The prince is more stable

Chapter 434 The rat-throwing weapon
If this man who called himself "Xiao Dili" was really just the illegitimate son of a powerful official in the Liao Kingdom as he said, Zhao Xiaoqian would rather dig out Chen Shou's eyeballs and step on them like bubbles.

Are you so careless in your lies to fool people?

Zhao Xiaoqian felt that his intelligence had been silently insulted.
At this time, the battle between the imperial guards under Chen Shou and the Liao army had reached a fever pitch. Both sides fought to the death and suffered casualties on both sides.

Without the advantage of firearms, even though the imperial guards under Chen Shou's command were the elite of the Song Dynasty's Infantry Palace, they were still somewhat powerless against the Liao army. After a bloody battle, the casualties of the imperial guards gradually increased.

From this we can see that this Liao army is indeed extraordinary. Zhao Xiaoqian is sure that this is definitely not an ordinary Liao army, and these people are obviously coming for this young Liao man, so the identity of this so-called bastard's son is even more complicated.

At this time, the casualties on both sides were still increasing, but Zhao Xiaoqian could not bear it anymore. These were loyal and brave men who followed him day and night. After getting along for a long time, they had become as close as brothers. Death is inevitable on the battlefield, but if it can be avoided, why increase casualties?
As soon as the signal arrow was fired, it was estimated that Zhong Jianzhong's reinforcements would not arrive for a while, so Zhao Xiaoqian could not count on him.

"Jia Shi, take two men and rush over, put a knife to the neck of that bastard, and see how the Liao army reacts." Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly gave a loud order.

Without saying a word, Jia Shi immediately dodged and rushed behind Yelu Yanxi, silently placing a knife on his neck.

Yelu Yanxi was so frightened that his soul flew away. He felt the coldness on his neck and all the hairs on his body stood up.

Zhao Xiaoqian pushed aside the shield protecting him, walked behind Yelu Yanxi, used his body to block himself, and shouted, "Stop it!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Liao army, which had been fighting bloody battles, really stopped. Everyone looked at Yelu Yanxi helplessly, especially the knife on his neck.

The hilt of the knife was held in Jia Shi's hand. Jia Shi seemed to be smiling, but the knife seemed to have grown into a new organ in Yelu Yanxi's body, following him like a shadow, and never leaving his neck.

Seeing that all the Liao troops had stopped and looked at a loss, Zhao Xiaoqian became more certain.

Sure enough, they came for this bastard, and this Liao man was obviously a very important figure, and he could not be harmed even a hair. These Liao soldiers would rather give up resistance than disobey, because the knife was on Yelu Yanxi's neck, and they were afraid to use it.

This person is very important.

The two sides were in a stalemate. Chen Shou and the imperial guards were on guard and moved closer to Zhao Xiaoqian step by step. At this time, Chen Shou and the imperial guards also realized that this Liao man was not simple, and they surrounded Yelu Yanxi silently.

The Liao army became even more desperate. Under such circumstances, it was impossible to rescue the crown prince.

After a long moment, Zhao Xiaoqian broke the silence, glanced coldly at Yelu Yanxi, and said to the Liao army, "What should we do now? How can you break this trick?"

No one in the Liao army said a word.

Zhao Xiaoqian said slowly, "I don't know this man's name or identity. Because of my ignorance, I am fearless. If you dare to attack me again, I will order him to be chopped off with a knife. After all, he is a Liao person, and his life or death is not important to me."

The Liao army suddenly became agitated, and then calmed down.

Still no one spoke out. This matter concerned the life and death of the Liao Dynasty's crown prince, and no one dared to step forward and take responsibility.

Seeing that the Liao army was beginning to waver, Zhao Xiaoqian couldn't help but smile: "In another stick of incense, my reinforcements will arrive. Then you won't be able to escape."

"Now, I allow you to escape. How important is this person? I'll have someone from the Liao Kingdom whose words are effective come to Zhending City to discuss this with me face to face..."

Zhao Xiaoqian patted Yelu Yanxi on the shoulder and encouraged him, "Xiao Shuzi? Come on, smile sweetly at your fellow officers and comrades. Our local gangs are all very polite."

Yelu Yanxi was trembling all over, but he dared not disobey, so he tried hard to force an ugly smile towards the hundreds of Liao soldiers.

After laughing, Zhao Xiaoqian continued to persuade him earnestly: "In this situation, shouldn't we say a few polite words?"

"For example, JJ got a big scar, but eighteen years later he's a brave man again. You can lose the battle but not the battle. No matter how embarrassed you are, you have to act like a hero, otherwise you will be despised by your subordinates."

Yelu Yanxi's face turned ashen, then pale in a moment, with anger and fear intertwined repeatedly.

He heard the sarcasm in Zhao Xiaoqian's words, but he was not so stupid as to say just a few polite words. He just hung his head dejectedly and said nothing.

Hundreds of Liao soldiers knew that the operation had failed and the situation was hopeless. They could not rescue the Crown Prince today and had no choice but to retreat.

If you miss the target, the wise thing to do is to retreat.

There were still five or six hundred corpses of Liao soldiers lying on the ground. No one turned back to look. They turned around and left, as if they had made some kind of resolution...

It was not until all the Liao troops had withdrawn that Zhao Xiaoqian looked at Yelu Yanxi again, whose face looked as pale as death. His eyes were completely different from before.

At this moment, Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes were full of joy, as if he had discovered a treasure. Every ray of light emanating from his eyes carried the stench of money.

"Shao Jing is quite good. I'll give him a great credit later. He stumbled upon a treasure..." Zhao Xiaoqian patted Yelu Yanxi on the shoulder and said, "Hundreds of people have already sacrificed their lives to save you, and you still say you're a bastard who's not favored by the family?"

Yelu Yanxi showed a smile that was uglier than crying. He opened his mouth to say something but was stopped by Zhao Xiaoqian.

"Don't talk about it. We are not in a hurry. We will have time to talk slowly when we return to the Song army camp."

This time, Zhao Xiaoqian took matters into his own hands. He immediately took charge of Yelu Yanxi and his hundred personal guards, ordering Chen Shou's imperial guards to personally guard them and escort them back to the main camp. Then, the sound of hurried horse hooves could be heard as a group of over a thousand Dragon Guards arrived on horseback. Seeing that Zhao Xiaoqian was safe, the soldiers breathed a sigh of relief.

Surrounded by the Dragon Guard Camp and the Imperial Guards, Zhao Xiaoqian rode onto the battlefield.

The fierce battle was over at this time. Zhao Xiaoqian stopped his horse and looked around. He saw traces of war everywhere on the wilderness and plains.

Corpses were scattered everywhere, flags were tattered, soldiers were lying on the ground, crying out in pain, there were also the corpses of war horses, broken weapons, and stumps of limbs scattered everywhere, and Liao prisoners knelt on the ground without resistance...

The Song army was cleaning up the battlefield and finishing off the Liao army corpses on the ground one by one.

The cavalry patrolled back and forth on the edge of the battlefield, searching for the fleeing and scattered enemy troops, while the infantry searched the bodies of the Liao soldiers one by one in order, looking for money, food and other spoils hidden in the corpses' clothing and armor.

The surviving soldiers of the Dragon Guard Camp and the Xiang Army were gathered in another corner, being treated by the army doctors, or chewing on their dry food to replenish their strength.

Zhao Xiaoqian suppressed the trembling in his heart and carefully looked at everything on the battlefield.

This is what the battlefield really looks like, cruel and brutal, a fight to the death.

Being alive was a great fortune. The soldiers ate dry food, talked and laughed, or cursed loudly. After cursing, someone in the crowd let out a low cry, and the cry quickly infected others, and everyone started crying together.

After crying, the soldiers quickly calmed down under the general's scolding and began to talk about the details of the fierce battle and their anticipation for the rewards after the battle...

There are all kinds of things in the world, and all beings have form and have no form.

If an outsider saw these living soldiers laughing and crying, cursing and laughing again, he would probably think they were a group of lunatics.

But the comrades present knew very well that they were not crazy, but just a group of survivors who had returned to the world of the living after going through the gates of hell. They needed to vent all kinds of extreme, violent and sad emotions.

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed and walked over on foot.

As he approached, the soldiers of the Dragon Guard Battalion and the Wing Army saw him, and they all supported him to stand up and saluted him.

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and raised his hand to signal the soldiers to sit down.

"Today, you have fought with your lives to achieve this great victory. I, Zhao Xiaoqian, will not speak any empty words, such as loyalty to the emperor and serving the country, or family and country. I guess they will not touch your hearts."

After a pause, Zhao Xiaoqian said in a deep voice, "Let me be frank. The brothers who survive today will be credited with the first merit of the Dragon Guard Battalion. The court and I will both reward them."

"The imperial court will certainly provide generous compensation to our comrades who died in battle. I will also express my gratitude to them, so that their spirits can rest in peace. Their concern before death is a responsibility that I, Zhao Xiaoqian, will never shirk in this life."

There was silence all around. Gratitude gradually appeared on the soldiers' dirty faces, and their eyes gradually turned red.

I don’t know who took the lead, but everyone suddenly knelt on their knees facing Zhao Xiaoqian.

"On behalf of our brothers who died in battle, I thank Duke Zhao for his generosity!"

The remaining thousands of people also knelt down and expressed their gratitude in unison.

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed and said, "Everyone, get up! You've fought bravely against the enemy. If I can't even take care of your affairs after death, I'll disappoint everyone. I won't say any more nonsense. Comrades, just watch my actions."

"If I say something but can't do it, the brothers from the Dragon Guard Battalion and the Xiang Army can point at my nose and curse me at any time. I, Zhao Xiaoqian, will accept it with shame and will never refute a single word."

Seeing that the soldiers were still kneeling and refusing to stand up, Zhao Xiaoqian also knelt down on both knees.

"Thank you, my brothers, for your bravery in killing the enemy. Since the founding of the Great Song, we have rarely achieved such a complete victory. This is all thanks to you. Regardless of your original intention in killing the enemy, the fact is that you have enhanced the prestige of the Great Song, brought honor to our country, and earned dignity for our rulers, ministers, and people."

"Zhao Xiaoqian, thank you all again!"

After saying this, Zhao Xiaoqian kowtowed deeply to the ground.

The generals and soldiers also kowtowed in haste to return the greeting. After they paid their respects to each other, someone in the crowd cried again. The emotion spread to thousands of people, and everyone could no longer contain themselves and burst into tears.

Zhao Xiaoqian turned around with a gloomy expression.

Zhong Jianzhong came forward and whispered, "The Duke just fired a flare. Is he in danger?"

Zhao Xiaoqian was in a heavy mood and was too lazy to elaborate.

Then he suddenly asked, "How many casualties did our army suffer in this battle?"

Zhong Jianzhong was silent for a moment, then said, "Zhang Rong and Zhe Keshi had 10,000 soldiers, and Shao Jing and Feng Sheng had 5,000 soldiers. After this battle, only about 5,000 were left alive, a total loss of 10,000."

(End of this chapter)