The prince is more stable

Chapter 572: Success on All Three Roads
In this era when prostitution is legal, it is inevitable that intellectuals will go to brothels.

Although Zhending City is a border town, the girls there are well-behaved and have all the necessary parts. It is natural for General Xu, the top scholar, to visit one of them.

There is nothing shameful about it. When intellectuals do the same thing, even the most disgusting things become elegant. Especially in the process of visiting prostitutes, intellectuals can often write many classic masterpieces that will be passed down through the ages, which makes it even more elegant.

Among the famous poets and lyricists of the Song Dynasty, who had not visited brothels? The brothers Su Shi and Su Zhe, Liu Yong and Qin Guan, whom I had never met, all wrote classic poems in brothels, forcing children in later generations to memorize and write out the entire text.

General Xu felt ashamed and annoyed at the moment because he was seen naked by a junior. After all, this kind of thing may sound elegant, but it is not suitable for juniors to know about it, as it will give people the impression that he is an old and dishonest person.

Zhao Xiaoqian noticed General Xu's embarrassment and comforted him softly, "Mr. Chongyuan, there's no need to be like this. Even if you don't go to the brothel, I don't think you're a decent person..."

General Xu: “…………”

Zhao Xiaoqian said sternly, "Honestly, the place you went to last night doesn't have a good reputation, and the ladies there are only mediocre. I know there's a top-notch brothel in Zhending City. Of course, compared to Bianjing, it's only second-rate, but in this remote place where sows are as beautiful as Diao Chan, it's already quite good."

"Next time, take you there and give it a try. I'll treat you." Zhao Xiaoqian winked and said with a smile, "There's a well-behaved young lady there. Her appearance isn't particularly good, but the scholars in Zhending City are flocking to her. Does Mr. Chongyuan know why?"

General Xu originally wanted to avoid the topic, but Zhao Xiaoqian's words finally piqued his curiosity, so he couldn't help but ask, "Why?"

"This woman has made a solemn vow, wishing to receive a masterpiece from a contemporary talent. If she finds it pleasing to her, she will light a red lantern in her attic that night, and she will serve him all night, even without asking for a dowry, in return for his gift of the poem. I think Mr. Chongyuan will like this tune."

As expected, General Xu's eyes lit up, and he stroked his beard and smiled proudly.

It is boring to spend money to visit prostitutes, but the top scholar likes this kind of challenge, as he can get her for free and become famous at the same time.

Looking at the joy on General Xu's face, Zhao Xiaoqian nodded.

As expected, intellectuals like this. Talent is their most impressive thing, and they are very willing to show off their talent, especially in front of young ladies.

General Xu, however, asked curiously, "Zi'an is also the world-renowned 'Zhao Banque', yet he hasn't been able to become a guest of the young lady's staff?"

"I've heard of it, but I've never tried it. I'm busy with official duties, and as a prefect, it wouldn't look good if I openly visited prostitutes under my jurisdiction."

General Xu suddenly realized and said with a smile, "In that case, I will not be polite. ... Well, the main purpose is to test whether my lyrics can please the young lady. I have no intention of being frivolous."

Zhao Xiaoqian blinked: "I understand, I understand."

The story about the young lady was true, but Zhao Xiaoqian just laughed it off when he heard it.

This kind of routine that seems to be very popular in the Song Dynasty has already been outdated in the previous life. All we can say is that the young lady who made the statement is a marketing savvy person and knows how to sell herself to maximize profits.

A piece of poetry could earn her a night's service, but little did she know that free things are often the most expensive.

After hearing about this routine, Zhao Xiaoqian had no interest in meeting her at all.

There are many poems that can be copied, but there is no need to waste them on a woman like this.

Xu Jiang is more suitable. After all, he is already quite old, which is a good age for him to suffer at the hands of women.

The two chatted about love and romance for a long time, and then General Xu was suddenly startled. He suddenly realized that he had gone off topic.

"Hey? Aren't we talking about the victory report?"

Zhao Xiaoqian was also surprised, but then he applauded and cheered, "Excellent! Zhe Keshi did a great job! When the royal army returns victorious, I will definitely commend him and his fellow soldiers for their achievements."

General Xu smiled and said, "I am willing to join Zi'an in asking the emperor for merit on behalf of these soldiers."

"After this battle, the northern border can be secured."

Zhao Xiaoqian silently calculated that among the three armies he had sent out, Zhe Keshi in the west and Zhong Jianzhong in the middle had both reported victory reports, and now there was only no news from Zong Ze in the east.

However, Zong Ze's army was the most important of the three. The Liao army on this route was hiding Yelu Hongji's killer move, so the success or failure of Zong Ze's army was very important.

Zhao Xiaoqian was a little anxious, but he could not interfere with the decision-making of the front-line generals, so he could only wait patiently for news from Zong Ze.

It seemed as if all the luck was on Zhao Xiaoqian's side. When the two were discussing matters in the yard, hurried footsteps were heard outside the front courtyard.

Chen Shou held a military report and shouted, "Prince, this is an urgent military report from Zong Ze in the East Road, eight hundred miles away!"

Zhao Xiaoqian and General Xu stood up suddenly and took Zong Ze's military report impatiently.

After a quick glance, Zhao Xiaoqian burst into laughter, his eyes reddening. Even though he was so calm and confident, he couldn't stop laughing after receiving Zong Ze's military report. Laughing heartily, he handed the report to General Xu. In a rare moment of impulsiveness, Zhao Xiaoqian roared to the heavens, "Victory! Our Great Song army has won all three routes. Well done, Zong Ze, you've made me proud!"

The roar alarmed the servants and imperial guards in the Prince's Mansion. When they heard Zhao Xiaoqian's words, the whole mansion was in an uproar.

Even though these people were of low status, they knew very well that living in this border town, the war was actually not far away from them. There was a panic in Zhending City these days, and the government and the troops were conducting more stringent inspections and searches, which showed that the situation was already very serious.

At this moment, Zhao Xiaoqian roared loudly, like a whistling autumn wind, blowing away the dark clouds in the sky, and the long-lost sunshine peeked out from the clouds.

After carefully reading the victory report several times, General Xu was so moved that he burst into tears: "I am right to come this time. I should have come here earlier to experience and witness our army's great victory with my own eyes. What a blessing!"

Looking up at Zhao Xiaoqian with tearful eyes, General Xu shouted, "Of the three armies, Zong Ze did the most brilliantly! Total annihilation, a true annihilation. The Liao general Yelu Otera was captured, and all 30,000 Liao troops were annihilated on the banks of the Yellow River. This great victory will surely shock the world!"

Zhao Xiaoqian's surprise gradually subsided. After a moment's silence, he said to Chen Shou, "Send someone to tell Zhong Jianzhong, Zhe Keshi, and Zong Ze that the battle is over. After cleaning up, take the soldiers back to the camp on the south bank of the Juma River to rest. Send in some good wine and meat as a reward for the three armies!"

General Xu interjected, "Zhong Jianzhong's troops are surrounding Xijin Prefecture, and Yelu Chunhe's 10,000-plus troops are still hiding in the city. Does Zi'an mean to give up the attack on Xijin Prefecture?"

"We didn't intend to capture Xijin Prefecture in the first place. We simply laid siege to prevent Yelu Chun's troops from rescuing the Liao armies on the eastern and western routes. Now that the work on the eastern and western routes is done, why continue the siege?"

General Xu's eyes flickered: "If we take this opportunity to capture Xijin Prefecture..."

Zhao Xiaoqian looked at him with amusement. "Mr. Chongyuan, you've only been guarding the border for a few days, and your appetite has become so big? Xijin Prefecture is not so easy to conquer. After all, it is the Nanjing of the Liao Kingdom. If I really take it, not only will I suffer huge casualties, but Yelu Hongji will also fight me to the death."

"I only have 60,000 troops at hand right now, and we've suffered thousands of casualties in this battle. It's not the right time to attack Xijin Prefecture now. Once the 50,000 troops selected from the three armies arrive in Bianjing, I'll have over 100,000 troops under my command, all equipped with firearms. That's when we can start."

Zhao Xiaoqian said deeply: "Not only Xijin Prefecture, but the entire Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun must be recovered. The emperor gave me such great military power, and he also wants the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun."

General Xu said somewhat embarrassedly, "I am too ambitious. I am old but I can't see as far as Zi'an can."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "Mr. Chongyuan has never experienced a battlefield, so it's inevitable that he may have some shortcomings. When I first came to guard the border, I also imagined that I would lead the troops to the north tomorrow and destroy the entire Liao Kingdom."

General Xu asked curiously, "Why did Zi'an change his mind later?"

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed: "Mr. Chong Yuan, if you don't have any money on you, would you be so embarrassed to go into a brothel and call a girl?"

"Uh..." General Xu looked hesitant.

Zhao Xiaoqian raised his eyebrows. Could it be that this old guy often gets things for free?
"Anyway, I won't go to a brothel. I don't have money and confidence, and I'm too embarrassed to take off someone's pants..."

"It was the same when I was guarding the border. I only had 30,000 soldiers and horses. I wanted to lead the army to the north to attack the Liao Kingdom with such a small number of people. I can only say that every man has a youthful and ignorant time. That was my youth that is about to fade away..."

After receiving Zong Ze's victory report from General Xu, Zhao Xiaoqian smiled again. "Tonight, I'll treat Mr. Chong Yuan to a visit to the brothel. The soldiers at the front have won a great victory, and we at the rear must also express our gratitude. Mr. Chong Yuan, please take the trouble to provide artillery support."

As Zhao Xiaoqian spoke, he suddenly looked stunned.

"gunfire"?
The flintlock rifle had been invented, but what about artillery? That was a powerful weapon for siege.

Smoothbore cannons are too advanced and it is unlikely that they can be produced with current industrial capabilities. However, the French cannons and red cannons from the Ming and Qing dynasties are basically not difficult to manufacture. All you need to do is make a cannon barrel out of cast iron. The biggest difficulty is that a large amount of iron is needed.

Even a layman in the military knows the significance of artillery to the army.

If the Song Dynasty had added another artillery army, the demise of the Liao Dynasty would have been even faster.

Zhao Xiaoqian was slightly moved, but then he thought, his father is now doing something extremely rebellious. If too advanced weapons are released in advance, it may not be a good thing for him and his father. If something unexpected happens in the future, he must have a trump card in hand.

Thinking of this, Zhao Xiaoqian suppressed the urge to invent cannons.

Every time Zhao Xiaoqian thought about this, he always felt complicated.

On one side is his living father, and on the other side is Zhao Xu who trusts him immensely. If his living father really intends to do something, how will Zhao Xiaoqian choose?

It is clear to all that he has no ambition at all. After he has done what he should do and is sure that he has changed the tragic fate of himself and his family, he plans to hand over his military power and continue to be a bastard prince who indulges in eating, drinking, whoring and gambling.

Oh, by then he probably wouldn’t need to use the title of Prince of Chu, as he should have been crowned king.

But why wouldn't his father stop doing this? And from the looks of it, he seems to have become quite successful.

(End of this chapter)