"Go on," said Zhao Huan. He had already started to look at Zhu Xiaoqing with new respect.
Zhu Xiaoqing said the same thing: "Your Majesty, give me 3,000 armored men, and I will eliminate the threat of Mongolian cavalry on the northwest border. Give me 20,000 armored men, and I can annihilate the Western Xia."
If Zhu Xiaoqing had said these words before, Zhao Huan would still be furious, but after the conversation just now, he changed his opinion of Zhu Xiaoqing.
"Okay, I will give you three thousand pieces of armor and appoint you as the General of the Western Expedition. I want to see how capable you are." Zhao Huan said.
"Your Majesty, this is not possible. I only have this one brother." The Queen was very anxious.
Zhu Lian was not ambitious and did not want her brother to take risks. In her eyes, she was already the mother of the country and her brother could live a life of glory under her protection.
Who would have thought that he was such a stubborn person, unlike her father, Zhu Bocai, Prince of Enping. Zhu Bocai was originally the military governor of Wukang Army and was later named Prince of Enping by Zhao Huan.
Zhu Bocai, who was named Prince of Enping, lived a secluded life and did not have much contact with court officials. However, Zhu Xiaoqing was determined to develop a political career.
Zhao Huan waved his hand: "Queen, I have my own plans."
Zhu Xiaoqing almost jumped up with excitement: "Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you, brother-in-law! Long live Your Majesty! Long live my brother-in-law!"
Zhao Huan shook his head and smiled bitterly. He was truly unsure. There was no way he could give him 20,000 cavalrymen. Even giving him 3,000 armored men was enough to make Zhao Huan tremble with fear.
"Zhu Xiaoqing!" Zhao Huan called out, his tone now stern. Everything else was fine, but fighting as a foreman was not something to be taken lightly.
"I am here!" Zhu Xiaoqing immediately raised his head and chest, with a righteous look on his face.
Zhao Huan said sternly, "I gave you these three thousand armored soldiers so that you can fight on the battlefield and serve your country. You must remember that war is no joke, let alone mere talk! The lives of these three thousand soldiers are in your hands. The slightest carelessness will harm them.
There's no child's play in the military, and even less affection. What we do have are the iron laws of the Great Song Dynasty, and the ruthless military law. Don't let the families of these three thousand soldiers become orphans and widows. It would be a small matter for me to chop off your head, but it would be a great shame to leave you infamous for eternity!
Even though he was his brother-in-law, military law was ruthless and Zhao Huan would never protect him if he made a mistake.
Zhu Xiaoqing's face was light with a hint of fortitude: "Your Majesty, rest assured. I, Zhu Xiaoqing, swear here that I will live and die with the soldiers!"
Zhao Huan nodded and said, "These three thousand armored men are heroes who have fought with me. I hand them over to you. I hope you can lead them to a great victory and show the glory of the Song Dynasty!"
Zhu Xiaoqing bowed and accepted the order: "I will definitely fulfill my mission!"
Outside the western suburbs of the city, three thousand soldiers selected from the Imperial Guards were standing or sitting, lazily gathering outside the city.
They were not very excited about this expedition, going out to fight with the emperor's brother-in-law. The emperor would not put his brother-in-law on the front line, most likely for training, and put these people in the rear for show.
Maybe if you go to the border, you will just be a reserve force, eating and drinking for a few years and then come back to get a promotion.
It made sense, as the Emperor's favorite was Concubine Nangong. The Empress was now practically alone, without any relatives. Naturally, the Empress was unwilling to accept this, so she sought to cultivate her younger brother to achieve great things and maintain her position within the court.
Most of these people think so.
Some even looked down on this General Zhengxi, who had been promoted through nepotism. "I fought bloody battles, died countless times, and finally earned the position of General Yuhou. And you, a little kid who hasn't even grown all your hair, got the title of General Zhengxi." Naturally, many people were dissatisfied.
When Zhu Xiaoqing arrived at the parade grounds, none of the officers paid any attention to him. People were either standing or sitting. "You may be the emperor's brother-in-law, but my skills were earned on the battlefield."
What these soldiers admire most are the generals who fight with real ability, and they are full of contempt for people like Zhu Xiaoqing.
Among the three thousand men assigned to him was Chao Yuan, the chief military officer.
Chao Yuan's background is even more remarkable. He is Zhao Qi's son-in-law.
Zhao Qi was the ninth son of Emperor Shenzong Zhao Xu and the half-brother of Emperor Zhezong Zhao Xu. His mother was Consort Wuxian. He was initially appointed Jiedushi of Shannan East Road and granted the title of Duke of Yiguo. After Emperor Zhezong ascended the throne, he was granted the titles of Grand Secretary and Prince of Daning. He was later promoted to Prince of Shen and appointed Minister of Works.
After Zhezong died without a son, Zhao Qi was the oldest among his brothers and should have inherited the throne. However, Zhao Qi was blind and could not inherit the throne. Instead, his eleventh brother Zhao Ji inherited the throne.
In other words, if Zhao Ji was not blind, the throne would not have belonged to Zhao Ji at all, let alone Zhao Huan.
Although Zhao Qi and his daughter were no longer alive, his son-in-law Chao Yuan was highly respected. He had once followed Zhao Huan to fight the Jin army and was favored by Zhao Huan.
Although Chao Yuan was only a Du Yuhou, he was arrogant and domineering in the imperial guards. He looked down on generals of the same rank, let alone Zhu Xiaoqing, a young man.
Zhu Xiaoqing was dressed in military uniform and armor. Although he was only sixteen years old, he looked quite impressive. He was followed by only six soldiers, who were his servants.
"Why don't you line up!" Zhu Xiaoqing said with a cold face.
"Why form a team? We're not really going to fight. Haha." It was Chao Yuan who said this.
He was seen sitting lazily on the ground, with a group of men following behind him.
The subordinates laughed and said, "That's right. Your Majesty sent such a brat to lead us into battle. I'm afraid he'll pee his pants when he sees the Mongols on the battlefield."
There was a burst of laughter in the arena, and another person said: "I peed my pants before I even saw the Mongolians."
"Hahaha..." The crowd started laughing again.
"I am the General of the Western Expedition appointed by His Majesty himself! Now I order you to line up. Anyone who dares to disobey will be punished by military law!" Zhu Xiaoqing shouted loudly.
The generals were stunned for a moment. This kid was serious. So the soldiers stood up one after another. Some of the proud guys also reluctantly threw away the grass in their mouths, patted their buttocks and stood up.
Chao Yuan relied on his family background and his military achievements to look down on Zhu Xiaoqing and wanted to embarrass him.
The soldiers behind Chao Yuan were too timid to stand up. Chao Yuan sat on the ground and waved his hand, and the generals had no choice but to sit down again.
Zhu Xiaoqing walked up to Chao Yuan, his eyes also full of contempt: "Can't you hear my order?"
Chao Yuan held a branch in his mouth and said, "So what if I heard it? So what if I didn't hear it? My butt hurts and I can't get up. How about you help me up?"
Chao Yuan spoke in a contemptuous and uncouth tone, not at all like Du Yuhou.
"Drag him out and chop him into pieces!" Zhu Xiaoqing shouted.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com