Chapter 541: Letdown

Baili Jun foolishly tried to swamp the Northern Border cavalry with a sea of bodies; his idea wasn't wrong—two fists can't fight four hands, and the Northern Border cavalry aren't pushovers in one-on-one or two-on-one fights, so what about five-on-one or six-on-one?

The idea wasn't bad, but now everything's been left for the Great King to clear the grain stores; the Great King had fled the POW camp clutching his chest.

Seeing so many packed people all the time is also aggravating. The Great King continued his inspection with Xiao Jin the stumbling block, and upon reaching the Anti-enemy Camp he bumped straight into Zhao Chuan, who had hurried out. The Great King immediately noticed something was off. 'Why are your eye sockets red? Did you cry?' Zhao Chuān, who speaks bluntly, turned even paler. He forced a blink to hide it, '... Your subject, I am not cowardly; I just saw the severely wounded soldiers and was reminded of myself as a child for a moment...' He hadn't finished speaking when he was still lowering his head, making gulping sounds, trying to find the right words. The Great King didn't want to stay and watch a tough guy cry, so he just went into the tent Zhao Chuan had come out of.

Inside this large tent were the most severely wounded soldiers; the military medics were bustling about. The Great King took a turn and spotted a boy not much younger than himself, who appeared to be at death's door, yet the person caring for him was still feeding him rice.

The Great King had only ever pretended to be a divine physician's apprentice; even if he didn't truly understand, he knew enough to realize such a grave injury shouldn't be fed, and without thinking he rebuked the medic for messing around.

Liang Bin, who had followed him in, also shouted that it was nonsense; if there was no hope, they should ask about his hometown and last words—he had grown up seeing him in the army.

Zhao Chuan, who had also just entered, hurriedly explained in a low voice, 'No, it's the boy himself who asked for it. This boy is from the lowest-rank unit of the Western Camp of Chang'an; this time he was sent to reinforce the Five Passes Plains. He holds the rank of Twelfth Lieutenant, and is only fifteen years old... He said he's never had a full meal in his memory, and feels it's a pity to die like this. The medic said to hold on, saying our Northern Border army's rations are good... He said, he wants to eat his fill before he goes. I gave him the Golden Trauma Pill from my armor, but it's too late, Your Highness...' If it had been earlier, that kind of life-saving Golden Trauma Pill that frontline combat units keep in their armor would be far better than the ones in the Anti-enemy Camp.

The boy said he was fifteen, but years of starvation had stunted his growth; he looked about the same size as the Great King, who is a few years younger. The medic who had been feeding him, accustomed to seeing casualties, merely gave a grim face and knelt when he saw the Great King; hearing this, he too couldn't help but redden his eyes.

The Great King said nothing, didn't look at the wounded, and just stared straight at the bowl of porridge—what a cannibalistic world!

He immediately recalled what Bai Yang had told him yesterday: every age has people he has let down; in the vast flood of history, individual fate is insignificant.

But looking at this emaciated soldier, the Great King felt uneasy, aware that his father and elder brothers had failed to govern this vast land these past years. This is not just one soldier's suffering; it is the sorrow of the entire Great Jin dynasty.

Although the Great King agreed with Bai Yang's words, confronting this frail boy before him right now made it impossible for him to calmly agree. He would still feel distressed, and the Great King attributed it to his own youth and insufficient heart strength.

The Great King drew a deep breath and finally looked at the boy again; since he had entered, everyone in the tent was kneeling, except the boy, who still hopefully stared at the bowl of white rice porridge...

Everyone was silently bidding farewell to this young life.

The Great King sighed in his heart, began to rummage in his little pouch—surely empty—but his storeroom held newly delivered 'Again Youth' and 'Return Spring' pills. He quickly produced an 'Again Youth' pill, personally squatted down, and placed it in the mouth of the boy clinging to his last breath.

'You will live. As long as I, the King, wish to save you, you will live.'

He brushed a hand across the face mixed with blood and dirt, saying, 'Sleep; when you wake, I, the King, will see to it you eat your fill.'

A flash of joy crossed Zhao Chuan's face, but then he realized this pill might be a million‑dollar auction item from the Floating Tower; his smile vanished and he began to worry about the Great King's finances. His position was enough to know the grain stores of the Logistics Camp.

The Great King had already risen and ordered, 'Give him a small tent.' Even if there was a chance of rescue, he didn't want this to spread through the camp; the item is too expensive, its audience inevitably limited, and he couldn't give it to everyone in need.

'... Other wounded soldiers and prisoners, too—if they can be saved, we must do our utmost.' The tent filled with cries of 'Your Highness's benevolence,' yet the Great King could not feel happy.

Returning to the King's tent, he solemnly told Wei Shen, 'Cousin, I, the King, will unify the Great Jin; exterminate the wolf‑ambitious Xiongnu and Xianbei; project power into the Western Regions, pushing Shanyang Pass westward past the Wusun; recover independent Southern Territories and the Yunnan States. Let the people of our Great Jin also eat their fill and dress warmly, becoming subjects of the Celestial Dynasty.... This process may cost much silver, claim many lives, and be exceedingly arduous, but I, the King, am still young.'

In his lifetime, he will surely reach it.