The prince is more stable

Chapter 727 A Grand Feast for the Soldiers
Zhong Cheng and his group didn't understand one fact: this camp was Zhao Xiaoqian's home ground.

On his home turf, Zhao Xiaoqian has absolute authority. It's not impossible for him to sow discord and divide this army, but it will be a very long process.

Zhong Cheng and his men have been at the camp for less than a month now, and have achieved absolutely nothing.

The task assigned to them by the authorities back then now seems quite arduous.

What's most infuriating and frustrating is that Zhao Xiaoqian used his financial power, which they never had before. It's like a group of poor people watching a rich kid drive a supercar around town. What can you do about it?
The only thing Zhong Cheng and his men can do today is to show their backbone and dignity, and refuse to eat any of the meat that Zhao Xiaoqian bought with his money, not even a single bite, and see if they can anger him to death...

Standing beside the tent, Zhong Cheng and his men were filled with impotent rage. Soldiers passed by them from time to time, and they talked and laughed loudly without any restraint, their voices grating on the ears.

"As expected of His Highness, he truly treats us well. He treated us to meat as soon as we returned to the camp, and we were all full. If His Highness had stayed in the camp, who knows how many more benefits he would have given us."

"That's right. Back then, when we fought alongside His Highness, we never suffered a loss. His Highness always thought of us. Knowing that there had been no battles recently and our comrades had no income, he personally paid for us to eat meat. Such a benevolent commander, we must have accumulated a lot of good fortune to be fortunate enough to serve under him."

"That's right, the benefits His Highness gives to the brothers are real and tangible; they either go into their stomachs or into their pockets..."

"Unlike some people who only know how to talk big, talking about loyalty and serving the country, bah! Everyone understands the big principles. Whether it's loyalty or serving the country, show us something concrete."

The soldiers around him hurried past, but deliberately spoke loudly. This was clearly not idle chatter, but an attempt to disgust people. Even as they brushed past Zhong Cheng and his men, they did not forget to cast a contemptuous glance at them.

Zhong Cheng and the others' faces turned red and then pale, they were furious.

Wherever there are people, there is a world of its own; the world of its own is everywhere.

The military has a stronger sense of江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) in its atmosphere.

Although Zhong Cheng was the commander, not all ordinary soldiers respected him. There were always some straightforward and stubborn people who weren't afraid to offend others. No matter who you were or how high your rank was, they would just curse you out if they didn't like you.

After being openly mocked and ridiculed by his subordinates, Zhong Cheng and the others were trembling with anger.

They had never hated their poverty so much...

I'm so angry! If I had money, I could have won over the hearts of 100,000 soldiers. Who gave you, Zhao Xiaoqian, the right to be so generous?

When you generously announced that you would treat us to a meal, did you even consider the feelings of the poor?

More and more soldiers passed by, spreading the word and eagerly preparing for a feast that night.

Zhong Cheng and the others were not mentally strong enough; they could no longer tolerate open and veiled ridicule.

So the group turned a corner and went into an empty tent.

They looked at each other, feeling utterly defeated and ashamed for the first time.

Zhao Xiaoqian didn't even have to lift a finger to deal with them, yet Zhong Cheng and his group were utterly humiliated.

“The news of Zhao Xiaoqian’s return to the Xijin Prefecture camp must be sent to Bianjing by fast horse immediately and reported to the Emperor,” Zhong Cheng said with a stern face. “The purpose of his return to the camp is unclear, but he is certainly not under the command of the Emperor or the court.”

Another general continued, "Today, when Zhao Xiaoqian returned to camp, 100,000 soldiers cheered. Important generals such as Xu Zhongjianzhong came out to greet him, which shows that his prestige in the army is unparalleled. This matter should also be reported to the Emperor."

Zhong Cheng said worriedly, "It is indeed a big problem. What I'm most worried about is that even if the Emperor strips Zhao Xiaoqian of his military power, it probably won't have much of an effect..."

"Given his prestige in the army, even without an imperial edict or official dispatch from the Privy Council, he could still incite these 100,000 soldiers to become his private army in an instant."

The more Zhong Cheng and the others spoke, the more difficult it became, and their expressions became solemn, even...despairing.

Another general said with a wry smile, "There's one more thing. We need to tone it down a bit lately. It's best not to preach loyalty to the soldiers below, and even more so, we shouldn't physically punish them."

"Zhao Xiaoqian is watching us closely. He might be looking for a reason to punish us. If we lecture and physically punish the soldiers again, wouldn't that just be giving Zhao Xiaoqian an excuse to deal with us?"

Zhong Cheng nodded and said, "Let's report to Bianjing first and see how the Emperor decides. Zhao Xiaoqian hastily returned to camp today, and the Emperor probably won't allow it. In a few days, Bianjing will definitely have a response."

…………

For the wealthy, spending money to treat someone to a meal is nothing; the expense is negligible.

But if this tycoon wants to treat 100,000 people to a meal, and make sure they're all full, that's no small sum.

If 100,000 people eat meat, at least 10,000 pigs and sheep would have to be consumed. Just purchasing such a large number of pigs and sheep would be a huge undertaking.

In the afternoon, Chen Shou and other imperial guards were dispatched, and the army's grain officer and his men also went to help. Fortunately, Zhao Xiaoqian had brought enough money with him this time, as hosting a banquet today was part of his plan.

Fortunately, this place was outside Xijin Prefecture, the former Nanjing of the Liao Dynasty, which was considered the most prosperous area. Khitan nomadic tribes still existed on the surrounding plains, and the task of purchasing pigs and sheep was finally completed before dark.

Tens of thousands of pigs and sheep were herded into the camp in a grand procession, and the soldiers were once again in a frenzy.

Next came the distribution of pigs and sheep, with each headman receiving a pig or sheep in a "du" (都). They were responsible for slaughtering and cooking the animals, and the quality of the food was entirely their own business.

At the same time, Zhao Xiaoqian ordered an open space to be cleared outside the command tent and gathered all the generals of the rank of commander and above for a bonfire party.

Tonight, as an exception, all generals except those on night patrol are permitted to drink alcohol in moderation.

A dozen bonfires blazed brightly in the night. More than two hundred generals surrounded the bonfires, each holding a leg of lamb in one hand and a bowl of wine in the other, laughing heartily and drinking wildly.

Zhao Xiaoqian carried a wine bowl around, offering toasts to the generals and building rapport with them.

Today was a rare occasion for the commander-in-chief and his generals to enjoy themselves together, so the generals naturally did not want to miss the opportunity. They all enthusiastically stepped forward to drink with Zhao Xiaoqian. Even though he brought over a hundred imperial guards, including Chen Shou, to help him fend off the drinking, and even used the excuse that he was still seriously injured, he was eventually drunk by the generals.

Chen Shou followed behind, sighing inwardly; all that healing had been for nothing. When Zhao Xiaoqian reached Zhong Cheng and the others, his steps were unsteady, and his eyes were bloodshot, suggesting he was deeply drunk.

Zhong Cheng and the others stood up with forced smiles, but Zhao Xiaoqian pointed at Zhong Cheng, let out a drunken hiccup, and laughed, "I remember you, Zhong, Zhong..."

Zhong Cheng hurriedly said, "This humble general, Zhong Cheng, greets Your Highness."

“That’s right, Zhong Cheng! I remember you, you were transferred from the Privy Council, right?”

The noisy surroundings suddenly fell silent, and the other generals stared at Zhao Xiaoqian and Zhong Cheng with inscrutable expressions.

During the days that Zhao Xiaoqian was away from the main camp, the generals were naturally aware of what Zhong Cheng and others had been doing.

Zhong Cheng and these generals rarely interacted on a daily basis; they each formed their own small groups and kept to themselves.

Zhao Xiaoqian had just returned today, and no one had had time to complain to him. Now the two sides had officially made contact, and all the generals were staring at Zhao Xiaoqian's face, wanting to see what his attitude would be towards Zhong Cheng and the others.

At this moment, the atmosphere of the bonfire party was lively. Xu Jiang, who was standing next to him, had a glint in his eye and tried to smooth things over by laughing and saying, "Did Zi'an and Commander Zhong introduce them?"

Zhao Xiaoqian staggered, his face flushed, and said, "I know them, of course I know them... I was recuperating at the Prince's Mansion in Zhen Ding City, and they visited me there."

The generals behind him suddenly realized that Zhong Cheng and the others had already met His Highness, but they had never heard them mention it.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Xiaoqian added, "At that time, I was seriously injured, but they made a ruckus in my room, which made me so angry that I vomited blood and almost died. The doctor treated me all night before I recovered. My family was still angry and wanted to find them again, only to find that they had already left the city and run here."

The surrounding noise and laughter fell silent instantly. Everyone froze, their eyes wide with disbelief as they looked at Zhong Cheng.

Even Xu Jiang, who had been trying to smooth things over and ease tensions between Zhao Xiaoqian and the court, was shocked at this moment.

In the silent crowd, a sense of anger quietly spread, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze instantly.

Zhong Cheng and the others turned pale, unable to defend themselves, their legs went weak and they almost knelt down.

Zhao Xiaoqian spoke casually, but Zhong Cheng could clearly sense the anger of the other generals around him.

From Zhao Xiaoqian's brief account, what exactly did Zhong Cheng and his group do?

This is equivalent to drunk driving and nearly killing a high-ranking official, then fleeing the scene of the accident. Do you think he deserves to die?

After a long while, Zhe Keshi, who had the worst temper, finally lost his temper.

"You scoundrels, how dare you plot against His Highness! Who gave you the audacity!" Zhe Keshi flung his hand, and the wine bowl in his hand immediately smashed towards Zhong Cheng's head.

After a sharp crack, Zhong Cheng's head was bleeding profusely, but he gritted his teeth and dared not utter a sound.

This is inexplicable, because when he visited Zhao Xiaoqian, he saw with his own eyes that Zhao Xiaoqian was indeed vomiting blood. In the end, after the doctor rushed to save him, they left in a huff.

Zhe Keshi took the lead, and the other generals immediately flew into a rage, rushing forward and raising their fists to beat Zhong Cheng and his men to death. The originally joyful and harmonious scene suddenly turned into one filled with murderous intent.

Standing next to Zhao Xiaoqian, Xu Jiang suddenly felt his hands and feet turn cold. He hadn't expected that Zhong Cheng and the others had such a past with Zhao Xiaoqian.

How could someone cause such a huge disaster!

Although he wanted to mediate between Zhao Xiaoqian and the court and ease tensions between them, the public was in a state of high spirits. Xu Jiang was just a scholar and was intimidated by the overwhelming murderous aura before him, so he dared not speak for a moment.

Just as Zhong Cheng and the others were desperately burying their heads in their hands, thinking they were doomed to die there that night, Zhao Xiaoqian finally spoke.

With his hands raised, Zhao Xiaoqian staggered around and glared at the angry generals.

"Forget it, it's all in the past, let it go. Do you think I'm that petty?"

Zhe Keshi said unwillingly, "Your Highness, these scoundrels clearly..."

“Does my word carry any weight in this camp?” Zhao Xiaoqian immediately interrupted.

Zhe Keshi was taken aback, then hurriedly said, "It works. This humble general will only listen to you."

He calmed himself down and took a few steps back.

Zhao Xiaoqian stepped forward and patted Zhong Cheng's shoulder with a smile, saying, "What's past is past, I won't hold it against you, and you shouldn't feel guilty either. I believe you didn't mean it, so let's not mention it again."

"Come, let's put aside our differences with a drink, drink up!"

With smiles that looked more like grimaces, Zhong Cheng and the others forced themselves to drink the wine.

Looking up, Zhong Cheng saw the generals behind Zhao Xiaoqian staring at them with menacing eyes, and his heart sank.

Is this matter over?
No, we can't get through it.

After Zhao Xiaoqian made it public, Zhong Cheng and his men had probably become enemies of the entire Yanyun garrison.

What happened to the last person who almost killed Zhao Xiaoqian?
It seems to be that Liao general named Xiao Chouwo, who was later wanted by both the Song and Liao dynasties. In the end, he was beheaded in front of the Song army by the Liao general of the Pishi Army. His head was displayed along the way and sent directly to Xijin Prefecture.

Moreover, the enraged Song army recklessly implicated and implicated people in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, killing countless innocent people under the guise of avenging His Highness the Prince.

The trouble that Zhong Cheng and his group have caused is almost identical in nature to the trouble Xiao Chouwo caused back then. What will their fate be?

(End of this chapter)