Chapter 978: The Ruler of Chu

“This is a battle destined to be recorded in the histories.”

Eunuch Huang sighed from horseback.

His right shoulder had been bandaged, and the left side of his face bore one of eastern Jin’s military physicians’ special wound patches. The result made him look both ridiculous and miserable.

Yes.

Eunuch Huang had personally entered the fighting again.

He had raised a saber, urged his horse forward, and joined a group of Yan cavalrymen chasing fleeing Chu soldiers.

Then Eunuch Huang’s horse suddenly kicked out.

He fell.

As he hit the ground, he tried to display some of his old courage by striking the earth with one palm and bouncing back upright.

The force went the wrong way.

His arm broke.

His body failed to rise.

And his face scraped straight across the ground, tearing open a large wound.

The injury was somewhat embarrassing.

Eunuch Huang did not care.

Returning home wounded was not a bad thing.

Was this an injury?

No.

This was glory.

Under eastern Jin’s military-merit system, battle spoils and captives were assigned among the participating formations by unit responsibility and contribution. Since Eunuch Huang had joined that military action, even though he had been injured and forced out midway, the record still credited him with one and a half captive merits.

Guo Dong, the officer responsible for recording military merit, very thoughtfully reduced Eunuch Huang’s one and a half captive merits to one.

Eunuch Huang, whose merit had been cut, was delighted.

He gave Guo Dong a small jade snuff bottle he carried personally.

Eastern Jin’s military discipline was strict.

Embezzling or falsely reporting military merit was a serious crime.

But Guo Dong had reduced the credit, and the person whose merit had been reduced had no objection whatsoever.

Naturally, no offense existed.

And once Eunuch Huang returned to Yanjing, he could wave the military-merit slip around and say that although this old servant lacked ability, he had personally captured one enemy officer alive on the battlefield.

Much better than having to explain the awkward extra “half.”

Liu Dahu rode beside him.

“The Chu made an enormous effort to promote this battle beforehand. A few years ago, they even renamed three commanderies after three shaman gods. So among the Chu, this battle has been called the Battle of the Three Shamans, even the Battle of the Shaman Gods. Looking at things now, not even their shaman gods could save them. Still, that name would fit rather well in the histories, don’t you think?”

Liu Dahu nodded.

“Replying to Eunuch Huang, this humble officer does not know many characters.”

“Too modest. Too modest.”

Eunuch Huang naturally knew perfectly well that Liu Dahu was capable of reviewing military memorials on the Regent Prince’s behalf.

“In the memorial this old servant sent His Majesty, I used the four words ‘Battle of the Shaman Gods.’ Heh-heh.”

Liu Dahu smiled as well.

“After this battle, Chu will never be able to turn itself over again. Of the four great states of All Xia in the old days, Jin has long since fallen. Chu has been beaten flat. That leaves Qian. Hahaha. There is barely any need to fight it. It is already useless on its own. The unification of All Xia that the late Emperor and generations of Great Yan sovereigns dreamed of... it really is right before our eyes now. This old servant was fortunate to be born in this age. Fortunate enough to have the shameless privilege of standing beside our Prince inside the command tent. You wouldn’t know it, but that ‘appreciation’ Wei Zhonghe once showed our Prince when His Highness was still merely a Garrison Commander has become a joke people tell now.”

“This humble officer has heard the story.”

“Hahaha, right? I tell you, every time someone mentions it, that old fellow’s face turns pale with fright.”

Eunuch Huang was not afraid of Eunuch Wei.

Perhaps once he had been.

Not anymore.

Wei Zhonghe might possess a Qi Refiner’s cultivation and serve as trusted confidant to two generations of Emperors.

But could he go into the army and serve as a lucky mascot?

“By the way, where is His Highness now?”

“He has probably already crossed the Wei River.”

“Then we won’t catch him.”

“There is no need for Eunuch Huang to rush. We can travel slowly. In truth, His Highness said Eunuch Huang could remain at Zhennan Pass and recover.”

“That absolutely will not do. Absolutely not. Great Yan is not Qian. How could there be any reason for the Prince to fight in front while an eunuch drinks tea behind him? It doesn’t matter where His Highness is now. As long as he is ahead, this old servant has to catch up. Even if I can do nothing else, I can at least pour tea and water for His Highness. When it comes to serving people, there truly are not many in this world better than me.”

As the two rode, they repeatedly passed Yan units escorting Chu prisoners north.

The Chu army had routed.

The Yan were pursuing.

Naturally, killings of prisoners could never be eliminated completely.

But under the Prince’s command, every army and garrison had exercised tremendous restraint.

For military merit, if nothing else, they had to suppress the urge to kill.

“So many prisoners. How much grain will it take to feed them?” Eunuch Huang sighed.

“Half of Chu has already been taken. Eunuch Huang should be more worried about how many people it will take to farm this much land.”

At those words, Eunuch Huang lowered his neck and guided his horse closer to Liu Dahu.

His voice dropped.

“Little Brother Dahu, tell this old servant the truth. Has His Highness ever said how this newly conquered territory will be settled?”

Fan City controlled one commandery.

Add Liusha, Sansuo, and Shanggu Commanderies, and that made four.

Then count the three commanderies that would soon fall now that Chu’s main force had been destroyed.

Seven commanderies in all.

The territory was considerably larger than eastern Jin itself.

Land on this scale required some arrangement.

The idea that all land beneath Heaven naturally belonged to the sovereign did not really apply in Great Yan anymore.

Eastern Jin had long since become accustomed to being a state within the state.

Liu Dahu answered:

“Eunuch Huang, that matter is naturally for our Prince and His Majesty to discuss. People like us have no place speaking on it.”

Eunuch Huang nodded.

He did not take the answer as evasion.

Quite the opposite.

He agreed wholeheartedly.

“That is true. That is true. Perhaps His Majesty and His Highness settled the arrangements long ago.”

...

Behind them, Eunuch Huang continued traveling under Liu Dahu’s escort.

Ahead, Great Yan’s Regent Prince had already crossed the Wei River and stopped beside the bank.

Once the front collapsed, the Chu troops behind it made no attempt to reverse the situation.

In war, the formations at the front were usually the most elite.

The units behind were often there largely to make up numbers.

If they tried to “turn the tide” now, they would simply be swallowed by the massive flood of routed troops pouring backward and trigger one collapse after another.

So Xie Yu’an, Grand Commander of Chu’s Three Frontiers, immediately ordered the Chu navy to turn around.

Every rear-area force began withdrawing.

When Yan’s vanguard reached the river, what they found was an almost undefended Wei River line.

Zheng Fan sat on horseback.

His gaze rested upon a cluster of gravestones nearby.

When the Yan had withdrawn earlier, the Brocade-Clad personal guards had asked permission to take the remains of their fallen comrades with them.

Zheng Fan had refused.

Now the Yan had returned in victory.

Even if those graves had been dug open and the bodies left exposed in the wilderness, these rough soldiers—dead or alive—would not have cared much.

They had won.

But the gravestones had not been damaged.

Instead, several had even been decorated.

Clearly, the Chu army had deliberately protected this area.

Whether advancing or retreating, no one had used the graves to vent hatred.

Zheng Fan even saw writing left by Xie Yu’an upon some newly erected markers.

Perhaps the Xie Clan’s Thousand-Li Colt had prepared for this possibility from the beginning.

He had not driven matters to the absolute limit.

Everyone knew Great Yan’s Regent Prince was a sentimental man.

For people he cared about, he had massacred cities and slaughtered captives more than once.

The Blind Man approached.

“Master, we just received news from the front. Jin Shuke has already taken Moya Commandery. Li Chenghui has taken Wenqiu Commandery as well.”

Zheng Fan nodded.

“The Chu withdrew very cleanly.”

“Yes.”

The Blind Man smiled.

“The remnants have pulled into Shangyang Commandery. Beyond that lies the Chu capital region.”

One could say that the people who once lived proudly at the feet of the Son of Heaven in Chu’s capital region were only one thin layer away from becoming frontier civilians.

“A pity so much of our main force is still inside Shanggu Commandery collecting prisoners. Otherwise, we could try to take Shangyang Commandery in the same movement.”

“That is not how wars should be fought.”

Zheng Fan rejected the idea.

“When a fist is thrown, one part of its strength must remain for recovery. There is no need to spend everything at once. We fought this national war steadily from beginning to end. The ones who grew anxious and finally gambled everything were the Chu. We were not impatient before. There is even less reason to become impatient now. What meaning would there be in rushing to take Shangyang Commandery? At most, we would create another Shanggu Commandery. Are we supposed to ride the momentum all the way into the Chu capital region and finish everything in one breath? Get too excited and you are liable to trip.”

“Master is correct. The meat is already in the bowl. There is no harm letting it cool a little longer.”

“Still, even if we do not attack Shangyang Commandery, and even if we leave the Chu capital region untouched for now, there are some things worth doing.”

Zheng Fan smiled.

“Do you know what a son-in-law enjoys most when visiting his wife’s family?”

The Blind Man smiled knowingly.

“Showing off.”

“Hahahaha.”

Zheng Fan laughed.

“Exactly. Let her family see she did not choose the wrong man. After all, Big Girl’s mother basically eloped with me back then.”

The Blind Man nodded.

“Master, this subordinate believes the Chu Emperor’s entire family will be deeply relieved that their daughter did not choose the wrong husband.”

“Send an order to Jin Shuke. Have him clear the road ahead for me. I’m going to ride my horse beneath the walls of Ying Capital.”

“This subordinate understands.”

Zheng Fan looked back toward the graves.

“Oh, right. Blind Man. Back when the fighting began, that traveling-song troupe they sent in—who do you think was behind it?”

“Master, Chu’s Qi Refiners usually manifest through shamans. But the method used to possess that old man was clearly not a Chu shaman’s style. Moreover, all that talk of fate and destiny, together with All Xia... this subordinate suspects there is some force that has always been waiting for this so-called destiny to arrive so they can ride the momentum. Master knows how those Qi Refiners are. They believe in such things most of all.”

“But we never saw their people on the battlefield.”

“Yes. Master should know even better that those Qi Refiners are also the most cowardly.”

“Heh. Beneath the greater momentum, they cannot stir much of a wave. But now that they have poked their heads above water, they should not expect to sink back down. Once the situation stabilizes, you and Third Master investigate them thoroughly.”

“This subordinate will.”

“Now I no longer fear armies of hundreds of thousands. Whether Qian, Chu, or the remaining small states, none of them will defeat me in that kind of contest. What bothers me more are these things hidden beneath the surface. And perhaps it is not only Qi Refiners. In any case... their existence makes me uncomfortable.”

“This subordinate feels the same. Master may rest assured. Once the war settles, I will personally lead the investigation. We will drag them out.”

“Good.”

...

The remaining Chu troops held Shangyang Commandery.

But they did not control the whole region.

They were concentrated only inside several major cities.

From the walls, they watched Yan cavalry pass through their field of view.

Yet they had already lost the courage to leave their cities and intercept them.

Even though every man knew that behind them lay the imperial capital.

What could they do?

The soldiers feared Yan like tigers.

Their will to fight had been smashed completely.

Even commanders who remained loyal enough to wish themselves wings for His Majesty understood that forcing the small number of troops still under their command into the field now would achieve nothing except deliver more military merit to the Yan.

A century earlier, after the first Marquis Zhenbei crushed Qian’s army of five hundred thousand, he received no follow-up reinforcements or support.

Yet with the small number of iron cavalry remaining under him, he trampled three Qian commanderies in succession—the territory known today as the Three Frontiers.

Qian people had felt exactly the same then.

They could only watch.

They no longer dared engage.

The Yan army encountered little resistance after entering the Chu capital region.

Once news of the catastrophic defeat at the front arrived, every remaining Chu force in the region concentrated in Ying Capital.

Inside Ying Capital itself... panic spread everywhere.

The Yan had broken into the capital once before.

They had set the entire city ablaze.

Prince Jingnan of Yan might no longer be here.

But the Regent Prince who inherited Prince Jingnan’s mantle had come instead.

And once again... he had shattered Great Chu’s army.

That anxiety was boiling among commoners and court officials alike.

...

“We lost?”

“Yes, Mother.”

“What about Tingshan?”

“They say he died in battle.”

The Chu Emperor peeled a lychee and placed it into his mother’s mouth.

The Empress Dowager of Great Chu sat in her chair, opened her mouth, accepted the fruit, and chewed slowly.

After a long while, she looked at the Emperor.

“Can we rise again?”

The Chu Emperor fell silent.

“What can you not say to your own mother?”

“It will be very difficult,” the Emperor answered.

The Empress Dowager reached out and placed her hand over the back of his.

“Truthfully, your mother has never cared much about whether the realm belongs to the Xiong Clan. Do not exhaust yourself too badly.”

“Mother, I fought for this throne myself. No matter what happens, I can only keep walking down this road.”

“Will the Yan enter the capital?”

“Not immediately, I think.”

“And later?”

“Then your son will go to southern Chu.”

The Empress Dowager nodded.

“I am old. Once a person grows old, life or death, an imperial mausoleum or burial in a reed mat... it all becomes the same set of dry bones in the end. Decide for yourself. Your mother has no useful counsel to offer.”

“Your son understands.”

The Chu Emperor stood.

“Mother, your son must go stabilize the situation.”

“Go. Attend to your affairs.”

“Your son takes his leave.”

The Chu Emperor turned and walked out.

As the distance between mother and son widened, the kindness on the Empress Dowager’s face slowly disappeared.

In its place... deeper and deeper hatred emerged.

Suddenly, the Chu Emperor stopped walking.

The hatred on the Empress Dowager’s face froze.

“Mother.”

“Is there something else, Emperor?”

The Chu Emperor did not turn around.

A grave breach of filial propriety.

And the Empress Dowager no longer bothered hiding anything in her voice.

It was filled with disgust.

“Do you believe your son is a good Emperor?”

“Of course.”

“But I... do not think so. Heh.”

The Chu Emperor walked out of the Empress Dowager’s palace.

“Your Majesty has left, Empress Dowager,” the personal palace maid said.

Slap!

The Empress Dowager struck the woman across the face.

“He... is not the Emperor!”

...

Ying Capital.

Atop the city tower.

The Emperor, dressed in dragon robes, stood at the highest point.

He had dismissed everyone else.

Below him, Phoenix Nest guards formed the protective ring.

The walls themselves were packed with defenders.

In the distance, dust began rising.

Iron cavalry was approaching.

The Chu Emperor placed both hands on the railing before him.

He smiled.

“Look. They have beaten their way right into your face again. Last time, you could still say you deliberately borrowed Yan’s blade to cut the rotten aristocratic flesh from Great Chu. But this time? You. You always thought far too highly of yourself.”

The Chu Emperor finished speaking.

Then waited for a long time.

“What? Nothing to say? Is silence an admission? Has even your spirit been crushed? That does not resemble you. Back then, when you chose to swallow me, how magnificent you were. Swallowing Heaven and Earth in a single breath. Or perhaps you simply cannot be bothered wasting words on me. Perhaps you want to save your strength and suppress me again later. I do not deny it. You may still succeed a few more times. But your Great Chu’s mountains and rivers are already shattered. The imperial qi upon you has broken with them. How much longer can you suppress me? I can offer you a suggestion. Sleep. Just keep sleeping. Let me live in your place. Do the Chu people not boast that they are children of the Fire Phoenix? I... will treat them kindly. Heh.”

Below the walls, Yan cavalry had already formed ranks.

The Chu defenders stood as though facing a mortal enemy.

The Yan showed no intention of attacking the city at all.

Even so, the Chu hurriedly dragged every available defensive implement onto the walls.

Then... a princely standard rose inside the Yan formation.

The instant that standard appeared, the Chu Emperor’s expression changed violently.

His hands began to tremble.

The mocking look in his eyes vanished in an instant.

Terror flooded them.

“Saber... saber... saber!”

The Chu Emperor shouted the word three times.

Somewhere in the unseen... he seemed to see a saber descending toward him.

And beneath that saber... he heard himself screaming.

“AAAAAAH!”

The Chu Emperor reeled backward.

Phoenix Nest guards rushed up the tower.

Then immediately heard the Emperor’s voice.

“Go back down.”

“We obey.”

Atop the tower... the Chu Emperor raised his head again.

His hair was already soaked through with sweat.

His knuckles had gone white.

“Beast. You think Chu has been broken and Our imperial qi has weakened, so your chance has come? Use your brain. If Great Chu is completely destroyed, We may no longer be Emperor... but what about you? Without Great Chu, without the Chu people, who will still worship—no. Who will even remember the Fire Phoenix totem? Without Great Chu... do you imagine there will still be a you?”

...

Below the city wall, Zheng Fan had not expected that almost the moment his own princely standard rose, the Jinwu Dragon Standard of the Chu Emperor would appear above the walls.

“What perfect timing, Master. Your elder brother-in-law was actually waiting right here for you.”

Zheng Fan smiled.

He waved one hand forward.

Immediately, a group of Yan riders galloped ahead.

Facing the towering city wall, they shouted together:

“Great Yan’s Regent Prince returns today to visit his wife’s family! We ask the Ruler of Chu to prepare the banquet!”

[End of Chapter 978]