Chapter 168 – Returning Victorious

The battle at Changhu Gorge actually lasted two days and nights. The sun rose and set, the tide ebbed and flowed, and under the cover of darkness and fog, the Wokou pirates, their leader having been captured, finally left the battlefield with their remaining ships.

In the eyes of Iwa Hide Tsuki, this battle was a hellish torment, but even from Xu Chun’s perspective, it wasn’t easy. Over a hundred ships were destroyed, countless corpses and broken sails floated on the sea—battlefield cleanup began.

Turtle ships bearing the Empress Heavenly Queen’s banners patrolled the seas, rescuing soldiers who had fallen into the water. They were continuously sent to the medical ship, which had been increased to two. Some still-living Wokou pirates were also fished out and taken to a prisoner-of-war ship specifically designated for captives, given food and medicine to tend to their wounds.

Xu Chun strode into the medical ship, accompanied by Donghai, Guan Wanwan, and several female physicians. He first went to check on Xia Chao. This kid had gotten too close to danger, his evacuation had been too slow, and when he swam out to sea, the water temperature was too low. He hadn’t reached safety when he was caught in the intense explosion and passed out.

Fortunately, the centipede boat that had launched the submarine was manned by experienced sailors from the Sheng family. After launching the submarine, they didn’t leave but waited on the shore of Changhu Gorge for him. The moment they saw the explosion, they immediately sailed over and sent several people into the water to assist, eventually retrieving him. He had some flesh wounds, his internal organs were damaged, and he had caught a chill, so it was estimated that it would take a long time to recover.

Donghai explained, “He woke up this morning, took his medicine, and fell asleep again. External injuries are easy to treat, but internal ones are hard to heal. Fortunately, Xia Chao is young, and he was treated in time. Before going underwater, he had already taken a heart-protecting pill. Now we’ve given him emergency wound medicines like frankincense, angelica root, and notoginseng. He’ll need to slowly recuperate after returning.”

Xu Chun entered and saw Xia Chao lying there with a pale face, eyes closed, but thankfully still alive. He touched his hand, a slight tinge of sadness at his nose, but knowing he was the commander, he couldn’t easily shed tears. He just held his hand and instructed Donghai to treat him well. Then he got up and visited all the injured personnel on the medical ship.

The wounded soldiers had just learned of their great victory. They fought with the determination to die, watching countless comrades fall. Now, they felt a sense of celebration after surviving the ordeal. Seeing Xu Chun personally visit them, speaking kindly and promising them military merit, they were all moved to tears.

There was no shortage of seasoned veterans in the navy. It was the first time they had seen a dedicated medical ship and specialized physician attendants shuttling around. The women dressed in jade-white robes seemed like goddesses, compassionate yet untouchable. And this overwhelming victory, the captured prisoners, the sunken enemy ships, and the spoils of war, news of them displayed in the cabins, lifting everyone’s spirits and hastening their recovery.

Returning from the medical ship, Xu Chun ran into Nong Siji and Sheng Changtian. Both were injured, their arms or legs wrapped in bandages, but they looked pale. They embraced Xu Chun, their expressions agitated. “Why didn’t you withdraw?”

Xu Chun just laughed, knowing they were scared and shocked by his bold move. He let them scold him without saying anything heartfelt, after all, the bond between brothers was understood.

The three of them weren’t ordinary people; they didn’t linger on emotions for long. They quickly sat down and reviewed the battle, counted the spoils, arranged for the wounded, and planned the next journey, including transporting grain and fresh water. All these had to be carefully calculated to see if they could return. After all, during the fight, both sides had targeted each other’s supply ships, leaving few supplies left. They had wounded and prisoners, so they had to manage resources wisely.

After a thorough cleanup, setting sail, and organizing the fleet, the main force set off on their return journey. On the way back, they were delighted to encounter another fleet flying the dragon flag. After confirming through flag signals that they were allies, it turned out to be Sheng Changyun leading a rescue fleet.

It turned out that Fang Zijing had received Xu Chun’s urgent report. As the head commander, he couldn’t leave camp, and coincidentally, he encountered Sheng Changyun delivering the second batch of military funds that Sheng Changtian had raised in Minzhou. So, he ordered him to take a military post and appointed Sheng Changyun as deputy general to lead a rescue mission at sea.

Since their last meeting in the South Seas, Xu Chun hadn’t seen Sheng Changyun for a long time. Seeing him now, he was naturally more affectionate, and he introduced Nong Siji to Sheng Changyun. With Sheng Changyun’s supplies, the fleet’s progress sped up significantly, and they soon returned to camp, handing over the prisoners. Fang Zijing was originally very worried, but seeing them return victorious, he was pleasantly surprised. He hurriedly drafted a report of their achievements himself, causing the entire army to be elated. They slaughtered sheep and cattle to celebrate.

Afterward, at sea, Xu Chun, Nong Siji, and the two Sheng brothers led fleets to patrol back and forth, supporting each other. If one side encountered the enemy, they would change formation to defend until reinforcements arrived. With the Wokou’s supplies completely cut off, their land battles naturally ended in defeat.

The situation was progressing swiftly. In early May, the imperial army recaptured the capital of Silla, and King Li of Silla submitted a memorial of thanks.

Meanwhile, an imperial edict came from the court. The imperial army had achieved a great victory, and the Ministry of Rites requested to present the prisoners and celebrate. The emperor approved and ordered the Zhejiang-Minzhou governor, General Jingni, Nong Siji, the deputy commander of the Jinhai Naval Defense, Xu Chun, and all meritorious commanders to proceed to the capital. They were to bring the captured Wokou rebels, such as Fujiwara Kurokane, Inoue Gorou, and Iwa Hide Tsuki, to the capital for the presentation of prisoners ceremony and send officials to offer sacrifices to the Imperial Ancestral Temple and the Altar of the Earth and Grain.

In June, the main force returned to the Jinhai Port, leading the troops from Jinhai Fortress into the capital, returning victorious. The date for the presentation of prisoners ceremony was set for June 28th. The army was stationed outside the city, but Xu Chun entered the city a day earlier. He didn’t return to the Duke Jingguo Mansion, instead, he quietly entered the palace in a simple carriage.

Everything in the palace was as before, except that the weather had become warmer. Walking in, one could smell faint floral fragrances. Entering the courtyard of the Su Yu Palace, the lotus fragrance was particularly clear and distant.

Su Huaibai led the eunuchs to serve him, helping him change clothes. Xu Chun saw giant lotus pots placed everywhere in the courtyard, filled with lotuses. The green leaves overlapped, creating a swaying scene, and the petals were as white as jade carvings, spotless.

Unable to resist, Xu Chun asked, “Why has His Majesty developed a liking for lotus flowers?”

Su Huaibai whispered, “This is what His Majesty uses to worship Buddha. Every day, he must personally pick the best lotus flowers to offer before the Buddhist altar, recite scriptures, and then go to the morning court.”

Xu Chun was stunned, suddenly realizing, “His Majesty is still observing a fast?”

Su Huaibai smiled and whispered, “Yesterday was the last day of the fast. Fortunately, Sir returned safely. After receiving the news of victory, His Majesty went to the imperial temple and the Great Compassion Temple in the outskirts of the capital to pray. He also allocated money from his personal treasury to repair temples and fulfill vows. He promised to personally copy one hundred scrolls of Buddhist scriptures.”

He secretly pointed towards the hall. “Right now, he is copying scriptures in the Buddhist hall. You rushed here, probably haven’t had dinner yet? Why don’t you have some snacks outside while you wait? Once His Majesty finishes copying scriptures, he will naturally come out.”

Xu Chun felt guilty, shaking his head. “No need, I’ll eat with His Majesty later.”

He came from the camp outside the city, still wearing his soft armor. Now, the eunuchs helped him take off his armor and boots, changing into a plain silk robe, and he quietly entered the hall.

Inside the hall, the scent of incense lingered. The Buddhist hall was located on the east side. Xu Chun slowly walked over and indeed saw Xie Yi kneeling in front of a low table in the Buddhist hall. Dressed in a simple white linen robe, he sat upright, his expression solemn, holding a brush in his hand, copying scriptures. His face had thinned considerably, his eye sockets slightly sunken, and his lips were pale, but his demeanor was still like fresh snow. Now, he carried a touch of Zen, making him seem even more ethereal and refined.

Xu Chun had originally entered the palace with a heart full of passionate fervor, but at this moment, seeing this scene, all the fiery passion in his heart turned into a warm stream, filled with both gratitude and guilt. Quietly taking off his shoes, he walked in and knelt beside Xie Yi, watching him copy scriptures in silence.

However, he couldn’t remain quiet for long. Although he sat properly in the Buddhist hall, his gaze couldn’t help but focus on the agarwood rosary beads wrapped around Xie Yi’s wrist. The deep black bead chain encircled his slender wrist, revealing slightly protruding wrist bones. His long fingers held the brush meticulously, the knuckles and fingertips showing a bit of paleness due to exertion.

Xie Yi’s writing was like silver hooks and iron strokes. He paused when Xu Chun entered and kneeled down beside him, but continued to copy the scriptures seriously, focusing his attention and spirit, the ink marks precise.

Xu Chun’s gaze became bolder and bolder, moving closer and closer. Xie Yi could even feel the other person’s body heat through the thin linen robe and smell the fragrance on him. It should have been specially applied for entering the palace, but without looking, this guy’s eyes were undoubtedly burning like a cat’s, fierce like a young tiger, holding back to show him his spoils of war and boast about his accomplishments.

Finally, Xie Yi sighed, lowering his head to look at the scroll of scripture. It was useless now, so he threw down his brush and turned to look at Xu Chun. “Didn’t Su Huaibai tell you I was copying scriptures? Why did you have to come in and disturb my peace? Now you’ve wasted half a day of my work for nothing.”

Xu Chun looked at him aggrievedly. “I didn’t do anything, isn’t it okay to just accompany you?” He looked at the scripture scroll, which was neither dirty nor disordered, and asked puzzledly, “Isn’t the scripture copied well? Why did you say it’s ruined?”

Xie Yi avoided the question, vaguely saying, “My mind wasn’t calm. Well, let’s go out.”

He stood up, lit incense, and bowed again before leading Xu Chun out, asking him, “Have you eaten?” Then he looked at Xu Chun’s height. “You seem taller? Your shoulders seem broader too.”

Xu Chun was extremely pleased. “Really? I also felt like I grew taller! Brother Changyun also said so, but Brother Changtian insisted there was no change.” He hadn’t eaten yet, “I’ll eat with Brother Jiu then.”

Xie Yi said, “I’m still observing a fast, you eat by yourself.”

Xu Chun said, “Brother Jiu is teasing me, Grand Eunuch Su said yesterday was the last day of your fast.”

Xie Yi said, “Mm, but I made a vow before. If you were injured, I would continue fasting. This hasn’t been verified yet, how can I dare break the vow without checking? I’ll have to examine you carefully later to have an explanation before the Buddha.”

Xu Chun’s face immediately turned bright red. Looking around, he saw that Grand Eunuch Su and the other eunuchs were standing far away. Whispering, he said, “Brother Jiu, I was only injured once during the ambush, there really hasn’t been any since then.”

Xie Yi wouldn’t budge. “Whether or not you were injured is not up to you to decide. I need to examine you.”

Xu Chun had no choice. After all, he was at fault. He could only lower his voice and plead softly, “I see the weather is quite hot today. I’ve sweated a lot on this journey. To avoid offending Brother Jiu with my smell, why don’t I accompany Brother Jiu to the Jade Camellia Pool to wash up…before having a meal?”

Xie Yi turned his eyes to him. “Approved.”