I have waited my entire life. Waited until the Tang banner had been absent from this land for nearly sixty yea…
I have waited my entire life.
Waited until the Tang banner had been absent from this land for nearly sixty years.
People say a man knows his destiny by fifty. But what I awaited was not a destiny given by heaven.
So I fought against time itself, even if it meant betraying my kindness, abusing my power, and sacrificing... my own brother.
No, even if it meant sacrificing myself. Liangzhou can survive without me. The Guiyi Army can survive without me.
But the vow to return to our homeland demands a successor.
And today, I awaited that successor's arrival.
The man I wait for, however, still holds the passion of an idealist, and his respect for me.
A hostage in Chang'an cannot be the weakness of the Guiyi Army's leader.
So I showed him the truth, in all its glory and its filth.
I wanted him to forsake me, just as I forsook my brother.
If the transfer of power demands blood, then let my own flesh pave his way to greatness—
until he commands my old guard and his prestige surpasses my own.
I see his loyal soldiers outside. I see him silencing those who oppose our return to the Tang.
As expected, he has performed masterfully.
I thought he would come with a blade to my throat.
Instead, he offered the blade to me.
I know this blade. In our first parting, my brother gave it to me.
Later, I gave it to his son.
And now, it has returned to my hands.
He said he would lead the Guiyi Army, and wait for me to come home.
In that moment, we understood everything without a word. I know that now, and in the future, across a thousand miles or ten thousand, we will always stand by each other's side.