The Innocent Heart - Chapter 26

Although this was not Guan Yueyao’s first time entering the palace to have an audience with the Emperor, he remained filled with curiosity regarding the magnificent, grand, yet solemn and majestic palace grounds.

At this moment, his movements were not decorous. Because he was unaccustomed to wearing the Han Dynasty’s deep robe, and the garment was not tailored to his measurements, it was not very suitable.

From the corner of Huo Qubing’s eye, he could see his friend slightly lifting the hem of the robe with both hands, “trekking” forward in a manner that was quite ungraceful. He felt like laughing, but out of consideration for Guan Yueyao’s dignity, he vigorously suppressed his smile, preventing himself from laughing aloud.

This was an overly long passageway for both Guan Yueyao and Huo Qubing.

In truth, this could not entirely be blamed on Guan Yueyao. Yesterday, since he did not hold an official rank, he did not need to wear such a deep robe to see the Emperor; instead, he would have worn the martial attire of a Wei Residence attendant, which would have allowed for much greater ease of movement. But now, having received the idle post of Langguan due to the merit of the Miao Saber, he was required to wear a dark-colored deep robe to show solemnity when meeting the Emperor.

Moreover, the Emperor’s reward had arrived so suddenly that not only Guan Yueyao and Huo Qubing, but even Wei Qing was unprepared. The garment currently worn by Guan Yueyao was hastily altered by the household servants using Wei Qing’s newly tailored deep robe from the day before. Although it had been made smaller, it was not custom-fitted, so it still looked rather awkward.

After much ado, the two finally shuffled their way to the Xuanshi Hall. After waiting briefly at the entrance, a smiling, cordial personal attendant of Liu Che led the pair into the hall.

“Qubing, Yueyao, there is no need to bow; please sit,” Liu Che said, reclining casually and comfortably on his couch, gesturing toward soft cushions that he had already ordered to be prepared before them.

Guan Yueyao looked at this Emperor, whose attitude was so casual, even amiable, yet he still felt a kind of pressure pressing down on his chest, making it somewhat difficult to breathe. This feeling made the usually rebellious him much more compliant. He obediently sat down with Huo Qubing before the low table, upon which lay something that appeared to be a map.

Guan Yueyao couldn’t help but look over curiously. This map was very different from the ones he had seen in the modern era. Even to Guan Yueyao, who was completely ignorant of cartography, this Han Dynasty map could be called crude. He subconsciously took a few more glances, trying to distinguish the written regions to find the place where he had lived in his previous life.

“Your Majesty, this is the territorial map of Our Great Han!” Beside Guan Yueyao, Huo Qubing, unaware of Guan Yueyao’s thought of searching for his hometown on this thousand-year-old map, straightforwardly expressed his interest in the map.

“Yes, how is it? Can you understand it?” Liu Che answered Huo Qubing’s remark, but his gaze never left Guan Yueyao. From the moment the two entered the palace together, beneath Liu Che’s seemingly nonchalant exterior, he had been continuously observing the two youths, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say he was observing Guan Yueyao. Huo Qubing was the child he had watched grow up; he was practically known inside and out.

But Guan Yueyao was different. Yesterday, he had secretly ordered the Minister of Justice  to investigate him, but this youth seemed to have appeared out of thin air in Chang’an City just a few months prior. Possessing extraordinary skills and being elusive—in this era of strict household registration control, without a travel permit, and with no recent massive influx of refugees from outside the city walls, it was extremely difficult for an undocumented person to sneak into Chang’an. Moreover, judging by Guan Yueyao’s current behavior, he seemed to understand this map. Liu Che frowned. Could this be the apprentice of some secluded master who had come down from the mountains? In this age where belief in immortals and spirits was still strong, the thought that arose in Liu Che’s mind was not baseless; indeed, many people still believed such things.

“This is Yanmen Pass… Once we go north past Yanmen Commandery, we can drive straight into the heartland of the Xiongnu,” Huo Qubing said, pointing to a spot on the map with an expression of longing.

As soon as Huo Qubing finished speaking, Guan Yueyao leaned his head closer. He had not managed to find his childhood home from his previous life on this overly ancient topographical map. However, Yanmen Pass was one of the few places from his childhood that held a pleasant memory. During the summer vacation when he won a championship, that man (his father) had a rare moment of leisure and took him and his mother on a family trip. Yanmen Pass was included in that journey. At that time, the towering city walls and the Great Wall snaking along the mountains—which he remembered—had served as a barrier guarding against southern invasion by external enemies, protecting the northwest frontier of the nation.

“Does Yueyao also know about Yanmen Commandery?” Liu Che smiled as Huo Qubing’s thoughts drifted far away, but he shifted the topic to Guan Yueyao, who was still staring intently at the map.

“I know. King Wuling of Zhao commanded the great general Li Mu to decisively defeat the Lin Hu and Lou Fan tribes here, establishing the three commanderies of Yunzhong, Yanmen, and Dai. Later, after the First Emperor extinguished the Six States, he ordered the great general Meng Tian to lead an army of three hundred thousand men to strike the Xiongnu in the north, reclaiming the lands south of the Yellow River, and ordered the construction of the Great Wall as a barrier to prevent harassment from the Xiongnu,” Guan Yueyao replied.

These words were what he had heard from the tour guide during his trip. Of course, he also remembered the subsequent explanations about the Han Great Wall and the Ming Great Wall. But since they were not matters concerning the Han Dynasty, he thought it was best not to mention them. As he recalled the tour guide’s commentary, a sentence suddenly flashed through his mind.

“During Emperor Wu’s reign, under the command of famous generals Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, the Han army repeatedly advanced beyond the passes to engage the Xiongnu, ultimately driving the Xiongnu into the barren lands south of the Desert. From then on, for several hundred years, there was no royal court north of the desert.”

He looked at the youth beside him in astonishment. Could this youth, whose face still looked somewhat immature, the one he often competed against in martial arts, actually be an ancient famous general whose name would be recorded in history? And the young Emperor seated above was a peerless emperor about whom even he, who knew almost nothing about history, had heard a little.

Because the information came too suddenly, Guan Yueyao’s mind “crashed.”

“Ah Yao… Ah Yao…”

While lost in thought, Guan Yueyao felt someone poking him. He roughly regained focus and looked fuzzily at Huo Qubing beside him.

The youth was looking at him with a slight look of anxiety: “His Majesty is asking you a question. Do you know why the First Emperor built the Great Wall?”

Huo Qubing believed he had spoken very quietly and acted quite covertly. But now, in the vast hall, apart from the attendants serving as background scenery, there were only the three of them. How could Liu Che fail to see the small actions exchanged between the two?

“To stop the Xiongnu’s horses,” Guan Yueyao replied when he finally returned to his senses.

He actually answered correctly…

Regarding Guan Yueyao’s background, Liu Che became even more curious. Martial arts, literacy, studying maps—none of these were things an ordinary commoner could access. This youth named Guan Yueyao was absolutely not simple. Liu Che made an incorrect judgment about the youth before him in his heart. He, like Emperor Taizong of Tang who was equally qualified to be called a peerless emperor in later generations, possessed the grand ambition that “all talented men under heaven shall enter my net”, and naturally would not let go of anyone who could help him achieve his grand aspirations. Since he had already formed such a judgment of Guan Yueyao, Liu Che decided to sincerely recruit and cultivate this promising talent. He looked at the two youths seated by the desk, his smile becoming even more amiable.

“Very well, very well. My time is precious; let us return to the main topic.”

The highly powerful “Teacher Liu” had spoken. No matter how disdainful Huo Qubing felt initially, he finally closed his mouth obediently, composed his thoughts, and listened attentively.

It was said that Liu Che had been on the throne for ten years, yet his lineage remained thin, and he had not a single imperial prince, the most crucial factor for the stability of the throne. In his anxiety, he indulged in the satisfaction of instructing a son through Huo Qubing. Furthermore, since Huo Qubing would not inherit the throne in the future, he could indulge in many things he might not otherwise allow. Such preferential treatment as receiving military instruction personally from the Emperor—looking throughout history, it would be hard to find a third instance.

Because he was wholeheartedly eager to contend with the northern Xiongnu, Liu Che had also invested a great deal of effort in studying military strategy. Now, discussing it with the two youths, he could speak with authority and clarity.

Although Huo Qubing was initially unconcerned, he gradually became fascinated by the lecture. Liu Che’s teaching was not like that of many pedants who merely recited texts verbatim. He often cited classic battles from the Spring and Autumn period, the Warring States period, or even the Chu-Han Contention as examples during his explanations. Alternatively, he would use that map to simulate opposing armies for demonstration. Liu Che would command one army, while Huo Qubing and Guan Yueyao would command the other. Each side took its position, conducting tactical deductions.

Naturally, being new to this field, the military tactics and ideas of the two youths were still very immature, and their considerations were not comprehensive enough. Soon, under Liu Che’s experienced and stern maneuvers, they were routed.

In this exchange, the two experienced for the first time the role an ideologically mature general could play in the army and in warfare. It turned out that being a general did not merely require outstanding courage, daring to be the first to plant a flag, or slaying the enemy commander. Courage without strategy was merely the valor of a common brute; having both courage and strategy was the true way of a general. When to march, how to command troops, how to judge the terrain… it turned out that campaigning and fighting had so many intricacies.

It was not just Huo Qubing; even Guan Yueyao’s interest and passion for learning were piqued by this engaging simulation.

Interest has always been the best teacher. At this point, Guan Yueyao, lowering his head, began to seriously discuss the content of the military treatises Liu Che had mentioned earlier with Huo Qubing. As he spoke, he gestured on the map.

Liu Che stopped speaking and quietly listened to the two youths deconstruct the simulation they had just run, summarizing the deficiencies in their tactics. Although their thinking still appeared somewhat immature, it brought a knowing smile to his face. Their style of marching and combat seemed quite brave and aggressive; one could only wonder what kind of ferocious army would be able to keep up with their marching style. Still, it was truly something to look forward to—what results in future battles these two still-developing young generals would bring to the Great Han?

Liu Che, seated in the upper position, thought this with anticipation in his heart.