Children of the Holy Emperor - Chapter 142: Moving Camp

The entire Mayi City was a permanent military camp surrounded by high walls, with few civilian residences. Each street formed its own district, with gates in the front and back, creating separate military camps.

Han Ruzi brought in five hundred soldiers from his retinue outside the city to guard the front and back gates of the Noble Camp. Then he personally led the team to search for the extra servants who were not listed in the army roster.

Things started relatively smoothly. However, when many noble sons realized this was not a joke, some resistance arose, though not intense. Everyone knew it was not worth it to be the one to stand up first to resist.

Cui Teng had drunk too much the previous night and was sound asleep in his room. As the search team approached closer, several servants had no choice but to go and wake their master. Cui Teng opened his eyes groggily, and they immediately stepped back.

Woken up forcibly, Cui Teng was filled with anger. He listened drowsily to the servant’s words and angrily retorted, “Nonsense! Impossible! My brother-in-law would never…”

A knocking on the door sounded from outside, sharp and impatient. Cui Teng often knocked on other people’s doors like this, but he wouldn’t be pleased if someone knocked on his door in such a manner.

Cui Teng jumped out of bed without bothering to put on his shoes, glanced around, grabbed the sabre hanging on the wall, and shouted, “Open the door!”

Some went to open the door while others cautiously tried to calm Cui Teng, but no one dared to be near the Cui young master.

Han Ruzi anticipated trouble and let a team of soldiers enter first, following behind himself. It was the first time he had to face such direct confrontation. He felt somewhat nervous, especially since Cui Teng had treated him fairly well. Although usually arrogant and rude, he always showed some respect towards the Weary Marquis. But the more he did so, the more Han Ruzi felt compelled to deal with this “brother-in-law.”

Cui Teng, still groggy from sleep, staggered, but held the sabre tightly in his hand. He burst out of the room, ignoring the soldiers filling the courtyard, and immediately spotted Han Ruzi at the courtyard gate. “Brother-in-law, are you here to arrest me?”

“Each person is allowed two attendants, no exceptions. This is a military camp; we cannot allow unidentified individuals…” Han Ruzi began.

Cui Teng didn’t grow up listening to reason. With a roar, he charged at Han Ruzi, no longer considering him as his “brother-in-law.”

Cui Teng’s appearance was not at all ugly. When he had no expression on his face, he even showed some elegance and childishness. But when he got angry, his expression was even more ferocious than that of a desperate criminal. Normally, whenever Cui Teng showed this expression, no one dared to resist him, not even to evade. They could only let Young Master Cui beat, scold, and humiliate them. If they showed weakness and powerlessness, they might endure a few less blows.

But this time was not a “normal” time.

The soldiers Han Ruzi summoned didn’t care about Cui Teng’s temper, nor did they care about his status. With a glance from the Weary Marquis, two soldiers raised their weapons, tripped Cui Teng, and others rushed forward, disarming him and securely tying up the son of the Grand Tutor.

“What is the prescribed punishment for assaulting a commanding officer?” Han Ruzi asked the military officer beside him.

The chief clerk of the Noble Camp had already felt that things were going wrong. At this moment, he was so scared that his legs went weak. The captain of the camp was in charge of military law. He replied with a pale face, “Assaulting a commanding officer is a capital offense.”

Even Han Ruzi thought that punishment was too severe. “What about for disobeying orders?”

“It depends on the situation…” After being nudged several times by his colleagues, the camp captain finally realized that he was getting into trouble. He hurriedly said, “One month’s salary deduction, five days of confinement, and a caning… that’s it.”

“Alright, let’s go with this punishment.”

Cui Teng had never been so furious. He cursed vehemently, even recalling the incident when Du Chuanyun had taken him up the tree. The more he cursed, the more vile his language became, completely forgetting that his sister had married this man.

The soldiers dragged Cui Teng out and escorted him to the confinement area. His mouth didn’t stop running the whole way.

He cursed with relish, but the noble sons in the adjacent camps were all trembling in fear. This time, they feared not Young Master Cui, but the Weary Marquis.

An hour later, there were no unaccounted persons left in the Noble Camp. Han Ruzi dismissed three hundred troops and left two hundred to guard the gates.

Han Ruzi went back to his room to rest. Not long after, Prince Donghai came to visit. He announced himself properly this time and didn’t just barge in like before.

But after all, Prince Donghai was still Prince Donghai. No matter what, he wouldn’t show the etiquette of a subordinate to the Weary Marquis. After entering the room, he looked around with hands behind his back, seemingly visiting for the first time. “It’s quite shabby here, not worthy of the position of Central Protector Commander.”

Han Ruzi ignored his sarcasm and asked, “Whom do you want to plead for?”

Prince Donghai showed exaggerated fear, “I dare not. All my attendants have been driven away. How could I have the mood to plead for others? As for Cui Teng, he brought this upon himself, he has no one else to blame.”

Han Ruzi gestured for his attendants to leave and then said, “You can speak now.”

“You won’t use military law against me, will you?”

“No.”

Prince Donghai patted his chest twice and finally asked seriously, “So, are you really going to Shattered Iron City?”

“Yes, Grand General will issue orders tomorrow, and we’ll depart in three days. Every soldier from the Noble Camp must go with me, not one less, not one more.”

Prince Donghai had previously expressed his reluctance to go to Shattered Iron City, but now he didn’t mention it. “Is it worth it to offend almost all the noble families in the court just to earn merits for Han Xing? And any merits you may earn will become worthless after the battle with the Xiongnu next year.”

Han Ruzi stood up. “Given my circumstances, having too good a relationship with the court’s nobility is a sin, isn’t it?”

Prince Donghai shook his head with a smile. Han Ruzi continued, “Let the nobles complaint about me as much as they want, the more the better.”

Prince Donghai still shook his head. “Hide your light and bide your time. Any person with a bit of brains would advise you to do so.”

“From the moment Grand General chose me as bait, hiding my light and biding my time has become a luxury for me. It’s better to go with the flow.”

“Go with the flow? Do you think you’re a fate seer?”

Han Ruzi walked up to Prince Donghai. “I suggest you go with the flow too. You can’t escape anyway. No matter what, you have to go defend Shattered Iron City with me. Why not think of a way to win the battle?”

“Heh, there might not even be a battle to fight. And besides, I might not necessarily go with you to Shattered Iron City.” Prince Donghai chuckled.

Han Ruzi was about to ask for clarification when Zhang Youcai came in from outside, announcing that another visitor had come.

Although Chai Yue was also a descendant of nobility, he was not a member of the Noble Camp but one of General Han Xing’s numerous aides. He did not have a clear position, thus he was relatively free.

Prince Donghai immediately took his leave, admonishing as he departed, “Don’t think you can always rely on Han Xing’s support. You’ve taken the bait; he doesn’t need to feed you anymore.”

Chai Yue’s attitude was completely opposite. He didn’t hide his excitement at all and even brought along several maps to discuss specific ambush plans with the Weary Marquis.

Han Ruzi listened absentmindedly, still pondering Prince Donghai’s words. Suddenly, he reached out and placed his hand on the map, interrupting Chai Yue’s explanation, and said, “Please go and request a permit from the Grand General. I need to take the Noble Camp out of the city.”

“Now?”

“Yes, right now. I shall depart immediately. I’ll move a bit slower, but you need to obtain the permit to leave the city before I reach the city gate.”

Chai Yue didn’t understand and scratched his head. “But I don’t have an official position…”

“Bring the chief clerk of the Noble Camp with you.”

“Alright.” Chai Yue put away the maps and hastily left.

Han Ruzi instructed Zhang Youcai to summon the mid-ranking officers of the camp. It was discovered that besides the chief clerk who was taken by Chai Yue, two others were missing. The officers stuttered and couldn’t explain where these two had gone.

They had gone to seek outside help.

The five hundred young officers of the Noble Camp came from noble families. The older nobles held other positions in the army, and some even held higher positions than Central Protector Commander. Even the Grand General had to show deference to them.

These high-ranking officers would surely plead for their brothers, nephews, and cousins, and some might even directly demand or take custody of them.

Han Ruzi donned his armor and ordered the entire camp to depart in fifteen minutes. Those who didn’t mount their horses on time would receive twenty lashes.

With Cui Teng’s example in front of them and two hundred soldiers who obeyed only the Weary Marquis’s orders, none of the noble sons dared to challenge their orders. They scrambled to mount their horses, many not even wearing their armor, only putting on a helmet. Their personal belongings in the camp were left in disarray.

Cui Teng was also brought out. He was still unwilling and continued to curse loudly until he was exhausted and stopped.

Han Ruzi allowed one attendant for each noble son to stay behind. After packing up their belongings, they would meet their masters outside the city. Then, he led the others out of the camp, heading towards the city gate, with two hundred troops flanking them, looking like they were escorting a group of prisoners.

This sight quickly attracted a lot of attention. The soldiers from various camps couldn’t move around freely but crowded at the street corners to watch. Some were surprised, some found it amusing, but no one dared to speak up.

Han Ruzi could freely enter and exit the city gate, bringing along at most ten people. Additional permits were required from the Grand General’s office, and they had to be surrendered upon entry or exit. Previously, two permits had been used when the troops entered and exited the city. Han Ruzi had originally planned to leave the remaining two hundred troops stationed in the distinguished camp. Now, he had to apply for permits again to take everyone out of the city.

The procession had just left the street when the two “missing” nobles from the Noble Camp returned on horseback, sweating profusely and looking panicked. They dismounted, ran to the Weary Marquis, and one of them said, “My lord, please think twice.” The other added, “My lord, the Grand General’s order will arrive shortly…”

Han Ruzi waved his hand, and several soldiers came forward to tie up these men who had gone absent without leave, then continued on their way.

Seeing this scene, Cui Teng chuckled while sitting on his horse. “Heh, I’ve finally got some company.” Then, he became furious again, cursing the Weary Marquis for being despicable and cunning. He cursed those who were unfaithful and untrustworthy, not sparing even Prince Donghai, accusing him of lacking courage, saying that his usual boldness had been eaten up by dogs.

Not long after, another group of soldiers came to block the way. They were all under the command of the Grand General, claiming that the Grand General’s orders were imminent.

Han Ruzi’s response was to dispatch a dozen soldiers to gallop forward and disperse the soldiers, then continue advancing.

Cui Teng shut his mouth again, somewhat surprised as he sized up his “brother-in-law” ahead.

At the city gate, the procession encountered its biggest obstacle. Usually, there were only two or three dozen soldiers guarding the gate, but now there was a military force of several hundred, forming neat lines on the street, blocking the city gate tightly.

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