The prince is more stable

Chapter 396 Liao Kingdom Military Intelligence
Zhao Xiaoqian is an honest man. Whether it is about others or himself, his evaluation is always so objective and truthful, and he never tells lies.

I have looked in the mirror so many times and urinated so many times, and I am flawless from any angle. Don’t I know whether the person in the mirror and in the urine is handsome or not?
Self-perception is one thing, and being able to withstand the evaluation of the people is another. Now it seems that the people also think so.

When he returned to the government office, Zhao Xiaoqian no longer felt relaxed.

The military intelligence of the Liao Kingdom was something he had always been concerned about. The sudden arrival of military intelligence today indicated that the Liao army had already taken action.

The backyard of the government office had been burned down, and Li Qingchen was recruiting craftsmen to renovate it. Of course, the materials and labor costs would be paid by corrupt officials. There was nothing wrong in using some of the eight million taels of stolen silver to repair the government office.

Fortunately, the front hall and inner hall of the government office were still intact, and the fire that night did not spread to the front.

Zhao Xiaoqian met Zhen Qing, whom he had not seen for a long time, in the inner hall. It was one of the only official business of the Imperial City Bureau.

In the last action against Liu Qianliang, Zhao Xiaoqian had not used Zhen Qing's men. One reason was that he was worried that the subordinates of the Imperial City Division stationed in Zhending Prefecture over the years had colluded with Liu Qianliang and others.

Secondly, the Imperial City Division of Zhending Prefecture is mainly responsible for spying on external military intelligence, and its internal supervision is not necessarily very strict. Using it may cause mistakes, so it is better to use the subordinates of the Imperial City Division he brought from Bian Jing.

It’s not that the Imperial City Administration of Zhending Prefecture is unaffordable, but that the Imperial City Administration of Bianjing is more cost-effective.

Zhen Qing was not present in the last operation against Liu Qianliang. He had a more important task. After a quick meeting with Zhao Xiaoqian, Zhen Qing sneaked into Shangjing, the capital of Liao.

This time when Zhen Qing came back, he bowed immediately when he saw Zhao Xiaoqian. Compared with the last time when he flattered him, Zhen Qing's expression this time seemed a little frightened.

There was naturally a reason for his panic. During the days when he was away from Zhending Prefecture, who would have known that this Duke of Zhao would do something so shocking to the court, and this matter also involved Zhen Qing in a big way.

"Your Excellency, I am aware of what Liu Qianliang and his men did in Zhending Prefecture. However, I swear to my ancestors that I have never been in cahoots with them."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled: "I didn't say anything, why are you so nervous?"

Zhen Qing wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a wry smile, "The entire Zhending Prefecture officialdom has been taken care of by the Duke. When I heard about it on the way back to Zhending City, I was so scared that I couldn't sleep for several nights, fearing that the Duke would take care of me too..."

Zhao Xiaoqian said leisurely, "I'm not someone who doesn't distinguish right from wrong. Of course, I also understand the principle that 'clear water holds no fish'. The Imperial City Division will also investigate whether you, Zhen Qing, have been involved in this corruption."

"Let me put it this way. As long as your past actions weren't too extreme, I can turn a blind eye..."

"However, if your greed and methods are comparable to Liu Qianliang's, and you have brought disaster to too many people, don't blame me for attacking my own people in the Imperial City Bureau."

Zhen Qing breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, and hurriedly said, "I dare not conceal anything from the Lord. I have indeed embezzled a small amount over the years. It is truly only 'a little', as can be verified in my military records... In total, it is no more than ten thousand taels of silver, all of which were daily gifts from the officials of Zhending Prefecture."

"Besides that, I have never actively participated in anything Liu Qianliang and the others did. They sent me money, and I accepted it because I didn't dare to violate the rules of the officialdom. But I and my subordinates in the Imperial City Division have never harmed the people."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "In the officialdom, one cannot help but be in control of one's own situation. I understand your difficulties. Let's put this matter aside for now. The Imperial City Bureau is still investigating the past of all officials in Zhending Prefecture. Once the investigation is complete, the right and wrong will be revealed. Let's get down to business."

It seemed that Zhen Qing had never taken the initiative to harm the people. At this moment, his expression was very calm and he didn't seem to be under any pressure at all.

"My Lord, I have learned military intelligence from Shangjing, the capital of Liao. The Liao army has dispatched 10,000 imperial guards from Shangjing and 30,000 cavalry from Zhejin Prefecture. Food, fodder, and war horses are already prepared."

"Five days ago, 10,000 Liao troops from Shangjing set out for the northern border of Zhending Prefecture. Their commander-in-chief was Yelü Chun, the Liao ruler's nephew, and his deputy commander was Yelü Yanxi, the Liao crown prince's grandson. The 30,000 cavalry from Zhejin Prefecture have also been assembled and prepared, waiting to join forces with the 10,000 imperial guards from Shangjing before marching to the northern border of Zhending Prefecture."

Zhao Xiaoqian was not surprised at all. Hadn't he waited so long just for this news?
"When will the Liao army reach the border of Zhending Prefecture?"

"Calculating their marching time, they should arrive in about ten days. Including the ten thousand Liao troops originally stationed outside the border, the total Liao army at that time would be around fifty thousand, the vast majority of whom would be cavalry."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded and silently calculated the winning rate in his mind.

To be honest, the timing of the Liao army's invasion was very delicate. It happened to be when the officialdom of Zhending Prefecture had just been purged, and at the same time, a large number of generals of the 10,000 border troops stationed in Zhending were also replaced. At this time, the morale of the 10,000 border troops was unstable.

Fortunately, Zhao Xiaoqian brought 30,000 soldiers from the Dragon Guard Camp from Bian Jing, and they were all equipped with new firearms. Otherwise, if he had relied on these 10,000 border troops, he would have been defeated in this battle.

Of course, Zhao Xiaoqian did not forget that there were still 40,000 troops, but he did not expect these 40,000 troops to play any role. The combat effectiveness of the local troops was obvious to all.

Speaking of which, Zhao Xiaoqian now has a total of 80,000 soldiers and horses under his command. Facing the 50,000 Liao troops, it is considered a case of having more troops against fewer, and the advantage is on my side.

But in fact, the only troops Zhao Xiaoqian could use were 30,000 soldiers from the Dragon Guard Camp.

In a short period of time, it was difficult to rally the morale of the 10,000 border troops. After all, they had just experienced a purge. Until today, Zong Ze was still stationed in the camp of 10,000 imperial guards. Zhao Xiaoqian temporarily appointed him as the commander-in-chief of these 10,000 border troops.

Zong Ze has been very busy these days, trying to stabilize the military morale and appoint new commanders, battalion officers and other grassroots generals. As to whether the effect is great, Zhao Xiaoqian is not sure yet.

Without understanding, Zhao Xiaoqian could only choose to ignore it and dared not hold out any hope.

Thirty thousand Dragon Guard Battalion against fifty thousand Liao cavalry, well, the advantage is still on me.

It wasn't arrogance, but Zhao Xiaoqian already had a rough outline of the tactics in his mind. Firearms were the ultimate weapon of civilization, crushing all other cold weapons. Zhao Xiaoqian wouldn't arrogantly assume they could wipe out all enemies, but he also wouldn't underestimate himself.

Under the premise that the weapons of both sides are one civilization era apart, there is no basis for speculating the outcome of the war simply based on the number of people.

Seeing that Zhao Xiaoqian was lost in thought, Zhen Qing didn't dare to disturb him.

After a long while, Zhen Qingcai said carefully: "Besides this, I also did another thing in Shangjing."

"explain."

"Last time, the Lord Commander instructed me to keep an eye out for powerful figures from the Liao Kingdom who could be bribed and won over to the capital. I mentioned a man named Xiao Fengxian. I wonder if the Lord Commander still remembers him?"

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded. "Xiao Fengxian, the eldest brother-in-law of the Crown Prince Yelü Yanxi, was a well-known dandy prodigal son in the Liao Kingdom. I remember him."

Zhen Qing continued, "As a merchant, I have had several encounters with Xiao Fengxian in Shangjing..."

"Did you bribe him?" Zhao Xiaoqian perked up.

Zhen Qing smiled bitterly and said, "How could it be that easy? He is a relative of the emperor and has seen the world. How could he be easily bribed?"

The light in Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes dimmed instantly. "Remember to be concise and to the point when you speak next time. Success is success, failure is failure. Don't try to suppress things first and then praise them, and don't play with mysterious suspense. If you mess with my mentality, I'll call Liu Dan from the Bianjing Ice Well Office over to have a chat with you..."

Zhao Xiaoqian grinned at him and said, "We are all from the same system. Liu Dan, you've heard of it, right?"

Zhen Qing's scalp tingled, and Liu Dan's abnormal appearance immediately appeared in his mind.

Zhen Qing hurriedly said in panic, "My Lord, please show some mercy. I was wrong. To put it simply, I'm still trying to establish a relationship with Xiao Fengxian, but he's very wary and arrogant, and won't easily associate with merchants."

"However, after a few contacts, I gave him some valuable pearls, jade and gold jewelry, both openly and secretly. Recently, Xiao Fengxian has become more friendly to me."

"I can see that, as the County Lord predicted, this man is extremely greedy for money. Bribing him will not be difficult. As long as I slowly wear down his vigilance, it won't be long before Xiao Fengxian will be used by the Song Dynasty."

Zhao Xiaoqian felt relieved and started laughing.

The reason why he was certain that Xiao Fengxian could be bribed was because of the cheats he had in his previous life.

In history, Xiao Fengxian was not a good person. It is not an exaggeration to say that he was a traitorous minister of the Liao Dynasty. For money and power, this man dared to do anything.

Now Zhen Qing's contact has indeed confirmed this.

After counting on his fingers, he found that after confiscating the property of corrupt officials, he now had relatively well off funds. Some things could be arranged in advance, and they could be arranged lavishly.

"I'll grant you one hundred thousand taels of silver. Return to the capital and continue your contact with Xiao Fengxian. Remember, don't be too ruthless when offering bribes. It would be best if you can leave some evidence to use against him. Do you understand?"

"I understand. I know the bribery and solicitation tricks very well." Zhen Qing said a little carried away.

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at him and suddenly asked, "What did you say when those officials under Liu Qianliang offered you bribes?"

Zhen Qing was startled. Seeing that Zhao Xiaoqian asked seriously, he dared not refuse to answer, so he said cautiously: "Your subordinate accepted the bribe passively..."

"I don't care whether you prefer to be active or passive, I just want to know how you manage to be half-hearted. I want to learn from you."

Zhen Qing had no choice but to say, "When those officials offered bribes, I, of course, acted righteously and uprightly."

"Expand and tell me."

"They gave me money, and I said, 'Nonsense! Who do you think I am?' They said, 'You think you're one of us, one of us who likes money. Are we mistaken?'"

"I said, 'Haha, you're really good at judging people'..."

Zhao Xiaoqian: “…………”

How come there is such a bitch under my Imperial City Division?
Zhen Qing looked at him cautiously and said bitterly, "It's not that I couldn't resist the temptation. The gifts they gave me were too powerful. I couldn't resist and was forced to give in..."

Zhao Xiaoqian: “…………”

...Still so mean, so mean in style.

(End of this chapter)