The prince is more stable

Chapter 478: The Border Garrison
The Song army approached Xijin Prefecture and seemed to be very aggressive, but Yelu Hongji could see that it was just a feint.

Xijin Prefecture was the Nanjing of the Liao Kingdom and an important town that controlled the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. The Song Army's Longwei Battalion had only more than 30,000 soldiers in total. How could it be possible for them to suddenly attack Xijin Prefecture where nearly 200,000 troops were stationed?

The attack on Xijin Prefecture means that the Song Dynasty officially started the war to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. The scale of this war will definitely be more than hundreds of thousands of troops, and both the Song and Liao countries will be involved in this war.

Before such a horrific war, there would be signs, such as both sides' military preparations, logistical preparations, frequent mobilization of hundreds of thousands of troops, etc. Only when these signs are revealed can it be determined that the other side really intends to start a war.

Now the Southern Military Newspaper directly states that the Song Army is only mobilizing 30,000 troops from the Dragon Guard Camp. This is very abnormal and does not look like launching a large-scale war at all.

Yelu Hongji quickly determined that Zhao Xiaoqian was only making a feint and had no real intention of attacking Xijin Prefecture.

He didn't intend to attack, but was making a feint. What was Zhao Xiaoqian trying to do?
Many things require connecting multiple signs together to find the truth.

Just the day before yesterday, Zhao Xiaoqian sent a special envoy to Liao to welcome back Song envoy Su Shi. This sign has already given the answer.

He first sent an envoy to the capital and publicly announced that he would escort the Song envoy back to his country, exerting internal pressure on the Liao Kingdom.

At the same time, he mobilized troops and made a feint attack on Xijin Prefecture to exert external pressure on the Liao Kingdom.

All the internal and external pressures weighed on Yelu Hongji's heart. To be honest, even as the monarch of a country, Yelu Hongji did feel a lot of pressure.

Thousands of miles away, Yelu Hongji still deeply understood Zhao Xiaoqian's methods.

He is decisive and ruthless in his actions, and never underestimates any enemy, always exerting all his pressure like a lion attacking a rabbit.

The Liao Kingdom suffered defeat after defeat at the hands of Zhao Xiaoqian, and now, even without bloodshed, it was still under heavy pressure. Yelu Hongji's imperial dignity was pressed to the ground and severely rubbed by Zhao Xiaoqian.

Yelu Hongji wanted to fight back and kill Su Shi in response, but when he thought about the consequences of killing Su Shi, he hesitated.

The Song army had already made a feint attack on Nanjing. If the news of Su Shi's murder reached Zhao Xiaoqian's ears, it was difficult to guess how Zhao Xiaoqian would react.

If Su Shi died and the feint attack turned into a real attack, how would things end?
The Liao army has not been able to crack the Song army's powerful firearms so far. Even the world-famous heavy cavalry collapsed like a puddle of mud in front of the Song army's firearms.

If the Song army really attacked Xijin Prefecture, even if they failed to capture the city, the Liao army would suffer at least 100,000 casualties under resistance, and the Liao Kingdom would be severely damaged.

Is it worth it for Yelu Hongji to do this for Su Shi?

Emperors are best at weighing the pros and cons. If things develop to this point, it will undoubtedly be unprofitable for Yelu Hongji.

Yelu Hongji really wanted to kill Su Shi, but if the price was the lives of 100,000 Liao soldiers, it would not be worth it. Su Shi was not that valuable in Yelu Hongji's heart.

"Zhao Xiaoqian was willing to provoke a war between the two countries just for Su Shi. He... is so arrogant and presumptuous! Shouldn't the Emperor of Song intervene?" Yelu Hongji roared angrily.

Xiao Wuna couldn't help but say, "Zhao Xiaoqian defeated the Liao twice, occupied over 400 miles of Liao territory, and killed 80,000 Liao warriors. This is a great victory that the Song Dynasty has not seen in over a hundred years."

"The current Emperor of Song is extremely fond of Zhao Xiaoqian and relies on him. I believe that the Emperor of Song will not object to any decision Zhao Xiaoqian makes."

Yelu Hongji's face turned pale. "For Su Shi, he dared to take such a risk. What was he trying to achieve? Is his friendship with Su Shi really that deep?"

Xiao Wuna said, "I believe that sending a large force to rescue Su Shi is one of the reasons. Zhao Xiaoqian's other purpose may also be to test the bottom line of the Liao Dynasty."

"What do you mean?"

"It's undeniable that after the Battle of Chanyuan, the Song State has always wanted to reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. Now that the Song State has powerful firearms, the Liao army is unstoppable. Zhao Xiaoqian has finally developed ambitions for Yanyun."

"What he wanted to test was how the Liao would react if the Song army mobilized and feinted an attack on Xijin Prefecture. How many troops would they send to support Xijin Prefecture? How determined were they to defend the land of Yanyun..."

"This time, the Song army is approaching. The Liao Dynasty's response will serve as a reference for the Song army in the future. It will help Zhao Xiaoqian make the most appropriate decision when he really launches a war in the future."

Yelu Hongji's expression changed several times. He took a deep breath and sighed for a long time, "Is this Zhao Xiaoqian really only in his early twenties?"

"Yes."

Yelu Hongji closed his eyes and sighed, "The Song State was originally vulnerable. My Great Liao has always regarded the Song State as a piece of cake. I never expected that the Song State would produce such a monstrous figure. Not only did he reverse the fate of the country, but he also turned the defense against my Great Liao into an offensive. Is the Great Liao State really about to end its fate?"

"Your Majesty, take heart! Our Great Liao is still a powerful nation respected by all nations. Even Zhao Xiaoqian wouldn't dare to rashly attack our Great Liao's Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. This shows that Zhao Xiaoqian is ultimately wary of our Great Liao's strength. Your Majesty, why should you belittle yourself?"

Yelu Hongji showed a look of old age and said indifferently, "Let Su Shi go back, let him go back... From now on, the Liao Dynasty can only switch to a defensive position."

Yelu Otera knelt in front of him, his face turning blue and red.

He fell into deep self-condemnation.

It was he who personally led the troops to set fire to the inn that day. If he had done a clean job that night and Su Shi had died peacefully, why would there be the current turmoil?

After a long time, Yelu Wute La said sinisterly: "Your Majesty can issue an order to release Su Shi, but... the Liao Kingdom has a territory of thousands of miles, and there are countless bandits. Hundreds of people escorted Su Shi back to Song. I think they may not be able to reach the border safely." Yelu Hongji's eyebrows moved slightly, he glanced at him deeply, and said nothing.

After a long while, Yelu Hongji slowly said, "My Great Liao was defeated twice by the Song army. Today, it seems that it was not the fault of war. To be honest, Yelu Chun is really wronged. He just had bad luck..."

"I have decided to re-employ Yelu Chun as the governor of Nanjing, and to take charge of Xijin Prefecture."

Yelu Hongji gritted his teeth and said, "A general who has been defeated twice will surely win. I don't believe he can be defeated a third time!"

Xiao Wuna looked up in surprise, his lips moved a little, but he finally lowered his head again without saying a word.

A palace maid hurried into the hall and bowed, reporting, "Your Majesty, an envoy from the Western Xia Kingdom has arrived. Envoy Li Jinzhen is outside the palace gates requesting an audience."

Yelu Hongji's eyes flashed: "See you!"

…………

Song army camp.

Overnight, Zhao Xiaoqian mobilized 30,000 troops and marched towards Xijin Prefecture.

This move shocked not only the Liao Kingdom, but even the soldiers under the Dragon Guard Camp were shocked, and then the three armies cheered loudly.

People all thought that His Royal Highness the Prince was going to capture Xijin Prefecture and recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.

Only the generals under his command knew that this was just a feint and that His Royal Highness the Prince had no real intention of retaking Yanyun, at least for now.

If the Song army really planned to go to war, it would not have been possible for them to act so hastily. Apart from other things, the ammunition, food, war horses, weapons, etc. alone would have been a huge number and would have taken a long time to prepare.

Waging war is not a spur-of-the-moment journey; it is not something that can be done rashly.

Thirty thousand troops marched northward, and after marching hundreds of miles northeast of the Juma River, the Longwei Camp set up camp two hundred miles away from the city of Xijin Prefecture.

This distance is far enough, but it is also enough to form strategic suppression on Xijin Prefecture. The people who are left behind in Xijin Prefecture are probably unable to sleep.

Zhao Xiaoqian couldn't sleep either because someone was harassing him.

He stayed awake all night, with scouts constantly coming in and out of the general's tent to report military intelligence.

Zhao Xiaoqian and Zhong Jianzhong sat in the tent, processing information from all sides and making decisions quickly.

They have been stationed in camp for three days. During these three days, the 30,000 soldiers of the Dragon Guard Camp have defeated many Liao troops.

The Liao army's attack was crazy. After all, the Song army was two hundred miles away from Nanjing, Liao. This distance was too dangerous. The troops of the Liao Nanjing Garrison could not sit still.

For three days, the Liao army kept approaching the Song army, and the two armies engaged in sporadic or small-scale battles. Each time, the Liao army would launch a tentative attack with thousands of soldiers. After the soldiers of the Dragon Guard Camp formed a battle array and killed over a thousand people, the Liao army would decisively retreat, and then the next wave of Liao troops would come...

After repeated actions like this, the Song army had killed about 5,000 Liao soldiers in three days of camping, and the Song army had basically suffered no major casualties. Their camp was still firmly stationed 200 miles southwest of Xijin Prefecture, as immovable as a mountain.

"Your Highness, we really can't push the Liao Kingdom into a corner..." Zhong Jianzhong said worriedly, "If the Liao Kingdom gathers hundreds of thousands of troops to attack, no matter how powerful the firearms of our Dragon Guard Battalion are, we probably won't be able to stop them. Your Highness, should we consider withdrawing our troops?"

Zhao Xiaoqian shook his head: "It's not the right time yet, wait two more days."

"Your Highness, are you waiting for Su Shi's return?"

"Not entirely. I also wanted to see the strength of the Liao army and test the attitude of the Liao monarch and his ministers. Now it seems that the Liao monarch and his ministers still value the Yanyun territory very much and will not give it up as easily as the Feihu Army did."

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed softly, "It's just a little closer to Xijin Prefecture. We're supposed to be brothers, so can't brothers visit each other?"

Zhong Jianzhong couldn't help but say, "Your Highness, this isn't even a visit; it's a kick in the door! Nanjing, one of the Five Capitals, is almost under your siege. How can they not be anxious?"

Zhao Xiaoqian said dissatisfiedly: "If you are so inhospitable, don't call yourself a brother country anymore. Isn't it shameful? Back then, the Liao people would cross the border and burn, kill, and plunder at will. What did we, the Great Song, say?"

Zhong Jianzhong opened his mouth and found that this unreasonable statement sounded strangely refreshing...

Sighing, Zhong Jianzhong said, "In short, we can't move any closer. Otherwise, the Liao people will go crazy if we get any closer. A distance of two hundred miles is enough to intimidate the Liao Kingdom."

"I get it, you're so nagging..." Zhao Xiaoqian said impatiently in Taiwanese accent, rolling his eyes at him. "Wait two more days, and we'll slowly withdraw our troops and return to defend the area south of the Juma River."

"Next time you come, I'll be serious."

(End of this chapter)