The prince is more stable

Chapter 567: Tacit Understanding Between Enemy and Us
The two commanders of the army had never spoken a word to each other, yet they had miraculously reached a silent understanding.

Ten thousand Liao troops retreated thirty miles, leaving behind twenty thousand soldiers to continue confronting the Song army.

Such a large-scale and unusual troop movement could naturally not be concealed from the Song army.

As soon as the 10,000 Liao troops left the camp, the scouts delivered the news to Zhe Keshi.

Zhe Keshi was stunned for a long time, then he looked up to the sky and laughed out loud.

Now it seems that Xiao Wuna's secret identity is indeed not simple. He must have had some shameful and dirty deal with His Royal Highness the Prince.

Or, he is simply a traitor to Liao who has been subdued by His Royal Highness the Prince. Otherwise, when the two armies confronted each other today, Xiao Wuna would not have been able to make such a coordinated troop deployment.

Now, Zhe Keshi can finally let go and launch an attack without any scruples.

Zhe Keshi laughed wildly for a long time in the commander's tent. Suddenly, he stopped laughing and shouted, "Someone come!"

"Orders are being passed. Prepare the meal at 1:00 AM tomorrow morning. After the soldiers have eaten their fill, form up and march out of the camp to attack the Liao army!"

After two days of rest and relaxation, the atmosphere in the Song army camp suddenly became tense.

Soldiers from each camp have begun to count and check their equipment and ammunition, clean their swords, and feed their horses.

The five thousand soldiers belonging to the Dragon Guard Camp had excited smiles on their faces. The long-awaited battle had finally arrived.

The troops under Zhe Keshi were composed of two parts, of which 5,000 belonged to the Dragon Guard Camp, and the other 15,000 were the elite soldiers selected by Zhao Xiaoqian from the three armies in Bian Jing this time.

Zhao Xiaoqian's intention in deploying troops in this way was to let the veterans of the Dragon Guard Camp lead the new recruits in Bian Jing.

Although the Bian Jing troops were one of the elite forces of the Song Dynasty, their combat experience was ultimately inferior to that of the Dragon Guard Battalion. From a battlefield perspective, these 15,000 people were actually new recruits on the battlefield.

There is no shortcut for recruits to become veterans. They can only go into battle and kill the enemy, kill more enemies, see more blood, and experience more life-and-death situations. There is no need to teach them any theoretical knowledge, they will naturally become veterans.

Compared to the excitement of the 5,000 Dragon Guard Battalion soldiers, the rest of the Bian Jing recruits had mixed feelings, both excited and a little nervous.

In the tent where new and old soldiers lived together, a new recruit from Bian Jing watched the old soldiers of the Longwei Camp dismantle the flintlock rifle. He used butter to remove the barrel, trigger and other parts, maintained them one by one, then installed them, and finally replaced the new flint and tried to light the gun.

Soldiers equipped with firearms all carried a full leather bag of ammunition with them. The basic number of ammunition carried by each soldier was fifty rounds, all of which were paper shell bullets manufactured by the firearms supervisor.

Since they are all handmade by craftsmen and lack industrial foundation, the appearance of paper shell bullets is not actually good-looking, but the size, specifications and charge amount are the same. Even though they are handmade, the Firearms Inspectorate has strict process supervision.

Seeing the veterans of the Dragon Guard Battalion enthusiastically checking their equipment, the new recruits in Bian Jing couldn't help themselves.

"We're going to go to war with the Liao people tomorrow. Is there any need to be so happy? There will be casualties in the war."

The old soldier chuckled, patted the weapon in his hand, and said, "With this, the enemy can't get close to us. They will be shot dead from a few hundred steps away. It's no different from shooting a rabbit. What's so scary about it?"

The new recruit hesitated and said, "But if the Liao people break through our front line, we will still suffer casualties..."

The old soldier squinted at him and said, "So, His Royal Highness brought you from Bian Jing to the front line so that you can enjoy a good life?"

"War is always a war. My Song Dynasty also fought against the Liao people. Death is not a terrible thing. What is terrible is to sacrifice countless lives and still see no hope of victory. That is terrible. Now we have firearms and His Royal Highness the Prince's command, which never makes mistakes. What is there to fear? Tell me, what is there to fear?"

The veteran said as he glanced at the flintlock rifle in the recruit's hand.

The flintlock rifles of the new recruits were issued by the Bian Jing Firearms Supervisor. They were brand new rifles with a shiny black luster, which was much more attractive than the somewhat old flintlock rifles in the hands of the old soldiers.

But the veteran was not jealous at all. His gun was his life. After several years of practice, he had already mastered the skill of using it. He could shoot wherever he pointed, as if it had become a part of his body.

"They must have practiced for a long time on the training grounds in Bianjing, right? I was also from Bianjing back then. Believe me, shooting at targets on the training grounds is completely different from shooting at living people on the battlefield."

"A target is a dead object, standing there for you to shoot at. But a living person moves. When you aim, you need to predict their next move in advance, fire the bullet in advance, and wait there, letting the enemy get close enough to take the bullet..."

The new recruit was a little confused, but he quickly wrote down the veteran's words and repeated them silently.

"Actually, actually...it's mentioned in our drill manual, and we've also practiced with moving targets..." the recruit explained a little nervously.

The old soldier scoffed. "A moving target is still a target, completely different from a living person. You guys should see more blood on the battlefield and kill more Liao people. There are some things that can't be taught in drill manuals. A lot of experience is gained at the cost of human lives."

"We've been ordered by our superiors. Tomorrow, we veterans will lead the charge. You'll watch from behind. We'll let you go once you're fully prepared. Don't panic in battle. Hold your gun steady. As soon as the general waves the flag, pull the trigger immediately. It doesn't matter if you hit the target or not. The most important thing is to fire the gun..."

"After defeating these 20,000 Liao soldiers and horses tomorrow, we will have accumulated some military merits. After experiencing a few more battles, we will have accumulated enough military merits. I can't even think about getting promoted, but I can still expect the court to reward us with a few acres of land." The old soldier said with a smile, a glimmer of hope in his somewhat obscene eyes.

"In a few years, the world will be at peace, and there will be no place to go to for military exploits. Then I will retire from the army, become a small landlord, marry a wife, have a bunch of kids, and live happily ever after, haha!"

The recruit was stunned for a moment and stammered, "Can the world really be peaceful?"

"Bullshit! What are we fighting for today? If Your Highness leads us to kill all the enemies, no one will dare to glare at our Song Dynasty from now on, and the world will be peaceful, won't it?" The old soldier glanced at the recruit impatiently.

If the captain hadn't ordered him to pass on his experience to the new recruits, he wouldn't have bothered to say so much. A veteran soldier who has experienced hundreds of battles is indifferent to his own life and death, so how could he have the enthusiasm to teach a new recruit?
"Do you have anything else to do?" the veteran asked, glancing at the new recruit.

The recruit shook his head subconsciously.

"If you have nothing to do, get out of here. The war will start tomorrow morning and you're disturbing my sleep!"

The new recruit was just about to leave in embarrassment when suddenly an idea struck him and he smiled ingratiatingly at the veteran.

"Brother, next month's salary will be paid. I beg you to do me a favor and treat me to a nice drink."

The old soldier's eyes lit up and he was immediately filled with relief.

This kid finally grew up!

There is no free knowledge in the world, especially on the battlefield where life and death depend on it. It is unreasonable to expect to gain experience for free.

"Haha, come here, there are some little tricks used on the battlefield. I will sleep two hours less tonight so that I can talk to you about them..." The veteran waved to the recruit enthusiastically.

The recruit's eyes immediately filled with tears. He had chosen the right track!

…………

Juma River Camp.

Zhao Xiaoqian was in a bad mood early in the morning. He yawned and ate his breakfast lazily.

The breakfast consisted of freshly steamed buns, which were far inferior to the No. 1 soup dumplings in Bian Jing. However, there were only a few cooks who could cook in the military camp. What could Zhao Xiaoqian do?
As he ate the tasteless buns, Zhao Xiaoqian couldn't help but have evil thoughts.

Otherwise, send a few people back to Bian Jing, kidnap the owner of the first floor, and send him to the camp.

Anyway, the shopkeeper seems to have a grudge against money. He is so lazy even when running the shop, and looks like he loves to eat and will get away if he doesn't. Why not let him change his career path and realize new life values, such as serving the national hero, Prince Zhaojun...

Once the evil thoughts welled up in his mind, it was hard to suppress them. Zhao Xiaoqian even began to seriously consider the feasibility of kidnapping the owner of the First Floor. A comprehensive plan involuntarily emerged in his mind...

Fortunately, the scout's hurried footsteps interrupted the growth of evil thoughts.

"Your Highness, this is an urgent report from General Zong Ze, the commander of the Eastern Army, from eight hundred miles away!"

Zhao Xiaoqian was startled and quickly took the military newspaper and glanced at it.

After taking a look, Zhao Xiaoqian's expression became solemn. He handed the report to General Xu next to him, and at the same time stood up and walked towards the huge map hanging high in the main hall.

He slowly gestured with his fingers on the map. The 30,000 Liao troops set out from Hejian Prefecture. To the south was Daming Prefecture, and to the west was Zhending City. The distance between the two was about the same, and Zhending Prefecture was even closer.

His expression gradually turned ugly. Zhao Xiaoqian's face turned ashen as he stared at Hejian Prefecture on the map. He gritted his teeth and said, "What a jerk Yelu Hongji! He almost tricked me!"

General Xu had also finished reading Zong Ze's military report at this time, and his expression became more and more anxious.

"It's actually a plan to make a feint to the east and attack in the west! Zi'an, does Zong Ze's guess make sense?" General Xu asked.

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded slowly and said with a serious face, "That makes sense. I suspect Zhending City is the real target of Yelu Otera's troops."

"He set out from Hejian Prefecture and headed south, seemingly heading for Daming Prefecture, but in reality, he was trying to confuse our army and trick Zong Ze's troops into intercepting from the wrong direction. He then quickly turned west and headed straight for Zhending City!"

"Damn it, I was so careless! I almost let this guy get it done right under my nose!" Zhao Xiaoqian cursed angrily.

Who would have thought that such a low-level tactic of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west would almost make him successful.

The main reason was that the Liao army in the direction of Xijin Prefecture in the middle route made too much noise. Even Zhao Xiaoqian thought that the Liao army in the east and west routes were cooperating with the Liao army in the middle route. He did not expect that Yelu Hongji had hidden such a surprise force.

The Eastern Army was the real enemy attacking Zhending City. The Central and Western Armies were just a cover for Yelu Otera, used to contain the Song Army and gradually induce the Song Army to attack, making the rear of Zhending City empty and undefended.

If Yelu Otera succeeded, the Liao army would take Zhending City by surprise, and the consequences would be serious.

Not to mention that Zhao Xiaoqian's three wives were still living in the city. Just the fact that the Song Dynasty had lost the city in the rear would make the Song army in the front very passive. Zhao Xiaoqian would also be criticized by the censors in the Bian Jing court and would be miserable. Zhao Xu would not be able to help him withstand the pressure.

"Fortunately, Zong Ze is smart enough and my father-in-law is not a bastard, otherwise we would be in big trouble this time!" Zhao Xiaoqian murmured with a look of fear on his face.

General Xu read the military report again and said, "Zong Ze said that it was your father-in-law who first raised the suspicion about Yelu Otera's forces. The Di family is indeed the descendants of famous generals, and they are indeed quite powerful. Zi'an, when the soldiers return victorious, you must treat your father-in-law well. This achievement is no less than beheading a general and capturing the flag."

Zhao Xiaoqian said solemnly, "We should treat him well. Invite him to Zhending City. I'll find him ten dirt-sucking women to suck out his soul..."

(End of this chapter)