The prince is more stable

Chapter 576: The Victory Spreads Across the World
Yelu Hongji is a controversial figure in history.

He did some practical things for the Liao Kingdom, but he also depleted the Liao Kingdom's strength. He was a mixture of wisdom and stupidity, a bit like Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, who became more and more foolish as he grew older.

I have done many stupid things in my life, but this time was the only one that really damaged me.

The country had a standing army of more than 500,000 soldiers, but after three major battles, 150,000 were lost.

The first two wars may explain why Yelu Hongji was unaware of the strength of the Song army and had to suffer a great loss. However, this time, when he was defeated, Yelu Hongji knew that the Song army's firearms were powerful, but he chose to take advantage of the situation and wanted to take advantage of Zhao Xiaoqian's dismissal from the Song court to send troops to recover the lost territory.

The original intention of sending troops was to have too much fear of gain and loss and too much hope of luck. When the 100,000 Liao troops gathered, the failure was doomed to be irreversible.

At this moment, Yelu Hongji was about to faint. This defeat not only caused the loss of troops, but also shook the rule of the Yelu royal family.

Why has there been a saying since ancient times that “war is dangerous and ferocious”?

Not only is war cruel, but what is even more cruel is that war is a continuation of politics. The opposite is also true. The outcome of war will affect the direction of politics.

With today's defeat, there will definitely be ministers in the Liao court who will directly criticize the emperor's mistakes, and public opinion from both the court and the public will drown out Yelu Hongji, which will be a huge blow to the authority of Yelu Hongji's imperial power. Perhaps some people will gradually develop thoughts that they shouldn't have.

These are all serious consequences of a major defeat.

"Call, call...Yelu Chun, Xiao Wuna, and Yelu Wute La to come to Shangjing!" Yelu Hongji said with red eyes and gritted teeth.

The messenger bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, Yelu Chun and Xiao Wuna have led their troops to retreat hundreds of miles, but Yelu Wutera..."

"What happened to Yelu Otera?"

"We were ambushed by the Song army on the bank of the Yellow River. Not only were Yelu Otera's entire army wiped out, but he himself was also... captured by the Song army." The messenger became more and more frightened as he spoke. The extremely low atmosphere in the hall was suffocating.

Yelu Hongji's face turned even paler: "Yelu Wutera, was he captured?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. The Song army set an ambush on the banks of the Yellow River. Yelu Otera and his 30,000 soldiers had nowhere to retreat. All of them were killed in the battle, and he himself was captured by the Song army led by Zong Ze."

Yelu Hongji's body shook again, he closed his eyes tightly, and the muscles on his cheeks twitched constantly.

"Shame! Shame on us Khitans! Why didn't Yelu Otera die for his country? Why!" Yelu Hongji suddenly roared hysterically.

The messenger lowered his head and dared not answer.

A palace servant hurried in from outside the palace and reported, "Your Majesty, Xiao Wuna has just returned to the capital and is requesting an audience outside the palace gate."

Yelu Hongji was shocked and blurted out, "Xiao Wuna is back? Quick, let him see you!"

Not long after, Xiao Wuna, still in armor and with his face covered in dust and scars, entered the hall. He knelt down and cried bitterly, "Your Majesty, I will die!"

Yelu Hongji pursed his lips, a hint of hesitation flashed across his eyes, but he still stepped forward and helped him up.

"Xiao Wuna, you have suffered."

"I was intercepted by Zhe Keshi's troops of the Song army, defeated and killed. After the remaining troops gathered in Datong Prefecture, I rushed back to Shangjing day and night to submit to Your Majesty for death!" Xiao Wuna cried bitterly.

The expression on Yelu Hongji's face eased a little and he sighed.

The three armies had been defeated, but in comparison, Xiao Wuna's army was in the best situation.

Compared with Yelu Wute La whose entire army was wiped out and Yelu Chun whose Nanjing was almost captured, how can it not be considered a good thing that only half of the 30,000 soldiers escaped?

Although they both suffered defeat, Xiao Wuna at least tried his best to preserve his strength and only lost more than 15,000 people. Compared with the other two armies, Xiao Wuna was really very outstanding.

More importantly, look at Xiao Wuna's attitude.

After the defeat, he gathered his remaining troops and rushed back to Shangjing without stopping. Although he knew that he would be severely punished, he was still willing to die.

Looking at Xiao Wuna lying on the ground crying, Yelu Hongji's eyes couldn't help but soften.

At least, I still have loyal ministers like Xiao Wuna by my side, so I haven't lost too completely, right?
"Xiao Wuna, I don't blame you. The defeat is my fault. I underestimated the Song army and Zhao Xiaoqian," Yelu Hongji sighed sadly. "How can I let a minister bear the shame of my own mistakes?"

"Your Majesty, it's my fault. I am incompetent and have killed more than 10,000 Khitan warriors. I am willing to die!" Xiao Wuna cried.

Yelu Hongji's eyes were red, and he choked up and said, "Don't argue, you are right!"

"I feel relieved that you can come back. The loss of soldiers and horses is not a big deal. I am just worried about your safety. If you are fine, the Liao Dynasty will not collapse. Xiao Wuna, you are more important than thousands of soldiers and horses." Yelu Hongji said emotionally.

Xiao Wuna was so grateful that he burst into tears.

"This defeat is entirely my fault. I will issue an edict of apology to my subjects, and tomorrow I will order the Northern Privy Council to recruit new soldiers," Yelu Hongji said wearily. "From now on, the Liao Dynasty will tighten its defenses and send envoys to negotiate peace with the Song Dynasty..."

Yelu Hongji then looked at Xiao Wuna and said, "I appoint you as the Deputy Envoy of the Northern Privy Council, replacing Yelu Otera. You will take office today, and you will also be in charge of recruiting new soldiers." Xiao Wuna was stunned and blurted out, "Your Highness... replacing Yelu Otera?"

Yelu Hongji's tone grew colder as he said, "Yelu Otera... has been captured by the Song army and will never return."

Xiao Wuna looked at Yelu Hongji in shock, not daring to respond. He quickly lowered his head and thanked him with a shameful look on his face.

Yelu Hongji comforted Xiao Wuna softly and told him to take good care of himself. Xiao Wuna said goodbye and left the hall with gratitude.

The huge hall suddenly became empty, and Yelu Hongji's heart seemed to be empty as well.

He gazed at the gray sky outside the palace, pondered for a long time, and suddenly said, "Come here, send the imperial guards to Yelu Otera's residence, confiscate his property... and execute his entire family!"

…………

Great Song Dynasty, Bianliang.

A rider on a fast horse galloped into the city, carrying a black box with a red feather on his back, holding the reins in one hand and waving a small flag in the other.

When the imperial guards at the gate saw that it was a courier with military intelligence from eight hundred miles away, they immediately made way and allowed the messenger to drive straight into the city without daring to stop him.

After entering the city, the messenger slowed down his horse slightly and waved the small flag in his hand.

"Victory! Victory! The Liao army of 100,000 invaded the border. The Prince of Hejian led the royal army to resist, annihilating over 70,000 enemy invaders. The Liao army was routed, and the royal army won a great victory!"

While roaring, he rushed towards Yanfu Palace at a high speed. The horse was like an autumn wind sweeping across the earth, whistling through the streets of Bianjing.

Wherever he passed, the streets of Bianjing were suddenly in an uproar. The people were stunned and stunned, then overjoyed. Crowds gathered quickly and talked about it.

"A great victory for the royal army? Is it the Prince of Hejian again?"

"Is it the Prince of Chu?"

"You don't know this? Of course it's him! The gentlemen in the brothels have told you so many stories about the Prince of Hejian pacifying Liao. Haven't you heard them?"

"Your Highness, has your Highness accomplished something new? Annihilating 70,000 Liao troops! That's incredible!"

"Is the Song Dynasty different from previous years?" A commoner, clearly a man of deep thought, said thoughtfully, "In previous years, the Song Dynasty never felt so proud. All we heard was the Liao people raiding the borders, slaughtering our people, and the imperial court sending annual tribute..."

"When did the Song Dynasty become so powerful in its fight against the Liao bandits? We won every battle, even occupied Liao land, and slaughtered tens of thousands of Liao bandits like butchering dogs. When did the Song Dynasty become like this?"

Another commoner laughed, "Think about it again. Since the government sent His Royal Highness the Prince of Hejian to guard the border last year, haven't reports of victories started to increase?"

"Thinking back further, during the Song-Xia War two years ago, Xixia finally sued for peace, and the Song Dynasty occupied six of Xixia's cities. Wasn't that a big advantage? It was also done by the Prince of Hejian and the heroes of the Dragon Guard Camp. If it weren't for them, would Xixia have signed this peace agreement?"

The people around suddenly realized what was going on, and one of them sighed, "The Song Dynasty is blessed, and the people are blessed. With such a hero, we may truly see peace and prosperity in our lifetime."

When the good news reached the palace, Zhao Xu was holding the prince Zhao Mao in his arms and teasing him. Looking at the little guy smacking his lips, smiling at him with curved eyebrows and eyes, and giggling happily with his toothless mouth, Zhao Xu's heart seemed to melt.

"Little thing, you are smiling so happily. When you grow up a little more, I will give you more happiness. How about I enthrone you as the crown prince? Are you happy?" Zhao Xu teased his little chin with his index finger and said with a smile.

Zhao Mao giggled even louder.

Zhao Xi was delighted and laughed heartily, "You also want to be the crown prince, right? When you grow up and your father grows old, I will hand over a prosperous empire to you."

"The Song Dynasty at that time was a unified country with all nations paying tribute to us. Our country was no less prosperous than the Han and Tang dynasties. You could just live peacefully and be the emperor. How wonderful it would be."

"It's almost there, it's almost there. Give your uncle Zi'an a few more years, and it will be almost there..."

When the father and son were happily communicating, Zheng Chunhe suddenly came running over, staggering but with an ecstasy look on his face.

"Your Majesty, great victory! Great victory in the northern border!" Zheng Chunhe ran breathlessly, panting, "His Royal Highness the Prince of Hejian reports victory. Five days ago, our Great Song army defeated three armies totaling 100,000 Liao troops, annihilating over 70,000. Zhong Jianzhong's troops from the Dragon Guard Battalion nearly captured Nanjing!"

Zhao Xu was shocked and almost dropped the future Crown Prince of Song. Fortunately, he was quick enough to grab the swaddling clothes.

"Zi'an won again?" Zhao Xu stood up in surprise and handed Zhao Mao in his arms to the wet nurse next to him. The father-son relationship instantly disappeared, and Zhao Xu's eyes were filled with surprise.

"Yes, Your Highness the Prince has won again. This time he killed a lot of enemies, more than 70,000 in one battle. This is an unprecedented victory since the founding of the Song Dynasty. I congratulate the emperor. The day of unifying the world is not far away!" Zheng Chunhe said flattering words with a smile.

Zhao Xu was so happy that he almost jumped up. He paced back and forth in the Funing Palace, rubbing his hands. He was so excited and happy that he didn't know how to express it.

"Zi'an...how great! The soldiers of the Song Dynasty are so great!" Zhao Xu suddenly roared.

"Well done! I will reward the soldiers handsomely!" Zhao Xu waved his hand and said, "Hurry and bring the victory report here so I can see it."

(End of this chapter)