The prince is more stable

Chapter 580 Meeting the Princess for the First Time
It is reasonable to encounter two thousand Song cavalry in the territory of the Song Dynasty.

Li Jinzhen knew it was reasonable, but he also knew that these two thousand cavalrymen must be coming for his wedding procession.

Moreover, he dared to swear on his life that these two thousand cavalrymen must be under the command of Zhao Xiaoqian.

There was no evidence, no reason, but he just dared to swear.

The two thousand cavalrymen seemed to have known the whereabouts of the wedding procession for a long time, and were waiting leisurely on the road that they had to pass.

After seeing the wedding procession, the cavalry quickly surrounded them from three directions. The formation was very sophisticated and it was basically a way to fight the enemy in a battle formation.

These cavalrymen were obviously the elite of the Song army. They were clad in iron armor and held strange-looking firearms in their hands. Even from a distance, one could feel a strong chill, as if a sharp steel knife was pressed against the skin, making one's whole body shudder.

As they got closer, the rumbling sound of horse hooves became clearly audible. At the same time, the cavalry had encircled and surrounded the wedding procession, trapping the thousands of people in the middle, and no one could escape.

Apart from the sound of horse hooves, everything was carried out in silence. There was no villain standing out to shout and threaten others, nor was there any long-winded speech telling you why I am surrounding you, who we are, and other nonsense.

The two thousand cavalrymen surrounded the team. Everyone stopped moving and no one spoke. The cavalrymen looked around the team with indifferent eyes. Finally, everyone's eyes were focused on the most luxurious carriage in the team.

Li Jinzhen sighed and said, no need to ask, they are Zhao Xiaoqian's subordinates.

As a minister of Western Xia, he had seen ordinary Song troops, which were completely different from the elite cavalry in front of him. Only under Zhao Xiaoqian's command could there be such brave and well-trained soldiers.

After walking forward a few steps slowly, Li Jinzhen headed straight towards the flag with the word "Zhang" embroidered on it.

Under the general's flag, a middle-aged general wearing fish-scale armor was standing on his horse, staring at him quietly, with an amusement in his eyes.

Li Jinzhen squinted his eyes, stepped forward and saluted with a wry smile: "Li Jinzhen, the Western Xia envoy, pays homage to General Zhang."

Zhang Rong raised his eyebrows slightly: "Do you know me?"

"General, you're joking. When foreign ministers first came to Song and sent cattle, sheep, and war horses to the Dragon Guard Camp, His Royal Highness the Prince hosted a banquet in his tent to entertain them. I even had a few drinks with General Zhang at that time."

Zhang Rong smiled. "That's great. I won't have to waste time introducing myself."

Zhang Rong's expression darkened as he spoke, and he said in a deep voice, "By order of His Royal Highness the Prince, I ask the Xixia envoys and Her Royal Highness the Princess of Liao to change their route and go to the Juma River camp. His Royal Highness the Prince will be waiting for you in the camp."

Li Jinzhen looked embarrassed. "General Zhang, I have been ordered by the ruler of Western Xia to escort Princess Cheng'an of Liao to Xia for marriage. Our schedule is quite tight and we cannot delay. Please forgive me, General Zhang."

Zhang Rong chuckled: "Li Jinzhen, did you think I was discussing this with you just now?"

Li Jinzhen was startled, his eyes a little flustered, and he forced a smile and said, "General Zhang, I have always been respectful to the Song Dynasty and His Highness the Prince, and have done nothing offensive. Why should you embarrass me?"

Zhang Rong said slowly, "It's because we've been drinking together that I'm speaking to you so kindly today. Otherwise, if it were someone else, would I need to say so much nonsense? Just one order to slaughter the entire wedding procession and then snatch the princess away? How easy is that?"

"Li Jinzhen, let's be frank. You and I both know exactly what you're planning with the Liao-Xia marriage. Let's not tear each other apart. Just be obedient and follow me. Don't force me to use force."

Zhang Rong had a smile on his face the whole time and spoke to Li Jinzhen in a very kind tone, but Li Jinzhen could clearly feel the murderous intent hidden behind his smiling face.

Li Jinzhen was certain that Zhang Rong was indeed speaking to him patiently at this moment, and his patience was almost exhausted. If Li Jinzhen did not know what was good for him and went against him, he might really order the massacre of the wedding procession and then take the princess away.

Li Jinzhen felt a chill on his back. After seeing the situation clearly, he said without hesitation, "Okay, I'll go with you."

Zhang Rong sat up straight on the horse and glanced at the luxurious carriage with a playful look.

From the moment they surrounded the wedding procession until this moment, the curtains of the carriage had remained tightly closed, and there had been no movement inside.

"A princess of Liao? Haha, she's barely worthy of my Highness the Prince." Zhang Rong muttered to himself.

Li Jinzhen was startled and said hurriedly, "General Zhang, this is not possible! Princess Cheng'an is about to marry the King of Xixia. She will be the Queen of Xixia..."

Zhang Rong ignored him, dismounted and strode to the carriage. After hesitating for a moment, he lifted a corner of the curtain.

There were two women sitting in the carriage. Just from their clothes, Zhang Rong could tell at a glance that the girl in palace dress was Princess Cheng'an of the Liao Dynasty.

When Zhang Rong saw the princess's appearance, his heart seemed to stop beating. Such a beautiful face would make any normal man fall in love with her, but he didn't dare to look at her for too long. After confirming that it was the princess in the carriage, he immediately lowered the curtain and waved to the cavalrymen.

"Leave."

…………

Two days later, Zhang Rong's cavalry escorted the wedding procession back to the Juma River camp in a mighty procession.

Li Jinzhen's chosen route was clearly a deliberate one. Although he had to pass through the Song Dynasty, he deliberately avoided the Song army camp at Juma River, fearing that he would be targeted by the enemy. This detour took two days. Unexpectedly, after such a long detour, he still couldn't escape Zhao Xiaoqian's clutches.

After returning to the camp, Zhang Rong placed the wedding procession under custody and only led the carriage into the camp, driving it all the way to Zhao Xiaoqian's tent.

The service provided by the errand boy is very thoughtful, and he truly delivers the goods to your door.

The carriage was very quiet along the way, and Zhang Rong was very polite. Apart from sending people to deliver three meals, he didn't even look at the princess on the way.

Outside the general's tent, Zhang Rong came in to report with an ambiguous look on his face. Not long after, Zhao Xiaoqian and a group of generals came out.

Li Jinzhen outside the carriage hurried forward to salute, his attitude more respectful than when they first met.

"Foreign minister Li Jinzhen greets... greets His Royal Highness the Prince of the Great Song."

Zhao Xiaoqian, the commander of the army, was wearing armor and surrounded by a group of generals. An invisible aura emanated from him. Li Jinzhen felt suffocated and could hardly speak clearly.

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at him with a smile, his attitude rather gentle: "Your Excellency, it's been a long time since we last met. Are you enjoying your time in the capital of Liao?"

Li Jinzhen felt a chill on his back and broke out in a cold sweat. He kept wondering in his mind whether this sentence was a mockery of him or just an ordinary greeting.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I am here as an envoy by the king's order. Everything is going well in Shangjing."

Zhao Xiaoqian hummed, then continued, "It's true that I've been a bit abrupt in inviting you here, but Song and Liao have just experienced a great war. I'm afraid your ruler would have to reconsider the matter of the Liao-Xia marriage."

Zhao Xiaoqian looked at him with a half-smile and said, "You should know the outcome of the great war between Song and Liao, right?"

"I know. The foreign ministers heard about it in Shangjing and would like to congratulate Your Highness for this unprecedented achievement." Li Jinzhen forced a smile.

Zhao Xiaoqian's tone grew colder. "Knowing the outcome of this battle, your ruler is still seeking a marriage alliance with the Liao Kingdom. I'm curious what Li Qianshun thinks. Could you please share your thoughts?"

Li Jinzhen felt the invisible pressure from Zhao Xiaoqian more and more, and cold sweat broke out all over his body. He said in a trembling voice, "The foreign minister is just an envoy from Western Xia, and he only knows how to follow the king's orders. Besides, before the Song-Liao war broke out, the foreign minister had already come to the capital to propose marriage. The king's decision really has nothing to do with this war!"

Zhao Xiaoqian said expressionlessly, "Now, you already know the outcome. The Song Dynasty is not very happy about the Liao-Xia marriage. I wonder what your Excellency has to say?"

Li Jinzhen's expression was bitter. What could he say? What else could he say? He'd been held hostage in the camp by you. Did my opinion still matter?
Zhao Xiaoqian said with a smile, "The marriage between Liao and Xia must have involved many conditions discussed privately. Could you please explain what kind of agreement the Liao Emperor and Li Qianshun reached to facilitate this marriage? Could you please explain my confusion?"

Li Jinzhen's mood fell into the abyss. This prince was really smart and nothing could be hidden from him.

These days, even wealthy families have to negotiate conditions and talk business when entering into marriages, let alone a marriage between two countries.

Naturally, an agreement was reached between Liao and Xia, some of which have been implemented, while others are still under discussion.

Among the thousands of people in the wedding procession, half of them were Liao people. They followed Yelu Hongji's order and entered Western Xia in the name of escorting the bride to discuss the agreements that had not been reached with Li Qianshun.

The content of the agreement is very complicated, including trade between the two countries, mineral exchange and import and export, border survey, and more importantly, the two countries must reach a military alliance.

What was the purpose of the alliance? Of course, it was to resist the Song Dynasty.

Some of the agreements contain normal content, such as trade in minerals, but some clauses cannot be disclosed to outsiders, especially those regarding military alliances.

Although Li Jinzhen was afraid of Zhao Xiaoqian, he kept the confidential information secret and kept his mouth shut.

Seeing that he had been silent for a long time, Zhao Xiaoqian sneered and said, "Actually, I don't care what conditions Liao and Xia have reached. In the face of absolute strength, alliances or desperate resistance are useless. Do you understand what I mean, Your Excellency?"

Li Jinzhen sighed sadly. He certainly understood what Zhao Xiaoqian meant.

The results of the three major wars between Song and Liao in the past two years have already explained everything.

Now, it would be more accurate to say that the Liao and Xia countries are not so much an alliance as they are banding together for warmth and struggling for survival.

Zhao Xiaoqian ignored him and looked at the luxurious carriage parked quietly outside the general's tent.

"Everyone has arrived. It's no use hiding in the car all the time. Why don't you get out and see them, Your Highness?" Zhao Xiaoqian said loudly.

As soon as he finished speaking, the curtain of the carriage was lifted, and a person who looked like a palace maid got out of the carriage tremblingly, and then helped a girl in palace dress out.

Zhao Xiaoqian narrowed his eyes and watched the palace maid helping the princess approach. When they reached him, the princess knelt down and bowed to him.

"Princess Cheng'an of the Liao Dynasty, Yelü Nanxian, pays homage to His Royal Highness the Prince of Hejian of the Song Dynasty."

(End of this chapter)