The prince is more stable

Chapter 548: Thousands of Miles Away
The information provided by Xiao Guangjing is indeed more important.

What is important is not only the news of the Liao Kingdom's mobilization of troops, but also the fact that the scouts and the Imperial City Administration of the Song Dynasty will know about it within a few days.

However, the strategic intentions, tactical deployments, etc. of the Liao Dynasty's monarchs and ministers were information that ordinary scouts and the Imperial City Administration could not obtain.

Just based on this point, the plan to lure Xiao Guangjing into the trap was not in vain, and this piece of toilet paper finally had value.

Zhao Xiaoqian's expression became more and more serious, and he felt the urgency of time.

Speed ​​is of the essence in war, and the Song army must respond immediately, otherwise it will be passive.

At this time, Xiao Guangjing was still hanging under the tree, swinging leisurely. After hanging in this awkward posture for a long time, Xiao Guangjing actually got used to it psychologically. He felt a little ashamed at the beginning, but now he is very calm and even feels that this is the only correct posture for chatting.

The two chatted for a long time, but Xiao Guangjing didn't take the initiative to ask to put him down. This showed that he seemed to have opened the door to a new world...

Zhao Xiaoqian was a little anxious. He had to go to the palace immediately to report this information.

Standing up and dusting himself off, Zhao Xiaoqian said, "Just hang here and don't move. I'll go buy you some oranges."

Just as he was about to turn and leave, Xiao Guangjing suddenly said, "Brother Zi'an, how much punishment can I reduce with this information I provided?"

Zhao Xiaoqian clicked his tongue.

There's something wrong with this guy. Shouldn't the most important thing now be to put him down? But he's used to this position and is concerned about reducing the compensation...

"Okay, I'll reduce your family's compensation by 100,000 taels." Zhao Xiaoqian said and left without looking back.

Xiao Guangjing's arms were a little numb from being hung, but he smiled with relief.

With just three sentences, I got the man to reduce my salary by 100,000 taels.

Then I suddenly felt something was wrong. Hey? Why was I still hanging in the air?

Why have I become accustomed to this shameful posture?

Xiao Guangjing hurriedly looked at the servants gathered in the front yard of the palace and said, "Excuse me, everyone, can someone help me put me down?"

A servant twitched his lips and said, "The prince ordered someone to be hanged. Who in the palace has the courage to let you down?"

…………

Yanfu Palace, Funing Hall.

A moment after Zhao Xiaoqian entered the palace, several palace maids hurried out of the palace and went to the residences of several bigwigs in Bian Jing.

Half an hour later, important officials including Zhang Dun, Zeng Bu, An Tao, and Xu Jiang rushed into the palace.

The atmosphere in Funing Palace was solemn. Zhao Xu sat in the first seat with a stern expression, his head bowed in thought.

Zhao Xiaoqian sat on the side and looked around at several important ministers with a calm face.

Zhang Dun was a little anxious and was only concerned with observing the expressions of Zhao Xiaoqian, An Tao, Xu Jiang and others. Although he was the prime minister, his strength was in handling internal affairs. He knew nothing about military affairs, but he was still a little behind An Tao, Xu Jiang and other bigwigs of the Privy Council.

After a long moment, Zhao Xu exhaled and said with a wry smile, "I never thought that Zi'an's misfortune would give the Liao Kingdom an opportunity. This is something I never anticipated."

Zhao Xiaoqian also smiled bitterly and said, "I never thought that the Liao emperor was still so reckless. Not only did he plan a counterattack to reclaim the lost territory, he also intended to capture Zhending Prefecture and massacre the entire city. I thought that after the Liao army's two defeats, they would be quiet for a year or two, but in less than half a year, they think they are back on top."

An Tao stroked his beard and smiled, "As soon as the Liao emperor and his ministers learned that Your Highness had been dismissed, they immediately launched a counterattack. This also shows that Your Highness still retains his power in Zhending Prefecture and has made great contributions in defending the border and suppressing the enemy. He is truly a pillar of the Song Dynasty."

Zhao Xiaoqian narrowed his eyes and smiled at An Tao.

The old man is very old, but he is very wise and speaks very nicely.

Zhao Xu turned his head to look at Zhao Xiaoqian and said, "You are the commander-in-chief of the border defense. Tell me what you think."

Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned: "Your Majesty, I have been dismissed..."

Zhao Xu glanced at the ministers present and waved his hand nonchalantly, "Now that you've been reinstated, stop being so hypocritical. The military situation is urgent, speak quickly."

Zhao Xiaoqian didn't dare joke anymore. After thinking for a moment, he said, "It's still half a month before the Liao army gathers 100,000 troops, but I'm afraid that time won't be enough for our royal army. After all, it will take us longer to mobilize troops to Zhending Prefecture than the Liao army. We're already on the defensive before the battle even begins."

"Therefore, I believe that we should immediately send a swift horse to report this to Zhong Jianzhong, and order him to reorganize the Dragon Guard Battalion and hold off the enemy for a while, buying time for our royal army to arrive and provide support."

Zhao Xu frowned: "The Dragon Guard Battalion only has 30,000 men. Can they stop them?"

"In theory, we can stop them, but it depends on the Liao army's tactics. However, in my opinion, we cannot be led by the Liao army. While the Liao army has not yet completed its assembly, the Dragon Guard Battalion should take the initiative to attack."

An Tao looked at him expectantly. "Your Highness, what's your brilliant plan?" "Well, it's not really a brilliant plan. We'll just meet the enemy head-on," Zhao Xiaoqian said with a smile. "The Liao army is invading this time, divided into three parts: east, west, and center. While these three parts are still gathering, the 30,000 troops of the Dragon Guard Battalion can cross the Juma River to the north and launch a surprise attack on Xijin Prefecture."

"If nothing unexpected happens, Xijin Prefecture is in the middle of the road, with a maximum of 40,000 soldiers and horses. My Dragon Guard Battalion has 30,000 soldiers equipped with firearms, so we are confident of annihilating them. Even if we can't completely wipe them out, we can achieve our goal by annihilating most of them."

Upon hearing this, An Tao and General Xu said in unison, "Good idea!"

One of them was the Privy Councilor and the other was the head of the Privy Council. They were naturally proficient in military affairs. Only experts could understand the profound meaning of Zhao Xiaoqian's idea.

The deeper meaning is not how many Liao troops are annihilated, but to disrupt the Liao army's strategic intentions.

Xijin Prefecture is the middle route. If the middle route is beaten into a sieve by the Dragon Guard Camp, from the perspective of the battle line, it will be considered as cutting off the other two routes, east and west.

It is a big taboo in military affairs if the head and tail cannot take care of each other.

Therefore, the Longwei Battalion attacked Xijin Prefecture directly. No matter how many enemies they killed, they could completely disrupt the Liao army's strategic intentions.

What attack Taiyuan Prefecture and Daming Prefecture, attract the Longwei Camp to divide its troops to rescue the east and west, cross the Juma River to the south of the central route, and attack Zhending Prefecture... With the proactive attack of the Longwei Camp, these strategic intentions will instantly vanish into thin air, and the Liao army will inevitably fall into a passive position overnight.

This is why An Tao and General Xu cheered in unison. After cheering, they looked at Zhao Xiaoqian with approval, and they couldn't hide the smiles on their faces.

It has to be said that after guarding the border in Zhending Prefecture for more than half a year, Zhao Xiaoqian himself has grown. He has become a qualified commander-in-chief, possessing the vision and strategic perspective of a commander-in-chief.

This is his personal growth, not a skill brought from his previous life.

"As expected of a general guarding the northern border and intimidating the Liao Kingdom, I'm convinced. With such a pillar of the Song Dynasty, there's no need to worry about instability in the world." An Tao stroked his beard and laughed a few times, then bowed to Zhao Xu. "I congratulate the emperor and the Song Dynasty for having such a talented person."

Seeing someone praising his cousins, Zhao Xu's family bloodline was instantly awakened. He immediately looked proud and laughed smugly.

"Mr. An, you are too polite. Zi'an is still young and has many shortcomings. Don't spoil the young man." Zhao Xu said modestly with an elder's smile on his face.

Don’t you understand your own generation?

Putting aside your identity as the emperor, you are just a brother, not an elder. Why do you look so proud yet so humble and unworthy of praise? It's so disgusting!
Seeing Zhao Xu smiling happily, several other important officials present also smiled and echoed An Tao's words, showing a perfect grasp of the ways of the world.

An Tao continued, "Your Highness, your plan will disrupt the Liao army's tactics, turning passivity into initiative, and it won't cost too much. I believe this plan is feasible."

Zhang Dun didn't understand military affairs, so Zhao Xu automatically ignored him and looked at Zeng Bu and Xu Jiang, the two bigwigs of the Privy Council.

The two thought for a while and nodded involuntarily.

"I agree with An Lao's proposal. Your Highness, this plan is very clever and should be the best way to deal with it."

Zhao Xu said, "Since none of you have any objection, then let's proceed accordingly. The Ministry of War will immediately dispatch swift horses to the Dragon Guard Camp and tell Zhong Jianzhong to reorganize his troops and prepare for battle. Five days from now, we will cross the Juma River to the north and launch a surprise attack on Xijin Prefecture of the Liao Kingdom!"

Zhao Xu then looked at Zhao Xiaoqian and said with a smile, "I feel sorry for Zi'an's hard work guarding the border. I had originally planned to let you relax in Bianjing for a few more days, but now it seems that Zi'an will not be able to relax any longer. You must immediately head north and take over the command from Zhong Jianzhong. This battle is of great importance, and Zi'an must lead it personally."

Zhao Xiaoqian stood up and bowed deeply, saying, "I am willing to share the worries of the emperor and serve the country, without complaining about the hardship."

Zhao Xu continued, "I ordered you to select 80,000 soldiers from the three armies in Bianjing. How is the progress?"

"The progress is encouraging, Your Majesty!" Zhao Xiaoqian said without hesitation.

Zhao Xu and the others were stunned. What did "progress is encouraging" mean? Are you kidding me? Where were the specific figures?
Zhao Xu immediately stared at Zhao Xiaoqian with an unfriendly look.

Zhao Xiaoqian felt a tingling sensation on his scalp. He had been too lazy these past few days, and the matter of selecting the three armies had been proceeding slowly. His plan was to finish the task within a month.

Who could have thought that Yelu Hongji was so confident that he suddenly stood up again not long after being defeated?

Zhao Xu was obviously not stupid and was not an emperor who could be easily fooled.

Zhao Xiaoqian had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "I've been a bit slack in selecting 80,000 soldiers. I originally planned to finish it within a month, but things happened suddenly, and now the progress is... well, I'm not even halfway through. I know I was wrong."

Zhao Xu and everyone else looked at each other. Zhang Dun closed his eyes and pretended to be dead. Zeng Bu glanced at Zhao Xiaoqian with a smile. An Tao liked Zhao Xiaoqian more, but he opened his mouth, not knowing how to help him save the situation.

After a long pause, Zhao Xu sighed and said, "If it weren't for the recent birth of a prince, I wouldn't have scolded anyone, fearing it would diminish my merits. Zi'an, your ancestors of the Chu lineage..."

Before he finished speaking, Zhao Xiaoqian said innocently, "Your Majesty, the ancestors of the Chu King's lineage are also your ancestors. This... be careful with your words."

Zhao Xu paused. Eh? It seemed to be true.

The lineage of the King of Chu can be traced back to Emperor Yingzong. Among Yingzong's sons, the eldest was Emperor Shenzong, and the second was Zhao Hao, the King of Chu. If Zhao Xu wanted to curse his ancestors, he would have to hold down the coffin lid of his grandfather, Emperor Yingzong, first...

(End of this chapter)