The prince is more stable

Chapter 683 Personally Visiting Xijin
Zhao Xiaoqian was unwilling to wage war against ordinary people unless absolutely necessary.

The Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun were legally under the jurisdiction of the Song Dynasty, so the people of Yan and Yun were the people of the Song Dynasty. Emperor Zhao Xiaoqian was always kind to the people of his country.

Of course, they weren't so kind to the people of enemy countries. Their Dragon Guard Battalion would burn, kill, and loot as soon as they entered enemy territory, which is how they got their reputation for lax discipline.

Now that Yan and Yun have been returned to the fold, they can no longer plunder their own people. Zhao Xiaoqian has already issued an order that his 100,000 soldiers are strictly prohibited from killing and looting within Yan and Yun territory, and those who violate this order will be executed.

If you want to get promoted and make a fortune, or satisfy your lustful desires, don't point your guns at your own people.

Unfortunately, Zhao Xiaoqian's good intentions were ultimately betrayed.

Taking over the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun was more complicated than imagined. The imperial court agreed, but the people did not.

At this point, to still harbor good intentions would be to be irresponsible towards the lives of one's soldiers.

Can people who take up arms against the imperial army still be called their own people?

"Zong Ze's 50,000 troops surrounded Nanjing and did not move, in order to deter the Liao army that had not yet withdrawn and ensure the smooth handover of Nanjing from Liao."

“Zhong Jianzhong’s 50,000 troops were divided into five routes, each with 10,000 men, to escort the court officials to take over the city. If they encountered resistance, whether they were Liao soldiers or civilians, they were to be annihilated on the spot.”

Zhao Xiaoqian gave the order decisively. Xu hesitated for a moment, seemingly reluctant, but then sighed and indicated that he had no objection.

"I was naive. I didn't expect that taking over the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun would be so difficult. I thought that as long as the court sent officials, we could take over the power," Xu Jiang sighed.

Zhao Xiaoqian chuckled: "When Master Ximen took Jinlian, he still had to murder his first wife, exile Uncle Wu, and in the end, someone died. It was so difficult to take in a woman, let alone take in sixteen cities."

Xu Jiang was taken aback: "Who is Master Ximen?"

"Our role models, rich and leisurely, can be described as wealthy and powerful, yet they all die on a woman's belly, in the way that men dream of dying for love," Zhao Xiaoqian said perfunctorily.

Xu Jiang paused for a moment, then slowly said, "Zi'an, are you talking about yourself?"

Zhao Xiaoqian was taken aback. After thinking about his life, he suddenly felt a surge of joy.

Yes, compared to Ximen Qing, I'm not only no worse, but I'm even more awesome. I have more women, more wealth, and more power than him. I don't need to be a lover and steal other people's wives, nor do I need to poison the original wife.

Zhao Xiaoqian was inexplicably moved. It turned out that he had become the kind of person all men envied. If he were to die on a woman's belly in the future, it would be a worthy death and a fitting reward. How magnificent and fortunate!

"Send an order to Zhong Jianzhong, instructing him to allocate troops and appoint generals to escort officials to take over the city of Yanyun."

Zhao Xiaoqian tapped the table and said, "Resolve this matter quickly. My wife is still in Zhengding City, and she's six or seven months pregnant. If this trivial matter delays my time with her during childbirth, Zhong Jianzhong will be punished with twenty strokes of the military rod."

The imperial guards inside the hall received their orders and hurriedly left.

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at Xu Jiang and smiled, "Mr. Chongyuan, my child is about to be born. Wouldn't it be nice if you could do something special? A one-pound gold longevity lock wouldn't be too much to ask, would it?"

Xu rolled his eyes at him and said, "You should ask your child if this is going too far. With a one-pound longevity lock around his neck, can he even breathe?"

"It's alright, I, as his father, will keep it safe for him. Mr. Chongyuan, time is running out, so please prepare the gold quickly. At my child's full moon celebration, please make sure to present a lavish gift that will amaze the world."

General Xu: “…………”

It's unbelievable how shamelessly someone would ask for a gift.

This person has absolutely no shame.

Fortunately, Xu Jiang did not make things difficult for him. After all, when he inspected the Hejian treasury, Xu Jiang accepted a windfall with a mix of reluctance and acceptance, at Zhao Xiaoqian's insistence.

In the following days, Zhong Jianzhong was ordered to divide his troops into five routes to escort a hundred government officials to take over the city of Yanyun.

As Zhao Xiaoqian had predicted, not only Zhuozhou City, but other cities in Yanyun also encountered various forms of resistance and harassment from the people.

Most of these raiding militias came from local gentry and clan forces. The Liao Dynasty's withdrawal from Yanyun was devastating news for the local gentry and clans.

The handover between the Song and Liao dynasties was not merely a superficial transfer of government power; more importantly, it involved a complete reshuffling of commerce, land, farms, and other assets both inside and outside the cities.

After assuming power, the Song court would certainly not tolerate the gentry and landlords who harbored hostility towards the Song Dynasty. These people would be eliminated, either by being expelled from the country or by having their land confiscated and becoming ordinary farmers. If any evidence of their crimes fell into the hands of Song officials, they might even be beheaded.

The change of power inevitably brings with it purges, which have always been brutal; calling them bloody and ruthless is no exaggeration.

The gentry and landlords in various parts of Yanyun naturally understood this principle well. Most of them had wealthy families, extensive landholdings, and many villagers and farmers under their names.

They could have passed their family property down through generations, but now, due to the decline of the country, their own fate has been affected, and they are about to be purged. Which gentry or landlord would willingly be slaughtered?

Thus, local gentry and landlords united, organizing local militias and able-bodied farmers under their command, distributing weapons and warhorses. These forces combined to form a formidable resistance. Zhong Jianzhong's troops were divided into five routes to take over Yanyun City. Just as they left Hejian Prefecture, they were ambushed by armed forces from various regions.

A surprise attack is not a direct confrontation, but rather an ambush and trap, such as dropping boulders from the mountain, firing arrows from the dense forest, digging up roads, and setting traps along the way.

These were originally underhanded tactics, but they harassed the Song soldiers to no end and did indeed cause casualties.

When news of the attacks on various troops reached Hejian Prefecture, Zhao Xiaoqian, who was presiding over the main hall of the prefectural government, frowned deeply upon hearing the news.

The Imperial Guards led one man into the main hall, and Zhao Xiaoqian stared intently at him.

This person was dressed as an ordinary citizen. After exchanging greetings, he introduced himself as a spy under Zhen Qing of the Imperial City Guard.

"Your Highness, things have been unusual in Nanjing Xijin Prefecture of Liao recently. Yelü Chun, the garrison commander of Nanjing, withdrew from Xijin Prefecture and led more than 20,000 troops from Nanjing back to Liao territory. However, the Imperial City Guard learned the day before yesterday that a contingent of troops suddenly left the main force, turned west, and disappeared without a trace."

Zhao Xiaoqian frowned: "What is the origin of this army?"

"These are the Nanjing garrison troops, numbering approximately three thousand, and their commander is Xiao Chouwo, the deputy commander of the Liao army in Nanjing."

"This man is the son-in-law of Emperor Yelü Hongji of Liao. He holds the official title of Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant. He is brave and skilled in battle. At the age of eighteen, he quelled the rebellion of the Bohai tribe and was enfeoffed as the Prince of Lanling. He has just been transferred back to Xijin Prefecture from the Wugu Dilie tribe to serve as the deputy commander."

Zhao Xiaoqian sensed something was amiss and asked, "What is Xiao Chouwo's ​​attitude towards our Great Song Dynasty?"

The scout said, "This man harbors great hatred for the Song Dynasty. He looked down on the Song people since he was a young man. When he served in Shangjing and Nanjing, he often took pleasure in killing Han people, and he was also violent and fierce."

Zhao Xiaoqian frowned and said, "What is this guy trying to do by disappearing with three thousand Liao soldiers?"

"Your Highness, the Imperial City Guard has also learned that when the Liao army withdrew from Xijin Prefecture, Xiao Chouwo had a fierce argument with Yelü Chun, the garrison commander of Nanjing. After the argument, he returned to his camp alone, mustered three thousand soldiers, and then left the camp."

Zhao Xiaoqian felt increasingly uneasy as he thought about it, and said in a deep voice, "This man is a menace; he must be eliminated."

Then Zhao Xiaoqian summoned Chen Shou and said, "Send someone on horseback to inform Zong Ze's troops to send troops westward to pursue and hunt down Xiao Chouwo's ​​three thousand troops. If they are encountered, annihilate them on the spot."

…………

The originally favorable situation was that the Song and Liao dynasties peacefully transferred power, and the Liao army withdrew from Yan and Yun.

However, when it came time to carry it out, Zhao Xiaoqian found it increasingly difficult.

It was as if an invisible, powerful force was desperately trying to prevent the Song Dynasty from taking over Yan and Yun.

This force did not come from the courts of either country, but from the Liao army and the common people.

The next day, Zhao Xiaoqian received more bad news.

A force of 10,000 men, which was part of Zhong Jianzhong's army, was ambushed on their way to escort officials to Mozhou.

This raid was large in scale. On the way, they not only encountered boulders, traps and many other mechanisms, but also when the Song army triggered the mechanisms and their formation was thrown into chaos, a hail of arrows shot out from the dense forest beside the road. Countless Song soldiers were hit by arrows, and the commander-in-chief Zhang Rong was wounded in the shoulder and leg.

Upon hearing the news, Zhao Xiaoqian was furious. He pointed to the sky and cursed Zhang Rong for a long time before gradually calming down.

“Mr. Chongyuan, it seems I must go to Xijin Prefecture to take charge. This time I can finally confirm that it is not only the local militia that are resisting our Song army, but also the Liao army. They are outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant, and are obstructing our Song from taking over Yanyun.”

Xu Jiang hesitated for a moment and said, "The road ahead is not peaceful. Why should Zi'an go into danger himself? It would be better to wait until Zhong Jianzhong and Zong Ze have cleared away the rebels on the road before Zi'an goes to Xijin Prefecture."

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed, "I'm such a lazy person, do you think I would willingly travel such a long distance if I weren't forced to? But now I have no choice but to go to Xijin Prefecture to take charge. With me in Xijin Prefecture, the Liao army will have to think twice before trying to pull any tricks."

"More importantly, there are still 200,000 troops stationed on the border of Liao. I am worried that if the takeover of Yanyun does not go smoothly, these 200,000 Liao troops may take some action. If I am in Xijin Prefecture at that time, I can calmly mobilize troops and completely wipe out the Liao army."

Then Zhao Xiaoqian looked at General Xu and said with a smile, "Master Chongyuan will be stationed in Hejian Prefecture and will report news to the Emperor at any time. The alliance has been signed. If our Great Song still cannot successfully take over the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, that would be truly shameful, and the Emperor would also lose face."

Xu Jiang gave a few wry smiles, and seeing Zhao Xiaoqian's resolute attitude, he had no choice but to agree.

Zhao Xiaoqian immediately summoned Chen Shou and Jia Jiu, and ordered the imperial guards around him to gather and prepare to set off for Xijin Prefecture.

Chen Shou was somewhat surprised: "Your Highness, the Yan-Yun region is not peaceful right now. Would it be inappropriate for Your Highness to travel north so lightly?"

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed, "I have no choice but to go. The takeover of cities in various places is a bit tricky right now. I must go to Xijin Prefecture to take charge. Zong Ze's 50,000 troops are stationed outside Xijin Prefecture, so I will be safe."

Chen Shou asked anxiously, "But on the road from Hejian Prefecture to Xijin Prefecture..."

"Hejian Prefecture is an important town. Guo Cheng only has 5,000 troops under his command. We can't spare any more soldiers. So, we'll just go with a few hundred of us. We'll disguise ourselves as a merchant caravan. If we don't do anything reckless, we shouldn't encounter any danger."

(End of this chapter)