The prince is more stable

Chapter 436 Good news arrives in Beijing
Several riders on fast horses were galloping on the road to Bianjing.

The knights on horseback had been on their way from Zhending City for two days, but they were not tired at all. Even at this moment, their excitement had not subsided.

Perhaps for Zhao Xiaoqian himself, a victory is just a victory, and the situation determines his emotions.

What Zhao Xiaoqian saw was the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, the vast land in the north, and the trajectory of the entire history of the Song Dynasty.

When you see the sea of ​​stars and then look back at this victory, you will find that it is actually nothing. You will be happy, but there is no need to exaggerate.

In the future, there are more victories waiting for him.

But the knights who were about to report the victory were in a different mood. They could only see the victory in front of them.

An unprecedented victory.

With the victory in the Song-Xia War, the Song Dynasty forced the Western Xia to sign an armistice treaty to cede territory and cities. It was the most advantageous treaty in the history of the Song Dynasty.

Today, the victory in this war between Song and Liao is much more significant than the war between Song and Xia.

That was the Liao Kingdom, the invincible Liao Kingdom. Duke Zhao actually annihilated nearly 50,000 of their people. After this battle, how would the situation on the border between the two countries change? The knights were of low rank and had little vision, so they could not guess.

But what is certain is that from now on, the Liao people will never be as arrogant and domineering as they were in the past when facing the Song people.

They can only re-evaluate and look at this once cowardly country with a level eye.

Because they were defeated by the Song people, whom they looked down upon. It's that simple.

Facing the still biting cold wind of early spring, we galloped for two days, covering a distance of thousands of miles. At this moment, the outline of the majestic city wall of Bianjing could be vaguely seen.

"Brothers, cheer up and moisten your throats first. We must shout the news of our great victory to the whole city!" A knight laughed heroically.

"Mr. Zhao is mighty! Our Dragon Guard Battalion is mighty!"

…………

Bian Jing, Yanfu Palace.

Zhao Xu was walking in the imperial garden with the pregnant concubine Liu.

It has been more than ten years since he ascended the throne. Zhao Xu has three daughters, but there has been no male heir in the royal family. Now Concubine Liu is pregnant. Not only Zhao Xu, but all the civil and military officials in the court are staring at her belly.

Zhao Xu and all the civil and military officials in the court had great hopes for Concubine Liu's pregnancy. They all hoped that she could give birth to a prince for the Song Dynasty, so that the country would have a crown prince, the country would be stable, and the people would be happy.

So even though Concubine Liu's personality became more and more bad-tempered during her pregnancy, she was always unruly and picky, and she would lose her temper at any time, and even dared to turn her back on Emperor Zhao Xu, Zhao Xu could only endure it.

What else could he do? There was a 50% chance that the baby in her belly was the future of the Song Dynasty.

Of course, Zhao Xu was also a real man, and he secretly recorded all of Concubine Liu's various acts of stubbornness and anger.

Waiting for you to unload!
"Your Majesty, I've been walking for so long, I'm a little tired..." In the Imperial Garden, Concubine Liu began her daily routine again, one hand elegantly supporting her forehead, looking so frail, so weak, so weak...

Zhao Xu's cheek twitched, and he forced a smile. "My beloved, please take a few more steps. The imperial physician said that pregnant women need to move around a bit so that they won't be too tired during childbirth, and the baby will be healthier and more lively."

"I don't care. I'm just tired and can't walk a step! Your Majesty, please send a sedan chair to carry me back to the palace to rest." Concubine Liu acted coquettishly.

Zhao Xu frowned and said, "Be obedient and walk a few more steps. The doctor's words are for your own good and for the good of the unborn child."

Concubine Liu was stunned for a moment, then burst into tears: "You, my Lord, you are so cruel to me again... You are not doing this for my own good at all. You are only thinking about the fetus, and you don't care whether I am tired or not. Sob, sob, sob."

A surge of anger rose in Zhao Xu's chest. I...

Okay, after you unload the goods, I will let you know that all your previous mischief will be punished!

"Of course I am more concerned about my beloved concubine. Since you are tired, I will call a sedan chair and send you back to the palace to rest." Zhao Xu said with a heavy heart.

Concubine Liu Xian took his arm and asked, "Sir, will you accompany me back to the palace?"

Zhao Xu forced a smile and said, "Be good. I have a lot of state affairs to review. I will come to accompany you after I have dealt with them."

"No, no, Your Majesty, please accompany me back to the palace..."

Zhao Xu took a deep breath and used his mind to beat Concubine Liu violently. He hung her up and whipped her, pinched her neck, slapped her, and punched her in the stomach with his fist as big as a casserole. Concubine Liu screamed in pain...

After a long while, Zhao Xu felt refreshed and put on a fake smile: "Okay, I will accompany my beloved concubine back to the palace."

A burst of hurried footsteps was heard, and the personal eunuch Zheng Chunhe appeared in Zhao Xu's sight.

Zhao Xu stared at him expectantly. "Tell me the story, tell me quickly. Anything is fine, as long as he can get away from this evil woman!"
Zheng Chunhe walked over quickly, and as expected, she lived up to expectations. She bowed with a look of joy and said, "Your servant congratulates the emperor, congratulations to the emperor!"

Zhao Xu raised his eyebrows: "Where does your happiness come from?"

Zheng Chunhe's fair face flushed with excitement as he trembled, "Victory report from Zhending Prefecture. On the eighteenth day of the first lunar month in the second year of Shaosheng, Anle County Duke Zhao Xiaoqian led the Dragon Guard Battalion and annihilated over 45,000 Liao troops within a hundred miles of Liao territory, capturing over 3,000 prisoners, and confiscating tens of thousands of weapons and horses, as well as tens of thousands of shi of grain and fodder..." Zheng Chunhe unconsciously raised his voice and said, "Your Majesty, a great victory on the border, a great victory!"

Zhao Xu's entire body trembled, his eyes widening as he muttered, "Destroyed over 40,000 enemies? This... this! Is this true?"

Zheng Chunhe immediately held up the memorial with both hands and said, "The soldiers of the Dragon Guard Battalion who reported the victory are still waiting outside the palace gates for instructions. This is a joint memorial of victory signed by the Duke of Zhao and the Dragon Guard Battalion Commander-in-Chief Zhong Jianzhong. Your Majesty, please review it."

Zhao Xu snatched the memorial, unfolded it and read it carefully. He rubbed his eyes hard, and read it again out of concern. After confirming that every word in the memorial was true, he slammed it shut.

"Great...victory?" Zhao Xu was stunned, his expression still in disbelief. "Over 40,000 Liao troops annihilated! Over 40,000! How...did Zi'an do that?"

Zheng Chunhe was beaming with joy as he said, "A flintlock rifle, sir, it is a flintlock rifle!"

"In this battle, the Liao army was completely annihilated. Commander Yelu Chun fled north in panic, taking only a few dozen cavalry with him. Over 40,000 soldiers were completely defeated by the Duke of Zhao and the Dragon Guard Battalion. It was a truly disastrous battle. Your Majesty, from now on, the situation between Song and Liao will change!"

"Your Majesty has endured humiliation for many years. After this battle, from now on, our Great Song will no longer have to pay annual tributes to the Liao Kingdom! I believe that the Liao Kingdom's Yelu Hongji will no longer have the face to ask for annual tributes from the Great Song Kingdom."

Zhao Xu gradually came to his senses and finally digested the news of the great victory in Zhending.

"That's right, a great victory, a real great victory!" Zhao Xu's expression was wooden, his cheeks twitching slightly, as if he was crying and laughing at the same time.

"With the blessing of our ancestors, our Song Dynasty has a pillar minister like Zi'an. He has lived up to our expectations and defeated the Liao Rong in the north, ultimately achieving a great victory! Zi'an, you are worthy of being a descendant of the Zhao family, haha!"

Zhao Xu's wooden expression gradually brightened up, and his cheeks twisted into an exaggerated look of ecstasy.

"I'm delighted to hear of this great victory. How can I not congratulate you? Zheng Chunhe, quickly pass on the order. I'm hosting a palace banquet in Daqing Palace today. All officials above the third rank in Bianjing will be present. Tonight, your majesty and I congratulate Zhao Zi'an from afar, as he goes down in history for this unparalleled achievement!"

Zheng Chunhe responded with a smile.

Zhao Xu added, "Also, tonight, all the citizens of the city are celebrating. An order is issued that all the restaurants, brothels, and theaters in the city remain open, so that the people of the city can have some fun."

"And more! Zheng Chunhe, you go to the Prince of Chu's mansion in person and invite my uncle, the Prince of Chu, to the palace for a banquet. Remember, treat him with the courtesy of a distinguished state figure. Tell him that the seat to my right is empty. Haha, my uncle, the Prince of Chu, is so great! He gave my Great Song a good son and a good minister!"

"Before you go to the Prince of Chu's mansion, bring some things from the palace and say they are my rewards. Gold, silk, precious medicinal herbs, beauties... well, forget about beauties. Anyway, the more the better. It's up to you to decide."

Zhao Xu talked a lot in a mysterious manner, and Zheng Chunhe listened with a smile on his face and bowed his head. After making sure that Zhao Xu had finished his explanation, he bowed and happily took his leave to go back to his work.

After Zheng Chunhe left, Concubine Liu was about to go forward and continue to act like a demon with a pout, but she saw that Zhao Xu was still in a state of ecstasy and couldn't extricate himself. He was muttering something in his mouth. When she listened carefully, she found that he was actually thinking about how to reward the meritorious officials.

"This victory is truly magnificent! Zi'an has proven himself so impressive, he deserves a promotion. With the power of such a triumph, who in the court would dare challenge him? Haha! A prince! That's right, he should be crowned a prince!"

While muttering, Zhao Xu walked forward unconsciously.

"Give Zi'an another mansion. He's already an adult, and he's also a prince. He shouldn't be living with his uncle, the Prince of Chu. It would be shabby for the two of them to live together in the same palace. Let's find him a larger mansion near the Daxiangguo Temple..."

"By the way, Zi'an's wife should also be granted an imperial decree. It seems she's from the Di family. Hmm, let's show some favor to the Di family. It's really a good son-in-law. I'll help Zi'an to gain face..."

"Anything else? The soldiers of the Dragon Guard Battalion should also be rewarded. We haven't even seen the merit list yet, so first ask the Ministry of Revenue to allocate some food, fodder, pigs, and sheep to reward the troops..."

In this way, Zhao Xu left Concubine Liu's sight while muttering to himself.

Concubine Liu opened her mouth in surprise, her little mouth pouted, and she couldn't help but stroke her bulging belly.

After hearing the good news, did you forget about the baby in your belly? Maybe it's the future crown prince of the Song Dynasty. Yes, it must be the crown prince!

With a flick of her sleeves angrily, Concubine Liu left the Imperial Garden in displeasure. The palace maids followed her in panic, carefully guarding her and keeping their hands half-extended at all times. If Concubine Liu became unsteady, the palace maids would step forward to support her at any time.

…………

Prince Chu's Mansion.

Zhao Hao had already learned the news of the great victory in Zhending.

The knights who reported the victory were shouting everywhere in the city of Bianjing, and it was hard for Zhao Hao not to hear them.

After hearing the good news, Zhao Hao laughed heartily in the palace. His fat belly trembled with laughter, creating waves of exaggerated flesh.

"You are worthy of being my son! Haha! Come here, quickly change my clothes into more formal court robes." Zhao Hao ordered loudly.

At this time, the palace must have heard the good news. This was an unprecedented victory since the founding of the country, and the emperor must be ecstatic. As the father of the protagonist, Zhao Xu would definitely summon King Chu into the palace. Zhao Hao was experienced and had already put on his court clothes early, ready to enter the palace as summoned.

After changing clothes, Zhao Hao sat in the Yin'an Hall. His joyful expression gradually faded, replaced by a shrewd look of contemplation.

After a long while, Zhao Hao suddenly said, "Come here, tell the officials in the palace to prepare some cakes, silks, tea and other gifts, and distribute them to the prime ministers and envoys in the Political Affairs Hall and the Privy Council..."

"I would like to thank the Prime Ministers and envoys for their care and support for my son, Xiaoqian, who has won a great victory in Zhending."

After a pause, Zhao Hao raised his lip and said, "Send the same gift to the Suining County Prince's Mansion, and the explanation remains the same. The Chu Palace thanks His Highness the Suining County Prince for this kind gesture."

(End of this chapter)