Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 40 Urgent Delivery!
Under the bright moon, not far from the city gate, a gray mist rose up, winding its way in like drifting clouds.

On the city wall, a guard with keen night vision saw clearly, quickly raised the wooden mallet beneath the bell and drum, and struck it forcefully, producing a loud, resonant sound, while shouting: "Urgent dispatch! Urgent dispatch!!"

Instantly, all the armored soldiers on the city wall sprang into action.

Dozens of people pulled on huge, thick ropes coated with tung oil to slowly lower the sluice gate in front of the city.

At the same time, the city gate was quickly pushed open.

The messenger's warhorse didn't stop for a moment, rushing across the newly lowered drawbridge and into the city gate.

As they passed through the other gate at the end of the barbican, two men quickly mounted their warhorses on either side, each holding a long halberd, and stood guard in front of them, clearing a path for them.

The urgent dispatch, traveling eight hundred li, thundered towards the palace along the central axis of the main street—

……

"I, Wang Shuishan, am so famous?"

Song Shi'an asked in surprise.

"That...that's natural, I've heard so much about you."

Xin Yue looked as if she had swallowed a fly, her expression subtle.

I feel like grabbing this guy by the neck and demanding: Who exactly is Wang Shuishan?

"I am deeply apprehensive, deeply apprehensive." After bowing with a smile, Song Shi'an took his leave, saying, "I, Wang Shuishan, have other matters to attend to, so I will head home first."

"that…"

Xin Yue raised her hand, but the other person's actions completely disrupted her plans. Seeing the other person's confused expression, she could only bite her lip and say, "Then goodbye, Wang Shuishan."

"Goodbye."

And so, Song Shi'an left.

Xin Yue couldn't make it too obvious, so she had no choice but to leave for the time being.

Meanwhile, the plainclothes Imperial Guards who were lurking in the crowd to monitor Song Shi'an did not take him seriously after observing him warily for a while.

His orders were to monitor anyone who approached Song Shi'an, while also providing them with some protection.

However, when it comes to stalking, you can't get too close, and it's impossible to overhear his conversations with others.

Since it's only a brief exchange, that's fine...

Why would a woman dress as a man?
Song Shi'an was still puzzled when he bought the book.

Could it be that someone wants to test me out and then marry me?
That won't do. I can't accept a woman who's too controlling.

They've even started spying on people.

What kind of book would the guest like?

"I asked the stall owner at Yuewenge."

"Did the author of 'Springtime in the Garden' write a sequel?"

"Yes, there are guests."

The stall owner handed over a book, which Song Shi'an took.

Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves was heard, mixed with the clanging of armor.

That's impossible; horses are completely banned at the market at this time.

Outside the market, a curfew is about to be imposed, making horse racing even more impossible.

This place is very close to the Tianjie shopping street on the central axis of Sheng'an.

Is it military intelligence?

.........

Inside the palace, Wei Wusheng leaned against the railing in a library pavilion, gazing at the night view of the palace.

Princes who had not yet established their own residences still lived within the palace. Although they could go out, they were not allowed to stay overnight beyond the curfew.

So after arranging for Xinyue to meet Song Shi'an, he returned to the palace.

Will I be able to see him?

So what kind of person is he?
Just as his poems say, he was filled with patriotic fervor, dedicating himself solely to serving his country.

Or is he just a fame-seeker, someone whose reputation doesn't match his abilities?
He was really interested.

Just as he was lost in thought, from his high vantage point, he saw torches in the distance, moving swiftly.

And in the stillness of the night, the clear sound of horses' hooves could be heard.

It's an urgent military situation!
Entering the palace at night must be a crucial military matter that cannot be delayed for even a moment!
Wei Wusheng couldn't help but feel nervous, immediately thinking of the great battle with the puppet Qi state. Could it be that the war had already achieved some initial results?

But if you take into account the time it takes to send military intelligence via the 800-li express courier service, isn't this too fast?

Was it a resounding victory?
Or a crushing defeat?

Gripping the mahogany railing tightly, Wei Wusheng was extremely anxious.

This was Ji Yuan personally leading the expedition.

Throughout his life, he fought many battles, mostly victories, but also some defeats.

Such a rapid and devastating defeat is unprecedented.

This time, Ji Yuan launched the war because of the locust plague in Yizhou, the peasant uprising, and the instability of the Great Yu.

Ji Yuan has always harbored ambitions to conquer the world, and he has long coveted the Northern Liang Valley, secretly colluding with the powerful families of Liangzhou.

Therefore, the three thousand light cavalry of the puppet Qi, without any supplies or provisions, only carrying three days' rations, miraculously bypassed all the scouts outside the pass. Like ghosts in the night, they arrived at Tongmen Pass in an instant. With the help of inside agents, this formidable pass was breached in a short time, and countless people surrendered.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Qi troops, secretly mobilized, entered the pass in a massive wave, completely besieging Wuwei, the first city of Beiliang, which had not yet had time to gather its provisions.

In this battle, Ji Yuan was full of ambition and continued to increase his troops, bringing his total strength to 100,000.

However, the city only had 8,000 soldiers and armor, and the food and fodder for the army and the people was only enough for half a year. Therefore, Ji Yuan kept besieging the city without attacking, waiting for the food and fodder to run out naturally, without expending a single soldier.

With the loss of Wuwei, the entire Northern Liang Basin was essentially lost, so the emperor had no choice but to send troops to rescue the city and engage in open battle with Ji Yuan.

If the reinforcements suffer a major defeat, Wuwei City will surely fall.

With Wuwei gone, the entire Northern Liang Basin would be left without any natural defenses.

From then on, a sharp sword hung over the northern part of the Great Yu.

Ji Yuan can launch a southern expedition at any time.

Victory means expanding territory.

Even if defeated, one can retreat to the Northern Liang Basin and act when the time is right.

Thinking of this, Wei Wusheng couldn't help but feel flustered.

Half an hour later, he saw the torchlight-brightened carriage enter the palace.

Anyone entering the palace must dismount and walk; this is...

.........

"The Duke of Li has arrived—"

Outside Xuanyu Hall, an elderly but upright man dressed in the robes of a high-ranking official slowly walked into the sleeping quarters.

The ancient bronze sword cleaved through the cracks of winter on his face, and the scar on his left cheek that ran straight to his ear was covered in frost, like an old battlefield frozen in ice.

After approaching the emperor who was sitting on the dragon throne, he slowly lowered his head, knelt down, and kowtowed.

"Chen Bao, please take a seat," the emperor said.

Then, at Chen Bao's instruction, two eunuchs carried a wide armchair and placed it directly opposite the dragon throne on the steps.

Slowly, the Duke of Li sat down opposite the Emperor.

Leaning back with hands resting on the armrests, breathing steadily.

The emperor gave him a wink, and Chen Bao then delivered the military report to the Duke of Li.

As he read, his rough brows slowly furrowed.

After reading it, he looked up at the emperor and concluded, "Beiliang has been lost."

"That's what I think too."

The emperor closed his eyes, slowly nodded, and said, "Zhao Xiang led his remaining troops back to Shuofeng, saying that after leading his army south, he would commit suicide to return to heaven."

"The north wind cannot be ignored, but it cannot be left unchecked."

Shaking his head, Duke Li said solemnly, "Shuofeng City is surrounded by no barriers, making it easy to attack but difficult to defend. After Ji Yuan took Wuwei, his momentum is at its peak, and he will surely conquer Shuofeng. However, if we do not defend it, the entire Beiliang Valley will be tantamount to abandoning it. The Liangzhou aristocratic families have always had many ambiguous relationships with Ji Yuan. If I retreat, I am afraid that countless people will surrender to the north."

It's absolutely impossible to defend it.

However, if they do not defend and simply give up, the people and powerful families will be disappointed, and the governors of various prefectures will know that the court is weak and will surrender their cities one after another.

"We must defend and resist stubbornly, to hinder Ji Yuan's southward advance and deplete the troops of the pseudo-Qi. At the same time, we should send a general to garrison Liangzhou to confront him and compete for the Beiliang Valley."

After pondering for a moment, the Duke of Li raised his head and said, "Didn't Zhao Xiang say that he would commit suicide after returning south? There's no need to return south then. Let him die in battle in the north wind."

(End of this chapter)