The prince is more stable

Chapter 561: Political Commissar Song
The long horn blew mournfully on the plain, like a funeral song for all the people on earth, and the heaven and earth wailed in sorrow.

The Liao army rode out from the formation. At first, their speed was not fast, and they were as leisurely as strolling in the garden.

As the rhythm of the war drums and trumpets became faster and faster, the Liao cavalry seemed to be controlled by the rhythm and gradually increased their speed.

After running for two miles, the Liao army completely let go of the speed and whipped the war horses hard. The horses felt pain and ran towards the Song army position like crazy.

Even so, in the scene where tens of thousands of people were charging at the same time, the Liao army maintained a rapid speed while its formation was not at all disordered.

The 20,000 people were like a whole. If viewed from above, the Liao army's charging formation was like a huge black arrow, piercing fiercely into the Song army's position.

We have to admit that the Liao army, once invincible, lived up to its reputation. In the era of cold weapons, they were absolutely invincible and had the strength to dominate the outcome of the battlefield.

However, the Liao army was born at the wrong time.

They were born in the same era as Zhao Xiaoqian, which may have doomed them to a bleak exit.

Twenty thousand Liao troops charged at the same time, densely packed and overwhelming, like a huge wave covering the sky and the sun, slamming heavily against the shore. The feeling of powerlessness as if facing divine punishment is something that people who have not experienced it will not understand.

However, in the Song army formation, the soldiers remained motionless, but silently lowered their heads to check the flintlock rifles in their hands for the last time, making sure that every part and every bullet was in good condition, and then loaded the chamber and raised the gun.

Everyone was fearless. Facing the overwhelming Liao army, the soldiers of the Dragon Guard Camp ignored them and strictly followed every step in the training manual.

During daily drills, the generals patiently taught their soldiers over and over again that no matter how many enemies charged at them, they should never panic, because that was the last madness of the enemy's life.

Believe in the weapons in your hands, believe in the strength of your comrades-in-arms, believe in every order of the general, and believe in your own rock-solid fighting will.

These combined are enough to defeat any enemy.

The troops under Zhong Jianzhong were all veterans of the Longwei Camp. The two previous defeats against the Liao army were the glorious achievements of this army. So when facing the Liao army's crazy charge at this moment, the soldiers of the Longwei Camp remained calm.

Each of them had killed Liao troops, and they knew very well how weak the Liao army's strength was hidden behind its crazy charge.

Enemies, times have changed!
"Everyone listen up! Load your guns, hold your rifles, first row, get ready!" On the first line of battle, the Song army general gave the order brazenly.

The charging Liao army was almost within the range of the flintlock rifles, and the soldiers of the Longwei Camp calmly raised their guns. On the opposite side was the thunderous sound of horse hooves, while in the Song army's position there was silence and calm.

Seeing that the Liao army in the front had entered the range, the Song army generals watched with cold eyes.

After a while, more and more Liao troops came into range, and the Song general suddenly waved his hand and said, "Shoot!"

There was a loud bang and smoke billowed.

Countless Liao army soldiers and horses were hit and fell heavily. In the blink of an eye, they were trampled into mud by the hooves of their comrades behind them.

The surviving Liao soldiers continued to charge without slowing down. The Liao soldiers in the front row drew their bows and arrows and shot arrows into the Song army's positions from a distance.

Unfortunately, they were very far away from the Song army at that time, and the range of the bow and arrow was only 120 steps at most. The arrow fell down two or three hundred steps away from the Song army position, and was weakly stuck in the mud.

The Liao army soldiers who were charging were disheartened. They finally tasted the powerlessness of being unable to do anything and could only be slaughtered unilaterally.

Although they were still charging at a rapid speed, the morale of the team dropped suddenly. Everyone's heart was cold, and desperate fear hung over everyone's head.

Before the Liao army came into close combat with the Song army and was still charging forward with great momentum, deserters had already appeared in the Liao army's ranks.

The deserters first appeared on the flank of the charging formation. The completely frightened Liao army officers and soldiers quietly turned their horses' heads and galloped in another direction. At this moment, they didn't care about anything else and only wanted to escape the battlefield safely.

The Liao general supervising the battle was furious. He drew his bow and shot arrows, killing many deserters in front of the battle line, but he still could not stop more soldiers from fleeing in another direction.

Inside the Song army formation, the four-stage array shooting continued to reap the lives of the Liao army. The soldiers' movements were still orderly, calm and composed, and they meticulously carried out every order of the general.

Even though the charging Liao army had suffered heavy casualties and was getting closer and closer to the Song army, and even though they could clearly see the mad and murderous eyes of the first Liao soldier, the soldiers of the Dragon Guard Battalion remained fearless. They raised their rifles, fired, and retreated. The second row followed, continuing to raise their rifles and fire...

In the rear army formation, Zhong Jianzhong, wearing armor, stared at the battlefield ahead with cold eyes, watching expressionlessly as the Liao army fell before their guns.

"Report! General Zhong, 20,000 Liao troops are encircling us from the left and right wings."

Zhong Jianzhong said without hesitation: "Divide the central army into 6,000 soldiers, with 3,000 on each side, and form a battle array to attack the enemy."

"Yes!"

Zhong Jianzhong raised his eyes slightly and looked at the rear of the Liao army several miles away.

In the rear, one could vaguely see a huge flag fluttering in the wind, under which stood a lonely and unwilling figure.

Zhong Jianzhong stared for a long time and murmured, "Yelü Chun, my Song Dynasty was able to endure this humiliation for a hundred years. Can your Liao Kingdom also endure this humiliation for the next few years?"

…………

The camp on the south bank of the Juma River.

Even though Zhao Xiaoqian didn't care about the war on the front line, the scouts who came on horseback still reported the battle situation on the front line in detail.

Originally, Zhao Xiaoqian's attitude was usually to reply "I understand" and send the scout away.

But it’s not possible today.

In the main hall of the government office, General Xu glared at him with a look of condemnation, especially because he couldn't stand Zhao Xiaoqian's indifferent and lazy look.

Whenever Zhao Xiaoqian showed any perfunctory attitude towards the scouts, General Xu would be heartbroken and begin to persuade him earnestly.

"Zi'an, don't be like this. You're the commander-in-chief of an army. Can you please pay a little more attention to the war?" "Zi'an, if word of your behavior gets to the court in Bianjing, you'll be impeached. Your attitude is too improper."

Zi'an, tell me the truth, do you look down on the Liao army? Or do you look down on everyone and think everyone here is trash?

After General Xu had been nagging in front of Zhao Xiaoqian for about an hour, Zhao Xiaoqian finally couldn't stand it anymore.

For the first time in his life, he admitted his mistake to General Xu in a very proper manner and promised to do his best to command the war in the future.

Back in the Funing Palace in Bian Jing, when Zhao Xu chose General Xu as his deputy envoy, Zhao Xiaoqian was a little happy. After all, General Xu had a good reputation in the court, and he was also the top scholar in the imperial examination. He was humble and gentle, and was a well-known gentleman.

Now Zhao Xiaoqian regretted it, but no one told him that such a refined gentleman had a gossipy mouth.

Faced with General Xu's incessant chatter like Tang Monk, Zhao Xiaoqian, who was in good health, had a splitting headache. He wanted to call an ambulance and get an MRI...

"I, I... need to pee urgently and need to change clothes. Mr. Chongyuan, please sit still." Zhao Xiaoqian's face looked grim, and he decisively used the urine escape technique.

As he took a step forward, General Xu grabbed his sleeve.

"I will go with you." General Xu looked at him firmly.

Zhao Xiaoqian's expression turned even uglier. "You're not a woman, there's no need to hold hands and pee together, right?"

"No, I will go with you. What if you run away?" General Xu rudely exposed his thoughts.

Zhao Xiaoqian's face flushed with anger, and he said, "I'm the commander-in-chief of an army. How could I possibly run away when the battle is intense?"

"No, you will definitely run away. You want to hide from me and seek some peace and quiet. You will not come back until dark."

Zhao Xiaoqian was surprised: "You are sober!"

General Xu twitched his lips and said, "So, I can't let you have your wish. Zi'an, the commander of an army should be in his proper position. Where is your place?"

"...In the toilet?"

"In the general's tent! Planning strategies and winning battles thousands of miles away, the commander-in-chief is in the tent, giving orders and not slacking off for a moment! ... Really, how could our Great Song Dynasty produce a figure like you? And yet, a figure like you actually won so many battles? God must be blind!"

Zhao Xiaoqian: “…………”

If it were someone else, his head would have been blown apart by now, right?
Unfortunately, he didn't dare to touch General Xu. He was the God of Literature who had descended to the earth, and he didn't dare to offend the gods.

"Mr. Chongyuan, can we talk some sense?" Zhao Xiaoqian said helplessly.

General Xu smiled and stroked his beard: "I have always been a reasonable man. You speak, and I listen."

"It's like this, sir. You probably haven't led troops before, and you don't have experience commanding a major battle. Actually, a commander-in-chief doesn't have to be involved in everything. Before the battle, he lays out the strategy and tactics, gives the generals a goal, and they will use their individual abilities to accomplish it independently."

"In a situation like this, the commander only needs to focus on the results. Micromanaging every detail is actually detrimental to our soldiers. Only generals on the front lines can make the right decisions. A commander far behind the front who blindly interferes could cost lives."

"That makes sense!" General Xu nodded approvingly. "No wonder Zi'an is so famous throughout the world, admired and respected by his subjects. He commands battles with such composure and composure, and at such a young age, he possesses the bearing of a great general. I, an old man, have lived a foolish life for most of my life, yet I am nowhere near as good as Zi'an."

Zhao Xiaoqian breathed a sigh of relief. "Sir, you're too kind. I was just messing around and I don't know how I got this reputation. I'm really ashamed."

General Xu changed the subject and asked, "Zi'an, do you want to change your clothes?"

Zhao Xiaoqian squeezed his legs together and said, "It's not that urgent anymore."

General Xu smiled. "Then, Zi'an, should you return to the main hall, to your own position, to continue to plan and direct, to be loyal and dedicated, and to never leave?"

Zhao Xiaoqian: “…………”

Was all the nonsense I just said?
Now Zhao Xiaoqian finally realized that Zhao Xu had actually assigned a political commissar to him!

Thinking about the experience in the previous life, how did Captain Li deal with Political Commissar Zhao?

How about a drink and a chat first?

Then we agreed that I would take care of military affairs and you would take care of life?

There were hurried footsteps, and a scout with a tired look rushed into the main hall.

"Report! Your Highness, reports from the front line, eight hundred miles away. From the direction of Xijin Prefecture, Yelu Chun led 40,000 Liao troops southward and encountered General Zhong Jianzhong's troops."

Zhao Xiaoqian was shocked and silently calculated the time. When the military report of the encounter between the two armies came to him, Zhong Jianzhong should have already started cleaning up the battlefield, right?
After all, in this era of backward information, the two places are hundreds of miles apart. By the time any military report reaches the commander-in-chief, it is just like the saying goes: the opportunity is already lost.

This is also the reason why Zhao Xiaoqian completely delegated power to the generals below.

General Xu looked at Zhao Xiaoqian with anticipation and excitement in his eyes.

"Zi'an, hurry up and say something!" General Xu urged.

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed silently and told the scout weakly, "Tell Zhong Jianzhong to do whatever he needs to do."

"By the way, send someone to tell Zhe Keshi and Zong Ze in the East and West that Xijin Prefecture in the middle has been taken care of, and they can start now."

Xu Jiang looked disappointed: "That's it?"

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded affirmatively: "Yes, that's it!"

(End of this chapter)