The Child Emperor-Chapter 256: The Burning Camp

Cui Teng still didn’t quite understand, but he had one virtue: when confused, he simply let it go without overthinking.

Meng E, who had protected the Weary Marquis from the shadows last night, now appeared by his side, carefully listening to his every word.

White Bridge Town wasn’t far from the Capital. After nightfall, Han Ruzi and the three thousand Southern Army troops spotted the lights of the Southern Army camp. Though exhausted from the journey, they were eager to enter and rest. Cui Teng took the lead, saying, “I’ll lead you in! It’s been smooth – no one blocking our way.”

However, Han Ruzi saw this as a major problem. The Southern Army was known for strict discipline. With sixty thousand troops stationed here, there should have been checkpoints along the road, not to mention scouts and sentries. It was especially strange since White Bridge Town had fallen – Grand Tutor Cui should have strengthened rear defenses.

As they approached the camp, even Cui Teng felt something was wrong: “Why isn’t anyone coming to welcome me?”

Finally, the Southern Army camp came into full view. What they had seen earlier weren’t lights but flames burning throughout the camp. The place was in complete disarray, with no signs of life.

Cui Teng turned pale, and the arriving Southern Army troops stared in disbelief.

“Brother-in-law, what’s happening?”

Han Ruzi turned his horse around to face the three thousand soldiers and raised his voice: “We’re too late. Fighting has clearly broken out in the Capital, though we don’t know who’s winning. Having come so far, we must adapt to the situation.” He paused, then continued, “The path ahead is full of traps. You must follow my orders exactly to avoid disaster. If anyone is unwilling, please leave now. I won’t force you to stay.”

The three thousand Southern Army troops were all from Windy Fort and held both respect and fear for the Weary Marquis. Seeing the Southern Army camp destroyed by fire and the unpredictable situation in the Capital, these were massive problems they couldn’t solve. Like lost travelers desperately needing a guide, they now relied completely on the Weary Marquis.

“We’ll follow the Weary Marquis’s commands! Only his commands…” the soldiers replied in a clamor.

Han Ruzi’s first order was to arrange everyone in attack formation and dispatch several scouts in different directions to investigate, especially the situation near the Capital.

Cui Teng volunteered, leading over a dozen soldiers galloping toward the Capital. Han Ruzi led the remaining troops at a slower pace, ensuring the formation remained orderly from this point forward.

Han Ruzi looked to both sides. The Southern Army camps stretching dozens of miles appeared to have been burned down, but strangely, within the range of the fires, there wasn’t a single corpse to be found.

Scouts sent to the flanks quickly returned with news that the Southern Army camps were indeed all burned down. Oddly, except for the central command position, other camps showed no signs of fighting – it seemed the Southern Army soldiers had set fire to their own tents.

Han Ruzi gazed toward the Capital but could see nothing in the darkness. Being over six miles away, he couldn’t hear anything either. His suspicions grew – if the Southern Army had burned their own camps, Grand Tutor Cui must be preparing for a desperate battle. The Southern Army’s discipline was indeed strict – despite such a major event, not a single soldier had deserted.

If Grand Tutor Cui captured the Capital, Han Ruzi would be walking into a trap by going there. The enemy wouldn’t need assassins – they could imprison or execute him legally in the name of the imperial court.

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Another group of scouts returned, reporting that some civilian homes ahead had clearly been damaged by the Southern Army. Upon seeing the soldiers, residents fled in all directions, cursing from afar.

The Southern Army was supposed to be the Capital’s defensive force, yet the civilians outside the city viewed them as enemies. This made everyone more fearful and dependent on the Weary Marquis.

Han Ruzi slightly increased their pace. Soon they saw the burned houses. Residents had extinguished most of the visible flames, but the choking smoke still lingered in the air.

Though angry, the civilians dared not approach the large cavalry force. Their curses were drowned out by horse hooves, though some sharp cries of grief still pierced through, sounding especially eerie in the darkness.

Near midnight, Han Ruzi and his men could finally see the fires in the Capital.

Reaching an empty field, Han Ruzi ordered the army to halt and wait for news from the forward scouts.

Soon the advance scouts returned, but Cui Teng was nowhere to be seen.

“The Southern Army is fighting the Palace Guards. They’ve reportedly breached the West Gate. The Second Young Master told us to report back while he went to find the Grand Marshal at the West Gate,” one scout said.

Han Ruzi had anticipated such an outcome but was still shocked to hear it confirmed. Both the Empress Dowager and Grand Tutor Cui were patient people who preferred scheming and manipulating armies for leverage rather than immediate confrontation. Something unexpected must have forced both sides into this desperate gamble.

It was also strange that the Southern Army had breached the Capital’s West Gate in just one day.

As news spread that the Southern Army’s main force was fighting the Palace Guards inside the city, Han Ruzi’s three thousand men grew excited, all wanting to support the Southern Army.

Though Han Ruzi often took risks, he understood the importance of caution now. His previous risks had involved catching people off guard, but now two tigers were locked in combat inside the city, both fully alert and aggressive. Rushing in recklessly would end badly.

“We’ll camp here tonight,” Han Ruzi ordered, then dispatched more scouts but forbade them from entering the city.

Though they called it camping, the force had no tents or other necessities. They simply dismounted, loosened their horses’ girths, fed them some beans, and ate some dried rations themselves.

Han Ruzi removed his saddle and placed it by the roadside, sitting down to rest with closed eyes.

In reality, he couldn’t control these three thousand Southern Army soldiers and could only let things take their natural course.

Soon, three Southern Army commanders approached and stood before the Weary Marquis.

Han Ruzi opened his eyes and asked, “Yes?”

The three nodded, and one said, “The Weary Marquis once said you would rescue Grand Marshal Cui, which is why we chose to follow you. But… the Southern Army is in decisive battle with the Palace Guards, why does the Weary Marquis hold back?”

“How many troops does Grand Tutor Cui have?”

“About 60,000,” the officer replied.

“And the Palace Guards?”

The officer shook his head, indicating uncertainty.

“Over 30,000, no more than 50,000, with more than half being new recruits trained less than six months,” Han Ruzi stood up. “But the Palace Guards have their advantages – they’re stationed in the city, hold key positions, know the streets, and have geographical advantage. There are also 20-30,000 scattered troops in nearby counties likely heading to the Capital. Grand Tutor Cui’s full force entered the city hoping for a quick victory, but what if the battle doesn’t end tonight? Our 3,000 men would be useless inside but could become a special force outside. Even if Grand Tutor Cui were here, he would make the same choice.”

The three officers were rendered speechless and left to persuade other soldiers after apologizing.

Han Ruzi sat down and resumed his rest.

Scouts returned confirming Grand Tutor Cui had indeed led troops through the West Gate. Fighting was ongoing, though the city walls muffled the shouts from the north.

They brought back a wounded Southern Army soldier who knew more details.

First, central army commanders had revolted, attempting to assassinate Grand Tutor Cui but killed his eldest son Cui Sheng instead. Enraged, the Grand Tutor led the right army to suppress the revolt, killing many soldiers before burning the camp and mobilizing the entire army to seek justice for the dead. Initially, there was no talk of attacking the Capital – they only wanted to force the city to surrender the fleeing Southern Army commanders.

Coincidentally, Prince Donghai had occupied the West Gate and invited the Southern Army in. Grand Tutor Cui changed his plans, turned to attack the west gate where the Palace Guards had gathered. After fierce fighting at the gate, the Palace Guards retreated and the Southern Army entered the city. He knew nothing of what happened after.

The situation with the Empress Dowager, Champion Marquis and others remained unclear.

Though Han Ruzi desperately wished he could fly into the Capital to rescue his mother and wife in the palace, he maintained his order not to move. His force was too small; he could only wait until the situation became clearer before deciding.

Cai Xinghai arrived with 5-6,000 men, half being Northern Army troops, and some tents – though few, enough to establish a proper camp.

With Northern Army soldiers’ protection, Meng E volunteered to scout the city, not asking permission but simply stating, “I’ll go look in the city and return before noon.”

Han Ruzi couldn’t stop her, and he desperately needed to understand the situation inside, so he could only watch as she disappeared into the night.

Before dawn, another Southern Army unit arrived, bringing Han Ruzi’s forces to over 10,000, but he still ordered them to rest and forbade anyone from leaving camp, not even sending out scouts.

As the sun rose halfway, Cui Teng returned on horseback, drenched in sweat and panting. Upon seeing the Weary Marquis, he shouted, “They’ve gone mad! There are three emperors in the city!”

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