The prince is more stable

Chapter 433 Strange Assassination
Perhaps even Zhao Xiaoqian did not expect that the young Liao man in front of him was actually a historical celebrity.

Yelu Yanshi was not only the crown prince, but also, if history is correct, the last emperor of the Liao Dynasty, the famous "Emperor Tianzuo" of the Liao Dynasty.

The original meaning of "Tianzuo" is blessing from heaven. However, when used as the title of an emperor, this emperor was not up to the standard and became the last emperor of a dynasty. Therefore, the title "Emperor Tianzuo" is full of irony.

Just like after Emperor Zhenzong of Song Dynasty performed the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, no emperor climbed Mount Tai again for thousands of years.

The same goes for the title of "Emperor Tianzuo". Since Yelu Yanshi, this originally auspicious title of emperor has not been used by any emperor for thousands of years, as it is considered very unlucky.

So, during the past few decades of Song and Liao, there were many literary masters, but there were also many weird ones. The Song Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty were about the same, so no one should laugh at each other.

Being able to bring a powerful country to ruin in just a few decades, it is not surprising that Yelu Yanxi was captured by the Song army today. His performance level remains as stable as ever.

At this moment, Zhao Xiaoqian stared at Yelu Yanxi, his eyes full of inquiry.

Identity doesn't necessarily have to be spoken out loud by others. You can roughly guess his social class by looking at his temperament and dress.

Facing Zhao Xiaoqian's sharp gaze, Yelu Yanxi felt his scalp tingling, but he refused to reveal his identity no matter what.

Once his identity was revealed, the Song Dynasty would know that it had picked up a treasure, and it would probably never belong to the Liao Dynasty again. Moreover, he would be used as a bargaining chip by the Song Dynasty to blackmail the Liao Dynasty, putting his grandfather Yelu Hongji in a passive position and being controlled by the Song Dynasty everywhere.

Therefore, Yelu Yanxi could not say it even if he was beaten to death.

His only worry at the moment was that he could choose not to speak, but the same could not be said for the one hundred guards behind him. If the State of Song tortured them, it would be difficult to guarantee that they would rather die than surrender and keep their mouths shut.

So Yelu Yanxi slowly turned his head, glanced at his guards with a threatening look, and when he turned back, his face was full of smiles.

"I wonder who this distinguished person is..." Yelu Yanxi asked instead of answering.

The soldiers next to him were furious. The Duke asked you a question, and it would have been fine if you didn't answer, but you actually dared to ask the Duke a question in return. You are looking for death!
He just raised his palm as big as a palm fan and was about to hit him hard in the groin, but was stopped by Zhao Xiaoqian.

"My name is Zhao Xiaoqian. I was granted the title of Duke of Anle County in the Song Dynasty. Have you heard of me?" Zhao Xiaoqian said with a smile.

Yelu Yanxi's pupils trembled violently, and he said in a lost voice, "Are you Zhao Xiaoqian?"

Zhao Xiaoqian blinked. "Judging from your well-known appearance, you must have heard of me. My reputation in Liao should not be that great, right? The only people who have heard of my name are at least the upper class of Liao."

Yelu Yanxi immediately returned to normal, feeling extremely regretful.

With just two short sentences, this Duke of Song had already defined his identity within the circle of the powerful. If he had said a few more words, wouldn't he have been incriminating himself?

This man is so powerful that you must be careful in what you say and do in front of him.

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled again and said, "Okay, I've finished introducing myself. It's your turn now. Please state your name, official title, and nobility clearly so that we can both be calm and collected. I don't like to cause any unpleasantness."

Yelu Yanxi was silent for a moment, then said, "My name is... Xiao Dili. I'm just a bastard son of a powerful Khitan noble. This time, I followed the Prince of Beiping south and was honored to command his personal army. I don't like fighting and fighting, but my family elders asked me to come and see the world, so I had no choice but to obey."

Yelu Yanxi spoke in a deliberately loud voice, and his voice reached the ears of more than a hundred guards behind him, which served as a reminder to them to stick to their identity and not give up.

The more than one hundred guards naturally heard it. Everyone lowered their heads and remained silent, knowing what was going on.

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled. "Xiao Dili? That name is quite unfamiliar. It's not common to see a commander of the imperial army wearing gold and jade and looking like he's made a fortune."

Seeing Zhao Xiaoqian's disbelief, Yelu Yanxi hurriedly explained, "My family has a lot of money. Although I'm a bastard, I've been well-fed. My clothes and appearance are a bit... ostentatious. Please forgive me, Lord Zhao."

Zhao Xiaoqian remained silent. This fellow never spoke a word of truth. What Xiao Dili, what bastard's son? How could a nobleman with a hundred personal guards following him be a bastard's son?
There are doubts about his identity, but there is no rush. There is plenty of time to take it slow. There is no time to interrogate him now because the war is not over yet.

Zhao Xiaoqian looked at the soldiers of the Xiang army and said, "You continue to keep a strict guard. Once this matter is settled, send this Xiao... um, Xiao Dili, to the commander's tent of the Dragon Guard Camp."

The soldiers of the Xiang army bowed hurriedly and accepted the order.

Zhao Xiaoqian leaned over the saddle, looking at Yelu Yanxi with a smile, and said, "Xiao Shuzi, we have a long way to go. I'll give you a little more time to think it over and reorganize your words. What is your name and identity? Think clearly."

"Next time I ask you, if you still give me this deceptive answer, we're going to have some real unpleasantness. Of course, it'll mainly be you who'll be unhappy."

Yelu Yanxi's face turned pale instantly. He knew that it would be difficult for him to deceive this young duke.

Do I really have to tell the truth the next time I see him? The consequences are too serious, worse than being tortured.

But if he were to be tortured, Yelu Yanxi was sure that he would not be able to endure it.

Yelu Yanxi was deeply anxious about whether he should confess.

As if deliberately challenging Yelu Yanxi's defenses, Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly shouted, "Chen Shou, dispatch an expert in torture from the Imperial City Division to the Dragon Guard Camp. Prepare the instruments of torture and treat this bastard Xiao well."

Chen Shou also clasped his fists and shouted, "As you command! Zhao Xin, the Imperial City's interrogator, is a master at this. Even a man of steel cannot withstand two torture instruments. This half-human, half-ghost will confess without hesitation."

Yelu Yanxi's face turned even paler and his body began to stagger.

As the grandson of the Liao emperor, I can't bear even the slightest hardship, let alone torture. Is it God's will to kill me today?

Zhao Xiaoqian looked at Yelu Yanxi deeply, then put him out of his mind.

There are more important things waiting for him to deal with now, I will deal with him later.

Just as he was about to order Chen Shou and other imperial troops to set off for the battlefield, something unexpected happened.

A sharp arrow shot from the darkness behind the hill and hit Zhao Xiaoqian right in the middle of his eyebrows.

The sharp arrow was as fast as lightning, and in just a short moment, it carried an invincible momentum.

Zhao Xiaoqian was just an ordinary person. He knew no martial arts and had ordinary reaction abilities. The moment the arrow shot towards him, he could only watch helplessly as the arrow got closer and closer to his eyebrows, with no ability to dodge at all.

At this critical moment, Jia Shi, who had been silent all this time, suddenly shouted loudly, and then there was a bang. When the sharp arrow was only half a foot away from Zhao Xiaoqian's eyebrows, it was chopped down by Jia Shi with a knife and fell to the ground, breaking into two pieces.

"Enemy attack! Protect the emperor!" Jia Shi opened his eyes wide and shouted loudly.

Chen Shou and hundreds of other imperial guards nearby finally reacted. Chen Shou took a step forward, pulled Zhao Xiaoqian off his horse, and then covered Zhao Xiaoqian's entire body with more than a dozen shields.

The rest of the imperial guards quickly formed up, and even dozens of wing troops drew their swords and nervously scanned the surroundings for any movement.

Zhao Xiaoqian was still in shock and subconsciously glanced at Jia Shi, feeling extremely relieved.

His father was so reliable that he arranged such a master around him. Even Chen Shou didn't have time to react to the arrow just now, and was hit down by Jia Shi.

If I had refused my living father's arrangement, I would be dead by now. I would have been shot in the head with an arrow. My death would have been so miserable and ugly that I wouldn't even be able to put on makeup for my burial...

Normally, Jia Shi and the dozen or so masters are taciturn and do not show off their skills. They are so low-key that they are almost transparent. No one expected that they have real skills.

Chen Shou's voice interrupted Zhao Xiaoqian's thoughts.

"Prince, the situation is not good. We are surrounded by over a thousand Liao soldiers. Perhaps they are fleeing from the battlefield..."

Zhao Xiaoqian looked through the gap in the shield and saw figures all around him. There were indeed about a thousand people, all dressed in Liao soldiers' uniforms, and they were silently and slowly surrounding him.

Zhao Xiaoqian took a closer look and said, "These people are all wearing iron armor. Their armor is clean, without any stain or blood. They don't look like they have fled from the battlefield. Be careful, they are an elite force."

Zhao Xiaoqian then added, "The battlefield is only a mile away. Send a flare arrow to Zhong Jianzhong to request assistance. You don't need to engage in close combat. Form a formation and use your flintlock rifles to deal with him."

Chen Shou responded, and a flare arrow with a shrill sound rose up and exploded in the air. At the same time, hundreds of imperial guards lined up, took out their flintlock rifles, and quickly loaded them with powder and bullets.

With Chen Shou's order, the first round of flintlock musket fire was launched, and nearly a hundred Liao soldiers fell to the ground.

This Liao army was truly extraordinary. They were not afraid of the flintlock rifles at all. Instead, they sped up and rushed towards Chen Shou and other imperial guards.

The second salvo, the third salvo...

After three volleys, the imperial guards put away their flintlock rifles.

The Liao army had already rushed to the front and could no longer shoot calmly.

The imperial guards drew their swords and rushed forward, but Jia Shi and a dozen other masters remained motionless, like iron sculptures, surrounding Zhao Xiaoqian and protecting his safety.

Outside the battlefield between the Song and Liao armies, another fierce battle broke out unexpectedly.

This fierce battle, like the decisive battle commanded by Yelu Chun, came in a strange and bizarre way, once again beyond Zhao Xiaoqian's expectations.

Zhao Xiaoqian was emotionally stable and calm at this moment, staring at the Liao army fighting in close combat with the imperial guards with calm eyes.

After three rounds of volleys, the Liao army had lost nearly half of its troops, with only about 500 people left alive.

Zhao Xiaoqian observed for a long time and suddenly discovered an interesting phenomenon.

He originally thought that the goal of this Liao army was to assassinate him, but after observation, he found that while the Liao army was fighting fiercely with the imperial guards, the five hundred people unconsciously approached the location of the young Liao man.

They fought and retreated, regardless of sacrifice, as if they were willing to do anything to get close to Yelu Yanxi.

As for Zhao Xiaoqian's life or death, the Liao army didn't care and was not interested at all. The fatal arrow just now was just a casual act.

Zhao Xiaoqian looked at Yelu Yanxi deeply.

"Xiao Dili? The son of a powerful noble? Haha..."

(End of this chapter)