Taiheiki

Chapter 341 The Royal Capital
A mere "passing grade" is certainly not enough. Yu Wen wants more, such as escorting the King of Funan back to the capital and then using him as a puppet to control the country without firing a single shot. This is the result Yu Wen wants, but can he really do it?
"They're here! Look, they're finally here! Quickly, give the order to weigh anchor and prepare to set sail!" Upon discovering that Deputy Envoy Xu Wen and the others were on their way, Yu Wen subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. Whether or not they had met the Prince of Funan, at least they had escaped unscathed.

"My lord!" Xu Wen, panting, bowed to Yu Wen. "I didn't encounter the King of Funan, but I happened to meet Prime Minister Sangba of Funan by the stream, so I brought him along!"

"Oh?" Yu Wen was overjoyed when he saw Samba in the crowd behind Xu Wen: "Very well, when we return to the capital, we will only say that the King of Funan died in the fire. With this prime minister as proof, who would dare not believe us?"

"The Prince of Funan has died in the fire?" Xu Wen was taken aback upon hearing this, but then he realized what he meant and laughed, "What you say is true, whether he is really dead or not, as long as the prime minister says so, then he is really dead!"

"It's good that you understand!" Yu Wen said with a smile. "This trip was not in vain after all. Don't worry, when we get back, I will record your achievements in my report to Chief Secretary Duan!"

"Thank you, my dear!"

------------------

The Funan camp was desolate, littered with mud, ashes, and charred bones. The Gou-ting people had already occupied it, spear in hand, searching for prisoners in the caves and ravines surrounding the camp, turning over the ashes and scavenging valuables from the corpses. Ying Feng rode through the crowd, feeling countless gazes fixed upon him: awe, fear, coldness. But no one dared to speak. His guards, clad in tiger-skin cloaks—they were the personal guards of the Gou-ting king.

"What a resounding victory!" General Kocho replied with satisfaction, "Your Excellency, rest assured, I will certainly report your merits to His Majesty, and His Majesty will surely reward you for your strategy!"

Ying Feng nodded noncommittally, seemingly unconcerned about the "reward" the other party mentioned. After a moment, he asked, "Didn't you say earlier that there were Han soldiers among the Funan people? Have you discovered anything?"

"No!" General Gochō shook his head. "But it doesn't matter whether it's there or not. After such a huge fire, even fine steel would melt. Let alone people!"

“That’s true!” Ying Feng nodded. “So what are your plans next? To take straight the capital of the Funan people?”

"Excellent!" General Gochō puffed out his chest. "To be honest, this time it's all thanks to you, envoy. Otherwise, those war elephants alone wouldn't have been so easy to deal with!"

"Hmm!" Ying Feng nodded: "But as far as I know, your country also has elephants, so why don't you raise war elephants?"

"Your Excellency is unaware of the truth!" General Gochō laughed, "These elephants have enormous appetites. Our country is small, and our land is far less fertile than that of Funan. Where would we find the surplus fodder and food to feed so many war elephants? However, after we occupy Funan's land, we can certainly form an elephant army!"

"If these Ju-ting people were to acquire an elephant army, wouldn't they become enemies of our Great Han again?" Ying Feng thought to himself. "No wonder Wei Cong used the 'using wolves to devour tigers' strategy, and he still had a backup plan to deal with this Ju-ting Kingdom!"

Seeing that Ying Feng remained silent, General Na Ju assumed he was worried about the future war and laughed, "Your Excellency, there's no need to worry. Funan is different from the Han Dynasty. Its king claims to be a descendant of gods and governs with divine authority. There are no prefectures or counties in the country, only many vassal states. This time, all we need to do is capture its capital, find any member of its royal family to be its king, and order them to pay a certain amount of tribute every year, and we'll be fine!"

"Is that all?" Ying Feng was taken aback. "Didn't you send troops this time to occupy their land and settle the people there?"

"The land we've occupied along the way is more than enough for our people to live and cultivate!" General Gou-cho laughed. "As long as the King of Funan can't gather the strength of the various states to attack us in the future, that's enough. It would be even better if we could receive more tribute every year!"

"General, General!" shouted the officer from Gochō, "We've captured the King of Funan!"

"What? Where is it?" General Gocho was overjoyed.

"In a cave to the west!" the officer pointed. "He must have gotten lost last night and couldn't escape. After dawn, he found our men and hid in a cave, where our men discovered him!"

"Quickly, bring him here!" General Gochō was overjoyed. "Envoy Ying, it's truly a blessing from the gods! With the capture of the King of Funan, we can occupy the capital of Funan without a fight!"

————————————————————————

"Finally back!" Yu Wen breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the spire of the temple tower outside the capital of Funan. He knew very well that the key to victory lay in the Funan capital—this city, located on the southern shore of Tonle Sap Lake, was a natural stronghold for controlling the land. For centuries, the temples surrounding the capital and the king's granaries had been overflowing with wealth, while the fertile rice paddies supported by the well-developed irrigation system around the capital fed nearly a million people. More importantly, it was easily accessible by waterway from the lower Mekong Delta. Whether from Panyu or Jiaozhi, the Han army's large ships could reach the docks below the city in just half a month. As long as they could control this place, the entire situation would remain under their control.

"Prime Minister!" Yu Wen returned to the cabin and said to Samba, "Time is of the essence for both of us. The Ju-ting people's pursuers will be a little slower than us, but not for too long. After all, their general should also know the importance of speed in war. A few days ago, I sent an urgent letter to Rinan County requesting reinforcements. The reinforcements should be on their way, but until then, we can only rely on ourselves!"

“I understand what you mean!” The prime minister said solemnly. “After returning to the city, I will immediately order the conscription of all men who can take up arms and hand them over to you for command. I will also send messengers to the various vassal states to request reinforcements!”

“Yes, the first thing we must do is indeed hurry up!” Yu Wen nodded. “You do have enough people here. As for the second thing…” He paused slightly. “Are you sure they will send reinforcements? After all, you just suffered such a huge defeat, and even the king is nowhere to be found!”

"You can rest assured!" Samba replied confidently, "The temple here is a sacred site of Vishnu, and those vassal states will definitely send reinforcements to prevent the barbarians from desecrating it!" "That would be best!" Yu Wen laughed, "The Han reinforcements will arrive in ten days at most, or six or seven days at least!"

As soon as the small boat carrying the Prime Minister of Funan departed, Yu Wen's smile vanished. He asked Xu Wen beside him, "Do you think this Samba was speaking from the heart?"

"What does Your Excellency mean?" Xu Wen asked, puzzled. "In my opinion, he shouldn't be playing any tricks at this time, right? After all, if the Ju-ting people attack, we can leave by boat, but he can't escape."

“That makes sense! But I always feel there’s something wrong with it, after all, the King of Funan isn’t in our hands!” Yu Wen sighed. “If, and I mean if, the King of Funan falls into the hands of the Gou-ting people, do you think this Sangba might simply surrender to the Gou-ting people and drive us out?”

"This—" Xu Wen frowned as well: "It's not impossible, but there are too many assumptions involved, aren't there?"

“Hmm, but we can’t be careless!” Yu Wen glanced at the sky and whispered to Xu Wen, “Here’s what we’ll do: tonight you take some men and sneak out of the camp, and then…” After a moment, he patted Xu Wen’s shoulder, “Just do it this way, understand?”

"Understood!" Xu Wen's brows had already relaxed: "Your Excellency, you are truly a master strategist. That Samba will definitely not be able to escape your trap!"

------------------

"Quickly, quickly, prepare hot water, incense, and new clothes. Get the altar ready! The master is back!"

The spacious and bright mansion of Samba was bustling with activity. Male and female servants hurried along the smooth teakwood corridors, bringing incense, wooden tubs, spices, and new clothes. According to the religious customs of the time, after experiencing a calamity, Brahmin nobles like Samba would burn incense, bathe, recite scriptures, pray to the gods, and offer sacrifices to thank them for their protection, cleanse themselves of impurities, and seek their guidance for the next step.

Soon, Samba stood up from the wooden tub, hot water sliding down his naked body. The female slave quickly dried him off, changed him into new clothes, applied carefully made perfume to his body, combed his hair, and then placed the floral crown unique to high priests on his head. His previous dishevelment and panic vanished, and his face radiated the holiness and solemnity characteristic of high priests.

“Let’s begin!” Samba whispered.

The servants bowed their heads, quickly and silently cleaning the ground before leaving the house. According to Hindu doctrine, performing religious ceremonies was the exclusive privilege of Brahmins. If these servants didn't leave, they would only anger the gods and bring great calamity. Samba walked to the altar, took a pinch of powder from a golden plate, and sprinkled it into the brazier. The charcoal hissed, and pale flames flickered and smoked. He raised his hands, palms up, closed his eyes, and began to recite a prayer to the gods. After the prayer was finished, a junior priest offered a golden cup containing soma. This beverage, made by soaking ephedra roots, was considered sacred in ancient Hindu mythology. It was said that the gods bestowed this drink upon mortals, granting them not only communication with the gods but also immortality.

After drinking the soma, Samba quickly fell into a strange state. He seemed to be conversing with some illusory entity, and everyone inside and outside the house held their breath in fear, lest they make a sound that would disturb their master's sacred communication. When Samba regained consciousness, it was already dinnertime, and his servant cautiously asked, "Master, the Queen, and many others are waiting for you outside. May you go to see them now?"

"Bring me a glass of water, I'm very thirsty!" Samba whispered. He took the glass, his Adam's apple bobbing rapidly. He drank quickly, so much so that water droplets clung to his lips. The servant looked at him worriedly: "Master, do you want more?"

“No, that’s enough!” Samba handed the cup back to the servant. “Now go on!”

As the prime minister of the kingdom, Samba's residence naturally had a very spacious back hall, enough to accommodate hundreds of people for banquets on ordinary days. But when he arrived, he was still stunned by what he saw—there were nearly two hundred people standing or sitting inside, all of whom were prominent figures in Funan, and the vast majority of them were women whose husbands and children had participated in the expedition.

"Prime Minister, don't stand there, come in quickly!" The Queen noticed Samba and beckoned him in. "Whether it's good news or bad news, tell us poor women! Many of us haven't had a good night's sleep for days because of the safety of our husbands and sons!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Samba bowed to the Queen and entered the hall. He could feel the expectant gazes of the women around him, and his heart pounded with unease. He knew that women, though vulnerable, could sometimes be incredibly terrifying, especially when their husbands and children were involved. Would he, bringing bad news, become the target of their despair and resentment? Thinking of this, he couldn't help but regret not having brought a weapon for self-defense.

"Your Majesty, my esteemed ladies! Unfortunately, I bring you bad news. The Ju-ting people defeated us on the battlefield, and many of us have died. I myself escaped only with great difficulty and divine protection. I do not know how your husbands and children are doing now, but please prepare for the worst!"

Samba's words elicited sighs and sobs. The women covered their faces, tears welling in their eyes, and some even fainted. However, most remained calm and composed, having already anticipated Samba's return.

"And what about my unfortunate husband? Where is he now? Is he still alive?" the queen asked.

"I don't know!" Samba said with a wry smile. "Really, the situation was very chaotic at the time. I barely managed to escape myself, so I had no way of figuring out where the King was!"

"Prime Minister!" The Queen's face darkened. "You were already Prime Minister when my husband's father was in power. My husband and I respected you greatly and considered you someone we could trust and rely on. But when disaster struck, you abandoned my husband and returned alone. Do you think that's appropriate?"

Samba could sense the malice in the Queen's words and quickly explained, "Your Majesty, things are not as you imagine. We won the daytime victory, but the despicable Ju-ting people set fire to our camp at night. The wind happened to be blowing towards our camp, and it hadn't rained for a long time, so the fire spread very quickly. By the time we discovered it, the entire camp was already engulfed in fire and smoke. Even the gods could only save their own lives at that time and couldn't help others!"

(End of this chapter)