Chapter 193: A Good Bird Chooses the Right Tree

Chapter 193: A Good Bird Chooses the Right Tree

Chai Yue led three thousand elite soldiers, rushing tirelessly and arriving just three hours later than the first batch of reinforcements. They reached the northern gate of Divine Hero Pass in the dead of night. Hearing the loud questioning from the soldiers on the city wall, Chai Yue heaved a heavy sigh of relief and almost wanted to howl at the sky in celebration.

As the commander in charge, he understood the strategic importance of Divine Hero Pass more than the average soldier. The saying “one wrong move and the entire game is lost” applied perfectly here. Losing this pass would mean cutting off the lifeline of eighty thousand Chu soldiers.

Upon entering the city, Chai Yue was even more astonished.

He had thought the Chu army had arrived in time to keep the rebellion outside the gates, only to find the city full of surrendered bandits—at least four thousand of them. On his way to the governmental office, Chai Yue’s ears were filled with legendary tales of the “dead eunuch” Cai Xinghai, who never shied away from his identity and often boasted about his “resurrection,” leading soldiers to simply call him the “dead eunuch.”

The office was in a state of disarray. The bandits, not skilled in siege warfare, were experts in looting. They had even dismantled the main gate, and anything of value, down to the last needle, was piled in the courtyard, yet to be divided.

In the main hall, Cai Xinghai sat on the ground, his shoulder haphazardly bandaged, drinking cold wine and chatting merrily with a group of bandit leaders, sometimes bursting into sharp, hearty laughter.

The thirty or so bandit leaders, who usually held a poor opinion of eunuchs, were now thoroughly impressed by Cai Xinghai, completely forgetting they were trapped in the city and already Chu army prisoners.

Chai Yue reminded them of their predicament.

With six thousand soldiers, more than the bandits, Chai Yue immediately ordered his men to detain the bandit leaders. The bandits were unafraid, even bidding farewell to Cai Xinghai with admiration.

Once the bandits were taken away, Cai Xinghai winced in pain and called out, “Ouch,” twice before saying to Chai Yue, “Sorry, I can’t stand up. Could you find me a doctor?”

Chai Yue promptly dispatched someone to find a doctor in the city and personally helped Cai Xinghai up with the help of a soldier. He refused to sit in the main seat, so Chai Yue had two thick felt blankets brought from the courtyard to make him more comfortable lying down.

“The main army has arrived, right?” Cai Xinghai asked.

“Yes, they have,” Chai Yue replied without further explanation, knowing the Chu forces in the city now outnumbered the bandits and more reinforcements would arrive soon.

“Then I can rest easy. I’m exhausted. I need to sleep for a bit. When the doctor comes, let him treat me well, but try not to wake me...”

Chai Yue laughed, “Rest easy, Commander Cai. I’ll watch over the doctor for you.”

“Thank you, General Chai. I trust you.” Cai Xinghai yawned widely, then suddenly opened his eyes wide, “Does this count as a merit for the Northern Protection General?”

“A great merit. The Northern Protection General and the eighty thousand Chu soldiers all have to thank Commander Cai.”

Cai Xinghai chuckled twice, and before his mouth closed, he was already asleep.

Chai Yue gathered the officers in the courtyard outside the main hall to assign tasks. The most important thing was to quickly detain and organize the captives, leaving a few to serve as laborers, and to return the looted goods to their original owners. At the same time, he sent soldiers to the surrounding counties to check the situation in the name of the Northern Protection General.

The doctor arrived, grateful to the Chu army for their timely arrival. He used the best medicines to treat Cai Xinghai’s wounds, assuring, “It’s just a superficial wound; it will heal in a couple of days.”

During the treatment, Cai Xinghai woke up once in pain, glared at the doctor, and then fell back asleep.

Cai Xinghai read it carefully, his expression growing increasingly grave. “The Champion Marquis... Could it be that he really...”

“It seems so, at least the Champion Marquis himself believes so.”

The two understood each other, but as subjects, they were not close enough to openly discuss topics like “ascending the throne” or “emperor.”

After a moment of silence, Cai Xinghai spoke first, “With internal rebellion and external threats from the Xiongnu, Great Chu is on the brink of disaster. It needs someone capable of turning the tide. The Champion Marquis is certainly not that person. He can casually hand over the Northern Army to someone else—what else can’t he abandon? It has to be...”

Cai Xinghai hesitated, unsure how much he could trust Chai Yue.

“It has to be the Northern Protection General,” Chai Yue said, handing the two letters to the hefty eunuch, already placing his trust in him.

Cai Xinghai stepped closer and whispered, “It must be fate that these two letters ended up in General Chai’s hands. The fate of Great Chu rests on your shoulders.”

Chai Yue smiled again, “It’s thanks to Commander Cai holding Divine Hero Pass.”

“Let’s not flatter each other. What’s the next step? I’ll do anything for the Northern Protection General.”

Chai Yue stared at Cai Xinghai, “I’m curious, why are you so loyal to the Northern Protection General?”

“Because only he can use me and acknowledge my merits. I’ve been a soldier and served in the palace. I’ve met many people. Honestly, how many would dare to trust a stranger with their life? And how many officials wouldn’t steal credit for themselves after using someone? Most of the time, a eunuch’s death is considered part of the job, not even earning a thank you. As for intelligence and talent, haha, I never imagined using the Founding Emperor’s sword to command ministers.”

Remembering past events, Cai Xinghai’s face lit up with excitement; the palace coup was a more precious memory to him than holding Divine Hero Pass.

Chai Yue said solemnly, “Precisely. A good bird chooses the right tree, a good official chooses the right ruler. In peaceful times, the Northern Protection General might be overlooked, and we would struggle to rise to prominence. Now, with internal turmoil and external threats, there are few descendants of the Han imperial clan fit to be emperor. The Empress Dowager has her choices, the ministers have theirs, and we have ours.”

Cai Xinghai slammed his fist on the desk, wincing from his shoulder wound, then said, “Why should the Champion Marquis be emperor? The Northern Protection General is the most qualified.”

Chai Yue, gaining confidence after securing Cai Xinghai’s support, tore up the Ministry of War’s document and held up Champion Marquis’s letter. “It’s not enough for just us to support the Northern Protection General. We need the entire Northern Army on his side. The Champion Marquis doesn’t understand border affairs, easily abandoning the army and entrusting the wrong people. Now he wants the Northern Army to attack the Xiongnu for merit, alienating the soldiers. This is the perfect time to rally them behind the Northern Protection General.”

“I know many Northern Army soldiers who have a good impression of the Northern Protection General. I can persuade them.”

“Yes, but that’s still not enough.”

“What else do we need?”

Chai Yue hesitated before saying, “We need the Northern Protection General to support himself.”

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