The prince is more stable

Chapter 416: Requesting a Battle for Merit
The Dragon Guard Battalion has 30,000 soldiers and is well-equipped. All the officers and soldiers are brave warriors. With this army, the border of Zhending Prefecture can be kept peaceful.

But Zhao Xiaoqian's purpose of coming to Zhending Prefecture was not to guard the border, he did not forget his mission.

The purpose of Zhao Xu sending him here was for the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.

Just like maps of different sizes, if the map is narrowed down to the nine counties of Zhending Prefecture, the 30,000 soldiers of the Dragon Guard Camp are enough to ensure the stability of the border.

But if the map is changed to the east and west routes of Hebei, including the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun and the thousands of miles long border between Song and Liao, then these 30,000 soldiers of the Dragon Guard Camp would be a bit insufficient.

Without the court's permission, Zhao Xiaoqian did not dare to expand his troops privately. Even if he obtained the court's permission, expanding his troops would be a very dangerous act that would easily arouse suspicion among the emperor and his ministers. It should not be done unless it was absolutely necessary.

Zhao Xiaoqian's option was to optimize the original troops of Zhending Prefecture as much as possible, first win their hearts, train their bodies, and finally replace their equipment and armor, so that they would become an invincible elite army.

He had originally planned to deal with the invading Liao army, and then find a way to establish his authority and win over the hearts of the 40,000 troops under his command. However, he did not expect that Shao Jing and Feng Sheng would come to him on their own initiative.

This...it would be unfair to them if we don't take action to rectify this.

Outside the general's tent, amid the two men's shrill screams, twenty blows of military sticks had been completed.

Zhao Xiaoqian punished him with sixty military sticks, which could be beaten in three times. The military stick in the army was a deadly thing. One stick would tear the skin and flesh apart. Ordinary people could not withstand ten sticks at all. Even a strong general would feel uncomfortable after being beaten with twenty military sticks.

After the beating with military sticks, the two men were supported by the imperial guards and staggered into the general's tent.

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled again: "How do you feel?"

The two men no longer dared to be rude. They struggled to bow and clasped their fists, saying, "Thank you, Lord, for your mercy. I am deeply grateful."

Zhao Xiaoqian hummed and said, "The punishment has been given. Let's get down to business. What exactly do you want to do by breaking into the camp today?"

Shao Jing bowed his head and said, "I am only requesting to fight on behalf of my 40,000 garrison troops. I beg the Duke of Zhao to give them a chance to make merit."

Zhao Xiaoqian pointed at the generals sitting in the tent and said, "They all want a chance to make merit. There's only so much merit. You want it, and he wants it too. Why should I give it to you?"

"Your Excellency! Not only are you the prefect of Zhending, you're also the governor and pacifier of the western Hebei Route. The imperial guards and garrison troops of all the cities in the western Hebei Route are under your command. Why do you only use the Dragon Guard Battalion?"

Zhao Xiaoqian said slowly, "Warfare is dangerous and should not be taken lightly. If you want me to use the wing troops, do you have the leverage?"

"How is the fighting capacity of the Xiang army? How is its morale? How is its training? Who can guarantee that it will not flee in panic when the battle comes? Who can guarantee that it will not be afraid of fighting? Who can guarantee that it will not miss important military opportunities?"

The two of them were suddenly speechless.

Zhao Xiaoqian's questions were very sharp. As he said, if the Xiang army wanted to be sent to the battlefield, it must have bargaining chips, confidence, and strength. If it was just a group of rabble, which commander would dare to use it?

But, does the Xiang army have the strength?
The two of them lowered their heads helplessly.

Whether it was breaking into the camp or requesting a fight today, it was all personal behavior of the two generals. They did not request a fight for the purpose of killing the enemy and serving the country, but after the Dragon Guard Camp wiped out 10,000 Liao troops, they saw an opportunity for promotion.

In reality, the Xiang army was not that passionate, and most of them were just trying to get by.

Today, when the two of them broke into the Dragon Guard Camp, they actually paid attention to the status of the soldiers in the Dragon Guard Camp. At a glance, they felt the gap between the elite imperial guards and the local garrison troops.

The difference was simply too great. The Dragon Guards' camp was neat and clean, the soldiers in high spirits, meticulous in their training, the maintenance of their weapons, and the feeding of their horses. The soldiers walked through the camp with their heads held high, always in a fighting stance...

After thinking about what they saw and heard, and then thinking about the quality of the soldiers of the Xiang Army, they suddenly felt deeply powerless.

"I... don't have any bargaining chips." Shao Jing said sadly with his head down.

Zhao Xiaoqian was amused. "Without any leverage or strength, what were you doing barging into the camp today? You got beaten with a military stick for nothing. Isn't that unfair?"

Feng Sheng mustered up his courage and said, "I just want you to give me a chance, even if it means letting our wing troops contain the Liao army and transport supplies."

Speaking of containment, Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes lit up and he quickly glanced at Zhong Jianzhong.

Zhong Jianzhong seemed to have thought of something. After thinking for a while, he looked up and met Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes. They both smiled secretly.

"Containing them... there is a chance," Zhao Xiaoqian said slowly, "but even if it's a task like containing the Liao army, I'm worried that the Xiang army won't be strong enough and will delay my important plan."

Shao Jing and Feng Sheng were stunned for a moment, then immediately became excited. They had thought their trip today was in vain, that they would be ridiculed by the Dragon Guards and gain nothing. Now Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly mentioned "containment"...

"What does Duke Zhao mean..." the two asked cautiously.

Zhao Xiaoqian and Zhong Jianzhong looked at each other, and the eye contact confirmed that he and Zhong Jianzhong had the same idea at the moment.

Zhao Xiaoqian then slowly said, "Yelü Chun will lead 40,000 Liao troops to Zhending Prefecture in three days. I originally planned to have the Dragon Guard Battalion ambush them along the way, but I lacked a bait to lure the enemy..."

Shao Jing was a military commander after all, so he immediately understood what he meant and said hastily, "The troops under my command are willing to serve as bait!"

"Do you understand what 'bait' means?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked, staring into his eyes.

"Understood. Draw the enemy out, or lead them to where the Duke wants them to go."

Zhao Xiaoqian said calmly, "Bait is meant to trick fish into biting. Even if the fish takes the bait, it will have already swallowed it. Are you mentally prepared for this?"

Shao Jing was stunned for a long time, then said with difficulty: "A lot of people are going to die?"

“Not necessarily, but the risk is indeed significant.”

The two lowered their heads, looked at each other quickly, and then got the answer from each other's eyes.

"My Lord, the troops under my command are willing to give it a try!" When Shao Jing looked up, his eyes were extremely firm.

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled. "Is it decided? There's no joking in the army. If you go back on your word before the battle, you'll lose your head."

"It's decided!" Shao Jing and Feng Sheng said gritting their teeth.

"Chen Shou, bring the map!" Zhao Xiaoqian said loudly.

A huge map slowly unfolded in the commander's tent, and everyone's eyes were focused on it.

Zhao Xiaoqian pointed to a plain about a hundred miles north of the main camp and said slowly, "I plan to ambush Yelu Chun's Liao army here."

"This area is open, but there's a hill to the west that can be used as a hiding place. The road beside the hill leads to Zhending Prefecture. The Dragon Guard Battalion might be able to hide 5,000 soldiers there..."

"Before Yelu Chun's troops arrived, the Dragon Guard Battalion hid on the west side of the hill. Meanwhile, Shao Jing and Feng Sheng led 5,000 garrison troops to engage the Liao army in close combat on the northeast side of the hill."

"After engaging in battle, we can hold out for a while and then retreat towards the hills, drawing the Liao army into pursuit. As long as we can lead the Liao army to the road beside the hills, the wing army's mission will be accomplished."

"It's the Dragon Guard Battalion's turn to take action next," Zhao Xiaoqian said, looking around at everyone. "In this ambush, we'll strive to annihilate ten thousand Liao troops. If anything changes, the units don't have to hold on. If the situation becomes unfavorable, retreat. Remember, this is an ambush, not a life-or-death battle, let alone a decisive battle."

All the generals clasped their fists and accepted the order.

Zhe Keshi stood up and said loudly: "My Lord, I request to lead 5,000 soldiers from the Dragon Guard Battalion to ambush the Liao army."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was an uproar in the general's tent, and the generals of the Dragon Guard Camp pointed at Zhe Keshi's nose and started cursing.

"You're not done yet, are you? You're showing off everywhere? We just annihilated 10,000 Liao soldiers. Such a great achievement can't satisfy you, yet you dare to compete with us!"

"Zhe, you're going too far. You've taken over everything. Are we just decorations? If you really want to make a name for yourself, why don't you go and challenge Yelu Chun alone?"

Zhe Keshi was insulted by the generals, but he remained calm and not angry at all.

Zhang Rong saw Zhe Keshi being surrounded and scolded by the generals, and no one was paying attention to him. So he rolled his eyes and secretly approached Zhao Xiaoqian, smiled ingratiatingly, and whispered, "My Lord, what do you think of...this general?"

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed heartily, slammed the table and said loudly: "Okay, it's you."

Zhang Rong was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed. He knelt on one knee before Zhao Xiaoqian and said with a sob, "Thank you so much for your recognition and appreciation, Your Excellency. Even if I die, I will not let you down!"

There was a sudden silence in the general's tent. Everyone looked at Zhao Xiaoqian and Zhang Rong in astonishment, their hearts as if thousands of horses were galloping.

We're working so hard in the jungle here, and you stole our crystal?
(End of this chapter)