Chapter 341 The Flower of the Famous General Fades

When Yelu Xiuge fled to the grassland with more than a hundred personal soldiers, he encountered the 40,000 reinforcements brought by Yelu Xiezhen. After recounting the experience of the annihilation of the entire army with a feeling of grief and shame, he fainted from anger. After

being taken back to Shangjing, Yelu Xiuge never woke up again and lay in bed like a living dead for more than two years. Today is the day when this famous general who had spent his whole life in the military and dominated the world came to an end.

After receiving the news, Empress Dowager Xiao and the little emperor came to the prince's mansion in person to see him off. The death of Yelu Xiuge, a famous general and the King of the Northern Courtyard, is a pain in the hearts of the Khitan people of Liao. Moreover, the last battle of Marshal Yelu Xiu'ge's life turned out to be such a tragic defeat. Nearly 100,000 Liao army main forces were wiped out by the Song army, shaking the foundation of Liao.

Yelu Xiezhen, the king of the South Courtyard, and Yelu Xiu'ge, the king of the North Courtyard, were both members of the royal family. Yelu Xiu'ge was the elder of Yelu Xiezhen. Today, he was also here to help preside over the funeral as the younger nephew of the royal family.

The little emperor lit an incense stick and couldn't help but shed tears. He was pushed to the throne at a young age, and one of the three big backers in his mind collapsed.

Empress Dowager Xiao took the incense handed over by the palace maid, bowed, and personally inserted it into the incense burner. Her heart ached, and her eyes were red and she almost cried.

One of the pillars supporting the Liao Kingdom fell down. Is it a sign that the building is about to collapse? The

Empress Dowager Xiao, feeling heavy-hearted, glanced at the young emperor beside her with a childish face, as if a heavy stone was pressing on her heart. Yelu Xiezhen sighed in her heart as she saw silver streaks in the black hair at the temples of the Empress Dowager Xiao and the fatigue and depression that could not be hidden on her beautiful face!

The Empress Dowager, who was once so tenacious, wise and courageous, was also hit to the point of fatigue and decadence.

Zhao Defang, the Song Kingdom is now rich and peaceful, with strong soldiers and horses. When are you going to take over Liao and Xixia? Our Great Liao soldiers and Xixia warriors have long been ready to fight to the death!

"Your Majesty, Queen Mother, please go to the back and rest for a while!" The princess, who was dressed in plain clothes and had white flowers in her hair, bowed and invited them. Queen

Mother Xiao stretched out her hand to pull her up and comforted her: "Princess, please accept my condolences and take care of yourself. This palace still depends on you to support it. If you have any difficulties, come to the palace and tell me. Marshal Yelu Xiuge has fought for the Great Liao Kingdom and made countless contributions. This palace and the emperor will not let you down."

Princess Yelu hurriedly thanked her with tears in her eyes. Although the Queen Mother was also a woman, she was open-minded and wise. She never blamed Yelu Xiu'ge for the utter defeat that plunged Liao into a state of national decline. Instead, she always resisted public opinion and suppressed the voices that wanted to punish Yelu Xiu'ge. Empress

Dowager Xiao and the emperor did not stay for long. After drinking a cup of tea and comforting Princess Yelu, they returned to the palace. ...

Since the implementation of the New Deal reform in the Song Dynasty, the situation has improved day by day. The people who have fields to grow and can eat enough and have clothes to protect themselves from the cold can truly live and work in peace and contentment.

After the poor people at the bottom no longer have to worry about food and clothing, they dare to buy some daily necessities with a little money. During festivals, they can also buy fish and meat to improve their meals. The increased consumption of the large number of people at the bottom has promoted the prosperity of business.

The aristocratic families and wealthy landlords who were left with only a thousand mu of food land and whose extra land was taken away by the new policy of the Regent King were arrested and imprisoned, their property was confiscated, and their families were completely ruined.

Those families who were good at assessing the situation had other profitable businesses in addition to huge amounts of land. After transferring their energy and financial resources to business, the leaders of the aristocratic families and wealthy and powerful families were surprised to find that although the new policy reform increased commercial taxes, their business was easier to do than before and they made more money than before.

As a result, the enthusiasm of the people who had their own land was unprecedentedly high, the grain production increased, and the number of acres reclaimed reached the highest level since the founding of the Song Dynasty.

The prosperity of the whole nation and the improvement of consumption level have promoted the prosperity of business. Tax revenue has increased several times. The abundant treasury has made Kou Zhun, who was promoted to the Minister of Revenue, happy every day. The

military reform has also been completely completed. In addition to the two personal armies of Moyun Cavalry and Feiyun Cavalry belonging to His Royal Highness the Regent, the imperial guards guarding the capital have been carefully selected and compressed to 50,000 men.

The Regent Zhao Defang has also organized four powerful new armies, each with 20,000 men. War horses, armor, weapons, and the God Arm Bow and Thunder are all standard equipment for each new army.

The commander of the first army of the new army is the famous Yang Yanzhao, and the main backbone is also the Yang family's Volcano Army.

The commander of the second army of the new army was the young general Cao Wei, the commander of the third army was Gao Yingxiong, and the commander of the fourth army was Cheng Yu. The regent Zhao Defang boldly reused the two young generals, and it was also a domineering dispute with the civil and military officials before the decision was made.

It is worth mentioning that the female soldiers of the Big Foot Women's Corps have also expanded to 3,000.

Pang Ying, the commander of the first battalion of the Big Foot Women's Corps, lived up to the expectations of the princess. The son he gave birth to took his tall mother's height and his handsome father's appearance, which can be regarded as taking the strengths of his father and mother's genes to make up for his weaknesses. When his son was three months old, Pang Ying moved into the barracks with his family, and trained his 1,000 female soldiers every day.

After the daily training, Pang Ying was sweaty. After eating a big pot meal with the female soldiers in the barracks, she returned to the family courtyard behind the barracks.

She first looked at her son who was coaxed to sleep by the nanny, chatted with her mother who was doing needlework, and then went to the lower room to take a bath.

Pang Ying took a shower, and then quickly washed the clothes she had changed, hung them on the rope in the yard, and went back to her room to rest.

Shen Qiu, a family member of the Women's Corps, was concentrating on playing with a bronze model under the candlelight. The lights in the room dimmed. Shen Qiu looked up at his tall and burly wife and smiled apologetically, "My wife, you go to bed first! I have to be busy all night tonight."

Pang Ying looked at the bloodshot in Shen Qiu's eyes and walked up to him distressedly, "Husband, you have been busy for two nights in a row. If you keep going like this, you will become skinny.

You must go to bed early tonight and have a good rest. You can crank up your cannon tomorrow."

"No! The prince said that everything is ready, only the east wind is missing. I must develop this cannon as soon as possible. When the prince leads his troops to conquer Liao and Western Xia, this cannon that can fire gunpowder will be a powerful weapon!"

Pang Ying picked up Shen Qiu without saying a word, put him under his arm, and walked towards the bedroom in the inner room.

"Ah! Ah!... Wife! You...you put me down, how can people see me like this? Can't I just walk on my own?" Shen Qiu kicked his hands and feet in a panic, and his protests were ineffective.

Pang Ying threw her husband on the bed, took off his shoes, and pulled the quilt over him, "Have a good sleep, otherwise, I will throw away your broken thing tomorrow."

Shen Qiu was defeated, his heart warmed, a smile appeared on the corner of his lips, and his eyes were gentle, "Wife, you are also tired all day, let's sleep together!"

Pang Ying took off his small, boat-sized shoes, opened the quilt and crawled in, stretched out his long arms to hold his husband's waist, and asked, "My husband, is it true that if the cannon you have been working on is successfully made, the prince will send troops to attack the Liao Kingdom?"

Shen Qiu pressed his face against the softness of his beloved wife's chest. In the softness that exuded the fragrance of a fresh bath, he took a few greedy deep breaths and answered in a muffled voice, "The prince said that he would send troops to the north in March after the Chinese New Year. If the cannon cannot be made, he will only bring thunder bombs. I think if the cannon is made, it can add a powerful weapon to the prince's northern expedition army."

Pang Ying gently rubbed Shen Qiu's head with her big hands. She was extremely proud of her husband. The princess herself praised that Shen Qiu alone could be as powerful as an army!