The Child Emperor

Chai Yue led three thousand elite soldiers, rushing tirelessly and arriving just three hours later than the first batch of reinforcements. They reached the northern gate of Divine Hero Pass in the dead of night. Hearing the loud questioning from the soldiers on the city wall, Chai Yue heaved a heavy sigh of relief and almost wanted to howl at the sky in celebration.

As the commander in charge, he understood the strategic importance of Divine Hero Pass more than the average soldier. The saying “one wrong move and the entire game is lost” applied perfectly here. Losing this pass would mean cutting off the lifeline of eighty thousand Chu soldiers.

Upon entering the city, Chai Yue was even more astonished.

He had thought the Chu army had arrived in time to keep the rebellion outside the gates, only to find the city full of surrendered bandits—at least four thousand of them. On his way to the governmental office, Chai Yue’s ears were filled with legendary tales of the “dead eunuch” Cai Xinghai, who never shied away from his identity and often boasted about his “resurrection,” leading soldiers to simply call him the “dead eunuch.”

The office was in a state of disarray. The bandits, not skilled in siege warfare, were experts in looting. They had even dismantled the main gate, and anything of value, down to the last needle, was piled in the courtyard, yet to be divided.

In the main hall, Cai Xinghai sat on the ground, his shoulder haphazardly bandaged, drinking cold wine and chatting merrily with a group of bandit leaders, sometimes bursting into sharp, hearty laughter.

The thirty or so bandit leaders, who usually held a poor opinion of eunuchs, were now thoroughly impressed by Cai Xinghai, completely forgetting they were trapped in the city and already Chu army prisoners.

Chai Yue reminded them of their predicament.

With six thousand soldiers, more than the bandits, Chai Yue immediately ordered his men to detain the bandit leaders. The bandits were unafraid, even bidding farewell to Cai Xinghai with admiration.

Once the bandits were taken away, Cai Xinghai winced in pain and called out, “Ouch,” twice before saying to Chai Yue, “Sorry, I can’t stand up. Could you find me a doctor?”

Chai Yue promptly dispatched someone to find a doctor in the city and personally helped Cai Xinghai up with the help of a soldier. He refused to sit in the main seat, so Chai Yue had two thick felt blankets brought from the courtyard to make him more comfortable lying down.

“The main army has arrived, right?” Cai Xinghai asked.

“Yes, they have,” Chai Yue replied without further explanation, knowing the Chu forces in the city now outnumbered the bandits and more reinforcements would arrive soon.

“Then I can rest easy. I’m exhausted. I need to sleep for a bit. When the doctor comes, let him treat me well, but try not to wake me…”

Chai Yue laughed, “Rest easy, Commander Cai. I’ll watch over the doctor for you.”

“Thank you, General Chai. I trust you.” Cai Xinghai yawned widely, then suddenly opened his eyes wide, “Does this count as a merit for the Northern Protection General?”

“A great merit. The Northern Protection General and the eighty thousand Chu soldiers all have to thank Commander Cai.”

Cai Xinghai chuckled twice, and before his mouth closed, he was already asleep.

Chai Yue gathered the officers in the courtyard outside the main hall to assign tasks. The most important thing was to quickly detain and organize the captives, leaving a few to serve as laborers, and to return the looted goods to their original owners. At the same time, he sent soldiers to the surrounding counties to check the situation in the name of the Northern Protection General.

The doctor arrived, grateful to the Chu army for their timely arrival. He used the best medicines to treat Cai Xinghai’s wounds, assuring, “It’s just a superficial wound; it will heal in a couple of days.”

During the treatment, Cai Xinghai woke up once in pain, glared at the doctor, and then fell back asleep.

Chai Yue, who hadn’t slept for two nights, didn’t dare rest. He patrolled around to ensure everything was in order before returning to the office. Just then, a soldier reported that they had found some bandit prisoners in a military camp outside the city. Most were local civilians, but there were also a few government officials and messengers, two of whom urgently wanted to see the city’s commanding officer and had been brought to the office.

The first was a courier carrying a document from the Ministry of War, but it had been stolen by bandits and its whereabouts were unknown. Chai Yue ordered the courier to be taken to the captives to find the document.

The second was a military officer with a letter hidden well enough to escape the bandits’ notice. However, he was reluctant to reveal it easily, asking, “Are you the Northern Army’s Provost Marshal, Chai Zhi?”

Chai Yue’s heart skipped a beat, and he smiled, “There isn’t a second ‘General Chai’ in the Northern Army, is there?”

The officer, not from the Northern Army and unfamiliar with Chai Zhi, only found the young man before him slightly suspect. However, everyone addressed him as “General Chai,” so he didn’t think much about it. He opened the hidden pocket in his clothing and handed over a letter to Chai Yue.

The letter was from the Champion Marquis Han Shi, explicitly instructing Chai Zhi to take command. The position of Northern Army Captain was second only to the Grand Marshal. Previously, Champion Marquis had appointed Liu Kunsheng to the position to avoid drawing attention. Now, he felt it was unnecessary and wanted Chai Zhi to manage the Northern Army and keep an eye on Liu Kunsheng.

The more Chai Yue read, the more alarmed he became. The Champion Marquis had issued a series of orders to Chai Zhi, demanding he lead the army north to decisively defeat the Xiongnu and return to the Capital immediately after victory. Anyone who obstructed this should be dealt with according to military law. He also claimed the Capital’s situation would soon stabilize, and there was no need to be as cautious as before. Untrustworthy or unreliable individuals could be eliminated.

While the letter did not explicitly state it, the implication was clear: Champion Marquis wanted to eliminate the Northern Protection General and his supporters.

Chai Yue, pale-faced, read the letter again. The Champion Marquis especially emphasized the importance of defeating the Xiongnu and required Chai Zhi to lead the Northern Army to victory at any cost.

Chai Zhi was already dead, the Chu army had retreated, and the Northern Protection General was negotiating with the Xiongnu. None of the Champion Marquis’s wishes had been fulfilled. Far away in the Capital, he was too uninformed and too late to grasp the situation on the frontier.

It was unclear why the Champion Marquis had sent an officer who didn’t even recognize Chai Zhi to deliver the letter. If it had fallen into the wrong hands, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

While Chai Yue was lost in thought, several soldiers returned with the courier. They had found the document from the Ministry of War.

Unable to get a response from the palace, the Ministry of War had issued a document within its authority. It confirmed the Northern Protection General’s position as the overall commander but stripped him of the power to command the Chu army against the Xiongnu. His main duty was now to transport supplies.

This decision by the Ministry of War was not surprising. To them, the young Northern Protection General lacked the capability to organize a major battle.

Northern Army Captain Liu Kunsheng and the Left and Right Generals were ordered to jointly command all Chu forces on the front line.

The two couriers were unaware of the contents of the letters. Having handed them to General Chai, their task was complete, and they awaited their receipts to leave.

Chai Yue sent them to rest first and sat down with the two letters to contemplate his next move.

At dawn, Cai Xinghai woke up, feeling much more refreshed despite the short sleep.

Chai Yue first showed him the document from the Ministry of War. Cai Xinghai skimmed through it and said, “The Ministry of War is full of fools. Letting those three command the battle would lead to the Chu army’s annihilation. The Northern Protection General and General Chai are the rightful commanders. Even if an imperial decree arrived, the soldiers would still choose you two.”

Chai Yue smiled and handed him the Champion Marquis’s letter.

Cai Xinghai read it carefully, his expression growing increasingly grave. “The Champion Marquis… Could it be that he really…”

“It seems so, at least the Champion Marquis himself believes so.”

The two understood each other, but as subjects, they were not close enough to openly discuss topics like “ascending the throne” or “emperor.”

After a moment of silence, Cai Xinghai spoke first, “With internal rebellion and external threats from the Xiongnu, Great Chu is on the brink of disaster. It needs someone capable of turning the tide. The Champion Marquis is certainly not that person. He can casually hand over the Northern Army to someone else—what else can’t he abandon? It has to be…”

Cai Xinghai hesitated, unsure how much he could trust Chai Yue.

“It has to be the Northern Protection General,” Chai Yue said, handing the two letters to the hefty eunuch, already placing his trust in him.

Cai Xinghai stepped closer and whispered, “It must be fate that these two letters ended up in General Chai’s hands. The fate of Great Chu rests on your shoulders.”

Chai Yue smiled again, “It’s thanks to Commander Cai holding Divine Hero Pass.”

“Let’s not flatter each other. What’s the next step? I’ll do anything for the Northern Protection General.”

Chai Yue stared at Cai Xinghai, “I’m curious, why are you so loyal to the Northern Protection General?”

“Because only he can use me and acknowledge my merits. I’ve been a soldier and served in the palace. I’ve met many people. Honestly, how many would dare to trust a stranger with their life? And how many officials wouldn’t steal credit for themselves after using someone? Most of the time, a eunuch’s death is considered part of the job, not even earning a thank you. As for intelligence and talent, haha, I never imagined using the Founding Emperor’s sword to command ministers.”

Remembering past events, Cai Xinghai’s face lit up with excitement; the palace coup was a more precious memory to him than holding Divine Hero Pass.

Chai Yue said solemnly, “Precisely. A good bird chooses the right tree, a good official chooses the right ruler. In peaceful times, the Northern Protection General might be overlooked, and we would struggle to rise to prominence. Now, with internal turmoil and external threats, there are few descendants of the Han imperial clan fit to be emperor. The Empress Dowager has her choices, the ministers have theirs, and we have ours.”

Cai Xinghai slammed his fist on the desk, wincing from his shoulder wound, then said, “Why should the Champion Marquis be emperor? The Northern Protection General is the most qualified.”

Chai Yue, gaining confidence after securing Cai Xinghai’s support, tore up the Ministry of War’s document and held up Champion Marquis’s letter. “It’s not enough for just us to support the Northern Protection General. We need the entire Northern Army on his side. The Champion Marquis doesn’t understand border affairs, easily abandoning the army and entrusting the wrong people. Now he wants the Northern Army to attack the Xiongnu for merit, alienating the soldiers. This is the perfect time to rally them behind the Northern Protection General.”

“I know many Northern Army soldiers who have a good impression of the Northern Protection General. I can persuade them.”

“Yes, but that’s still not enough.”

“What else do we need?”

Chai Yue hesitated before saying, “We need the Northern Protection General to support himself.”

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