The prince is more stable

Chapter 413: Deification
The news of the complete annihilation of 10,000 Liao troops quickly spread throughout the city.

This news was even more shocking than the purge of officials such as Liu Qianliang. Officials and citizens throughout the city were shocked. Everyone took to the streets, asking each other in disbelief to confirm the authenticity of the news.

It's something that has never happened before, it's like a dream.

Whenever the Song and Liao dynasties fought, the Song Dynasty was always doomed to defeat in advance, almost without exception. The Song Dynasty would then seek peace and send annual tributes, while the Liao people, taking advantage of their great victory, became more and more rampant. Small groups of troops would often cross the border to plunder, and the Song Dynasty could only swallow its anger.

It's a very simple logic. If the Song Dynasty had a chance of winning, even if the odds were 30-70, the court and the people would not be so cowardly.

But today, the Song Dynasty won?
It was also an unprecedented great victory, in which 10,000 Liao troops were completely wiped out in one battle.

What does "total annihilation" mean? It means that all the 10,000 Liao troops stationed on the border were wiped out, and not a single one in the camp escaped.

In Zhending City, the people on the streets are quite interesting.

When the news came out, the people's first reaction was to sneer, thinking it must be fake news, and that the government had spread the rumor deliberately to appease the people.

Then various insiders came out and swore to heaven that the news was true, and the people began to be skeptical.

Finally, the imperial guards who reported the victory left the government office and went out of the city to report. They were bravely stopped by the people. After asking them carefully, they were shocked to find that this was actually true!
The Song army really wiped out 10,000 Liao troops in the Liao army camp not far from Zhending City.

The whole city was in an uproar, and everyone was telling each other the news.

Countless old people wiped their tears, knelt down facing the direction of Bianjing, and muttered something.

Soon after, all the restaurants and taverns in the city inexplicably became prosperous. The wealthy would come in and order a dime of rice wine and a few side dishes. The more generous ones would even call a singing girl to sing and accompany them for a living.

Those who have no money would rarely be generous. They would grit their teeth and take out a few dirty copper coins, pack up two meat dishes, and take them home to share with their wives and children.

In the streets, alleys, restaurants and houses, people were talking excitedly about the Song army's complete annihilation of 10,000 Liao soldiers.

I don't know where so many well-informed people came from, but they began to vividly describe the Song army's surprise attack on the Liao camp, including the launch of the surprise attack and the Liao army's fleeing in panic.

What's more, these well-informed people swore to heaven and saw with their own eyes that the leader of the troops in this battle was none other than Duke Zhao of Song Dynasty. He personally rode his horse to charge into the battle and was hit by several arrows but he fought to the death and refused to retreat.

The Liao army was frightened by the mighty appearance of Duke Zhao and finally knelt down to beg for surrender. However, Duke Zhao hated the brutality of the Liao people so much that he refused to surrender and ordered all the Liao people to be killed. Therefore, the victory report included the term "total annihilation", which means that no one was left alive.

The rumor became more and more true, and the details became more and more specific after being exaggerated by countless people.

The moment the good news spread throughout the city, Zhao Xiaoqian's image had already been deified in the hearts of the people of Zhending City.

The significance of this battle is not only the victory, but also a result that even Zhao Xiaoqian could not have imagined.

That is, a sudden victory unconsciously awakened the people's sense of pride.

The people of the Song Dynasty suddenly discovered that the Liao army was not that scary. They all had one head on two shoulders and could still die after being stabbed.

It turns out that facing the so-called invincible Liao cavalry, our Song Dynasty was also able to win, and the victory was so thorough.

In this devastated border town, amidst the joyous atmosphere of celebration, an inexplicable emotion is quietly sprouting and growing in people's hearts.

…………

The story spread like wildfire in the city, and all kinds of legends were rampant, and the news also spread to the eastern suburbs camp not far from Zhending City.

When Zhao Xiaoqian heard these rumors, he was gnawing on a greasy chicken leg in one hand. He was shocked when he heard these rumors, and the chicken leg in his mouth had no taste at all.

Trying hard to swallow the meat in his mouth, Zhao Xiaoqian stared at Chen Shou with wide eyes.

"I... personally led the charge? And even got shot by multiple arrows, yet I still fought to the death?"

Chen Shou suppressed a smile and nodded: "That's what the people in the city say, and it's basically been confirmed by all parties. No one believes it even if I refute it."

"I haven't even left the camp, why am I charging into a charge, why am I trapped in any battle formation? I was hit by several arrows and I even cried out loud, and you still want to 'fight to the death'? Am I sick?" Zhao Xiaoqian was furious.

"Investigate! Who is so wicked as to spread such nonsense? This is flattery and their intentions are despicable!" Chen Shou laughed and said, "It seems that there is no way to investigate. Now the people in the city are all saying this, and I'm afraid it's impossible to find the source. Besides, the people are willing to believe this statement. The prince's reputation is known throughout the city and everyone knows it."

Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned for a moment and sighed, "I got this reputation for no apparent reason. How can I face defeat in the future..."

Chen Shou's expression became serious, and he said, "How could the prince lose a battle? You will never lose in this life."

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at him and snorted twice.

"Others are praising you to death, and you're praising them too? Who dares to pat their chest and say they'll never lose a battle? Even the God of War wouldn't dare to be so arrogant, right?"

Chen Shou said seriously, "Victory and defeat are common, but the Crown Prince's spirit of constant victory is the hope of the Song Dynasty."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled: "You are really good at chatting. When you put it like that, I will die with a smile on my face."

Chen Shou hesitated for a moment and brought up another matter.

About the trouble that the three girls from Nian Nian got into today.

Zhao Xiaoqian said nothing after hearing this, but simply asked, "Are they injured?"

"The three Ru ladies scuffled with that Liu in the street. Women fight, that's about it. Maybe a few scrapes and a few hairs lost."

Zhao Xiaoqian hummed and sighed, "These three women are really too kind. They only want half of my family's property, haha."

"What the prince means is..."

Zhao Xiaoqian said calmly, "He flatters the Liao people and belittles the Song Dynasty. Such a person doesn't deserve wealth. Tell Li Qingchen and find a reason to confiscate his entire property."

"Some people must experience poverty before they can learn to think and speak normally. Once they have money, they become arrogant. This is not good. We should help them cure this problem."

Chen Shou nodded in agreement with a smile.

Zhao Xiaoqian was really enlightened by the Liu family. He didn't expect that there were people in the Song Dynasty similar to the Japanese and American people in later generations. He only regretted that he was not born in the Liao Dynasty.

They belittled and were pessimistic about their own country, and praised and worshipped the Liao Kingdom. They took advantage of the country when it was in advantage and ran away when the country was in danger.

Zhao Xiaoqian doesn't mind making them poor. Perhaps when they look at the world from the perspective of the poor, their cognition will be different. It can also be regarded as helping them grow and correcting their values.

After Chen Shou left the general's tent, Zhao Xin from the Imperial City Division came again.

"My Lord, Zhe Keshi's troops have cleaned up the battlefield and buried the Liao soldiers on the spot. Zhe Keshi has sent someone to ask for orders. Please let me know what to do next."

Zhao Xiaoqian finally smiled: "Zhe Keshi did a great job in this battle. Tell him that I will commend him for the credit later. The first battle between Song and Liao started with him, so he is the first meritorious one."

"Where are the 40,000 Liao troops under Yelu Chun?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked again.

Zhao Xin said, "The Imperial City Division reports that Yelu Chun's 40,000 Liao troops set out from Xijin Prefecture three days ago, crossing the Sanggan River to the south. They are approximately 300 miles from Zhending City. It's snowing heavily now, and the roads are difficult. If they march quickly, they should arrive in about three days."

Zhao Xiaoqian hummed and said, "Where are Zhong Jianzhong and Zhang Rong?"

"Zhang Rong led two thousand men and was stationed fifty miles north of the Liao army camp, waiting to take advantage of Zhe Keshi's escape. Unfortunately, General Zhe didn't let a single Liao soldier escape. Zhang Rong was furious and cursing."

"Zhong Jianzhong's 10,000 troops have advanced 60 miles north and are closely monitoring the movements of the Feihu Military Command. News of the annihilation of 10,000 Liao troops is likely to reach the Feihu Military Command soon. Zhong Jianzhong dares not leave, fearing that the Feihu Military Command will mobilize reinforcements to counterattack Zhe Keshi's troops."

Zhao Xiaoqian thought for a moment and said, "Tell Zhong Jianzhong to withdraw his troops and reunite with Zhe Keshi and Zhang Rong at the former Liao army camp."

"Ten thousand Liao troops have been completely wiped out. The Feihu Army will not dare to take any action for the time being. They will definitely wait for Yelu Chun's troops to arrive and then fight our army again."

Standing up and stretching, Zhao Xiaoqian said, "Now that we've won the battle, I should go to the Liao army camp and make arrangements for the next fierce battle."

(End of this chapter)