Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 296 Lord Xun's Impact
We have not received any news about the fighting in the north.

But it has already touched the hearts of countless people.

This naturally includes Song Shi'an, who was nearly boiled alive while on a diplomatic mission.

In the study of the Song residence, he studied the map and began to deduce the possibilities.

To be honest, this is a really good opportunity to attack the State of Qi.

The State of Yan tied down a significant portion of the Qi army's main force.

Just as he was pondering with his arms crossed, the door was slowly pushed open, and a cute head popped in.

"Why didn't you knock?" Song Shi'an said to Song Qin with some displeasure.

"Dad isn't home, why should I knock on the door?"

Song Qin slipped in, closed the door, and then moved closer to Song Shi'an. Watching him look at the map, she asked with considerable curiosity, "What can you possibly understand from this?"

Song Shi'an ignored her, and thinking of what had happened earlier, he jokingly said, "I heard you got scolded while I was away?"

"..." Song Qin blushed, a little anxious, "Who told you that?"

"Your brother."

"That guy Song Ce," Song Qin pouted and complained, "all he does is tattle."

"His Highness pleaded for you that day, didn't he?" Song Shi'an said with a clear implication.

"Hmm..." Song Qin's fiery temper was somewhat restrained by Song Shi'an, making her seem a little awkward. "I didn't expect such an important person to be so kind-hearted."

"That's an exaggeration. What do you mean by benevolence? It's not like Dad is going to kill you."

"You have no idea how harshly he cursed..."

"That's definitely not good."

"Right, you think so too?" Song Qin seemed to have found a kindred spirit, someone who dared to criticize the behavior of feudal patriarchs with her.

"Yes, you were just trying to find out because you were concerned about my safety, not because you were really impolite," Song Shi'an defended her.

"..." This sentence left Song Qin speechless.

I'm caught in the middle, neither side can accept this.

I... I didn't do it for you.

"So, is the Sixth Prince handsome or not?" Song Shi'an asked.

His blunt question immediately made Song Qin blush. But she quickly suppressed her emotions and gave a fair and reliable evaluation: "He is indeed quite handsome, not like a particularly dignified prince."

"So you mean the other princes aren't good-looking?"

"I, I didn't say that!" Song Qin panicked when she realized he was trying to harm her.

"As long as you think he looks okay, that's fine," Song Shi'an said casually, then continued looking at the map.

"Won't it be dangerous for you not to go with the Sixth Prince to fight this time?" Song Qin asked curiously.

"Xiao Wei's abilities still need improvement, but he is very clear-headed."

"what does it mean?"

And calling him "Little Wei" is way too audacious.

"Originally, the two main generals who attacked Yan were Hua Zheng and the Sixth Prince," Song Shi'an asked. "But now, only the Sixth Prince remains to rescue Yan. Do you understand?"

"What do you know? What does this mean?"

"Putting aside everything else, Hua Zheng is a high-ranking official, in charge of all the horses in the country, and has been a general for many years. Regardless of his abilities, he is certainly a veteran."

"You mean, it was true that the emperor sent them to attack Yan, but it's a lie that they're going to rescue Yan now?"

Song Qin understood.

The Sixth Prince has little experience, yet he was sent alone this time, which clearly shows that there is no hope of him being able to fight.

"Probably," Song Shi'an replied dismissively.

The emperor probably intended to fight initially, but due to his health, he must have hesitated.

But that configuration was correct: East China University of Political Science and Law + Xiao Wei.

"What if our Great Yu wants to fake a fight, but Qi actually does?" Song Qin asked reasonably.

“Qi doesn’t really want to fight, but if it’s Ji Yuan…” This is what Song Shi’an cares about most, “he will definitely have a foolproof plan.”

"Huh?" Song Qin was even more confused.

Song Shi'an, his expression gradually turning serious, murmured, "Xiao Wei, you must stay calm."

.........

After passing through Chunping Pass, the army joined forces with a Yan army of several thousand men and headed towards the State of Qi.

The vanguard was led by Zhao Yi, the central army was commanded by Wei Wusheng, and the rearguard was led by Xiang Ping.

Among them, the most experienced General Xiang Ping maintained a very close relationship with Wei Wusheng.

The messenger cavalry between the two could make several round trips a day.

After all, the two had a long talk all night before setting off, and had completely opened up to each other.

Xiang Ping also understood the emperor's meaning—don't worry about the losses of Yan, and don't have any idea of ​​severely damaging Qi; forcing the Qi army to retreat would be considered a success.

To be honest, once Xiang Ping learned that Wei Wusheng had led the army alone, he basically understood the emperor's meaning.

The Sixth Prince is indeed quite remarkable; he is courageous, responsible, and decisive, possessing the refined demeanor of a great general.

Having the demeanor of a great general does not mean he is a great general.

The battle against Beiliang was a defensive one, and defense is far more straightforward than offense.

And everyone knows that Song Shi'an played a more significant role in that battle.

Therefore, sending the Sixth Prince down meant there was no hope of him winning.

This battle is to allow the Sixth Prince to become proficient in leading a large-scale army.

It can be considered a small gilding.

Just as the Yu-Yan allied forces were marching normally, a scout ahead quickly reported back, rode up to Xiang Ping, and presented the general's report with both hands: "General! His Highness instructed me to give this to you!"

Xiang Ping reached out and took it.

Open it and look at it carefully.

"Map." Xiang Ping held out his hand.

Soon, a lieutenant opened the map and held it up in front of Xiang Ping.

"Summon the county magistrate over," Xiang Ping said.

Before long, a county magistrate from the State of Yan rushed over and bowed to Xiang Ping on horseback: "Greetings, General!"

"What is the terrain like around Crane Wing Slope in Xiaoyan Mountain?" Xiang Ping asked. "Reporting to the general, it's all mountainous terrain with almost no flat land. There's only a narrow path, too narrow for two horses to pass side by side," the county magistrate replied.

"Is it possible to hide an ambush of a thousand men?" Xiang Ping asked.

“General, that’s absolutely impossible,” the county magistrate said. “At most a few hundred men, and they would have to be dispersed and deployed, and they would have to be light troops, with the main force being infantry, in order to be able to hide.”

"Are you sure?" Xiang Ping asked seriously.

“General, unless it’s some newly opened path, it’s impossible to hide a thousand-strong ambush,” the county magistrate said with absolute certainty. “I am not lying!”

Seeing the Yan official's resolute attitude, Xiang Ping nodded: "Understood."

Then, he fell into thought.

The right flank of the vanguard, a place where it would be impossible to hide a thousand-strong ambush force, was discovered by our scouts to have nearly a thousand soldiers lying in ambush.

There are two possibilities.

First, divine soldiers descended from the heavens.

Second, they exaggerated military intelligence.

Let's leave the first one aside for now.

What is the purpose of exaggerating military intelligence?
"Reply to the Sixth Prince." With a stiff expression, Xiang Ping ordered, "I suggest the entire army halt its march and refrain from any rash actions."

.........

In the commander's tent, where they were temporarily resting, Wei Wusheng received a reply from Xiang Ping.

"There is no possibility of a thousand troops lying in ambush at Hechipo in Xiaoyanshan. It is suspected that the Qi army deliberately set up an ambush. Please halt the march for now and proceed only after reconnaissance..."

Upon seeing General Xiang Ping's reply, Wei Wusheng immediately got up and walked to the map.

Looking at the place named Crane Wing Slope because the mountain was as steep and sharp as a crane's wing, he fell into thought.

A report came from the right wing of the army that a thousand men had been spotted in an ambush.

It was determined by the number of supplies and tents.

The accompanying Yan officials said that it was impossible to hide a thousand soldiers there; at most, there could only be a few hundred.

In other words, several hundred people carried supply tents for a thousand people.

wrong.

That's not quite right.

In ancient times, there were indeed terrains where nearly a thousand people could be ambushed without being exposed.

But those are usually classic ambush locations.

A place without the capability for a large-scale ambush, yet it harbors the intention to ambush.
If Wei Wusheng were the Qi army, and he wanted to delay his own troops, he would only deploy feints to confuse their judgment.

Therefore, even the baggage and tents for a thousand people were impossible.

"Someone come here," Wei Wusheng said. "Who is leading the right wing of the vanguard?"

“Your Majesty, it is Military Commander Hua Qu,” he replied.

Oh, a member of the Hua family.

Hua Zheng, and also the Empress's relatives.

A slight smile appeared on Wei Wusheng's lips.

What kind of person would lie about military intelligence?

One reason is to evade responsibility.

Both were greedy for credit.

There haven't been any failures yet, so why are you shifting the blame?
To lie means to take credit for something.

"Pass on my order: the entire army halts and sets up camp near the nearest water source. No one is to move without authorization," Wei Wusheng said, raising his hand. "Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"

.........

"The Sixth Prince orders the entire army to halt its advance and set up camp near the nearest water source. No one is to move without authorization; anyone who disobeys will be executed!"

After the order was delivered to Huaqu, the scouts turned back.

In his military tent, he discussed the matter with a junior officer who was also his younger cousin.

"Do you think His Highness will believe that we discovered an ambush of a thousand soldiers?" my cousin asked.

“There’s no way we can hide a thousand people here, but we’ve found the baggage for a thousand people. Is there anything wrong with that?” Hua Zheng asked.

"Brother, do you mean that Qi deliberately put on a show of force and we discovered it?" The younger cousin understood.

It's not a lie, it's just the truth.

Say what you see.

Of course, there was no ambush of a thousand men.

But they did indeed detect some suspicious troops.

The total number is approximately fifty-six.

They deliberately created a disturbance in the valley.

Hua Qu continued, “These people of theirs are just trying to scare us; they won’t actually launch a sneak attack. The Yan people who are marching with us said there’s a small path we can take to get around them and kill these clowns by surprise, without any risk at all.”

"But His Highness forbade us from moving around," my cousin asked worriedly.

“If we continue like this, let alone fight a war, we’ll hardly even encounter the Qi bandits,” Hua Qu said. “We already know the inside story; this battle is absolutely impossible.”

"So?" my cousin asked.

Lowering his voice, Hua Qu said, "Kill a few dozen Qi bandits, seize a few Qi military flags, and take some ears from the Yan barbarians. Make up a hundred or so people, and say that we were attacked and fought bravely. We killed or wounded hundreds of Qi bandits, and we killed more than a hundred of them."

"Isn't this a bit dangerous?"

"Sneak past them, no horsemen," Hua Qu said confidently. "We'll send a hundred men on a flanking maneuver. If we don't encounter anyone, we'll come back. If we succeed, we'll present the credit directly to His Highness. How could he possibly be angry?"

Otherwise, this trip would have been a complete waste of time.

As for a narrow victory?

A big loss is considered a draw, a small loss is considered a win, and a draw is considered a big victory.

As long as you achieve something, people will praise you to the skies.

Your Highness has done a great job, and I'll get a small share of the credit. Isn't that wonderful?

"If we return empty-handed and His Highness finds out..."

The younger cousin started speaking, then looked at his older brother and quickly felt relieved: "That's right, brother, you are a member of the Hua family, and a member of the current empress's family."

(End of this chapter)