The Child Emperor

Chapter 174: Making Decisions Alone

“Sword Immortal” Du Motian, after enduring countless hardships, finally delivered a letter with only a few words to the Weary Marquis.

When the Weary Marquis joined the northern military campaign, Du Motian sent off his grandson, Du Chuanyun, and moved out of the Marquis’s residence. He spent his days socializing with renowned heroes in the Capital, living a rather leisurely life. About ten days ago, the old eunuch bookkeeper He Yi from the Marquis’s residence suddenly visited him, invited him to drink, and after getting him thoroughly drunk, handed him a letter along with a request from the Marquis’s wife.

From that moment, Du Motian realized he was being followed. He didn’t leave immediately and waited for two more days, continuing his social life until he offended a high-ranking hero from the pugilist world and had to “escape” the Capital.

Along the way, Du Motian received help from many old friends in the pugilist world but also faced numerous obstacles, including two assassination attempts and a public challenge. He had to abide by the rules of the pugilist world and accepted the challenge but did not win.

The “Sword Immortal” was old after all. The continuous travel exhausted his energy, and he was defeated in the duel. He had no choice but to return to the Capital.

Thus, the person who delivered the letter to Han Ruzi was not Du Motian but a friend he had entrusted with the task before the duel.

This person, in his twenties, had no official travel documents but somehow managed to slip into Divine Hero Pass. He loitered outside the office for half a day, not seeking any officer or guard for notification. It wasn’t until dusk when he saw Meng E accompanying the Northern Protection General out of the office that he approached.

Meng E, under the alias Chen Tong, dressed and acted like a male guard, and even her occasional speech had no flaws that could be detected. She had followed the Northern Protection General for many days without being recognized. However, the young man instantly identified her as a “pugilist” from afar, clasped his fists, and shouted, “All within the four seas are brothers. Brother, could you spare some food?”

Meng E was startled and stopped the guards who were about to seize him, inviting the man inside to question him in detail before taking him to see the Northern Protection General.

Han Ruzi wanted to keep him, but Meng E stopped him. “You are not a pugilist; you don’t need to deal with them.”

If he had time, Han Ruzi really wanted to ask the single-mindedly restoration-seeking Meng E what kind of pugilist she considered herself and what benefits those eccentric pugilists could gain. But after glancing at the letter, he had no mood to ponder pugilists.

It was indeed Cui Xiaojun’s handwriting, but the delivery process was puzzling. The stranger even refused to reveal his name, and the account of Du Motian’s experience was overly brief.

Han Ruzi had already sent Du Chuanyun back to the Capital, but it was evident he hadn’t met his grandfather Du Motian on the way.

Han Ruzi pondered over the letter for a long time. In all of Divine Hero Pass, the only person he could discuss it with was Meng E. “Do you believe this person?”

“I believe he has no ill intentions, but I also know that many innocent people can be manipulated, never realizing it even until their death.”

Such an answer was of no help to Han Ruzi. He smiled, brought the letter close to the lit candle, hesitated for a moment, and then burned it. “Assuming everything said is true, Xiaojun is not seriously ill. She didn’t specify, so I guess someone else is gravely ill, either the Empress Dowager or the Emperor, which is why Uncle Wu and Champion Marquis are in a hurry to return to the Capital. But when Xiaojun wrote this letter, she didn’t know about the Xiongnu invasion or my situation in the northern border…”

Han Ruzi fell silent, talking to himself. Meng E remained quiet beside him, her gaze slowly shifting, listening to the sounds outside.

“Xiaojun hopes I return to the capital, so she must have prepared something. But Old General Fang is right; if I leave Divine Hero Pass, the Chu army in Shattered Iron City is likely to collapse. The Xiongnu are a great threat, the true great threat…”

Han Ruzi picked up another letter, sent by Chai Yue, stating that the Xiongnu wished to negotiate with the Northern Protection General. Chai Yue specifically noted he didn’t trust the Xiongnu. Since the onset of winter, there had been three snowfalls. If they held out a bit longer, even without significant reinforcements, the Xiongnu might retreat.

There were many “maybe”s and “probably”s in the information given ton him… Han Ruzi increasingly understood what Yang Feng once said: The Emperor, because he holds too much information, finds it harder to make decisions than when he knows nothing.

Chai Yue, as the frontline general, had the responsibility to anticipate every possibility, but he didn’t have to make the final decision.

Cui Xiaojun, secluded in her residence, aimed to seek the greatest benefit for her husband, but she didn’t understand the border crisis and didn’t need to weigh the pros and cons.

Han Ruzi sat there, not thinking about the next step but pondering how difficult and interesting it was to make decisions.

“I am alone…” Han Ruzi suddenly remembered this sentence. In his past memories, his grandfather, the Martial Emperor, sat in the shadows of the Hall of Diligent Administration, majestic and lonely. Now, the scene in his mind’s eye had subtly changed. The Martial Emperor still sat alone in the shadows, but he was not lonely, or rather, he enjoyed and liked that loneliness.

“Summon Jin Chunbao,” Han Ruzi said.

Meng E’s eyes turned towards him, slightly surprised. She was a bodyguard, and the Weary Marquis rarely gave her orders. “Yes,” she replied, stepped outside, and whispered to the guards to find the chief clerk.

Even the general in command couldn’t summon a detainee with just a few words. He had to issue an order, stamp it with the official seal, and then fetch the person from prison.

Meng E, who rarely participated in specific tasks, completed the entire process, taking the official seal from the Weary Marquis and pressing it onto the document.

Han Ruzi remained silent, not even noticing that he had tasked Meng E with the duties of a personal follower.

Before long, Jin Chunbao was brought in.

Jin Chunbao had suffered greatly. To confirm the truth of his words, the jailers had tortured him, and after General Feng Shili’s downfall, he had been tortured again.

The former eldest son of the Marquis Guiyi was unrecognizable. As soon as the guards released him, he knelt on the ground, trembling.

“The Xiongnu army has already reached Shattered Iron City.” From Jin Chunbao, Han Ruzi saw only one lesson: lack of foresight led to great consequences.

Jin Chunbao raised his head and took a while to recognize the Weary Marquis, trembling as he spoke, “Weary Marquis, save me…”

“You are a prisoner of the Chu army; no one can save you.”

“I don’t want to be a Xiongnu anymore. Weary Marquis, give me another chance, even if I stay in Great Chu as a commoner or a slave!”

“To be a citizen of Great Chu, you must fight the Xiongnu.”

“I am willing, I am willing.” Jin Chunbao, not a strong person, was moved to tears at the hope of escaping his prisoner status.

“Take him away,” Han Ruzi ordered.

Two guards dragged Jin Chunbao out. Even outside, he was still shouting, “I am willing to serve Great Chu…”

Han Ruzi turned to the chief clerk. “I have been impolite. We have defended the city together for many days, yet I have not asked for your name.”

The registrar stepped forward. “It is my fault to trouble the general with such matters. My name is Hua Bao En.”

“Chief Clerk Hua, you were brought to Divine Hero Pass by General Wu, correct?”

Hua Bao En’s legs went weak, and he knelt down. The longer he spent with this young general, the more fearful he became. “I was recommended by General Wu, but I am a seventh-rank chief clerk of Great Chu, receiving a state salary and serving the state without any personal agenda.”

“Please rise,” Han Ruzi smiled. “During General Wu’s absence, you managed the affairs of Divine Hero Pass well.”

Hua Bao En dared not rise. “Holding an important position with a low rank, I have no merit and deserve to die.”

“In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures are necessary. You may leave.”

Hua Bao En kowtowed and withdrew. After leaving the room, it took him a while to calm down, not understanding what the Northern Protection General meant by his words. He felt chills and wanted to leave this place of trouble but didn’t have the courage.

Meng E also didn’t understand. When the room was empty, she couldn’t help but ask, “You clearly saw the roster and knew the Chief Clerk’s name. Why ask again?”

It was rare for Meng E to be curious. Han Ruzi smiled and said, “I want this Chief Clerk to know that from now on, I am watching his every move.”

Meng E still felt puzzled but didn’t press further. For things she didn’t understand, she preferred to keep her distance. “You should also be careful. If there were pugilists intercepting Du Motian, there might be pugilists watching you.”

“Yes, but I trust you can protect me.”

Meng E stepped aside, feeling inexplicably wary. Previously, she set the terms, and the Weary Marquis complied. Now, the Weary Marquis gave orders, and she complied unconditionally, without any reason or will to refuse.

Han Ruzi had already made a decision but hadn’t acted immediately because he was waiting for Fang Daye.

On the fifth day of Fang Daye’s visit to the Northern Army, he finally sent back a message. He and General of the Left Han Tong had convinced the northern army officers, and within two days, they would lead fifty thousand men to Divine Hero Pass, providing reinforcements to Shattered Iron City within another two days.

Upon receiving the message, Han Ruzi immediately ordered all soldiers in the city to march to Shattered Iron City, leaving Registrar Hua Bao En to guard Divine Hero Pass with only a few dozen office staff, tasked solely with receiving and dispatching reinforcements.

Jin Chunbao was ordered to accompany the army, without armor or weapons, still a prisoner.

Since seeing hope, Jin Chunbao had been racking his brain, trying to figure out how he could help the Weary Marquis. So when Han Ruzi asked, he spoke at length.

“I’ve figured it out. Prince Zaheyan wanted to use me to lure the imperial guards. But not everything he said to me was false. Based on what I saw and heard in the Xiongnu camp, the Eastern Xiongnu are indeed divided. Some want to seize Chu cities and people to settle within the pass, while others wish to continue their nomadic lifestyle. Zaheyan and the Great Khagan belong to the former group. Although the latter group is more numerous, they lack power. They have only one option: to establish a new Great Khagan. If they can’t find a suitable candidate among their nobles, they will seek other Xiongnu nobles. The Xiongnu who fled west during the Martial Emperor’s reign must still retain their traditions. I heard some people in the camp speak nostalgically of the Western Xiongnu, who are friendly towards the Jin family from the Western Xiongnu. If I’m right, the Western Xiongnu have returned.”

“Why would the Western Xiongnu want to negotiate?” Han Ruzi was most concerned about this question.

Jin Chunbao couldn’t answer. He had gave his boldest guess just to secure his life.

Han Ruzi, who read numerous frontline reports daily, had already confirmed that the enemy to the north was a coalition of Eastern and Western Xiongnu. “When the Xiongnu say that there is a ‘haunting’ what else can they mean?”

That was when they encountered Jin Chunbao, and several Xiongnu herders swore there was “a haunting” in the west.

Jin Chunbao, not fluent in the Xiongnu language, strained to recall his conversations with the Xiongnu. “If I didn’t misunderstand, the Xiongnu do not distinguish between gods and ghosts. A haunting could also mean divine punishment. As for what the so-called ‘god’ is, I don’t know.”

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