The prince is more stable

Chapter 214 Good news arrives in Beijing
Five thousand soldiers of the Song Dynasty penetrated deep into the heart of Western Xia, wreaking havoc on villages and tribes everywhere. They also completely wiped out the Henan Military Division, one of the twelve military divisions of Western Xia, and burned it all down, which was equivalent to completely removing this military division from the list.

For the soldiers of the Song Dynasty, it might just be a convenient thing. After all, the land and houses were not theirs. After robbing and killing, of course they would burn them down. Otherwise, would they leave them for the enemy to restore their system?

But what Zhao Xiaoqian didn't know was that during the days when he was wreaking havoc on the Xixia villages and tribes, the Xixia court was turned upside down by his small army.

After the Southern Army Division was completely annihilated, the news quickly spread to the capital Xingqing Prefecture. At this time, Empress Dowager Liang was still leading the army in the front to compete with the Song army led by Zhang Yu.

Empress Dowager Liang controlled the government, and the young emperor Li Qianshun could not make decisions. So the news spread from Xingqing City to Hongzhou in the territory of the Song Dynasty. At this time, the 300,000 Western Xia troops had occupied Hongzhou. Empress Dowager Liang was originally very proud, but gradually lost herself under the flattery of the Western Xia generals.

Upon hearing the news that the Henan Army was destroyed, Empress Dowager Liang was shocked and then flew into a rage. Without saying a word, she ordered the Xiliang Prefecture to send troops to annihilate Zhao Xiaoqian's detachment.

This is a sharp knife inserted into the abdomen, and it must be pulled out.

As for the military report saying that the Song army had a magical firearm that could kill the enemy from hundreds of steps away, Empress Dowager Liang did not quite believe it.

As far as she knew, it was impossible for such a magical weapon to appear in the world, otherwise the Song Dynasty would have destroyed the Western Xia countless times. Why would it have to swallow its anger and pay annual tribute to the Western Xia and Liao Dynasty every year?

The so-called magical weapons must have been deliberately exaggerated by the officials below in order to shirk the responsibility for the loss of territory and to exaggerate the combat effectiveness of the Song army.

No matter how powerful the Song army in the military report is, Western Xia must annihilate it. This is the death order given by Empress Dowager Liang to Xiliang Prefecture.

So, all the troops of Xiliang Prefecture went out and followed the Song army. After searching for several days, they finally found the traces of the Song army today and rushed over.

At this time, Xiliang Prefecture was actually suffering a lot.

Empress Dowager Liang raised an army of 300,000 and had already withdrawn most of the country's military forces. Now the garrison of Xiliang Prefecture was less than 10,000. In order to annihilate this Song army that had penetrated deep into the hinterland, Xiliang Prefecture had mobilized all its troops, leaving only 3,000 soldiers stationed in the city.

If it were a previous war, the outcome of a 5,000-strong Western Xia army against a 5,000-strong Song army would have been a foregone conclusion. The Song army's weakness had long been known throughout the world.

But today...

Sir, times have changed!

In the simple tent, Zhao Xiaoqian was not anxious when he heard the news that 5,000 Western Xia troops were approaching.

He had already estimated the combat effectiveness of 5,000 musketeers.

If the enemy force is less than 10,000 people, they can basically be crushed. Don't doubt the dimensionality reduction attack of hot weapons over cold weapons. Why is it said that hot weapons have opened up a new civilization for mankind? The word "new civilization" is not said casually, it has this power.

If a cavalry of more than 10,000 people were to charge, it might be a bit difficult for 5,000 musketeers to face off.

But if one has cavalry on the flanks, supplemented by bows, crossbows, swords and shields, one can actually win against an enemy force of 20,000.

This is Zhao Xiaoqian's estimate of the combat effectiveness of the musketeers, and the result is almost correct.

So, what is there to be afraid of when 5,000 Xixia troops charge at us?
"Tell Zhong Jianzhong to meet the enemy head-on. I won't go into battle myself. Just do what you need to do. It's all written in the military training manual." Zhao Xiaoqian wiped his nose and said lazily.

It seems that the cold is a bit serious. I'll make a pot of ginger soup and sprinkle some pepper on it. After drinking it, wrap yourself in a quilt and sweat.

My delicate and fragile glass body...

Outside the tent, the sound of drums rumbled, and the rapid rhythm made the ground beneath their feet tremble slightly.

The army assembled urgently, and five thousand soldiers, carrying flintlock rifles, hurried out of the tents and lined up.

Zhao Xiaoqian was not concerned about what was happening outside because he had enough confidence and had nothing to worry about.

The water on the campfire has boiled and is bubbling.

I poured a glass of water, blew on it a few times, and took small sips. Each sip was so hot that my mouth grimaced, but a warmth emanated from my stomach, which was very comfortable.

After drinking a glass of water, Zhao Xiaoqian felt a little sweaty on his back. He quickly wrapped himself in the quilt and fell asleep.

Outside the tent, after the rumbling sound of horse hooves, there were familiar bursts of gunfire, the neighing of men and horses, and soon after, the thunderous cheers of the soldiers could be heard.

Another victory, without a doubt.

Zhao Xiaoqian drifted off to sleep, his brows furrowed in his sleep. His head felt a little hot, yet his body felt a little cold. He unconsciously wrapped the quilt tighter around him. The 5,000 Xixia troops from Xiliang Prefecture were instantly defeated as soon as they showed their heads.

Just as Zhao Xiaoqian expected, the five thousand musketeers were basically crushed against the five thousand cavalrymen armed with cold weapons.

Just when the Western Xia army launched the charge and was full of confidence that they could defeat the Song army, reality gave them the last loud slap in the face in this world.

After round after round of volleys, only a few Western Xia soldiers rushed to the hundred steps in front of the Song army. Before they could raise their swords, all the enemy troops were knocked down by the last round of volleys.

Then comes the boring task of cleaning up the battlefield, finishing off the enemy, collecting property from the enemy's corpses, and so on.

In this battle, the Song army obtained nearly 3,000 war horses and abundant food and fodder.

Zhong Jianzhong rushed into the tent excitedly to report the victory, but Zhao Xiaoqian was sound asleep, as if even the collapse of the sky and the earth outside could not arouse his interest.

He simply issued a military order that the army would move out early the next morning.

Target: Set up camp twenty miles south of Xiliang City.

After annihilating these 5,000 cavalrymen, Zhao Xiaoqian became even more certain that the defenders of Xiliang City were empty and it was highly likely that they would not be able to organize another force to counterattack.

So, let’s see if the Song army can find an opportunity to capture Xiliang City.

If they could capture it, it would be like the sky falling for Western Xia, and it would definitely be a heavy blow to the 300,000 troops under the command of Empress Dowager Liang.

Moreover, after capturing Xiliang City, Queen Mother Liang also had to make strategic adjustments. If she still insisted on maintaining the strategic offensive, then this stupid woman would be completely hopeless.

The chess game of the Song-Xia War was now completely alive, and the initiative fell into the hands of Zhao Xiaoqian.

His mind was hazy, yet he could think so carefully and thoroughly. Zhao Xiaoqian lay on the simple bed with his eyes closed, silently writing the word "服" for himself on the quilt.

I can't help but suspect that the evaluation of me by the court and the people in Bian Jing is actually very objective.

I am indeed a genius, the kind that only appears once every five hundred years.

…………

The news that 3,000 soldiers from Western Xia and the Southern Army were completely wiped out by Zhao Xiaoqian's Dragon Guard Battalion was carried by express horses to Bianjing City a few days later.

The cavalry entered the capital at lightning speed.

The red-feathered black box behind the knight means urgent military intelligence reporting, and officers, soldiers and civilians must give way, otherwise they will be punished with death.

After entering the capital, the knight did not dismount, but rode straight to Yeonbok Palace. This was the privilege of a messenger of urgent military intelligence. Nothing in the world was as important as military intelligence.

But this time, the knight from the Dragon Guard Camp chose to enter the city in a high-profile manner.

As soon as he entered the city gate, the knight raised the black box high, galloped on his horse, and shouted loudly.

"Report—great victory on the front lines! Great victory on the front lines! Zhao Xiaoqian, Deputy General of the Huanqing Road, led his troops to annihilate the Western Xia and the Southern Army Division! Our army suffered no casualties!"

Running and shouting all the way, the knight's high-profile publicity immediately caused a stir in Bian Jing.

Officials and common people went out into the streets, asking strangers on the street for news in surprise.

After the news was confirmed, people were ecstatic and ran around to tell each other excitedly.

The prosperous city of Bianjing fell into ecstasy because of this good news. It is said that there was a carnival in the city all night long that day, and the amount of wine sold in restaurants and taverns on the streets and alleys was several times more than usual.

On a happy day, it is appropriate to get drunk.

For the Song Dynasty, this victory news was too unfamiliar and people had waited for too long.

They waited for two generations.

(End of this chapter)