The Child Emperor

The Northern Army generals were notoriously unruly. Among them, rank, status, and camaraderie were more important than military law. Chai Zhi, as the Provost Marshal, was well-liked and used his power to win the favor and allegiance of many officers.

While these connections were insufficient to rally support for seizing the seal of command, they were enough to evoke sympathy and indignation.

Now, he lay fallen before the central command tent, his blood stark against the drifting snowflakes. Nearby stood Prince Donghai, holding the Grand Marshal’s seal, confused yet still bearing traces of excitement and joy from seizing the seal.

“Provost Marshal Chai is dead!” someone shouted, and the call echoed. The chaotic battle in front of the command tent halted as people slowly gathered around the corpse.

Prince Donghai suddenly realized he had brought trouble upon himself. He quickly lowered his arm and stepped back, “I didn’t kill him; I don’t even have a knife.”

Then he remembered that the killer must be in the tent, right behind him, and stepped back again, “Who is the murderer? Step forward now…”

“Prince Donghai killed Provost Marshal Chai!” an officer shouted. Everything he saw confirmed this fact, and he neither listened to nor believed Prince Donghai’s denial.

“It’s Prince Donghai!” More voices joined in, the crowd slowly advancing. After all, he was a prince of the Han imperial clan, and the mob hadn’t decided what to do, merely influencing each other as they moved forward.

“I killed him; it has nothing to do with Prince Donghai!” A man emerged from the tent holding a blood-stained dagger.

Prince Donghai was shocked, whispering, “Why are you here? I haven’t given the order…”

The attendant whispered, “Your Highness, please step aside and stay away from the danger.”

Prince Donghai continued to retreat, fully aware that he had seized the Grand Marshal’s seal thanks to the attendant’s help. Yet he harbored resentment: was there no other way? Was there truly a need to kill Chai Zhi? Why was his attendant so foolish.

A single attendant could not command any fear from the soldiers. Dozens quickened their pace, brandishing their weapons, and charged at their target.

Prince Donghai watched in horror as the ferocious soldiers passed by, helplessly observing his attendant fighting alone with a dagger against many. He wanted to issue orders with the seal but feared no one would obey.

Suddenly, two soldiers grabbed him from either side. Just as he was about to struggle and call for help, someone whispered, “Prince Donghai, come with us; it’s not safe here.”

The ones holding him were soldiers from the private army, specifically sent by Lin Kunshan to ensure his safety. Previously blocked by other soldiers, they hadn’t managed to storm the tent with the servants.

Prince Donghai also resented them. According to the plan, these pugilists should have charged in with the attendant to help seize the seal and control everyone in the tent. But they had been preempted by Zhang Yanghao and his men. As Prince Donghai did not have time to give orders, the pugilists hesitated and lost the opportunity.

Prince Donghai maintained a shred of sanity, refraining from voicing his complaints. He joined the group of dozens of soldiers, mounted his horse hastily, and looked back at the central command tent. His attendant was fighting valiantly but was outnumbered, covered in wounds and blood.

This was a highly skilled and loyal servant, and Prince Donghai felt regret. Yet he couldn’t remember the servant’s name, preoccupied with how to explain this to his mother when he returned to the capital.

Other important generals were trapped in the command tent. Only Chai Yue had come out and was now rushing towards Prince Donghai, shouting, “Leave the seal behind!”

Prince Donghai realized he still held the Grand Marshal’s seal. The soldiers, eager for revenge for Chai Zhi, had forgotten about it.

The chaos in front of the tent seemed to have reached the other side of the river, causing a commotion. Although the sentries continued to call out “All is well,” their voices sounded unusual.

Prince Donghai glanced across the river, then at the approaching Chai Yue. He spurred his horse forward, tucking the seal into his robes.

He couldn’t stay here. After killing his attendant , the soldiers might turn on him. Even if they didn’t dare kill a prince, they might imprison him, a humiliation he couldn’t bear. He believed he had a more important mission.

With dozens of soldiers, Prince Donghai descended the hillside, heading towards Shattered Iron City. To their right, just a few strides away, were many soldiers and equipment. The chaos hadn’t spread here yet, but the soldiers were whispering and questioning each other.

The Chu army was on the verge of a major upheaval, Prince Donghai concluded, urging his horse to go faster.

He didn’t enter Shattered Iron City but met Lin Kunshan outside the southern gate. The fate seer was observing the situation and was shocked to see Prince Donghai return in such a panic.

“What happened?”

“Don’t ask. The plan has changed. We must return to the Capital immediately, without delay.” Prince Donghai looked southward, wishing he could fly.

“The Northern Protection General…”

“He’s finished. Even if he returns, he’s a dead man. He doesn’t have enough support. If the Xiongnu don’t kill him, the Northern Army will. Lin Kunshan, whose side are you on?”

Lin Kunshan mounted his horse. “Of course, I’m with you. But don’t rush. It’s a long way to Divine Hero Pass, with heavy snow blocking the way. We need enough supplies.”

“The Northern Army has a new camp at the mountain pass. We can get supplies there.” Prince Donghai’s plan was already taking shape. Looking westward, he saw the army below moving towards the command tent without orders, a bad omen in his eyes.

He had failed, and so had Han Ruzi. But he still had a chance to return to the Capital quickly and participate in the power struggle there. Perhaps he could first seek refuge with his uncle and return to the Capital with the Southern Army’s support.

Prince Donghai touched the Grand Marshal’s seal in his robes and realized he hadn’t completely failed. In fact, he had accomplished something: without this seal, the Northern Army would certainly fall into chaos, no longer a check on the Southern Army.

“Hyah!” Prince Donghai rode onto the highway, galloping southward, eager to leave the troubled place quickly.

He forgot about his loyal attendant, the negotiations with the Xiongnu, the chaos in the Northern Army, and even Lin Kunshan and the dozens of followers. He just wanted to run faster and faster.

As Prince Donghai fled the command tent, a commotion broke out on the northern bank.

According to the plan, there were ten thousand Chu soldiers on the northern bank. Some served as sentries, while the rest were divided into five units. In case of emergency, four units would fight the Xiongnu, while the fifth had one task: to rush to the negotiation site and rescue the Northern Protection General.

The officer leading this unit was Cai Xinghai, commanding five hundred elite soldiers, half from Han Ruzi’s personal army and the other half personally selected Northern Army soldiers.

Cai Xinghai had served as a supervisory officer in the Northern Army. He excelled at making friends and had become an important figure among the Unfortunates in the strictly hierarchical palace despite his low status. After joining the Northern Army, he quickly integrated himself amongst the soldiers and even led a team to rescue the then Weary Marquis.

Aware of the importance of today’s mission, he led his five hundred men as close to the river as possible, until they could see the first Xiongnu sentries in the snow, about four or five miles from the river, and he advanced another half mile himself.

The chaos inside and outside the command tent hadn’t reached here.

The Chu sentries had already reported that the Northern Protection General’s messenger was returning. So, when Cai Xinghai saw a lone rider approaching through the snow, he wasn’t surprised but watched closely, hoping to hear “The General is safe,” which would be more reassuring than the sentries’ regular reports of “All clear.”

Han Ruzi rode with his head down, stopping directly before Cai Xinghai, who reined in his horse and whispered, “Don’t make a sound.”

Cai Xinghai nearly fell off his horse in shock but quickly recovered, both surprised and delighted, and nodded hastily.

“Have everyone fall back two miles, then tell them I’ve returned.”

“Yes.” Cai Xinghai turned his horse around, suppressing his excitement, and returned to the front of the unit at a normal pace, ordering them to retreat.

The three Xiongnu sentries nearby saw this and relaxed, feeling tense at being so close to a Chu army unit.

Han Ruzi followed, gradually increasing his speed. Two miles away, he rejoined the unit.

The Northern Protection General had returned alone, surprising and delighting everyone. But they obeyed Cai Xinghai’s orders and didn’t show their emotions.

There were no Xiongnu nearby, only Chu sentries who shouldn’t cause trouble. Han Ruzi immediately sent a few soldiers to scout the southern bank. His solo return was to quell the chaos. If everything was calm, he had another plan to implement.

The soldiers quickly returned.

The central command tent on the southern bank was not only chaotic but in utter turmoil, threatening to spread to the entire Chu army.

Han Ruzi felt a bit relieved but also saddened. He had anticipated the chaos but couldn’t prevent it early. Now, he had to take an unexpected approach. The real test was ahead, as he couldn’t predict the chaos’s extent or if his reputation was enough to quell it.

With Cai Xinghai’s five hundred men, Han Ruzi raced towards the river. The shouting from the southern bank grew clearer. As he crossed the river, he could see the battle before the command tent.

More soldiers saw the Northern Protection General.

Han Ruzi removed his soldier’s helmet. He was without a command flag, but he was accompanied and supported by five hundred soldiers. Even those who hadn’t seen the Northern Protection General seemed to recognize him almost instantly, even without asking their companions.

Some soldiers closest to the command tent showed signs of disorder, wondering if the commanders on the ridge were killing each other and if the Chu army still had a leader.

The Northern Protection General’s appearance immediately quelled the budding chaos. He was the leader, and no one doubted it.

Han Ruzi didn’t stop. He knew that to quickly quell the chaos, he had to reach the core of the chaos quickly. This approach was risky but worth it.

The soldiers on the ridge hadn’t noticed the Northern Protection General’s return, still arguing and fighting, accusing each other of starting the chaos and speculating about various conspiracies.

Cai Xinghai led a cavalry unit into the crowd, forcibly separating them and clearing a path straight to the command tent.

Han Ruzi rode forward. Finally, everyone before the tent saw him. Surprise, fear, joy, suspicion—each person had different emotions, but they all stopped arguing and fell silent.

Silence wasn’t submission. One wrong word or order from the Northern Protection General could reignite the chaos, which might become uncontrollable.

Three bodies lay before the tent: Chai Zhi, the Provost Marshal; Prince Donghai’s attendant; and an officer. Despite being outnumbered, the nameless servant had managed to kill an opponent before dying.

Han Ruzi dismounted, realizing the situation was worse than he had imagined. Chai Zhi’s death was poorly timed.

He scanned the surroundings but didn’t see Prince Donghai.

If you are reading this on an aggregator site, do consider visiting https://tuzhitranslations.wordpress.com/ to support this translation project by leaving a comment.

← CH 184