The prince is more stable

Chapter 574 Settlement Time
Now that the threat to Zhending City has been lifted, there is no need for Zhao Xiaoqian to stay in the city. As Niao Niao said, there are still many important things waiting for him to do.

The three armies were about to return to the camp, and as the commander-in-chief, Zhao Xiaoqian certainly had no choice but to show up.

Count casualties and battle results, count the military exploits of the soldiers under your command, call together the generals to summarize the experience of success and failure, review the battle situation, etc.

The commander-in-chief cannot be absent from these matters. Zhao Xiaoqian's style of commanding the army is different from that of the times. He must delegate power where it should be delegated and hold on to what should be held in his hands.

The night before leaving, Zhao Xiaoqian once again emptied himself on the three women. The next morning, he walked out of the room with weak legs. Chen Shou and other imperial guards were waiting outside the mansion. Zhao Xiaoqian mounted his horse, looked at the three women with tears in their eyes, and smiled at them.

"Hold back your tears. Don't make it like a funeral. It's unlucky."

Seeing Niao Niao opening her mouth to speak, Zhao Xiaoqian stopped her again: "Don't even mention that when I come back, we can go and do something together. Anyone who makes such a promise will never have a good ending. Just send me off happily and go back to eat and drink."

Niao Niao rolled her eyes at him and said, "Master, your mouth is like poison. It has washed away all the sorrow and sadness in my heart."

As she spoke, Niao Niao smiled at him and waved casually, "Take care of yourself, sir. Come home when you have time."

Then the three girls, Nian Nian and Niaoniao, looked at him deeply, turned around and went back home, with calm expressions, like virtuous wives sending their husbands to work.

The deeply suppressed longing can only be slowly dissipated in the long days that follow.

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled with satisfaction, whipped his horse and headed towards the city gate.

A real man's sight is on the world and on peace and prosperity. He is still young, and when the world is at peace, he will have plenty of time to indulge in the pleasures of life.

After leaving the city, General Xu, who was following beside him, sighed and said, "Zi'an, maybe we don't need to rush this time? Can you please be considerate of my old bones? I really can't stand the bumps on the horse anymore."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Chongyuan. The war is over, so there's nothing urgent to do. Let's just travel normally this time, just taking it as a sightseeing trip. It's a pity there are no brothels in the wilderness. If you don't mind, I'll have Chen Shou and the others catch a few female deer for you to cool down."

General Xu was stunned, pointing at him and angrily said, "You are simply... How dare you say such crazy things? How can ...

"Okay, okay, let's be serious. Mr. Chong Yuan is getting old. Living in the camp all year round is not good for him to have no one to serve him. After we return to the camp, I will ask my subordinates to rob you of a few young and beautiful Liao women to serve as your personal maids and take care of your daily life. How about that?"

General Xu said with a stern face: "It is strictly forbidden to allow female relatives in the army. You are forcing me to make a mistake. I don't want any maids."

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed and said, "I have the final say in the camp. I may turn a blind eye to some things, but it's not a matter of principle..."

"Why do you want to give me a maid? Tell me the truth." General Xu was not stupid and asked immediately.

Zhao Xiaoqian touched his nose and said, "The main thing is... if I take a fancy to a beautiful young Liao woman in the future and want to bring her into the camp to serve me, I can't be the one to start such a bad move. Why not ask Mr. Chong Yuan to take the lead? Then I think you won't be too embarrassed to file a petition against me..."

General Xu took a deep breath and said, "You bastard, you really have no good intentions! Fortunately, I didn't fall for it."

"Find a few maids to serve you, sir. You can't accuse me of harboring evil intentions, right? You've wronged me..."

"I don't need a maid, and you are not allowed to keep female relatives in the army, otherwise I will definitely report you." General Xu said angrily.

Zhao Xiaoqian grinned and said, "Forget it, the negotiations broke down. I'd better be honest from now on."

It's clearly a win-win situation, but why do we have to talk about principles?

bad habits.

…………

They walked very slowly along the way. In order to take care of General Xu's health, Zhao Xiaoqian and his party traveled as if they were sightseeing. It was not until three days later that they arrived back at the Juma River camp.

When they returned to the camp, all three groups of soldiers had returned.

The camp was filled with joy. The soldiers had finished the battle and were resting. Each of them was happily calculating his military exploits and how much reward he would get.

As soon as Zhao Xiaoqian and others arrived outside the gate, the generals came out upon hearing the news to welcome Zhao Xiaoqian.

Seeing that Zhong Jianzhong and others were covered in dust, Zhao Xiaoqian hurriedly dismounted and greeted the generals.

"Congratulations, everyone! You've won another battle! You can look forward to promotions and wealth. I'll commend you for your achievements once the victory is confirmed."

All the generals burst into laughter.

Zhong Jianzhong said respectfully, "This victory is entirely due to Your Highness's strategic planning and sound command, which we faithfully executed. I believe the greatest contributors to this battle are Your Highness... and Deputy Envoy Xu."

Zhao Xiaoqian chuckled, "Old Zhong, you're getting more and more talkative. Deputy Envoy Xu and I were living it up in the rear, doing nothing, and yet you're putting the credit on us. You're so embarrassed to say that, but I'm too embarrassed to report it." General Xu, standing beside him, also smiled and said, "General Zhong, the military doesn't need to be so particular about social etiquette. The merits you've earned through bloody battles cannot be taken away by anyone, not even by me or Your Highness."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded and said, "That's right. I'm afraid of being stabbed in the back by my brothers if I claim the military achievements earned at the cost of my lives. The credit for this battle belongs to you. Deputy Envoy Xu and I don't want any of it. Not even a penny."

Zhao Xiaoqian looked around at the generals and saw his father-in-law Di Zi standing low-key behind them. Zhao Xiaoqian couldn't help but laugh: "Father-in-law, why are you hiding behind so shyly? In the first battle against the Liao Dynasty, you made such a big splash. You have the right to step forward. Don't be so low-key."

The generals all made way for him. Di Zi's face flushed red as he stood still, looking at Zhao Xiaoqian with a helpless sigh, "Your Highness, please don't embarrass me. My mere achievements are nothing compared to those of you generals."

Zhao Xiaoqian shook his head and said, "If my father-in-law hadn't raised these questions, the Liao army would have already captured Zhending City today. The consequences would have been severe. I never show favoritism in the army, but merit is merit, and I can't deliberately avoid suspicion or kinship just because of the father-in-law-in-law relationship."

"Of the three armies, Zongze's was the most dangerous, nearly falling prey to the Liao army. My father-in-law saw through the Liao army's intentions and decisively set an ambush on the banks of the Yellow River, annihilating the Liao army and capturing Liao general Yelu Otera alive. This achievement is truly undeniable and unquestionable."

All the generals echoed the sentiment, their expressions showing sincere admiration.

Zhao Xiaoqian has always been strict and fair in his military management. Di Zili's achievements are obvious to all, and the generals have no complaints.

After standing in front of the camp gate and chatting with the generals for a while, Zhao Xiaoqian stepped into the camp and returned to the general's tent.

The general gathered in the tent and was filled with joy. This victory was unprecedented. One could imagine how happy the officials and the court would be after the victory report was sent to Bian Jing. If the higher-ups were happy, rewards would naturally be inevitable. Whether it was promotion or making money, it all concerned the vital interests of every general present.

Zhao Xiaoqian sat in the first seat, watching the generals in the tent chatting and laughing. Everyone's face was filled with the joy of a winner. Zhao Xiaoqian seemed to be infected by the emotions of the crowd. He was full of energy and had a heroic feeling that all the heroes in the world were within his grasp.

"Alright, you all have smiles on your faces, but I'm afraid you're incredibly anxious, right? Relax for now, everyone. I've already sent the victory report to Bian Jing. Now, you'll report your military exploits, and I'll commend them to the emperor on your behalf. ... You're just waiting for me to say this, right?"

The generals were overjoyed and laughed heartily.

Zhao Xiaoqian's expression gradually grew serious, and he slowly said, "You are all veterans of many battles, and you must be aware of the importance of this battle."

"The most dangerous route in this battle was that of Zongze Dizi's troops. The Liao army was harboring murderous intentions, intending to change course and attack Zhending City. Fortunately, Dizi saw through their plan and decisively changed his tactics, setting an ambush on the banks of the Yellow River. 30,000 Liao troops were completely annihilated, and Yelu Otera was captured alive."

"So, the main credit for this battle goes to Zong Ze and Di Zi. Do you have any objections?"

The generals immediately shook their heads to indicate that they had no objection.

Among the three armies, the western and central armies fought in favorable situations, but the eastern army led by Zong Ze was in real danger. If they had not discovered the Liao army's conspiracy in time, the consequences would have been disastrous. Therefore, the credit was given to Zong Ze and Di Zi, and all the generals expressed their acceptance.

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at General Xu and said, "Mr. Chongyuan, since no one objects, we will submit the report truthfully and award the primary credit to Zongze and Di Zi. What do you think, sir?"

General Xu stroked his beard and smiled, "That's just the way it is. I have no objection."

The next thing was easy. The generals reported the battle achievements of their soldiers, and the military clerks were responsible for recording them in the books.

Now is the time for the winner's MVP settlement. Every military achievement recorded in the book represents that a person or a family has achieved a class leap.

Every speck of dust thrown away by the upper class is a mountain that ordinary people cannot carry.

But on the other hand, any bit of grace that slips through the fingers of the upper class becomes a huge fortune for ordinary people.

After returning to the camp, Zhao Xiaoqian became very busy.

Counting the military achievements of his soldiers is definitely a tedious and difficult task, but Zhao Xiaoqian did not dare to neglect it. Despite his originally impatient nature, he never slacked off on this matter.

He knew very well that counting military achievements was related to everyone's future and interests. If he was not careful in this matter, it would definitely discourage the soldiers. Therefore, Zhao Xiaoqian took the trouble to personally implement every military achievement.

Not only did Zhao Xiaoqian record the military achievements, he also ordered the captured Liao general Yelu Otera to be brought into the general's tent.

Apart from the once unlucky Crown Prince Yelu Yanxi, this was the first time that the Song Dynasty captured a senior Liao general alive. It was a must-see.

Yelu Otera was taken into the general's tent by the imperial guards. Even after entering the tent, he still had a defiant look on his face. He stood stubbornly in the tent with his head held high.

The general's tent suddenly became quiet. The Song army generals looked at him with amusement and whispered about Yelu Otera's appearance from time to time.

Zhao Xiaoqian was also looking at him, nodding with a smile, and said, "Liao generals are just like us Song people, with a head on two shoulders. There's no difference."

Zhao Xiaoqian raised his chin towards the defiant Yelu Otera, his eyes gleaming with a sharpness as his tone grew colder. "You stand while I sit. I'm not used to looking up while I talk to you."

(End of this chapter)