The prince is more stable

Chapter 1044 Moral High Ground
After the Song army captured Xingqing Prefecture and refused to allow the Liao army to enter, Yelü Chun already knew that the Song-Liao alliance was a trap and that the Liao state had been tricked.

From the very beginning, the Song Dynasty had no intention of abiding by the alliance. They allowed the Liao Dynasty to sweep through the northern part of Western Xia and contain the main force of Western Xia's army, while the Song army advanced from east to west and directly captured Xingqing Prefecture.

Yelü Chun didn't realize the deception until the Liao army was at the gates of Xingqing Prefecture.

It's too late.

The siege failed, and instead gave the city ammunition for criticism.

After all, it was the Liao Kingdom that first provoked the war, and it was Yelü Chun who first broke the alliance and ordered the attack on the city.

When this matter was brought up in the courts of both countries, neither Liao nor Song had the confidence to criticize Song.

Now that the Song army has surrounded the Liao army from three sides, the Liao army's situation is becoming increasingly dangerous.

Yelü Chun was now convinced that the Song army truly intended to annihilate the Liao army, leaving no one alive.

By shifting his focus from the immediate battlefield to the broader perspective of the Song and Liao dynasties, Yelü Chun realized that if the Song army could annihilate this Liao army today, it would greatly benefit the Song's future northern expedition against the Liao. At this moment, Yelü Chun had already seen through Zhong Jianzhong's strategic intentions.

Yelü Chun had to survive; he couldn't let the Liao army be completely wiped out. He needed to bring his soldiers back to Liao and submit a memorial to the Liao emperor, mobilizing all available resources to prevent the Song army from advancing north.

Amidst billowing yellow dust on the battlefield, Yelü Chun, positioned in the central army, could not discern directions at all. He could only vaguely hear the gunfire from the Song army to the west, which was relatively weak, leading him to conclude that it was a weak point in the Song army's encirclement.

Yelü Chun couldn't care less about anything else, so he ordered the entire army to break through to the west, concentrate all the cavalry, launch a desperate charge, and tear open the Song army's encirclement at any cost, and then advance westward.

After breaking through the encirclement, they first captured Xiliang Prefecture, and after the entire army rested and reorganized, they retreated north back to Liaodong.

We no longer expect to share Western Xia with the Song army; that's simply impossible. The alliance between the two countries was a scam from the very beginning, and the Song army commander would never allow the Liao state to get a share.

As the military order was given, the Liao army, which had been surrounded, organized itself, formed ranks, and tens of thousands of soldiers launched a desperate charge to the west.

This charge did indeed put considerable pressure on the Song army in the west.

The flintlock musket was a single-load firearm, which was relatively primitive. After each volley, it took a certain amount of time to reload the ammunition.

They might be able to handle a mass charge of 10,000 or 20,000 enemy troops, or even 30,000 or 40,000, but if 70,000 or 80,000 troops charged at the same time, the Song army's defense line of less than 20,000 troops on the west side simply could not stop them.

Yelü Chun finally made the right decision on the battlefield. He accurately identified the weak point in the Song army's defenses, and the Song army in the west was indeed unable to withstand the charge of 70,000 to 80,000 Liao soldiers.

Moments later, after suffering the loss of tens of thousands of lives, the Liao army's cavalry finally managed to tear open a gap in the Song army's western defenses.

It gushed out like a torrent.

Yelü Chun was overjoyed and ordered the entire army to break through the encirclement and advance westward, heading straight for Xiliang Prefecture.

Guo Cheng, the deputy commander in charge of the western front, was furious and immediately ordered troops to be mobilized to pursue the Liao army, but was stopped by Zhong Jianzhong, who rushed to the western front.

“No need to pursue them, this Liao army can’t escape.” Zhong Jianzhong squinted, watching the Liao army’s panicked retreating figures in the distance, his expression calm.

Guo Cheng gritted his teeth and said, "If we deploy another 10,000 troops to the west, I guarantee this Liao army won't be able to escape!"

Zhong Jianzhong said calmly, "The entire Western Xia Kingdom has become a chessboard for the two armies' commanders. There's no need to care about the gains or losses of a single city, a single place, or a single battle. This Liao army won't escape Western Xia. There are still surprises waiting for them ahead."

"Send messenger! Send a fast horse to Bianjing to report the victory. On the 22nd day of the fourth month of the second year of Jingkang, the Liao army commander Yelü Chun broke his promise and tore up the alliance between the two armies. He launched a surprise attack on our Song army and attempted to capture Xingqing Prefecture. He was repelled by our army."

"Our army laid an ambush outside the city in advance. After the Liao army failed to attack the city, it was surrounded by our army on three sides outside Xingqing Prefecture. The Liao army suffered heavy casualties and could not resist. So it broke out and retreated westward in a panic."

"In this battle, more than 40,000 Liao soldiers were annihilated. The Liao commander Yelü Chun broke his promise and took the initiative to start a war against our army. This was a terrible act. He broke the alliance between the two countries and had no integrity. The Song-Liao alliance has been broken. From now on, we should treat them as enemies."

"Your subject Zhong Jianzhong submits this remonstrance, requesting Your Majesty's wise decision."

After Zhong Jianzhong finished speaking, a knight mounted his horse, cracked his whip, and galloped swiftly towards Bianjing.

Guo Cheng, who was standing next to Zhong Jianzhong, gave him a deep look but didn't say anything.

Zhong Jianzhong seemed to have seen through his thoughts, stroked his beard and chuckled: "Do you think I'm shameless for saying that?"

Guo Cheng hurriedly replied, "This humble general dares not. Every word General Zhong said is true. How can you say it's shameless?"

Zhong Jianzhong said leisurely, "Actually, everyone knows the inside story. We are the ones who have broken our promise. However, we cannot admit this and must shift the blame onto the Liao army."

"Within the next three to five years, the Great Song Dynasty will surely unify the world, and Your Majesty will command respect from all corners of the earth. How could our dignified and legitimate suzerain state possibly do such a treacherous thing? Therefore, it is all the fault of the Liao army."

Zhong Jianzhong emphasized, "Our Great Song Dynasty has always valued reason and winning people over with virtue!"

Guo Cheng said with admiration, "Commander Zhong's words are like a wake-up call to me. That's right! It's all the fault of the Liao army. They are barbarians from beyond the borders, who don't know what shame is. It's understandable that they would do something so treacherous."

Zhong Jianzhong sighed and rubbed his face vigorously. After saying those shameless words, his skin seemed to be reacting a little.

"There's no need for us to flatter each other. These words were taught to me by the Emperor before I went on the expedition."

Guo Cheng stared in disbelief, remaining silent for a long while before hesitantly bowing towards Bianjing and saying, "Your Majesty is wise." Zhong Jianzhong's lips curled into a smile.

He suddenly realized that people feel happier when they are free from moral constraints.

It's an amazing experience, and it's addictive.

"Order the entire army to assemble and slowly pursue the Liao army in the direction of their breakout. Send scouts out fifty li away to gather intelligence on the enemy's situation."

Guo Cheng asked, "Should we still pursue the Liao army?"

Zhong Jianzhong nodded: "Yelü Chun's intention should be to capture Xiliang Prefecture, let him fight, and then our army will make a show of pursuing. The Liao army will inevitably retreat north. At that time, the surprise prepared for Yelü Chun will arrive as promised."

"What surprise?"

"Isn't it a pleasant surprise that this Liao army will be surrounded again? Our army is in the south, while Commander Zhang's 100,000-strong Northwest Army has already opened a breach in the north. With attacks from both sides, do you think Yelü Chun can break through the encirclement this time?"

Zhong Jianzhong's tone gradually deepened: "I have said before that the entire Western Xia Kingdom is a huge chessboard. Every move my Great Song makes will be a deadly trap. Not a single member of this Liao army will be able to escape."

…………

An urgent memorial was sent from the Northwest to Bianjing.

Matters of morality should be left to morally upright individuals.

The Liao army broke the alliance first, launched a blatant attack on the city, and initiated the war. Yelü Chun's decision finally gave the Song Dynasty an excellent excuse.

The Liao army's treachery pushed the Song Dynasty to the moral high ground. How could the moral gentlemen in the Song court let such a golden opportunity slip by?

A vigorous and detailed attack on the Liao Kingdom is about to begin.

Zhong Jianzhong's urgent memorial was still rushing to Bianjing, while the Yanfu Palace in Bianjing was bustling with guests today.

Emperor Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly issued an imperial edict, summoning all military officers of command rank or above from the Imperial Guards of Bianjing to the palace and granting them a banquet.

Emperor Zhao Xiaoqian rarely held palace banquets. From the day he ascended the throne, he treated the profession of emperor as a job. Only in this way could he avoid forgetting his original aspirations and gradually losing himself in the desire for power.

If this were a job, it would be easy; he's very familiar with this kind of thing.

Every day, I clock in, plan my work for the day, listen to my subordinates report on their progress, eat a boxed lunch during lunch break, and then work like a beast of burden in the afternoon. In the evening, my leisure time is spent with my wives and concubines, which is like getting a foot massage after get off work.

Every day is fulfilling, but I don't become arrogant.

However, it was rare for Zhao Xiaoqian to bestow a banquet upon the palace. After all, everyone was just a struggling working person. Who would frequently treat their colleagues to lavish meals? Was he just burning money?
Today, Emperor Zhao Xiaoqian issued an imperial decree to host a banquet for military officers of command rank and above in the capital, and there must be a reason for this.

The Bianjing Military Academy is under construction in full swing, and Zhao Xiaoqian is already preparing to solve the problem of student enrollment.

The Military Academy was built for military officers, so all military officers in the capital had to attend classes there. This was a strict requirement set by Zhao Xiaoqian.

However, the space in the military academy was limited, and it was impossible to accommodate all the military officers. Therefore, Zhao Xiaoqian drew a line, stipulating that only military officers of the command level were eligible to study there.

In the military system of the Song Dynasty, the "commander" was considered a mid-level military officer, commanding 500 soldiers, roughly equivalent to a battalion-level officer in later times.

At this level, commanding an army requires systematic learning of troop command and combat skills, rather than relying on individual bravery to compensate.

Five hundred soldiers followed their commander to the battlefield. If the commander was a clueless, uneducated man who only knew how to lead his men in a charge, such a general would undoubtedly be unqualified. The soldiers who followed him would be doomed, and would be heading straight for death.

Tonight, Yanfu Palace was decorated in a grand manner. After dusk, when the lanterns were lit, the palace gates of Yanfu Palace were opened wide, and hundreds of commanding officers, led by eunuchs, walked into the palace with apprehension.

With a large number of people, the palace banquet was held in the open-air square outside the Daqing Hall. It was almost summer, and the weather was warm, so the open-air banquet was not cold at all, and the place was large enough.

Tonight's palace banquet has no civil officials; it's all military officers.

After the military officers sat down properly, Zhao Xiaoqian, dressed in civilian clothes, arrived shortly afterward.

At the eunuchs' urging, the military officers awkwardly rose to pay their respects, but Zhao Xiaoqian, with a warm expression, told them to sit down.

After the military officers bowed, they looked up and cautiously glanced at the Emperor, only to discover that he was holding a child of about two years old in his arms.

The child, with bright eyes and white teeth, looked around curiously, seemingly very interested in the armor worn by the generals. He raised his chubby arms and babbled to indicate that he wanted to study it.

Seeing the children's innocent and adorable appearance, the generals couldn't help but soften their eyes and smiles appeared on their faces.

Zhao Xiaoqian stood in the center of the palace banquet, holding the child and said with a smile, "Generals, please don't be offended. This is my eldest son, named Zhao Hao."

"You are all the pillars and cornerstones of the Great Song Dynasty, the backbone of the nation. Today, I have brought my eldest son to this banquet so that we can all get to know each other. Who knows, when he comes of age, he might serve under a general and fight in battles."

(End of this chapter)