New Song Dynasty: My Wife is an Imperial Princess

In order to get rid of these plague-ridden people, Zhao Huan almost emptied his entire fortune.

As soon as dozens of carriages entered the Jin army camp, the gold and silver inside were unloaded. Before long, on the empty battlefield outside the military tent, only one lonely carriage remained, guarded by more than ten Song soldiers responsible for escorting the princess to her wedding.

Despite their anxiety, Zhao Yingluo's guards showed no intention of abandoning the princess. When they saw Wanyan Xun riding towards them, the guard leader immediately went to meet him, and his subordinates behind him all placed their hands on the hilts of their swords.

"Please do not be nervous, everyone. I am just here to inform you that our troops have been withdrawing north one after another. As for your princess's wedding procession, she only needs to follow my personal troops."

Leader Wang Jian first nodded to Wanyan Xun, then waved to his subordinates behind him. Upon receiving the order, the guards immediately pulled on their reins and surrounded the carriage carrying Zhao Yingluo. The group was ready to depart. At Wang Jian's command, the carriage slowly started and followed Wanyan Xun's personal guards northward.

Without the people lining the streets to see her off, without the countless dowry items, only a dozen or so loyal guards escorting her, and a personal maid whom she regarded as family, Princess Zhao Yingluo of the Song Dynasty silently embarked on her journey to the Jin Kingdom for a marriage alliance.

The siege of Tokyo lasted for more than a month. Although the two sides only clashed for two days, the food and supplies of tens of thousands of people were exhausted. When they returned to Youzhou, Wanyan Xun's personal guards were no longer burdened by baggage and were able to march much faster.

Throughout the entire march, Zhao Yingluo and her maid Rong'er never showed their faces in public. When setting up camp at night, her personal guards would set up the tents first, and the carriages would be parked directly outside the tents. Even when she got out of the carriage, her face was covered with a veil.

Wanyan Xun was not curious about Zhao Yingluo's appearance. He firmly believed that women would only hinder his progress in building his career. With the constraints of family, he would be hesitant to do things. Once he achieved success, what kind of woman could he not get?

He was aloof from women, yet he couldn't resist the lecherous thoughts of his subordinates. Of course, Zhao Yingluo's identity was special; she was a princess sent to marry a foreign ruler from the Song Dynasty. As the deputy general of the Youzhou army, Zha Lu didn't dare to truly disrespect the princess. However, the more aloof and unapproachable Zhao Yingluo appeared, the more he yearned to see her true colors.

As Wanyan Xun's deputy, Zha Lu knew very well that it was his commander's intention to get the Song emperor to agree to the marriage alliance. Although he didn't know the purpose of this move, he was certain that the princess in front of him could not be sent to Liaoyang City.

Not going to the capital meant that she could not marry a powerful figure in the Jin Dynasty. If Wanyan Xun only intended to marry Zhao Yingluo to a Jin general to humiliate the Song Dynasty, Zhalu felt that he was fully capable of this task.

Intentionally or unintentionally, Zha Lu mentioned it to Wanyan Xun a few times, but Wanyan Xun scolded him every time. With Youzhou City approaching, if he didn't take action soon, he would really miss the chance to see the magnificent face of the Song Dynasty's imperial princess.

As dusk fell, the army set up camp in a sheltered spot in a mountain hollow. Zhalu deliberately positioned his tent not far from the Song army's camp. Having drunk several cups of strong liquor that evening, Zhalu feigned drunkenness, standing up while clutching his wine jar: "Drinking with you men every day is really boring. Now that we have a Song princess in the camp, why don't we have her come out and dance a song to liven things up?"

Before he could finish speaking, one of his drunken subordinates chimed in, "I've long heard that Song Dynasty women are skilled in singing and dancing. Today, I'll verify whether the rumors are true."

So what if she's a princess of the Song Dynasty? What's the big deal about humiliating her? At worst, we can just have the Song emperor send another one over.

Zhalu's actions were both rough and shrewd, because he knew the principle that the law does not punish the masses. If he went to the Song camp alone to see the princess's beauty, he would definitely be punished by Wanyan Xun. But if he incited everyone to go together, Wanyan Xun would at most scold him a few times and give the Song princess a way out. Would he really do something that would make his subordinates feel disheartened?

Fueled by alcohol, they staggered toward the Song camp, fully expecting to get what they wanted that night. But before they even reached Zhao Yingluo's tent, several Song soldiers suddenly rushed out and held knives to their necks.

If they had met face-to-face, Zhalu wouldn't have given these people a second glance. Unfortunately, they were caught off guard. They were drunk and unarmed, and the other side had taken advantage of the darkness to launch a sneak attack. Zhalu, naturally unwilling to accept the ambush, tried to struggle to break free of their hold. However, Wang Jian tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, saying, "I am ordered to escort Her Highness the Princess. Anyone who disrespects Her Highness will be executed without mercy."

"I dare you," Zha Lu sneered. "This is the territory under the jurisdiction of my Great Jin. How dare a few mere Song dogs bare their teeth at this deputy commander?"

Despite the threat in Zhalu's words, Wang Jian remained unmoved: "You can try."

Feeling the blade slice through his neck, Zhalu finally realized that these men really intended to kill him. A gust of cold wind blew by, and he immediately sobered up considerably: "We drank a few too many cups tonight. Please forgive us for trespassing on Song's camp."

Then, he waved to his companions, "It's getting late, so I won't disturb your rest any longer. Farewell."

He slowly took two steps back, and seeing that the other party did not make any move, until he was completely out of the attack range of Wang Jian's long sword, Zhalu immediately called his subordinates to return to the camp to retrieve their weapons.

As the deputy commander of the Youzhou army, I have suffered such a great loss in front of these Song people. I must regain the face I have lost today.

Wang Jian naturally knew what they were rushing back for, but he was not afraid at all: "We were ordered to leave the capital and have long since disregarded life and death. If you have the guts, come and fight us. In any case, it's just death."

"General Wang died for his country, and I admire him greatly."

In the darkness, another person walked out of the tent. With this person's appearance, everyone present stopped what they were doing.

When Zou Ran heard that familiar voice, Zha Lu felt a mix of unease and anxiety. After all, on the day of the expedition, Wanyan Xun had issued a military order forbidding any disturbance of the Song Dynasty's imperial princesses, under penalty of severe punishment. However, Zha Lu felt relieved when he thought of the several subordinates around him.

“Deputy General Zhalu violated military orders and was given forty strokes of the cane. The rest of you were each given twenty strokes of the cane. Go to the military court immediately to receive your punishment.”

Wanyan Xun's merciless punishment left Zha Lu stunned on the spot. He thought the other party would just scold him, but he didn't expect that the other party would actually dare to hit him with a military rod.

The soldiers of Youzhou all knew that Wanyan Xun was strict in disciplining his troops, and that they would be severely injured after being beaten with forty strokes of the military rod.

Seeing that the men were standing still, Wanyan Xun's voice became sharp: "Aren't you going?"

"I am the younger brother of Xigu King Andahe, the Eastern Route Commander. Let's see who dares to hit me!" Since he was determined to completely break off relations, Zhalu had no intention of giving Wanyan Xun any more face. "You are just a bastard born of Emperor Kangzong and a Liao man. If you weren't surnamed Wanyan, I would have..."

A cold glint flashed in the darkness, and Zaru, who had been spouting threats, stopped abruptly. With a scream, one of his arms was severed at the shoulder, and a spurt of blood gushed out, the blood raining down and staining the ground beneath Zaru's feet.

"The deputy general Zha Lu has committed insubordination and has been dismissed from all his posts. After recovering from his injuries, he will be expelled from the army and never be employed again."

Seeing that Zhalu's left shoulder was bleeding profusely and his eyes were glazed as he was about to collapse, the men who had come with him immediately stepped forward to help him up. Under Wang Jianwu's silent gaze, he ran out of the camp and disappeared into the darkness.

"Your Highness has been frightened." Wanyan Xun gave a slight apology towards the tent where Zhao Yingluo was, and turned to leave, but a woman's voice coming from inside the tent made him stop in his tracks: "Thank you for your help, General. May I ask if you are the person my Highness is to be married off to in this political marriage?"

"It was indeed my idea to arrange a marriage alliance, but Your Highness's future husband is not me." Wanyan Xun smiled faintly. "Your Highness need not worry. Perhaps Your Highness will be grateful to me in the future."