The Child Emperor

Chapter 117: Engaging in Battle

Zhang Yanghao and the other three requested to join Han Ruzi, their kneeling posture far more respectful than the usual commoners. They prostrated on the ground, addressing Han Ruzi as “Your Majesty,” declaring their willingness to follow the emperor and eliminate the treacherous.

Han Ruzi accepted these four and appointed them as generals, assigning them as deputies to Chao Hua and Jin Chunbao. Seeing them gratefully accepting, Han Ruzi knew they had already been swayed by Prince Donghai. Though noble scions often acted without regard for the law, each one of them held themselves in high regard. They would rather not take official positions than to be subordinate to others. Seeing them now accept without any hesitation, it was evident they had ulterior motives.

Han Ruzi didn’t expose their intentions. Through the past two days, he increasingly understood a truth: these seven to eight hundred “ragtag” rebels were his greatest assurance. Expelling Prince Donghai’s guards was enough. Rather than competing with Prince Donghai to win over each individual over, he preferred focusing on transforming the rebel force into a true army.

He could only lament one thing—time was too short, and the problems were too many.

Shortly after daybreak, Chao Hua returned to the camp with troops, bringing several boats of provisions, resolving their most urgent need. Seven to eight hundred rebels eagerly awaited breakfast; if they couldn’t even eat a meal, many would leave. Even the Heavens couldn’t retain them.

Han Ruzi was hungry himself and planned to eat with the rebels. Prince Donghai approached him and whispered, “Are you going to share their hardships?”

Han Ruzi nodded. Last night, he visited all the hundred-man teams, memorizing a multitude of names. Today, he had to do even more.

Prince Donghai chuckled, “Can I give you a piece of advice?”

“Go ahead.”

“Sharing hardships should be done at the right time. Sharing hardships without joy is not true hardship-sharing; it’s a display of weakness. They look up to you as an emperor, but you insist on lowering yourself among them, exposing your weaknesses.”

“That was more than one piece of advice,” Han Ruzi replied, returning to the room to wait. Although Prince Donghai was cunning, his words were not entirely wrong. Han Ruzi had quickly gained the people’s obedience through the mystical position of “Emperor”. Now wasn’t the time to show them that he was just like that.

Prince Donghai also entered, rubbing his stomach. “I haven’t been this hungry in a while. Last time was in the palace, remember? Whenever something happens in the palace, those guys forget about us.”

“I remember.”

Prince Donghai walked around, “After breakfast, shall we set off?”

“The Capital separates us from the north. We need to discuss the route first before departing.”

“The route is ready.” Prince Donghai approached, took out a scroll from his sleeve, and unfolded it to reveal a simple map. “North of Guaizi Lake leads straight to the great river, and we can take a boat across. Didn’t you send someone to Huailing County yesterday? The mad monk Guangding will go to the north bank of the river to meet you. As long as he sees you, he will feel assured to start the uprising.”

“So, does that mean I don’t have to personally participate in the uprising?”

“Guangding and his followers are a bait. It’s extremely dangerous amidst the army. I advise you to stay in the south. You’ve trained these commoners well, take as many as possible and hand them over to Guangding. This way, the baiting force will be greater, and perhaps more people will join.”

Han Ruzi carefully examined the map for a moment, “When will Grand Tutor Cui’s Southern Army act?”

“Once someone starts a rebellion in the north and south of the Capital under your banner, the Empress Dowager will undoubtedly demand both the Northern and Southern armies send troops to suppress it. My uncle’s army will, of course, not eliminate us but come over to legitimately protect you.” Prince Donghai pointed to the map, “There’s an insider from the Cui family at the south gate of the Capital. After receiving the signal, they will open the city gate. The Southern Army will infiltrate the city at night, take control of each gate, and then surround the imperial palace. The plan will succeed.”

“What about the palace guards?”

“The palace guards do not live up to their name, how can they compare to the Southern Army? Moreover, I’ve inquired—when Shang-guan Xu previously lost his position as Grand Marshal of the Southern Army, his prestige was greatly diminished. Then he was suddenly appointed as the Captain of the Guard by the Empress Dowager, so he does not enjoy the support of his subordinates. When you enter the city, the palace guards may open the gates willingly in your presence. If not, a strong attack won’t be too late.”

“And then?”

“Then it’s simple. Depose the false emperor, relocate the Empress Dowager, issue commands to civil and military officials. The only trouble is the Champion Marquis. In the past six months, he has trained the Northern Army quite well, but the foundation is still unstable. Bestow him a royal title, observe his reaction. If he accepts, we can discuss further later; if he refuses, a decisive battle can be waged, and with the strength of the Southern Army, defeating the Northern Army will be easy.”

Han Ruzi pondered in silence. The guards outside happened to bring in steaming breakfast, temporarily interrupting their conversation.

A bowl of rice with two pickled fish on top—this was the emperor’s breakfast. Prince Donghai’s treatment was slightly worse, with only one pickled fish.

After the guards left, Prince Donghai picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a piece of pickled fish from his bowl, sniffed it lightly, and recoiled, “Don’t eat that, the fish is rotten.”

Han Ruzi, however, was truly hungry. Ignoring the taste, he gulped down the rice and fish.

In fact, Prince Donghai was also hungry. He reluctantly ate a few bites of rice, not touching the fish. When Han Ruzi had almost finished eating, he continued, “This is a rare opportunity. While you still have your reputation, you can reclaim the throne. After some time, even if the fate seers make grand predictions, the people won’t remember you.”

“Alright, go and call the Generals of the Right and Left, the chief clerk, and Lin Kunshan. Calculate how many boats we have, how many people we can take, who will go to the north, and who will stay in the south.”

Prince Donghai smiled, accepting the order. However, as he turned to leave, his expression suddenly darkened.

When discussing the marching plan, Han Ruzi wanted to know every detail, dragging out the time, hoping to receive news from Yang Feng or Jin Chunchong.

And so, the entire morning passed. Han Ruzi couldn’t come up with more questions, but when it was time for lunch, he couldn’t ignore his empty stomach, “We can’t go to the north on an empty stomach.”

By the Riverside Village, smoke rose from the cooking fires again. Han Ruzi decided to delay a bit in the afternoon and then use the excuse that it was not suitable to travel by boat at night, opting to depart early the next morning. As for what to do tomorrow, he had no idea; he could only take it one step at a time.

The food here had just been prepared, not yet distributed, when a messenger rushed back to the village, reporting a significant piece of news: government troops were approaching.

Peasants from dozens of villages had gathered around Guaizi Lake. Although the response from the authorities was slow, they finally took notice.

Prince Donghai shook his head and sighed, “Before the uprising, the Southern Army cannot act. We can only defend ourselves. For every additional hour we wait, the danger increases. If this continues, the imperial court will be more vigilant about uprisings in the north and south of the Capital.”

However, Han Ruzi was pleased that government troops were coming to attack. He immediately summoned his generals once again. The first order was to send out more scouts to determine the location and size of the government troops.

If it was just local officials sending some forces, there shouldn’t be too many troops. Han Ruzi’s guess was correct. Soon, the news came back that there were only about a hundred government troops, already approaching within three miles. They were heading towards the smoke from the cooking fires, and their speed was fast.

Han Ruzi struggled to recall military strategies but found himself unable to come up with a proper plan. Instead, relying on his intuition, he ordered Chao Hua, who was most familiar with the surrounding terrain, to lead the troops in facing the enemy. Jin Chunbao would set up an ambush on the flanks, while Han Ruzi kept a small number of people to guard the village.

Prince Donghai observed from the sidelines, occasionally wanting to say something but forcibly restrained himself.

With their orders, the men went off. This time, Han Ruzi couldn’t stay in the house to maintain his “mysterious” image. He personally went to the watchtower in the village to observe the battle. On the way, he went to Jin Chuiduo to borrow a few “command arrows.”

The maidservant Qingting went out and handed five arrows to Han Ruzi, reminding him, “In total, there are ten. You must return what you borrow, not even one can be missing.”

Heading towards the watchtower, Prince Donghai chuckled, “Is that Hu You the barbarian beauty inside? She’s a famous beauty in the Capital. Being emperor is indeed great…”

Ignoring him, Han Ruzi climbed the watchtower. Prince Donghai glanced at the simple wooden ladder but chose not to follow. He looked around, finding no one he knew, only anxious-looking rebels. Hearing about the upcoming battle with government troops, they were all a bit fearful.

Lin Kunshan roamed nearby, strictly adhering to the method of the fate seers of going with the flow. With great changes in the realm unfolding, he was unwilling to say a word.

The watchtower wasn’t very tall. Han Ruzi and two guards stood on top, looking out. They could only see a vast expanse of reeds nearby and dense woods in the distance. They couldn’t even see their own men heading to the battlefield, let alone government troops.

One guard, originally a villager nearby, pointed to a patch of reeds, “There’s a lot of movement there; it must be the government troops.”

Han Ruzi noticed it too. The government troops were not far from the village, and he started to feel nervous. He didn’t know if his plan would succeed. According to theory, an unformed army shouldn’t engage the enemy head-on; they should stay in the camp and train while defending. But he had done the opposite. He dispatched the majority of his soldiers, leaving only forty to fifty men to guard the fort.

If they were defeated, it would be a complete failure.

Prince Donghai below quietly ordered a few soldiers to prepare boats by the lake. If something went wrong, he didn’t want to confront the government troops head-on. Instead, he planned to take Han Ruzi north along the lake.

He somewhat hoped for a significant defeat in this battle. Losing the support of these ragtag rebels would make Han Ruzi easier to control.

The figures in the reeds were faintly visible, less than two miles away. The voices of the government troops came clearly, “The village is just ahead!” “There are people watching us in the village.” “Charge! Seize the false emperor for a reward!”

The government troops shouted loudly, making the reeds sway even more violently. The two guards exchanged glances, whispering, “Your Majesty, maybe we should go down and take cover.”

“No hurry,” Han Ruzi said, scanning the area for the two squads he had sent out.

Suddenly, a thunderous shout echoed from outside the village, startling the people inside. Prince Donghai grabbed the wooden ladder of the watchtower, looked towards the lake. Seeing that a few soldiers had already boarded the boats, his mind was eased.

“It’s our men!” Han Ruzi shouted loudly. He saw that Chao Hua’s squad was launching an attack on the government troops, just tens yards away. The shouting was loud, and the reeds were swaying chaotically.

The government troops, thinking they were just going to capture some unruly commoners, didn’t expect to be attacked, let alone ambushed. It seemed like there were ten times their numbers, and they were in disarray.

Han Ruzi focused on the shaking reeds, trying hard to assess the battlefield situation.

After a moment, another round of battle cries erupted, and Jin Chunbao’s second squad cut off the government troops’ retreat.

Han Ruzi’s heart reached his throat. If the government troops were well-trained, they would quickly realize that the men surrounding them had few weapons and no discipline, just a group of unruly commoners. Whether they chose to counterattack on the spot or continue to attack the Riverside Village, they had a great chance of winning.

The reason Han Ruzi dared to face them was simple: he himself couldn’t see the battlefield clearly from the watchtower, and the government troops in the midst of it had even less visibility. They would panic, and once they panicked, they would flee.

He wanted to capture these government troops alive.

After waiting for a while, the outside shouting grew louder, and finally, there was a change in the position of the government troops. The swaying reeds extended towards the riverside.

Han Ruzi felt somewhat relieved, turned his head, and saw Qingting waving at him from a distance. So, he waved back.

towards returned to the house, “Miss, you don’t need to personally take action. I think the emperor will likely win this battle.”

Prince Donghai below the watchtower sighed disappointedly.

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