Frost for a Thousand Years

Luo Ting felt something was off.

The deployment and arrangement of the army were quite problematic.

Xiao Qun knew perfectly well that the Northern Liang army intended to use surrender as a threat to coerce the main force, but after the peace talks failed, he was not impatient. Only a small portion of the vanguard troops were stationed more than 20 miles away from the camp in Nanshuo County.

The remaining troops even slowly entered the cities, cutting off their rear.

Doesn't this mean that if Qi attacks, their only option is to surrender?

Thinking of this, Luo Ting went to Xiao Qun's tent in a hurry to find out the truth.

After he arrived, Xiao Qun, who was examining a map by candlelight and wearing a cloak, spoke without turning his head: "General Luo has arrived."

"How did the general know?"

Luo Ting stopped and asked.

"The general's steps are different from others; they are rapid, each step is powerful and resounding, exuding a righteous aura," Xiao Qun said. "He's very different."

"It is my fault for disturbing the general," Luo Ting said directly, knowing what he meant.

It's just that she feels she's not like others, cautious and light-footed, afraid of disturbing the governor.

Quiet walking was something only eunuchs serving the emperor could do.

"No, no." Xiao Qun put down the candle and turned to him, saying, "The general's steps are steady and reassuring. Even if you were carrying a sword behind me, I wouldn't be afraid at all."

Xiao Qun's words made Luo Ting feel even more like he was being mocked, but he seized the opportunity to say, "General, you're right. The Great Yu Dynasty did indeed produce some fearsome rebels who could stab their comrades in the back. But that doesn't mean everyone is a malicious person with ulterior motives, does it?"

"Just tell me."

Xiao Qun sat down at the desk and spoke quite calmly.

Luo Ting walked over, stood beside him, knelt down on one knee, and said very seriously, "What need do Zhu Qing and Qin Kuo have to become rebels? They are all alone in Beiliang. If they really take this step, their entire families will be executed. What kind of person would be so irrational in their pursuit of wealth and status?"

"When Ji Yuan marched south, Tongmen Pass was forced to surrender. Wasn't it because someone wanted wealth and power and surrendered the city? Didn't they also have families outside of Beiliang?" Xiao Qun said expressionlessly. "A treacherous villain who wants wealth and power can't care about others."

“But it was those treacherous villains who lost Beiliang, while it was Qin Kuo and Zhu Qing who held Beiliang,” Luo Ting said.

"They were sent by His Majesty, not there voluntarily."

"So Song Shi'an came to Beiliang voluntarily, right?"

“Song Shi’an sought wealth and status, and he has already achieved them.”

"So, according to the general, there isn't a single loyal minister in Northern Liang?"

"Correct."

Xiao Qun's single word immediately froze Luo Ting in place.

A governor of Liangzhou, who was in charge of all the Liangzhou troops, actually admitted that "there is not a single loyal minister in Northern Liang".

This move is essentially tantamount to labeling them as traitors.

What exactly happened to escalate to this point?

This means handing over Beiliang directly, along with hundreds of thousands of its people.

When did the Great Yu become so generous?
No, that's not right.

"General," Luo Ting said urgently, still looking at him, "Do you really think their demands are non-negotiable, and that Liangzhou can only end up splitting apart?"

When faced with a difficult question, Xiao Qun fell silent again.

Therefore, Luo Ting knew that he was not a heartless, dissolute person.

This general was different from people like Zhao Xiang, who could lose a major battle due to his stupidity and still have the audacity to return to Sheng'an and beg the emperor for forgiveness.

He still possessed the spirit of a military general.

He was not merely a corrupt nobleman driven by family selfishness and the desire for future generations to enjoy wealth and glory.

“General, I know you have your difficulties, and there are many things you can’t decide on your own,” Luo Ting continued. “But you are the Governor of Liangzhou, commanding tens of thousands of troops. You have allowed Liangzhou to fall without firing a single arrow. How much infamy will you have to bear in the future? How will the millions of people of Liangzhou view you?”

"enough."

Xiao Qun finally got fed up and raised his hand to interrupt, saying, "The duty of a military officer is to obey orders, not to be so indecisive."

"Obeying orders means there are orders from above, right?" Luo Ting continued to press.

Xiao Qun stood up and walked to the side, avoiding his question.

Then, Luo Ting continued to catch up and said, "Something must have happened at the land reclamation ceremony."

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask!" Xiao Qun said angrily.

"Why did the military colony ceremony go wrong? And why did Ji Yuan choose this time to march south? And why was Song Shi'an's Northern Liang army already prepared for the threat of surrendering to the north?" Luo Ting wasn't stupid. From these clues, he had already analyzed the power struggle at the top, so he simply exposed it, "May I dare to guess that the Huai County military colony ceremony was a siege against Song Shi'an and the Sixth Prince? And Ji Yuan knew about this, which is why he coincidentally sent troops. Then, a satisfactory outcome was achieved for both sides, which is..."

"shut up!"

Xiao Qun directly drew his sword from the sword rack and placed it against his neck, his eyes wide with anger and a very serious expression.

Even as the sword blade nearly sliced ​​through his neck, Luo Ting's gaze remained unwavering. He continued to meet the other's fury and said, "Ji Yuan marched south and gained territory. With the Northern Liang army destroyed, Song Shi'an has no one to rely on anymore. We can take advantage of this opportunity to eliminate him, thus removing a major threat to the noble families."

"It has nothing to do with me!"

Xiao Qun blushed instantly, removed the sword from his neck, and then casually tossed it aside, lecturing him with emotion: "This general will teach you something: don't try to guess what your superiors mean. Just do it. Only those who are too clever for their own good will get burned!"

"Even if it's wrong, is it okay to just do it?" Luo Ting asked eagerly.

"You know it's wrong?" Xiao Qun asked. "When Song Shi'an held a sword to your head and forced you to hand over military power, did you think he was right?"

"The result was that Zhao Xiang lost the entire Northern Liang, while Song Shi'an reclaimed half of it," Luo Ting said. "So, in retrospect, it was the right decision."

"If you only look at the result, how can you be sure that I am wrong again?" Xiao Qun asked. "When you were asked to hand over military power, did you still think that Song Shi'an had not done anything wrong?"

"Ah."

“Yes, you said…” Luo Ting’s unconventional remark left Xiao Qun momentarily stunned, then he said somewhat displeased, “You don’t have to be so stubborn just to argue. If you had thought Song Shi’an was right back then, you wouldn’t have resisted, you wouldn’t have been kidnapped and knocked unconscious by him, you would have just gone along with him!”

You hypocrite, standing on your moral high ground to criticize me. These eight prefectures of Liangzhou are on my shoulders; it's not your place to lecture me!
“General, my opposition to Song Shi’an is not because I think he is wrong, but because I don’t believe he can defeat Ji Yuan.” Luo Ting remained completely calm and said, “On the contrary, I believe that I can defeat Ji Yuan. Moreover, I have already made plans to fight him to the death in Langya County.”

"..."

Xiao Qun was stunned into a blank by these words.

"My disagreement with Song Shi'an lies solely in how to resist the Qi army. How to kill the traitors." Luo Ting was also angry, and he angrily criticized the 'people in the sky,' "instead of doing things like this, willing to lose cities and territories just to eliminate dissidents!"

The words "eliminating dissidents" were like a brand, etched into Xiao Qun's heart.

Those words were too harsh; they hurt him deeply.

However, I really have no way to refute it.

Because the orders from above were truly absurd, even to his own incomprehensible.

He ceded Beiliang to Ji Yuan, retreated to Liangzhou, and ruthlessly exterminated the remaining Beiliang forces that fled in panic.

Completely wipe out the An Sheng group.

He didn't discuss whether the principle of "pacifying the internal before resisting the external" was correct, but as a general, he truly couldn't bear to see his soldiers and people become subjects of Qi.

"General, you may retreat, but I will not." Luo Ting looked at him and said resolutely, "I will lead my men and fight Ji Yuan in Beiliang to the last moment."

After saying that, he turned to leave.

"Wait."

Xiao Qun called out to him.

Luo Ting stopped in his tracks.

"Wang Dalong really didn't submit to Song Shi'an?"

Xiao Qun was asking about the Langya deputy general who had been taken away and was now a naval general.

Luo Ting turned around and said, "You should have heard his story."

“I’ve heard of him,” Xiao Qun said. “In Shuofeng City, he was unyielding to Song Shi’an and refused to compromise. But when the Qi army attacked the city, he insisted on leaving the Shuofeng prison, took up his sword and shield, and led the charge to fight the Qi rebels on the city walls, killing nearly a hundred enemies.”

"Does someone like him need to fawn over the newly rich Song Shi'an for the sake of wealth and status?" Luo Ting asked.

"okay I know."

Xiao Qun believed that if the story wasn't embellished, then Wang Dalong's character was beyond question. However, the later incident where Song Shi'an privately reported to the emperor for credit made him wary, as Song Shi'an was also a member of Song's faction who had received bribes.

“You and Wang Dalong,” Xiao Qun laughed. “They’re both so obsessed with this Song Shi’an. It seems he really is something we haven’t seen.”

Those who are close to Zhu are close to those who are black.

If two good people have approved of Song Shi'an, how could he be a bad person?

Xiao Qun has seen truly bad people before.

"General, what exactly is the order?" Luo Ting asked sincerely. "It wasn't easy for Beiliang to have this half of the country. You should lead us to defend it. When a general is in the field, he may disobey some of the orders."

Since he had already said this much, Xiao Qun could no longer bear it alone and said to him, "The higher-ups do have plans to settle scores with Song Shi'an and the Sixth Prince, but they have not thought of killing them. They are just too wary of the loyal Northern Liang army under his command."

"What crime did Song Shi'an commit?" Luo Ting asked, puzzled.

“It’s a trumped-up charge from Beiliang,” Xiao Qun said. “Apart from that, there’s nothing else.”

"What about the military farms?"

"The military-agricultural settlements are a merit, and they have been done exceptionally well," Xiao Qun said. "For our Great Yu, they have accumulated sufficient funds for the Northern Expedition."

In fact, many rumors have also circulated in Liangzhou.

For example, one of them is really explosive.

Song Shi'an refused to build a temporary palace for His Majesty, which angered Wei Wusheng, who then whipped him.

Xiao Qun later confirmed that these were indeed true.

As long as Song Shi'an obediently listens to what his superiors say, he doesn't need to personally go down to the construction site to build a temporary palace; it just means that the common people will suffer more blood and tears.

How could someone like that be despicable?
But Xiao Qun had no choice.

He cannot do as he pleases in this position.

"We can deal with the constraints on the Northern Liang army after this battle is over," Luo Ting said. "The fortifications that took more than a year to build were for this moment, so there's no need for us to withdraw from here."

"You think I think that way?" Xiao Qun smiled and pointed to the map, saying, "Look at these cities, look at my layout. If I were to abandon Beiliang, what would be the first thing I do?"

After being asked this question, Luo Ting studied the map and then quickly realized what was going on. He murmured, "Since we have decided to give up Beiliang, the first thing we should do is to fortify our defenses and clear the fields. Before we cross the river, we should move the people into the interior of the pass."

Yes, if we really have to give up, the preparation we should make now is to flee with our valuables. Why not flee with our valuables?
“If we really start the scorched earth policy and relocate the people, then the people will know that we don’t want to fight the enemy, and they will even guess that we want to abandon Beiliang,” Xiao Qun explained. “Only in this way can we truly push those tens of thousands of troops towards Qi.”

The front lines are preparing for battle, while those behind are fleeing in panic, sending only one message to the soldiers: there are no reinforcements.

If that happens, morale will completely collapse, and the troops will flee in a stampede.

“We should talk to Qin Kuo and Zhu Qing,” Luo Ting said. “If they don’t understand the general’s good intentions and directly surrender to Qi, that would be making one mistake after another.”

If entire units surrender, the people will not have time to relocate, thus maximizing the losses.

"The situation in the south is changing rapidly..." Xiao Qun said, "I have already replied to His Majesty, requesting that Beiliang be preserved, but it will take time before the news returns."

Xiao Qun was an upright military general.

They have a sense of morality and discipline.

He also disagreed with the emperor's actions, so he could only negotiate with the emperor and request the withdrawal of the military order.

But that's all he can do.

If His Majesty 'refused', he could only silently comply.

“But Ji Yuan is no ordinary person,” Luo Ting said with great unease. “If it were someone else, they might be intimidated by this. But that’s Ji Yuan. Even if he can’t figure it out, he won’t stop his southward march.”

It can only be said that the Empty City Stratagem was ineffective against Ji Yuan.

His army marches south, and he is bound to achieve great success.

Otherwise, who will reimburse the gas costs?
"I think he can figure it out..."

Xiao Qun, on the other hand, no longer underestimated Ji Yuan.

This emperor of Qi was far more intelligent and capable than his ancestors.

Without exaggeration, if it weren't for Song Shi'an, he would be the one with the lowest odds of unifying the world.

"Therefore, I only hope that Your Majesty can give me a reply as soon as possible..."

Just as Xiao Qun was thinking this, suddenly, a soldier came in from outside the tent and reported: "General, news has arrived from the front!"

"Speak," Xiao Qun told him not to worry about Luo Ting.

Then the other party said, "General Zhu Qing said that Ji Yuan sent a messenger to persuade him to surrender and gave him one day."

Zhu Qing also became anxious.

Luo Ting now realized that the Northern Liang army had absolutely no intention of surrendering.

But there was no other way. If the Great Yu continued its internal strife, he would have no choice but to lead the entire army north tomorrow.

"General, we can't wait any longer," Luo Ting said excitedly. "If Ji Yuan starts a war, they will have worries about their rear and will definitely surrender. It may even cause their morale to collapse and affect the overall situation in Liangzhou."

"I know I know……"

Xiao Qun understood that Zhu Qing had sent people over with this intention; this was the final negotiation.

The fate of Beiliang rests entirely in Xiao Qun's hands.

The goal is to cooperate with the people of Sheng'anli to wipe out Song Shi'an and his cronies in one fell swoop.

We should join forces with Zhu Qing and unite against external forces to withstand Ji Yuan's wrath...

Countless possibilities flashed through Xiao Qun's mind.

He considered many things, but what finally moved him was Luo Ting's words.

Should I look at my posthumous name or not?

If that's the case.

Then the answer must be there.

As a military general, what he values ​​most is his reputation.

How could I possibly tarnish my reputation in my later years for the sake of such court intrigue!
"Go and deliver a message to Zhu Qing."

Finally, Xiao Qun made a decision: "I will send General Luo Ting with 5,000 vanguard troops to provide support. He can send 3,000 soldiers back to Shuofeng City to take over military command, where there is enough food for the short term. It is absolutely impossible to agree to Ji Yuan's request for peace and abandon hundreds of thousands of people in Beiliang!"

The decision to unite against Qi was made by a general with such a broad vision.

Luo Ting had immense respect for this renowned general who made the right choice under tremendous pressure.

He knelt on one knee and prostrated himself before Xiao Qun, saying, "General, you are valiant! This humble general swears to follow you to the death!"

.........

In the mountains of Huaiyang lies the tomb of the Song family.

In a courtyard, several bodyguards were taking care of more than ten officials.

The leader of them was Wang Shuishan.

Each of them had very mixed feelings.

Because something big has happened outside.

The reason they were here was that Song Shi'an's assassins found them quickly after the Duke of Li took over military power.

Yes, the Duke of Li dared not launch a large-scale purge of the Song faction at this time, lest he lose popular support and push them towards An Sheng.

But Wang Shuishan was no ordinary member of the Song faction. He was a fellow Juren and Jinshi from the same year, and they even slept together. It would be considered legitimate self-defense if the Duke of Li killed him!

Early in the morning, these officials gathered in the courtyard, with a stove in the center where tea was being brewed.

"That man is the Duke of Li, and he has so many troops under his command. The Grand Cultivation Ceremony is almost indefensible. Can the Prefect withstand the offensive?" someone asked.

“Doesn’t the Prefect still have granaries? If that can threaten the Emperor, then the Crown Prince should be able to be threatened as well,” someone replied.

"Do you think the current Crown Prince can still control the situation? He's the Duke of Li, a ruthless man who single-handedly destroyed two countries."

“I even feel that His Majesty has already abdicated the throne, and the Prince of Jin is the new emperor. If the Duke of Li wins, there is absolutely no need for him to defy the world and establish a new emperor.”

"Then the current crown prince is useless..."

With nothing else to do, they could only observe politics.

But this concerns their fate, and they don't want to sit idly by and wait for their doom.

"Since we can't get to the Prefect's place anyway, why don't we take this opportunity to turn our colleagues and some generals we know against us... no, to turn them against us?"

They are now mostly in enemy-occupied territory.

But Huai County is so big that finding some of the escapees would be like finding a needle in a haystack, especially since they are hiding in the mountains where they are safe.

“That’s right.” Someone didn’t want to wait until the battle outside was completely destroyed, so they said, “Although the Duke of Li is powerful, those officials and soldiers don’t have much affection for him. On the contrary, many of them have only received favors from the Duke. If we can win over most of them, then we won’t even need to fight this battle.”

this is a good idea.

They all thought it was okay.

So they all looked at Wang Shuishan, waiting for him to make a decision.

To be honest, Wang Shuishan wanted to do the same.

However, he can't.

Because long before the emperor arrived in Huai County, he had a long talk with Song Shi'an that lasted all night—

“Shuishan, the emperor came to Huai County to kill me.”

At that moment, Song Shi'an looked into his eyes and suddenly said something like that.

Wang Shuishan was completely shocked.

Then, he asked very nervously, "So you're prepared to lead your army into rebellion when His Majesty arrives?"

“No, they are no match at all.” Song Shi’an had a fairly calm analysis of the disparity in military strength between the two sides. “The soldiers stationed in the fields, even ten of them could not put together a set of armor, and most of them were old, weak and disabled. If they really wanted to rebel, I should have manufactured weapons this year and at least built a strong Song family army.”

"You've devoted all your energy this year to teaching and encouraging agriculture."

"Yes."

"Then what do you think?"

"I intend to use the twelve granaries I have built, and the grain of these 500,000 soldiers and civilians, as my sharpest weapon to pierce the emperor's heart."

"Can it be done?"

Success or failure depends on both fate and human effort.

"Okay! What can I do?"

Wang Shuishan was not afraid of rebellion.

It's not that the higher the official rank, the more reactionary they are.

It was because he firmly believed that Song Shi'an was right, and he wanted to follow Song Shi'an down this path.

If you want to overthrow the Great Yu, I will help you!
He looked intently at Song Shi'an, hoping to offer him genuine help.

"Shuishan, I want you to make this 'fire' in Huai County burn even brighter."

Looking at his colleagues who were eager to cause trouble, Wang Shuishan shook his head amidst their expectant gazes: "Wait."

The crowd didn't know what they were waiting for, but they could only wait.

Just then, a loyal follower came up the mountain and reported to them: "My lords, the news that the military farm ceremony was attacked by the rebels and that all the grain in the granaries was burned has already spread!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Shuishan hurriedly stood up: "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Will the common people believe it?"

"The people are aware of this, and many say they saw it with their own eyes: the fire at the land reclamation ceremony was soaring into the sky, burning brighter and brighter, without stopping all night long," the assassin said.

"Good, very good," Wang Shuishan said. "What else do the people have to say?"

"The people are afraid. They're afraid that since most of the grain has been burned, will the government still give them the grain that belongs to them?"

Upon hearing this, the other officials were puzzled as to what Wang Shuishan was planning.

"It's okay to be afraid."

Wang Shuishan nodded and said, "After being afraid, you should be angry."
-
Did everyone make money in the bull market? How come I lost over ten dollars in just two days...? (End of Chapter)