DDT - Chapter 60
Chapter 60: General × Little Emperor (15)
The Zhenbei Army successfully returned to camp, hauling along livestock and grain gifted by the common people. It looked like the army would be eating well for the next couple of days.
Yi Han and Chi Junluo returned to the camp to rest, but that is a story for another time. Two or three days later, a pair of men dressed as soldiers rode their horses up Zhangbei Mountain. Both wore longswords at their waists. With a clatter of hooves, they arrived at the fortress halfway up the mountain. To their surprise, the once bustling and crowded mountain stronghold was now nothing but blackened ruins. It had clearly been ravaged by a great fire. Venturing inside, they found a massive burial mound. A few wooden plaques were haphazardly stuck in the ground before it, but nothing was written on them.
The two soldier-like men used their longswords to dig at the mound, pulling out several corpses. The clothes on the bodies were those of the bandits from the Zhangbei Mountain fortress.
The two soldiers exchanged a look, their eyes filled with shock and terror. Ignoring the bodies they had unearthed, they grabbed their reins, turned their horses around, and fled the ghost-like remains of the Zhangbei fortress as if their lives depended on it, heading straight for the Imperial City.
The Fourth Prince's army had only been gone for a few months, yet one of his military strongholds, the Zhangbei Mountain fortress, had been razed to the ground. It was unclear whether it was the work of the Fourth Prince's enemies or some unknown party.
"Smash!" Seated in the main hall of Longmian Hall, the Fourth Prince slammed his teacup down on the table, creating a loud crash.
"How utterly preposterous!" the Fourth Prince said fiercely. Although the Zhangbei Mountain fortress had served its purpose for now, with his troops already mobilized to the Imperial City, it had still been his stronghold for several years. It was his territory. Now, he felt as if he had been slapped across the face, a fiery sting burning his cheek. The existence of the Zhangbei stronghold was no secret among the various princes; they had even managed to probe and discover each other's military bases. Now that Zhangbei had been annihilated, it wouldn't be long before the other princes heard the news. He would be utterly disgraced.
The Fourth Prince carefully reviewed the intelligence from the past few days.
According to his two subordinates, the fortress had been burned down recently. The bodies were still fresh, showing no signs of decay, meaning it must have happened in the last day or two.
During this period, the forces of the other princes were all entrenched in the Imperial City, and none of their troops had made any unusual movements. It was clearly not their doing. So, who could it be?
"Report! Your Majesty! A message has arrived from a spy on the Northwest Border!" A man in black robes flew into the main hall with light, swift steps.
"Let's hear it." Hearing that his man in the Zhenbei Army had finally sent a message after several months, the Fourth Prince felt a guess forming in his mind.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the spy in the Zhenbei Army writes that two months ago, when Your Majesty marched on the Imperial City, the Northern Kingdom launched a massive invasion of Great Chang's Northwest Border. Strangely, however, General Chi Luo of the Zhenbei Army disappeared for many days, eventually returning with a young man who appeared to be sixteen or seventeen years old."
"This young man holds a special status, eating and living with the Zhenbei General."
"Not long after, General Chi Luo rooted out a group of spies within the army and had them all dealt with by military law. Your Majesty's spy managed to escape because he did not possess a token."
"Just a few days ago, General Chi Luo and that young man led a thousand elite Zhenbei soldiers deep into Great Chang territory, in the direction of Qiuming City."
The Fourth Prince's expression darkened. Qiuming City. Zhangbei Mountain was located between Qiuming City and Imperial City. The culprit who had destroyed the Zhangbei stronghold had been found—it was the meddlesome Zhenbei General, Chi Luo.
He figured the young man must be the escaped little emperor, Yi Han. The Fourth Prince took another sip of water, using the lid of his teacup to gently push aside the floating tea leaves. Yi Han, a leopard truly can't change its spots. When he was on the throne, he loved to suppress bandits, and many of the princes' strongholds had suffered for it. It was a good thing he had bribed the prefect of Imperial City in advance, or his own base would have been in jeopardy.
Now, Yi Han was no longer emperor, yet he could still command General Chi Luo to meddle in Great Chang's internal affairs and play the righteous hero, what a load of bullshit.
The Zhenbei General was truly loyal.
But what was the use of stubbornly protecting a powerless little emperor?
Suddenly, the Fourth Prince thought of the Imperial Jade Seal that the little emperor Yi Han had taken with him when he fled!
Damn it! Could it be that General Chi Luo was actually after the Imperial Jade Seal that Yi Han had hidden? During this time of chaos in Great Chang, could that damn Zhenbei General be trying to get a slice of the pie for herself???
Chi Junluo: ??? I think you're overthinking this…
After all, the Zhenbei Army numbered in the hundreds of thousands. If General Chi Luo had rebellious intentions, wouldn't that ruin his plans???
The Fourth Prince felt a cold sweat break out on his back as a chill crept up his scalp.
No, he had to get rid of this General Chi Luo!
Don't ask him why he didn't try to bribe her. General Chi Luo was devoted to a fallen little emperor, her loyalty as clear as the sun and moon. She was likely incorruptible. To avoid alerting the enemy, perhaps he shouldn't even mention bribery.
Instead, he should cut the grass and pull out the roots!
To eliminate the grave threat that was the Zhenbei General, and to get rid of that damned Yi Han at the same time, the Fourth Prince accelerated his efforts to stir up turmoil among the forces in the Imperial City. In just one short month, he allied with several other princes and powerful families to topple the Third Prince. Then, he poisoned the unsuspecting Seventh Prince at a banquet. Finally, he dispatched troops to capture two other minor princes, sending them to the dragon-head execution block at high noon on a clear, sunny day.
The Fourth Prince's outstanding political acumen and meticulous mind eventually led the major families of the Imperial City to pledge their allegiance to him. Half a month later, the Fourth Prince smoothly ascended the throne, even if his claim was illegitimate and he lacked the true Imperial Jade Seal.
However, a small number of ministers in the court maintained their principles and ultimately submitted their resignations.
The storm in the Imperial City gradually subsided, slowly returning to a state of calm.
But the Fourth Prince's scheming had not stopped.
The border defenses of the Great Chang Kingdom were held by the two generals of the General's Manor: Chi Luo and her father, Chi Bingchang. Chi Luo guarded the Northwest Border, while her father guarded the Southwest Border.
As long as he could execute Chi Luo and seize control of the Zhenbei Army, the two hundred thousand troops in the southwest would no longer be a problem. He could even use the pretext of Chi Luo's rebellion to trick Old General Chi into returning to the Imperial City. In the end, all the nation's important military forces would be in his grasp. It was absolutely perfect!
Sitting on the dragon throne, the Fourth Prince revealed a cold smirk. None of the ministers kneeling on the floor saw the treacherous and cunning expression on the face of their newly appointed emperor.
Northwest Border, Zhenbei Army camp, training grounds, high noon.
The training grounds were filled with soldiers, paired up and sparring with one another. In an open space near the weapon racks, General Chi Luo was personally instructing the young emperor Yi Han on the basic use of various weapons.
The soldiers had long grown accustomed to their great general's patient, personal instruction of the young man.
After they finished practicing with the last weapon, Chi Junluo and Yi Han both wiped the sweat from their brows. The midday sun was overly enthusiastic, and neither of them could quite bear the heat.
Chi Junluo and Yi Han rode to an inn in Feng City, where they took a comfortable bath. As had become their habit, General Chi Luo dried Yi Han's hair for him, a routine Yi Han quite enjoyed.
The Power of the Heavenly Dao had already been collected without her noticing. Chi Junluo also felt that she had developed a reasonably deep friendship with the proud and reserved little emperor. Although the little emperor always had such gay vibes… surely it wasn't like that… right?
Chi Junluo herself wasn't sure what she meant to Yi Han, but after spending so many days together and going through so many incidents and battles, they could be considered comrades-in-arms.
Yi Han cherished the time he spent with the great general after each training session.
The great general was the ideal husband that girls dreamed of—sufficiently cold to outsiders, but reserving all her gentleness for him alone. Yi Han had to admit that his heart was starting to flutter.
From the moment he understood his identity as a child, he knew the weight he carried. Perhaps with better luck, he could have been an idle prince. He wanted nothing more than to live a good life with his mother. But fate played a cruel joke on him. His father, in a moment of whim, passed the throne to him on his deathbed, and his mother followed his father in death.
The burden of the world suddenly fell upon his shoulders. He had to admit he was lost. He had tried his best while on the throne—no, perhaps he hadn't tried hard enough, which was why his palace was stormed. He couldn't bring himself to be ruthless and eliminate his brothers, yet he was nearly eliminated by them instead.
A few days ago, news came from the Imperial City: the Fourth Prince had killed the other princes with his own hands and ascended the throne, treading on a path of blood.
Yi Han touched the Imperial Jade Seal in his robes, feeling a bit dazed. This country was no longer his.
He no longer had the right to do anything for the people.
Was he resigned to this? No, he was not.
He had failed his father's trust and disappointed the people's expectations.
And then there was General Chi Luo. She was loyal to him, yet he could give her nothing. Instead, he had become a burden…
Yi Han's thoughts drifted far away, until Chi Luo's voice sounded by his ear. "Lincang, it's done. Time for lunch."
The young emperor Yi Han finally snapped back to reality. He looked at his blurry reflection in the bronze mirror and sighed softly.
After lunch, the two returned to the general's tent. Chi Junluo noticed that the little emperor's mood was a bit low. She guessed it was probably because the change in the country's ruler was upsetting him. No emperor would want their throne to be usurped by another; for an emperor, it was a great humiliation. Perhaps she could do something before she left?
"Report! General!" a soldier's voice called from outside the tent.
"Come in," Chi Junluo replied.
A soldier entered the general's tent, accompanied by a eunuch.
"Reporting to the General, a royal edict has arrived from the Imperial City," the soldier said.
Chi Junluo knelt. Yi Han stood where he was, his face cold, not kneeling.
The eunuch beside them gave Yi Han a couple of extra glances before elegantly and politely reading the edict. It was nothing more than the emperor missing the great general and inviting her to the capital for a reunion.
After the edict was read, Chi Junluo rose from the ground. The eunuch remarked snidely that someone was being disrespectful to the emperor. Chi Junluo let out a cold laugh, drew her sword, and placed it against the eunuch's neck. "If you were a bit smarter, you'd know whose territory this is. Otherwise, my sword knows no eyes, and I'm afraid you'll have to say goodbye to this beautiful world."
The eunuch's legs trembled with fear. Chi Junluo pressed on relentlessly, "You audacious dog slave, you see this general and this general's cousin, and you still don't kneel and pay your respects?"
The eunuch dropped to his knees with a thud, begging for mercy repeatedly.
Chi Junluo had the soldier take the eunuch into custody, then returned to her seat.
Yi Han sat down beside her. "Cousin Chi, this is a Hongmen Banquet."
Chi Junluo smiled faintly. "Even if it is a Hongmen Banquet, I must go and see it for myself."
"Lincang, you wait for me in the camp. I'll be back before you know it." With that, Chi Junluo entrusted Yi Han to Vice General Wei Long. She mounted her horse and set off with the eunuch's carriage and a squad of elite soldiers.
Yi Han stood at the camp gate, watching the departing general's back, his expression dark and unreadable.
Inside the carriage, two soldiers sat ramrod straight, their hands on the hilts of their swords, watching the eunuch intently. The eunuch shivered in fear, thinking he had truly provoked a fearsome deity.
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