The prince is more stable

Chapter 224 The world is shocked
As a person from modern times, Zhao Xiaoqian really couldn't understand why the ancients liked to be mysterious.

When he was about to die, he laughed wildly and said some shocking words. The people who wanted to kill him bought his words and actually let him finish speaking and then didn't kill him.

Are you guys performing Errenzhuan here?

Sorry, Zhao Xiaoqian doesn't buy it.

Anyone who laughs loudly in front of me will only die faster. In Zhao Xiaoqian's territory, no one is allowed to be more awesome than him.

Wei Mingsha must of course die. It is rare to meet a smart person from Western Xia. If he doesn't die, will he continue to oppose the Song Dynasty in the future?

After Wei Mingsha's death, the rest of the captured Xixia generals finally collapsed and kowtowed and begged for mercy.

Very good, it seems that no one dares to laugh out loud anymore, everyone is not embarrassed, and the atmosphere is very harmonious.

"Kill them all." Zhao Xiaoqian waved to the soldiers.

A merciful army cannot be commanded, and one must be even more ruthless towards the enemy. Only by death can the trouble be eliminated forever.

The Song army soldiers dragged the captured generals away, leaving them to curse in despair, but Zhao Xiaoqian remained unmoved.

Zhong Jianzhong hesitated and said, "Lord, killing prisoners seems... inappropriate, doesn't it? If the imperial censors knew about this, it would be detrimental to you, Lord."

Zhao Xiaoqian hummed and said, "Killing prisoners is not killing surrendered soldiers. Killing surrendered soldiers is a serious crime, but killing prisoners... just say they died during the battle between the two armies."

"Even though our army may have gained an advantage in this Song-Xia war, it is impossible to destroy the Western Xia. Therefore, we must eliminate the core forces of the Western Xia as much as possible, severely weakening them. In addition to looting the national treasury, we must also kill all the talents and officials of the Western Xia. This will at least ensure peace on our border for ten years."

Zhong Jianzhong suddenly understood what Zhao Xiaoqian was up to, and he couldn't help but bow in admiration: "The county lord has a far-sighted vision and good intentions. My views are not as far-sighted as the county lord's."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled, then looked around and sighed, "It's indeed a prosperous city. It's a pity that we can't stay here for long after occupying it..."

"Send the order to pack up. In one hour, our army will set out immediately, withdraw from Xingqing City, and head east to meet up with Zhang Yu's troops."

"Also, send a fast horse to Bianjing to announce the victory. The emperor has been under a lot of pressure in this battle, so it's time to let him be happy. Conquering the enemy capital, haha, it's enough for him to have a celebratory drink."

Zhong Jianzhong also laughed and said, "I'm afraid Empress Dowager Liang is going to flip the table. After decades of establishing the country, today is a great humiliation for Western Xia. Her days as Empress Dowager controlling the government will probably be numbered. Not to mention the officials in the Western Xia court, even the powerful landlords among the people are eager to eat her alive."

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed, "Don't laugh too soon. Don't forget that we still have 50,000 troops chasing us. If we have the upper hand, we should run away quickly. If we are blocked by them, no matter how powerful their muskets are, they won't be able to defeat us. We will all be buried in a foreign land."

…………

The earth-shattering news spread quickly.

Zhao Xiaoqian led his troops to quickly withdraw from Xingqing City, leaving behind only ruins of the city, the empty and looted treasury, and countless orphans and children who had lost their parents.

The news that the capital of Western Xia was destroyed by the Song army spread like wildfire.

The whole world was shocked and the people of Western Xia were furious.

The next day, the 30,000 reinforcements sent by Empress Dowager Liang arrived at Xingqing City slowly. After seeing the tragic situation in the capital, the 30,000 soldiers knelt on the ground and cried bitterly, and the leading generals were in great pain.

On the third day, Empress Dowager Liang, who was far away in Xiazhou and dispatching troops to various places to suppress the Song army, also received the news.

The capital was captured and the entire city was burned. All 6,000 defenders were killed in the battle, and countless officials, generals and civilians in the city were slaughtered.

When Empress Dowager Liang heard the news, her eyes went dark and she fainted immediately.

After being hurriedly revived by the imperial physician, Empress Dowager Liang looked up at the sky with lifeless eyes.

Such a great humiliation was a national disgrace for Western Xia. As the Queen Mother Liang who held power, she had anticipated that after this heavy blow, her political life would come to an end.

Those court officials who have always opposed her will certainly take this excellent opportunity to jointly request the Queen Mother to return power to Li Qianshun.

Even though the young master Li Qianshun was only eleven years old, she had to hand over power.

Although the young ruler is young, he has loyal ministers to assist him in governing the country. However, if a woman is in charge, the family will surely fall apart.

Under your rule, people launched wars and ended up losing the capital. Let me ask you, do you have the nerve to continue to control the government?

In the quiet and silent general's tent, Empress Dowager Liang looked pale, as if a violent storm was sweeping towards her.

At this moment, she deeply regretted starting this war.

From the very beginning, this war was out of control and was completely controlled by others.

When did the Song State's combat power and tactics become so powerful? They have been so powerful for a long time. Who of the neighboring countries dared to provoke it?

By the way, there is also that kind of firearms, which are praised by spies and scouts as being magical and invincible.

Sometimes, one really has to believe in "national destiny." Even if it doesn't exist, it can suddenly change without warning. Empress Dowager Liang now keenly sensed that the war should be stopped.

If they don’t stop, Xixia will suffer huge losses.

From then on, Western Xia could no longer easily go to war with the Song Dynasty, because the Song Dynasty was no longer what it used to be. After just one battle, Queen Dowager Liang felt that she could not afford to provoke it.

What she lacks now is a reason to stop the war.

How to end this war in the most decent way without damaging the dignity of Western Xia.

While she was pondering, the reason she had painstakingly thought of to end the war came to her door.

Outside the general's tent, a palace maid came to report that the Liao envoy Xiao Guangjing had arrived at the camp and asked to see the empress dowager.

Empress Dowager Liang was stunned for a moment, then her eyes lit up.

Yes, with the mediation of a third country, wouldn’t both the Song and Xia sides be able to look good?

"Summon him quickly!" Empress Dowager Liang said hurriedly.

…………

Zhao Xiaoqian led his troops in a rapid march eastward, heading straight for Zhang Qie's troops.

What was left behind was a mess.

They looted several villages and tribes along the way, but their marching speed slowed down a lot.

There was really no other way. Even though they had looted all the way, each soldier in the Dragon Guard Camp was basically equipped with three horses, which was still not enough for them to carry their luggage.

Zhao Xiaoqian didn't know how others fought in this battle. He only knew that the 5,000 men in the Dragon Guard Camp made a fortune, and their luggage was all the property they looted.

With more experience and a broader perspective, they no longer care about ordinary copper coins and silver ingots. When looting, they only pick valuable gold, Khotan white jade, and pearls as big as longan...

Even Chen Shou and his fellow guards took advantage of the situation and made a small fortune.

Zhao Xiaoqian looked at the soldiers returning with a full load with a smile, and told himself that he was not jealous at all, really.

Now I just want to slap myself in the face. I promised to keep all the looted things mine without paying any money. How could I be so generous?

If each of them handed over 10%, Zhao Xiaoqian would be able to walk around freely after returning to Bianliang.

Forget it this time. Next time there is a war, you must keep a clear head and don’t make promises that you shouldn’t make. You have elderly parents and young children to support, so why should you be generous when you are poor?

Unfortunately, Zhao Xiaoqian's military order to not take a penny from the looting eventually got him into trouble.

Bianjing City, Daqing Main Hall.

A regular New Moon and Full Moon Court meeting was being held.

It was supposed to be an ordinary court meeting, but today's atmosphere was quite solemn.

Bianjing was thousands of miles away from the Song-Xia front line, so much news was inevitably delayed.

The latest news that Zhao Xu and his ministers have received is that Queen Mother Liang of Western Xia has mobilized 300,000 troops from the entire country to invade.

This number frightened many court officials, who felt like the sky was falling.

The news had already reached Bian Jing for several days. The emperor and his ministers were all worried these days. Even Zhao Xu, who advocated war, felt a little uneasy and secretly reflected on whether he had been too impulsive at the time.

So, after the news had been brewing for a few days, some public opinion gradually emerged within the government and the opposition.

Public opinion was directed at Zhao Xu and Zhao Xiaoqian.

The emperor and his minister had initially gone against the majority's opinion and insisted on fighting. Now, they've stirred up a hornet's nest, haven't they?

Who can defeat an army of 300,000?

When people's hearts were divided, voices for peace talks gradually emerged.

Not surprising, it's an old tradition of the Song Dynasty.

If you can't win, use money to solve the problem, commonly known as "annual payment". If money can't solve the problem, then add more money.

(End of this chapter)