The prince is more stable

Chapter 696 The Banner of Justice
Xiao Chouwo has been beheaded, and his remaining troops have been almost completely wiped out, and it was the Liao people themselves who did it.

This backstab was both accurate and ruthless, and even Di Zi couldn't help but secretly praise it.

From the perspective of the Song people, Di Zi witnessed Pi Shijun's betrayal of Xiao Chouwo and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

The Liao Dynasty had truly declined.

The decline of a country cannot be judged solely by data; it also depends on the hearts and minds of its people.

The data can only record reductions in national tax revenue, declines in grain production, decreases in the domestic population, and so on.

These data are certainly useful for reference, but they are only one aspect of the reference.

More importantly, we need to see the hearts and minds of the people and the army.

When a country's morality declines, its people lose their simplicity, and they only seek self-interest in everything, with no loyalty whatsoever, and can disregard moral and legal constraints for the sake of profit, seeking hegemony abroad and suppressing internal rebellion, such a country, no matter how impressive its statistics may be, is destined to perish.

Familiar?
A thousand years later, on the eastern shore of the ocean, there is a country that is the same.

When the general of Pishi Army killed Xiao Chouwo without hesitation and ruthlessly exterminated his remaining troops, Di Zi knew that the Liao Dynasty would not last long.

A country that can justifiably and legally ruthlessly kill its own army in order to appease the anger of foreign powers and maintain the current peace has no hope left.

With their mission accomplished, Pi Shijun quietly withdrew to Shangjing.

Di Zi, carrying Xiao Chouwo's ​​head, also ordered a retreat. The next target was Datong Prefecture.

Most of the Yan-Yun region had been taken over by the Song Dynasty, except for a few cities in the west, including Datong Prefecture.

Having completed their mission to hunt down Xiao Chouwo, Di Zi and Zhang Rong naturally took over Datong Prefecture as well.

With 10,000 Song soldiers at the city gates, the Liao officials who were temporarily maintaining the operation of the government dared not refuse to leave the city, even if they were unwilling.

…………

Several days later, at Xijin Prefecture.

Zhao Xiaoqian is still recuperating in the backyard of the government office. His injuries are healing quickly, thanks to his relatively good physical condition at around twenty years old.

Although he didn't exercise much on a regular basis, he often rode horses and led large armies in battles across the country, which at least kept him physically active. He was much better than those young playboys in Bianjing who did nothing but indulge in wine and women.

Now, Zhao Xiaoqian is being helped to walk, and he can barely get out of bed.

"Fifty-year-old ginseng is added, along with red dates and goji berries, and a free-range hen that still retains its charm and looks incredibly fresh. Simmered over a low flame for half an hour..."

After regaining his mobility, Zhao Xiaoqian's first action was to be helped by a maid to the kitchen in the backyard. He sat in the courtyard outside the kitchen and personally directed the cooks to prepare the dishes.

“You don’t need too much ginseng, fifty years old is too potent, just cut two slices and that will be enough…” Zhao Xiaoqian instructed very carefully: “If you make me have a nosebleed, your whole family will be beaten with military rods.”

The cook was pale and trembling, unsure of what to do with his hands and feet, like an emotionless robot. He would do whatever Zhao Xiaoqian said.

Zhao Xiaoqian was definitely someone who cherished his body very much. He was still recovering from a serious injury, so he had to keep up with the nourishment. He used whatever precious and good things he could find, since they were gifts from clans and landlords all over Yanyun. He might as well use them.

Yes, during his recovery in Xijin Prefecture these past few days, Zhao Xiaoqian still had work to do every day, which was to meet with representatives of clans and landlords from various parts of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.

After the imperial court recovered Yan and Yun, it carried out a major purge of the clan landlords in the Sixteen Prefectures.

The purge was justified; the Song army wouldn't have targeted people without a reason.

The Song army's reason was to search for and arrest Xiao Chouwo, which was a very valid reason. After all, His Highness the Prince was still lying in Xijin Prefecture, and his injuries appeared to be genuine.

During the Song army's search, they arbitrarily interrogated many clans and landlords. In any case, the first trial revealed them to be Xiao Chouwo's ​​accomplices. They were the ones who tipped off Xiao Chouwo and revealed the Prince's whereabouts in the tunnel, which led to the Prince's serious injury. If they didn't kill them, who would they kill?
Many clan forces were eradicated and wiped out by the Song army for this reason.

After several days of purges, the clan landlords in various parts of Yanyun finally gave in.

They have come to realize that the Song army today has a completely different attitude than the Song army when it first entered Yanyun.

The turning point came with Zhao Xiaoqian's serious injury. It's unclear why that scoundrel Xiao Chouwo had to stir up trouble, but now Xiao Chouwo is being hunted down by the Song army all over the country, and the clans and landlords in various parts of Yan and Yun are also innocently implicated.

When the Song army took over the cities and lands, the Song officials were quite polite to the local clans, entertaining them with drinks and saying all sorts of nice things, hoping that they would recognize the Song emperor as their new master, persuade them to be loyal to the Song emperor, and cooperate with the officials in governing the local areas, such as clearing up land, population, etc.

With such preferential treatment, the clans naturally became more assertive and their arrogance, while not exactly overbearing, at least made them more willing to negotiate and treat officials as equals.

Everything changed after Prince Zhao Xiaoqian of Hejian was attacked and seriously injured.

The officials' faces turned ferocious and terrifying overnight, and the Song army ruthlessly slaughtered them, with the first to suffer being these clan landlords.

Ironically, these clans dared not say much. The Song army was fighting under the banner of pursuing Xiao Chouwo, purging his traitorous associates, and avenging His Highness the Prince. Under this righteous banner, anyone who dared to oppose them would die. After all, under such a just and reasonable banner, even the Liao emperor and his ministers had to yield and do everything in their power to quell the anger of Zhao Xiaoqian and the Song soldiers. What were these local armed forces compared to them?

The clan forces have lived and thrived in the Yanyun region for centuries, their influence deeply entrenched and difficult to eradicate during peacetime.

However, the Song army now has the advantage of timing and location. Not only does it have ample reason, but more importantly, the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun are currently in a chaotic period of power transition between the two countries. During such a chaotic period, anything that happens is tacitly approved and cannot be investigated afterwards.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, under the instruction of the seriously injured Zhao Xiaoqian, many of the more powerful clans in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun were uprooted. The remaining clans were also afraid. The big ones were all killed with a single blow. Could the small ones be more stubborn than them?

The clever clan forces immediately turned their attention to Xijin Prefecture. They all knew that the Prince of Hejian of the Great Song Dynasty was currently recuperating in Xijin Prefecture, and they had to show their loyalty at this time, otherwise they would be the next to be wiped out.

Thus, Zhao Xiaoqian, who was recuperating from his injuries, had no choice but to continue serving the imperial court like a beast of burden. Every day, he was carried to lie in the courtyard and received wave after wave of representatives of clans and landlords from various places.

The clan landowners were astonished when they saw the legendary Prince, whose fame had spread far and wide.

I knew this prince was young, but I didn't expect him to be this young.

He looked to be no more than twenty years old. At that age, everyone was a rich young master, spending their days walking dogs, playing with birds, and fighting crickets. They bullied men and women in the village, spent money in brothels, and fought over women. That's what a normal rich young master should do.

Why did this young man achieve such unparalleled feats, become famous throughout the world, and wield immense power?

Comparisons are odious. The clan landlords thought of their own good-for-nothing sons and then looked at the young man before them, who was lying on a soft couch, seriously injured but still elegant and gentle...

Suddenly, everyone felt that on that night many years ago, amidst the chirping of birds and the buzzing of insects, when they suddenly shuddered on their wives, they should have taken the opportunity to pull out and ejaculate on the wall. If they had done that at that moment, how many troubles they would have avoided in their lives.

When meeting with the clan landlords, Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and spoke only polite, official words, avoiding any discussion of specific matters—things they were supposed to discuss with local officials.

The main purpose of the clan landlords visiting Zhao Xiaoqian was to show their loyalty and, incidentally, to present him with generous gifts.

What Zhao Xiaoqian had to do was listen to their declarations of loyalty with a smile, and casually accept their generous gifts. The host and guests chatted and laughed, and everyone was happy.

Sitting in Zhao Xiaoqian's position, he no longer needed to handle specific matters personally. He only needed to know the attitude of the clan landlords. Once their attitude was clear, they could live, and continue to live comfortably.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Zhao Xiaoqian's meetings with clan landlords may seem tedious and boring. In fact, after these past few days of meetings with representatives of clan landlords from all over Yanyun, the officials in various cities of Yanyun have successfully taken over the power of the government, and local governance has gradually begun to be consolidated.

During the transition between the old and new dynasties, the biggest obstacle for the people was the violent or non-violent non-cooperation of clan forces. Under Zhao Xiaoqian's planning, the Song army brandished its swords, while Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and appeased them. With this two-pronged approach, the officials who took over the city and land of Yanyun made very smooth progress.

This is the significance of Zhao Xiaoqian's meeting with the clan landlords.

After meeting with the last group of local clan landlords from Jizhou that morning, Zhao Xiaoqian felt deeply annoyed.

Why does this job feel less and less right?

When guests arrive, the host entertains them with drinks and conversation, leaving them completely satisfied and emotionally fulfilled. They then leave a generous tip, say goodbye, and depart...

After the guests left, he had to stay in the courtyard, drinking ginseng chicken soup to nourish his body, ready to welcome the next group of guests at any time. He would take a sip of the soup, look up, and silently shed tears of humiliation...

This process... why does it feel so familiar?

It seems I experienced something similar in a past life, but in that life I was a guest...

A delicate silver spoon scoops up a bowl of ginseng chicken soup and puts it in your mouth; the taste is incredibly delicious.

Zhao Xiaoqian swallowed the chicken soup, looked up at the sky in silence for a while, and then suddenly said, "...I want to live with dignity!"

Then Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly called out, "Chen Shou!"

Chen Shou appeared in a flash and clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Pack your bags, I'm going back to Zhen Ding City. Also, send a fast horse to Hejian Prefecture to bring back Deputy Envoy Xu Jiang. Let him handle the mess of appeasing the clans and landlords in various places. I'm not doing this anymore!"

Chen Shou was taken aback: "The Crown Prince wants to return to Zhen Ding City at this time?"

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at him and said, "Is this decision so hard to accept? My wife is almost eight months pregnant. If we don't go back now, the first person the baby will see after birth won't be me. Do you know how much psychological trauma that will cause the child?"

"Ah, this..." Chen Shou was speechless.

"Imagine my child opens his eyes after birth, and the first thing he sees isn't me, his father, but the house dog. Do you think he'd be devastated? What would his young, innocent mind think?"

"Why does my dad look so much like... a dog!?"

Zhao Xiaoqian glared at him and said, word by word, "I will absolutely not allow this to happen! Go back to Zhen Ding City, let's leave now!"

(End of this chapter)