The prince is more stable

Chapter 362 The beam is not straight
Bianjing is neither far nor near from Zhending Prefecture, nearly a thousand miles away.

The team marched very slowly. Zhao Xiaoqian was not in a hurry. Since there was no urgent military information, he might as well walk and have fun as if he was having an outing.

The 30,000 soldiers of the Dragon Guard Camp were naturally even happier. Since their commander was not in a hurry, why should they be in a hurry? They were just looking forward to marching and camping at such a leisurely pace.

They only marched thirty or forty miles a day. Zhao Xiaoqian ordered the troops to set up camp before dusk, and only gave the order to march again at noon the next day.

So the team walked for ten days or so and only covered half the distance.

The entire army, from the commander-in-chief to the ordinary soldiers, was in a good mood. Even the marching troops walked in a loose manner, exuding a casual temperament from the inside out.

If outsiders see this army, they will probably immediately give it a nickname in their minds, called the "Salted Fish Army", which mainly features a casual and casual attitude.

As the commander-in-chief of an army, Zhao Xiaoqian behaved more casually.

Ordinary soldiers only slept and rested while camping, but Zhao Xiaoqian was so bored that he openly gambled in the army.

It's so boring, I have to find some entertainment to pass the time.

So, after this lazy army had been marching for a few days, something called "mahjong" quietly came into being.

The production of this thing is very simple. Just cut a few bamboos on the march, cut them into sections, and then order the military equipment supervisor craftsmen to polish them into 108 identical pieces, and then carve words and flowers on them.

The armorer accompanying the army never imagined that the first big job he received would be to make mahjong for the commander-in-chief. Now, the whole army was even more determined to suffer a defeat.

After setting up camp in the evening, the soldiers went to sleep in their tents, but the lights were on in the commander's tent. Four people sat around a square table, staring at the cards in their hands with serious expressions. They hesitated for a while and still couldn't make up their minds which one to play.

Zhong Jianzhong glanced at the still hesitant Zhao Xin, sighed inwardly, and said uncertainly: "My Lord, is this really okay? I always feel that the atmosphere in our army is not right..."

Zhao Xiaoqian was also staring at the cards in his hand, debating whether to play seven pairs or a straight suit. Hearing this, he said without looking up, "That's right. The atmosphere is not right. As the saying goes, if the top beam is crooked, the bottom beam will be crooked. The four of us who are at the top of the army are gambling together, and the soldiers below are slack and undisciplined. Sooner or later, we will be defeated."

Zhong Jianzhong and Zong Ze next to him were stunned.

Is the Duke so clear-headed and rational?

Zhao Xiaoqian glared at Zhao Xin impatiently and said, "Play your cards! It's no big deal. It's not like you're losing to your wife. Is it so difficult to play a card?"

Zhao Xin laughed dryly, "Please forgive me, Lord. I'm new to this new thing and not very familiar with it. Let me think about it again..."

Zong Ze, who was playing alongside him, wasn't paying attention to the cards at the moment. While Zhao Xin was thinking, he whispered, "Lord, our Dragon Guard Battalion has arrived in Zhending Prefecture. Should we declare war on the Liao army?"

Zhao Xiaoqian said absentmindedly: "We're just playing cards, what's the point of talking about business..."

The atmosphere at the card table suddenly fell silent, and Zhao Xiaoqian could only sigh and ask, "Do you want to go to war with the Liao army?"

The three people present were silent.

The Song Dynasty had flintlock rifles, and the Song-Xia War also proved that the Song army's combat effectiveness was no longer what it used to be. However, the strength of the Liao army was engraved in their bones after all, and the fear of the Liao army could not be changed for the time being.

After a long pause, Zhong Jianzhong hesitated and said, "The Liao army is powerful, and their combat effectiveness is different from that of the Western Xia army..."

He hadn't finished speaking, but Zhao Xiaoqian already understood the unspoken meaning in his words.

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "The best way to overcome fear is to face it head-on. No matter how strong the Liao army is, they are just two shoulders carrying a head. What is there to be afraid of?"

His expression gradually darkened as Zhao Xiaoqian slowly said, "I might as well tell you the truth. After I arrive at Zhending Prefecture, even if the Liao army avoids fighting, I will take the initiative to create friction and fight with the Liao army. First, to test the Liao army's quality, and second, to establish my authority in Hebei."

"As long as I, Zhao Xiaoqian, remain in Hebei, the Liao people will not dare to cross even an inch of the border of the Song Dynasty, otherwise they will bear the consequences."

As soon as these words were spoken, the three of them became excited and stood up at the same time and clasped their fists towards Zhao Xiaoqian.

"Since the Duke has such ambition, I, a humble general, am willing to risk my life to kill the enemy and enhance the prestige of our Song Dynasty!" Zhong Jianzhong said in a sonorous and powerful voice.

Zong Ze and Zhao Xin also bowed with excitement.

Zhao Xiaoqian raised his hand: "Xiu'er, sit down. It's shameful to get so excited about playing cards. Now we are just practicing our talking skills and not doing anything else. Why are you so excited?"

Then Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned: "Whose turn is it?"

Zhao Xin coughed twice.

Zhao Xiaoqian glared at him disapprovingly. "Difficult labor? Do you want me to call a doctor?" Zhao Xin's scalp tingled. He stared at the cards in his hand for a long moment, then raised his hand weakly, his face showing a lack of confidence. "Uh, I wonder if this humble servant has placed the cards correctly. I think... I've won."

Zhao Xiaoqian was startled and put his cards down. He glanced at them and found that the fourteen cards formed exactly seven pairs, a genuine seven pairs. He had won.

Zhao Xiaoqian felt very unhappy and his face turned pale.

I made all the same color except for one.

Is this the legendary protection period for the Novice Village?

Among those present, only Zong Ze had served as a civil servant. Although he was not very sociable at first, he had some understanding of the social customs in officialdom.

Seeing Zhao Xiaoqian's face livid, with a look of resignation, Zong Ze suddenly had an idea and quickly scrambled the cards in front of Zhao Xin, saying with disdain, "Old Zhao is indeed a novice. You are bluffing and will have to pay three players."

Zhong Jianzhong, who was standing next to him, was no novice in the officialdom either. He immediately agreed, "That's right, compensate three companies."

Zhao Xiaoqian's expression suddenly turned from gloomy to bright. He glanced at the two of them with admiration. Three big words were faintly floating above the card table.

"sensible!"

…………

The further north you go, the colder the weather becomes. Now that winter has arrived, the temperature in the north is even more bitterly cold.

Zhao Xiaoqian had to order the army to speed up the march and reach Zhending Prefecture as soon as possible. All the soldiers set up camp in Zhending Prefecture to prepare for the winter and could not continue to suffer from the cold on the road.

When they were about two days' journey away from Zhending Prefecture, they set up camp that day when the imperial guards came to report that someone outside the camp wanted to see the county lord.

This person is not an outsider. His name is "Zhen Qing" and he is an official of the Imperial City Bureau.

Including Zhao Xiaoqian, there are three people in charge of official affairs in the Imperial City Bureau, and the other two are Wei Jie and Zhen Qing.

Wei Jie was mainly responsible for the affairs of the capital area, while Zhen Qing's main responsibility was to be stationed at the Song-Liao border for a long time, responsible for presiding over the intelligence network of the Imperial City Division in the Liao Kingdom, as well as many matters such as using spies, infiltration, and spying.

The division of labor among the three is very clear.

Wei Jie is responsible for internal affairs, Zhen Qing is responsible for external affairs, and Zhao Xiaoqian is the leader. As everyone knows, the leader doesn't know anything and just manages these two people.

Zhao Xiaoqian had heard of this colleague from the Imperial City Division for a long time, but had never met him. Now, when he heard that Zhen Qing wanted to see him, Zhao Xiaoqian immediately became excited and ordered a meeting.

Not long after, the curtain of the commander's tent was lifted, and a skinny figure entered the tent accompanied by a gust of cold wind.

When they met, they bowed without saying a word.

"I am here on official business from the Imperial City Department, to pay my respects to the Duke of Zhao."

Zhao Xiaoqian hurried forward to help him up, then looked him over.

Zhen Qing was about forty years old, with ordinary looks and a thin figure. He was wearing a fox fur coat and a thick silk skirt underneath, which was obviously a cotton-padded jacket.

Nowadays, cotton is still a luxury that only the powerful and wealthy can afford, but Zhen Qing is already wearing a cotton jacket. One can imagine... is this guy a corrupt official?
Zhao Xiaoqian laughed twice and said it didn’t matter. As long as he was willing to work hard, he could be greedy. Could he, Zhao Xiaoqian, be a clean person?

On the moral level, Zhao Xiaoqian is not only not mysophobic, but rather very dirty.

"Zhen Qing, haha, I've heard a lot about you. I've been working at the Imperial City Office for over a year now, and I've always wanted to meet you, but you've been on a mission and haven't been able to return to Bianjing for years. Today, I finally got my wish."

Zhen Qing's face was full of smiles, especially when he smiled, his eyes narrowed into slits, revealing a sense of sincerity and cunning, making him look like a profiteer who was calculating and scheming for money.

I have to admit that Zhen Qing played the role of the merchant very successfully. If he appeared in Shangjing, the capital of Liao, no one would doubt his identity because of his treacherous appearance.

"Lord Zhao has humbled me. I have a deep admiration for him and have known him for a long time. I was only burdened by official duties. I have long sought an excuse to return to Bianjing to see him, but was unable to do so. This has been a lifelong regret. Now that I have met him today, I have no regrets."

Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes became more appreciative.

This person is good at chatting. It will definitely be pleasant to work with such a colleague in the future.

(End of this chapter)