Children of the Holy Emperor - Chapter 138: Last Chance

The roasted chicken had been reduced to mere bones, the smoked meat left only some scattered shreds, and the murky wine had cooled slightly. Han Ruzi drank a cup and nodded in approval, “This wine is better than the one from the military camp. Was it bought from Mayi City?”

Prince Donghai chuckled, “Mayi City doesn’t have such good wine. This was sent by my mother from the Capital. There’s not much left. I wanted you to taste it earlier, but you always kept making excuses.”

Since being betrayed by his uncle, Prince Donghai had become much quieter than before. But accustomed to a life of luxury, he couldn’t endure hardship. Even in the borderlands, he insisted on comfortable living. He was just a little better than Cui Teng, who had resorted to crying and clamoring to return home.

Han Ruzi scrutinized Chai Yue, seated diagonally across from him. “Persuade me. This is your last chance. If you fail this time, don’t bother me again in the future.”

Chai Yue appeared somewhat flustered, hands pressed against his knees, adopting a restrained posture. After a moment of thought, he spoke, “Allow me to start from the beginning.”

“Hmm,” Han Ruzi waved the almost empty wine pot in his hand and poured himself another cup. “This is your time.”

Chai Yue seemed even more flustered, hesitating to speak immediately. Instead, he pondered for a while, while Prince Donghai, sitting in the main seat, smiled and observed.

“Well, I’ve been gathering intelligence on the Xiongnu people and stumbled upon something quite interesting: the Jin siblings entered the steppes a month ago and quickly made contact with the Xiongnu army. However, the Eastern Chanyu was busy dealing with the Chu army and didn’t meet them.”

Han Ruzi drank half of the wine in his cup.

Chai Yue picked up the pace slightly, “A Xiongnu prince took a liking to the Jin family’s daughter and proposed marriage to her.”

Prince Donghai observed with interest. Han Ruzi showed no unusual reaction, tearing a piece of meat off a chicken bone and chewing on the last remaining flesh.

“The relationships among the Xiongnu royal families are complex. Some nobles opposed the marriage, citing several reasons, such as suspecting that the Jin family is not sincerely returning to the Xiongnu but rather spies sent by the Chu army…”

Han Ruzi finished his wine, poured out the last bit from the pot—enough for two more cups—and drank.

Chai Yue hurriedly skipped irrelevant details. “There’s a rumor among the Xiongnu that the Jin family’s daughter had relations with the Weary Marquis and is no longer a virgin. They care a lot about this.”

Han Ruzi stopped his raised wine cup mid-air, frowning. “Isn’t it… easy for the Xiongnu to verify whether the Jin family’s daughter is a virgin or not? Moreover, Xiongnu sons can inherit and take over the wives and concubines of their fathers. Why would they care about such matters?”

Chai Yue said seriously, “That’s how the Xiongnu are. They can inherit and seize others’ wives, but they value the chastity of unmarried women. Weary Marquis, did… did you…”

“Of course not, I have a wife,” Han Ruzi said, wanting to drink but stopping before the cup reached his lips.

“Well, then that’s clear. The Xiongnu prince wants to marry the Jin family’s daughter. But rumors are powerful; he feels he’s been humiliated, or perhaps he feels the Jin family has been humiliated. So he voluntarily stayed behind, intending to seek revenge against you. He has the most soldiers, almost three thousand, and other Xiongnu warriors obey his commands.”

Han Ruzi looked at Prince Donghai, puzzled, and said, “Can you believe it? Someone wants revenge on me for such a reason.”

Prince Donghai showed a pensive expression, then nodded. “I believe it. Don’t forget, Little Marquis Chai and Cui Teng became enemies because of this Jin daughter. In the end, neither of them got her. She is what is known as a beauty that brings about disaster. She might not have done anything, but men associated with her all end up unlucky. Your association with her is too deep.”

Prince Donghai tapped lightly at his chest twice. He had seen Jin Chuiduo and was deeply impressed by her beauty, and felt it was a waste that she had gone to the steppes. But they had never had any interactions, so he could avoid the disaster that she brings about.

“What about the Jin family? Did they not refute this?” Han Ruzi asked Chai Yue, almost forgetting the cup of wine in front of him.

“I’m not sure about that. Given the Jin family’s status among the Xiongnu, I doubt anyone would listen to them. Anyway, this prince named Zaheyan publicly declared his intention to capture or kill the Weary Marquis to restore the reputation of the Jin family’s daughter.”

Han Ruzi had nothing to say. He lifted his wine cup and finished it in one gulp. Chai Yue hurriedly said, “So I hope the Weary Marquis will act as bait. It has nothing to do with Little Marquis Chai’s death. It’s entirely because you can lure Prince Zaheyan.”

Han Ruzi put down his wine cup. “All this could be just lies you made up to gain my trust.”

Chai Yue looked bewildered. “I wouldn’t…”

Han Ruzi raised his hand to interrupt Chai Yue. “I’ll give you more time. Tell me about your plan.”

“About 250 miles westward, there’s a city called Shattered Iron City. You know about it, right?”

Han Ruzi nodded. Shattered Iron City was north of the Great Wall, just over 60 miles from the nearest pass. It was one of the frontline strongholds against the Xiongnu, said to be extremely cold, freezing iron objects like ice cubes that would shatter easily. Of course, that was an exaggeration, but the city got its name from that.

As soon as military geography was mentioned, Chai Yue became more at ease. He swiftly placed cups and plates on the table like they were tokens representing locations and continued, ” Shattered Iron City is 60 miles from Divine Hero Pass. A fast horse can reach it in a day. There are many valleys in between, suitable for ambushing a large number of cavalry. To the southeast and southwest are the cities Guanhe and Liusha, forming a triangle. There are twelve outpost stations outside the city, extending more than 30 miles into the steppes, capable of providing early warning.”

Han Ruzi remained silent. Prince Donghai spoke first, “You Shattered Iron City so much. Even if the Xiongnu want revenge, they wouldn’t attack it, right? After all, Prince Zaheyan can only muster a maximum of ten thousand cavalry.”

Chai Yue explained, ” Shattered Iron City, Guanhe City, and Liusha City are isolated in the north Great Wall, difficult to supply. Since the Xiongnu split into two factions, the garrison at the three cities has been decreasing every year. Now, only Shattered Iron City still has soldiers guarding it, while the other two cities and most of the outposts have been abandoned. However, it hasn’t been long since they were abandoned. With some repairs, they can be used again.”

“If the Xiongnu are deceived, and ten thousand cavalry attack Shattered Iron City, how many troops would the Chu army need?” Han Ruzi asked.

“At least thirty thousand, the more, the better. As long as the Weary Marquis agrees, I’ll request troops from the Grand General.”

“Would the Grand General listen to you?”

“The Grand General listens not to me but to the prospects for military achievements. Otherwise, the Grand General would find it hard to explain to the court why he had three hundred thousand troops gathered at the border and did not fight a single battle. If we can annihilate Prince Zaheyan’s army, it will be enough for the Grand General to hold on until next year.”

Han Ruzi pondered in silence, while Chai Yue was impatient. After waiting for a while, he urged, “There’s no time to waste. We still have two months before winter sets in. If Zaheyan wants to attack the city for revenge, it must be within these two months. Once winter arrives, forage will be scarce, and the Xiongnu must disperse their forces. It will be difficult to even muster a thousand men, let alone ten thousand. By the time winter ends and spring comes, if the Xiongnu return in force, the baiting plan will be useless.”

“Fine, let me consider it,” Han Ruzi finally replied.

Chai Yue felt deeply disappointed, but he had nothing more to say. He stood up to take his leave, still a bit reluctant. Pointing to the wine cup representing Divine Hero Pass on the table, he said, “I don’t need to emphasize the importance of this pass, right?”

Han Ruzi looked up at Chai Yue without saying a word. This scion of the Chai family might have some real abilities, but he certainly lacked finesse in choosing his words.

As Chai Yue exited the tent, Prince Donghai pointed to “Divine Hero Pass” and said, “It’s 180 miles from here to the Capital, with a direct road. If any issue arises in the Capital, you can return within two or three days, or even a day if you’re quick.”

Han Ruzi shook his head. “Relying on issues arising in the Capital is wishful thinking. Even if something does happen, returning to the Capital from Divine Hero Pass requires passing through two checkpoints. Either one is enough to stop me.”

“Heh, I was just saying. If it were that easy, Han Xing wouldn’t allow you to stay at Shattered Iron City.”

“Why did you change your mind? Just before nightfall, you suggested I stay at Mayi City.”

“Times change. I’m interested in Chai Yue. I originally thought he was a nobody with no prospects. But after listening to him for a while, I think he has some potential. The plan he laid out is likely to succeed, and it can be completed before winter sets in. Why wouldn’t I want these military achievements? This would be a great accomplishment, and the rewards from the court would be enough for you to support your troops for two or three years.”

Han Ruzi had already made up his mind, but he was still moved by these words. It wasn’t easy to support a troop of over a thousand people. Cui Xiaoqun had done her best to provide money and supplies, but they were still barely making ends meet.

“Well, I’ll have to consider it carefully.”

“You do that. But let me make it clear upfront: I won’t go with you. The Xiongnu prince doesn’t have any grudge against me, and I don’t want to gain any military merit. Mayi City is fine. I’ll stay with the Grand General and live comfortably.”

Han Ruzi chuckled and asked, “What’s wrong with Cui Teng? He was fine just a few days ago, but today he’s acting like he’s gone mad.”

“That’s just his temperament. If you ask him about today’s events tomorrow, he’ll definitely deny everything. But I’ve heard that many people have been bribing the Grand General to return to the Capital. Han Xing hasn’t fought a single Xiongnu, but he has already made a fortune.”

“Han Xing wouldn’t dare to let Cui Teng return to the Capital. Cui Teng is actually a hostage left here by the Cui family.”

Prince Donghai sneered, “Yes, he’s a hostage of the Cui family.”

Prince Donghai felt jealous. His relationship with the Cui family had been severed, and he didn’t even have the status of being a hostage anymore.

Han Ruzi didn’t offer him any comfort. Instead, he pointed to ” Divine Hero Pass ” and asked, “Is this area under the jurisdiction of the Northern Army?”

“That’s right. So when you reach Shattered Iron City, you need to be wary not only of the Xiongnu but also of the Champion Marquis.”

“You think I’ll go to Shattered Iron City?”

“Heh, don’t I know you? You get listless at the thought of the comfortable life in Mayi City, but when it comes to being the bait to encircle the Xiongnu, your ears perk up. If I were Chai Yue, I wouldn’t even bother persuading you. I’d just wait patiently for you to come knocking.”

Han Ruzi chuckled, admitting that Prince Donghai had indeed figured out his thoughts.

Prince Donghai asked solemnly, “You want to achieve military merit, not rescue a damsel in distress, right?”

“If I had other intentions, why would I let the Jin family return to the steppes?”

“True.”

After a moment of silence, Han Ruzi was lost in thought while Prince Donghai observed him. Suddenly, an idea struck Prince Donghai. “I know what you’re thinking. Let me tell you, even if Han Xing agrees, we won’t.”

“What am I thinking?” Han Ruzi asked with a smile.

Prince Donghai became more convinced. He stood up abruptly. “You’re thinking of taking the Noble Camp to Shattered Iron City as security. It’s impossible. Impossible! Han Xing won’t release anyone. With so many noble scions, he can’t bear the responsibility if anything were to happen to any of them.”

Han Ruzi said coldly, “If the Grand General can’t bear the responsibility, then I’ll get permission from the imperial court. The Noble Camp does indeed need to be whipped into shape.”

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