The prince is more stable

Chapter 917 Strategic Planning in Neighboring Countries
The Northern Song Dynasty fell to the Jin Dynasty, and the Southern Song Dynasty fell to the Mongols.

Zhao Xiaoqian, from a thousand years later, still remembers these things.

Of course, the world is different now. The Song Dynasty's military has become powerful, and after Zhao Xiaoqian ascended the throne, he began to address domestic issues. In a few years, the domestic economy will also become strong.

With its powerful military and economy, the Song Dynasty's weapons were unmatched in the world, and the world had long since changed.

The powerful enemies in history, the Jin and Mongol dynasties that destroyed the Song Dynasty, could not possibly pose a significant threat to the Song Dynasty.

However, from Emperor Zhao Xiaoqian's perspective, no matter how weak the Jin and Mongol states may be now, they are ultimately a hidden danger to the Song Dynasty.

These were the ones who destroyed the Northern Song and Southern Song dynasties in the history books of the previous life.

Now that the Song Dynasty has the capability, why should it keep them alive to prolong their existence?

To reiterate, don't leave the problems to the next generation, because the next generation doesn't have Zhao Xiaoqian's abilities and advantages.

Zhao Xiaoqian could only do his best to eliminate these hidden dangers for the next generation and lay the foundation for a peaceful and prosperous world during his lifetime.

Perhaps, even after eliminating these hidden dangers, his next generation will still have to face many new and unknown hidden dangers and powerful enemies. So what?

Zhao Xiaoqian has completed his mission, and the next generation has its own mission. The time traveler is not a god; all he can do is make up for the regrets in the history books and eliminate any potential hidden dangers for the country. However, he cannot foresee the changes that will occur in a hundred or a thousand years.

Zhao Xiaoqian spoke with a firm tone, but the assembled officials could not understand him at all.

Why are these few Mongol tribes, which belong to the Northwest Route Pacification Commission of the Liao Dynasty, so highly valued and hated by the emperor?
Xu Jiang could understand how to deal with the Jurchen Wanyan tribe. After all, according to the intelligence from the Imperial City Guard, after the Jurchen Wanyan tribe occupied Huanglong Prefecture, their army expanded more and more, and their territory became larger and larger. The Liao Dynasty was weak and powerless to wipe them out. They could only endure the disgust and grant official titles to the leaders of the Wanyan tribe.

After the Song Dynasty destroys the Liao Dynasty, it should indeed take the opportunity to destroy the Jurchen tribes as well, as they truly pose a threat to the Song Dynasty.

But what exactly did the Mongol tribes do that made the emperor issue an edict to exterminate them?

"Don't ask, because if you do, it's a hidden danger, a huge hidden danger!" Zhao Xiaoqian was too lazy to explain.

He knew that even if he explained, Xu Jiang and the others would not understand, because what the Mongols did to the Song Dynasty had not yet happened in this era, and it would be unbelievable to say it.

Xu and the others had no choice but to keep their questions to themselves.

Zhao Xiaoqian looked up at Zhen Qing and said, "Starting today, the Imperial City Guard will send spies to infiltrate the Northwest Route Pacification Office of Liao Kingdom and closely monitor the movements of the Mongol tribes."

Zhen Qing bowed and said, "Your subject obeys the decree."

Zhao Xiaoqian pondered for a long time before slowly saying, "Now the Mongols are subordinate to the Liao Dynasty and are under the control of the Northwest Route Pacification Commission. Among them, the Zubu, White Tatar, and Naiman tribes of the Mongols are staunch allies of the Liao Dynasty. When the Liao Dynasty goes to war, the able-bodied men of these three tribes are often conscripted by the Liao army."

"After the Imperial City Guard's spies infiltrated the grasslands, they closely monitored a family called 'Borjigin,' and ascertained their tribes, herders, property, key family members, and the family's influence over the Mongol tribes. Once the facts were verified, they immediately reported to me."

Zhen Qing silently recited the tongue-twisting name "Borjigin," then bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, I obey your decree. The Imperial City Guard will certainly live up to Your Majesty's expectations."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded. "The Borjigins are the family of Genghis Khan in history. If we count the years, Genghis Khan has not been born yet, so his father, "Borjigin Yesugei," should not have been born either."

However, Zhao Xiaoqian's memory was limited, and he did not remember the name of Genghis Khan's grandfather or great-grandfather.

Therefore, the only option was to have the Imperial City Guard remember the name of the "Borjigin" family and send their spies to investigate thoroughly.

In short, the Song Dynasty wanted to wipe out this family and tribe without leaving a trace before they rose to power.

The Borjigin family of northern Mongolia, thousands of miles away, probably never imagined that the emperor of the Song Dynasty had silently set his sights on them and laid a deadly trap for this family, which now seemed very weak.

After making the arrangements, Zhen Qing suddenly said, "Your Majesty, if the conditions are right, and the Imperial City Guard's spies have discovered the Borjigin family, would it be permissible to directly assassinate members of this family?"

Zhao Xiaoqian remained silent for a long time, then shook his head and said, "No, let them live. When my royal army marches north, we will wipe them out in one fell swoop. What I want to destroy is not just this family, but all the Mongol tribes..."

"Put the wheels flat."

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines; the tent was filled with a cold and murderous aura that seeped straight to their bones.

After explaining the plans for the Jurchen Wanyan tribe and the Mongol tribes, Zhao Xiaoqian turned to Zhong Jianzhong and asked, "The Palace Guard has dispatched 5,000 troops to cross the sea to Japan and join Zhang Rong's forces. Has Zhang Rong sent any military reports yet?"

Zhong Jianzhong, now holding the official position of Commander of the Palace Guard, truly wielded great power over the military forces in the capital region of the Song Dynasty. Upon hearing this, he immediately bowed and said, "Zhang Rong has already sent someone with a military report, saying that our Song army has established a foothold in Kyushu, Japan. They have killed many local natives, and Zhang Rong said that... they were killed on the Emperor's orders."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded calmly: "That's right, it was I who issued the decree to Zhang Rong. He previously led 5,000 troops to land in Japan, but I didn't give him enough troops. Now that Zhang Rong has 10,000 troops under his command, he should certainly be able to wreak havoc on all sides."

Everyone was stunned. Xu moved his lips a few times, as if he wanted to offer some advice, but in the end he just sighed and said nothing more.

Zhao Xiaoqian said calmly, "I know you want to advise me to follow the path of benevolence and righteousness and not to kill indiscriminately. However, I adhere to the principle of 'inner sage and outer king,' especially towards our neighbor Japan."

“Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts. We need not care too much about the lives of the people in this country. What I want is their territory and mineral resources, as well as the labor force of able-bodied men.”

"Now that Zhang Rong's troops have established a foothold in Japan, tell Zhang Rong to lead his troops to occupy the silver and copper mines in Japan, conscript local natives as miners, extract silver and copper, and transport them back to the Song Dynasty. I am waiting to use them."

"If there is spare manpower, we may establish a port and shipping office on the east coast of Japan, build large ships of tens of thousands of tons, and ideally create an invincible navy for the Song Dynasty. There are also stars and seas waiting for me to conquer."

"The imperial court cannot provide much for all expenses. Zhang Rong should use local resources. The required materials, labor, and money should be shared equally by the feudal lords of Japan. Anyone who refuses to pay will be destroyed." This incomprehensible decree left Xu Jiang and the others bewildered. However, seeing Zhao Xiaoqian's resolute expression, they knew that any attempts to persuade him would be futile and would only backfire. So, they could only bow and accept the decree.

…………

Today, Zhao Xiaoqian came to inspect the Pengri Camp, not only to watch the soldiers train, but also to broaden his son Zhao Hao's horizons. He did not want his son to be just a hothouse flower, otherwise the flower would wither and die.

Secondly, he summoned the chief officials of the Privy Council, the Palace Guard, and the Imperial City Guard to arrange the military layout for the next stage.

The national treasury was empty, and the emperor was very poor.

Even though the emperor was poor, he still wanted to cause trouble.

Although I can't touch these neighboring countries now, I won't let you have peace and quiet, and I won't let you live too comfortably.

Once I have amassed enough strength, that will be the beginning of a nightmare for the neighboring countries.

The land beneath your feet has belonged to me since ancient times.

That's right, "since ancient times".

After the arrangements were made, the officials took their leave and departed from the camp.

Zhao Xiaoqian was also about to leave when Zheng Chunhe carried Zhao Hao into the command tent.

After a short while, Zhao Xiaoqian noticed that Zhao Hao's little face was dirty and covered in dust, but he looked very happy. It was clear that he was in a state of excitement, and his little hand was tightly holding a dark yellow, sharp object.

"What are you holding in your hand?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked curiously.

Zheng Chunhe smiled wryly and said, "It's a wolf tooth that a soldier in the Pengri Camp has kept for many years. That soldier used to be a hunter and had hunted wolves before."

"His Highness the young prince was playing in the camp just now. The soldiers all liked him very much and took out fun things to entertain him. The young prince played with swords and shields and watched the soldiers shoot targets with flintlock muskets. He had a lot of fun. In the end, he took a fancy to this wolf tooth and held it in his hand and refused to let go."

"The soldier saw that the young prince liked it, so he gave it to him."

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed heartily, squatted down and looked at Zhao Hao, saying, "Since you like it, you can keep it, but you can't put it in your mouth and eat it. You can't eat this stuff, understand?"

Zhao Hao nodded blankly, then answered loudly, "I know!"

Zhao Xiaoqian winked at him: "Is it fun here?"

Zhao Hao became excited again and answered even louder: "Fun!"

"Dad will bring you here to play often from now on, okay?"

"it is good!"

"When you're a little older, Dad will find you a master to teach you martial arts, okay?"

"it is good!"

Zhao Xiaoqian was overjoyed. He picked up his son and gave him a big kiss on the cheek, then kept spitting on him, saying that the boy's face was covered in dust and was filthy. He thought that if he washed him, he might be usable again.

“Let’s go back to the palace…” Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly paused, then said, “Wait, now that we’re out of the palace, there’s no rush to go back. Old Zheng, get me and Sang Biao some civilian clothes. I want to eat fish…”

Zheng Chunhe was taken aback: "The Emperor wants to eat...fish?"

“That’s right, we’ll eat steamed fish made by Zhang Xiaoyi’s wife. It’s perfect, and I’ll also introduce my son to my friend, his uncle.”

Since coming into this world, Zhao Xiaoqian has had a lot of messy friends, most of whom are powerful and influential.

His only friend who was an ordinary citizen was Zhang Xiaoyi.

For Zhao Xiaoqian, this friend was the purest and most innocent friend, without exception.

When the Yellow River breached its banks and caused a flood in Bianjing, Zhang Xiaoyi saved Zhao Xiaoqian and his family's lives. Later, when Zhao Xiaoqian went through many trials and tribulations, Zhang Xiaoyi was always there to help him silently.

After achieving his goal, he left without asking Zhao Xiaoqian for anything. Even when Zhao Xiaoqian brought it up, Zhang Xiaoyi resolutely refused.

Offering help is a matter of friendship, but returning to a simple, even somewhat impoverished, life afterward is his attitude towards life.

Such pure friendship is probably hard to find again in this lifetime.

"Sang Biao, Dad will take you to see an uncle. His family's steamed fish is delicious," Zhao Xiaoqian said with a smile, holding his son.

Zhao Hao's eyes lit up: "Fish! Fish! Fish...!"

(End of this chapter)