The prince is more stable

Chapter 435: Great Victory in Zhending
The Song army suffered a heavy loss of 10,000 men, a devastating number.

It was clearly a great victory, but Zhao Xiaoqian felt no joy at all. At this moment, he just felt upset. Although he knew that war would definitely result in casualties, when the tragic scenes of war really appeared before his eyes, Zhao Xiaoqian still felt very uncomfortable.

When the world is not at peace, human life is worth less than grass.

Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly realized that his mission, in addition to changing the course of history and the fate of himself and his family, also included a responsibility to the world.

End the war and allow people to live to old age in peace.

The mission was too lofty, but he really believed he had to do it.

No reason, just do things from your heart.

The subsequent aftermath was very complicated. The bodies of the 10,000 killed soldiers were simply packed up and transported back to Zhending Prefecture. The dead could not be buried in a foreign land, otherwise the soldiers who died in battle would die with regrets.

There were also many seriously injured soldiers, and some of them died during the treatment by the military doctors.

The weapons of the Liao army prisoners were confiscated and they were escorted back to Zhending Prefecture.

This battle was indeed a great victory, but it was too tragic. Zhao Xiaoqian was dissatisfied with the result from the bottom of his heart. He also needed to call all the generals together to review the battle and learn from the experience.

As it was getting dark, the battlefield was finally cleaned up. The originally cruel and bloody battlefield had been cleared as before, but the black soil where the snow had just melted was still filled with the lingering smell of blood.

A flock of crows circled in the sky, cawing mournfully overhead, and the bare treetops swayed in the wind, as if singing a dirge for the dead.

Zhao Xiaoqian straightened up and stared at the north in a trance for a long time. Then he sighed and said, "Order the entire army to return to the camp."

Zhong Jianzhong came over, and Zhao Xiaoqian said, "Old Zhong, please write a memorial immediately to report the beginning and end of this battle, including the outcome, casualties on both sides, and the number of prisoners captured."

After a moment's silence, Zhao Xiaoqian said, "It can be considered a victory. The price was a bit high, but... it's a victory after all. I'll send this memorial to Bianjing as a victory report, and it will also make the officials and the subjects happy."

Zhong Jianzhong seemed to notice his low mood and consoled him, "Don't be sad, Lord. We are not heavenly soldiers and generals. There will always be casualties in battle. As the commander of an army, you should get used to the casualties among your men."

"This battle was certainly a great victory, an unprecedented one! In this battle, our army annihilated over 35,000 enemies. Including the 10,000 Liao troops annihilated on the border, within half a month, we annihilated over 45,000 Liao troops. The Liao commander, Yelu Chun, fled in panic. We captured thousands of prisoners and seized countless war horses and weapons..."

"My Lord, since the founding of the Song Dynasty, there has never been such a brilliant victory. The Liao Kingdom has suffered a complete setback this time. When the victory report reaches the capital, I don't need to guess. The emperor will be ecstatic, and the people will celebrate together. Your name and deeds will once again be known throughout the world."

Zhao Xiaoqian shook his head and said, "It doesn't matter. We'll win if we win. Even though Yelu Chun has escaped, we still have to be wary of his revenge. Send out scouts now to find out the movements of the Feihu Military Command and Shangjing."

"Yes, I will arrange it right away."

The bodies of the Liao army were buried on the spot, and the bodies of the Song army soldiers were carried away. The cleared battlefield was still filled with a solemn atmosphere, while the Song army marched south in a line, the team winding like a snake, with no end in sight.

…………

The Longwei Camp and the Xiang Army returned to the Song-Liao border camp in Zhending Prefecture. Several riders on fast horses left the camp and galloped towards Bianjing.

The knights who reported the victory were carefully selected by Zhong Jianzhong, and some of them were born with loud voices. Whenever they passed by towns and villages, several of them would ride on fast horses and shout "Great victory in Zhending" and "The Song Dynasty army killed 50,000 Liao soldiers in the battle" and so on.

Officials and civilians along the way were so shocked they were speechless for a long time. Their first reaction was that the army had lied about the military situation. How could the Song army have possibly killed 50,000 Liao soldiers? The people of the Song Dynasty would never have dared to do such an exaggeration in their dreams!

However, the officials and people along the way quickly reacted.

This good news should be true.

The knights galloped towards Bianjing. Clearly, the victory report was to be presented to the emperor and his ministers. Who would dare to falsify such a major event? Aren't they afraid of losing their entire family's heads?

So, was the great victory in Zhending Prefecture true? Did our Great Song army really kill 50,000 Liao soldiers in battle?

The knights who brought the victory were like the light of dawn, quickly illuminating the towns along the way wherever they went.

When the officials and the people realized what was happening, the towns along the way suddenly fell into crazy cheers and celebrations.

In the more than one hundred years since the Song Dynasty, when has the border military affairs ever been so proud?
The people were eager to learn the details of the battle, and rumors, both true and false, spread like wildfire.

The stories were exaggerated and vivid, even describing the heavenly soldiers cheering for the victory and the thunder from the sky as if they were witnessed by the Song people. The more reliable stories were also exaggerated, saying that one person could block hundreds of thousands of Liao troops, and that the Liao army commander Yelu Chun was so scared that he knelt down and begged for mercy. The Song army could not bear to hurt Tianhe, so they spared Yelu Chun's life.

Among the various rumors, some key words are true.

For example, "Duke of Zhao", "Elite of the Dragon Guard Camp", "Forbidden Army Firearms", etc.

…………

Inside Zhending, the victory message was the first to arrive. The knight who brought the news rode his horse around the city, shouting until his voice was hoarse. "Duke Zhao led the Dragon Guard Battalion and completely annihilated 50,000 Liao troops. The Liao commander, Yelu Chun, fled north in panic. The royal army has won a great victory!"

The whole city was in an uproar in an instant.

Both officials and common people ran out of their mansions into the streets, and in disbelief, they stopped strangers to ask questions. Then they were shocked, ecstatic, and shouted to the sky. Officials and common people vented the pent-up emotions that had been suppressed for many years.

As a border town, people in Zhending Prefecture felt the news of victory most directly.

Many years ago, the Song and Liao dynasties abided by the agreement of the Treaty of Chanyuan, and the border was peaceful for some years. However, the Liao people were a nomadic people after all. Faced with the weakness of the Song Dynasty, they looked down on it from the bottom of their hearts. Even if it was not for their livelihood, they often crossed the border in groups to plunder and kill, just for fun.

Over the years, the people of the border towns had endured countless hardships, and countless innocent people had died, but what could they do? They couldn't win, and the imperial guards, facing the Liao cavalry that came and went like the wind, had no way to resist.

Today, Duke Zhao led the Dragon Guard Battalion to annihilate 50,000 Liao troops, which not only brought pride to the Song Dynasty, but also avenged the innocent people who had suffered.

As soon as the knights who brought the victory left, every household in Zhending City had already decorated their houses with lanterns and streamers to celebrate the great victory of the royal army.

All the restaurants and taverns in the city were packed with guests. Folk artists did not want to miss the opportunity either. They immediately compiled a new storytelling script of "Zhao Jun Ping Liao" and told it vividly in the brothels, as if they had seen it in person, which aroused cheers and applause from all the guests.

The singing girls soliciting customers in the restaurant were not to be outdone. They compiled a libretto of Zhao Jun Gong Ping Liao, singing in a singsong voice the miraculous process of Zhao Xiaoqian and the soldiers of the Longwei Camp annihilating the Liao army.

The scholars were fascinated by what they heard, while the common people were confused and impressed.

The atmosphere of celebration throughout the city made the people happy and unfamiliar. In many years, the people of Zhending City had never celebrated such a victory, so they didn't know how to celebrate and express their joy.

In the Zhending government office, Li Qingchen was ecstatic after hearing the good news. He immediately summoned officials at all levels of the government office. Li Qingchen paid for several tables of sumptuous food and wine out of his own pocket, and also invited singing girls to sing to entertain the guests. There was laughter and joy at the table, and the singing and dancing were intoxicating.

Taking advantage of the drunkenness and joyful mood, Li Qingchen discussed with the officials about leaving the city to welcome the royal army. The government office had been relatively well-off recently, so Li Qingchen immediately gritted his teeth and made the decision to allocate money to purchase pigs, sheep, wine and food, and go out of the city to reward the troops!
In the evening, Zhao Xiaoqian's simple little house next to the government office was suddenly filled with people.

Among these people were officials, merchants, and common people. They gathered quietly outside the door, saying nothing, their eyes staring at the closed door with reverence.

After a long time, someone took the lead and others followed. All the people gathered outside the door knelt on their knees facing the door, kowtowed several times respectfully and quietly, stood up, bowed deeply, and turned to leave.

After everyone left, a second group of people came, still staring, kneeling, bowing, and leaving, without saying a word from beginning to end.

In the simple little house, Niao Niao and her two Japanese sisters were terrified. There were only dozens of imperial guards protecting them at home, but for some reason today, groups of people came and just kowtowed and left.

Niaoniao thought she had met some bad guys, but later a royal guard went out to inquire for a while, and when he came back he told them happily that there was no need to panic, because the prince led his troops to the north to attack the Liao army, and annihilated 50,000 enemies. The royal army won a great victory, and the officials and people of the whole city were celebrating at that time.

The officials and the people were so respectful and grateful to the prince that they did not dare to disturb his family, so they gathered outside the gate, knelt down in silence to express their gratitude, and then left.

The three girls felt relieved upon hearing this, and then became delighted. They held each other's hands and jumped and danced in the room, cheering and rejoicing, and they were silent for a long time.

"My Lord, you have won a great victory. You should be going home soon, right?" Ping said expectantly.

Genji hummed, "Of course we have to come back after this great victory. This is the home of the Lord."

Niao Niao smiled and said, "We are women and don't understand military affairs. After the great victory, the master may need to clean up the mess and reorganize the military preparations. I estimate that in two or three days, the master should be back."

Ping's nose flushed with excitement, and she whispered, "We must greet the victorious Duke with the utmost respect..."

Genji, the youngest and most naive, quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes! We'll dress up the way the Lord likes us. We must please the Lord. Only when the Lord is pleased can we lead the soldiers to more victories!"

Niao Niao rolled her eyes quietly and cursed inwardly, "Two vixens... two vixens."

These days, Zhao Xiaoqian went on a campaign, and Niao Niao got along very well with the two sisters, and their relationship grew stronger and stronger.

But the friendship between women is very complicated. Although they are close to each other, secret contempt, jealousy and complaints are inevitable.

These days, Niao Niao had in-depth conversations with them, including some private topics outside the bed. Niao Niao finally understood why Zhao Xiaoqian was so fond of these two foreign sisters.

I don’t know what the Japanese nobles were thinking, but the knowledge they taught the women in their family included a lot of seductive skills and methods on how to please their husbands. The two sisters spoke about it shyly, which shocked Niao Niao so much that she was stunned, and then she couldn’t help but feel jealous.

Not only is she beautiful, but she also has mastered all kinds of seductive tricks. More importantly, she has an overwhelming number of women. Which man doesn't like these tricks, not to mention that it brings double the happiness.

No wonder Zhao Xiaoqian dotes on them so much, haha, men!
After looking down on them, Niao Niao immediately humbly asked the two sisters for knowledge and techniques.

Contempt is contempt, but that is contempt for other vixens. How can I despise myself?

Is it shameful to please your man?
It's not shameful at all, it's only natural.

(End of this chapter)