The Child Emperor-Chapter 338: Choices of Powerful Subjects

The Xiongnu invasion and the Emperor’s predicament sent shockwaves throughout the realm. Every person wielding significant power in the Great Chu Dynasty faced a common choice: to rescue or not to rescue.

In the imperial palace, Maiden Wang’s choice was very simple—she could only rescue, she must rescue. Even if it cost her own life, she had to save the Emperor, her son.

After receiving the news, Maiden Wang’s first action was to seek help from the Empress Dowager. With the current situation changing rapidly, she needed an experienced guide.

The Empress Dowager was no longer what she once was. Having lost her son, relatives, and enemies one after another, her heart harbored no more ambitions. She would sit in her chair for hours at a time, as if her soul had departed her body, having long forgotten this world, including the Emperor of this world.

“The Xiongnu? The Emperor?” Looking at Maiden Wang kneeling on the ground with tears streaming down her face, the Empress Dowager struggled to concentrate her mind to understand everything Maiden Wang was saying. Then she smiled. “The Xiongnu have actually entered the pass.”

“Did the Empress Dowager foresee all this?” Maiden Wang was both surprised and delighted. At this moment, the Empress Dowager appeared to her as a great prophet who could see through the future.

The Empress Dowager shook her head. “I was just noting that Great Chu has fallen to such an extent… I have already given up everything. What more do you want?”

Maiden Wang kowtowed. “I beseech the Empress Dowager for guidance.”

The Empress Dowager remained silent for a long time. “For over a thousand years, the balance of power between the Central Plains and the Xiongnu has constantly shifted. The strong are revered, the weak are despised—there’s nothing that can be done about it. If you want to save the Emperor, you can only work through the Xiongnu.”

“Seek peace?”

“Other than that, I can’t think of any other solution.” The Empress Dowager sighed and said no more.

Maiden Wang took her leave. Standing at the entrance to the bedchamber, she suddenly realized her powerlessness. She had originally thought there would be plenty of time ahead and hadn’t been urgent about securing the title of Empress Dowager. She hadn’t expected to fall into such desperate straits so quickly—she now had no one at her disposal.

There was, after all, a fundamental difference between the Emperor’s birth mother and the Empress Dowager of Great Chu. Many ministers secretly curried favor with the Emperor’s birth mother, but only the Empress Dowager could formally issue commands to the ministers.

After some thought, Consort Wang felt she still needed to find someone to help her—someone who could help her control the ministers outside.

Yang Feng, the Keeper of the Imperial Seal, arrived quite quickly. However, as the person the Emperor trusted and relied upon most, he didn’t appear particularly urgent. His steps were leisurely, his expression calm, as if he didn’t yet know of the Emperor’s predicament.

“Thank you for your trouble, Lord Yang. Regarding the crisis at Jincheng, do the court ministers have any countermeasures?” Maiden Wang rose and returned his greeting. Unable to spare time for pleasantries, she asked directly.

“Chancellor Shen is consulting with the ministers day and night, mobilizing troops from all directions to rescue His Majesty.”

“I am but a woman and don’t understand military matters, but if Chu troops go to rescue His Majesty, won’t the Xiongnu intensify their siege?”

“Things have come to this point. His Majesty must first protect himself and coordinate with the relief forces from within and without—only then might he escape his predicament.”

“Lord Yang speaks so casually!” Consort Wang felt a surge of anger, then immediately softened her tone and apologized to Yang Feng. “My anxiety for my son’s safety makes me speak harshly. Please don’t take offense, Lord Yang. What I think is that the most important thing right now is not to defeat the Xiongnu or reclaim lost territory, but to preserve His Majesty. If His Majesty lives, Great Chu will eventually have its day of revival. If His Majesty perishes, Great Chu will surely be in danger.”

“All the ministers share this view.”

“Therefore, why not seek peace with the Xiongnu? They say the Xiongnu are greedy for wealth and profit. Whatever they want, give it to them, as long as we can get His Majesty back.”

Yang Feng pondered for a moment. “In the past, the Xiongnu were indeed easy to appease—gold, silver, copper, iron, silk, and cloth, even marriage alliances could move the Xiongnu. But this time is different. The Great Chanyu wants land and city walls…”

“Then give those to them too.” Maiden Wang said sternly. She didn’t understand why Yang Feng still wasn’t anxious. “Give them whatever they want. I only want the Emperor to return safely to the Capital.”

Yang Feng bowed, unwilling to argue with Maiden Wang. “Very well, I’ll go inform the ministers immediately and see what they think.”

Maiden Wang returned his bow. “His Majesty’s fate rests in Lord Yang’s hands.”

Yang Feng said, “I will do my utmost. I also ask that Maiden Wang communicate more with the Empress.”

Consort Wang was slightly startled, then immediately understood. The Empress’s father was currently suppressing rebellions in Qi State and held military power. Cui Hong might not be able to save the Emperor, but he could certainly harm him.

“His Majesty is my beloved son, and to the Empress he is her husband. We share the same sorrows and will naturally be of one heart and mind.”

Yang Feng took his leave. For him, seeking peace was not the only way to save the Emperor, much less the best way.

The Emperor of Great Chu must first think of Great Chu—this was what Yang Feng believed, and he was confident the Emperor held the same view.

After consulting with Chancellor Shen Mingzhi and several other important ministers, Yang Feng proposed three recommendations:

First, send envoys to negotiate peace with the Xiongnu, not seeking success, but merely hoping to slightly relieve the pressure on Jincheng City, while also appeasing Maiden Wang in the palace.

Then mobilize county and prefectural forces and conscript men, all marching toward Jincheng City to defend the major fortified towns north and east of Luoyang, absolutely not allowing the Xiongnu to capture more cities and territory.

Finally, Yang Feng suggested selecting a new emperor.

The new emperor would not ascend the throne immediately, but rather a suitable person would first be chosen from the imperial clan, with word spread that once Jincheng City was captured, regardless of whether the Emperor was dead or captured, the Capital would immediately enthrone a new emperor to prevent the realm from being without a ruler, and also to cut off the Xiongnu’s greater ambitions.

Actually, the ministers had long thought of this strategy, but no one dared propose it. Yang Feng was the Emperor’s trusted confidant, so it was most appropriate for him to break through this delicate matter. As for his eunuch status, the ministers automatically ignored it. Shen Mingzhi solemnly requested that Seal Keeper Yang Feng’s suggestions be recorded in full, with not a single word changed.

Although this was the last suggestion, only after this did the first two recommendations receive serious consideration. The Minister of Personnel personally went as envoy to the Xiongnu, the Minister of War remained in Luoyang to oversee the armies of Guandong, while Yang Feng personally wrote a letter, entrusting Marquis Ping’en to deliver it to Grand General Cui Hong.

In this letter, Yang Feng detailed the court’s strategy and intentions, stating that the Capital had already selected a member of the imperial clan, but it was not enough. All the ministers believed that Prince Ying, the Martial Emperor’s youngest son, although of higher seniority than the current Emperor, had once participated in the struggle for the throne. At that time, of the four contenders, one died and two were captured. If Prince Ying could be rescued, he would also be qualified to claim the throne.

This move was intended to divide the Xiongnu and the Linzi rebels. If the captive Prince Ying could become emperor, the rebels’ most important objective would be achieved, making further collusion with the Xiongnu unnecessary—even if they still wanted to collude, the Xiongnu would become suspicious of them.

Yang Feng explained everything clearly, leaving Cui Hong with no further questions. He joined forces with Chai Yue and Fang Daye, moving the main force to Pengcheng to intercept the southbound Xiongnu cavalry, while simultaneously announcing to Linzi City that if Prince Ying returned to the Capital in time, he would still have the opportunity to become emperor.

The rebels gave no answer, but after most of the Chu forces outside the city departed, they made no effort to break out, still holding fast to Linzi without moving, clearly indicating internal strife had erupted.

For the Chu army, this was sufficient. Chai Yue formulated a plan, requesting the court send as many of the assembled troops as possible to Pengcheng. He would first dispatch twenty thousand men to repel the ten thousand southbound Xiongnu cavalry, then advance slowly with the full army, taking time to replenish forces—not to rescue the Emperor at Jincheng City, but to head straight for Yan.

The Great Chanyu was in Yan, furious at the Linzi rebels’ indecision. After several ineffective urgings, he decided to obtain a ceasefire edict from the besieged Emperor, hoping to temporarily halt the pressure from the southern Chu forces, while also wanting to see how much prestige and power the Emperor still retained.

The Great Chanyu was not afraid of the tens of thousands of Chu troops in the south, but he was more concerned about the forces beyond the frontier. The troops assembled at Mayi City already exceeded one hundred thousand. If this army could be crushed, the Xiongnu rear would be secure, allowing them to face all of Great Chu with composure.

The debates within Mayi City were even more intense than those in Linzi City. No one dared say they wouldn’t rescue the Emperor, but exactly how to rescue him was a matter of diverse opinions: entering the passes directly would be simplest, but that meant facing the Xiongnu’s main force with uncertain outcome; remaining in Mayi City to await Xiongnu attack was more prudent, but circumstances would not wait—if Jincheng City were captured in the meantime, no one could bear the responsibility.

Most critically, there was no commanding general in Mayi City who could make the final decision. Imperial Envoy Zhuo Ruhe had the opportunity to command the entire army, but before the imperial edict arrived, he led a force through the passes to rescue the Emperor, only to suffer defeat and capture.

Marquis Zhang Yin commanded the largest force, and the Emperor’s edict specifically designated him to command the armies beyond the passes. However, Zhang Yin could not exercise effective command—his stutter and his official position were both fatal flaws. The Southern Army had always been arrogant and refused to obey his orders, determined to enter the passes and fight a decisive battle with the Xiongnu. The border garrison forces came from complex origins, numbering over twenty different contingents, each with their own ideas.

Zhang Yin could only appeal to the court for help, hoping they would quickly dispatch a great general.

The court no longer had any generals of sufficiently high rank, so they could only send the Minister of Rites along with a general, taking a detour to Mayi City. However, these two men had not figured out what to do either.

Yang Feng and Shen Mingzhi in the Capital also did not know how to mobilize this Chu army beyond the passes.

At this time, Deng Cui was galloping frantically on horseback along the road. When he rested at night, he still had to listen to the confessions of the beauty in his arms—he could not understand a single word, but he could always immediately guess her emotions and provide appropriate comfort, which greatly consoled the beauty.

Thirty miles outside Jincheng, there was another Chu army.

Feng Shili led fifteen thousand Northern Army troops stationed in a fortified camp. He had told messengers that he would absolutely not retreat a single step, but after holding firm for several days, he still took advantage of when the Xiongnu were annihilating a relief force to lead his troops in retreat tens of miles, taking up position in a more solid pass.

Relief forces kept arriving from the rear, but their numbers never exceeded thirty thousand, so Feng Shili still dared not attack.

The Imperial Guard army led by Cai Xinghai and Chao Hua was the earliest relief force to arrive. When they departed from the Capital, news of the Xiongnu entering the passes had not yet arrived. It was the Empress who suggested to Yang Feng that since the situation in the Capital was gradually stabilizing, they should send more trustworthy people to the Emperor.

Cai Xinghai and Chao Hua had long been eager to launch an attack, but they only had two thousand soldiers under their command—too few in number. Feng Shili completely ignored their requests, always giving the same response: “If we cannot defeat the Xiongnu in one decisive blow, a rash attack will only get His Majesty killed.”

These words were not wrong, yet Cai Xinghai and Chao Hua could not just wait idly. Their thinking coincided with Zhuo Ruhe’s: although there was clearly a trap ahead, someone had to actively jump into it to prove to the world that the Emperor still had support. Only then would the Xiongnu feel the Emperor had value and persist in their strategy of siege without attack.

These two men completely failed to understand the internal contradictions among the Xiongnu, and they had no idea that the Xiongnu Right Wise King desperately needed an excuse to attack Jincheng.

Thus, Cai Xinghai and Chao Hua persuaded over three thousand officers and soldiers to follow them into battle, prepared for certain death. They never expected that they would actually be able to fight their way to the walls of Jincheng.

The Xiongnu had anticipated this. The Right Wise King could finally attack the small city of Jincheng under the pretext of annihilating reinforcements. As for the Great Chanyu’s overall strategy, he neither understood nor cared about it.

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