Prince ZiShu was not only a prince. He was an outstanding political leader, an indispensable military general, and an unprecedented statesman. And he very successfully and skillfully led the forces to victory in the war against the Liao despite it was not an easy battle.
The prince received his initial military training at age 11. When most toddlers were crawling, he learned to walk and run. When children held their feather pen for the first time, he was defining his swordsmanship. When teenagers practiced martial arts, he was experimenting with gunpowder. At just age 14, he was unanimously elected leader of his own junior battalion. At age 19, he was appointed commander in chief, the youngest one in his country. At age 25, he sponsored new crossbow designs that could shoot at longer ranges, so crossbowmen did not exhaust themselves quickly while on the battlefield. If you had to compare his achievements with others, the only person who ranked above him would be Li Shi Man of the Tang dynasty.
Within a window of 10 years, prince ZiShu had carried out over 19 battles, and defeated rebel armies in 15 of those. He lost to 4 battles, but those did not discourage him. They allowed him to learn from mistakes, perfecting his military tactics. At age 27, he was a seasoned general and earned respect from everybody under his belt. Not because he was prince. Not because people thought he would be appointed crown prince in the near future, but because he treated his soldiers with respect. He was strict under the right circumstances. He was ferocious when called for. He was also kindhearted if needed be. Even his opponents respected him. Losing a battle against Prince Zi Shu was actually considered an honor, not an embarrassment.
During the battle against the Liao, prince ZiShu had his army divided into of 30 troops, companies made of five platoons, battalions composed of 300 soldiers each. The scheme was highly effective against cavalry charges from the Liao. As to his own cavalry, he employed a slew of different weapons, including swords, bows, spears, and even canons.
His name was well-known, from low-ranking peasants, to high-ranking officers. Yet he was always humble, and continued to read books and perfect his military skills. In his eyes, there was not a point in life when you could just stop and say that you have learned enough and you were on top of the world. He always knew that flowers could not bloom for a hundred days.
人无千日好，花无百日红
Prince ZiShu recognized that one day, he would meet an opponent that could easily kill him. And if that day never came, he would gladly retreat to the mountains once his brother became king. He did not intend to stay. He did not want the court to have 2 princes that fight for power, for it will only divide the country and make it more vulnerable to the enemies.
Wen Ke Xing had heard about the prince's achievements and honorable stories, but as Uncle Bai explained, it was pure good luck. He was born prince of Song, the most powerful dynasty of his time. He had all the resources made available to him. If somebody else were dealt the same hand of cards, THAT PERSON TOO would be this successful.
As Wen Ke Xing got to know the prince, he did wonder occasionally, if he were dealt those same cards, would he have been able to measure up to the prince? But it wasn't just the prince's success that he admired. It was also what was inside the prince, that people could not see, that attracted him to the prince. His genuine kindness, his playful personality, his honesty in friendships, his fearless approach in life.
During the battle with the Liao, Wen Ke Xing was private bodyguard of prince ZiShu and they shared a tent in the encampment. Each night in their tent, he witnessed the prince studying the map, updating the position of their location as they advanced into enemy territory. The prince only slept 3 hours every night. The rest of the time, he stayed up to read military strategies relevant to the situation they were facing. Or he would walk around the tents and look at the skies to predict the weather conditions of the next day. Or he would tend to the horses.
