The prince is more stable

Chapter 734: Shared Fate
The imperial family members were not eligible to inherit the throne; this was an ancestral rule of the Song Dynasty.

Those eligible were the emperor's own sons. If the emperor had no sons during his reign, then it was the turn of his brothers, such as Prince Duan, Zhao Ji.

In this respect, Zhao Xiaoqian was inherently at a disadvantage compared to Zhao Ji.

During the days when Zhao Xu vomited blood and fell into a coma, when Empress Dowager Xiang and Zhang Dun and others discussed the successor to the throne, several candidates were Zhao Xu's brothers and Emperor Shenzong's sons. Zhao Xiaoqian's name was not even mentioned; he was automatically excluded.

This is in accordance with etiquette, since if you include relatives, there are at least several hundred names of heirs to the throne, with all sorts of strange and unusual people emerging from close and distant bloodlines.

However, Zhao Xiaoqian was different. In addition to being a member of the royal family, he was also the commander-in-chief who held the power of 100,000 troops, and he was the one who changed the situation of the Song Dynasty in recent years.

Whether in the Song Dynasty court or among the common people, Zhao Xiaoqian's personal prestige was so great that it was impossible to ignore.

If Zhao Xiaoqian were to suddenly declare his intention to vie for the throne, no one in the world would take his words as a joke. Everyone would know that he carries weight and that his status is not far behind, given that he shares the surname Zhao.

Zhao Xiaoqian doesn't want to be too high-profile right now, not even in front of the generals he trusts.

The slaps he received from the realities of his past life taught him that it's best to be humble in life but ambitious in work.

Before things are accomplished, every boastful slogan you shout may become a slap in the face for yourself in the future.

"Enough of this unnecessary talk. I have decided to return to Bianjing, and I hope you will all support me," Zhao Xiaoqian said in a deep voice.

Zhong Jianzhong, Zong Ze, and all the other generals stood up, patted their chests, and said in unison, "Your Highness, we are willing to serve you through thick and thin, even at the cost of mountains of knives and seas of fire!"

Zhao Xiaoqian paused for a moment: "...What I mean is, I want to go back to Bianjing, and I hope you won't object."

Zhong Jianzhong shook his head repeatedly: "I do not object, I absolutely do not object."

Zong Ze followed up, saying, "Your Highness, please return to Bianjing. We will prepare the troops for Your Highness and await your orders. If Your Highness gives any command, we will immediately march south and charge into battle for Your Highness!"

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed. These murderers really don't know how to stir up trouble.

Is this the kind of support I'm talking about?

Seeing that Zhao Xiaoqian remained silent, Di Zi roughly understood his son-in-law's thoughts, so he smiled and said, "Your Highness, we are all rough and uncouth warriors, without any ulterior motives. Whoever treats us well, whoever considers us brothers, we will risk our lives for..."

"Or to put it more bluntly, whoever can give us a bright future, whoever can promote us and grant us titles, we will wholeheartedly support them. A good bird chooses a good tree to perch on, and following the future is always the right thing to do."

The generals inside the tent all nodded in agreement.

My father-in-law spoke our minds.

Di Zi continued, “The court is implementing new policies, including the ‘Military Service Law,’ which Your Highness advocated for and enacted. Your Highness proposed raising the status and treatment of the Song soldiers, and establishing provisions for rewarding merit and punishing demerit. Although the Military Service Law has been established, the officials in the court still value civil affairs over military affairs.”

“They still look down on us uncouth warriors. Only His Highness truly treats us warriors as his own. We support His Highness for the sake of the future. If someone else were to ascend the throne, we warriors would most likely return to our lowly status…”

“Especially our Yan Yun garrison, we are His Highness’s old generals. How could the new emperor possibly welcome us? After His Highness is purged by the new emperor, we will definitely be next. Rather than that, we might as well take a gamble with His Highness. If we can push His Highness to that position, won’t our good days begin?”

Zhong Jianzhong nodded repeatedly: "That's right, it's just a gamble. If we don't gamble, we'll be left to our fate."

"During the Tang Dynasty, the Prince of Qin's mansion had many fierce generals under his command, such as Changsun Wuji, Yuchi Gong, and Qin Qiong. If they hadn't risked everything with Li Shimin at Xuanwu Gate, how could their portraits in the Lingyan Pavilion have been enshrined in the imperial court?"

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded; he understood what the generals were thinking.

What is the strongest relationship in the world? Pure feelings and interests are not strong enough.

The strongest bond is the deep ties of feelings and interests between the two parties. They rise and fall together; if I prosper, you all enjoy the good life; if I suffer, we all perish.

This is roughly the relationship between Zhao Xiaoqian and his generals at present.

No wonder they were even more enthusiastic than Zhao Xiaoqian when it came to vying for the throne, like a wildly passionate desert.

While their deep bond with Zhao Xiaoqian certainly played a part, the main reason was that if Zhao Xiaoqian fell from grace, they would be next. Zhao Xiaoqian's former subordinates would certainly be purged by the new emperor.

If Zhao Xiaoqian were to take the throne, they would all be meritorious officials who helped him rise to power, and it wouldn't be a problem for each of them to be granted the title of founding duke or marquis. Who wouldn't take a gamble?
What gives them even more courage and confidence is that they now command 100,000 elite troops, eyeing the world with predatory intent, and this powerful force is firmly in their hands.

This force is entrenched in the Yan-Yun region. It can advance north and south, sweeping across the land. At worst, it can retreat to Yan-Yun and become a powerful regional warlord.

With favorable timing, location, and popular support, Zhao Xiaoqian and his generals seemed to have it all. If they didn't fight for it now, even Heaven wouldn't stand for it.

Zhao Xiaoqian remained silent. Some things were better left unsaid; once spoken, there was no turning back. He needed to plan further.

"Leaving aside everything else, let me make some arrangements first..." Zhao Xiaoqian said.

The generals excitedly clasped their hands in greeting: "We are ready to obey Your Highness's orders!"

"Don't get so agitated, my plan is..." Zhao Xiaoqian looked around and asked, "Where is Zhang Rong?"

Zhang Rong was so excited he was shaking all over, and his hands and feet were uncoordinated as he stood in front of Zhao Xiaoqian: "This humble general, this humble general is willing to be Your Highness's vanguard, to conquer cities and fortresses for Your Highness!" "Fuck your mother..." Zhao Xiaoqian angrily crumpled a piece of paper on the table and threw it at him: "At your age, acting so hot-blooded and childish, are you a middle school student?"

"Zhang Rong, immediately muster five thousand soldiers, carrying enough rations for half a month, as well as sufficient ammunition, and feed the warhorses. They will return to Zhen Ding City with me tomorrow."

Zhang Rong was startled: "Go back to Zhending City?"

Zhao Xiaoqian's cheeks twitched, and he said with a half-smile, "It seems you have a different opinion? Come, tell me, General Zhang, where do you think I should go first?"

Zhang Rong was startled and hurriedly said, "No objection, no objection. Whatever Your Highness says, this humble general will do. I would never dare to question it."

Zhao Xiaoqian then looked at Zhong Jianzhong and Zong Ze, and said, "I'll leave the garrison troops in Yanyun to the two commanders. During this period, if there are any imperial edicts..."

Zhong Jianzhong immediately replied, "The Yan Yun garrison will only obey Your Highness's orders. When a general is in the field, he may disobey the emperor's orders!"

"There's no need to be so drastic. If nothing unexpected happens, the Emperor will soon appoint a new commander-in-chief, and I, as the Pacification Commissioner of Hebei West Route, may be dismissed..."

"A new head coach has arrived; you should all treat him with the utmost respect."

Zhong Jianzhong immediately understood his meaning and laughed, "Yes, the new commander-in-chief has arrived. We'll treat him to the best of food and drink, but if he wants to issue any orders or mobilize or appoint any generals or troops, then we're afraid we can't obey..."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled, which was tacitly agreeing with Zhong Jianzhong's statement.

"Within two months at the latest, the situation in Bianjing will become clear. If anything changes, you shall heed my command, march south, first out of Yanyun, occupy Zhending Prefecture, then Taiyuan Prefecture, Daming Prefecture, Xiangzhou, Xingzhou, and finally Bianjing..."

"In the worst-case scenario, the Central Plains will be in chaos, but chaos in the Central Plains should not lead to chaos in the world. The cities we pass through should be mainly used to incorporate and accept surrenders, and the killing should be minimized. They are all the Song Dynasty's own imperial guards, not irreconcilable enemies."

The generals roared in agreement.

Zhao Xiaoqian paused for a moment, then said, "I also have a secret firearm, which is extremely powerful and very effective in attacking city gates. I will have it sent to the army in a few days; fifty should be enough. Zhong Jianzhong, you should select a thousand men from the army to form an artillery battalion. With this weapon, we will no longer need to use human lives to attack cities."

The generals opened their eyes wide with excitement, and Zhong Jianzhong clasped his hands in response with great enthusiasm.

I never expected that Your Highness would have hidden a new secret firearm, and the fact that Your Highness said it was "extremely powerful" means that its effects must be terrifying.

With this item, the army's shortcomings were filled, and in the future, whether it was encountering enemies on the plains, attacking enemies at long, medium and short ranges, or attacking cities, everything would become extremely easy.

Indeed, the most powerful things are those that are brought out at crucial moments.

Even if we encounter the Imperial Guards of Bianjing, who are also equipped with firearms, we have what they have, and we still have what they don't. In a firearms-on-firearms confrontation, the advantage lies with us.

…………

Early the next morning, Zhao Xiaoqian led 5,000 soldiers under Zhang Rong out of the camp.

The troop movement was very sudden and strange. The soldiers in the camp were completely confused, watching as five thousand soldiers followed the Prince out of the camp, not knowing where they were going.

Zhao Xiaoqian sat on his horse, looking calm and composed.

Given how things have developed, there are some things that can no longer be hidden, so it's better to be open and honest.

After leaving the camp, before the army could speed up, Zhao Xiaoqian turned to Chen Shoudao and said, "Send someone to the capital of Liao to summon Zhen Qing of the Imperial City Guard to see me."

Chen Shou nodded, turned around and selected one of the Imperial Guards beside him, who then left the ranks and sped off to the north.

After three days of travel, Zhao Xiaoqian and his 5,000 soldiers arrived outside Zhen Ding City.

The troops guarding Zhending City were local militia, led by Feng Sheng and Shao Jing. When they saw a large number of soldiers suddenly arrive outside the city, they were startled. But when they looked closely at the banners of the troops and saw that they were Zhao Xiaoqian's banners, they breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhao Xiaoqian ordered Zhang Rong's troops to set up camp five miles outside the city, and then led Chen Shou and other imperial guards into the city.

Back at the Prince's residence, Di Ying and the others were quite surprised by Zhao Xiaoqian's sudden return. This separation was far too short; he had returned in just a few days. They had originally thought it would be at least several months or even a year and a half.

In the backyard, after spending some time cuddling with his wives and concubines, Zhao Xiaoqian immediately picked up his son and took deep breaths on his little face, body, and feet, making his son giggle.

"My lord, you've suddenly returned. Is something wrong?" Di Ying asked anxiously.

Zhao Xiaoqian gently stroked his son's rosy chin with one finger, saying casually, "Well, I was worried you'd get bored at home, so I booked you a tour group abroad..."

"When you go abroad for a few days, let two Japanese sisters be your tour guides. Oh, and try not to buy souvenirs in stores; there are too many rip-offs."

Di Ying and her sisters: "???"

What exactly is my lord saying? Why can't I understand a single word?

(End of this chapter)