The prince is more stable

Chapter 565 Hidden Plot
Zhao Xiaoqian had a clear idea in his mind about the layout, strategy and tactics of this battle.

This time, he did not care how much land and cities he occupied from the Liao Kingdom. Those who planned the overall situation were not concerned with the gains and losses of a single place or corner.

His only goal was to annihilate the Liao army as much as possible.

If the Liao military power can be severely weakened through this battle, it will be very beneficial to future strategies. Whether the game between Song and Liao can be revitalized depends on how many Liao troops can be killed in this battle.

The current Liao Kingdom is like a middle-aged man with kidney deficiency, facing an equally middle-aged woman with insatiable demands. He can barely cope with it at first a few times.

After consuming him a few more times, if the woman says again, "My dear, I want more", the man will probably go crazy.

Even if he is not crazy, he is weak and powerless, like a well-behaved, honest and soft little insect.

So, guess what his unsatisfied wife who has no intention of remaining faithful to her husband will do at this time?

After the military force was exhausted, the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, including the Liao homeland, were all within the attack range of the Song Dynasty. The middle-aged man with kidney deficiency was powerless to resist.

This was Zhao Xiaoqian’s purpose.

Occupy land and cities today, and they may be taken back tomorrow.

If someone is beaten to death today, there is a high probability that he will not be resurrected tomorrow, and one less person is one less person.

"After the battle of Zhong Jianzhong's troops, the three Liao armies were cut in half. Zi'an's goal of making it impossible for the front and rear to take care of each other has been achieved. The remaining two Liao armies in the east and west are nothing to be afraid of." General Xu said, staring at the map.

Before taking up the post of Deputy Envoy of Jinglüe and Anfu, General Xu was the Deputy Envoy of the Privy Council. He was not unfamiliar with military affairs and had read some military books and strategies. However, he lacked practical experience and everything came from knowledge in books.

Following Zhao Xiaoqian these past few days, General Xu has made some intensive studies on the art of deploying troops, and now he finally has a say in the war.

"The most troublesome Liao army in the middle has been dealt with. I believe that in a few days, we will be able to wait for good news from Zhe Keshi and Zong Ze. I should now draft a report to report the victory."

Zhao Xiaoqian winked at him and said, "Mr. Chongyuan, after the battle, we reported the victory to Bianjing. The emperor was very surprised and rewarded the meritorious officials. Maybe you can also be given a title or something..."

General Xu hurriedly shook his head. "I have done nothing, but when the war began, I was giving you orders and nearly ruined your plans. If the government offers any reward, I will definitely not accept it."

"Sir, there's no need to be so pretentious... Well, there's no need to be so polite. You haven't ruined anything major for me, you're just a little long-winded. Just accept the official reward. Going forward, the court will need to allocate food, fodder, firearms, military equipment, war horses, and many other matters, and I'll still rely on you to mediate and expedite matters."

General Xu stubbornly said, "I will not refuse any duty, but I will not accept any reward. The merit earned by the soldiers' blood and lives is mine. If I take it for granted, I will be punished by heaven."

The corners of Zhao Xiaoqian's mouth twitched.

Now that things have come to this, it would be inappropriate to persuade you any further.

Scholars are really stubborn, and the top scholar is even more stubborn.

The good news is that this top scholar is at least upright in character and his moral character is much higher than Zhao Xiaoqian. From a moral point of view, General Xu is completely capable of looking down on Zhao Xiaoqian from a superior position.

"The center is secured, and victory in the east and west is already secured. Now we just wait for their victory..." Zhao Xiaoqian paused, speaking slowly, "As the head coach, I basically don't need to worry about anything anymore. So, Mr. Chong Yuan, I have a humble request..."

General Xu said without hesitation, "Since you know it's an unreasonable request, then there's no need to ask. The commander-in-chief of an army must remain in this position and cannot leave for even a moment."

"Sir, you're new here, and no one wants you here, but I do have someone who wants me..."

General Xu snorted coldly, "Zi'an, I really want to get along with you, so you'd better not make unreasonable demands and force me to file a memorial to accuse you."

Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned, sighed, and had to give up.

He just wanted to go back to Zhending City to see his three wives. After such a long separation, what if he saw Niao Niao holding a big fat boy and saying with deep affection that this was his son, a fresh and energetic newborn...

But General Xu was very determined and refused to let Zhao Xiaoqian leave, so he had to give up.

Let’s talk about it after the war. We can’t wait for a few days. If nothing unexpected happens, there will be news from Zhe Keshi and Zong Ze within three days.

There are 100,000 Liao troops, and this time we must annihilate at least most of them. This battle is of great significance and may become a turning point in the situation between Song and Liao, and it will be recorded in history books.

As the head coach, Zhao Xiaoqian had to convince himself to be more patient. Love affairs are just a momentary shudder for men.

After the war, General Xu was invited back to Zhending City, and ten wives were found for him. The emperor secretly asked a painter to paint his ugly side in order to find something to hold against him.

On the moral level, my bottom line is still too low...

…………

Eastern Route, Yanyun Hejian Prefecture. A few days ago, when Zhong Jianzhong and Yelu Chun's troops were engaged in a decisive battle outside Xijin Prefecture, the 30,000 Liao troops on the Eastern Route had already set out, marching from north to south, aiming for Daming Prefecture of the Great Song Dynasty.

Daming Prefecture is located in Hebei, near Handan, Hebei in later generations. It was the secondary capital of the Song Dynasty and was designated as "Beijing" during the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song.

It is not the Beijing of later generations, but the Beijing of the Song Dynasty.

Daming Prefecture is located on the bank of the Yellow River and has suffered from floods many times in history, but in today's Song Dynasty, Daming Prefecture is still a very important city in the Song Dynasty.

A city named "Jing" by the central court is naturally very important in terms of population, economy and military.

The Liao general who led the troops to attack Daming Prefecture this time was one of Yelu Hongji's trusted court officials, Yelu Otera, the envoy of the Liao Kingdom's Northern Court Privy Council.

A few days ago, 30,000 Liao troops set out from Hejian Prefecture and headed south.

At the same time, Zong Ze led his 20,000 Song troops to a camp 200 miles south of Hejian Prefecture, waiting for the Liao army to tire out.

This was the first time that Zong Ze commanded a war of such scale, and he felt a little nervous.

Zong Ze was walking on thin ice in carrying out the task assigned to him by Zhao Xiaoqian. In the past few days, he sent out countless scouts to collect intelligence like crazy, especially the movements of the 30,000 Liao troops. The scouts reported every half hour.

It can be said that every move of the Liao army was under the control of Zong Ze.

Zong Ze was fully aware of Zhao Xiaoqian's goals, his deployment strategies for the entire war, and so on, and he implemented them unwaveringly.

Today, Zong Ze is only a middle-aged general in his thirties or forties, and does not have much experience in commanding major battles. Zhao Xiaoqian is only in the stage of training and cultivating him, and his requirements for him are not high. He does not ask for merit, but only for avoiding mistakes.

In the dimly lit commander's tent, Zong Ze frowned and stared at the map in front of him. Circles were marked on the map with a red pen. These were the marching directions and daily camps of the 30,000 Liao troops in the past few days.

The direction was indeed pointing to Daming Prefecture of the Song Dynasty, but Zong Ze still felt uneasy.

Di Zi was Zong Ze's deputy general, and was invited by Zong Ze on his own initiative. He was also staying in the general's tent at this moment, staring at the map like Zong Ze, and remained silent for a long time.

"General Di, are you saying that Yelu Otera is really planning to attack Daming Prefecture? The Liao army's scouts must have reported our army's movements to Yelu Otera. We are waiting here for the Liao army to tire itself out. Doesn't Yelu Otera worry about the outcome at all?" Zong Ze asked with a frown.

Di Zi was the descendant of a famous general and was naturally familiar with battle formations. He stared at the map for a long time and said slowly, "I heard that the Liao general Yelu Otera may seem rough, but he is actually a man of great skill and strategy..."

"Let's not even mention our own 20,000-man army. The garrison at Damingfu in Beijing alone is over 40,000, not to mention the surrounding garrison troops and the local military training. It's unlikely that Yelu Otera will succeed in attacking Damingfu with 30,000 men. I believe there may be some trickery going on."

Zong Ze's eyes narrowed, his expression becoming more serious. "Are you saying that the target of Yelu Otera's 30,000 Liao troops might not be Daming Prefecture?"

Di Zi pondered for a moment and said, "If I were the commander-in-chief, knowing that Daming Prefecture was heavily guarded and that a mere 30,000 Liao troops would have difficulty capturing the city, I would definitely change my target. Yelu Otera's southward march might just be a deception; his true target isn't Daming Prefecture. Otherwise, I would be foolish."

"Then where will he choose to attack?" Zong Ze stared at the map and thought.

Di Zi also stared at the map, searching around Daming Prefecture.

As if they had telepathy, Zong Ze and Di Zi's eyes suddenly lit up at the same time, and their eyes were locked on a certain location on the map.

Then the two looked at each other in astonishment and surprise.

"Zhending City!" Zong Ze and Di Zi said in unison.

There is no more suitable target than Zhending City!
Zhending City is only a few hundred miles away from Daming Prefecture. The Liao army is composed of cavalry. If they temporarily change their route, they can reach Zhending City within two days.

There were only more than 10,000 troops under the command of Shao Jing and Feng Sheng stationed in Zhending City. These troops were not equipped with firearms at all. The Song army camp on the Juma River was four or five hundred miles away from Zhending City, and all the troops had been sent out by Zhao Xiaoqian.

If the Liao army suddenly changed its route to attack Zhending City, the Song army would be caught off guard and Zhao Xiaoqian's troops would be completely unable to return to support in time.

If Zhending City fell and the Liao army entered the city to defend it, the situation in western Hebei would be in chaos, and Zhao Xiaoqian's 60,000 troops would be put on the defensive. The only option would be to recapture Zhending City at all costs.

At this time, how could the Liao army not take action in the north in Xijin Prefecture, Datong Prefecture, Hejian Prefecture and other directions?
At that time, Zhao Xiaoqian would be in a disadvantageous position of being attacked from both sides. Not to mention the price of sacrifice, the pressure from the court in Bian Jing alone would be enough to send Zhao Xiaoqian to hell and he would be unable to recover.

Inside the general's tent, after determining Yelu Hongji's true target, the two calculated the consequences of the Liao army's capture of Zhending City. They couldn't help but gasp and stared at each other in shock for a long time.

"The Liao Emperor and Yelu Otera are indeed not simple people. They have a good plan!" Zong Ze murmured.

Di Zi said decisively: "General Zong, I'm afraid we have to set off immediately, otherwise something unexpected will happen."

"I think we can ignore Daming Prefecture. The Liao army is unlikely to capture it, but Zhending City is indeed empty. We must not let the Liao army succeed, otherwise His Highness the Prince and my 60,000-man army will be in danger."

(End of this chapter)