The prince is more stable

Chapter 438 The truth comes to light
The atmosphere in the commander's tent was a bit weird. By this time, Zhao Xiaoqian and the generals were basically approaching the critical point of the battle.

The key is that it is very weird and abnormal.

When Zhao Xiaoqian first heard that Yelu Chun had ordered 40,000 Liao troops to march out in full force just to hunt down Shao Jing's 5,000 wing troops, his first reaction was that Yelu Chun had taken the wrong medicine.

As a veteran commander who has experienced many battles, it is impossible for him to give such abnormal and low-level orders.

The 40,000 Liao troops, who were said to be invincible, were chasing after 5,000 local soldiers who were inadequately equipped with armor and weapons and could only be ranked as second-rate in the Song Dynasty. What sins had these 5,000 soldiers committed to deserve being hunted down by so many people?

Shao Jing was right, they really didn't deserve it.

I've never seen anyone steal a widow in a sorghum field by using a cannon to shoot her.

But Zhao Xiaoqian still felt that something was wrong, as if he was about to touch the threshold, but there was still a thin layer of fog between him and it.

"You were ordered to ambush behind the mountains and forests. Tell us everything that happened before the 40,000 Liao soldiers came out of the camp to hunt you down. Tell us every word," said Zhao Xiaoqian.

Shao Jing and Feng Sheng exchanged a glance, and then Shao Jing said, "The only thing that happened was that we captured a group of Liao people, about a hundred of them, led by a fool..."

Before he finished speaking, Zhao Xiaoqian had an idea in his mind and slapped his thigh suddenly: "That's right! A group of Liao people, I have seen that idiot... Well, let's talk politely and stop calling each other idiots."

Shao Jing said helplessly, "Yes, that fool... well, that young Liao man and about a hundred of his men inexplicably came towards the forest where I was ambushing. At the time, if I didn't decisively capture them, my five thousand troops would be exposed, so I ordered them to be surrounded and captured alive."

Zhao Xiaoqian was silent for a moment, and finally figured it out, and his mind suddenly became clear.

"In other words, it was only after you captured that fool alive that the 40,000 Liao troops came out in full force and chased you like crazy?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked immediately.

Shao Jing and others looked at him strangely.

Zhao Xiaoqian remained calm, "You don't have to look at me like that. I was impolite and called him a fool. It's a matter of my personal character. I'm not a very good person to begin with, and you are not. Your words and actions affect the appearance of our army. Remember, you are a civilized army."

The generals suddenly understood and nodded in acceptance.

The commander of an army may be uncultured, but the other soldiers must be polite. The logic here needs to be carefully interpreted later, otherwise it will never make sense.

Shao Jing said, "That's exactly what happened. Shortly after I captured that young Liao soldier alive, the Liao army rushed out of camp like crazy and chased our army relentlessly, chasing them right on the heels until they were ambushed by Zhang Rong and Zhe Keshi's troops. Only then did the two armies engage in battle."

Zhao Xiaoqian understood everything.

I was originally puzzled by Yelu Chun's initiation of this decisive battle, but it seems that there was a reason for it, and the reason lies with that young Liao man.

This person's identity must be extraordinary, which is why Yelu Chun was willing to launch a decisive battle, even at the risk of annihilation of the entire army, to rescue that person.

That's why the 40,000 Liao troops later charged forward in a swarm without any order or regard for the consequences.

The key to the problem lies with that young Liao man.

So, who is he?
Zhao Xiaoqian raised his head and shouted towards the outside of the general's tent, "Chen Shou!"

Chen Shou lifted the curtain and entered the tent.

Zhao Xiaoqian asked directly, "Where did you keep those one hundred Liao people?"

"Your Highness, I will imprison them in the baggage camp behind the main camp."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded: "Everyone disperse, I'll go see that idiot..."

…………

Those few short days were the darkest time in Yelu Yanxi's life.

All the evil was caused by the fact that after quarreling with Yelu Chun, he impulsively led his personal guards out of the camp to hunt.

The cost of this hunt was too high. Not only did Yelu Yanxi lose himself, but he also directly caused the annihilation of 40,000 Liao troops. The Liao Kingdom lost a war because of him.

What lessons can be learned from this incident?
Well, don't harm wild animals when you have nothing to do, or you will suffer the consequences.

Since being captured, Yelu Yanxi finally regained his sanity. He knew that his status was too noble and he would never reveal a word even if he was beaten to death.

However, with the defeat of the Liao army, all 40,000 Liao soldiers were killed. The news reached Yelu Yanxi's ears piecemeal. Yelu Yanxi was constantly abused and tortured in the past few days, and his place of detention was constantly changed. At this time, Yelu Yanxi finally despaired.

As Yelu Yanxi and his personal guards were guarded more and more closely, he knew that even if the Song people had not discovered his true identity, they had realized that his identity was unusual and must be a very important bargaining chip.

At this time, it didn't matter whether Yelu Yanxi revealed his true identity or not.

Since the Song people have determined that he is extremely important, they will not let him go easily. Moreover, the secret of his identity cannot be concealed for long. Apart from anything else, the one hundred personal guards under his command will sooner or later confess to the Song people.

After sorting out the logic, Yelu Yanxi felt calm. Since he could not hide his identity, he simply confessed it on his own initiative. At least he could get more comfortable treatment as a prisoner.

Now Yelu Yanxi and one hundred personal guards were imprisoned in the baggage camp behind the main camp.

This is a temporary camp. Most of the people in the baggage camp are civilians, as well as two thousand soldiers from the Dragon Guard Camp. After Zhao Xiaoqian gave the order, the two thousand soldiers focused on guarding Yelu Yanxi and others.

The treatment of prisoners was not good. They were only provided with two meals a day, but they were the food of ordinary soldiers of the Song army. Yelu Yanxi, who was well-dressed and well-fed, really couldn't get used to it.

Each meal was filled with two flatbreads and a bowl of vegetable soup, just like water for washing pots. Yelu Yanxi despised it, but after two meals of hunger, he finally couldn't escape the law of true fragrance. He would starve to death if he didn't die. No one would pamper him here.

Living half-hungry and half-full every day, Yelu Yanxi became more and more anxious.

The war between Song and Liao had a huge impact, especially on him personally, which had already determined whether he could inherit the throne of Liao in the future.

If the news of the capture of the Liao Dynasty's crown prince became known to the world, the Liao Dynasty's crown prince would have to be replaced. Otherwise, even if he could barely ascend the throne, no one in the court would obey him. His experience of being captured would even be written into the history books of the Liao Dynasty, bringing shame to the country for generations to come.

Now Yelu Yanxi only hopes that his uncle Yelu Chun can cover up the news and kill all those who know about it. If he is lucky and can be released by the Song people, perhaps his life trajectory will not change much. Otherwise, if he becomes the deposed crown prince, his future fate is simply unimaginable.

There were chaotic footsteps outside the tent, and then the curtain was lifted, and Zhao Xiaoqian led several imperial guards in.

When Yelu Yanxi saw Zhao Xiaoqian, he subconsciously stood at attention, his posture so well-behaved that it made people feel distressed.

Zhao Xiaoqian was quite surprised by Yelu Yanxi's well-behaved attitude. He felt embarrassed to torture such a sensible young man.

After entering the tent, Zhao Xiaoqian found a place to sit down and immediately ordered, "Come here, hang this man up first and whip him with a whip dipped in salt water."

Yelu Yanxi was horrified and asked hurriedly, "Wait! Why is the Duke of Zhao punishing me for no reason?"

"Because you're stubborn and won't admit it."

Yelu Yanxi's eyes suddenly turned red, and he said angrily: "Did you ask me?"

Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned and subconsciously looked at Chen Shou next to him.

Chen Shou shook his head speechlessly, yes, you didn’t ask anything.

It's a bit embarrassing, but as long as I maintain a cool and dignified appearance, I won't be the embarrassed person.

Zhao Xiaoqian straightened his sitting posture with dignity and said in a deep voice, "Let me ask you, will you confess?"

Yelu Yanxi said sadly: "When I was in Liao, no matter who asked me a question, I would respond to everything. My attitude has always been well-known."

Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes showed sympathy. Look at how the child was tortured. He dared to say anything to save his life...

"Okay, first tell me your name, identity, and your official title and position in the Liao Kingdom."

Yelu Yanxi sighed sadly, then straightened his messy and tattered clothes and raised his head slightly.

In an instant, Yelu Yanxi's entire temperament changed drastically. The miserable and pitiful prisoner was suddenly filled with a superior and noble air. That kind of arrogant look was like that of a god who controlled the life and death of all living beings.

Zhao Xiaoqian frowned slightly. This dead look made him feel a little uncomfortable.

Chen Shou, who was standing next to him, seemed to sense the prince's displeasure and immediately raised his hand and slapped him.

"My prince is asking you a question! What the hell are you doing with your mother's face?"

Yelu Yanxi's cervical vertebra was almost dislocated by the slap, and he suddenly woke up. His noble temperament suddenly disappeared, and he hurriedly squatted in front of Zhao Xiaoqian obediently.

Zhao Xiaoqian's frown suddenly relaxed. Ah! That's right. No wonder he was so unhappy just now. It turned out that this fool was standing too high. Zhao Xiaoqian didn't like looking up at people.

Yelu Yanxi, squatting in front of Zhao Xiaoqian, said dejectedly, "I am Yelu Yanxi, the legitimate grandson of the Liao emperor and the crown prince."

There was silence in the tent. Zhao Xiaoqian opened his eyes wide, took a breath, and looked at Yelu Yanxi in shock.

"You, you are..."

Yelu Yanxi closed his eyes in pain and nodded, "Yes, I am Yelu Yanxi, the Yelu Yanxi who was canonized as the Crown Prince by the Liao Emperor."

After saying this, Yelu Yanxi lost all his strength and sat down on the ground weakly.

Once he gave his name and identity to the Song people, he had no way out and the stain on his life could not be washed away.

Zhao Xiaoqian stood there in a daze, his mind racing.

Why did 40,000 Liao troops come out in full force and chase down 5,000 Xiang troops at all costs? Why did Yelu Chun lead his entire army in a mad charge without any plan to fight a decisive battle with the Song army?

Finally, there is an answer to everything.

"So that's how it is, no wonder..." Zhao Xiaoqian murmured and nodded.

It's no wonder that Yelu Chun went crazy when the Crown Prince fell into the hands of the Song army. Anyone else would go crazy if he were the commander-in-chief.

It is a great shame and humiliation for a country when its crown prince becomes a prisoner of the enemy. Who can bear it?
Looking at Yelu Yanxi with a strange gaze, Zhao Xiaoqian studied him for a long time and said slowly, "My generals said that you led a hundred or so people to rush into the forest where they were ambushing for no apparent reason. I want to ask you, what were you thinking at the time?"

Yelu Yanxi's face was filled with grief and anger again. "I said I really went hunting. Do you believe me?"

Zhao Xiaoqian asked in confusion, "Just for hunting?"

"Pure hunting."

(End of this chapter)