The Child Emperor-Chapter 346: Flying Stones
Feng Shili led his Chu army unit in retreat all the way back to camp, where his total forces had dwindled to just over seventeen thousand men. At the thought of those fierce Xiongnu warriors, he still felt lingering fear and resolved to defend this position to the death—unless the court issued explicit orders, he would not take a single step outside the camp.
The court’s orders never came, but instead arrived a group of travel-weary scholars.
Qu Zixi had set out from Luoyang, and when he reached the front lines, the seventeen disciples following him had not decreased but had actually increased by more than ten. They were intercepted by Chu army scouts and escorted directly to the military camp.
Though Qu Zixi was not old and held no high office, his reputation was quite renowned. Feng Shili, despite being a military general, had long heard of him. Upon learning that Qu Zixi had arrived, he immediately came out of the camp to receive him, welcoming him into the main hall with the courtesy due a distinguished guest.
Qu Zixi was not one for ceremony. After a few pleasantries, he asked, “His Majesty is trapped in Jincheng City. Does the general have any strategy to rescue the Emperor?”
Feng Shili let out a long sigh. “Master Qu has come from Luoyang, so you must have heard of the court’s arrangements. All Chu armies beyond the passes are concentrated at Mayi City, while those within the passes are either supporting the Grand General in Yan or defending the cities east of Luoyang. This small garrison of mine is merely one among many cities, with forces of no more than twenty thousand—the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Even so, we ventured out to battle the Xiongnu several days ago. To be frank, we suffered a crushing defeat.”
Qu Zixi nodded. He had indeed heard of these matters and knew that Feng Shili’s forces were insufficient, yet this remained the most powerful Chu army force outside of Mayi City and Yan.
“To act knowing it cannot be accomplished—the general’s defeat was not due to any fault in warfare. People throughout the realm admire the general’s courage and strategy.”
Feng Shili immediately became wary. At times like these, flattery was more lethal than criticism. He asked cautiously, “Has Master Qu come bearing an imperial edict?”
“His Majesty is in Jincheng City, and the court is in complete chaos. Where would I get an imperial edict? Now everyone acts on their own initiative—the general should also make plans.”
Feng Shili was puzzled. “What does Master Qu mean by this?”
“I hear the Xiongnu have given His Majesty an ultimatum, with tomorrow as the deadline. What does the general think the situation in court will be after the battle at Jincheng City?”
Feng Shili smiled without speaking. Such matters were hardly his place to discuss.
Qu Zixi was unafraid. “There are only two possible outcomes: either His Majesty emerges unharmed and returns to the Capital to reward merit and punish failure, or His Majesty dies for the realm and the Capital installs a new ruler. When a new ruler ascends the throne, he will inevitably seek to avenge the former emperor. Unable to provoke the Xiongnu, he will have to target his own people instead. Regardless of which outcome occurs, the general is closest to Jincheng City—remaining inactive is the worst possible strategy. In terms of merit, there would be no merit; in terms of guilt, there would certainly be guilt.”
Feng Shili drew in a sharp breath. “But… but… I have already…”
Qu Zixi let out a soft, cold laugh. “You come from a noble family and have long served as an official in court. Surely you understand the importance of ‘timing’? Tomorrow is the decisive moment—what counts as one measure of merit in ordinary times will become five or ten measures then. If you don’t believe this, you can inquire and discover that the Chu armies at Mayi City and in Yan will certainly attack the Xiongnu in the next day or two, to demonstrate their loyalty to the realm.”
Mayi City and Yan were far from here, and Feng Shili had no way to make such inquiries. But hearing Qu Zixi’s words, he suddenly understood. He sprang to his feet and cupped his hands in salute. “Without your words, sir, I would have nearly made a grave error!”
Qu Zixi grunted in acknowledgment, took a sip of tea, and said, “You can handle the remaining matters yourself. Please escort me to the Xiongnu army.”
“But… but why?” Feng Shili asked in alarm.
“His Majesty holds fast in Jincheng City, the you act from without—I must go within to persuade the Xiongnu to withdraw.”
Feng Shili was even more astonished. “Master Qu, let me offer some advice: if it were the Great Chanyu besieging the city, there might be room for persuasion. But the Xiongnu outside the city are under the command of the Right Wise King, who has never supported the siege and has long wanted to storm the city. He absolutely will not listen to persuasion.”
Qu Zixi smiled faintly. “Others cannot move him, but he will certainly listen to my words.” 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
Feng Shili was completely stunned by Qu Zixi. After pondering for a while, he said, “Very well, I can send someone to escort Master Qu partway, but I cannot guarantee whether the Xiongnu will be willing to see you.”
“Planning lies with man, success lies with Heaven. If the general is willing to send an escort, Qu is deeply grateful. By the way, regarding my students—that they were willing to follow me this far shows the depth of our teacher-student bond. I will leave them in the army, and I ask the general to look after them.”
“Master Qu’s distinguished disciples will surely become pillars of the court in the future. I will naturally treat them as honored guests.”
Qu Zixi expressed his thanks and immediately prepared to leave the camp. Without bidding farewell to his disciples, he headed straight for the Xiongnu camp under the escort of ten soldiers, bearing the status of an envoy.
Feng Shili ordered the entire army to prepare for battle. The thirty-odd disciples waited for a long time without seeing their master and requested audiences with General Feng one after another. When they learned that Qu Zixi had already left, they were all heartbroken. One disciple said, “Master Qu isn’t going to negotiate with the Xiongnu—he’s going to die in the Xiongnu army, to martyr himself for His Majesty.”
Feng Shili was stunned for a long while. He had no intention of martyring himself, but Qu Zixi’s words still made sense. Tomorrow’s battle would not be a fight to the death, but a fight to live. He only needed to put on a show, then retreat with his troops in time. Regardless of the Emperor’s fate, he could escape accountability.
Qu Zixi soon encountered the Xiongnu. Hearing he was an envoy, the Xiongnu did not make things difficult for him. They required the Chu soldiers to return by the same route, taking only the envoy with them. They traveled through the night, and by noon the next day, they delivered the envoy to the main camp outside Jincheng.
At that same moment, the Emperor was having lunch with his officers and men atop the city walls.
Time passed bit by bit, and the signs of the Xiongnu attack became increasingly obvious. The sun had only half-set when more than ten tall catapults began slowly moving toward Jincheng, pushed by numerous slaves.
The Xiongnu probably did not want to waste any more time—they had already understood that the Great Chu Emperor had no intention of accepting the humiliating peace terms.
The Chu army within the city also began preparing their defenses. Fan Zhuangshan and Cai Xinghai were each responsible for different sections of the city walls, while the Chu forces below the walls were commanded by several experienced veteran generals and military officers. Using materials from within the city, they hastily constructed five catapults, tearing down houses near the walls to clear large open spaces to accommodate these siege engines.
Personnel on the walls were responsible for measuring distances and targeting, while those below launched stones, hoping to provide some deterrent to the Xiongnu outside the city.
The Xiongnu siege engines stopped, well beyond the range of the crossbows on the city walls. They could leisurely load and fire at their convenience, while large numbers of Xiongnu cavalry stood guard nearby. If the Chu army dared to sally forth for battle, it would play right into their hands.
The period before each battle began was always the most nerve-wracking. Prince Donghai forced out a laugh.
“Ha, you’ve grown bold—you can still laugh at a time like this,” Cui Teng said, half admiringly and half doubtfully.
Prince Donghai laughed again. “Don’t you find it strange?”
“No, I just think there are really a lot of Xiongnu,” Cui Teng said in confusion.
The two men stood shoulder to shoulder behind the Emperor. Without turning his head, Han Ruzi said, “Look at those Xiongnu—so calm and unhurried, as if they’re on a spring hunt. Who would think that in a moment we’ll be engaged in mortal combat?”
Prince Donghai nodded. This was precisely what he found strange. War was full of cruelty and chaos, yet the pre-battle preparations were always so orderly. Even the Xiongnu, who were not skilled in formations, were arranged in neat rows, and the Chu army within the city was even more so, with detailed arrangements down to each individual soldier’s position.
It was like two people dressing formally to enter a sea of fire.
The Xiongnu were ready. There was still some time before dark, but they did not intend to wait any longer, nor did they plan to send anyone to inquire of the Emperor.
The first stone projectile flew from afar and landed in the moat, creating quite a splash but posing no threat to the city walls.
Led by a group of veterans, the Chu troops on the walls let out jeers.
Most people understood that this meant nothing—siege engines were difficult to aim and required multiple attempts to find their mark.
The same siege engine launched a second stone projectile. This time it passed over the city walls and landed within the city. There was a tremendous crash as it destroyed someone’s house.
Some jeers rang out from the walls, but not as loud as the first time.
The third and fourth stone projectiles landed outside the city. The fifth struck a segment of the wall. With a loud bang, debris flew about and dust rose into the air. Everyone atop the south wall felt a distinct vibration. The soldiers at the landing point ran to the sides to hide.
The city wall had not collapsed, but a huge dent had appeared in it. Those on the wall could not see it, yet the Xiongnu saw it clearly, and this time it was their turn to let out excited howls.
More than a dozen catapults began attacking at the same time. Boulder-sized stones flew through the air; everyone felt as though one might fall on their own head. No one could remain indifferent, yet no one fled either, because the emperor was on the wall as well, facing the same danger as they were.
Han Ruzi gave the order, and the five catapults within the city began their counterattack.
Great stones were hurled out from inside the city, truly startling the Xiongnu. Without city walls to protect them, wherever the stones landed men and horses were thrown into chaos, flesh and blood mangled.
The Xiongnu immediately withdrew some distance, leaving only a small number of cavalry behind to supervise the slaves who continued launching the stones.
Both sides hurled rocks at one another. The Chu army had too few machines, and could only frighten the enemy. Striking the enemy’s siege engines was almost impossible. For the Xiongnu, however, the city wall was an extremely obvious target, and they could attack it at will.
This was a battle with no suspense. The Chu army persisted not to win, but because they refused to submit so easily.
A dozen paces from Han Ruzi, a massive stone slammed into the wall. Several soldiers atop the battlements were shaken into the air and crashed heavily to the ground. Han Ruzi and those beside him also felt the ground beneath their feet shudder, leaving them unsteady.
“Your Majesty…” several people spoke at once, hoping to persuade the emperor to leave this dangerous place.
Han Ruzi quickly steadied himself and ordered, “Send word inside the city. Prepare to repair the wall.”
The wall would not hold much longer. Inside the city there was a team prepared with large quantities of earth and stone, meant specifically to plug breaches in the wall.
As the sun set in the west, the attack outside the city continued without pause. They did not need to aim again—only to hurl stone after stone.
The Xiongnu suffered almost no casualties, while deaths and injuries inside the city steadily increased. Two sections of the wall had already collapsed. Though they were promptly blocked up, these were only temporary measures. Once several more breaches appeared, not even the gods could mend them.
With victory already in their grasp, the Xiongnu were in no hurry to send troops to attack. They lit great numbers of torches, turning the area outside the city as bright as day. No one would be able to escape amid the chaos.
The stones still flew in. The soldiers defending the city had grown numb to them, each attending to his own task. They no longer even looked up to check, nor did they speak with one another.
Cui Teng muttered, “Why are we defending the city at all? We might as well charge out and fight them to the death.”
Han Ruzi pressed both hands against the bricks of the wall and said calmly, “Dying is easy. But we must let the Xiongnu know that killing the people of Chu is not easy, and seizing the lands of Great Chu is even harder. That is the only thing we can do.”
What he did not yet know was that many, many people of Chu were fighting for him.
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