for me," Zhang Ji replied, his voice tinged with nostalgia.
"And this one, Old Fan?" Guo Si pointed to a small wound near his heart.
"At the battle of Beidi, you took an arrow from a Qiang sharpshooter for me. You almost died that day," Fan Chou said, equally nostalgic. Back then, they had all been on the battlefield together, and many of the scars on their bodies were from protecting each other. "If Bo Yuan and Zhi Ran hadn't fought off the Qiang king, we'd all be dead by now." A melancholy laugh followed, as they all remembered how much had changed since those days.