The prince is more stable

Chapter 687 Warning Under the Night
Now that he had sent someone to meet Zong Ze, Zhao Xiaoqian was in no hurry to continue his journey.

As a result, the group's pace slowed down, and Zhao Xiaoqian finally had the time to look around at the environment of Yanyun.

From the moment he set off from Hejian Prefecture, Zhao Xiaoqian had a different feeling about the land of Yanyun.

Desolate, cold, and dilapidated, it looked as if a hurricane had swept through, leaving only devastation behind.

Many villages along the way were deserted, and those that remained were only the elderly and weak who were on their deathbeds.

Zhao Xiaoqian's impression of this land was that it had undergone a cleansing during a war.

However, Zhao Xiaoqian knew very well that apart from Hejian Prefecture, none of the other prefectures in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun had ever been involved in war.

The only explanation is that the people have all fled their homes.

An undeniable fact is that the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun were ultimately ruled by the Liao Dynasty for a century. The people on this land, whether Khitans, Han Chinese, or other ethnic groups, had developed a sense of belonging to the Liao Dynasty and instead harbored hostility towards the Song Dynasty.

The signing of the Treaty of Hejian between the Song and Liao dynasties caused more panic and indignation among the people of Yan and Yun than the court and Zhao Xiaoqian had anticipated.

After a century of division, the North and South are now quite opposed to each other, and the people in the North and South do not recognize each other.

This is the most troublesome issue, and the problem that the Song Dynasty court will have to solve next.

Moreover, this problem cannot be solved in just two or three years.

Zhao Xiaoqian recalls that historically, until Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty, the conflict between the Han people in the north and south still existed, which led to the "North-South List Controversy" during the Ming Dynasty's imperial examinations.

No matter how long a country is divided, it will eventually be unified.

However, the people's hearts have been divided for too long, and the court will have to pay a huge price to reunite them.

The current situation is already so troublesome, with only the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun being returned to the Song Dynasty. In the years to come, after the Song Dynasty has destroyed the Liao and Western Xia and unified China, there will be even more problems to face.

Given the current moral character of the Song Dynasty's civil service system, even if it were to unify China in the future, the court would likely face numerous problems in its rule.

For decades, civil officials have been arguing over whether to implement new policies or maintain the old ones. The debates intensified and caused significant internal strife. Who could expect these officials, who were engaged in verbal battles, to govern the unified country properly?

Whether it's a new law or an old law, each has its advantages and disadvantages. By leveraging the strengths and discarding the weaknesses, and refining the essence while discarding the dross, a more perfect new policy can be formed. Moreover, only this one new policy is allowed to exist in the court, and there are no other voices. Only then can the Song Dynasty move the country forward.

The current state of the Song Dynasty court is such that everyone has their own agenda.

The emperor was only concerned with balancing the power in the court and using imperial tactics to control the old and new factions.

The new and old parties each had their own interests. The old powerful landlords were unwilling to lose power, while the new powerful landlords wanted to rise again. The two sides were vying for power in the court and among the people. It seemed like a lively battle, and the struggle between civil officials even had a touch of elegance.

But the ones who truly suffered financial ruin and were ruined in this internal strife were the innocent civilians.

The troops marched silently under the scorching sun. After traveling dozens of miles, as the sun began to set, Zhao Xiaoqian ordered the imperial guards to set up camp by the water.

Throughout the journey, Zhao Xiaoqian remained silent, his brows furrowed, seemingly lost in thought.

Having followed Zhao Xiaoqian for so long, Chen Shou and the other imperial guards knew that the prince must be contemplating important matters of state. No one dared to disturb him on the way. It wasn't until evening, when they set up camp and hundreds of men began cooking, that Chen Shou cautiously approached and interrupted Zhao Xiaoqian's thoughts.

"Your Highness, it's time for your meal..."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded, and Chen Shou handed him a sizzling lamb leg.

With a delicate knife, Zhao Xiaoqian cut off a piece of meat and stuffed it into his mouth, but he ate it without any enjoyment.

He suddenly realized that he had too many things to do in his life. After recovering Yan and Yun, he still had to destroy the Liao Kingdom.

After destroying the Liao Dynasty, they also planned to send troops to Western Xia and Tibet to achieve the unification of the Song Dynasty.

What happens after unification? Actually, there are many more things waiting for him.

In this life, I've been reduced to the status of a beast of burden, only a more advanced one, like Gou Sheng, but with a more refined diet of grass and beans.

Another difference between him and ordinary oxen and horses is that he doesn't have to do lowly work like pulling a millstone; he is more high-class and is ridden by people.

Thinking of this, Zhao Xiaoqian felt a tightness in his chest.

As night fell, Zhao Xiaoqian finished his lamb leg. His mouth felt greasy, so he put a few tea leaves in his mouth and felt the slight bitterness spreading from his tongue.

I won't think about it too much. I'll focus on doing the things at hand first. Once I get to Xijin Prefecture, I'll use ruthless methods to govern Yanyun. Put aside the matter of winning over the hearts of Yanyun people. I'll destroy the old order first and then build the new one. I'll start by taking action against the people.

As he was pondering this, Chen Shou, who was sitting by the campfire, suddenly sat up straight and looked alertly to the west.

Zhao Xiaoqian was taken aback. He walked to his side and followed his gaze, but all he saw was darkness.

"Are you looking at your bleak future?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked blankly, his eyes still fixed on the west.

Chen Shou shook his head solemnly: "Your Highness, I think I heard the sound of horses' hooves, very fast and urgent." Zhao Xiaoqian pricked up his ears and listened intently for a while, but heard nothing, and was immediately discouraged.

It's one thing to be inferior to Chen Shou in skill, but to be inferior in hearing is just too much. Does a martial artist train their hearing?
After a moment of silence, Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly straightened up as well, and it seemed that he also heard the sound of horses' hooves.

"What's going on? Who's riding a horse so fast at night? Aren't they afraid of falling into a ditch?" Zhao Xiaoqian muttered.

The sound of hooves grew closer, and the imperial guards around Zhao Xiaoqian became alert, silently grabbing their flintlock pistols. Without Chen Shou's order, they had already formed a line, their gun barrels pointing in the direction from which the hooves were coming.

Soon, in the pitch-black night, Zhao Xiaoqian vaguely saw a blurry figure rushing towards them.

The knight chose the right direction; it was probably the campfire in the camp that attracted him.

Riding alone through the night, Zhao Xiaoqian could clearly sense the rider's anxious and panicked state of mind, even though he hadn't seen him.

Seeing the horse galloping towards them without any sign of slowing down, Chen Shouping raised his short-barreled flintlock pistol and shouted sharply, "Stop your horse, you!"

No sooner had the words been spoken than the horse suddenly reared up, let out a mournful whinny, and then, as if exhausted, its massive body collapsed to the ground, and the rider on horseback also fell to the ground uncontrollably.

Chen Shou pointed his gun at him, slowly stepped forward, and coldly asked, "Who are you, and why are you trespassing on my Song army camp?"

The newcomer was pale, with faint tear stains on his face, and panted heavily as he asked, "May I ask if this is the camp of His Highness the Prince of Hejian?"

Chen Shou was taken aback, his expression growing even more fierce: "How did you know?"

"That's wonderful! Heaven has not forsaken us, my brothers are watching over us from heaven..." The man didn't explain, but just looked up and wailed, his cries were shrill and sorrowful.

Chen Shou was stunned, but he remained vigilant, the gun still pointed steadily at him.

"Speak! Who are you, and why do you know the whereabouts of my young master?"

The man choked back tears and said, "My name is Wu Erlang. There's no time to explain anything else. I only beg you all to escort His Highness to hide quickly. There are Liao soldiers pursuing him, and they want to kill His Highness!"

Chen Shou was taken aback, and his face immediately turned grim: "How did the Liao people know the Crown Prince's whereabouts?"

Wu Erlang wept and said, "When His Highness the Prince left Hejian Prefecture, he was spotted by Liao spies! The Liao general behind him is named Xiao Chouwo, who is the Liao Prince Consort and Deputy Commander of Nanjing. He is leading three thousand iron cavalry and is heading straight for His Highness. Your small force cannot stop them!"

Zhao Xiaoqian, who had been hiding far away, finally couldn't help but come out. By the dim light of the campfire, Zhao Xiaoqian walked up to Wu Erlang, looked him over carefully, and said, "I remember you. You are Wang Chong's brother?"

Wu Erlang looked up and saw Zhao Xiaoqian looking at him. He couldn't help but burst into tears again and knelt down to bow to Zhao Xiaoqian.

"How fortunate I am that Your Highness remembers me! I am Wang Chong's brother..."

"Where's Wang Chong? There were over a dozen of you brothers, how come you're the only one left?"

Wu Erlang cried, “We were intercepted by Xiao Chouwo’s cavalry more than a hundred miles to the west. Brother Wang Chong understood their Khitan language and said that Liao spies in Hejian Prefecture had been watching Your Highness. Xiao Chouwo has led his troops to track you down and is determined to kill Your Highness. Please hide quickly, Your Highness.”

Zhao Xiaoqian frowned and asked again, "Where is Wang Chong? Where are your dozen or so brothers?"

Wu Erlang cried out, "Brother Wang Chong, in order to hold back the Liao people and save my life to report to Your Highness, led his brothers... into the Liao army's ranks. His fate is unknown, but he is likely in grave danger!"

Zhao Xiaoqian's body trembled, and a look of shock appeared in his eyes. Then, his expression gradually turned sorrowful.

Zhao Xiaoqian had a good impression of Wang Chong and his group of江湖汉人 (jianghu men). They selflessly offered him a Ferghana horse, drank heartily with him, chatted and laughed together, ate meat and drank wine, and slammed their fists on the table and cursed at the slightest disagreement.

Zhao Xiaoqian once deeply envied Wang Chong's life. Perhaps every man yearns for that beautiful dream of traveling the world with a sword, because he himself cannot do it, so he envies others.

Upon hearing the devastating news, and learning that Wang Chong and his brothers had calmly charged into the Liao army's ranks to their deaths in order to deliver a message to him, Zhao Xiaoqian felt a pang of sorrow, and a deep grief spread through his heart.

That's life. There's no time to say goodbye properly, or even to grieve for the departed.

Wu Erlang's anxious voice came from beside my ear.

"Your Highness, do not hesitate! The Liao people have been chasing me all the way. Their three thousand iron cavalry are less than ten miles away. Your Highness, hide quickly!"

Zhao Xiaoqian temporarily put aside his grief, took a deep breath, and slowly said, "The direction is unknown at night, there is nowhere to escape, and marching will eventually make it impossible to conceal our tracks, so there is no way to hide."

"Chen Shou, order the Imperial Guards to form ranks on the spot, check their equipment and ammunition, and prepare to engage the Liao cavalry!"

Chen Shou hesitated for a moment, then said, "Your Highness, I will send a few men to escort you away, while we will intercept the Liao cavalry here."

At this moment, Zhao Xiaoqian displayed the majesty and domineering presence of a commander-in-chief, exuding a chilling and murderous aura, and glanced coldly at Chen Shou.

"A commander who abandons his comrades and flees alone, will anyone listen to me in the future? Do you bunch of bastards still respect me?"

"I'm giving the order, just carry it out and stop talking nonsense!"

"All troops, form ranks and prepare to attack the enemy! I am right behind you, ready to live and die with you!"

(End of this chapter)