The prince is more stable

Chapter 1022 Victory Report from the Northwest
In recent years, the Song and Liao dynasties have signed many agreements, and the Song dynasty has generally benefited from them.

National strength determines everything. As the Liao Dynasty declined year after year, it lost its former arrogance and had to start to be cautious and put on a smiling face when facing the Song Dynasty, the Central Plains dynasty that it had once been able to control.

The atrocities committed by the three thousand Liao soldiers in the northwest not only resulted in the Song Dynasty retaliating by stabbing the Liao Dynasty in the back, but also drawing heavy blood from the Liao Dynasty.

The terms negotiated by Cai Jing were indeed extremely advantageous, and one can imagine how furious the Liao emperor Yelü Yanxi must have been.

That's great, it's a happy occasion.

The courtiers in the hall nodded in approval, expressing their satisfaction with the outcome of the negotiations.

Zhao Xiaoqian thought about it and felt it was not bad, mainly because he also planned to withdraw Zhe Keshi's troops.

The 20,000 troops roamed freely within the Liao territory, seemingly glorious and powerful. However, from a military perspective, this was a very risky move, as they were an isolated force deep in enemy territory. If the Liao were determined not to cross over, Zhe Keshi could easily find himself in a desperate situation surrounded by enemies on all sides.

Zhao Xiaoqian cannot gamble on the Liao Kingdom's courage based on its current apparent weakness. Even a cornered dog will jump over a wall, let alone Yelü Yanxi, who at least has more guts than a dog.

"So be it. The Privy Council shall draft an edict ordering Zong Ze, the garrison commander of Beijing, to immediately withdraw Zhe Keshi's troops and lead them back to Youzhou," Zhao Xiaoqian said slowly.

"Zhe Keshi deserves credit for his merits in this battle. He shall be awarded a thousand taels of gold and promoted to Military Governor of Yongxing Army. His subordinate generals shall be rewarded according to their merits."

Zhao Xiaoqian looked at Cai Jing with a smile and said, "Mr. Yuanchang and Minister Zhang have also made contributions in negotiating with the Liao envoy. Each of them shall be awarded one hundred taels of gold and two hundred bolts of silk."

Cai Jing was overjoyed and hurriedly knelt down to express his gratitude.

Amidst the envious and jealous gazes of the court officials, Cai Jing once again pulled off a brilliant move.

"Your Majesty, the national treasury is currently empty. The court is accumulating strength, waiting for the day when it will launch a northern expedition. I dare to be bold and ask that the gold and silk bestowed upon me be donated to the national treasury to supplement the soldiers' provisions. If I can contribute my efforts to the northern expedition, I will be content."

As soon as he finished speaking, several disdainful snorts were heard in the hall.

You think you're so great, so aloof, and so skilled at flattery that you think you're superior? So you think we're not as enlightened as you, that we're inferior to you in every way…

The cold snort was undisguised, and Cai Jing naturally heard it, but he didn't care at all.

We have different paths, so we cannot work together.

Cai Jing had only one principle in his official career: to always cling to the emperor's coattails. As long as the emperor was in power, he would enjoy wealth and honor. As for the opinions of his colleagues, they were not important.

I've already entered the Council of State by currying favor with the government officials, and have become the rightful Vice Prime Minister. Who do you think you are?

As expected, Cai Jing's remarkably insightful words greatly pleased Emperor Zhao Xiaoqian, who immediately burst into laughter.

"As expected of Mr. Yuanchang, whom I value highly, his loyalty and dedication to the country are as clear as day!"

"I am very pleased that there is a loyal minister like Mr. Yuanchang in the court. If all the officials in the country were like Mr. Yuanchang, how could the country be unstable, and how could a prosperous era be delayed?"

After Zhao Xiaoqian finished speaking, the faces of all the civil and military officials turned green.

This isn't just calling people out; this is practically hurling insults at them in public.

It's one thing to praise Cai Jing, that sycophant, but why do you have to criticize all officials in the country?
Cai Jing didn't spend a single penny, yet he won such high praise from the emperor; his business acumen was truly remarkable.

None of the officials in the hall uttered a sound; their faces were contorted with disgust and displeasure.

Minister of Rites Zhang Yi could no longer stand and had to speak in his official capacity: "Your Majesty, I am also willing to donate all the gifts bestowed by Your Majesty to the national treasury to supplement the soldiers' provisions."

After a pause, Zhang Yi continued, "Not only that, I will also voluntarily contribute two hundred taels of gold to replenish the national treasury, to express my sincere gratitude."

Zhang Yi was suffering.

It's not that I'm reluctant to part with this reward; the gold and silk bestowed by the Emperor are really nothing. Once an official becomes a Minister, who would be short of money?

But Cai Jing's actions were disgusting.

In front of the entire court, he proposed that the rewards be deposited into the national treasury. He gained both the advantage of flattery and the initiative, while Zhang Yi was left in a bind.

If he didn't follow Cai Jing's example, it would be a sign of his lack of awareness as a minister. But now that he's following Cai Jing's example, Cai Jing has already said all the good things and acted first. Even if Zhang Yi were to hand over the reward again, it would be seen as simply copying others.

Almost driven to desperation, Zhang Yi had no choice but to escalate the situation.

Not only did he offer up the gold and silk that the emperor had just bestowed upon him, but he also personally paid an additional two hundred taels of gold. In this way, he managed to keep up with Cai Jing and barely maintain his image as a loyal minister.

He represented the Song Dynasty in negotiations with the Liao Dynasty and clearly made a contribution, but who knew he would have to pay out of his own pocket? One can only imagine how bitter Zhang Yi must feel now.

All the officials looked at Zhang Yi with complex expressions, a mixture of sympathy, pity, and schadenfreude.

Cai Jing, seemingly oblivious, turned and bowed deeply to Zhang Yi, saying with reverence, "Minister Zhang, your virtue is truly admirable!"

Zhang Yi gritted his teeth, his face turning ashen, but he forced a smile: "You flatter me, Mr. Cai."

If it weren't for the concern about being disrespectful in front of the emperor, Zhang Yi would have already started cursing.

Zhao Xiaoqian naturally noticed the strangely friendly atmosphere between the two, and thus stared intently at Cai Jing.

This guy's behavior is familiar; I had a few similar types in my class back in my previous life. To impress the teacher, he would not only fabricate stories about classmates, but what's worse, sometimes when the teacher forgot to assign homework, he would loudly remind them, as if afraid that the classmates would have too easy a time at home.

In his past life, Zhao Xiaoqian certainly hated this kind of person, but now, from a teacher's perspective, he felt that this guy was actually quite good and should be praised during the parent-teacher conference.

The only worry is whether Cai Jing will be ambushed and drowned by mysterious figures on his way home from court...

After all, one of Zhao Xiaoqian's classmates in his previous life had actually been stuffed in a sack and beaten so badly in an alley that his own mother wouldn't recognize him. More than ten years after graduation, the case is still unsolved.

Thinking of the fate of his classmate from his previous life, Zhao Xiaoqian's gaze toward Cai Jing was immediately filled with sympathy.

Cai Jing glanced up unintentionally and caught a glimpse of the Emperor's eyes, and was startled.

Why is Your Majesty looking at me with such pity? Did I say or do something wrong?

That pitying look in a man's eyes... could it be my wife...?

Cai Jing's expression changed drastically, his mind filled with a myriad of emotions, a chaotic and turbulent state.

Suddenly I really want the court session to end right away and I can rush home...

The strange atmosphere between the emperor and his ministers did not last long. Just as Zhao Xiaoqian was about to announce the end of the court session, a eunuch rushed into the Daqing Hall.

"Your Majesty, a great victory in the Northwest! A great victory in the Northwest!" the eunuch shouted, panting heavily.

A clamor erupted among the courtiers, and all eyes turned to the eunuch.

Zhao Xiaoqian narrowed his eyes, but he remained calm and said indifferently, "Speak."

The eunuch composed himself, raised a memorial above his head with both hands, and said with his head bowed, "Just now, we received a report of General Zhong Jianzhong's victory on horseback, which covered eight hundred li outside the palace gate."

"On the morning of the 21st day of the third month of the second year of Jingkang, Zhong Jianzhong's 60,000 troops broke through Xingqing Prefecture, the capital of Western Xia, and captured Li Qianshun, the ruler of Western Xia, as well as a number of relatives, nobles and officials of Western Xia."

"The capital of Western Xia has fallen, and its ruler has been captured. Zhong Jianzhong is leading his army to continue to wipe out the remaining cities and tribes of Western Xia in the southwest, and to eliminate the remaining Western Xia army and forces."

"After the royal army captured Xingqing Prefecture, Zhong Jianzhong sent troops to escort the king Li Qianshun and a group of powerful officials and courtiers to the capital."

The eunuch suddenly looked up and said excitedly, "The Western Xia Kingdom has been basically destroyed and incorporated into the territory of our Great Song Dynasty! Your Majesty, may the Great Song Dynasty be victorious!"

With a loud bang, the court erupted in chaos. Everyone's face lit up with joy, and many officials were so excited that their hands and feet trembled slightly and their eyes were filled with tears.

Zheng Chunhe, who was standing beside him, immediately ran down, took the report of victory from the eunuch's hand, and jogged to deliver it to Zhao Xiaoqian.

Zhao Xiaoqian remained calm, flipped through the memorial, and then slowly nodded, a smile finally appearing on his usually composed face.

Cai Jing, quick-witted and agile, was the first to bow and say, "The royal army has destroyed Xia, and the Mandate of Heaven has returned to Song. Your Majesty is overjoyed, and the Great Song Dynasty is victorious! I congratulate Your Majesty and the Great Song Dynasty!"

All the courtiers in the hall gritted their teeth inwardly, this fellow had beaten them to it again!

So all the court officials bowed and said in unison, "We congratulate Your Majesty and the Great Song Dynasty!"

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed and said, "That's right, it's a great occasion. The Council of State Affairs can draft a document to congratulate the Privy Council and issue it to the whole country, so that everyone can share in the joy and celebrate together."

"The Ministry of Rites can now begin preparations. I have decided that after the King of Western Xia, Li Qianshun, is escorted to the capital, I will perform the ceremony of offering sacrifices to Heaven and presenting the captives at the Imperial Ancestral Temple to comfort the ancestors of my Great Song Dynasty."

The court officials bowed and agreed.

The ministers looked delighted and overjoyed, but some of them wore expressions with a different kind of complex emotion.

Since its founding monarch Li Yuanhao established the Western Xia dynasty, it has existed for several decades. During these decades, the Western Xia has been navigating between the Song and Liao dynasties, maintaining a balance between the two. To put it bluntly, it has been struggling to survive in the cracks between the two great powers.

The sudden annihilation of the dynasty was both expected and unexpected by the court officials.

As expected, from the day Zhong Jianzhong led his army on the expedition, most of the ministers were convinced that Western Xia would be destroyed. After all, the Song Dynasty was now very powerful, and the Western Xia army was simply no match for it.

Unexpectedly, the Western Xia dynasty fell so quickly. The report stated that the capital of Western Xia was captured by the Song army in just one morning. Such speed of city capture was rare and almost unheard of in history.

Now that the Western Xia dynasty has been destroyed, the current tripartite balance of power between the Song, Liao, and Xia dynasties has been broken, and the delicate situation that the three kingdoms have maintained for decades will come to a complete end.

Next comes the main event.

The main event between the Song Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty.

The Western Xia Dynasty has turned to dust and been swept into the dustbin of history.

The Liao Dynasty still exists, though it is in decline; it was once the most powerful nation in the world.

Now, the Song Dynasty must confront this once-powerful nation.

Everyone is wondering, when will the Liao Dynasty be destroyed?

Yes, in the Song Dynasty court, no one doubted the strength of the Song army; the destruction of the Liao Dynasty was only a matter of time.

(End of this chapter)