The prince is more stable

Chapter 686 A Generous Death
Loyalty every slaughter dog generation.

The brilliance of this ordinary man shone like the bright moon at this moment, overshadowing the mediocrity and gloom of his entire life.

There is no way out ahead, and a precipice behind; even if a commoner dies, his blood will be spilled five steps away.

Wang Chong remained calm, even wearing a smile. From a distance, he and his dozen or so brothers appeared perfectly normal. In the eyes of the Liao generals, they were nothing more than a group of lowly Han Chinese horsemen, as insignificant as ants, so insignificant that they wouldn't even bother to crush them with their fingers.

The youngest, Wu Erlang, lowered his head, tears streaming down his face, his body trembling uncontrollably, his cheeks clenching so hard they cracked, as if he couldn't bear to witness the impending separation of life and death.

Wang Chong turned around and met the eyes of more than a dozen brothers. Their eyes revealed relief, sorrow, and reluctance.

Brothers who have been together for many years, none of us expected the separation to come so suddenly.

At this moment, they couldn't even leave each other with the words, "Let's be brothers again in the next life."

After giving his brothers a deep look, Wang Chong turned to face the Liao general under the shade of the tree, his face now plastered with a fawning smile. At this moment, he was nothing more than a mercenary businessman with no personal dignity whatsoever.

As Wang Chong walked toward Liao, he reached into his robes and said with a smile, “Generals, it is fate that we have met. In this sweltering heat, I have nothing to repay you with, so please accept this small token of my appreciation.”

As he spoke, Wang Chong took out several silver ingots from his pocket, which looked quite large and heavy.

The Liao generals were quite surprised by Wang Chong's generosity. They hadn't even asked for anything, yet the merchant had offered money to them on his own initiative, and with such a fawning smile.

A mocking and contemptuous look appeared in Xiao Chouwo's ​​eyes.

Ha, the Song people, they have even less backbone than those corrupt officials in the capital.

The Song state's current power is solely due to the emergence of Zhao Xiaoqian. Without him, the Song state would still be severely suppressed by the Liao state and would have no chance of rising to prominence.

Heaven must be blind to have allowed such a person to be born in the State of Song.

Wang Chong held the silver in both hands and stepped forward with a fawning smile. Behind him, a dozen or so brothers also showed obsequious smiles, following behind Wang Chong. They all looked like honest and simple farmers, and seemed particularly easy to bully.

Wang Chong walked up to Xiao Chouwo, who snorted coldly, took a silver ingot and weighed it in his hand, then glanced at him and said, "You are quite sensible, indeed the virtue of a merchant."

Wang Chong said with a smile, "When you're traveling, you rely on friends. I'm not worthy of your presence, General, but I do know how to navigate social situations. This is just a small token of my appreciation. Please don't find it offensive."

Xiao Chouwo's ​​lips curled into a smile, but his eyes remained icy.

He was truly reluctant to kill such a sensible person. Unfortunately, the three thousand soldiers under his command who had come out to ambush Zhao Xiaoqian were a matter of great importance concerning the fate of the nation. Wang Chong and his men had seen their whereabouts and could not be let go.

Of course, people must be killed, but the money must also be taken.

The silver was casually stuffed into his pocket. Xiao Chouwo was about to say a few words of praise to him, but for some reason, in a short moment, Xiao Chouwo suddenly felt a pang of heart palpitation, and the hairs on his body suddenly stood on end. He had an inexplicable premonition of impending disaster.

Having experienced countless battles, Xiao Chouwo trusted his intuition implicitly. Without much thought, he instinctively jumped back, and in the next instant, a delicate dagger missed its target and embedded itself hard in the tree behind him.

Xiao Chouwo was both shocked and furious. He stared intently and saw that Wang Chong, who had just been wearing a fawning smile, now had bloodshot eyes and a murderous intent, with the dagger in his hand deeply embedded in the tree trunk.

If Xiao Chouwo had reacted even slightly later, the dagger would have pierced his body.

"How dare you, you scoundrel!" Xiao Chouwo roared and drew his sword.

As soon as he finished speaking, more than a dozen of Wang Chong's brothers rushed up and launched an assassination attempt on the Liao generals who were resting in the shade of the tree.

Even if a man traveling the martial arts world doesn't carry a weapon, he will at least carry a dagger with him.

At this moment, the men's weapons were daggers.

Before the Liao generals could react, the men slit their throats or stabbed them in the heart with daggers.

It must be said that although Wang Chong and his group were half businessmen and half江湖人 (jianghu people), they usually smiled and made money in a friendly manner, keeping a low profile. However, once they started to fight, they were ruthless and accurate.

The Liao generals under the shade of the tree never expected that these dozen or so lowly Song people would dare to strike first. They had previously looked down on Wang Chong and his men and never taken them seriously. Now that Wang Chong and his men had suddenly launched an attack, the Liao generals were in deep trouble.

In a short time, all the Liao generals except Xiao Chouwo were killed. The operation was swift and decisive, a textbook example of assassination.

Xiao Chouwo narrowly escaped death thanks to his battle-hardened intuition. He immediately felt his hands and feet turn icy cold. While wielding his sword and fighting Wang Chong, he roared out a string of Khitan words.

As his words spread, the three thousand Liao soldiers resting not far away turned their gazes towards him. At a glance, the Liao soldiers were immediately terrified. Someone actually dared to assassinate General Xiao, and the few lying limply under the shade of the tree were also their generals, who had obviously been killed.

The three thousand Liao soldiers were shocked and enraged, and immediately grabbed their weapons and rushed over.

At the same time, Wang Chong attacked Xiao Chouwo while turning his head and roaring, "Wu Erlang, you bastard! What are you waiting for!"

Wu Erlang's eyes were filled with pain. He wiped away his tears and led a horse out from behind a big tree. He leaped onto the horse, whipped it hard, and the horse neighed and galloped away.

On the galloping horse, Wu Erlang turned his head and looked back. He saw the Liao army surging towards Wang Chong and his men like a tide, but Wang Chong and his dozen or so brothers showed no fear.

Amidst the clamor of battle, Wu Erlang heard Wang Chong burst into wild laughter, which abruptly ceased as they were swallowed up by the raging tide of the army. A group of outlaws, at the cost of their own lives, silently altered the course of history.

History is not only created by great figures; even a single thought from an ordinary person can change the world.

Xiao Chouwo stood under the scorching sun, his eyes filled with anger as he watched Wang Chong and the others being annihilated by the Liao army, before turning his gaze to the direction in which Wu Erlang had fled on horseback.

"One of them has escaped! We must not let him tip off anyone! All troops, mount your horses and give chase!" Xiao Chouwo roared.

…………

On the bumpy road, Zhao Xiaoqian, disguised as a rich second-generation playboy, was riding slowly forward under the scorching sun, his steps uneven.

Behind him followed Chen Shou and hundreds of imperial guards, all of whom were tanned beyond recognition by the scorching sun, looking limp and weak like middle-aged men who had been kicked out of bed by their wives in the middle of the night.

"This awful weather, I wish it would rain, or even just hail to death..." Zhao Xiaoqian muttered in curse.

The horse beneath him was also somewhat listless, so Zhao Xiaoqian patted its neck affectionately.

The horse was Gousheng, whom he had personally tamed. On this trip, Zhao Xiaoqian couldn't resist riding it out.

Horses are meant to be ridden, otherwise what? Should we treat them like royalty?

What good is an Akhal-Teke horse? No matter how precious a horse is, its value in life is still being used as a mount.

However, Gou Sheng's journey was much more elaborate than that of ordinary horses, as they were indeed precious steeds. Zhao Xiaoqian could not be too negligent, so he specially brought two extra horses with him to carry Gou Sheng's rations.

The feed and legumes that Akhal-Teke horses eat are much more expensive than those of ordinary horses. Zhao Xiaoqian respected the profession in this regard and dared not mistreat them. If they were fed too much inferior food, it would affect their health and strength, and eventually the thoroughbred would become a dwarf horse, which would be a pity.

“Gousheng, you eat so precious food, I can’t bear to throw away your poop. If we encounter a life-threatening situation, you have to live up to the hay and bean feed you’ve been eating…” Zhao Xiaoqian patted Gousheng’s neck and sighed.

Gou Sheng turned his head, rolled his big eyes to the sky, and actually rolled them back, clearly showing his disdain.

"You certainly have a proud temper, but I hope your skills match your arrogant attitude, otherwise you can go blindfolded and pull the millstone." Zhao Xiaoqian snorted.

Gou Sheng snorted, indicating his displeasure.

Looking up at the scorching sun that made people feel like they were smoking, Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly said, "I can't take it anymore! Commander Chen, give the order to stop and rest, and replenish our food and water on the spot."

As he spoke, he touched the horse's neck, and his hand was covered in blood. It was indeed a Ferghana horse, living up to its name.

The hundreds of imperial guards immediately stopped and found a relatively dense grove by the roadside. Zhao Xiaoqian led everyone inside.

Once inside the woods, the Imperial Guards were scattered about, some sitting, some lying down, all utterly exhausted.

Zhao Xiaoqian received the best treatment. Chen Shou even brought him a cool mat, sprinkled some water on it, wiped it with a cloth, and Zhao Xiaoqian felt a cool sensation on his back when he lay down on it, which was very comfortable.

“Your Highness, we are still about two hundred li away from Xijin Prefecture. It is already afternoon, so we probably won’t make it in time. Let’s find a flat area by the water tonight and set up camp. We should be able to arrive by noon tomorrow,” Chen Shou said.

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded and said, "No rush. Things haven't gotten out of control yet. Let's take it slow, like a normal caravan, without any haste."

Chen Shou said worriedly, "The land of Yanyun is not peaceful. Local clans and landlords have gathered rebel armies to resist the imperial court. I am really worried that we will encounter danger on the road."

"Your Highness, why not send someone on horseback to Zongze's tribe and ask General Zong to send a troop to escort you? Your Highness's safety is tied to the fate of the nation; you cannot afford to be harmed."

Zhao Xiaoqian said noncommittally, "In this sweltering heat, who would want to brave the blazing sun to deliver a message to Zong Ze?"

Chen Shou immediately puffed out his chest and said, "My brothers are willing to go through fire and water for the young master. This little bit of hardship is nothing."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded and said, "Go and ask who is willing to send a message and bring troops to escort me. I will reward anyone willing to make the trip with twenty taels of high-temperature allowance."

Chen Shou didn't know what a high-temperature allowance was, but he understood what a reward was.

He immediately turned around and shouted, and dozens of imperial guards immediately stood up and volunteered.

Chen Shouxuan selected an efficient soldier and ordered him to ride a fast horse to deliver a message to Zong Ze's troops. The soldier readily agreed, took a big gulp of water, mounted his horse, and headed north.

Zhao Xiaoqian felt a little more relaxed. To be honest, he had been a little worried along the way, after all, he wasn't like those idiots who pretended to be heroes.

He could have avoided this, but he insisted on playing the hero, needlessly putting himself in a desperate situation. In the end, he was almost beaten to a pulp, and then he uttered a tragic "My strength can uproot mountains, my spirit can cover the world"...

Zhao Xiaoqian would never act like a hero. If he could, he would want to have thousands of troops tied to his belt. This trip was an exception because Hejian Prefecture was unable to mobilize any troops, so he could only lead a few hundred imperial guards out with trepidation.

Now that they are only two hundred li away from Xijin Prefecture, Zhao Xiaoqian is still a little worried. It would be safest to have Zong Ze send a troop of soldiers to meet him.

(End of this chapter)