Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 254 Me? I've long been a citizen of Dayu.
"Would Huang Tong really be willing?"

That night, in Song Shi'an's room, Xin Yue asked with great curiosity.

“While I was away, you also spent money to promote the Yu-Yan alliance in the Yan Kingdom,” Song Shi’an said with a smile. “In your opinion, there may be many choices in this matter. But in everything, we should try to put ourselves in the shoes of the parties involved.”

"The parties involved..." Xin Yue said after a moment's thought, "If they do nothing, they are doomed to die."

“He will definitely die,” Song Shi’an said. “If I want this person, Kang Xun must let Qin Gong come out.”

“But he has already killed the envoy of Yu, and if he kills the prince of Qi, wouldn’t that be adding insult to injury?” Xin Yue asked, puzzled.

“I can promise not to kill him.”

"Promise?" Xin Yue never expected that such a superficial word would come out of Song Shi'an's mouth.

Do promises work?
“If he really succeeds, killing him will do me no good at all.”

Seeing that she still didn't understand, Song Shi'an explained, "A loyal subordinate is sacrificed for carrying out his monarch's order to kill. If such a person escapes to Dayu, what kind of example will he set for the people of the world?"

Political asylum.

Commonly known as a traitor.

Why do traitors exist?
Traitors are opportunists with wavering political stances. They value profit above all else. If they could gain nothing from betraying their country, why would they do it?

If he really succeeds, Song Shi'an will not only not kill him, but will also protect him for the sake of various interests.

This made the officials of Qi and Yan realize that even if I couldn't stay in this country, fleeing south was not a bad option.

"But how do we explain this to the Great Yu?" Xin Yue asked, puzzled.

"The people's hearts demand a result. Those who offend our great interests, no matter how far away, will be punished," Song Shi'an said. "It's not about making them forget their hatred, but about transferring that hatred to those who truly deserve it."

"You still haven't forgiven Duke Qin."

“This person is definitely suspicious,” Song Shi’an said with a sudden serious expression.

"What do you mean?" Xin Yue asked, puzzled.

“Imagine, if he really makes an enemy of Da Yu, he could indeed control the military power of Yan. But if a war really breaks out, he could bring about the destruction of his country and the extinction of his people.” Song Shi’an had a vague suspicion. “I suspect that there are some important figures on our side who are colluding with him.”

Otherwise, it simply doesn't make sense.

What makes him so sure that this war won't break out?

Even Song Shi'an was unsure whether this battle could be fought.

"You mean we can't let that important figure in China be too comfortable?" Xin Yue understood.

“No matter who he is, I cannot allow him to compete with me for power or suppress me in this matter.” Song Shi’an was very vigilant.

The biggest obstacle to reforms such as land reclamation was actually the powerful and wealthy in China.

Ultimately, this external pressure also has an upper limit.

More importantly, we need to compete with our fellow countrymen.

But if they collude with each other, then the word "difficult" cannot be used to describe the situation.

“But…” Since it’s about human nature, Xin Yue is even more concerned. “We’ve already given them a full 1,500 gold coins. What if they run off with the money and don’t do the assassination mission?”

In response, Song Shi'an smiled confidently: "Money only counts as money if you can spend it."

.........

Here, there is a full 1,500 gold coins.

Moreover, it's only half.

The total is three thousand gold pieces.

The Duke of Qin had previously ordered him to kill someone, and only gave him a paltry three hundred.

But Huang Tong has not been blinded by money to that extent.

"Money only counts if it can be spent!" Realizing he was getting agitated, he quickly lowered his voice, but still said very seriously, "You want me to kill Ji Yuan's son? After I do, will I even survive?"

"Who can kill you?" the man asked.

"Ji Yuan, he is the emperor of Qi..."

"You escaped to the Great Yu, how could he kill you?"

"What if the Prince of Yan wants it?" Huang Tong asked again.

"What does he want you for?" the man said. "A Yan man who killed the prince of Qi will surely cause hostility between the two countries. At this time, Yan has no choice but to become even closer to Dayu."

They made an enemy of the State of Qi and forcibly boarded the ship of the State of Da Yu.

"Then who can protect us?" the military commander beside him asked worriedly.

"The Emperor of Dayu," the man said, "is someone we cannot fathom. We naturally think that sending someone away to foster good relations between the two countries is the most convenient option. However, his land reclamation reform is for the sake of strengthening the nation. As a citizen of Yan, you have come to Yu to serve him; what kind of example are you setting?"

"The Emperor? Can I possibly meet the Emperor?" Huang Tong was very clear-headed. "Tell me someone I can meet, someone I can promise."

“Song Shi’an,” he said.

"..." Upon hearing that name, he clenched his fists; after all, this guy was the one who had caused his trouble. But soon, reminded by the military commander's gaze, he calmed down a bit.

"He wants to establish military colonies and achieve fame and fortune. Only the enmity between Yan and Qi allows him to act without restraint," the man said.

This is common knowledge.

Huang Tong's stationed location was closest to Dayu, and no one knew it better than him.

But he was still very concerned: "We've killed someone, how are we going to get to Dayu? Will anyone really come to take us in?"

“You know where that road on the map is, and going south from there leads to Yu,” the man said. “If you’re worried, I can go with you.”

After these words were spoken, the two looked at each other and remained silent for a while.

"You can discuss this first, I'll go outside."

He prepared to leave temporarily, but before leaving, he made a point of leaving a message: "General, the war between Qi and Yu has just ended, and hundreds of thousands of people in Liangzhou died because of Ji Yuan."

"..."

The two of them just watched him leave.

Then, their attention turned to the bag of gold.

At this moment, the military commander suddenly had a bright idea. He leaned close to Huang Tong and whispered, "Commander, why don't we take the gold and run away?"

"And what about your fellow villager and good brother?" Huang Tong asked.

"Kill them," said the military commander. "That is indeed an idea." Huang Tong looked at him, then at the money, his survival instincts unusually strong in his mind. "But think about it, Yan wants to use us as a sacrifice, and we've taken money from Yu. We've offended both countries. Where do we go?"

"The State of Qi?"

"Does anyone in Qi come to our aid? We're even having trouble getting out of Yan." Huang Tong's two questions left him speechless.

After a while, he said again, "Then take the money and run into the mountains?"

"Money is only valuable if it can be used." Huang Tong knew that they were not ordinary people. "No country could stand on them, yet they possess so much gold. Any bandit could easily kill us."

You have a lot of money, but you're wanted by the police worldwide. Is it worth it?
“But…” The military commander hesitated.

At this moment, Huang Tong's words dispelled all his doubts: "Qi and Yu have been mortal enemies for nearly a century. Even if we offered Ji Yuan's son's head to them, it would be useless. Who would still trust Da Yu?"

"They might even appoint us to official positions?"

The military commander gradually began to feel a sense of anticipation.

"It doesn't matter anymore."

Huang Tong looked at the military commander, whose face was now expressionless, as the 'culprit' behind the death of the envoy: "Do we have any other choice?"

There was no way to survive anymore.

If given a choice, who would be willing to risk their life to kill a foreign prince?
You all forced me to this!

You bastard, Lord Qin!

At worst, I'll just quit the team.

The "retreat-team" playstyle is the latest and trendiest tactic.

After the two of them made their decision, they nodded slowly.

Let's get started!

.........

The barracks were located in the highest pavilion within the city gate.

The people on duty were downstairs.

He was already on high alert when the military commander brought a stranger in.

However, their mission was to conduct surveillance.

They are only responsible for keeping him under control, not for placing him under house arrest.

After all, it wouldn't be good if he found out about the overly strict control and it triggered a mutiny.

While on duty, the military commander went downstairs and left.

About a quarter of an hour later, Huang Tong came down.

He walked out, drunk, carrying a wine jug in one hand.

Seeing this, the guards abandoned the barracks and followed.

Then I saw the two of them heading to the stables.

Immediately, he strode forward: "General, what's wrong?"

"What, do I need to report to you?" Huang Tong turned his head and said unhappily.

“But you’re drunk and you still want to ride a horse, I’m worried about your safety.”

"Are there any prostitutes in the city?" Huang Tong asked.

"No."

"That settles it then? I want to leave the city."

Upon hearing this, the other surveillance personnel also came over.

They surrounded Huang Tong with great concern.

Something's not right, this guy's acting strangely.

Does this mean they're going to run away?

The group decided that if he dared to leave, they would arrest and tie him up on the spot.

Holding the reins in one hand and glancing at his men, whose eyes were gleaming, he snorted and said unhappily, "I'm not going."

Hearing this, the others relaxed.

But the next moment, a sword appeared out of nowhere from behind, and a person's throat was slit on the spot.

When the others noticed, the swords behind them immediately moved as well.

Quite decisively, they were all killed.

In the darkness, there was a group of barefoot soldiers.

"Everyone put on your shoes and mount your horses!" Huang Tong ordered excitedly.

And so, all the soldiers who participated in the assassination of Yu Shi were given horses.

The 1,500 gold coins had already been divided into portions, and each person immediately had a bag hanging on their arm.

They rode their horses and galloped towards the gate.

Who are you?

Before the guards at the door could speak, Huang Tong produced the tiger tally: "Anyone who delays the execution of Duke Qin's mission will be executed!"

Upon seeing the tiger tally, the guards quickly withdrew.

They let this cavalry unit pass through the pass.

One of them was a man of the Duke of Qin and knew that this was impossible.

So when they rushed inside, they discovered that all the other brothers who were keeping watch had become corpses...

Huang Tong has escaped! We must report this to Lord Qin!
Just as he was about to ride his horse, a sword suddenly stabbed out from the stable.

"The last one is also resolved. We should be able to escape at least fifty miles before Duke Qin finds out."

Military Commander Chao and the man mounted their horses together, following closely behind Huang Tong.

Kill the King of Qi, and become a fortress!

(End of this chapter)