The Child Emperor - Chapter 129: Timely Rain

The Riverside Village was under attack from both land and lake, and among the attackers were the Southern Army’s war junks. Prince Donghai was so shocked that he nearly fainted, and Han Ruzi was equally at a loss.

This shattered almost all of his expectations.

“This is the Southern Army…” Han Ruzi strained to peer at the lake’s surface, only to see three large silhouettes, surrounded by what seemed like some smaller boats, none lit with torches, all drifting slowly toward Riverside Village like ghostly ships.

“Why?” Prince Donghai asked tremulously, turning his gaze to Han Ruzi, hoping to find answers from him. “Uncle knows that I’m here, could it be…”

“Could it be that the Empress Dowager has already triumphed?” Han Ruzi could only draw such a conclusion.

Prince Donghai began to tremble.

Once the balance between the Empress Dowager and the Cui clan was disrupted, the narrow space in which Han Ruzi survived would cease to exist.

Han Ruzi suddenly realized someone was missing beside him. Reckless had vanished. He had said that when there was no hope left, he would not accompany Han Ruzi to the death. In his view, this was probably one of those situations.

Han Ruzi felt despondent, but he was not Prince Donghai. He had long grown accustomed to desperate situations. Unless he died, he would never resign himself to fate.

“Retreat, starting from the first team. Don’t go into the houses, hide behind them!” he ordered. No one opposed, and no one questioned. They feared that if they got an answer they didn’t want to hear, they would lose the last glimmer of hope.

The militiamen were surprisingly organized. Even though retreating meant getting closer to the raging fire, no one protested.

Han Ruzi knew he had to remain calm, so he stood on the pier, facing the boats on the lake, with no cover in front of him, and shouted to Prince Donghai, “Does the Southern Army have a navy at Guaizi Lake?”

Prince Donghai had no intention of getting closer, but was pushed by several guards behind the “Emperor.” “The Southern Army has a fleet of war junks at the Wei River, which might be connected to Guaizi Lake. It would take at least half a day to get from the Wei River to here, which means… arrangements were made during the day.”

Han Ruzi had just asked the question casually, with no purpose. Chao Hua walked up from behind, clasped his fists, and said, “Your Majesty, may I take a few men to sabotage the boats?”

“Is it feasible?”

Chao Hua smiled, “We have been fishing and swimming in the lake since we were children. Let us try.”

“Very well, General Chao, assemble your troops.”

Seeing Han Ruzi solemnly dispatching troops, Prince Donghai wanted to laugh but couldn’t, only emitting a few grunts from his mouth.

Chao Hua called out a series of names, selecting fourteen people. Most of them were young men from the Chao family fishing village. They were already prepared, wearing only shorts, with knives and awls in their mouths, they walked into the lake, swimming towards the distance, soon disappearing into the night.

“It’s useless, the soldiers on the war junks have long spears, specifically to deal with these underwater attacks.” Prince Donghai still couldn’t see any hope.

The retreat was almost complete. After the last hundred-man team left the pier, Han Ruzi walked towards the center of the village under the escort of his guards.

“Death by fire on one side, death by arrows and drowning on the other…” Prince Donghai didn’t want to go anywhere.

There was a strange sound in the air. Han Ruzi and others turned to look, only to see a fire arrow descending from the sky, hitting the spot where he had just stood. Deeply embedded in the wooden bridge, it trembled slightly and the flames quickly extinguished.

“The Southern Army’s archery skills aren’t that great,” Han Ruzi said with forced ease.

“This is just a test shot; soon it will be a barrage of arrows.” Prince Donghai was terrified, quickening his pace, wanting to get further away from the pier, but was pulled back by two guards.

Han Ruzi continued forward, neither fast nor slow, even when he heard louder noises from behind, he did not hasten his steps.

The guards kept turning back, shielding the “Emperor” with their bodies as much as possible.

Dozens of arrows rained down on the wooden bridge of the pier.

Han Ruzi joked, “If Miss Jin were here, she would definitely be delighted. She is always short of arrows.”

The “Emperor’s” composure infected those around him. A guard laughed, “Yes, if the Empress were here, she could repel all attackers single-handedly.”

Prince Donghai found it both amusing and frightening.

They finally reached the center of the village. There weren’t many houses left to provide cover for over seven hundred people. Han Ruzi stood in the middle of the road, gazing at the flames outside, which posed a greater threat than the enemies on the lake.

The flames had already engulfed a circle of fences around them, thick smoke billowed, and the heat was oppressive. The flames were attempting to leap over that open space, aiming to eradicate the last few houses and hundreds of people in the village, much like a cat trying to catch a mouse driven into a corner, its claws and the prey just inches apart.

Was he really going to die here? Han Ruzi dared not think further.

Nearby came a chorus of pleas from the captured soldiers, locked in empty pigsties closest to the flames.

“Release them,” Han Ruzi commanded, and immediately someone went to open the pigsties, cutting the ropes. The soldiers, hands tied behind their backs, didn’t even bother to thank them. They stared at the flames from all directions, trembling in fear.

But the flames never reached them. The reeds in the lake on both the north and south sides dampened the fire first, leaving only the flames on the west gate side still raging.

Several rounds of arrows were shot from the lake, some penetrating the roofs and landing inside the houses.

No one uttered a sound, not even the soldiers abandoned their wails. Everyone waited silently like lambs for the final outcome.

Han Ruzi, however, harbored a glimmer of hope. He called out the names of several squad leaders and commanded, “Later, your five squads will act as vanguards. Charge forward and don’t stop. Your three squads will protect the left flank, your three squads will defend the right flank, and your five squads will cover the rear. Engage the enemy, but do not pursue. These few squads will protect the elderly, the women, and the children in the village. The rest follow me, ready to obey my orders at any time…”

Each command was met with acknowledgment. Prince Donghai couldn’t muster a laugh; he felt some admiration. Even as the fire dwindled just a little, Han Ruzi was already considering how to break through. Prince Donghai couldn’t bring himself to do so; he still couldn’t see any chance of success. The fire might be weakening, but it hadn’t extinguished yet, and the attackers outside the village wouldn’t diminish. When daylight came, the soldiers on the war junks in the lake would be able to land via the small boats… he dared not think further.

Suddenly something fell, hitting him squarely on the right cheek. Prince Donghai was terrified, clutching tightly to the guard beside him, trying to use the man’s body to shield himself from the attack.

The guard pushed him away, annoyed. “What are you doing?”

“There… there’s… water.” Prince Donghai touched his face, confirming it was a drop of water. Looking up, illuminated by the firelight, there seemed to be dark clouds in the sky.

More and more people looked up at the sky, initially puzzled, then surprised, and finally ecstatic.

“It’s raining! It’s raining! Heaven is saving us!” “It’s the Emperor, he’s the true dragon emperor, and Heaven is saving the true dragon emperor!”

This was not the miracle Han Ruzi had hoped for. Even without rain, the fire outside would have been extinguished. But this unexpected rain had a significant impact on his position.

A strong wind arose, and the flames outside made one final effort, stretching out long tongues of fire towards the combustible materials in the village. Suddenly, a downpour began, pouring heavily, and the flames retreated.

The crowd stood dumbfounded for a moment, then erupted into cheers simultaneously. They all knelt before Han Ruzi, their clothes soaked and their hands and feet muddy, but they didn’t mind.

“The true dragon emperor, I told you, he is the true dragon emperor.”

Prince Donghai also knelt down. There was no choice; guards pressed down on his shoulders, and he couldn’t remain standing.

He was both astonished and envious. Han Ruzi’s luck was too good. Although summer rains were frequent, it happened to come down at this moment, truly miraculous. But he also had to admit that if Han Ruzi hadn’t been prepared and had panicked from the start, this rain would have been meaningless.

Standing in the rain, Han Ruzi accepted the kowtows of the people. He didn’t believe much in gods or buddhas, but at this moment, he did feel a sense of destiny.

Despite being drenched, he felt a burning sensation all over his body and thought to himself, “I am the Emperor, I am the Emperor…”

The rain came suddenly and departed just as swiftly, as if it had been sent specifically to extinguish the fire.

But the night didn’t recede; without the flames, it seemed even darker. Han Ruzi, now soaked like a drowned rat, turned around. The numerous rebels could only see a blurry figure. They became even more awestruck and all prostrated themselves on the ground, even the captured government troops, not daring to move.

“Even after attaining success, one must not forget one’s humble beginnings. No matter how much time passes in the future, I will remember today’s followers.” Han Ruzi called out, “General Chao—”

Chao Hua and his companions had returned, equally stunned and kneeling in the mud. Hearing the call, they crawled forward in the mud. “At your service.”

“Go and bring me the roster prepared by Chief Clerk Chao. From now on, it shall always be by my side.”

“Yes.” Chao Hua called someone and together they went to the meeting room to retrieve the wooden door which had served as the militia’s roster, standing respectfully behind the “Emperor.”

“Long live the Emperor!” the rebels shouted in unison.

Han Ruzi knew that he could keep these people with him for some time.

But the crisis was not over yet. As the cheers subsided, Han Ruzi asked Chao Hua, “What’s the situation on the lake?”

Chao Hua replied with extreme respect, “We sunk a small boat, and fortunately, the rain caught them off guard, so the enemy retreated.”

The rain didn’t last long. The Southern Army’s war junks would soon return. Han Ruzi made an order to depart, not knowing where to go, but wanting to leave the village.

Among the people, only Prince Donghai didn’t believe in the “true dragon emperor” theory. If Heaven truly favored Han Ruzi, it wouldn’t have let him be deposed and end up in such a place.

His concerns were more pragmatic. Covered in mud, he walked over to Han Ruzi and asked, “What’s your plan? You’re not counting on Heaven to help you again, are you?”

Seeing Prince Donghai, Han Ruzi had an idea. “The Southern Army attacked Riverside Village under the Chai family’s banner, which means neither of us have been found guilty of capital crimes.”

“So what? We’re still going to die.”

“Let’s go to the Southern Army, to the Capital, and demand an explanation from Grand Tutor Cui and the Empress Dowager. We must let the whole city know about this.”

Prince Donghai was speechless for a moment, then said, “Wait until you escape this assault.”

The several hundred-man squads acting as vanguards had already left the village. Suddenly, cries broke out, as if they had encountered the enemy as soon as they went out. Han Ruzi was about to order an attack when excited voices came from the front, “Empress! The Empress has returned!”

Jin Chuiduo had returned, bringing several men with her.

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 128