The Child Emperor-Chapter 343: The General of Chariots and Cavalry

Under the flickering firelight, the deeper the night grew, the more beautiful the woman became. Deng Cui smiled as he gazed at the Xiongnu woman lying beside him.

The woman suddenly let out a soft sound, her brow furrowing slightly as if she were having a nightmare. Deng Cui leaned closer and gently kissed her forehead. Her brow relaxed, and she fell back into peaceful sleep.

More than ten paces away from the campfire, four attendants stared wide-eyed at this scene. Though two days had already passed, they still found it hard to believe what they were witnessing.

Deng Cui rose from the blanket and beckoned to the four attendants, signaling them to follow him.

The attendants immediately followed, feeling both bewildered and admiring toward this General of Chariots and Cavalry.

The five men turned behind a cluster of shrubs, where they were downwind and their voices would not disturb the sleeping Xiongnu woman.

“The weather is getting warmer,” Deng Cui said, looking up at the sky full of stars with apparent feeling. Then he lifted his robes, untied his belt, and relieved himself with the wind, saying to the four attendants, “Aren’t you coming? I can see you’ve all had quite a bit to drink.”

The attendants were even more puzzled, and somewhat flattered. How many soldiers could receive such an invitation from a general? So they all acted accordingly. One attendant asked with a smile, “The general is truly remarkable… Can you understand the Xiongnu language?”

“I can’t understand it.”

The four attendants looked at each other, both surprised and wanting to laugh. Another asked, “Then how did the general manage to… how were you able to… how…” He didn’t know how to phrase his question.

Deng Cui shook himself a few times and looked back toward the campfire. “You mean her? Pay attention to the eyes. Take you few lads, for instance—envious and jealous, with hearts somewhat stirred by beauty. When the firelight shines over there, I thought there were four wolves crouching across from me.”

Deng Cui meant no reproach, speaking casually. The four attendants quickly laughed and shook their heads in denial—one said he wasn’t stirred, another said he wasn’t jealous, and finally they all admitted they might be a bit envious.

“I just find it hard to understand how the Xiongnu king’s concubine would be willing to…”

“Willing to come with me?” Deng Cui stretched lazily. In no hurry to return to sleep, he walked to one side for casual conversation, saying, “She’s from an enemy tribe. Her parents were both killed by the Xiongnu king, and she herself was captured as a concubine. She had long intended to escape—I just happened to arrive at the right time.”

“The general doesn’t understand the Xiongnu language, yet you could gather such information?” The four attendants felt not just admiration but something approaching worship.

“Gather information? No, no—I guessed it.”

The four attendants were stunned again, then could only chuckle awkwardly, finding the General of Chariots and Cavalry increasingly unfathomable. Among them, only one came from the Deng estate, while the other three were soldiers from the Capital. But even the Deng family attendant couldn’t see through his master.

Deng Cui had long since removed his armor. Now he straightened his clothes and said to his family attendant, “Bring me my horse.”

The attendant dared not ask questions and quickly brought his master’s mount. Deng Cui took the reins and gently stroked the horse’s neck, then said to the four bewildered attendants, “We can’t keep running like this. The Xiongnu will catch up sooner or later. We need to find a way to lead them away.”

The attendants nodded, understanding this logic but unable to think of a solution, so they waited for the General of Chariots and Cavalry’s instructions.

Deng Cui nodded, then said to his family attendant, “Next time I tell you to bring my horse, you need to prepare the saddle and bridle too. How am I supposed to ride with a bare horse back?”

The attendant said in surprise, “You want to depart now? We’ll prepare everything immediately.”

“Wait, prepare for just me. You all stay behind.”

After witnessing all the General of Chariots and Cavalry’s strange behavior, the four attendants were still stunned. Deng Cui urged, “Go get the saddle, and wine and provisions too.”

The attendant dared not disobey and hurried to fetch the items. One of the remaining attendants stammered, “General… General… you want to… to separate from us… travel separately?”

“Didn’t I say so? We must lead the Xiongnu away. I’m talking about you few. Anyone who can command the Chu army beyond the frontier can switch places with me.”

All of them shook their heads simultaneously. They were just ordinary soldiers—without military rank, strategy, or courage, and certainly no ambition to command troops.

“Good. You’ll set out early tomorrow morning.”

The Deng family attendant ran back, frantically saddling and bridling the horse while asking, “Won’t one horse be insufficient?”

“It’s enough. This is a good horse.”

“But… she can ride too, and quite well. There’s no need for her to share a horse with the general, is there?” The attendant still felt his master was being too bold.

“She won’t come with me—she’ll go with you. Without her, what would draw the Xiongnu away?”

The four men were greatly shocked and looked at each other in bewilderment, unable to ask a single question.

Deng Cui mounted his horse and checked his personal belongings, fairly satisfied. “All right, that’s how it is. Tomorrow you’ll head west. Run quickly, and with a bit of luck, perhaps you’ll make it to a fortified city in time. You can take temporary shelter there and wait for the war to end before coming to find me. Until we meet again.”

Only when Deng Cui was about to leave did the four attendants react, stepping forward together to block his way.

“Wait, General, we… how do we explain this to her?”

“Say whatever you want—she won’t understand anyway.”

“But… but…” The attendants were all soldiers who would rather face a Xiongnu army than explain to a foreign woman full of hope and tenderness why she was being abandoned halfway.

“The situation is clear. I need to go north to take command of the Chu army, and the Xiongnu are pursuing this whatever-her-name-is. So only she can draw the Xiongnu away. You’re responsible for protecting her, that’s all. Besides this, does anyone else have a better plan?”

The attendants shook their heads and had no choice but to step aside. Deng Cui spurred his horse forward, but after running a short distance, he turned around and came back. The attendants were overjoyed.

Deng Cui said to his family attendants: “If the Xiongnu catch up with you, then so be it—I estimate none of you would survive anyway. But if you’re lucky enough to escape, remember one thing: that Xiongnu woman is your second mistress. Protect her, serve her, and don’t harbor any ill intentions. You, you, and you—all of you must remember this.”

“No, no, how could we have ill intentions? We wouldn’t dare!” The four attendants shook their heads and waved their hands in denial.

Deng Cui was reassured and set out again, this time without looking back.

The four attendants returned to the campfire and stood at a distance, gazing at the Xiongnu woman who was still sleeping soundly. None of them knew how to handle the fury that would soon come.

Deng Cui felt he had arranged everything properly and rode with a light heart, spurring his horse to gallop swiftly. As the marshal of Dai, he frequently traveled the frontier and was familiar with the roads, able to distinguish directions even in the deep of night. When hungry, he ate a few bites of dried rations;when thirsty or tired, he took a large gulp of wine, only resting when his horse needed to graze.

Two days later, he reached the frontier checkpoint, with no Xiongnu pursuing him.

The Xiongnu wanted to lure the Chu army beyond the frontier into the pass to rescue the emperor, so they hadn’t attacked this checkpoint. However, the soldiers inside were extremely tense, continuously fortifying the city and preparing their troops and horses, though they didn’t know what to do next. Until they received orders, they could only hold their position.

The checkpoint commander was an acquaintance of Deng Cui’s. Seeing him arrive alone on horseback, the commander was greatly surprised. Deng Cui didn’t explain much and, after dismounting, asked: “The emperor appointed me as Chariot and Cavalry General—have you heard?”

“I’ve heard something about it. Congratulations…”

“Don’t rush to congratulate me. I know you’re hiding several jars of good wine. Get them ready and send them to my house later. Now escort me to Mayi City.”

“Are you here on imperial orders?”

“Of course.”

“Well… do you have an edict?”

“I did, but the Xiongnu snatched it away.” Deng Cui made this up on the spot. Since he had anticipated spending time in the Xiongnu camp, he hadn’t brought any edicts to avoid exposing himself.

The checkpoint commander knew Deng Cui somewhat and could only shake his head with a bitter smile. He selected soldiers to escort him through the checkpoint. After all, Deng Cui could give him orders based solely on his position as marshal of Dai—whether he was truly General of Chariots and Cavalry wasn’t that important.

After another arduous journey, when Deng Cui reached Mayi City, he was swaying on his horse and had to slap himself from time to time to stay alert.

More than a hundred thousand Chu troops had gathered inside and outside Mayi City. The main force was the Southern Army that had rushed from Shattered Iron City. The nominal commander was Marquis Piyuan, Zhang Yin, but he was slow-witted and stuttered, making it difficult for him to command respect. The court had also been slow to give clear orders, only saying to act according to circumstances. The generals had been arguing for days without reaching a decision.

Hearing that a general had come from Jincheng, all the generals were both surprised and delighted, and they all came out of the city to welcome him. Some recognized Deng Cui, and their first reaction was that probably only this fellow could escape from an encirclement. Their second reaction was that the emperor was desperately grasping at straws—how could he have sent him?

Deng Cui opened with the same line: “I am the General of Chariots and Cavalry personally appointed by the emperor. You’ve heard about this, haven’t you?”

The generals nodded. They had indeed heard this news, but none of them took it seriously.

Several Southern Army generals pushed forward, and their leader asked, “Is His Majesty still well?”

“Not well, not well at all.” Deng Cui jumped down from his horse and, surrounded by the crowd, headed toward the general’s residence. “He can’t eat properly or sleep soundly.”

“We heard that His Majesty has fallen seriously ill…”

“Is that so? Well, when I left, Your Majesty was taking advantage of the deep night to capture spies throughout the city.”

“Spies?”

“Yes, catching them all in one net. Although His Majesty’s condition isn’t great, catching a few petty thieves is still effortless for him.”

The generals felt somewhat reassured. The Southern Army leader asked again, “What imperial decree did Your Majesty send you with?”

“There are many decrees.” Deng Cui spoke nonsense freely. Upon arriving at the general’s residence, he met Zhang Yin at the entrance. After exchanging formal greetings, they walked shoulder to shoulder into the compound. At the entrance to the main hall, he turned to address the generals: “I need to speak privately with General Zhang for a few moments. Please wait outside for a short while.”

The generals had no choice but to remain outside the hall, though they felt indignant and discussed among themselves what this “General of Chariots and Cavalry” was really about.

Inside the hall, Deng Cui spoke bluntly to Zhang Yin: “You are a veteran general of the court, but for years you have served under others as their subordinate, never receiving the court’s trust or recognition. You command a great army yet don’t know how to use it.”

Zhang Yin’s face immediately turned red with embarrassment. Being naturally prone to stuttering, he became even more tongue-tied in his agitation and couldn’t speak.

Deng Cui continued, “I am the exact opposite of you. Your Majesty trusts me and has entrusted me with an important mission—to take command of the army beyond the frontier. Please hand over your official seal to me, General Zhang.”

“Where… where is the imperial decree?” Zhang Yin finally managed to squeeze out these words.

“There is no imperial decree. Wasn’t the imperial decree General Zhang received earlier just a piece of torn cloth?”

Zhang Yin nodded, but it had still been an imperial decree bearing the emperor’s official seal.

“Are you willing to continue shouldering the heavy responsibility of saving Great Chu and Your Majesty? Do you have any strategies? Can you make the generals in Mayi City obey orders?”

“Can… can you?”

“If I couldn’t, Your Majesty wouldn’t have sent me here,” Deng Cui said arrogantly.

In less than a quarter hour, Deng Cui and Zhang Yin emerged from the hall. Deng Cui held the general’s seal high and declared loudly to the dozens of generals in the courtyard: “I am General of Chariots and Cavalry Deng Cui, acting under His Majesty’s decree to command the Chu forces in Mayi City. You must all follow my orders.”

The generals erupted in uproar. Deng Cui shouted, “You have the ability to quarrel here but not the ability to rescue the emperor?”

The generals flew into a rage. A Southern Army general stepped forward and said, “You claim you can rescue the emperor? Fine! The passes are filled with Xiongnu ambushes—how can our hundred thousand Chu troops defeat the enemy forces and reach Jincheng to rescue the emperor? Tell us your plan. If it makes sense, we’ll submit to you. If not, please go back where you came from!”

Deng Cui laughed heartily. “You are all mediocre men who only know attack and defense, unaware that there are other excellent strategies for rescuing the emperor.”

The generals grew even angrier, all staring coldly at Deng Cui. If they didn’t hear some reasonable logic, this “General of Chariots and Cavalry” would have difficulty leaving this place today.

Deng Cui paid no attention to their hostility;instead, his expression became even more arrogant. “To rescue the emperor, we can neither attack Jincheng nor defend Mayi. There is only one viable path: immediately recapture the lost territories of Yan and Liaodong, block the Great Wall passes—this is called ‘closing the door to beat the dog.’ Once the passage back to the steppes is cut off, the Xiongnu will fall into chaos without being attacked and be defeated without fighting!”

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