The prince is more stable

Chapter 213 Important Piece
Interests, power, and beauty are the chips to test a man's loyalty and betrayal.

There are very few men who are not tempted by these three things. The saints in the world are buried in the earth, and those who are alive are ordinary people, men and women who eat and drink.

Xiao Wuna is no exception.

At first, his son was not a good person and was deceived by others in Song State. He had to submit. If his son's affair was exposed, the whole Xiao family would be in trouble. Xiao Wuna could only cooperate with the instructions of Song State and secretly send some information over.

The Liao border defense map that Zhao Xiaoqian received in Bian Jing was sent by Xiao Wuna.

However, later on, Zhao Xiaoqian sent two thousand kilograms of snow salt, and the caravan under the name of the Xiao family secretly sold it, making a profit of tens of thousands of strings of money. Moreover, people in the Song State said that this was only the first batch.

Xiao Wuna was deeply moved.

Money, pure money, who can have any grudge against it?

At the same time, through these two thousand kilograms of snow salt, Xiao Wuna roughly understood his own worth.

Putting aside the fact that his son Xiao Guangjing was under someone's control, even if it was just a pure transaction, it seemed worth doing.

Xiao Wuna knew that the Song Dynasty already had a powerful firearm. If a war broke out between the Song and Liao dynasties in the future, it would be difficult to say who would win or lose.

So, why put all your eggs in one basket?

As an official of the Liao Dynasty, he could secretly send some intelligence to the Song Dynasty, do some things quietly, and make things convenient for the Song Dynasty. It would not only not harm himself and his family, but would benefit both sides. Why not do it?

By betting on both sides, as long as the Xiao family acts carefully and does not get exposed, the final benefits they will gain are simply unimaginable.

So, Xiao Wuna beat his son, questioned his son, understood his son, and finally became his son...

At least at this stage, Xiao Wuna is willing to sincerely do a few things for the State of Song to increase his weight in the heart of the Emperor of Song.

Just when he was worrying about how to do things for the State of Song, Zhao Xiaoqian's note arrived.

Of course, the Liao Kingdom had to intervene in the Song-Xia War. Whether the Song Kingdom destroyed the Western Xia or the Western Xia destroyed the Song Kingdom, it was not in the interests of the Liao Kingdom. Whoever destroyed the other would become the only dominant power and have sufficient capital to confront the Liao Kingdom.

Xiao Guangjing stood obediently in front of Xiao Wuna, carefully observing his father's expression.

After all, it was he who caused this disaster. If he had been more careful and had a higher IQ when he was on his diplomatic mission to the State of Song, he would not have fallen into other people's traps, and the Xiao family would not be in so much trouble today.

Looking at Xiao Wuna's face that changed from gloomy to bright, Xiao Guangjing felt very anxious.

"Well, father, you have severely punished me for what happened before..." Xiao Guangjing said cautiously.

Xiao Wuna raised his eyes and looked him up and down with a look of disgust, as if he was looking at a pile of steaming fresh dog shit.

"Zhao Xiaoqian's order is difficult to carry out," Xiao Wuna said in a deep voice. "There's already discussion in the Liao court about the Song-Xia War. The emperor and his ministers are eager to intervene. If the Song State gains the upper hand, we might even demand an immediate truce and withdrawal. Your Majesty has already stationed troops in Daizhou, intending to threaten the Song State."

"It is impossible for the Liao Kingdom not to intervene in the war between Song and Xia."

Xiao Guangjing was anxious: "It's not easy, but we have to do it, Father. Zhao Xiaoqian still has something on me. If we don't do it well, he might tell the truth..."

Xiao Wuna gritted his teeth and got angry whenever he mentioned this matter. This bastard son, he had a good job of going on a diplomatic mission to the State of Song, purely to gain political qualifications, but what had he done to him!
It's a shame for the Xiao family!

Well, the more I think about it, the angrier I get. Since this bastard in front of me is my own son, there is no need to be polite.

So Xiao Wuna stood up and raised his hand to draw.

Xiao Guangjing was shocked and squatted down with his hands protecting his head very skillfully.

"Father, you have already punished me several times for this!"

"Do I have to have a reason to beat you? Can't I beat you for no reason?" Xiao Wuna cursed angrily as he beat you hard.

After a brutal beating, Xiao Guangjing was covered in bruises, but Xiao Wuna looked very satisfied.

Closing his eyes, Xiao Wuna pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "Send a letter to Zhao Xiaoqian and tell him that the Liao Kingdom will definitely intervene. This matter cannot be reversed by me alone."

"However, I can make the Liao Kingdom's intervention more favorable to the Song Kingdom."

Xiao Guangjing endured the pain and asked curiously, "How can we intervene to benefit the Song State?"

Xiao Wuna said coldly, "Queen Dowager Liang of Western Xia raised an army of 300,000 and suddenly invaded the Song Kingdom. She did not inform the Liao beforehand of this. Your Majesty and the entire court are deeply resentful of her."

"This warlike madwoman will sooner or later disrupt the current peaceful situation. Moreover, she has increasingly disregarded the Liao Dynasty. In recent years, the tone of the letters she has presented has become increasingly arrogant, and the annual greetings have become increasingly perfunctory."

"Your Majesty is becoming increasingly dissatisfied with her. Perhaps the current war between Song and Xia is an opportunity to remove her from this position."

"I can guide the court's direction from this aspect. If Queen Mother Liang is no longer around, will it be beneficial to the Song State?"

Xiao Guangjing suddenly realized and hurriedly flattered him.

If Wei Jie were present, he would definitely be amazed at Zhao Xiaoqian's previous plans.

The role of the Imperial City Bureau is not only to deploy spies, but more importantly, to develop high-level spies in the enemy country and important officials who can influence the direction of the enemy's policies.

Today, the chess piece Zhao Xiaoqian placed finally played a role.

…………

The sunny day after the snow was a bit dazzling. The sunlight shone on the snow and then reflected into the eyes, creating a vast expanse of white that blurred the vision.

Zhao Xiaoqian sat cross-legged in a simple tent, with water boiling on the campfire in front of him.

After days of marching in the biting cold wind, Zhao Xiaoqian had a slight cold. He was wrapped in quilts, gnawing on a roasted leg of lamb and wiping his nose.

The Southern Army Headquarters was only a few hundred miles away from Xiliang Prefecture, but Zhao Xiaoqian could not go in a straight line. His purpose was to deter and harass, so in the next few days, the army basically harassed villages and tribes within hundreds of miles around Xiliang Prefecture.

Zhao Xiaoqian couldn't imagine how much money and treasure the soldiers had robbed during the past few days of sweeping across the area around Xiliang Prefecture. After looting the tribes, almost everyone was equipped with two war horses. When they marched on weekdays, one horse carried people and the other carried treasures.

This made Zhao Xiaoqian a little jealous. He thought more than once about robbing the soldiers in the middle of the night. They got the money too easily. They could just form a battle line, fire their guns, kill people, and rob...

Under the complete crushing of hot weapons, the Dragon Guard Battalion suffered almost no casualties after several battles to annihilate tribes.

At this time today, the army had finished defeating another small tribe, and the soldiers were counting the spoils of battle. Zhao Xiaoqian was already impatient to make a fire and eat.

Status and class are inherently different. Zhao Xiaoqian would not pretend to be equal to officers and soldiers. When others were busy, he naturally had the privileges to enjoy, and the soldiers had no objection to this.

Generals living and eating with ordinary soldiers is just a gesture, but what soldiers need more is opportunities.

Opportunities to make money and get promoted.

Unfortunately, Zhao Xiaoqian could provide them with everything they needed.

He had already promised that he would not take a penny of the loot from the soldiers. As for promotion, after the Military Service Law was promulgated, the court had clear regulations. As long as one could meet the requirements, he could be promoted to a military officer. It was fair and just, and no one was cheated.

Zhao Xiaoqian couldn't finish the lamb leg, so he put it aside with a dull look, and then began to study the map of Xiliang Prefecture.

Just as he was thinking about which tribe to attack next, Chen Shou hurried into the tent.

"Sir, the scouts report that enemy cavalry, approximately 5,000 strong, have appeared thirty miles northeast and are charging towards us. I believe the Xiliang City defenders have been dispatched."

(End of this chapter)