The prince is more stable

Chapter 690 The storm rises again
Zhao Xiaoqian didn't know how long he had been asleep, nor why he saw so many familiar faces when he opened his eyes.

He only remembered that before he lost consciousness, he was fighting a life-or-death battle with the Liao cavalry, and was finally knocked away by the Liao army's warhorses, and then completely lost consciousness.

Beside the bed, Chen Shou, Zong Ze, Di Zi, and others were in tears. When they saw Zhao Xiaoqian finally open his eyes, they showed expressions of relief. Their long-suppressed emotions were suddenly released, and they cried even louder.

Chen Shou knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, shouting that he had failed to protect the crown prince and deserved to die.

Zong Ze looked ashamed and remorseful, saying that the soldiers he sent out failed to meet His Highness in time and deserved to die.

Everyone in the room was bewildered and said they deserved to die.

Zhao Xiaoqian closed his eyes and ignored them. He felt a burning pain in his internal organs, as if the organs in his abdomen had been displaced.

"Shut up, all of you..." Zhao Xiaoqian said weakly, his eyes closed. "Whether I deserve to die or not, we'll talk about that later. Where am I now?"

Zong Ze leaned closer and said, "His Highness is in the Xijin Prefecture government office."

Zhao Xiaoqian opened his eyes and glanced at Chen Shou: "Why am I here? Didn't the Liao cavalry launch a surprise attack on my rear? What happened afterward?"

Chen Shou lowered his head and said guiltily, "Later, His Highness was knocked away by a horse. This humble general immediately led his troops to kill the hundred Liao cavalrymen who had attacked our rear. After this round of attack, the Liao general Xiao Chouwo probably thought we were invincible, so he led his remaining troops to escape."

"After the Liao cavalry fled, the prince fell into a coma. I dared not delay and sent a fast horse to search for a doctor in the nearby villages. At dawn, we happened to meet the men sent by General Zong to pick us up. So we sent the prince to Xijin Prefecture and found a doctor in the city to treat him."

Zong Ze whispered from the side, "The doctor said that His Highness's injuries are not minor. The arrow wound to his right shoulder blade is only a minor injury. The troublesome thing is that His Highness was knocked by a warhorse and suffered internal injuries. He will need several months to half a year of recuperation to fully recover..."

Through their accounts, Zhao Xiaoqian finally regained some of his memories from when he fell into a coma.

No wonder I felt a burning pain in my internal organs; it turns out I had suffered an internal injury.

It makes sense when you think about it. Such a large warhorse was charging at at least tens of kilometers per hour towards him, and he was hit head-on. It would be strange if he didn't suffer internal injuries.

After closing his eyes and remaining silent for a while, Zhao Xiaoqian slowly asked, "What were the casualties of the Liao army in last night's battle?"

Chen Shoudao: "After Liao general Xiao Chouwo led his remaining troops to escape, I cleaned up the battlefield. There were about a thousand Liao soldiers who died in battle nearby, and several hundred wounded. I was too lazy to clean up the wounded, so I ordered my subordinates to execute them all. In last night's battle, we killed a total of about two thousand enemy soldiers."

Zhao Xiaoqian hummed in agreement, then asked, "What about the casualties among our Imperial Guard comrades?"

Chen Shoudao: "The casualties were very small, about fifty people. They were mainly attacked by Liao army arrows. In addition, when Liao army attacked our rear, they rushed into our formation. It took my comrades a lot of effort to deal with them."

Recalling the events of last night, Zhao Xiaoqian lay on his bed and said with a wry smile, "Although we annihilated quite a few enemies last night, we did indeed suffer a setback..."

"This Xiao Chouwo is quite capable. Despite being surrounded on three sides, he managed to send a surprise attack from the rear, and we even fell into his trap..."

Chen Shou said with shame, "It was my oversight. I will apologize to His Highness and the Palace Guard later."

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at him and said, "I didn't even think of that, how could you, with your pig brain, have thought of it? Why are you making excuses for nothing?"

“No one is guilty; it was my own carelessness. Xiao Chouwo… heh.” Zhao Xiaoqian sneered several times: “This man cannot be allowed to live.”

Zong Ze revealed a fierce look and said in a deep voice, "Your Highness was actually assassinated and murdered by the Liao people on the land of Yan and Yun. If you can tolerate this, what cannot you tolerate!"

"Your Highness, this humble general requests permission to mobilize troops and sweep away the Yan and Yun regions!"

Zhao Xiaoqian closed his eyes, as if he were asleep.

Zong Ze waited for a long time but did not receive a response from Zhao Xiaoqian. Instead, a cruel smile appeared on his face, and he bowed to Zhao Xiaoqian.

"The general understands!"

After saying that, Zong Ze strode towards the door.

Inside the bedroom, Chen Shou was still kneeling in front of Zhao Xiaoqian, his face still filled with self-reproach and guilt, wishing he could draw his sword and slit his own throat on the spot.

Zhao Xiaoqian opened his eyes again and sighed, "Get up. This is not your fault. Don't tell my wife at home, so they won't worry."

Chen Shou lowered his head and said, "I'm afraid it's too late. The Crown Prince was brought to Xijin Prefecture unconscious. General Zong heard from the doctor that the Crown Prince was seriously injured, and immediately sent someone to report to Bianjing. The ladies in Zhending City probably know about it too..."

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed: "I was just unconscious, not dead. Why is Zong Ze in such a hurry to report my death?"

As he was complaining, Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly remembered the words his father had given him.

"Shen Sheng died while inside the palace, while Chong Er lived peacefully while outside."

After the imperial court recovered Yanyun, Zhao Xiaoqian was supposed to return to Bianjing, but now that he was seriously injured, he was able to postpone his return to the capital and stay in Yanyun for the time being.

Therefore, getting injured is not necessarily a bad thing.

I'll stay in Yanyun for a few more months and observe the situation at the Bianjing court before making a decision.

…………

Zong Ze walked out of the Xijin Prefecture government office and strode into the main hall.

On the open ground outside the main hall, dozens of Song army generals, clad in armor, stood in neat rows.

Upon seeing Zong Ze and Di Zi emerge, the generals immediately stepped forward, anxiously inquiring about the prince's injuries. Zong Ze's expression had softened, no longer showing the anxiety and worry he had before, and instead softened into a more relaxed look.

"May Heaven bless the Great Song Dynasty! May Heaven bless His Highness!" Zong Ze exclaimed. "His Highness has just woken up, but the doctor said that His Highness's injuries are quite severe, and they are internal injuries. He will need several months to half a year to recuperate."

"In any case, His Highness has come back to life!"

The generals cheered and cursed the Liao people, and everyone's face showed a genuine sense of relief.

It must be said that after commanding this army for more than two years, Zhao Xiaoqian has become the soul of this army and its undisputed leader.

The smiles on the faces of the generals at this moment revealed how important they were to this army.

Upon hearing that Zhao Xiaoqian was injured and carried back to Xijin Prefecture this morning, the Song generals under Zong Ze were in an uproar. They left their camps and spontaneously came to the gate of the Xijin Prefecture government office to inquire about the news, their concern and anxiety evident in their expressions.

Only when Zong Ze announced the good news did the generals finally relax completely.

After the generals cheered and rejoiced, Zong Ze suddenly turned grim and said in an icy tone, "Your Highness has woken up. The Liao people's retribution should come soon!"

The generals fell silent abruptly, then immediately lined up and stood at attention.

A general raised his fist and roared, "That's right! The Liao people's retribution has come! We must avenge His Highness!"

"Capture Xiao Chouwo alive, and I'll tear that son of a bitch to pieces!"

"I told you long ago, the imperial court's reconquest of Yanyun was too lenient, and they were too polite to the Liao people. We should take this opportunity to sweep through Yanyun, wipe out the Liao dogs, and leave Yanyun with land but not people!"

On the open ground outside the government office, the air suddenly turned grim and chilling with the roars of the Song generals. The generals, like demons crawling out of hell, shouted and screamed with ferocious expressions. Their angry shouts and curses transformed into the unified will of the 100,000 Song soldiers.

"revenge--!"

Zong Ze coldly surveyed the generals and slowly said, "The Liao people dared to assassinate our prince; they don't realize they've stirred up a hornet's nest."

"We must use our swords and muskets to show the Liao people what happens when they provoke our Song army commander!"

"Order the entire army to avenge His Highness! All generals, listen to my command: each of you lead a division out of the camp and, with Xijin Prefecture as the center, search and pursue the remnants of the Liao general Xiao Chouwo to the west. If you encounter them, you must capture them alive. We must tear those bastards to pieces in front of His Highness!"

The generals, their eyes bloodshot, excitedly clasped their hands and shouted, "As you command!"

"I will send another fast horse to Hejian Prefecture to inform General Zhong Jianzhong of His Highness's serious injury and request that General Zhong also send his troops to cooperate in sweeping away the Khitans, Xis, Bohais and other people in Yanyun territory for His Highness."

Zong Ze said with a gloomy face: "Tell General Zhong that His Highness's injury is the fault of the Liao people. Therefore, our royal army has recovered Yan and Yun. From today onwards, we shall use swift and decisive measures to punish them. If any local clans or landlords are found to be disloyal or rebellious, they shall all be executed!"

The generals bowed in unison to receive the order, then raised their fists and roared.

"kill--!"

The chilling shouts of battle startled a flock of birds in the trees, and the officials and common people of Xijin Prefecture all seemed to sense something and stopped to look around.

…………

Zhao Xiaoqian was seriously injured, but outsiders did not know what this meant for both the Song and Liao dynasties.

This means that the situation between the two countries, which had just reached a state of peace, will soon re-enter a more turbulent phase.

On that day, Zong Ze's 50,000 Song troops marched out in full force, each splitting up and heading in different directions.

Di Zi and Zhang Rong each led 5,000 troops and sped westward toward Datong Prefecture, their mission being to search for the whereabouts of the Liao general Xiao Chouwo.

The remaining 40,000 troops, centered on Xijin Prefecture, swept across the villages and fortresses of Yanyun, wiping out the armed forces of clan landlords in various places.

This time, fueled by the rage of their commander's serious injury, the Song army charged aggressively towards all sides, each soldier exuding a fierce aura. Their attitude towards local clans and landlords changed from previous tolerance and forbearance to ruthless decisiveness.

Those who disobey will be killed, those who resist will be killed, and even those who have the slightest dissatisfaction with the royal army will be killed.

Within two days, the land of Yanyun was suddenly shrouded in dark clouds, and the air was thick with murderous intent.

In two days, 50,000 Song troops wiped out several clan landlord forces in the Yan-Yun region, killing thousands of resisters.

At this point, it didn't matter whether they were Khitans or Han Chinese; anyone who dared to take up arms and resist the royal army was labeled a traitor.

Meanwhile, in Hejian Prefecture, hundreds of miles away from Xijin Prefecture, Zhong Jianzhong also received news that Zhao Xiaoqian had been seriously injured.

Upon hearing the news, Zhong Jianzhong was shocked and slammed his fist on the table.

Zhong Jianzhong breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that Zhao Xiaoqian was out of danger and staying in Xijin Prefecture to recuperate, and then slammed his fist on the table.

"The Liao people have some nerve! It seems we've been too lenient with them. They dare to plot against our Song army commander! Haha! Very well!"

Zhong Jianzhong, enraged to the point of laughter, suddenly roared in fury, "Guards! Beat the drums and gather the generals! Avenge His Highness!"

(End of this chapter)