The Child Emperor

Fang Daye hurried back to Divine Hero Pass, bringing first-hand news to Han Ruzi.

Two days ago, under the fierce attack of the private army, the Xiongnu soldiers were forced to abandon the roadside hill and flee in panic.

The earthen ramp at Shattered Iron City’s west wall had been built up by the Xiongnu, and the defending soldiers poured a large amount of water on it. Though it wasn’t cold enough for the water to freeze instantly, the slope was too narrow for the Xiongnu cavalry to rush up all at once. The Chu army barely held on with bows and crossbows.

The first wave of reinforcements from Divine Hero Pass arrived just in time. Although there were only over a thousand men, to the Xiongnu, it seemed like an endless stream of Chu soldiers pouring out of the mountain pass. The Xiongnu army retreated, not wanting to engage in a decisive battle with the Chu army in the narrow terrain south of the river.

As night fell, Shattered Iron City remained in the hands of the Chu army.

Fang Daye met with Chai Yue, and after a brief discussion, they reached the same conclusion: Shattered Iron City couldn’t withstand another attack, so they had to “scare” the Xiongnu into staying north of the river.

Chai Yue deployed a large number of Chu soldiers to guard the ruins of Flowing Sand City, showing a determination to defend to the death. He planted flags all over the ridge, making the Xiongnu on the opposite bank mistakenly believe that a large number of Chu reinforcements had arrived below the ridge. Then he sent scouts across the river to survey the terrain… In short, the Chu army put on a show of wanting to cross the river for a decisive battle.

Prince Donghai thought he could finally leave Shattered Iron City, but the two generals didn’t consult him or seek his approval. They raised a large royal flag in Shattered Iron City, with the three large characters for “Prince Donghai” not embroidered, but pieced together with red cloth.

The deception tactics worked. The Xiongnu army retreated over ten miles that night, but didn’t flee completely. They also seemed to want a decisive battle, as the open and flat terrain north of the river was advantageous for their cavalry to display their strength.

By the time Fang Daye returned to Divine Hero Pass, six waves of reinforcements had already been dispatched. Over three thousand more reinforcements had arrived from within the pass, but that was all. The Northern Army of the Champion Marquis, the Central Army of Han Xing, and the Southern Army of Cui Hong were too far away to send news. Nearby commanderies and counties needed to keep troops for self-defense and couldn’t spare many to support Divine Hero Pass. Moreover, many officials were confused by the orders issued by the Northern Protection General.

Seizing the seal was not the normal procedure after all. While the leaderless Divine Hero Pass was willing to accept the Northern Protection General’s command, the nearby prefects, county magistrates, and military officers had many doubts. Many neither sent soldiers nor replied, leaving the messengers to return empty-handed. Two counties even detained the messengers.

While the Chu army in Shattered Iron City relied on bluffing to confront the large Xiongnu army, Han Ruzi in Divine Hero Pass was close to having no troops left to dispatch. What he lacked was not just soldiers, but also legitimacy.

Fang Daye had anticipated this and thought of an idea on the way: “One hundred and sixty-seven sons of noble families died in battle while defending Shattered Iron City…”

“One hundred and sixty-seven?” Han Ruzi was startled. The Noble Camp had only over four hundred men, yet nearly 40% had been casualties. “The nobles themselves? Not including their attendants?”

“The attendants didn’t participate directly in the battle, so there were very few casualties, less than ten. It was Prince Donghai who sent out 151 noble sons from the city, probably to test the Xiongnu’s strength. They were all wiped out.”

No one believed this explanation. The experienced old general knew in his heart that this was a rash move by Prince Donghai in a moment of panic.

“There’s another explanation,” Fang Daye added, “that those noble sons were eager to escape and opened the city gate without authorization, only to be intercepted by the Xiongnu.” This version was even less believable and could only serve as a temporary cover-up.

Han Ruzi was silent for a moment, then asked, “How is Prince Donghai?”

“Prince Donghai… was a bit shocked, but later he charged out of Shattered Iron City you’re your private army troops and seized a crucial high ground from the Xiongnu. Everyone says he was very brave.”

Han Ruzi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He knew Prince Donghai too well; that certainly wasn’t bravery. There must have been another reason for him to leave the city and join the battle.

Fang Daye’s idea was related to this casualty report. “I suggest you spread this news immediately, so that the imperial court and the armies within the pass understand that the large Xiongnu army has truly arrived.”

“The noble families are closely connected. The entire imperial court will probably hate me to death.”

“The more they hate, the more likely they are to send troops to support us. After all, there are still over two hundred noble sons alive. Besides,” Fang Daye paused, “it was Prince Donghai’s order to send the noble sons out of the city, not yours.”

Han Ruzi smiled slightly. “As long as I’m the commander, all casualties are my responsibility. Nevertheless, your strategy is good. Let’s do as you say. I’ll write the letters immediately.”

What Shattered Iron City needed was large-scale military support. Han Ruzi wrote four urgent letters, sending them to the three armies and the Capital.

“How long can Shattered Iron City hold out?”

“Five to ten days. If the Xiongnu are determined to have a decisive battle north of the river, Shattered Iron City might be able to hold out even longer.”

The Northern Army’s camp was closest to Divine Hero Pass. Early the next morning, Han Ruzi received a reply document. After reading it, he was confused.

The document wasn’t responding to the urgent letter sent just yesterday, but to a letter from five days ago, when Han Ruzi had just seized the seal and written for support, explaining the special circumstances that forced him to take over Divine Hero Pass.

The Northern Army’s reply was already a bit late. Usually, it took five days for a round trip, but for urgent military matters, it should take at most four days. The Northern Army had delayed for at least a day.

The contents of the reply were even more puzzling. It was extremely brief, only saying “The situation is noted, stand firm and await orders.”

Han Ruzi sought out the experienced Fang Daye and showed him the reply. The old general frowned immediately after glancing at it. “Most of the soldiers defending Shattered Iron City are from the Northern Army. I thought they would send troops to support us immediately.”

“There’s only this reply, not a single soldier,” Han Ruzi was even more perplexed. “Could it be that the Champion Marquis resents me for seizing General Tong’s seal?”

Fang Daye shook his head. “The General of the Left wasn’t appointed by the court either. Strictly speaking, the seal belongs only to Lord Wu. Both you and the Northern Army’s General of the Left seized it, just at different times. The Xiongnu are a great enemy of Chu. Even if the Northern Army’s Grand Marshal harbors resentment, he wouldn’t stand by and watch us die. Moreover, he would be saving Northern Army soldiers.”

Fang Daye thought for a moment. “Did the messenger see the Northern Army’s Grand Marshal in person?”

The messenger was an ordinary soldier, so naturally, he couldn’t have seen the Grand Marshal. Han Ruzi had already asked about this.

“The Northern Army’s Grand Marshal sent the General of the Left to take over Divine Hero Pass, specifically to prevent you from entering the pass and returning to the Capital. But at that time, the Xiongnu hadn’t appeared yet, and you would have had no reason to leave Shattered Iron City, unless…” Fang Daye didn’t continue. He was willing to stay and assist the Northern Protection General, but everything had its limits. He would fight in battle without hesitation, but he didn’t want to get involved in the court’s power struggle.

“The Champion Marquis must have secretly returned to the Capital as well,” Han Ruzi could only reach this conclusion. “There’s no one in charge of the Northern Army, that’s why they gave such a reply.”

“Neither you nor Prince Donghai seem to have very good intelligence from the Capital,” Fang Daye said.

Han Ruzi smiled again. He hadn’t received any letters from the Capital for a long time. “It seems I need to find a way to take over the entire Northern Army.”

“Northern Protection General… don’t you want to return to the Capital as soon as possible?” Fang Daye didn’t want to get involved in imperial infighting; asking this question was his limit.

“The Xiongnu or the Capital.” Han Ruzi was filled with doubts. Something big must have happened in the Capital for Wu Xiu and the Champion Marquis to rush back so hurriedly. “I have to stay,” Han Ruzi decided after weighing his options. “If the Xiongnu enter the pass, the Chu empire will be in ruins, and I’ll be a sinner for all history. Besides, if I return to the Capital now, I might be walking into a trap.”

Han Ruzi had almost no support base in the imperial court. If he returned to the Capital alone, he couldn’t compete with the Champion Marquis. He needed to at least establish a firm foothold in the northern frontier.

There was another important reason why Han Ruzi didn’t want to return to the Capital immediately. Yang Feng was right by the Champion Marquis’s side, yet he hadn’t sent even a word of warning. He was either being held hostage, having lost his freedom, or he believed the Champion Marquis had victory in the bag and had simply decided to truly assist his new master.

Either possibility dissuaded Han Ruzi from returning to the Capital.

Fang Daye put his hand on his sword and bowed to the Northern Protection General. “The Northern Army has many soldiers and officers. You should not go there and risk danger. Let me go instead.”

“It would be even more dangerous for you to go.”

Fang Daye, who had not yet received an official appointment from the court and whose true identity was just that of an ordinary citizen recently released from prison, wasn’t afraid at all. “With the Champion Marquis back in the Capital and General of the Right Feng Shili fallen in battle, General of the Left Han Tong should be the highest-ranking officer now. If I bring him to the Northern Army, I would almost certainly succeed.”

“The Champion Marquis’s return to the Capital is just our guess, and he might have already given orders to the Northern Army…”

“In that case, it’s even more important that you do not go. Without you holding Divine Hero Pass, the Chu armies inside and outside the pass would soon scatter. You can’t move.”

“It’s still too risky…”

Fang Daye spoke sternly: “This old man has served in the military for many years and has taken risks charging into battle. Am I afraid of our own people? Please entrust General Han Tong to me, along with ten guards. We’ll set out immediately!”

“At least make a plan,” Han Ruzi had finally managed to keep a great general and didn’t want to lose him in vain.

“We’ll play it by ear. I’ll ask General Han Tong on the way if there’s anything we need to know. Time is of the essence. It will take at least five days for me to go there and back, plus time is needed to reorganize the army. It might take even longer, but there will definitely be a reply within seven days. Northern Protection General, just focus on defending the pass and stabilizing the morale in Shattered Iron City.”

Han Ruzi hesitated no longer. He wrote letters, issued documents, sent for General of the Left Han Tong, summoned ten soldiers from his private army, and handed them all over to Fang Daye.

Upon hearing that he was returning to the Northern Army’s camp, Han Tong was very happy, even more eager to set out than Fang Daye.

Han Ruzi also had a message sent to Shattered Iron City, claiming that the Northern Army was mobilizing and would arrive at Divine Hero Pass within seven days, and reach Shattered Iron City within ten days. With no troops at hand, Han Ruzi could only use lies to maintain morale.

Two days later, several thousand more reinforcements arrived at Divine Hero Pass. The commanding officer, from a noble family, demanded that the Northern Protection General recall his brother from Shattered Iron City as soon as he entered the pass. Han Ruzi refused, and the two were at an impasse for half a day until Grand General Han Xing’s military order arrived, resolving the dispute.

Han Ruzi finally received an official appointment, still with the title of Northern Protection General, but now in overall command of all Chu forces in Shattered Iron City, Divine Hero Pass, and ten counties within the pass to resist the Xiongnu, with the authority to act at his own discretion.

The thousands of Chu soldiers who had arrived suddenly became subordinates of the Northern Protection General. The commanding officer no longer dared to disobey orders and had to lead his troops out of the pass to support Shattered Iron City.

The situation in Shattered Iron City remained relatively stable. After suffering successive setbacks, the Xiongnu had not launched another attack and remained north of the river.

Three days later, on a day of heavy snowfall, Han Ruzi received two crucial letters in succession.

One was from Chai Yue, who had received unexpected information in Shattered Iron City: the Xiongnu had proposed peace talks, but with one condition – they would only negotiate with the Northern Protection General in person.

The other letter was from the Capital, written by Cui Xiaojun. The handwriting was messy, with only one sentence: I am gravely ill, and long for your swift return.

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