Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 111 The war ends, Song Shi'an returns to the position of Lord of the North Wind
The meeting between the two people witnessed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people who are still alive.

On the city walls of Shuofeng, everyone stood on tiptoe, eager to catch a glimpse of Ji Yuan's splendor.

At the same time, they felt a surge of excitement at the fact that Ji Yuan had personally met their Sixth Prince.

"Ji Yuan has been defeated and subdued by our Sixth Prince."

"How can we not be convinced? With such a small force, they managed to defend this small town. No one can stop them!"

"It couldn't have been done without Lord Song."

"If it weren't for the Sixth Prince, Lord Song, and us, these Qi traitors would have marched all the way to the Central Plains!"

Ji Yuan has truly retreated, unlike his previous feigned retreat and flanking attack.

Because the Qi army camp was already ablaze.

Forced by Luo Ting and Xiao Qun, they were unable to take anything with them and could only retreat in a panic.

Those who survived the storm, even ordinary people with little chance of advancement, were incredibly proud of winning such a pivotal battle.

"Long live!"

Suddenly, a voice came.

Because this was the first time, other voices quickly began to echo it.

Before Wei Wusheng even entered the city, all the soldiers and civilians shouted in unison:

""Long live!!!""

The deafening roar caused the earth to tremble.

Qin Kuo stared in astonishment.

Ran Jin frowned slightly; he was also afraid of this sensitive behavior because he was present.

In ancient times, it was appropriate to greet the emperor with "Long live the emperor!"

It is not uncommon for people to shout "Long live the Emperor!" after winning a battle, as a way of expressing congratulations and showing that they have divine support.

Of course, the commander of that army would feel apprehensive. He would certainly not stand in front of others, but rather stand with his soldiers to show that the celebration was not for him.

How many heads would your entire clan have combined? Would you dare accept the title of "Long Live the Emperor"?

The key issue is that this person is neither in the military nor an ordinary general.

This is the emperor's own son, the Sixth Prince!

Moreover, he was on his way back to the city.

The shouts of "Long live!" like ocean waves almost scared him away.

"Did you deliberately let His Highness leave the city to see Ji Yuan?" Xin Yue stared at Song Shi'an and asked in an extremely low voice.

She couldn't help but wonder if even this scene was intentional on his part.

"I told you it's dangerous to do this," Song Shi'an declared, issuing a disclaimer. "Don't talk nonsense, Xin Yue."

He's already quite adept at calling Xinyue by her name.

Of course, it doesn't matter.

Xin Yue's guess was correct.

Song Shi'an really thought that way.

Right now, Xiao Wei is nothing.

As the ruler of a country and a powerful leader, how could Ji Yuan possibly miss the opportunity to personally meet such a young Karami and receive such recognition?
This is far more valuable than being crowned a king.

Since ancient times, kings have never met.

But only the king can see the king.

It could even be said that this was Ji Yuan's strong declaration to Xiao Wei, indirectly maximizing his prestige.

Ji Yuan was so confident that he wouldn't care even if Xiao Wei took over.

At the same time, they are also a bit cunning.

At this juncture, under the watchful eyes of everyone and witnessed by the military supervisor, even without uttering a single word, one can achieve the most cunning and calculated act of sowing discord.

If it's an open scheme, then so be it.

If you don't take what Heaven offers, you will surely suffer the consequences!
However, Wei Wusheng panicked a little.

All he wanted was to uphold the honor of Yu Jun. The emperor himself had invited him, yet he dared not go. Wouldn't that be the act of a coward?
But now, the army is about to put themselves on the fire to roast!
He looked up and saw Song Shi'an with some fear.

The rest of the people on the city wall also turned their attention to Song Shi'an.

Now, they have placed unconditional trust in him.

Therefore, we need to do something quickly to control the situation and remedy any misunderstandings!

Just as the core generals and others were feeling uneasy, Song Shi'an suddenly raised his hand, clenched it into a fist, and joined the people in shouting, "Long live the Emperor!"

The others were stunned.

But Wei Wusheng understood.

Even before entering the city, facing his soldiers, he drew his sword, pointed it at the snow-covered sky, and declared in a powerful voice, "Long live the Emperor!"

After he spoke, the soldiers and civilians shouted "Long live!" at least twice as loudly as before.

The supervising officer also recorded the celebrations:
The Qi army suffered a crushing defeat, and the north wind swept through the land. The sixth prince drew his sword before the battle lines, leading the entire army in a triumphant shout, offering his victory to the imperial capital and wishing His Majesty the Emperor a long life.

.........

"Thank goodness you were here, otherwise it would have been really dangerous just now."

After entering the city, Wei Wusheng walked quickly, with Xinyue following behind, and Song Shi'an beside him, walking side by side at a brisk pace.

He was still feeling lingering fear when he thought about what had just happened.

He was not cowardly or timid, but he knew that he was disliked by his father.

If it were the Second Prince of Jin who had won this battle, and the generals and soldiers had cheered in unison like this, His Majesty would have been very pleased.

But he was different; even if he achieved great merit, he still had to be cautious and prudent in his conduct.

If one takes pride in this achievement and even accepts the shouts of "Long live the Emperor," then one is truly not far from death.

“Your Highness,” Song Shi’an said calmly, “Now you should fully understand why the Great Yu Dynasty requires each governor in its border prefectures to have a prefect of the same rank as him.”

“I knew beforehand that it was for the sake of balance. But now I finally understand why.” Wei Wusheng looked at Song Shi’an, still feeling lingering fear. “Military generals are terrifying.”

Why kill the founding generals?
Why did Liu Bang describe those military generals as "victim dogs"? Previously, there was also the saying, "When the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked."

No matter how powerful a civil official is, if he has a conflict with the imperial power, he can still mediate within the rules.

If a conflict arises with a military general, and that general manages to lead troops into the capital, even the most incompetent officials in the palace will be dealt with in half.

So why are there so few examples of military generals rebelling and seizing power? This precisely illustrates that founding monarchs were always on high alert.

If a military general has soldiers, he cannot have food at the same time.

If you have soldiers and provisions, you must control the quantity of soldiers and provisions.

If a military general has military power, food supplies, and even the ability to appoint and dismiss officials, then he is practically a second-level emperor.

The Han Dynasty actually perished because of the abolition of the official system and the establishment of a governorship. Compared to Dong Zhuo and Li Jue, Liu Yan was the number one traitor to the country.

"Could this be what Ji Yuan was thinking?"

Wei Wusheng felt like he had been bullied and had fallen into that person's trap.

“He must have thought that way, but seeing him would be more beneficial than harmful,” Song Shi’an said.

"Where is the profit?" Wei Wusheng asked.

“Your Highness, you have won the most important thing: the hearts of the people,” Song Shi’an replied.

Suddenly, Wei Wusheng stopped in his tracks, looked at Song Shi'an, and said with a sharp gaze, "Song Shi'an, what do I need the people's hearts for?"

These words sent a chill down Xin Yue's spine.

He stood still, watching the two of them.

Your Highness's words sounded like an accusation.

At least he had a problem with what Song Shi'an had just said.

Song Shi'an showed no remorse whatsoever, nor did he feel any unease.

He also looked into Wei Wusheng's eyes.

The two seemed to be facing off like this.

What do I need the support of the people for?
I want you to be enveloped by the hearts of the people!

Even more serious than the crime of unauthorized troop deployment, which punishes nine generations of a family, no, it is about to come: the crime of ten generations of a family.

After staring at each other for about ten seconds, Wei Wusheng lowered his head, grasped Song Shi'an's hand tightly, and said, "Shi'an, don't say those words again."

Song Shi'an remained silent.

"The corpses outside the city still need to be buried, and a large number of weapons and armor need to be recovered. I'm going to clean up the battlefield. I've just announced to the whole city that the county government office will once again be the county magistrate's seat."

Wei Wusheng smiled and said approvingly, "Now, you are the most important person. Shuofeng, you are the one to lead the way, so go ahead and do it."

"Yes."

Song Shi'an nodded to him.

"Xinyue will stay with you too. Just come to me if you need anything."

Wei Wusheng patted him on the shoulder, then quickly left.

Xin Yue, looking at Song Shi'an whose expression remained serious, asked, "Are you angry?"

Song Shi'an was amused by this remark and stopped keeping a straight face: "I'm not a little girl who gets angry if I speak too harshly."

Xinyue simply looked at him.

"Oh no, I didn't mean to look down on girls. It's good to have a boy or a girl." Song Shi'an quickly put on his nail polish.

“His Highness is different from you.” Xin Yue looked at him and explained, “He is not favored by His Majesty and has no support whatsoever.”

It could even be said that Song Shi'an, the capable minister who instigated the struggle for the throne, was in a safer situation than Wei Wusheng.

Before unification, emperors longed for capable ministers to govern the country well.

However, if a son he dislikes harbors ambitions to become the crown prince, he will only feel even more disgusted.

"So what?" Song Shi'an didn't care. "Ji Yuan approves, and I approve too, so it's worth fighting for."

These words frightened even Xinyue, who was usually quite open about her words: "You wouldn't say something like this to other people, would you?"

"How could that be? Would I be courting death?" Song Shi'an wasn't that stupid. "Didn't I just tell you and His Highness?"

"You told His Highness because it was your plan, so why tell me?"

Xin Yue was genuinely afraid of his unrestrained speech.

"You're alright."

Song Shi'an turned around and walked towards the county government office.

"Is that why you think of me because I'm His Highness's personal guard?" Xin Yue asked.

"Isn't that because we have a good relationship?" Song Shi'an said casually.

Xin Yue pursed her lips, not wanting to say anything else.

"Don't worry, I know my limits," Song Shi'an said calmly. "Competing isn't a gamble, nor is it coercion. It's about doing your best."

"As long as you know the number."

The conversation ended there, and the two went to the county government office.

Upon arrival, they saw the surviving powerful clans of Shuofeng gathered at the entrance. Seeing Song Shi'an, they hurriedly bowed and smiled.

"What are you all waiting here for? The county government is operating normally now, let's go to the main hall to talk."

Song Shi'an smiled, and was quite amiable.

Seeing him like this, the others felt a great weight lifted from their hearts.

It seems that even after the war, he still wanted to maintain public support and prioritize stability.

This county magistrate is quite capable of remaining calm and restrained.

Led by Song Shi'an, the group entered the lobby.

Previously, because military intelligence was the top priority, this place served as a temporary general's residence.

But now, Song Shi'an has officially become the master of this place.

Power and respect are about to flow back into the hands of civil servants.

The lobby hadn't been cleaned yet; it was a bit messy and covered in dust.

Song Shi'an walked to the table above and sat down.

Seeing everyone standing in front of him, he smiled and said, "Gentlemen, please sit down and talk."

"Ah, thank you, Master Xie."

The person at the front smiled and nodded, then slowly sat down in a seat to the side.

But as soon as she sat down, Xin Yue placed her hand on the hilt of her sword, staring at him with a murderous look in her eyes.

You're really going to sit there?
(End of this chapter)