The Child Emperor-Chapter 258: Tempting with Benefits

The small tent was crowded with people, half Northern Army guards and half Southern Army commanders, glaring at each other while holding back their anger. Their tall figures blocked the candlelight, making the entire tent dark and dangerous, like a jungle where venomous snakes and fierce beasts lurked.

A candle placed on a high stool in the middle of the tent illuminated those who stepped forward to speak.

The first to step forward was a Southern Army commander who saluted the Weary Marquis and spoke directly: “The battle rages in the city, with tens of thousands of Southern Army troops inside. We could decide the outcome in one move. Grand Marshal Cui has sent multiple requests for reinforcements. Why does the Weary Marquis delay giving orders? We are confused and request an explanation.”

After a moment, Han Ruzi replied: “The Southern Army is not Grand Tutor Cui’s private force, but the imperial court’s army.”

The commander responded: “That’s obvious. If the Emperor were still alive, we would certainly obey the court’s orders. But rumors say the Emperor has passed away, and several people in the city have declared themselves emperor. The court exists in name only. Everyone serves their own master now, and we must choose one too.”

“Prince Donghai? Or Grand Tutor Cui?” Han Ruzi presented two choices. Seeing no response, he continued: “Grand Tutor Cui once lost control of the Southern Army. When he seized back his seal, did any of you assist him? When the Empress Dowager’s brother Shang-guan Xu briefly served as Grand Marshal of the Southern Army, did you obey him?”

The commander was stunned. “We must obey any orders from the Southern Army Grand Marshal. As for seizing the seal, that wasn’t our place to help – the Left and Right Generals were the Grand Marshal’s confidants.”

The Southern Army commanders nodded in agreement. When Grand Tutor Cui reclaimed the Southern Army back then, Left General Zhao Mengli and Right General Cui Ting contributed the most, while other commanders simply went along with it.

Han Ruzi asked: “Did Grand Tutor Cui take revenge on anyone afterward?”

The commander glanced at his companions and replied: “A few people were dismissed, all of them Shang-guan Xu’s trusted men. It had nothing to do with us. The Grand Marshal wouldn’t take revenge on us – he even gave us many rewards.”

Han Ruzi habitually called him “Grand Tutor Cui” while the Southern Army soldiers only called him “Grand Marshal.”

“So staying neutral not only protected you from revenge but brought you benefits?”

The Southern Army commanders were all taken aback. The leader said: “This situation is different.”

“Is anyone here a trusted confidant of either Prince Donghai or Grand Tutor Cui?” Han Ruzi’s gaze swept across them. Despite the dim candlelight, he could see most of their eyes. “If so, please lead your troops into the city immediately. I won’t stop you.”

No one spoke up. Grand Tutor Cui kept most of his confidants by his side, leaving only Zhao Mengli in the rear. None in the tent dared claim to be a confidant.

Han Ruzi continued: “As you’ve seen, there are two emperors in the city, each sending messengers – once during the day and again at night. But they only try to persuade me to enter the city and help, without offering clear benefits. I’ll be honest – the current court indeed exists in name only. We arrived too late and are in an awkward position: helping the stronger side won’t earn much gratitude after victory, while helping the weaker side risks defeat and death. I’m holding back precisely to wait for better terms.”

Han Ruzi let out a long “hmm” and said, “Don’t you all hope for promotions, money, and land after the chaos ends?”

The Southern Army commanders looked at each other. Though none answered directly, they all agreed with the Weary Marquis’s words.

“We must at least wait for a promise,” Han Ruzi stood up. “Unless everyone here is guaranteed a three-rank promotion and every soldier receives rewards of hundreds or thousands of taels, I won’t budge.”

Someone laughed.

When the lead commander spoke again, his tone had softened considerably: “But once the battle in the city ends, won’t there be no more conditions offered?”

“You’re all veteran commanders who understand how difficult it is to take a city. Grand Tutor Cui has been in the city for an entire day but hasn’t defeated the palace guards, which means he’s encountered formidable obstacles. The imperial city is also a fortress, and an extremely strong one at that. It can’t be taken in less than ten to fifteen days. The messengers from the city will only come more frequently, and their offers will only get better.”

The commanders discussed among themselves for a while before their leader spoke: “If Prince Ying’s side offers better terms, are we really going to help them? That would be betraying the Southern Army.”

“The Southern Army is the court’s army,” Han Ruzi repeated. “You receive state salaries. I’m not just looking at who offers better terms, but also which side is more likely to achieve victory. The victor becomes the court, and it’s only right to obey the court’s orders. How can that be called betrayal?”

The commanders were swayed. Their leader hesitated before carefully asking, “What if the Weary Marquis wins?”

Han Ruzi smiled slightly. “Then you’ll be the ones making offers rather than accepting them.”

The lead commander gave a foolish laugh and turned to the Northern Army guards. “Everyone says the Northern Army’s main force will arrive in three days. Is that true?”

“Three days at most,” Han Ruzi said confidently, though he hadn’t actually received any news.

After the Southern Army commanders left, they felt they were in an extremely advantageous position. The Weary Marquis was right – staying put was the best choice for now.

Han Ruzi wasn’t familiar with the Southern Army commanders and could only tempt them with benefits. To the Northern Army guards, he simply said: “You are all my trusted men.”

When the Northern Army guards left, they were even more satisfied than the Southern Army commanders.

Cai Xinghai stayed behind. As not just a trusted aide but a confidant, he was qualified to discuss the truth with the Weary Marquis.

“Has the Marquis considered that Grand Tutor Cui might really attack our camp at dawn? The Southern Army outside might surrender at the first sign of trouble, and three thousand Northern troops won’t last long.”

Han Ruzi chuckled. “Grand Tutor Cui overthinks but lacks resolve. What he’s missing is courage. After the assassination attempt, he attacked the Capital in anger but still hasn’t taken the whole city. This shows he’s keeping all sixty thousand Southern troops together – not for sieging, but because he fears another betrayal.”

Han Ruzi stared at the candle for a moment. “If Grand Tutor Cui distrusts his own men, how could he trust the Southern Army outside? These troops didn’t resist when I took White Bridge Town, didn’t seek revenge when I killed Zhao Mengli – this must make Grand Tutor Cui even more suspicious. He won’t dare come, and neither will Prince Donghai.”

Cai Xinghai was convinced. “Forgive my boldness, but being emperor requires courage. Only the Marquis has such courage.”

Han Ruzi didn’t deny it. “I’m more worried about Shang-guan Sheng. He’s hot-tempered and might act rashly. In his eyes, the Southern Army would naturally help the Southern Army. If he tries to split our forces by sending troops charging out the North Gate, that would be a big problem.”

Han Ruzi’s camp was too close to the North Gate. If the palace guards rushed out, he would have very little time to react.

Cai Xinghai said: “Though we only have three thousand Northern troops, they’re willing to die for you. At worst, we’ll work harder, stay vigilant, and hold them off long enough to buy you some time.”

“Don’t exhaust yourselves too much. Just set up more obstacles on the road to prevent city troops from charging through all at once.”

Cai Xinghai had an idea. “There’s a large residential area one or two miles ahead – a natural barrier. Setting up defensive obstacles there would be highly effective.”

Han Ruzi shook his head. “This isn’t an attack on an enemy city. We must do our best not to disturb the Capital’s civilians.”

Cai Xinghai felt ashamed and withdrew with a red face.

Han Ruzi wasn’t as composed as he appeared. Though anxious inside, he was too exhausted and had to lie down to sleep.

He had many dreams – of the Northern Army arriving, of city troops charging out, of Prince Donghai laughing loudly.

He suddenly awoke, thinking it must be dawn, but the tent was pitch black. The candle had gone out long ago, and he didn’t know what time it was.

Han Ruzi got up and walked out of the tent. Standing at the entrance, he looked up at the sky. It seemed midnight had just passed. Stars dotted the sky, and in the distance, spots of firelight flickered throughout the camp. All was quiet, with most people sleeping soundly.

This was good news, showing the Southern Army soldiers were no longer eager to enter the city and join the battle. It was also bad news – troops who felt too secure were the most vulnerable to surprise attacks.

Han Ruzi thought that if he were Shang-guan Sheng, this would be the perfect moment to launch an attack – not only could they defeat the troops outside the North Gate, but they could also terrify the Southern Army inside the city.

“Take me to see Commander Cai,” Han Ruzi told the guard at the entrance.

Cai Xinghai was still awake. The Northern Army camp was positioned at the frontline, directly facing the main road. He was directing soldiers to build more chevaux de frise throughout the night.

“Let’s pause for now. If the enemy attacks, we need to save some strength for fighting,” Han Ruzi ordered Cai Xinghai to withdraw the troops. He then issued orders for all camps to extinguish their torches, keeping only dozens lit in the central camp.

Looking from the direction of the capital, the camp of over forty thousand appeared to house only a few hundred men.

Though Shangguan Sheng was rash, he was still a general. Perhaps a fake trap could intimidate him.

Han Ruzi hadn’t yet fully gained control of the Southern Army and absolutely didn’t want to engage in battle at this time.

As time passed, Han Ruzi didn’t return to his tent. He ordered Cai Xinghai to rest while he supervised the front lines.

Suddenly, hoofbeats sounded on the main road. It wasn’t an attacker but a Northern Army scout carrying a torch, weaving through the chevaux de frise. He quickly approached the Weary Marquis to report that Grand Tutor Cui had sent another messenger – this time just one person, neither a general nor an official.

When the messenger was brought over, he spotted the Weary Marquis from afar, immediately dismounted, clasped his hands in greeting, and said with a laugh, “How have you been, Weary Marquis?”

The fate seer Lin Kunshan represented not Grand Tutor Cui, but Prince Donghai.

Han Ruzi dismissed the guards and spoke with Lin Kunshan behind the chevaux de frise.

“Prince Donghai says he hasn’t forgotten the agreement. As soon as the Weary Marquis publicly announces his intention to restore the imperial throne, Prince Donghai will immediately relinquish his imperial title and accept the Weary Marquis as his lord.”

Han Ruzi shook his head and smiled. “This isn’t up to the standard of a fate seer. Just say what you’ve prepared yourself.”

“As a messenger, I had to deliver that first. Hmm,” Lin Kunshan glanced at the darkened camp, “I haven’t disrupted any of your plans, have I?”

“No matter. My plans aren’t so easily disrupted.”

“Haha, I was overthinking it. The situation is this: though there’s a stalemate in the city, the tide is turning in the Weary Marquis’s favor. We fate seers naturally must follow the flow of destiny.”

Han Ruzi remained silent.

“Would the Weary Marquis be interested in the Imperial Seal and the Founding Emperor’s Sword?”

Han Ruzi’s expression changed.

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