The prince is more stable

Chapter 549 The expedition is about to begin
The war broke out suddenly, and in fact both the Song and Liao sides made strategic misjudgments.

The Song Dynasty believed that the Liao Dynasty had just suffered two defeats and that 80,000 Liao troops had been annihilated, which was a heavy blow to the Liao Dynasty. The Liao Dynasty should not be able to provoke another war within a year or two.

However, the Liao Dynasty's rulers and ministers believed that Zhao Xiaoqian's dismissal was a godsend for the Liao Dynasty. The Song Dynasty was losing strength in internal strife, and dismissing Zhao Xiaoqian would be like destroying its own Great Wall. The Liao Dynasty had a chance to regain its lost territory.

Thus, due to the simultaneous misjudgment of both countries, this unexpected war came.

Both sides prepared for war in a somewhat hasty manner. While the Liao Kingdom urgently mobilized its entire army, the emperor and his ministers of the Song Dynasty were busy discussing strategies and tactics.

Of course, it is undeniable that Zhao Xiaoqian also bears a certain responsibility for this misjudgment.

He misjudged the situation, mainly because he misjudged his own importance to both Song and Liao.

It can be said that the fuse of this unexpected war was Zhao Xiaoqian himself.

His leaving or staying, his favor or disgrace, directly determined the start and end of this war.

It was not until Zhao Xiaoqian was shocked to hear that Yelu Hongji had launched this war because of his dismissal from office that he realized how important he was.

Obviously, he is still too insecure. If he has the habit of self-examination three times a day, he must ask himself after waking up tomorrow, "Am I being too shameless to myself?"

"Forget it. I already knew Zi'an's lazy nature. There's no point in blaming you..." Zhao Xu sighed and continued, "Among the soldiers selected by the three armies in Bianjing, how many can go out immediately?"

Zhao Xiaoqian thought for a moment and said, "About 30,000 men. I have inspected the various camps in Bianjing and have selected 30,000 soldiers and horses who are already equipped with firearms and have been practicing formations and the use of firearms for several months. They are ready to go directly into battle and kill the enemy."

Zhao Xu pondered for a moment and said, "With 30,000 men, plus the 30,000 Dragon Guards stationed at the Juma River, our Great Song has a total of 60,000 troops. Can we stop the Liao army?"

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded: "If the tactics are correct, we can block it."

Zhao Xu sighed, "It's still too hasty. Is the Liao Emperor so impatient?"

Zhang Dun, standing by, smiled and said, "The Liao Emperor may be afraid that His Royal Highness will be reinstated. For them, the opportunity to regain the lost territory may be fleeting, and they must seize it immediately."

Zhao Xu was silent for a while, then suddenly looked at Zhao Xiaoqian and smiled. There was some complacency, some pride, and some relief in his smile.

"Yelü Hongji misjudged Zi'an, and he also misjudged me, haha! He thought I was incompetent and suspicious of my meritorious officials. He thought he had seized an opportunity, but he didn't expect that what seemed like an opportunity was actually a huge trap!"

Zhao Xiaoqian stood up and bowed deeply to him: "Your Majesty is wise and treats meritorious officials well. The world is at peace and these scoundrels have no chance to flourish."

Zhao Xu sat up straight and said solemnly, "In front of all of you, I hereby issue an edict to reinstate Hejian County Prince Zhao Xiaoqian as the Secretary of the Privy Council, the Governor of Hebei West Route, and the Governor of Zhending Prefecture. He will be in charge of the troops under the jurisdiction of Hebei West Route and lead all matters related to the fight against the Liao army. He will be granted the power to make decisions on the spot and the right to fight first and report later. In two days, he will lead 30,000 troops from Bianjing north."

Zhao Xiaoqian's expression froze, and he knelt on both knees, saying, "I am willing to die for the country."

Zhao Xu nodded, helped him up, and said in a more serious tone, "I entrust my northern border to Zi'an."

"I will never betray my government unless I die on the battlefield."

"Bah! Don't say unlucky words before you go to the battle. Live well. Even if you are defeated, I hope you return safely. You and I are still young and have the capital to fail." Zhao Xu said with a smile.

Zhao Xu then looked at Zhang Dun and Zeng Bu and said, "The Council of State and the Privy Council must also cooperate. They must fully support Zi'an with logistics, supplies, fodder, weapons, horses, armor, and other aspects. Don't hold back the soldiers at the front. This battle is related to the fate of the Song Dynasty. I hope you will work together to decide the outcome!"

Zhang Dun and Zeng Bu also stood and saluted. "We obey your command. We will fully support His Royal Highness the Prince and relieve the soldiers of the three armies of their worries."

Zhao Xiaoqian stepped forward, bowed his head, and said, "I request your permission again. I ask that you appoint me as the Deputy Envoy for the Western Route of Hebei Province to accompany me on the expedition."

All the ministers present were a little stunned and looked at Zhao Xiaoqian. Seeing that he had a calm expression and clear eyes, Zhang Dun and An Tao looked at each other. Their faces, which had been a little worried just now, suddenly became relieved and smiled with relief in their eyes.

Zhao Xu was not surprised, as this was something he and Zhao Xiaoqian had agreed on privately.

After pondering for a while, Zhao Xu's gaze suddenly fell on General Xu.

General Xu was the top scorer in the imperial examination in the eighth year of Jiayou. His official career was very successful, from being a Hanlin compiler to being assigned to a local post. Later, the Liao Kingdom deployed an army of 200,000 to invade Daizhou. General Xu was sent as an envoy to the Liao Kingdom, argued with reason and forced the Liao Kingdom to withdraw its troops. Later, he became the Minister of Personnel and was promoted to the Minister of the Secretariat.

At the beginning of this year, Xu was transferred from the Council of State to the Deputy Envoy of the Privy Council. He was the second-in-command of the Privy Council, ranking above Zhao Xiaoqian.

Regardless of academic qualifications, resume, or personal achievements, General Xu was very perfect, and he came from a good family, a typical loyal minister of the Song Dynasty.

It is very suitable for such a person to serve as the deputy envoy of the Hebei West Route to assist Zhao Xiaoqian in fighting against the Liao Kingdom.

Seeing Zhao Xu's eyes fall on General Xu, Zhao Xiaoqian also smiled.

He had a good impression of General Xu. Although they had only dealt with each other twice, General Xu's gentle and gentlemanly image still won Zhao Xiaoqian's favor. With him as his deputy envoy, at least he wouldn't cause trouble for himself.

He couldn't help but feel more grateful to Zhao Xu. It was obvious that Zhao Xu was an emperor who knew the pros and cons. He knew that fighting against the Liao Kingdom was related to the rise and fall of the country. At such an important moment, he must not cause trouble for the coach. General Xu was a perfect choice and could not be more suitable.

Moreover, the second-in-command of the Privy Council was appointed as the Deputy Envoy of Strategy and Pacification, and all the civil and military officials in the court had nothing to say. No one in the court should have talked about nonsense like the clan members had too much military power and that it would cause endless troubles.

Zhao Xu smiled at General Xu and said, "Mr. Chong Yuan, I would like to appoint you as the Deputy Envoy for the Administration and Appeasement of the Western Hebei Route to assist Zhao Zi'an in resisting the Liao. What do you think?"

General Xu was stunned for a moment. He had never expected Zhao Xu to choose him. After a long pause, General Xu stood up and bowed deeply: "The emperor has sent me, and I am willing to serve."

Zhao Xu was very satisfied with his answer, and then looked around at the ministers: "Gentlemen, do you have any objections?"

Zhang Dun, Zeng Bu and others all praised it: "I have no objection."

Zhao Xu smiled and said, "Then it's settled. I hope Zi'an and Mr. Chongyuan will work together to defeat the enemy." Zhao Xiaoqian bowed to General Xu and said with a smile, "It's my honor to work with Mr. Chongyuan. I hope Mr. Chongyuan will take care of me and give me guidance in the future. Good luck!"

General Xu's face froze, and he pointed at him: "You..."

General Xu was from Hujian, and perhaps Zhao Xiaoqian's laughter evoked his long-lost homesickness.

Everyone present laughed. Zhao Xu turned his head and glared at Zhao Xiaoqian, saying, "Mr. Chongyuan is highly respected. Zi'an, please don't be rude!"

General Xu couldn't fight back. After all, he couldn't curse Zhao Xu in the Central Plains dialect in front of him, "Beat you to death, you bastard..."

After the king and his ministers reached an agreement, they immediately dispersed.

After leaving the palace, Zhang Dun and Zeng Bu hurried back to the Council of State and the Privy Council and began to prepare logistics such as food, fodder, and military equipment.

The army will set out in two days. Only a small amount of logistical supplies can be prepared in these two days. The tasks ahead are still very heavy. First of all, the granary near Kaifeng Prefecture must be requisitioned to supply Zhao Xiaoqian's army first. All the military equipment in the Firearms Inspectorate and the Ministry of War warehouse must also be taken out.

…………

Zhao Xiaoqian returned to the Prince of Chu's Palace and first went to the study in the backyard to meet Zhao Hao and told him that he was about to go to war.

Zhao Hao looked dazed, a little lost and reluctant.

But in the end, he smiled carefree and told Zhao Xiaoqian to fight against the Liao army with peace of mind. With Zhao Hao in Bian Jing, he could quell any disturbance in the court and the country.

After returning to his own courtyard, Zhao Xiaoqian had to tell Di Ying's three daughters that he was going to war again.

The three women were stunned for a while. Unlike Zhao Hao, who was good at hiding their emotions, they immediately started crying.

After comforting them for a long time, Di Ying calmed down and suddenly said, "Sir, my father sent a message yesterday, asking for your help..."

Zhao Xiaoqian immediately smiled and said, "If my father-in-law needs help, just give him whatever he wants."

Di Ying said seriously, "No, my father's favor requires your approval."

Zhao Xiaoqian asked curiously, "What does he want?"

Di Ying hesitated for a moment and whispered, "Father wants to follow you to fight against the Liao."

Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned.

Di Ying's father, Di Zi, is now the deputy envoy of the Shangge Gate in the West. The title is a bit difficult to pronounce. In layman's terms, it is probably an official position like the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards, and he is considered a military general.

Di Zi was the second son of the famous general Di Qing. He was no mediocre person. There is not much information about Di Zi in real historical books, but there is a conclusion that he "had several military achievements."

Why is there so little record of a military general with great military achievements in history books?
The reason is naturally because of Di Qing.

After all, Di Qing was a bit sensitive to the royal family of the Song Dynasty. The once victorious general was eventually suspected by the emperor. Later emperors also had some taboos about him. This taboo of the emperors affected the entire descendants of the Di family.

Now Di Zi is Zhao Xiaoqian's father-in-law. He is only in his forties, which is the golden age of a military general's life. It is certainly not a bad thing that he has an enterprising spirit.

But Zhao Xiaoqian remained silent for a long time.

It was easy for Zhao Xiaoqian to make the final decision on this matter, but he didn't know how to approach Zhao Xu. He was not even sure whether Zhao Xu was still wary of the descendants of the Di family.

Seeing Zhao Xiaoqian's hesitation, Di Ying smiled dejectedly and said, "Forget it. I can't make things difficult for you, sir. I'll go back to my father now. You should focus on fighting the enemy and don't take this matter to heart."

Zhao Xiaoqian shook his head and said, "The emperor is not a suspicious person. He even dared to use a close relative like me. The Di family's affairs should be put to rest."

After thinking about it, Zhao Xiaoqian went into the study, wrote a memorial in his own handwriting, and had it sent to Yanfu Palace.

Two hours later, someone came from the palace and brought Zhao Xu's handwritten instructions.

The instruction only had one word, "Approve".

Zhao Xiaoqian was certain in his heart and showed Zhao Xu's instructions to Di Ying with a smile.

"There are still two days before the expedition. Tomorrow morning, I will accompany my wife back to her parents' home to visit her father-in-law."

Di Ying was overjoyed and couldn't help hugging him, with tenderness in her eyes.

"Sir, you have been so kind to me and my family. I really don't know how to repay you."

Zhao Xiaoqian was cheered up. When it came to repaying someone, he was no longer sleepy.

Is he the kind of person who does good things without expecting anything in return?

of course not.

"Madam, please wait a moment. I will go find a pornographic picture album and draw all your gestures of gratitude on it..."

(End of this chapter)