The prince is more stable

Chapter 200: Expedition to the Northwest
Compared with the woman's delicacy, Zhao Hao was not so pretentious. He did not prepare too many things for Zhao Xiaoqian to go to war.

But on the night before the expedition, Zhao Hao called Zhao Xiaoqian to his study and handed him a suit of chain mail with a serious expression.

The armor of the Song Dynasty is quite famous throughout the history of China. Its characteristic is that the armor is heavy and can effectively protect the whole body, including the legs and knees of the lower body, which is almost fully covered.

This kind of armor has one advantage, which is that it is difficult to be damaged by swords and arrows. A single blow from a sword will only leave a scratch on the armor and will not hurt the body at all. However, if a sledgehammer is used to hit it, it is hard to say.

In fact, the Song army’s standard weapons really did include an iron hammer, which was called “Guduo”. It was a melee weapon with a slightly smaller hammer head in the shape of a melon. When it hit someone, no matter how heavy the armor they were wearing, they would vomit blood on the spot.

But the disadvantage of this kind of armor is also obvious, that is, it is too heavy and inconvenient to move. Therefore, those generals who ride on horses and command troops motionlessly do not necessarily have a calm character. It is very likely that they cannot move.

Zhao Xiaoqian looked at the heavy chain mail in the study, then lowered his head to take in his own figure...

"Father, let's not do that. I can't bear the burden..." Zhao Xiaoqian refused tactfully.

Zhao Hao said unhappily, "How can we not use it? On the battlefield, swords and arrows are blind. If you were wearing armor, the enemy would shoot an arrow at you, and nothing would happen. If you weren't wearing armor, you would scream, and the shaky incense of our Chu lineage would be completely extinguished..."

Zhao Xiaoqian said with a dark face, "Father's onomatopoeia is truly superb. It soared into the sky with a whoosh."

"Stop talking nonsense! Put it on!" Zhao Hao personally put on the armor for him.

Zhao Xiaoqian had no choice but to let him slaughter him. After dressing himself, he stood in front of the bronze mirror. He was covered in a winged helmet and mail, revealing only a pair of bright eyes. There was a pair of tiger heads on his shoulders, and a bright mirror on his chest was shining.

Although it was a bit shameless to brag about himself, Zhao Xiaoqian couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

The young general in the bronze mirror is heroic and extraordinary. If he were dressed like this on the battlefield, he would stand out from the crowd and be a living... target for the enemy's arrows.

With Zhao Xiaoqian's personality, he would have wanted to wear a camouflage suit and lie in the grass as the sixth man on the battlefield. Such an eye-catching and fire-concentrating armor... It's better to wear it first, and change into another one when he arrives in the northwest. After all, he can't let down the father's love that is as heavy as a mudslide.

Zhao Hao also looked at his heroic son, his eyes flashing with excitement.

"He looks good! He is indeed his father's son, and he looks like me back then." Zhao Hao commented domineeringly.

Zhao Xiaoqian looked at Zhao Hao's chubby figure speechlessly: "What did my father look like when he was older?"

"When I was born, I weighed eight pounds and six ounces..." Zhao Hao sighed.

"Did you lose weight later?"

"...No. This set of armor was given to me by Emperor Yingzong. Emperor Yingzong hoped that I could wear it after I lost weight. I have let Emperor Yingzong down and have never been able to wear it." Zhao Hao became more and more sad.

Zhao Xiaoqian understood that the thing that Huo Die was most dedicated to in his life was probably his figure. He had maintained the same figure for decades and had never lost weight.

"Son, you are leaving for the battle tomorrow, so I will not see you off. I love meeting people in this life, and I hate saying goodbye."

"When you're out on the battlefield, you must take care of yourself. If you encounter danger, save your life first. Return to the capital with your life. Your father will help you shoulder the heavy burden. I don't expect you to achieve great things. Even if you become a deserter, in your father's eyes, you are still my one and only good son."

…………

The next day, 30,000 soldiers of the Dragon Guard Camp were assembled to go to war.

There were not many wars after the founding of the Song Dynasty, and most of them were resolved through diplomatic appeasement, that is, paying compensation.

Since the invasion of Western Xia, the Song Dynasty stood up for once and decided not to resort to diplomatic mediation, but to send troops to fight back.

The decision made by the court officials was extremely surprising to the people of the Song Dynasty.

When did the rulers and ministers of the Song Dynasty become so courageous? In previous years, when wars broke out, didn't they always spend money to ward off disaster? Can't they afford it this time?

The autumn wind is biting and everything is bleak.

As winter is approaching, outside the Dragon Guard Camp on the outskirts of the city, 30,000 soldiers are dressed in bright armor, ready to go.

Zhao Xiaoqian stood on horseback in front of the soldiers, quietly watching the Taoist Qingyang performing divination in front of the soldiers of the three armies on a temporary altar outside the camp.

After a series of incomprehensible words, his body shook uncontrollably, his eyes rolled back. He didn't know why his face looked so ugly when communicating with the gods. Perhaps the radio waves from the heavens sending the message were too strong for the human body to withstand. After a while, the yellow paper in Taoist Qingyang's hand spontaneously combusted without fire, turning into a black ash. Miraculously, a talisman floated down from the air. Taoist Qingyang took a glance at it, then loudly announced to the soldiers: "This battle is certain to be won, and good luck to the expedition!"
So the soldiers of the three armies roared loudly and were excited, as if they were instantly endowed with divine power and could fight ten people at once.

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at the Taoist Qingyang coldly, "Okay, okay, this old charlatan really knows how to play."

Apart from anything else, the magic trick was quite good. As a modern person, he really couldn't figure out the trick of the talisman floating down from the air. He really broadened his horizons.

But the matter of you cheating all the property in my palace is not over yet. I have recorded it in my little notebook.

As the soldiers cheered, Zhong Jianzhong stepped forward and clasped his fists: "Please ask the General to appease the Deputy Envoy and give him a lecture."

Zhao Xiaoqian stepped forward, met the gazes of the 30,000 soldiers, coughed hard, and then waved his hand heavily.

"set off!"

Why are you scolding me? I'm waiting for lunch after we set off.

Bian Jing Zhou Bridge, inside a simple and dilapidated house.

Zhang Xiaoyi, whose injuries were almost healed, wore a simple coarse cloth shirt, leg bandages, and a cloth bundle on his shoulder. He knelt respectfully in front of his blind mother and kowtowed three times.

"Mother, the weather has turned cold, and winter is approaching. I've prepared winter clothes for you. We've also stockpiled millet, flour, and dried meat for six months. I've also left some money for you, and asked my brothers in Zhouqiao to take care of you..."

"My son will be away for at least three months, and at most half a year. I won't be by your side. Please take care of yourself, mother, and wait for me to return to be with you and show my filial piety."

The blind mother burst into tears. She groped her way forward and helped Zhang Xiaoyi up, choking with sobs, saying, "Son, I won't stop you from doing what you want to do. There's only one thing: take care of yourself. Don't take any risks. Be careful of yourself. If anything happens to you, I won't be able to survive."

Zhang Xiaoyi's eyes welled up with tears, and he said in a deep voice, "The Marquis has been very kind to me, and he even considers me a friend. Today, the Marquis has been ordered to go to war, and I want to do my part for him. It's a mean man to not repay a favor, but a real man must do what he has to do. That's what you taught me."

The old lady nodded with tears in her eyes and said, "Alright, although we are poor, we are upright people and have no shame in the world. Just do your thing with peace of mind. Don't worry about me."

Zhang Xiaoyi took two steps back, knelt down again, kowtowed respectfully, stood up, looked deeply at his mother, turned around and left resolutely.

…………

The army marched out of the camp, with flags covering the sky and trumpets blowing continuously, and the team was so vast that there was no end in sight.

Outside the city of Bianjing, on the official road to the west, countless people left the city early in the morning and waited quietly by the roadside, watching the imperial troops passing by.

It was not until the people discovered a huge flag in the middle of the team, embroidered with the words "Imperially appointed Marquis of Anle County, Deputy Envoy of Huanqing Road, Zhao", that they immediately recognized that the young man on horseback under the flag was Zhao Xiaoqian, the prince of Chu.

So the people all made way to the side of the road and bowed to Zhao Xiaoqian.

Zhao Xiaoqian did not dare to put on airs in front of the common people, so he rode his horse while bowing to the people on the roadside in return.

During this expedition, Zhao Xu placed high hopes on the Dragon Guard Camp. However, Zhao Hao did not have such deep feelings for his country and family. He only hoped that Zhao Xiaoqian could return safely.

Therefore, in order to ensure the safety of the only descendant of the King of Chu, all the guards available in the King of Chu's Palace were mobilized.

One imperial guard commanded 500 men, and the Chu Palace sent out 400 men to surround Zhao Xiaoqian. They also borrowed 400 imperial guards from several other relatives' mansions for protection.

In order to protect this only child, Zhao Hao really used up all his resources and connections.

To be honest, Zhao Xiaoqian felt a little complicated.

The guard team of 800 people was even more grand than the commander-in-chief Zhang Qie. When they arrived in the northwest, the two met. Zhang Qie saw this grand show and didn't know how to despise himself in his heart.

If you don’t know, you might think that this Prince of Chu is very afraid of death.

Actually,... they were not wrong.

I am indeed afraid of death.

(End of this chapter)