The prince is more stable

Chapter 1033 Tearing Up the Alliance
Zhong Jianzhong strolled into the city gate as if taking a leisurely walk.

The heavy city gates slowly closed, but his hearty laughter still echoed outside the city.

The Liao army's hundred cavalrymen, who had launched a sudden attack on him, were swallowed up by the yellow dust and disappeared into the world.

Yelü Chun's face was ashen as he stared intently at the city gate, his teeth grinding together.

The surprise attack that just happened without his authorization not only damaged his reputation as the commander-in-chief, but what was even more embarrassing was that the attack failed. Now, he looked more like a clown.

Despite losing a hundred cavalrymen for no reason, Yelü Chun didn't even glance at them. He suddenly turned his head, his eyes bloodshot, and surveyed his generals.

"Who just ordered the surprise attack and killing of the Song army commander without authorization?" Yelü Chun asked with a gloomy face.

After a moment of silence, a Liao general, unable to bear the psychological pressure any longer, stepped forward and said unwillingly, "This humble general saw that His Highness the Prince and the Song army commander parted on bad terms, and that the other party was alone outside the city. This was a golden opportunity, so..."

Yelü Chun stared at his face for a long time before coldly saying, "In your next life, remember to behave yourself and don't be reckless again."

The Liao general was terrified, but Yelü Chun shouted, "Men, drag this man away and execute him!"

A group of Liao army guards rushed up, swiftly bound his hands behind his back, and dragged him away.

Yelü Chun remained indifferent, showing no concern for the life or death of his general, and instead turned to stare at the city gate of Xingqing Prefecture.

After a long while, Yelü Chun gritted his teeth.

"Xingqing Prefecture, I swear I will take it!"

"Now, all soldiers, eat your meal immediately! After you have eaten your fill, begin the siege! If we fail to capture this city, we will all be punished by His Majesty!"

An expected battle for the city ensued.

An hour later, war drums suddenly sounded and horns blew in the Liao army's ranks.

One hundred thousand Liao troops were mobilized outside the city, arrayed and approaching Xingqing City step by step.

The alliance between the Song and Liao dynasties was completely torn apart and broken from this moment on.

On the city wall of Xingqing Prefecture, Zhong Jianzhong coldly watched the Liao army's troop movements and their approach to the city. His expression remained calm, showing no sign of panic.

Yelü Chun's choice actually aligned with his own desires.

Zhong Jianzhong also hoped that the Liao army would take the initiative to break the alliance, so that he could attack the Liao army without any scruples.

Before the expedition, the emperor had already set the strategic objectives.

The Song Dynasty wanted to swallow the entire Western Xia, the "entire" one, leaving not a single scrap for the Liao army.

This was no simple military issue. The rulers and ministers of both the Song and Liao dynasties were well aware of where the relationship between the two countries would go after the Western Xia dynasty was destroyed.

If the balance of power could be maintained for decades as the Song, Liao, and Western Xia kingdoms coexisted, the destruction of Western Xia has shattered that balance. Now, the Song and Liao kingdoms have only one choice: a fight to the death.

This is the inevitable law of development, and neither side has any other choice.

Unless either the Song or Liao dynasties are ultimately destroyed, and the other side completely unifies the world.

Both rulers and ministers were aware of the future development of the situation, so when the Song-Liao alliance destroyed Xia, both commanders-in-chief received instructions from the emperor and were each making their own plans and plotting schemes.

The difference is that the Song army acted faster and was more ruthless. While the Liao army was still busy changing commanders and stationing troops due to internal affairs, the Song army had already taken the lead in capturing Xingqing Prefecture.

Xingqing Prefecture was a strategic location fought over by both armies. At this point, the conflict between the Song and Liao armies completely erupted, and they could no longer maintain a facade of harmony. The so-called alliance became a historical joke.

Zhong Jianzhong was very confident. He had confidence in his soldiers and even more confidence in the central government.

It was inevitable that the emperor would turn against the Liao Kingdom, a fact he had anticipated even before the expedition began. Therefore, when the incident actually occurred, Zhong Jianzhong was not afraid to take responsibility.

"Issue the order: all soldiers, perform your duties, defend the city, and kill the Liao soldiers as soon as they enter your firing range! Fight with all your might!" Zhong Jianzhong shouted the order from the city tower.

There were only 20,000 Song soldiers in the city. The other 30,000-plus Song soldiers had been sent out of the city by Zhong Jianzhong before the Liao army arrived and were stationed on the east and west sides, dozens of miles away.

Zhong Jianzhong had anticipated the arrival of the 100,000 Liao troops and made troop deployments in advance.

As expected, Yelü Chun had no intention of letting the matter rest, and Zhong Jianzhong's prior arrangements also came into play.

"Shoot a signal arrow from the city tower so that Deputy Commander Guo's troops outside the city can see it and the troops on the east and west sides can come over," Zhong Jianzhong stared at the Liao army's movements below the city, his eyes gleaming with excitement, as if he had seen a delicious meal and was drooling.

"This time, I swear to bury these 100,000 Liao soldiers outside Xingqing City!"

The complete breakdown of relations between the Song and Liao dynasties resulted in the Liao dynasty losing not only the resources of Western Xia, but more seriously, if Yelü Chun's 100,000 Liao troops could not return, the Liao dynasty would suffer a severe blow.

The country was already in a state of decline and was beyond saving. In order to gather 100,000 troops, Yelü Yanxi had no choice but to mobilize troops from the distant Northwest Expeditionary Command.

If this army were to be completely annihilated, it would be a devastating blow to the Liao Dynasty, causing chaos in the court and hastening its demise.

Therefore, Zhong Jianzhong couldn't help but have an idea: from a strategic point of view, if these 100,000 Liao troops could be completely annihilated, it would be of great significance to both the Song and Liao dynasties.

More precisely, its impact on the Song and Liao dynasties was more profound and important than the destruction of Western Xia. Of course, it would have been difficult for his mere 50,000 troops to completely annihilate this Liao army.

But if we add the cooperation of the 200,000 border troops of the Song Dynasty in the northwest...

The commander-in-chief never considers immediate gains or losses when making a move; all his thoughts are focused on the entire chessboard.

Zhong Jianzhong immediately shouted, "Is there anyone who isn't afraid of death who can rush out of the city and deliver a message to me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, all the soldiers behind him took a step forward and said in unison, "We are willing to go!"

Zhong Jianzhong nodded with satisfaction, then casually pointed to the most clever fellow he usually seemed to be, and said, "You go out of the city and ride north to deliver a letter to Commander Zhang of the Northwest Army, asking the Northwest Army to strictly blockade the northern part of Western Xia and order the army to slowly move south to encircle the 100,000 Liao troops."

"This matter is of utmost urgency. The message must be delivered! Success will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver and a promotion to commander!"

The guard clasped his hands in excitement, a resolute and awe-inspiring look appearing in his eyes. He immediately put on his armor and went down the city wall to choose a warhorse.

One hundred thousand Liao troops surrounded Xingqing Prefecture, while the Song army, using the entire country as a chessboard, formed a complete encirclement of these one hundred thousand Liao troops.

Just as the arrangements were completed, the sound of urgent war drums came from outside the city, and the wailing of horns sounded like the cries of gods and ghosts.

War clouds loomed over Xingqing City, and the sky and earth seemed to change color.

One hundred thousand Liao soldiers split into three directions and began their assault on the city wall.

Amidst the earth-shattering screams of death, Zhong Jianzhong's calm voice echoed inside and outside the city walls.

"The entire army must hold its ground and may freely engage in combat."

A volley of gunfire rang out from the city wall ramparts. At the same time, two whistling arrows suddenly shot into the sky, whistling sharply before exploding with a mournful sound in the air.

On the east and west sides outside the city, two Song army units, having heard the news, sped towards Xingqing Prefecture, kicking up clouds of yellow dust.

…………

Bian Jing, Yanfu Palace.

Zhao Xiaoqian woke up very early today. When he opened his eyes, Xue Meiyun, who was lying next to him, also opened her eyes as if they were telepathically connected. Their eyes met, and Xue Meiyun, being shy, instinctively covered herself with the blanket and turned her pretty face away shyly.

"You've done everything, and now you're only being shy? Isn't it too late? Are you playing the emperor here?" Zhao Xiaoqian said with a smile.

Xue Meiyun shook her head and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, I have not put on any makeup and my face is ugly. I am afraid that I will offend Your Majesty's eyes and make him feel disgusted by me."

Zhao Xiaoqian twitched the corner of his mouth and said, "We're practically husband and wife now. Married couples don't share a bed just for physical attraction..."

After a moment of silence, Zhao Xiaoqian reluctantly changed his tune: "Alright, at first I was indeed attracted by her beauty. Men are all prone to lust, and I am the epitome of manhood, strong and majestic."

Xue Meiyun chuckled: "The Emperor is indeed an upright gentleman."

"However, after being together for a long time, couples know each other's appearance and personality inside and out. There's no need to hide anything from each other anymore. To put it bluntly, I know exactly how many hairs are on your body..."

"Oh!" Xue Meiyun blushed deeply, turned around and pinched him, scolding, "Your Excellency's words are too vulgar!"

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled: "So, the most important thing in a marriage is mindset—the willingness to spend a lifetime together. With that mindset, a couple can stay together for a long time and truly live together forever. And they can also be more tolerant and understanding of each other's shortcomings."

“I have seen all sorts of embarrassing, ugly, and unsightly things about my wives, from the way they look when they wake up with sleepy eyes, to the way their faces turn red when they are constipated, to the way they have food stuck in their teeth after meals, to the way they accidentally fart in bed… I have seen them all.”

The more Zhao Xiaoqian spoke, the more embarrassed and ashamed Xue Meiyun became.

That's such a terrible thing to say, it really ruins the image.

In front of the man she loves, a woman should be a celestial fairy, untouched by worldly affairs, not only not defecating, but also only consuming nectar and immortality, completely untouched by the dust of the world...

But upon hearing the official's words, all the beautiful, ethereal scenes were ruined. What appeared in Xue Meiyun's mind at this moment were scenes of daily life, constipation, scratching her feet, farting, and all sorts of unsightly and unpleasant images.

A fairy descended to earth, but misjudged her landing spot and unfortunately fell into a cesspool...

Just thinking about it made Xue Meiyun feel ashamed. If she spent a lot of time with the officials in the future, would she really become like that?
Would the emperor still like me if I were like that?
"Your Majesty, please stop talking! I don't even want to live anymore!" Xue Meiyun said pitifully, hiding under the covers.

Zhao Xiaoqian chuckled twice and said, "There are no secrets between husband and wife, nor is there any regard for appearances. I have seen all those women in their most unsightly forms, but I have not looked down on them and have treated them the same as always."

"If a man can't even do this much, and expects his wife to be as beautiful as a fairy at all times, it means that he is not mature enough and is not suitable for marriage."

Despite all that has been said, Xue Meiyun is ultimately a stunningly beautiful woman and simply cannot let go of her idol image; she doesn't even want to touch on this topic.

"Your Majesty, I have a request that I cannot make..." Xue Meiyun said cautiously, staring at his face.

"While I'm in a good mood, you'd better speak quickly. In another hour, once I start dealing with state affairs, my mood will change, and I'll shut you down no matter what you say then."

Xue Meiyun chuckled, then carefully said, "I have been in the palace for two years now, and I miss my parents very much. Could Your Majesty please issue an imperial decree to invite my parents to Bianjing? I... miss them so much."

(End of this chapter)