The Child Emperor-Chapter 332: Persuading Surrender
The tunnel inside the city was not long but extremely narrow, forcing them to crawl through it. When they emerged, all seven people were covered in dirt and grime. Looking back, Jincheng City towered in the distance, shrouded in night and partially hidden by a small earthen mound, making it difficult for either side to see the other clearly.
The group reburied the exit and hurried forward through concealed areas. Gui Yuehua led the way at the front, stumbling over uneven ground. Each person was lost in their own thoughts, and no one spoke.
They had left the city rather late, and after walking three miles, dawn had already broken. Gui Yuehua stood beneath a withered tree and whistled through pursed lips. Soon an answering call came from the forest, and seven or eight people emerged. From their appearance and clothing, they were clearly Chu people. Their leader obviously recognized Gui Yuehua and asked with puzzlement, “How are there only these few people? Was the task accomplished?”
Gui Yuehua sighed. “Alas, it’s a long story. We’ve brought out the Handsome Marquis first, but the others are still in the city. The matter will have to be postponed.”
The man came before Hua Bin, cupped his hands, and said with a smile, “The Handsome Marquis is safe and sound – at least we’ve accomplished one great thing.”
“What virtue or ability do I possess to merit Stockade Chief Dong coming personally to rescue me?”
The two were old acquaintances. After exchanging pleasantries, Stockade Chief Dong returned to the matter at hand, his brow slightly furrowed. “We made an agreement with the Xiongnu king. Without obtaining the item, we’ll have trouble facing them.”
Gui Yuehua, being more familiar with him, said impatiently, “That’s precisely why the Handsome Marquis didn’t even bring out his son. Everyone else remains in the city. When we meet the Xiongnu, we’ll have our explanation.”
Stockade Chief Dong chuckled twice and glanced at the other five people without saying anything. He led the way into the forest, where dozens of men and horses were hidden. Everyone mounted up and no longer concealed their tracks. After leaving the forest, they headed straight for the Xiongnu camp more than six miles away.
The Xiongnu, confident in their superior numbers, had withdrawn to make camp while still maintaining a watertight siege around Jincheng City. This also made it convenient for grazing their cattle and horses.
Halfway there, Xiongnu riders came to meet them. Discovering that few people had left the city and that they carried no heads or similar trophies, they immediately expressed dissatisfaction. One of Stockade Chief Dong’s subordinates spent a long time explaining in the Xiongnu language. Stockade Chief Dong whispered to Gui Yuehua, “You’d better truly have an explanation. This Xiongnu king is not easy to deal with.”
“Don’t worry.” Gui Yuehua pointed to the other five men. “They are all trusted guards from the Emperor’s personal retinue. The Handsome Marquis persuaded them to voluntarily defect to the Xiongnu. That should count as a small achievement, shouldn’t it?”
Only then did Stockade Chief Dong show a smile.
The Xiongnu tents were arranged haphazardly, though one could judge the status of their owners by their size and magnificence.
Stockade Chief Dong politely asked Hua Bin and the others to remain in an ordinary tent while he and Gui Yuehua went to meet the Xiongnu king. The Xiongnu had many royal titles, but everyone called this one “Great King,” suggesting his status was quite high.
Hua Bin stood at the entrance, watching Gui Yuehua and the others depart, then turned and said, “You must be General of Chariots and Cavalry Deng Cui, correct?”
The four attendants were startled, and Deng Cui nodded in acknowledgment. “I am.”
“I knew His Majesty wouldn’t casually send just anyone out of the city. Let me speak plainly – if someone recognizes you, I’ll have no choice but to go with the flow and claim I persuaded you to surrender. Whether the Xiongnu believe it or not will depend on what you says.”
Deng Cui smiled. “Don’t worry. The Xiongnu are easy to deceive.”
Hua Bin chuckled coldly, not entirely confident in this young general.
Before long, Stockade Chief Dong returned alone. “Come with me, all of you. The Great King wishes to see you.”
Hua Bin asked, “How should we address this noble person? Just ‘Great King’?”
“‘Great King’ is what we call him, and he likes it very much. That’s the right way to address him.”
The group walked toward the largest tent in the camp. Along the way, they encountered only mounted Xiongnu riders moving in groups of three to five, galloping back and forth with apparent lack of discipline. Yet they never collided or came into conflict – no matter how many horses were on the path, they always managed to pass each other smoothly.
The tent was as large as two or three ordinary houses, with a wooden floor beneath and three steps leading to the entrance. Inside, thick felt carpets covered the ground. Upon entering, a mixture of warmth, wine fumes, and fragrant scents hit them in the face.
The tent held quite a few people. In the center sat a robust Xiongnu man in his forties, with six or seven concubines on either side who made no effort to avoid the guests and curiously observed the newly arrived Chu people.
As soon as Deng Cui looked up, he saw Prince Donghai.
Prince Donghai wore the ordinary uniform of the Ceremonial Guard Battalion soldiers and sat in a side seat. When he also spotted Deng Cui, his expression changed slightly.
The two men looked at each other for a moment.
Hua Bin noticed this scene and thought to himself that there really wasn’t even a hint of a miracle—they just had to meet someone who would recognize Deng Cui, as expected. He stepped forward a few paces, about to kneel and bow to the Xiongnu king to introduce the surrender of the General of Chariots and Cavalry, hoping to muddle through, but Deng Cui spoke first. He cupped his hands toward the side seat and smiled, saying, “General Chai! I never expected to meet you here.”
Prince Donghai’s expression returned to composure. “Chai Ping” was indeed his false identity. Seeing that Deng Cui wore the uniform of the Ceremonial Guard Battalion, he understood that the other man was also using a false identity. So he cupped his hands in return and said with confusion, “Forgive my poor eyesight. You look familiar, as if you’re also someone from the Emperor’s side, but I don’t know how to address you.”
“General Chai, noble people forget minor things. I’m from the Ceremonial Guard Battalion…”
Everyone in the tent turned to look, and Deng Cui hastily shut his mouth, following Hua Bin to kneel on the ground together.
The Xiongnu king seemed to have no suspicions and asked through an interpreter, “Are all the ceremonial guards of the Chu Emperor like you?”
Deng Cui was tall and handsome, indeed having the bearing of an ceremonial guard. He replied, “Chu cares about appearances. The ceremonial guards selected are all similar to me—we have only empty shells. Once mounted, we can’t wield spears properly, nor can we shoot arrows.”
After the interpreter finished speaking, the Xiongnu king burst into hearty laughter and waved his hand. Someone came over and led Deng Cui and the others to side seats, where they sat adjacent to Prince Donghai.
“My name is Wei Su,” Deng Cui said quietly.
Prince Donghai gave a soft grunt and replied equally quietly, “Chai Ping.”
The servants from the Prince’s mansion and the Deng mansion were not in the tent—they clearly weren’t qualified to meet the Xiongnu king. Deng Cui drank wine and ate meat with confidence, as if he were a frequent guest here.
Among the many Chu people, Deng Cui had the most outstanding appearance and was quite at ease before the Xiongnu. He immediately caught the attention of the Xiongnu king and his group of concubines. The interpreter asked, “Ceremonial guard, the king asks you: how many guards does the Chu Emperor have? You and this General Chai are both soldiers of the same battalion—why aren’t you very familiar with each other?”
Deng Cui swallowed the meat in his mouth and replied, “There are fewer than four thousand garrison troops in the city, and the Emperor has over a thousand guards. Although General Chai and I are both in the Ceremonial Guard Battalion, I’m a halberd-bearing ceremonial guard who supports the Emperor’s dignity, while General Chai comes from a noble background and is gaining experience in the Ceremonial Guard Battalion. We’re not the same type of people. My status is low, so I recognize him, but he’s a noble who has more important matters and doesn’t remember a small soldier like me.”
After hearing the interpreter’s words, the Xiongnu king’s concubines giggled and pointed, clearly thinking the “small soldier” looked more like nobility than the “general.”
Prince Donghai lowered his head and remained silent. His only thought was to escape the Xiongnu encirclement, either to return to the Capital or to see his uncle Cui Hong, hoping to resolve their differences and become family again. He was very wary of Deng Cui’s appearance, constantly suspecting that the Emperor had sent him to hunt him down.
Deng Cui, however, was quite composed and spoke freely about everything, disparaging the Ceremonial Guard Battalion as worthless—filled with either empty-headed fools or scheming nobles, with hardly anyone truly protecting the Emperor. He said more people would soon come forward to surrender. “At least we can carry banners and hold halberds. Those nobles all call themselves ‘generals,’ but they’re actually just like this General Chai—relying on ancestral favor to serve as the Emperor’s attendants. After mixing around for a few years, they can become high officials. How could they know how to lead troops in battle?”
The interpreter spoke for the Xiongnu king: “I see. No wonder this General Chai is so young.”
Prince Donghai’s face grew even redder. He really wanted to remind Deng Cui to say less, but this was Xiongnu territory, and he was using a false identity—how could he dare speak up?
The Xiongnu king’s banquet for the Chu people wasn’t merely courtesy. After three rounds of wine, the Xiongnu king clapped his hands, and a prisoner was quickly brought in from outside.
The prisoner had clearly been imprisoned for a long time. His clothes were tattered, his face and body covered with wounds, and his expression was haggard, yet he showed no sign of fear. He stood with his head held high before the Xiongnu king. When the Xiongnu pressed him down, he immediately stood up again after breaking free from his restraints. Though his body swayed, he refused to submit.
Prince Donghai and Deng Cui exchanged glances, both shocked. They never expected to encounter so many acquaintances in the Xiongnu camp.
The Xiongnu king noticed the change in their expressions, and the interpreter asked, “Do you recognize this person?”
Prince Donghai nodded. He was now too flustered to know how to respond. Deng Cui said calmly, “This person is named Zhuo Ruhe. He is a Chu imperial son-in-law, the Prefect of Hongnong, and an imperial commissioner for grain distribution.”
When Zhuo Ruhe had toured the prefectures and counties throughout the realm, he had visited Dai and met Deng Cui once. As for Prince Donghai and Hua Bin, they were people he had known for a long time, yet he merely stood with his head held high, as if everyone in the tent were complete strangers.
The Xiongnu king was very satisfied with this answer, as it showed that the ceremonial guard was being honest and not lying. He then chattered away at length, and the interpreter said, “Zhuo Ruhe, you are a son-in-law of the Chu imperial family, and you could also become a son-in-law among the Xiongnu. The Great Chanyu’s daughters and granddaughters are younger and more beautiful, worthy enough to match you. You say the Chu state is full of loyal ministers and good generals, but look—the nobles of Chu and the Emperor’s guards have all come to surrender to the Xiongnu. What more do you have to say?”
Zhuo Ruhe kept his gaze straight ahead. “Great Chu has a population many times larger than the Xiongnu—a hundred times greater. It’s quite normal for a few black sheep to appear. Aren’t more Chu armies still holding fast at Jincheng?”
The interpreter was about to speak again when Deng Cui stood up, indicating he would speak himself. “Zhuo Ruhe, do you still recognize me?”
“This Zhuo is a good man of integrity and does not recognize traitorous rebels,” Zhuo Ruhe said with his head held high, his gaze still unwavering.
Deng Cui said, “Minister Zhuo, you may choose not to recognize me, but you cannot fail to recognize the situation clearly. Now Jincheng stands alone, the Emperor is gravely ill—neither can last much longer. Moreover, the Emperor has reigned only briefly and lacks the support of his subjects. He was greedy for merit and recklessly advanced, leading to today’s predicament, which is truly his own doing. Great Chu’s fortunes are exhausted—this is known to all. Why must Minister Zhuo alone persist?”
Zhuo Ruhe glanced at Deng Cui. “Ha! In the eyes of traitorous rebels, naturally everyone appears to be a traitorous rebel. You say the Emperor has reigned briefly, but Great Chu has been established for a hundred years, and our ancestors’ merits and virtues extend to their descendants. You say the Emperor lacks his subjects’ support, yet the Emperor has traveled providing disaster relief and encouraging agriculture—the hearts of all under heaven turn toward him, all wishing the Emperor ten thousand years of life to ensure peace. You say Jincheng stands alone, but what I see is relief armies converging from all directions. The Xiongnu may be triumphant for a moment, but in the future they will find it difficult to return to the steppes. You say the Emperor is gravely ill… I don’t believe it.”
Deng Cui laughed. “If relief armies are on the way, how does Minister Zhuo come to be here?”
“Assembling relief armies takes time, but we cannot let the Xiongnu think that Great Chu has no one to rescue the Emperor. So I volunteered to lead troops here, for no other reason than to let the Emperor know that Jincheng does not stand alone.”
“So you say you die without regret?”
“Without regret.”
Deng Cui turned toward the Xiongnu king. “This type of person is utterly devoted to the Emperor—what they call foolish loyalty. He’s still fantasizing that someone might gather the Chu forces beyond the frontier and attack the Xiongnu from north and south together with Cui Hong’s army. Kill him—keeping him alive serves no purpose.”
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