Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 110 Ji Yuan Retreats, Innovates and Restores the Old
The snow has finally fallen.

Although it's a few days later than last year, it doesn't matter.

Once it starts raining, winter is coming.

Song Shi'an let out a long sigh, then closed his eyes. His face showed no joy, only complete relaxation...

Sitting beside him, Xin Yue, who had just been suddenly touched by this man, didn't have time to figure it out before the snow, which arrived a little late but was 'on schedule', slowly relaxed.

Period, the period of anticipation.

The others, however, couldn't afford to be so pretentious; they all wore their ecstasy on their faces.

Even those powerful clans who wrote a joint letter of impeachment, were treated like donkeys while defending the city, and whose members died at least half of their number, wept with joy.

Even the wealthiest person will realize the preciousness of life after experiencing a near-death experience.

Once you've survived, you should start thinking about other things.

"Should we still impeach them...?"

One person couldn't help but ask.

My original plan was that even if we managed to hold out, I would still hate Song Shi'an.

With a powerful strike, he erased all his achievements.

But having experienced the entire defense of the city, and seeing the land beneath their feet turn red with blood, with the air thick with the stench of blood, everyone knew in their hearts just how terrifying this achievement was.

This great achievement made these so-called powerful families seem like ants, insignificant and lowly!

The impeachment of Song Shi'an was an act of utter stupidity!

The snow gradually intensified.

Sitting on the city wall, Wei Wusheng's armor was stained with blood that had solidified into marks, and he looked noticeably thinner than before. Snowflakes, like goose feathers, drifted onto his red robe. In a moment of catharsis, he lay down on the ground and roared, releasing all the pent-up emotions of the past twenty years.

Ran Jin, Qin Kuo, Zhu Qing, Wang Dalong, and the others came before him together, knelt on one knee, and clenched their fists: "We congratulate Your Highness, Sixth Prince!"

Wusheng was the only one without a title and the only one not granted a royal title, making him quite peculiar compared to all the other princes.

Today, no one can underestimate us anymore!

As he casually wiped his face with the back of his hand, Wei Wusheng stood up, not letting his guard down even in this final moment: "All soldiers who can fight, go up to the city wall and prepare for the Qi rebels' last desperate struggle."

.........

Alone, standing directly opposite the city of Shuofeng, with his hands gripping his sword and planted firmly on the ground, Ji Yuan slowly closed his eyes.

Snowflakes drifted down beneath his brow.

"This heavy snow might not completely fall for another two or three days." Looking at him, Chen Xing felt a pang of pity and said, "The north wind has already reached its limit. Should we try one last time?"

He had originally planned to retreat, but after fighting for so long and suffering such heavy casualties, it was indeed hard to leave.

"Look at that north wind, it's already teetering on the brink of collapse. It looks like it could be trampled and conquered at any moment." Ji Yuan looked at the ruined city and said calmly, "But every time, it has risen from the ashes."

Even if they had another half month, they might not be able to take it down.

Because morale had been completely shattered after those three days of meat grinder-like battle.

Finding a way to kill Song Shi'an was a last resort.

But that's how people are; they can be blinded by illusions.

Even Ji Yuan was no exception.

"Get the ships and supporting troops on the other side of the river ready. Zhou Mu and Huang Lin on the left and right flanks remain stationary. Our main force will assemble first, withdraw from Shuofeng, and then retreat simultaneously, without leaving any openings."

Ji Yuan gave the order.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Chen Xing nodded, then looked at the north wind that was so close by, and murmured, "This Song Shi'an will become our greatest enemy in the future."

.........

"They actually managed to defend Shuofeng City!"

The officers and civilians on the Rothschild ship were all incredulous.

This incredible achievement only made them envious.

If they were officers in this Shuofeng City, wouldn't they also rise to prominence?
However, one cannot serve as a low-ranking officer, otherwise one might die in that battle.

No, among the group of people taken away from Langya, wouldn't the high-ranking officers who survive be able to gain a great military merit?

Wang Dalong!
"This Ji Yuan, who was invincible in Northern Liang, actually fell to His Highness, who was leading troops for the first time."

"This time, he probably lost at least 30,000 to 40,000 elite soldiers."

"The losses are about the same as Zhao Xiang's..."

"However, losing Tongmen Pass and Wuwei is still a huge loss."

"It's already a miracle that we were able to hold onto half of Shuo County."

While everyone else was discussing it, Luo Ting did not participate.

He had longed for this battle against Ji Yuan.

But observing the situation these past few days made him realize that he was no match for them.

The fact that they dared to use such a small number of people to tie down the rest of the reinforcements already shows their skill and daring.

They even dared to feign a retreat, taking the opportunity to win a battle and boost morale.

To be honest, Luo Ting still had a considerable amount of power left in his hands, but he still dared not make a decisive decision to disobey orders during the siege.

He has already forgiven Song Shi'an.

Even if it throws the entire Liangzhou into chaos, Song Shi'an dares to confront Ji Yuan head-on.

However, they did not take the initiative to launch an attack that could potentially disrupt the city's defenses.

"Continue clearing the obstacles, and then the army will sail down the river and reach Shuofeng before it freezes," Luo Ting ordered. "Report to General Xiao that our troops took the lead and forced Ji Yuan to retreat early."

.........

"General Luo reported to the general that his navy had already advanced ahead, forcing Ji Yuan to retreat early!"

Upon receiving this military intelligence, Xiao Qun stood up in the military tent: "I was just about to mobilize him. Since he's gone ahead, that makes things easier."

"General, isn't it dangerous for you to move like that?" the adjutant beside him reminded him.

Previously, the reinforcements had acted erratically, allowing Ji Yuan to launch a surprise attack.

“Taking credit and cooperating with the operation are two different things,” Xiao Qun said bluntly. “Moreover, the navy can easily withdraw and is not easily attacked.”

As he spoke, he began making his own arrangements.

"Divide into three parts, deploy a small number of troops on the left and right to shield the flanks, and advance the main army in three parts: front, middle and rear, forcing Mi Heng's troops to retreat and move closer to Ji Yuan."

"Are you doing this to pursue them?" the soldier asked.

"No, I'm not fighting anymore."

Xiao Qun shook his head and explained, "We don't know how heavy the snow will be. If Ji Yuan wants to escape quickly, he must leave as soon as possible. The remaining food, supplies, tents, and some arrows that we can't carry can only be abandoned and burned before the snow starts to fall."

If Ji Yuan wants to leave peacefully, he must be all alone.

"I understand," the military advisor said, clenching his fist. "General, you are wise."

What merit did I achieve in this battle?

For someone of Xiao Qun's status, it would be beneath him to covet credit that didn't belong to him. Besides, he had no interest in this credit to begin with, saying, "We must fully cooperate with the Sixth Prince and Song Shi'an to help with the cleanup." "Is there still important cleanup work?" the military advisor asked, somewhat puzzled.

Cooperation is fine, but why cooperate fully?
Xiao Qun, who had already seen through everything, laughed and said, "The aristocratic families of Beiliang have been wiped out. At this time, Song Shi'an will naturally put his land reclamation plan into practice."

.........

Song Shi'an and Wei Wusheng stood beneath the collapsed city gate, their hands resting on the snow-covered walls, admiring the orderly Qi army emerging from their camp in the distance.

“When the snow melts in spring, we will build three camps at the ferry crossing on the south bank of the river. Two auxiliary camps and a main camp in the middle will form the first line of defense,” Song Shi’an planned. “All the burned fortified villages will be cleared out and the troops will be stationed separately. This will form the second line of defense. As promised before, after the war, those family heads can enter the city. Let each of them have a large house. They can stay if they want, or not if they don’t.”

“What about Shuofeng?” Wei Wusheng asked. “Reconstruction will require at least 100,000 people.”

“Establish Shuofeng as the new capital of Shuojun, and have General Xiao Qun send a strong military commander to garrison it. One hundred thousand people are probably not enough. At least two hundred thousand more people need to be moved from Liangzhou to rebuild the valley and confront Ji Yuan across the river,” Song Shi’an said. “Of course, after the water fortress is built, the entire navy will also have to be transferred here.”

Now, there are at least two years to build the remaining half of Shuo County.

It is also known as Nanshuo County.

"What about the land you swore an oath by the Chishui River, promising to return it all to those powerful clans?" Wei Wusheng asked. "But half of them are still alive."

“Of course we’ll return it all,” Song Shi’an said matter-of-factly. “We can’t let Your Highness’s reputation be damaged.”

"Oh?"

Wei Wusheng felt that something was off about Song Shi'an's concern for his reputation.

"Return them the same amount of land that is registered and pays taxes."

"Hahaha." Wei Wusheng raised his finger. This guy really didn't disappoint him. "You're not planning to come back to Beiliang."

Who could stand being lied to like that?

“Only fields with land deeds belong to them. Otherwise, if they just claim to own 10,000 mu, are we really going to give them 10,000 mu?” Song Shi’an laughed at night.

“Then the people who depend on them…” Wei Wusheng said halfway, then waved his hand and changed his words, “Oh, they are the people of Dayu, how did they become theirs?”

This young Wei is truly quick to understand.

“After spring, we can start cultivating the land,” Song Shi’an said, his tone growing serious. “However, these tasks will have to be left to others.”

And the rest of the people.

Of course, they are "one of their own".

Those who are loyal to Wei Wusheng should all be promoted.

They all stepped forward.

Let them, with Yulong, die for their lord.

"They've all backed out..."

Wei Wusheng continued to observe the Qi army's retreat.

Suddenly, he noticed that although the Qi army was about to retreat, there seemed to be a person riding a horse at the very front, standing apart from everyone else.

"Who is he?" Wei Wusheng asked in surprise.

Qin Kuo, Ran Jin, and Xin Yue came over together.

"Who is that?" Qin Kuo frowned, observing carefully. "Is it an envoy? It's a bit blurry, I can't see clearly."

Ran Jin couldn't see clearly either, and asked, "What is this?"

"Ji Yuan".

Just as everyone was puzzled, Song Shi'an's calm two words immediately stunned everyone.

Nearly two miles away, all the Qi troops were neatly arrayed in square formations, vast and boundless.

Only Ji Yuan rode alone to the middle of the city and the army.

What is he going to do?
"Is it really Ji Yuan? Can we use a ballista to shoot him dead?" Qin Kuo suggested.

“No way.” Zhu Qing, who had also come over, shook his head. “There’s absolutely no chance of hitting it from 300 paces away.”

“He wants to,” Ran Jin guessed, since Song Shi’an said it was Ji Yuan, “to see Your Highness.”

"To see His Highness?" Zhu Qing and Qin Kuo asked in unison.

Looking at the man, Wei Wusheng's face gradually darkened: "Then I'll go."

"Your Highness, you mustn't." As a personal guard, Xin Yue directly objected.

"Yes, there might be an ambush," Qin Kuo advised. "And if he attacks Your Highness when you meet, it will be very dangerous."

"He is the emperor, why would he want to exchange his life with me?" Wei Wusheng insisted on going.

Seeing that Wei Wusheng was having some difficulty stopping him, everyone turned their attention to Song Shi'an.

"Shi An, say something," Qin Kuo said.

So Song Shi'an spoke up: "It's dangerous."

"Hey, say something more!" Qin Kuo said anxiously.

Song Shi'an didn't say much.

"After I left the city, the city gates were tightly closed."

Unable to get strong dissuasion from Song Shi'an, Wei Wusheng became even more determined and, despite the opposition of the crowd, turned around and left the city.

Looking at his retreating figure, Song Shi'an smiled with some relief.

Xiao Wei, you've become quite the rising star!

.........

All the soldiers of the Yu Kingdom stood on the north side of the city wall.

All the soldiers of Qi were behind Ji Yuan.

Ji Yuan, mounted on his horse, remained motionless amidst the wind and snow.

A young man dressed in golden scale armor, without a helmet or crown, his hair tied up with a rope, and a sword at his waist, rode towards him on horseback.

And so the two met.

However, as soon as they met, Wei Wusheng's horse began to pace back and forth.

Even though Wei Wusheng, who was holding the reins, had an extremely serious expression, his demeanor lacked the composure and imposing presence of Ji Yuan, who stood like a majestic mountain.

Ji Yuan looked at Wei Wusheng and felt a sense of familiarity: "Very similar."

"Have you met my father?"

Wei Wusheng countered with a question.

“I have met him,” Ji Yuan said. “He and I back then were just like you and me now.”

Realizing he was being treated like a child and looked down upon, Wei Wusheng stared at him and said firmly, "The next time we meet, the roles will be reversed!"

The horse beneath him finally stopped moving.

The two of them were now completely face to face.

His toughness no longer seemed like childish arrogance.

Ji Yuan stared intently at Wei Wusheng, whose pupils were straining, and said, "Let's talk about it when you become emperor."

After speaking, the two reined in their horses, turned around, and rode away with their backs to each other.

(End of this chapter)