DDT - Chapter 56
Chapter 56: General × Little Emperor (11)
More than a month had passed since the day of their oath. By now, it was normal for the two of them to huddle together to sleep every night. It had also become routine for General Chi to rise first at Mao hour, dress neatly, and then wake the little emperor, Yi Han, who was still pretending to be asleep, before helping him tie up his hair.
Whenever she did his hair, Yi Han's body went from being tense at the start to eventually enjoying the tingling sensation. This had become a new habit of his. And only General Chi Luo's technique was good enough for him to enjoy it.
Mao hour was early, so they could always avoid the early-rising soldiers and have the small river or lake to themselves for washing up. Afterward, they would begin their daily martial arts practice.
The little emperor, Yi Han, progressed with divine speed; one could say he was a prodigy in martial arts. He was also hardworking and resilient. No matter how dull or arduous the training was, he always persevered. Chi Junluo had taught him for over a month and had never once heard him complain of hardship or fatigue. He possessed a truly manly spirit.
Yi Han felt this deeply himself. He had gone from finding it somewhat difficult to even lift a long spear to now being able to wield it with the grace of flowing water, executing a full set of moves without strain. Yi Han knew that by following the great General Chi Luo, he was learning real, practical skills.
In the first half of the month, he had already mastered control of the long spear. In the second half, the great General Chi Luo taught the little emperor Yi Han how to apply those skills on horseback, as most combat, after all, took place in the saddle.
Unsurprisingly, Yi Han, who already had a foundation in horsemanship, learned very quickly, often making the great General Chi sigh in admiration, "A truly teachable child."
Ever since their supply camp was burned that night, the Northern Kingdom had not launched another attack on Great Chang. It was already late autumn, approaching winter, and the Northern Kingdom's food supplies had always been scarce—otherwise, they wouldn't have harassed Great Chang's borders year after year. Now, most of the Northern Kingdom's grain had been allocated as military provisions, and those provisions had been destroyed a month ago. How could the Emperor of the Northern Kingdom not be devastated?
The Emperor of the Northern Kingdom would not forgive his great general. The general, knowing there was no turning back this time, actually abandoned the soldiers at the border camp and fled on his own. At this moment, his heart was filled with hatred for General Chi Luo, who had raided the supply camp. Fortunately, he still had a way to contact the Fourth Prince of Great Chang. Whether he could live or enjoy wealth and glory in a new place depended on whether the information he possessed was useful to the Fourth Prince.
The Emperor of the Northern Kingdom was enraged that his own general had fled to escape punishment. He ordered a nationwide manhunt, unaware that his general had already defected to the enemy.
The Northern Kingdom prepared to muster its last ounce of strength. Before winter arrived, they would properly send Great Chang a declaration of war—no, launch a sneak attack on Great Chang. They hoped to plunder the food supplies of Great Chang's northwest border amidst the chaos to sustain their own country through the winter.
The Northern Kingdom appointed a new general. The new General Huyan was a crafty old veteran in his fifties. General Huyan had always been ruthless, disregarding life and death, acting only to achieve his goals. He cared not whether it was his own men or the enemy who died. After rushing from the Northern Kingdom's imperial city to the military camp, General Huyan immediately assembled the troops. Once the formations were set, he marched toward the Zhenbei Army's camp without stopping.
It was just arriving at You hour. The cooks of the Zhenbei Army were preparing dinner for the soldiers when suddenly, the soldier in the watchtower blew the horn!
After holding back for over a month, the Northern Kingdom could finally bear it no longer and had come to invade!
At that moment, the little emperor Yi Han was in the middle of a heated sparring session with the great General Chi on the training grounds. The sudden sound of the horn startled Yi Han. His hand trembled, and he failed to parry Chi Junluo's attack. His long spear was nearly sent flying as the tip of Chi Junluo's spear pointed directly at the hollow of his neck. Fortunately, Chi Junluo had excellent control over her weapon; with a flick of her elbow, she retracted the spearhead.
Still shaken on his horse, Yi Han watched as Chi Junluo turned her mount. "Lincang, you continue practicing here. I'll be right back."
Judging by the little emperor Yi Han's current martial prowess, although he had improved rapidly, he was still a little short of being able to go onto the battlefield alone.
Yi Han tightened his grip on his long spear and said loudly, "Cousin Chi, I wish to fight alongside you."
Chi Junluo tugged on the reins and turned her head back. Seeing the little emperor Yi Han's determined face and the soaring morale emanating from him, she thought to herself that it wouldn't hurt to appropriately temper the young man's sharp spirit. She nodded. "Then, Lincang, you may follow behind me. Don't stray too far."
Yi Han's heart leaped with joy at her words, and he quickly spurred his horse to follow Chi Junluo.
The Zhenbei Army reacted swiftly. Not long after the horn sounded, the troops had already assembled. General Chi led Yi Han to the front of the army. Chi Junluo gave her usual words of encouragement to boost morale, and the army advanced. No soldier had the spare energy to wonder who the youth following behind the great General Chi was, because next, they would face a battle of life and death.
This was Yi Han's first time on a battlefield, with mighty armies both behind and before him.
The enemy's new general was a man of few words. He charged without preamble. The enemy general didn't introduce himself, but General Chi Luo, having galloped across battlefields for years, recognized General Huyan of the Northern Kingdom. General Huyan was highly skilled in martial arts, full of fighting spirit, and driven to win. He could be called the undying legend of the Northern Kingdom.
Now, the undying legend of the Northern Kingdom was fighting against the ever-victorious General Chi Luo of Great Chang. The two were evenly matched, neither giving an inch, neither outmatched by the other.
Yi Han had originally been following behind Chi Junluo, but he couldn't find a way into the battle. Just then, some soldiers from the Northern Kingdom set their sights on him.
What a handsome, clean-cut youth. The boy showed no bloodlust; although he had a sharp aura, he clearly hadn't killed many people. The Northern Kingdom soldiers saw him following behind that god of death from Great Chang looking like a young noble, so he must hold a high status in Great Chang. If they could kill this young boy, they might be able to trade his head for military merit!
At this thought, the Northern Kingdom soldiers no longer feared the murderous aura around Chi Junluo and began to sneak around, preparing to ambush the unlucky little emperor, Yi Han.
Yi Han's attention was entirely focused on the great General Chi, completely unaware that someone was stealthily approaching him.
Yi Han didn't see them, but Chi Junluo, who was always keeping an eye on the little emperor beside her, caught sight of several Northern Kingdom soldiers with ill intentions. Chi Junluo immediately shouted, "Lincang! Watch your back!"
A jolt went through Yi Han. He reflexively pulled the reins, spun his horse around, and swept his long spear with vicious force. The spear sliced across the neck of a Northern Kingdom soldier. In an instant, blood sprayed high into the air, some of it splashing onto Yi Han's soft armor.
Yi Han's pupils dilated slightly, and the hand holding the long spear trembled for a moment. But his face remained as cold as ice; at least, no one could see his slight unease.
Seeing their comrade's throat slit by the long spear before he fell dead to the ground, the other Northern Kingdom soldiers raised their guard, surrounding Yi Han and waiting for an opportunity to strike.
While fighting General Huyan of the Northern Kingdom, Chi Junluo began to shout instructions on the spot.
"Lincang! Think about the essentials I taught you this summer! And! What was that one word?!"
Yi Han calmed himself, pulling his reins to circle his horse in place as he shouted back his answer, "Steady!"
"Lincang! Believe in yourself!" Chi Junluo thrust her long spear toward the Northern Kingdom's general.
Chi Junluo wasn't actually too worried. Given the little emperor Yi Han's latent abilities and martial skill, dealing with a few cannon-fodder soldiers from the Northern Kingdom was more than manageable.
Yi Han recalled every move General Chi Luo had taught him and began to wield his weapon with formidable power.
The few Northern Kingdom soldiers could no longer hold back and charged forward. With a flick, a thrust, a retraction, and another sweep, Yi Han sent their weapons flying. The soldiers were all wounded. Seeing this, Yi Han hesitated slightly, not pursuing them to finish the job. Killing that one man just now had already been a great shock to him.
Back in the imperial palace, although he had killed an assassin with his own hands, it had been in the dead of night, so the sensory impact wasn't as strong. Now, in broad daylight, he truly found it hard to strike the killing blow.
Seeing the Northern Kingdom soldiers grit their teeth through the pain, pick up their sabers and spears, and charge at him again, Yi Han had no choice but to parry.
Chi Junluo, who was constantly dividing her attention to watch the little emperor Yi Han's situation, felt as if she had worried herself sick over this child.
"Lincang! On the battlefield, never show mercy to the enemy! You must annihilate them completely!"
"Lincang! This is war!"
"Chi Luo! Shut your mouth for this old man!" Apparently, Chi Junluo's incessant battlefield coaching had enraged General Huyan. The great general of the Northern Kingdom was now fuming. His anger, combined with his formidable skill, temporarily prevented Chi Junluo from being able to divide her attention.
Hearing Chi Junluo's words, Yi Han's heart shook. That's right, he was on a battlefield where killing was done without batting an eye. If he spared the soldiers of the Northern Kingdom, then it would be the soldiers of his own Great Chang who would die!
Having finally come to this realization, the little emperor Yi Han no longer held back. In the next round of attacks, he swept his long spear to slit the throats of two Northern Kingdom soldiers. With another flick, thrust, and sweep, he pierced the heart of another soldier and then lopped off the head of the last. Soon, he had killed all four of them.
Yi Han looked back and saw a battlefield of incomparable cruelty. Flashing blades, severed limbs, rivers of blood. Seeing the soldiers of his Great Chang fall one by one, his eyes turned red.
This time, he no longer just followed behind Chi Junluo. Instead, he joined the battle behind him, and one after another, soldiers of the Northern Kingdom fell to his spear as blood continued to fly.
Meanwhile, Chi Junluo and General Huyan were still locked in an inextricable duel.
The battle lasted for an hour.
Finally, both sides sounded the gongs for retreat, and the deadlocked battlefield separated. By now, the sky was stained with the red of sunset. The soldiers of Great Chang retreated to their camp, and the soldiers of the Northern Kingdom receded like a tide.
Only Yi Han and Chi Junluo were left standing on the field.
Yi Han dismounted, his legs trembling slightly. His hands were trembling, too. He planted his long spear in the ground and stared blankly at the field littered with corpses.
The ground was covered with the countless bodies of soldiers from both the Northern Kingdom and Great Chang. There were severed limbs and rolling heads, and torsos that had been stabbed until they were mangled.
The metallic scent of blood hanging over the battlefield filled Yi Han's nostrils.
Chi Junluo also dismounted. She walked silently to Yi Han's side, saying nothing.
"Retch!" Yi Han suddenly bent over, covering his mouth with his hand, but he couldn't vomit anything. He could only dry-heave.
This was the first time he had faced the cruelty of war so directly. Chi Junluo spoke, "Lincang, this is war." Yi Han was still nauseous.
Chi Junluo gently pulled him over, cupping the back of his head with her right hand and drawing him into her embrace. She said softly, "Don't look. There's nothing worth seeing."
Yi Han's hands, hanging at his sides, clenched into tight fists. He leaned lightly against the great General Chi, burying his head in the crook of her shoulder. Only in this way could he find a sliver of warmth and solace in such a heart-chilling environment.
At this moment, Yi Han silently made a resolution. He must reclaim the throne and unite the world. Only then would his people not suffer the hardships of war!
Besides, his General of the North was so gentle and perfect. She shouldn't have to devote her entire life to the battlefield!
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