Chapter 350: Chapter Sixteen: Autumn Fire

That night passed without incident. The massive autumn hunt procession departed from Xinghua and continued north along the Luan River, but paused briefly in the wilderness between the upper reaches of the Luan River and the Luoma River... This was a natural hunting ground, and the game was at its fattest time of year.

Therefore, a grand encircling hunt naturally unfolded on the spot, making this autumn hunt truly worthy of its name while also lifting everyone's spirits to a higher level.

That day, the fifteen-year-old Great Jin Emperor Wanyan Hela rode out and was the first to draw his bow and shoot at the sky, unveiling the prelude of this great encircling hunt.

And under the sovereign's lead, all the civil and military officials and tribal nobles eagerly joined in... There was no need to even mention the minority officials who were born to fishing, hunting, and horseback archery. Even Vice Commissioner of the Privy Council, Lord Qin, hit his mark with one arrow, shooting a yellow weasel before the emperor, earning praise from the sovereign Wanyan Hela on the spot.

However, the true climax of the hunt came at dusk on the third day.

That evening, as everyone inspected the game, they were astonished to discover that the fifteen-year-old sovereign Wanyan Hela had shot one hundred and twenty-seven rabbits in three days!

This was no small matter. It wasn't just that the young sovereign surpassed that Zhao Song official in the south at shooting rabbits at such a young age, nor that this act demonstrated the great Jin royal clan's magnificent fishing and hunting traditions... The key point was that the young sovereign had easily used these kills to fiercely refute the rumors—he was by no means the so-called 'Han son' the rumors made him out to be!

Even if he looked like a Han son, dressed like a Han son, and spoke like a Han son, in essence he was still of Jurchen stock! Otherwise, how could he have made so many kills?

It couldn't be said that during these three days of hunting, he wasn't hunting alone—that Shizu Wanyan Helibo and Taizu Wanyan Aguda had both possessed him, could it?

If they truly had possessed him, that only proved the sovereign was a great man sent by heaven, of the White Mountain and Black Water lineage, blessed by his ancestors!

Similar remarks reached a peak after the subsequent imperial reward ceremony concluded.

In this ceremony, the sovereign first announced on the spot the establishment of a personal imperial guard army directly under his command, then used this as a pretext to promote many outstanding youths from various tribes who had performed well in the hunt to serve as his attendants. For the older ones and those with official positions, he lavishly rewarded them with gold, silver, horses, and goods. And that wasn't all—the real meat came later... On the suggestion of Prince Wei, Wanyan Wushu, the young sovereign enfeoffed a large number of princes on the spot!

Truly a large-scale enfeoffment of princes! Dozens of princely titles were thrown out in a single day!

Not only did the sovereign's dozen or so uncles receive princely titles, but many former meritorious officials who had helped establish the dynasty also became so-called great princes... Wanyan Yinshuke became the Prince of Shu, Wanyan Talan became the Prince of Lu, Wanyan Pujianu became the Prince of Wu, Wanyan Xiyin became the Prince of Chen... The dead were not left out either. The deceased former heir Wanyan Xie was posthumously enfeoffed as the Prince of Yan, Wolibu, who had presided over the Jingkang Incident, was posthumously enfeoffed as the Prince of Song, and Loushi was posthumously enfeoffed as the Prince of Yue... Even the sons of the former sovereign who had been driven away were not forgotten. Wanyan Puluhu, the eldest son of Wuqimai, was enfeoffed as the Prince of Dai, and his other sons also received princely titles. Then the sovereign publicly issued the princely regalia and rewards, ordering them to be delivered immediately.

For a time, morale was high, and everyone from top to bottom beamed with joy. Naturally, they raised their cups again and shouted 'Long live the sovereign, one hundred and twenty years!' countless times!

And so, the three-day hunt concluded, and the procession continued north, soon arriving at a boundless pine forest... This was the famous Flatland Pine Forest.

Arriving here meant they had reached the original birthplace of the Khitan and Xi peoples.

In later ages, the Flatland Pine Forest would be greatly reduced by human activity, even disappearing entirely. But at this time, this boundless pine forest, nearly a thousand li in circumference, stretched from the southern section of the Greater Khingan Range all the way to the upper reaches of the Luoma River (northwest of Songshan). On one side, it blocked the incursions of the Mongolian plateau to the west, while on the other, it provided the Khitan and Xi people with vast living resources.

And it was with their backs against this pine forest that the Khitan people calmly developed and grew strong, then went on to achieve their great enterprise... Throughout the Liao dynasty, records of this pine forest were countless. The so-called 'black cow' of the black cow and white horse legend came out of the Flatland Pine Forest, then followed the Huangshui River to Linhuangfu.

Of course, even this thousand-li pine forest, the ancestral land of the Khitan people, was now merely a playground for Jurchen nobles to shoot tigers and display their martial prowess to the sovereign—Entering the eastern side of the Flatland Pine Forest and heading north, all was calm and uneventful. The biggest news in the first two days was that someone had entered the forest, shot a tiger, and presented it to the young, divinely gifted sovereign.

However, early on the third day, some expected drama finally arrived—An envoy from the Prince of Liao, the eldest of the three ruling brothers, came from the northeast, reporting that the Khitan and Xi people, upon hearing that the sovereign was about to arrive, were in turmoil and had begun contacting each other, appearing somewhat unstable. The Prince of Liao only had two Hezha Meng'an, and to be safe, he requested that the sovereign and the Prince of Wei first send reinforcements to him, allowing him to stabilize the situation in Linhuangfu, so to speak, to clean up before the sovereign's arrival.

Prince Wei, Wanyan Wushu, agreed without hesitation, and immediately, Wulinda Taiyu led five accompanying Meng'an northward ahead of the main force.

No one around raised any objections to this... After all, since last year's alliance at the Jinhe River, Yelu Dashi's influence had reached the border, and many Khitan and Xi people had become restless. Otherwise, why would the first stop of the sovereign's first autumn hunt be Linhuangfu?

In a sense, the occurrence of political incidents, even bloody ones, was a consensus among everyone. It was only that the military power of the Great Jin state on this side of the Yellow River was still unmatched, so there was no need to worry about anything going wrong.

Therefore, the entire procession remained calm. Only a few officials of Khitan or Xi origin were slightly nervous, but they were summoned and comforted by the increasingly impressive sovereign himself, and they could not help but weep with gratitude.

That evening, the massive procession camped as usual seven or eight li from the edge of the Flatland Pine Forest. Specifically, they were on the opposite side of a shallow tributary of the Huangshui River, with only a few simple floating bridges on the river, convenient for fetching pine cones from the forest to light fires... There was a reason for camping like this. Setting up camp by the water was for easy access to water, while staying slightly away from the pine forest and camping on the opposite bank was because autumn pine forests required strict fire prevention. If a fire broke out, the small river could effectively hinder its spread.

This was common sense for the Jurchens, who were born to fishing and hunting.

It could only be said that in these times, it wasn't just one Zhao official who cared about environmental protection; the Wanyan clan was also at the forefront of the era.

As for others, let them be. Speaking only of Vice Commissioner of the Privy Council, Qin Hui, that evening he had dinner in the sovereign's tent, returned to his own campsite, personally comforted the twenty armored soldiers that Prince Wei had bestowed upon him just a few days ago, and then entered his tent early to rest with his eyes closed... Ever since receiving those twenty armored soldiers, this Lord Qin had been acting like this, no longer having the habit of wandering around late at night.

As usual, the sun set, darkness fell, but the camp was filled with constant noise. If one went out for a stroll, although it wasn't brightly lit, there were still scattered points of light.

However, today seemed different from usual. After another half hour, the sound of wind could be faintly heard from outside the tent. This wasn't ordinary wind; it was the autumn wind stirring the vast forest sea several li away. The forest sea rolled like waves, producing a howling sound, occasionally mixed with the roars of wild beasts, truly captivating.

Sitting cross-legged on the couch, still fully dressed, Qin Huizhi opened his eyes and listened intently to the wind's howl. For some reason, he became completely absorbed, thinking of countless strange things.

After a long while, the wind gradually died down, and the camp seemed to have no other sounds. Qin Hui sighed and prepared to sleep in his clothes as he was.

But just then, suddenly, a barely perceptible shout came from the east... It sounded like a wild beast's howl, like wind passing through some gap, and also somewhat like a human voice.

Hearing the sound, in an instant, Qin Hui turned over and sat up.

However, the sound flashed and disappeared, leaving only the faint wind, quiet as before.

Qin Huizhi sighed, then smiled bitterly, feeling he had been overly cautious. Perhaps the day Prince Wei bestowed the twenty armored soldiers was merely because he disliked Qin Hui's deliberate feigning of cowardice in court and refusal to work for him, using it as a warning and surveillance, not what he had imagined... With this thought, this Lord Qin turned over and lay down, then closed his eyes to sleep.

Then, he was startled off his simple wooden couch by the sudden outbreak of shouting and killing!

The shouts of battle came from due east. Qin Huizhi, who had been sleeping in his clothes, tumbled to the ground, hastily grabbed a pair of boots that had been placed by the tent entrance, and ran out barefoot. Turning his head, he saw flickering firelight to the east and people shouting continuously... Some shouted for revenge for the Grand Marshal, some shouted to 'clear the side of the ruler and kill Wushu,' some shouted 'Long live the Great Khitan,' and some even shouted something about 'Under the Zhao official's command, so-and-so Commander leading so-and-so Mountain's entire band is here'... Could it be they had been reading *Water Margin*?

The shouting was lively, and the chaotic camp was even livelier. But Qin Hui only listened for a few moments, pulled on his boots, and then turned directly to face the twenty armored soldiers, who were also hastily roused:

"Gentlemen! Prince Wei sent you here for a day like this. Take me across the river to the west immediately!"

The leader of these armored soldiers was taken aback at first, then frowned directly: "No need to see the sovereign and Prince Wei?"

Qin Hui finally lost his temper: "If you know exactly where the sovereign and Prince Wei are, take me there!"

The armored leader looked at the brightly lit sovereign's tent, growing more confused, but Prince Wei had given prior instructions, so he didn't delay. Instead, he pushed aside this Han official's servants and attendants, and escorted the Han official directly westward.

Qin Hui ignored his own servants, instead actively pointing out the location of the floating bridge and urging the armored soldiers to hurry.

When they reached the floating bridge, armored soldiers were indeed waiting in strict readiness. They received Qin Hui and his group, then ordered the armored soldiers and attendants to stay on the east bank to resist the enemy, before leading Qin Huizhi alone toward an inconspicuous small slope on the west side of the small river.

Not many torches were lit on the small slope, but Qin Huizhi had naturally sharp eyes. From a distance, he could see the Great Jin sovereign in his cloak and Prince Wei in full armor standing on the slope, watching the chaos in the camp opposite... He just couldn't see their expressions.

Qin Hui composed himself and was about to go forward to pay his respects, but unexpectedly, as he reached the foot of the slope, the armored soldiers directly led him to a spot, clearly not allowing him to easily approach and disturb them... That was fine, but what left Qin Huizhi speechless was that, in the dim light, two acquaintances were already waiting there early—Hong Ya!

And Zheng Xiunian, a relative of his own, hiding behind Hong Ya!

These two bastards had run faster than himself, nicknamed 'Long-Legged Qin'?!

However, at this point, there was nothing more to say. The three of them, by the light of the fire at the foot of the slope, barely clasped their hands in greeting, then shrank into the shadows, simply staring at the uncle and nephew a few dozen paces away on the slope, pricking up their ears.

After waiting a while, a voice finally came from the slope, breaking the silence.

It was none other than the young sovereign, Wanyan Hela, but his tone sounded somewhat displeased:

"Fourth Uncle, which faction is actually rebelling? Or are even these rebels arranged by you and my other uncles?"

The sovereign was, after all, fifteen years old. At the foot of the small slope, Qin Hui and Hong Ya exchanged a glance, each understanding the other's unspoken thoughts.

"The one truly leading troops to rebel tonight is actually only one person—your cousin Puluhu (Wuqimai's eldest son)..." Wanyan Wushu's voice was equally cold. "This man has always been a menace. As long as he lives, you will be uneasy, and the three of us will also be uneasy. That's why I and your two uncles turned his own trick against him, deliberately luring him here."

This answer did not elicit the slightest reaction from the two Han ministers below, but the young sovereign fell silent immediately, because this answer clearly sobered him up considerably... This was because Puluhu was none other than the eldest son of the former sovereign Wuqimai, who had abdicated due to a stroke. If this man succeeded in his rebellion, others might be uncertain, but the sovereign himself would certainly bear the brunt of it, and would be the most unfortunate no matter what!

Moreover, this answer also solved another mystery: who exactly had the audacity to use a small force to attack the sovereign's procession, protected by two Hezha Meng'an, in the wilderness within the country's borders?

It must be known that these were the most elite troops in the world! They were the cream of the crop, selected from the two to three hundred thousand troops during the Great Jin's heyday!

But if it were Puluhu, it became perfectly reasonable, because when the Hezha Meng'an were first established, only Aguda, Wuqimai, and Zhanhan had qualified to create them. Two of Zhanhan's Hezha Meng'an had been given to Loushi for use before the Battle of Yaoshan and had remained in Hedong ever since. Of the remaining four Hezha Meng'an in Yanjing City, two had been personally established by Wuqimai.

To put it bluntly, Pulu Hu likely has an inside agent!

After a long silence, the young monarch, Wanyan Hela, ultimately couldn't hold back and lowered his voice again to ask, "Fourth Uncle... does the Imperial Granduncle (Wuqimai) know about this?"

"The old monarch truly had a stroke and can't get up." Wushu gave a definitive answer. "He can only lie down now; otherwise, do you think we brothers would have dared to let him leave so easily that day?"

"Then who is the inside agent?" Hela pressed further.

"There is no inside agent." Wushu replied calmly. "Pulu Hu found Talan and wanted Talan to use the old monarch's name to find people among the two Hezha Meng'an, but Talan came straight to me instead. It was after a hasty discussion between me and your other two uncles that we settled on today's plan... In other words, how would we three brothers dare to let you truly fall into danger?"

The young monarch was visibly relieved.

And at this moment, hearing these secret details, in the shadows below the small slope, Qin Huizhi and Hong Ya couldn't help but exchange a glance. Their eyes met briefly in the night by torchlight, and they each understood the other's meaning again—the monarch was ultimately too young. Whether Pulu Hu approached Talan first, or Wushu approached Talan first, only Wushu and Talan, those two alone, could say for sure.

So, who the hell knows what really happened?

The autumn wind stirred lightly. Across the small river, flames still soared into the sky, chaos unceasing. More and more people gathered behind the small slope... Wanyan Talan, Han Fang, Wulinda Zanmo, Wanyan Xiyin, and Wanyan Yinshu were all there.

And although these people arrived late, they were all shrewd individuals. Watching the scene across the small river now, they could only feel pity—not only for those causing chaos on the opposite bank, but also for those kept in the dark, and even for themselves, who had some inkling of the truth, were rather pitiable too.

But soon, an even more pitiable thing happened.

"Your Majesty! Prince of Wei!"

After a few people had shouted recklessly based on their status and been dragged away, it had actually been quite quiet below the small slope. But this time, someone still couldn't help calling out to the two nobles who had their backs to the pine forest and faced the small river.

And this time, even the armored soldiers nearby did not stop them.

Wanyan Wushu and Wanyan Hela, uncle and nephew, finally turned around, and then both stared blankly... but could only stare blankly... For what met their eyes was that, from who knows when, flames had ignited in the pine forest behind and to the side.

There was no need to ask; it was certainly caused by the current chaos. Someone had carried a fire source into the pine forest.

Moreover, in autumn, once the thousand-li pine forest caught fire, how could human strength stop it? The fire spread almost instantly with the autumn wind. In just a few breaths, the fire line could double in length. Within half an hour, it was already showing signs of becoming a sea of fire, rolling deeper... Compared to this spectacle, the chaos in the camp across the river was child's play.

Seeing this scene, the instigator like Wanyan Wushu, the honored one like the young monarch, the schemer like Qin Huizhi, the battlefield tyrant like Hong Ya, the battle-hardened like Yinshu, the learned like Han Fang and Xiyin—all could only stare dumbfounded, watching the great fire freely churn and roll through the pine forest.

Not a single person spoke.

Not only that, the towering waves of fire in the great pine forest, their momentum overwhelming everything, in turn affected the chaos across the river. The turmoil, which should have been quickly resolved, dragged on until dawn before stopping—Wulinda Taiyu had been ordered to wait with five Meng'an twenty li to the north, and should have come to support following the firelight, but the sudden pine forest fire in the deep night directly made him lose his way, and he only found his way here at dawn.

Of course, it was ultimately just an accident.

Moreover, not long after dawn, the situation stabilized completely, and people finally felt somewhat relieved about the wildfire still smoking behind them, then turned their attention to the chaos—by this time, although the main culprit hadn't been caught due to the fire accident, quite a few other rebels had been captured, and the evidence was essentially conclusive: the rebel was Wanyan Pulu Hu, and this scoundrel had even colluded with some Khitans and Xi people!

The surviving Yanjing nobles stood before the small slope, exchanging glances, having nothing to say to this answer:

"The monarch had just enfeoffed him as a prince! Utterly shameless!"

"A noble Jurchen stock, actually colluding with Khitan dogs!"

"From what was said yesterday, weren't there Han children too?"

"He might have even colluded with the Song people!"

"He deserves execution!"

"Eliminate him and his brothers together!"

"Your Majesty, spare his life! After all, the old monarch is still alive!"

Amidst the clamor, due to the disturbances of the previous night and the unexpected accident, the young monarch, now showing many signs of fatigue, instinctively looked in the smoky air at the armored man beside him:

"Fourth Uncle, how should we deal with Pulu Hu and his brothers?"

Wanyan Wushu seemed about to speak but stopped, then turned back to look at the people behind him... Unlike those who arrived later and could only stand before the slope, the dozens who had arrived here before the chaos was quelled had already ascended the slope, standing behind the monarch and the Prince of Wei.

The young monarch Wanyan Hela understood and immediately turned to face these people who had come to him early, earnestly asking those closer: "Master Han, Chancellor Xiyin, Minister Wulinda, Chancellor Qin, what do you think?"

Standing on the slope, Qin Huizhi and the others were naturally fully aware of the commotion below. Hearing this, they each had their own words.

Wulinda Zanmo and Han Fang both advised the monarch to take decisive action to end the matter. Wanyan Xiyin frowned slightly but merely deferred, saying the monarch should decide.

And after these three had spoken, Qin Huizhi slightly cupped his hands, about to echo them. But his gaze swept downward, and he saw many dignitaries of various tribes standing below the slope, with the small slope before them and the small river behind them, while to left and right, armored cavalry were arrayed in formation at a distance amidst smoke and mist—on the left was Wulinda Taiyu, and on the right, judging by the banners, it seemed to be that unscrupulous fellow Wundun Sizhong.

At this glance, for some reason, with the words on his lips, Chancellor Qin suddenly changed his mind: "Your Majesty, in autumn the weather is dry and things are flammable. Once the thousand-li pine forest ignites, human strength cannot stop it... Your minister believes that bloodshed should be minimized..."

Wanyan Hela was slightly startled, then frowned. Beside him, Wanyan Wushu let out a deep breath upon hearing this, almost like a sigh, but quickly recovered as before.

However, the final result was still as expected—no emperor would show mercy to someone who posed a real threat to his throne and had made concrete rebellious moves... The three Prince of Wei brothers also did not want a force outside the Pass to continue maintaining a semi-independent state, preventing the Prince of Wei from conscripting raw Jurchens to train new troops.

Thus, under the Prince of Wei's leadership, a decision on punishment was quickly reached. Wanyan Pulu Hu was naturally to be hunted down with a reward, dead or alive, and Wanyan Pulu Hu's brothers were also to be wanted, with Wulinda Taiyu immediately leading troops to capture them.

Of course, the old monarch absolutely must not be disturbed.

At this point, everyone from top to bottom breathed a long sigh of relief, only wanting this matter to be put behind them quickly.

However, just then, His Highness the Prince of Wei, our Fourth Prince Wanyan Wushu, suddenly stepped forward with his hand on his sword, and in the gradually darkening weather, addressed the many nobles below the slope:

"When the chaos started last night, those who took the initiative to go to the monarch's tent to rescue him, step forward and walk fifty paces north. Those who took the initiative to engage the enemy at the easternmost point, step forward and walk fifty paces south..."

At these words, the young monarch suddenly realized and silently scolded himself for being careless, having forgotten to bestow rewards.

But for some reason, behind this monarch, whether it was Minister Wulinda, Master Han, or Vice Chancellor of the Capital Secretariat Wanyan Xiyin, their faces all turned deathly pale.

Only Qin Hui deeply buried his head.