Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 112 Let's enjoy this glory together!
Only the person at the very front sat down.

The others were somewhat uneasy when Song Shi'an invited them with a smile.

They never expected that someone would actually dare to sit there.

The moment Song Shi'an's brows furrowed slightly, everyone quickly knelt down on the ground.

The one who had been sitting there without thinking hurriedly got up, but stumbled and fell to the ground. He then prostrated himself and kowtowed several times to Song Shi'an, saying, "I was blind... I know I was wrong!"

"look at me."

Song Shi'an spoke coldly.

The man who had been kowtowing quickly raised his head to look at him, his forehead smeared with blood.

The remaining few people also looked at the man who had performed such a great service with trepidation.

"How many of you wrote impeachment letters?" Song Shi'an asked.

This question terrified these people so much that their hearts almost stopped, and no one dared to speak.

"It seems none of them have written anything?" Song Shi'an asked in return.

"I wrote it!" someone quickly replied. "I am ignorant, I am foolish, I am the most wicked and vicious beast!"

"I have written it myself. I know I am guilty. I was coerced by that Zhang Wen!"

"I... I dare not do it again, Venerable Master, please spare me..."

Immediately, a chorus of cries of sorrow filled the air.

Everyone is recounting their own crimes.

Denying it won't help; they'll find out eventually.

So, is the reason you're still lying at this point because you think Song Shi'an's knife isn't fast enough?

Song Shi'an found these sounds noisy and not particularly pleasant.

After all, they are not qualified to be their opponents.

“I will do as I did to Zhang Wen’s son, to make an example of you.”

Song Shi'an raised his finger and pointed at them: "I see no loyalty or filial piety in you. I must use execution to make you feel ashamed."

As soon as these words were spoken, they all began to tremble.

Are we going to randomly kill one person to intimidate the others?
Song Shi'an stared at them.

The people below are almost shattered.

It was pure torture.

And it seems like everyone saw him.

“Lord! We are loyal to you, and we are also filial!” At this moment, one of them finally couldn’t hold back. Although his voice trembled, he was still able to speak logically and clearly. “We made a mistake before. We were unfilial. We would not regret it even if we died ten thousand times. But please, Lord, give us a chance to make amends.”

"How do you intend to change?" Song Shi'an asked.

"The impeachment letter may have already been sent to the imperial court, and we have all signed it with our bloodstains. There's no way to take it back..."

He seemed to have fallen into an ice cellar, his face trembling as he spoke: "But we can go to Sheng'an, to the imperial court to plead guilty, and say that we wrote that thing because Zhang Gong coerced us into obeying him, so as to falsely accuse such a good lord!"

Looking at him, Song Shi'an gave a forced smile.

"Your Excellency! We are willing to leave all our families and children in Shuofeng Prison. We will go to Sheng'an alone." He said firmly, "We will definitely withdraw the impeachment letter."

"Is it definitely possible?" Song Shi'an asked.

"This is our mistake, causing you so much trouble. If we fail to do it, please kill all my family members!" he said painfully.

"Do you all think so too?" Song Shi'an pressed.

Everyone nodded obediently.

Slowly, Song Shi'an stood up: "I will take back all the fields outside your city. Your servants and laborers will also belong to the imperial court. All able-bodied men in your families will be conscripted into the army. The imperial court will arrange marriages for the women when they reach a certain age. Are you satisfied?"

Without a moment's hesitation, everyone kowtowed and said in unison, "Thank you for your forgiveness, Your Excellency!"

"We should be content; we should be grateful to be alive."

Song Shi'an stepped down from the stage.

After passing by the crowd, they slowly raised their heads, turned around, and looked at Song Shi'an, who was about to step out of the hall.

Suddenly, he paused.

Without a second thought, everyone simultaneously bowed to Song Shi'an's retreating figure...

Xin Yue had known all along that Song Shi'an was never a good person.

He only needs to make one move to proceed decisively.

Zhang Gong's son would be a very good sacrificial offering.

"Shall we go see Master Zhang?"

As she was leaving, Xinyue asked curiously.

"Why go to his place?" Song Shi'an asked.

“You argued with him about manners earlier and even made a bet.” Xin Yue’s pleasure didn’t lie in that, but she knew men enjoyed it. “Why don’t you go over there now and see his regretful, begging face?”

"Xin Yue, you underestimate me. I don't even want to see these people."

Showing off to lowly fodder goes against the principles of wish-fulfillment stories. To Uchiha Song, Zhang Gong is currently just a Chunin. Therefore, he displays magnanimity and generosity: "I have already made peace with my past enemies."

Xin Yue understood what he meant: "Before Lord Zhang is handed over to the court for trial for treason and his entire family is executed, you won't be able to see him again?"

"Yes."

"Are you about to get into even bigger trouble?"

Xin Yue looked at him with a somewhat subtle expression.

"What, are you scared?"

"I'm not in that mood."

Xin Yue didn't think she had anything to be afraid of, since she didn't have nine generations of relatives to rely on anyway.

Moreover, some people deserve to die.

However, after she finished speaking, she suddenly realized a problem.

He was Wei Wusheng's personal guard. Song Shi'an had caused trouble, so why should he be afraid?
His nine generations of relatives could not possibly be counted against him.

"After a resounding victory, the most important thing is to celebrate rather than to settle scores."

Song Shi'an smiled and instructed a county official, "Bring out all the wine stored in the city; we'll need it tomorrow night."

.........

After the great battle, it took a full day and a half to divide the fallen soldiers who had not been burned or buried earlier into more than fifty large pits and bury them together on the outskirts of Shuofeng City, and to erect more than fifty tombstones.

At the same time, all the usable Yu and Qi armor were collected, repaired, and then equipped on the remaining able-bodied men to form a fully armored army.

In ancient times, armor was far more expensive than a soldier's life. Captured armor was also an important strategic resource.

The main distinguishing features of an army are the uniform lining under its armor and its helmet.

Moreover, after such a fierce battle, those who survived were all evil spirits from the Asura Purgatory, and their combat power was greatly enhanced.

Such prolonged real-world combat can transform new recruits into veterans in a short period of time.

This is Wei Wusheng's precious family fortune.

Compared to the noble kings of Jin and Wu, Xiao Wei possessed something they lacked—personal guards who had risked their lives for him.

So on the second day, after the bodies were completely removed, buried and a monument was erected, and Ji Yuan's army had completely departed, Shuofeng City began a grand celebration.

Of course, given the critical location of Shuofeng and its proximity to the Chishui River, half of the soldiers still needed to take turns on duty.

"Aren't you going for a drink?"

As night fell, Ran Jin walked over to Zhao Xiang, who was lying on the ground looking slumped over, and asked her a question.

"I'm just a soldier, who do you expect me to drink with?" Zhao Xiang rolled her eyes at him. "Am I supposed to drink with those peasants?"

Like Han Yuan, he was also a member of a family that had held high-ranking positions for generations.

I can't stand this humiliation.

Even if he is demoted and stripped of all his power, he is still the son of Marquis Xun, Zhao Lun!

Sitting beside him, Ran Jin reminded him, "You'd better not mess with that Song Shi'an."

“His father is just the magistrate of Sheng’an, while my father is Marquis Xun. Why would I be afraid of him?” Zhao Xiang sat up and asked somewhat excitedly.

Hearing this, Ran Jin finally showed his disgust and questioned, "Zhao Xiang, do you even know how big a defeat we suffered?"

"..."

This sentence stunned Zhao Xiang.

He certainly knew how big a defeat this battle would be.

If the north wind cannot be withstood, the entire Northern Liang will be lost, and the Great Yu will have no protection whatsoever.

Therefore, he said something like "I will commit suicide to return to heaven" in an attempt to gain the emperor's sympathy and spare his life through a self-inflicted injury.

"We've lost now."

Pointing to himself, Zhao Xiang argued, "We are nobles. Once this matter is over, I can earn some more military merits and return to my position. The army will also be returned to us."

"You've really lost your mind."

Ran Jin was immediately speechless, and simply said, "The army is only so big. The Sixth Prince entered with military merit. So, who will leave?"

"..."

In an instant, Zhao Xiang was enlightened.

The total number of troops remained unchanged, or even decreased.

Since some people want to enter the game, others must leave.

And the family that vacated the spot... was the Zhao family!
Things are different now.

Unlike Xia Chun, who managed to retain his position despite suffering several defeats.

Since if he were replaced, no one could take his place. Could it be that power would be delegated to the powerful families of Jiangnan?
But now, even Ji Yuan has acknowledged Wei Wusheng.

Therefore, everyone is replaceable.

"If you don't go and curry favor with Song Shi'an, you won't even be able to become a lieutenant general."

Ran Jin stood up and patted the dust off his bottom.

“We are nobles, how can we curry favor with Song Shi’an?” Zhao Xiang still couldn’t accept it, but she couldn’t be as tough as before. She said blankly, “Either he comes to win me over, and I join His Highness’s faction…”

Just then, a cavalryman carrying a torch announced in the city: "His Highness has ordered that all Imperial Guards from Sheng'an assemble at the county government office!"

Hearing this, Ran Jin laughed, looking at Zhao Xiang who looked as pathetic as a clown: "Trying to win you over? There's no place for you there at all."

.........

After entering the yamen, a sixth-rank civil official reported to Song Shi'an, a seventh-rank official: "Lord Song, all the personnel have been counted. The original force, after reorganizing the remaining able-bodied men in the city, will have an army of about four thousand men. The remaining civilians, plus the wounded and disabled who cannot be used as soldiers, will total about fifteen thousand men."

In total, that's 19,000 people.

In the past four months, the north wind has killed 26,000 people.

On Ji Yuan's side, it's estimated that there are between 35,000 and 40,000 soldiers, and about 80,000 laborers have died.

At least 140,000 men, not counting the remnants.

Damn it, there are less than 300,000 people in total.

The Battle of Shuofeng was the most brutal battle in the world in the past decade.

Including the three battles fought by Zhao Xiang at Tongmen and Wuwei, more than 200,000 people lost their lives in the entire Northern Liang campaign...

That's so cruel.

"Where are the Imperial Guards from Sheng'an?" Song Shi'an asked.

"Oh right, there are 298 people left in total."

“Hmm.” Song Shi’an nodded, then looked at him, “Then, sir, go out and drink with the soldiers to celebrate. The rest of the county officials and clerks who are still in the county office should also go.”

"..." The civil official was taken aback, then bowed to Song Shi'an, "Yes, Lord Song."

And so, he led the rest of the group out.

There wasn't a single person in the entire county government office besides the Imperial Guards.

The imperial guards who arrived also sat on the ground in various gaps in the county government office, chatting and laughing together.

Although I don't know why we're here, we're all family here, so just chatting is quite interesting.

"San Gou, take a bunch of brothers and move all the wine out of the warehouse."

Song Shi'an issued an order.

"Yes!"

The three dogs obey.

Song Shi'an slowly walked out of the lobby.

Upon entering the central courtyard, all two hundred-plus people from various locations stood up, knelt on one knee, and clenched their fists.

Facing Song Shi'an, his expression was resolute.

The original thousand Imperial Guards, loyally united by Xiao Wei and Lord Song, will eventually make the Great Yu Dynasty great again.

One! Heart! Will!

(End of this chapter)