The prince is more stable

Chapter 823 Border Troops Enter the City
Undeniably, Zhao Hao was a scumbag; he was a scumbag his whole life, ruining countless widows.

Whether it was retribution or not, he had so many women in his life, yet he had few children, with only Zhao Xiaoqian as his sole son.

Zhao Hao's risky entry into the palace to assist the Empress Dowager today may not be entirely sincere; a scoundrel has no sincerity.

The bigger motivation was that the Empress Dowager could not fall into Zhao Ji's hands, otherwise things would become even more complicated.

This is the real reason why Zhao Hao bravely entered the palace.

They're all adults, and quite old at that. They don't really care about romance; self-interest is what drives them.

To Zhao Hao, all I did was sleep with the Empress Dowager, and only once. How could it be that I would never part from you, even if mountains crumble and the heavens and earth unite?

If you calculate it that way, he would be responsible for half of all the widows in Bianjing.

If we must talk about personal motives, the only reason Zhao Hao saved the Empress Dowager, besides personal gain, was that he hadn't had enough sleep.

The noble empress, a woman of unparalleled wealth and beauty, is also his sister-in-law, and a widow...

With all these identities firmly etched in Zhao Hao's heart, and the Empress Dowager's various advantages piling up, Zhao Hao was indeed a little reluctant to part with them.

Especially the contrast between her usual aloofness and coldness and the alluring charm she displayed during intimate moments was enough to make Zhao Hao's heart race.

Such a wonderful woman, it would be a waste to sleep with her only once, so he also wanted a living empress dowager.

The future is long, and Zhao Hao, this empty-nest elderly man, also needs companionship.

Perched atop the wall, Zhao Hao patted the ladder and whispered to the Empress Dowager below, "Climb up yourself."

Empress Dowager: "…………"

With a charming and seductive glance at him, the Empress Dowager still lifted the hem of her skirt and carefully climbed the ladder.

Just as she was about to climb over the wall, Zhao Hao grabbed her hand and made her straddle the wall like he did.

This posture was very ungraceful, and the Empress Dowager was quite resistant to it, remaining motionless for a long time.

Zhao Hao grew impatient and slapped her hard on the buttocks, angrily saying, "What kind of time is this for being coy? Do you know how to run for your life? Is this the time to care about face? If you fall into Zhao Ji's hands, hundreds or thousands of men will line up to take turns with you, and you'll be comfortable then?"

The Empress Dowager was of noble status. Although she had been forced to have a relationship with Zhao Hao once, she still could not accept being so rudely slapped on the buttocks. She was both shocked and angry.

"Zhao Hao, how dare you!"

Snapped!
Zhao Hao slapped her buttocks hard again, and the Empress Dowager felt weak and limp all over, as if her bones had melted.

"So what if I filmed you? You're not happy about it? I'm your man, I can do whatever I want to you, just remember that!" Zhao Hao said fiercely.

"Do you want to live? If you don't, get down the ladder yourself and let Zhao Ji and the Imperial Guards take turns on you. Hundreds and thousands of men will be lining up. Tsk! You've been a widow for half your life. Today, I'll let you eat and drink your fill. Are you willing?"

Thinking of the serious consequences of falling into Zhao Ji's hands, the Empress Dowager was immediately terrified. Forgetting about her undignified posture, she immediately straddled the wall with her legs apart.

People outside the wall quickly set up ladders to help Zhao Hao and the Empress Dowager down.

At this moment, Yanfu Palace was filled with the terrified screams of eunuchs and palace maids. After Zhao Ji led his troops into the palace, the entire palace was in chaos, and the amount of killing and looting that occurred was impossible to count.

As she descended from the palace walls, the Empress Dowager listened to the screams coming from inside the palace, her expression changing repeatedly.

At this moment, she finally cast a grateful look at Zhao Hao.

Although she knew Zhao Hao's motives for saving her were not pure, and she dared not imagine that Zhao Hao saved her because of love, but... she had spent a night with this man, and psychologically she was gradually moving closer to him.

At least, it's much better for it to fall into Zhao Hao's hands than Zhao Ji's.

After all, this man... he's different from others.

"My son Xiaoqian has already ordered the Yanyun army to attack the city. Don't worry, within two hours, the Yanyun army will definitely be able to enter the city and take control of the court. Zhao Ji and Zeng Bu won't be able to escape either. We'll find a place to hide for two hours and then we'll be safe," Zhao Hao comforted him.

The Empress Dowager sighed and said, "I never expected Zeng Bu to be so audacious. If I had known this would happen, I should have taken him down during yesterday's coronation ceremony. Otherwise, this whole incident would not have occurred."

Zhao Hao playfully reached out and pinched the Empress Dowager's cheek, laughing, "I really like your decisive and ruthless manner. Remember to keep it up in the future. I love this kind of vibe."

The Empress Dowager rolled her eyes at him, and for some reason, her cheek, which he had pinched, turned red.

Zhao Hao turned around, waved to his men in black, and said in a deep voice, "Have the residences been arranged?"

A man in black clasped his hands in a fist and said, "It's all arranged. It's very close to the palace, and there are dug holes in the houses. No one will find us hiding here."

Zhao Hao nodded. He had been planning this for many years and had made many preparations. He had not only secretly developed his power, but also bought many remote and dilapidated houses in Bianjing City and dug spacious tunnels inside them.

Originally intended for his and his son's escape should the plan fail, the cave was stocked with plenty of food and water, enough to last them a month.

The concept of a "safe house" is not a later invention. The ancients were not stupid; when they put their idea of ​​being prepared for danger in times of peace into action, they would do it more meticulously than modern people.

So, led by Zhao Hao, the Empress Dowager followed him through the streets and alleys, heading towards the houses.

…………

The calamity of war in Bianjing was unavoidable. However, under Zhao Xiaoqian's deliberate control, the Yan-Yun army managed to minimize the chaos caused by this sudden war.

When Jin Yaomen was breached by Zong Ze's troops, the people of the eastern part of Bianjing were unaware of it. They only knew that the city was in some chaos that day, and that they might not be able to make a living for the next couple of days. They could only wait for things to calm down.

As for feelings of fear, ordinary people rarely felt any fear. Inside the city were the Imperial Guards of the Great Song Dynasty, and outside the city were the Yan-Yun Border Army of the Great Song Dynasty. In the end, they were all the army of the Great Song Dynasty.

The common people had no idea what the bigwigs were fighting over, but they knew that whoever won was unlikely to target ordinary people.

This is internal strife, not foreign invasion; the two are fundamentally different.

With the Jin Yao Gate breached, Zong Ze's 30,000 Yan Yun soldiers poured into the city, signifying the fall of Bianjing.

Outside the city, Zhao Xiaoqian still commanded the remaining 50,000 troops, of which 20,000 were assigned to Zhe Keshi, who was ordered to intercept the Imperial Guards of the Upper Three Armies.

Zhe Keshi knew the weight of his responsibility, and after leading his troops out of the camp, he immediately set off northward.

Zhao Xiaoqian had instructed him to avoid causing too much bloodshed and to focus on blocking and defense. He believed that if he could hold out for half a day, the situation in Bianjing would be stabilized, and the army would collapse without a fight.

Since it was a defensive battle, Zhe Keshi naturally had to change tactics. So he decisively ordered a dense array of chevaux-de-frise, deer antlers and caltrops to be set up ten miles north of Bianjing to stop the advance of the three armies, while his 20,000 soldiers calmly deployed behind the defensive line.

There is another reason why we chose to play a passive defensive role.

That was the order issued by Zeng Bu in the name of the Palace Guard.

This transfer order itself was highly unusual. While the Privy Council and the Palace Guard could indeed mobilize the imperial guards in Bianjing, it lacked a crucial procedure: the Empress Dowager's imperial decree.

With no emperor yet enthroned, this is a special period for the Song Dynasty. Any general who receives an order from the court will be extremely cautious.

The main generals of the three armies had been killed by Zhao Xiaoqian at the Hongmen Banquet, leaving the army in a state of near leaderlessness.

Upon receiving Zeng Bu's order, no one would be so foolish as to obediently mobilize the entire army without thinking. Especially since the order clearly stated that the mobilization of the three armies was for the purpose of confronting and annihilating the Yan-Yun border army, which made it even more abnormal.

At yesterday's enthronement ceremony, the Empress Dowager and the ministers made it clear that the decision to recall the Yan-Yun Border Army to the capital was made on the Empress Dowager's orders and after discussions among the ministers of the Council of State and the Privy Council.

They are the legitimate imperial army, yet the three armies of Bianjing suddenly want to attack and annihilate them. Is that right?
Therefore, when the generals of the three armies received Zeng Bu's order, they all felt it was very strange and hesitated for a moment, not knowing whether they should obey the order.

This decree is completely contrary to what the Empress Dowager and the Prime Minister said in court yesterday.

This is a difficult situation. At such a critical juncture, choosing the wrong side could cost you your head. Who knows what those officials in the Bianjing court are up to? They're fighting amongst themselves; they can't just use my soldiers as cannon fodder, can they?

However, the orders from the Privy Council and the Palace Guard had already been issued, and the generals, no matter how many questions they had, had no choice but to obey.

Military officers are also officials, and officials have a hundred schemes to devise.

Although the troops of the three armies were mobilized, the generals still played tricks on Zeng Bu.

They only sent half of their troops, and their march was very slow after leaving the camp. This was typical of them going through the motions without putting in any real effort, treating the working class with the same attitude they would have towards capitalists and Zeng Bu's orders.

Anyway, I obeyed the order, but my soldiers were used to eating the grain during peacetime, so they marched slowly. Who can I blame for that?

Moreover, the commander-in-chief of the army has mysteriously disappeared. As a subordinate military officer, I really don't have the ability to command troops, so of course I can't be blamed.

Half an hour later, when Zhe Keshi heard the scouts report that the three armies had been ordered to leave the camp, their march was very slow, and they dawdled for a long time before covering only a few miles.

Moreover, the three armies only mobilized a total of 40,000 troops, and judging from their listless marching appearance, they did not seem very willing to participate in the battle.

Upon hearing the news, Zhe Keshi felt relieved and laughed twice.

"Send someone to meet them and have a chat with the generals of the three armies. We are all members of the Song Dynasty's Imperial Guards, so it's best not to fight each other. We can discuss things. If we can stall them for two hours, then things should be settled with His Highness."

"Why fight? We're all comrades. Wouldn't it be better to sit down, drink, and eat?"

…………

Bianjing City.

After Zong Ze broke through the city gate, Zhao Xiaoqian led the remaining 30,000 troops into the city.

Reaching the city gate, Zhao Xiaoqian looked at the shattered ruins and shook his head, a smirk playing on his lips. "These murderers, they beat it so badly... how much will it cost to repair it?"

With the major events nearing completion, theoretically, every penny spent by the Song Dynasty from now on will be related to him.

Upon exiting the city gate passage, Zhao Xiaoqian immediately looked around and found that some buildings within the city gate area were indeed damaged, and many houses were still burning fiercely, with civilians and imperial guards busy putting out the fire.

Apart from that, the city was quite peaceful, without any scenes of war and chaos, as if the fall of Jin Yaomen was just an accident.

The people stayed at home, showing no signs of fleeing the city with their families; the streets were empty and quiet.

Seeing this, Zhao Xiaoqian felt relieved.

His biggest worry was that the chaos in Bianjing would escalate and ultimately bring disaster to the people. Now it seems that Zong Ze is relatively calm and is trying his best to keep the war to a minimum.

(End of this chapter)