Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 105 The North Wind's Meat Grinder, Bloodstained Northern Liang

Military intelligence room.

The emperor sat on the throne, flanked by the Duke of Li and the Marquis of Huai, on his left and right respectively.

At this moment, the military report from the front was in the hands of Marquis Zhao Lie of Huai.

After reading it, he stood up.

Between the three people was a meticulously proportioned terrain model.

Zhao Lie couldn't help but mutter, "This Ji Yuan is indeed formidable."

"Is Xunruo alright?" the emperor asked.

After sighing, the Duke of Li replied, "I visited him a few days ago and learned that after Han Yuan died in battle, he fell seriously ill and has been very weak ever since. He has told me many times that he will not live much longer."

The emperor also felt a pang of grief, the pain of losing a son resonating with him: "His second son is almost of age, isn't he? Let him take over his elder brother's position and title."

The main responsibility for Han Yuan's defeat and death lies with Zhao Xiang.

Although Tongmen Pass fell due to internal collusion, he, as the garrison commander of Wuwei, was somewhat responsible, but his death in battle for his country reduced his punishment by one degree.

However, after subtracting and adding, there was still some left over, and the final conclusion was: Han Yuan died, and was granted a state funeral with national honors.

"Even with the full strength of the Northern Territory, it only tied up a little over ten thousand of his troops. The pressure on Shuofeng is still immense," said Duke Li.

"Let General Xiao Qun take the initiative," Zhao Lie suggested.

"No way." Duke Li waved his hand, denying it. "We can't afford to lose. Even if we win, it will only slow down their retreat. But if we lose, we will have no ability to fight back, and all the powerful families in Liangzhou will support our rebellion. When war breaks out everywhere, all that may be left for us are a few cities."

“If we win, the crisis of Shuofeng can be resolved,” Zhao Lie analyzed. “If we lose, Shuofeng will become Wuwei, which can be defeated simply by besieging it.”

"In the military report sent back by Chen Ling (the new governor of Liangzhou), he estimated that the grain supplies provided by the north wind would only last until the beginning of winter," said the Duke of Li.

“But can Shuofeng City hold out until the beginning of winter?” Zhao Lie said. “That’s different from Wuwei, and Ji Yuan is filling the entire country with it.”

"Also, there's a malaria outbreak there."

As Duke Li spoke, he lowered his head: "The possibility of holding out has been greatly reduced. Now we should hope that Ji Yuan can take Shuofeng, but it will be a Pyrrhic victory, and the lost soldiers will not be able to be replenished for at least three years."

"But if we lose the north wind again, it will be too demoralizing," Zhao Lie reminded them.

In fact, both of them are hawks.

But among the hawks, Zhao Lie is more of a hawk.

Even the eagle's offer to the Duke of Li seemed somewhat like a dove.

"What do you think Song Shi'an is thinking?"

Just as the two were arguing, the emperor suddenly spoke up and asked a question.

The idea of ​​a county magistrate actually prompted a serious discussion between the emperor and two high-ranking officials.

Duke Li slowly rose and, like Zhao Lie, stood before the sand table, gazing at the 'North Wind' structure, and said, "This kid doesn't trust anyone."

"In other words," the emperor said solemnly, "his idea of ​​victory was to drag things out until winter and for Ji Yuan to retreat, rather than for Xiao Qun to take the initiative and defeat Ji Yuan."

"If Xiao Qun loses, he might curse Xiao Qun even in the afterlife," the Duke of Li said self-deprecatingly, "and from the bottom of his heart, he would think that we people from Qinzhou are hopeless good-for-nothings."

"Does this young man think that he alone can turn the tide in this world?" Although Zhao Lie had no problem with Song Shi'an, it was indeed a blow to one's self-esteem to have a child make up for the losses suffered by the nobles.

"I have already given him the opportunity to gamble with the officials, so I won't cause him any more trouble."

Finally, the emperor stood up, looked at 'Shuofeng', and decided, "This time, the victory is entirely his, and the defeat is entirely his."

.........

"Wait."

In the courtyard, Sun Jinhua saw a maid bringing tea and snacks to the study and called out to her.

Then, he took the tea and snacks from her hands and said, "I'll take them. You can rest."

"Yes, ma'am."

Then, she went to Sun Situ's study.

Just now, my elder brother rushed into the mansion, a smile on his face, to find our father.

Something important must have happened...

Thinking this, she went outside the study and said, "Father, I've come to bring you tea and snacks."

"Enter."

The voice inside was Sun Yan's, quite casual.

So she went into the room.

“That Shuofeng City is small, but there are tens of thousands of people inside. If malaria breaks out there, even if a god came, he couldn’t hold it off!” Sun Heng said excitedly.

After placing the wooden tray down, Sun Jinhua slowly placed the cups down, then slowly lifted the teapot and began to pour the tea...

"Very good." Sun Yan smiled and stroked his beard. "That brat is really going to die in there."

"I initially thought Ji Yuan was a useless piece of trash, leading hundreds of thousands of men and failing to capture such a dilapidated city in a month. Fortunately, malaria has appeared, truly a blessing from heaven for my father, helping the Sun family to seize power." Sun Heng was full of anticipation for the future.

These defeats were either won by nobles or by neutral aristocratic families, because of Wei Wusheng, and even involved the emperor.

Moreover, with the loss of the Beiliang Valley, a sword hangs over the entire Dayu Kingdom.

If you continue to suppress the gentry of Jiangnan, then the Wei family can go play by themselves.

I, Sun, am returning to Jiangnan.

“In the height of summer, hundreds of thousands of people gathered together, blood and flesh flying everywhere, and malaria was rampant among the diseases. How could Song Shi’an have been defeated by the times?” Sun Yan said bluntly, “He lost, he lost. Ji Yuan won fair and square.”

After pouring the tea, Sun Jinhua bowed to the two of them.

Then he left the study.

She returned to her own bedroom.

As soon as I entered, I lay down on the bed, looking at the gauze curtains above my head, feeling somewhat dejected...

At this moment, Awu, who was standing nearby, asked, "Miss, what's wrong?"

"Why do Father and the others hate Song Shi'an so much?" Sun Jinhua asked. "If he can defend the city, won't our Sun family be safer too?"

“Master is thinking far ahead,” Awu said. “I’ve heard that many people in Sheng’an City are afraid that Song Shi’an will return alive. They say that if he does, he will go on a killing spree. Of course, Master is not afraid of him. But he certainly doesn’t want him to cause the Sun family any big trouble.”

"You said."

Lying on the bed, Sun Jinhua turned her head to look at Awu and asked, "Could I... help the Sun family and the Song family reconcile?"

"Huh?" Even though Awu was a little girl, she thought this was naive. "Miss, do you have a solution?"

With worry in her eyes, Sun Jinhua said softly, "What else can we do?"

.........

The Palace of the King of Wu.

The three who learned of the plague from the north wind were in a complete panic.

"This is bad!" As a soldier, Zhao Yi knew the dangers of malaria best and sensed the crisis. "It's the hottest time of the year. Even if we can survive, there will be at most ten thousand people left in the city, and at most four thousand of them will be able to fight."

"Can four thousand soldiers hold out?" the King of Wu asked.

“Wuwei is possible, but Shuofeng is too difficult, too difficult!” Zhao Yi shook his head anxiously. “Your Highness, no matter what, we can’t turn back.”

Ye Changqing was well aware of how critical the situation was, but he still gripped Song Jing's arm tightly and said with utmost seriousness, "The war at the front has suffered setbacks, and the gentry will surely make a comeback. You must protect Song Jing!"

"After being detained for over a month, there's been no progress in the case. Can Wang Chen continue to listen to me...?"

The King of Wu knew that if he interfered any further, he would really be going too far.

That's the Dali Temple.

“His Majesty’s refusal to participate means he doesn’t want any progress in the Song Jing case.” Seeing that the Prince of Wu was somewhat afraid, Ye Changqing said forcefully, “Use His Highness’s power to pressure him and prevent him from making a judgment. As long as His Highness Prince Jin doesn’t participate, he won’t dare to act.”

"Won't Second Brother join the game?"

"No," Ye Changqing said firmly. "Although the Second Prince is competing with you, he absolutely does not want to lose His Majesty's favor."

"I know, I know."

King Wu took a deep breath and said, "Protect Song Jing, I will protect Song Jing."

.........

Sitting atop a large ship, Luo Ting was overseeing the clearing of obstacles.

Halfway through the demolition, a scout on horseback suddenly rode up from the shore and shouted at him, "General! Those damned Qi thieves are burying wood in the water again!"

Upon hearing this, the officers and staff around Luo Ting all covered their heads.

"I really want to kill Ji Yuan's mother... That bastard, doesn't he dare to fight a direct battle?!"

"Our Liangzhou navy can only travel ten li a day!"

"Clear the obstacles, clear the obstacles day and night." Luo Ting frowned and ordered, "Send another two hundred light cavalry to flank around to the rear and intercept the grain. Do not linger in battle. After killing the soldiers and laborers transporting the grain, burn it."

"Yes!"

Holding the sword resting on the deck, Luo Ting gritted his teeth and said, "Song Shi'an, I've done everything I can to buy you time."

.........

Suddenly, dark clouds covered the sky.

A gust of wind blew by, carrying with it moisture.

The city has been under siege for two whole months.

It rained lightly several times during this period, and the pillar towers outside the city that were occupied by the Qi army, because their main structure was made of rammed earth, all collapsed one after another.

The city, battered by the north wind, is now riddled with holes.

The trenches, however, had been blocked, creating at least eight sand channels, rendering them useless as a barrier.

The city walls were breached at least ten times.

However, they were all defeated.

Wang Dalong truly lived up to his reputation as the fiercest warrior in Liangzhou. He personally killed about eighty Qi soldiers.

Da Yu KD King.

"Finally, a heavy rain is coming, and we can rest for a few days."

Good rain, even better than the heavy rain in Shangfang Valley (Lu Yi's face).

Song Shi'an put on a raincoat and a bamboo hat.

Then, nearly a hundred officials and able-bodied laborers dressed in straw raincoats and bamboo hats emerged from the yamen prison.

Over the course of two months, more than 18,000 people were killed by Ji Yuan or injured or killed by malaria.

Only eight thousand soldiers remained capable of fighting.

Of the remaining less than 20,000 people, fewer than 10,000 were called laborers.

Of course, Ji Yuan's casualties must have been very high as well.

At least 20,000 Qi soldiers died, and countless civilians from Qi and Yu were killed or wounded.

It's absolutely deserving of the name "north wind meat grinder".

The Battle of Shuofeng alone could result in the deaths of 100,000 people.

This doesn't even include Zhao Xiang, Han Yuan, and those from Tongmen Pass.

The air was thick with the stench of blood.

It was as if the entire city had been covered in rust.

"Dredge the silt! Drain the ditches immediately, this rain is going to be heavy—"

Before Song Shi'an could finish speaking, a torrential downpour began.

Moreover, the wind in Beiliang is incredibly strong; if you're going against the wind, the rain comes down like a high-pressure water jet...

"Bring all the people who have pitched tents outside to the county government office. There is a place for them to stay. Take the children with you, don't leave them behind!"

Although so many people died, half of the houses in the city were burned down for firewood, but the space was cleared and the population density was reduced, but some people still slept in tents overnight.

Despite the strong winds, Song Shi'an directed the overall operation against the flow of the procession heading towards the county government office.

The people are one aspect, but dredging cannot be neglected.

Ancient cities generally had poor drainage. Capital cities and some large cities were better, but cities like Shuofeng, which had weak strategic significance and economic function, could be simply compared to a large bucket.

If it rains heavily, the water must be drained. Firstly, because of the danger of flooding, and secondly, if all the arrows in the treasury get soaked, they'll be rendered useless...

As soon as the sky cleared, Ji Yuan launched a counterattack.

The north wind will cause so many people to die in vain.

Just as Song Shi'an was giving instructions, he suddenly saw a naked boy sitting in the heavy rain by the roadside, wailing loudly. The people around him all ran away and ignored him.

"Where are his parents?! Does anyone know who the child's parents are?!" Song Shi'an shouted.

"They're all dead, they're all dead!" A woman carrying a child ran past Song Shi'an, calling out as she went.

Seeing this, Song Shi'an immediately picked up the wailing child, took off his straw hat, put it over the child's head, and ran towards the county government office...

Inside the county government office, Xin Yue helped the people carry their belongings back and forth, and whenever she encountered a county official, she would ask, "Where is your magistrate? He just recovered from malaria not long ago, where is he now?"

No one knew, and they all walked past her.

And she could only continue carrying things in the rain.

The rope binding her hair slipped off during her busy work, and her long hair fell completely down, even covering half of her eyes.

Suddenly, a child wearing a straw hat was placed in her arms.

She looked up and saw Song Shi'an with tears streaming down his face.

He took the straw hat and turned around without stopping for a moment.

"Song Shi'an!"

Holding the child, Xinyue hurriedly chased after them, but at the entrance of the county government office, a sudden gust of wind and rain swept over her, causing her long hair to billow like a sail.

Song Shi'an defied the countless people rushing towards the county government office, breaking through the crowd and squeezing into the storm...

(End of this chapter)