Frost for a Thousand Years

Ye Changqing sensed that Song Shi'an was acting strangely.

Because the last man like that was the King of Wu.

He also knew what the King of Wu wanted from him.

However, he did not believe that Song Shi'an had such a request.

I am indeed not bad, but this is Song Shi'an, there is no reason for him to be so eager for me.

It wasn't that he thought having more talented people was useful; it was simply that the risks of recruiting him far outweighed the benefits.

The fact that appointing the King of Wu's faction was criticized by the officials was secondary; the real reason was that Song Shi'an's genuine feelings for the King of Wu were like a knife, which, along with Song Shi'an's vigilance, might quietly be extended towards him.

Others may not be sure, but Ye Changqing is very clear that the King of Wu was killed by Song Shi'an.

Based on my understanding of the King of Wu, he simply didn't have the backbone to say something like "I'd rather be a bone in a tomb than a king in prison" at the last moment, and then angrily drew his sword and committed suicide.

The King of Wu was not that kind of person.

Ye Changqing could even guess what the scene was like back then.

Song Shi'an's men told the King of Wu, "You have to die. Your existence will shake the already precarious Great Yu. Even if you don't commit suicide, I will still have to kill you."

Having come to this point, the King of Wu had no choice but to put on a show with him.

At least, it's a suicide scene that can be positively evaluated in history.

but!
Nothing wrong with that.

Ye Changqing always believed that after winning that battle, they absolutely could not be soft-hearted and that Song Shi'an and Wei Wusheng should be killed if they deserved to.

"Prime Minister," Ye Changqing said with considerable fear, "I am but a criminal, not worthy of your concern."

“Changqing, I know what you’re thinking, and you probably know what I’m thinking too. You think I’m doing this just to reassure the Wu King’s faction and incidentally recruit you to expand my influence.” Song Shi’an smiled and said proudly, “But I’ve never thought of recruiting those good-for-nothings. Even without the support of the Wu King’s faction, I can still complete the Northern Expedition.”

“Prime Minister, I also believe you possess such ability,” Ye Changqing said. “And Changqing’s existence is also…”

"Do not."

Song Shi'an interrupted him directly, then slowly stretched out his hand, pointed at him, and then pointed at himself: "The heroes of the world are you and me."

Two fires in Huai County, Northern Liang, skr.

Those words were really too harsh.

Ye Changqing felt apprehensive.

“I know that the people of Sheng’an today, though they all seem respectful to me, are only afraid of the Qin King’s power. They talk about the Northern Expedition, but in reality, they are terrified of Ji Yuan,” Song Shi’an said bluntly. “But you are absolutely not afraid.”

Ye Changqing was taken aback by what he said.

His gaze fell downwards, and he became deep in thought.

Such recognition comes from Song Shi'an, and it's understandable that one might consider it mere platitudes.

But the key issue is that Ye Changqing is truly not afraid of Ji Yuan.

"The Great Yu dominates the Central Plains, but its internal affairs are in turmoil. Moreover, the Northern Qi, Eastern Yan, and Southern Yue are all eyeing us covetously," Song Shi'an said. "Most of the ministers of the Great Yu do not believe that we can win. They entrust everything to me because they think they are inadequate. But I believe that even if I lose, even without Song Shi'an, if the King of Wu becomes the emperor and you, Changqing, assist in governing, we will still dare to launch a northern expedition."

"We have no choice but to go." Ye Changqing raised his head, his eyes resolute, and said, "If we only defend and don't attack, our territory will be gradually eroded. But if we both defend and attack, we can at least preserve six states. The best defense is a continuous offensive!"

Ye Changqing has always been so steadfast.

Are they really the only two smart people in the world?
No, everyone noticed that.

But no one dared to take on such responsibility.

All they were thinking was that the Great Yu Dynasty wouldn't perish in their generation.

Later generations produced "heaven-sent heroes," which can be considered as a result of their efforts in consolidating and accumulating strength.

But no one dared to imagine that they were the one who had fallen from the sky to become a superhero.

It's no exaggeration to say that almost all the capable ministers in the current Great Yu Dynasty are those who avoid taking the blame.

"The Northern Expedition is not just a slogan for me to control the court; I truly intend to wage war." Song Shi'an looked into his eyes and slowly extended his hand. "I need a valiant and ambitious warrior who, after conquering cities and territories, will dare to defend my isolated cities in foreign lands, cultivate the land, educate the people, and subdue the powerful clans!"

Song Shi'an is serious.

What he currently lacks is a wing-lane warrior.

He knew that everyone trusted him, and that as long as he was there, the entire army would serve him.

But if he really wanted to unify the world, how could he possibly be there all the time?

Who is Ji Yuan? If I were to lead my troops into Qi and recapture all the cities, someone would have to defend this achievement. Moreover, I would have to bear the brunt of Ji Yuan's furious retaliation for reclaiming lost territory.

Looking into Song Shi'an's resolute eyes, Ye Changqing suddenly gripped his hand tightly: "Prime Minister, as long as you believe in me, I want to serve you!"

"Changqing, I will always entrust my back to you, even if you are holding a knife."

Of course, it can be a knife, but it can't be anything else!
Ye Changqing was truly moved.

Because he had previously felt that Song Shi'an was very similar to himself, but the difference was that he lacked Song Shi'an's carefree attitude of not caring about his entire family, and was always worried about his whole family dying suddenly.

But now things are different. Song Shi'an is already in that position, and he can lead me into madness.

"Prime Minister," Ye Changqing promised, "I know you've endured too much by using me. I promise I will never cause you any trouble. As for the former Wu King's faction, I will definitely not see a single one of them in private."

Ye Changqing knew his own limitations very well.

Since the Grand Secretaries had agreed to let Song Shi'an use him, they must have made a request—that if anything went wrong, Ye Changqing would die.

At this point, he could not afford to take any chances.

"Thank you." Seeing that he hadn't even given him any pointers, Song Shi'an was relieved. He turned around, took out a letter from the desk, and handed it to him. "Changqing, please read this."

Ye Changqing was a little stunned, but he still opened the letter. After reading it, his expression became serious.

“The military reports from the south say that the Duke of Zhangping has rebellious intentions. I’ve been suppressing this information because I’m afraid of criticism from the court,” said Song Shi’an, sitting at his desk. “But now, this matter still has to be resolved.”

This was not evidence of the Duke of Zhangping's rebellion, but rather his reply.

The words in the letter expressed distrust of the imperial court.

At the same time, they denied having any rebellious intentions.

“Since he has no intention of rebelling, yet he doesn’t express his loyalty to the court,” Ye Changqing said. “This Duke of Zhangping has ulterior motives.”

“It’s me,” Song Shi’an said. “He’s dissatisfied with me.”

"What are the Prime Minister's plans?" Ye Changqing asked.

“I want the Prince of Jiangling to return to Sheng’an, but he clearly won’t agree,” Song Shi’an said hesitantly. “In the end, I’m afraid we can only exchange hostages.”

"Where did the hostage come from?" Ye Changqing asked.

“His eldest son was sent to me, and I appointed him as an official in Sheng’an,” Song Shi’an said. “Jingming has told me many times that he can come.”

“Prime Minister,” Ye Changqing said firmly, “Young Master Ce can go to the Southern Kingdom to serve as an official, but he cannot be taken hostage.”

“He can serve as an official, which can also be considered as being a hostage,” Song Shi’an said. “Being a hostage involves both parties, and I also have his eldest son in my hands.”

“But the Grand Chancellor’s previous style was not like this, yet now he has to compromise a little because of the Duke of Zhangping’s slight probing.” Ye Changqing walked to his side and asked, “The Ministry of War established by the Grand Chancellor should be a war-oriented ministry, not a peace-oriented one, right?”

Song Shi'an glanced at him, then pretended to be deep in thought, and continued, "Changqing, what do you think?"

“Prime Minister, you just need some support.” Ye Changqing understood his thoughts and said, “My father was the Minister of Agriculture. During the great turmoil in Yizhou, he comforted the farmers for several years. There, he has some foundation.”

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of light appeared in Song Shi'an's eyes.

To the north of Nanyue were Yizhou and Yangzhou.

Their territories are very close to those of Sun Tuo.

"The Duke of Zhangping relies solely on his status as a Duke of Dayu. And the Prince of Jiangling under his command is a prince of the late emperor. We lack sufficient evidence to take action. Even if we had sufficient evidence, it would be difficult to act," Ye Changqing said. "But Sun Tuo is different. If Sun Tuo causes trouble in the south, we don't need any reason."

To attack the Duke of Zhangping, we need evidence.

But if Sun Tuo were to invade from the north, all that would be needed is to pinpoint his location.

“That’s exactly what I’m worried about,” Song Shi’an said. “The relationship between the Duke of Zhangping and Sun Tuo is much deeper than his relationship with the imperial court. Even if he is suspected of rebellion, he has to rely on Sun Tuo’s influence. Otherwise, no matter how many tens of thousands of border troops he has, he probably wouldn’t dare to act recklessly.”

“As long as we suppress Sun Tuo, the Duke of Zhangping…” Ye Changqing said, “he won’t be able to waver.”

"Your father, is there any way?" Song Shi'an asked.

"some."

Ye Changqing said with great certainty, "If we want to put Nan Yue in a bad light, we must first make the people of Da Yu hate Nan Yue."

.........

South Vietnam, Shiting.

Inside the palace.

Sun Tuo was holding a letter in his hand.

The Ji Emperor came from the far north. Before him stood a spy from the Great Yu, posing as a merchant.

In this remote and isolated area of ​​the Nanling Mountains, it is extremely rare to be able to obtain any information.

But the emperor still managed to send some news from the north.

The latest information here is that there is a Song Shi'an in Dayu who is very powerful in Beiyan and is also involved in land reclamation.

His own intelligence sources.

Some of the information was sent to him by envoys from the Duke of Zhangping.

However, he didn't quite believe it.

So he looked at the Qi spy in front of him and said, "Isn't there a man named Song Shi'an in power in the Yu state right now?"

When asked this question, the merchant was somewhat taken aback.

Does this barbarian emperor not even know this?
Isn't his surname Sun?
However, the rough and imposing emperor, along with the rather stern-looking, eagle-like southern barbarian general beside him, immediately frightened him.

So he quickly said, "Your Majesty, this Song Shi'an has taken the emperor of Yu Kingdom hostage in Huai County, killed the former crown prince, and forced the former Prince of Jin to ascend the throne. Now, he has set up six ministries and a cabinet in Sheng'an. His father is the Grand Secretary, and he is known as the Little Grand Secretary among the people of Yu... His influence is unparalleled."

"Did the emperor of Yu state say he wanted to launch a northern expedition?"

Because this was basically the same as what the Duke of Zhangping had told him, he asked again.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” he replied.

"He wants to launch a northern expedition to attack your Ji Yuan." Sun Tuo stared at him and questioned, "Why should I, the Emperor, help him send troops?"

good question.

But he had already prepared an answer to this question.

The spy said, "But Your Majesty, Song Shi'an's stated purpose is to unify the world."

“What a joke.” Sun Tuo casually tossed the letter aside and said, “In the past few hundred years, when has the Central Plains ever reached the lands of Baiyue? The fall of Qi is possible, but no one can invade my Baiyue.”

I am a barbarian.

Even if Song Shi'an destroys the Qi state, the Baiyue will not be in trouble.

No problem getting through.

Who can actually take it over?
No one can.

Because this is a fucking losing proposition!
"Your Majesty is absolutely right. With Your Majesty's divine authority, the Yu army naturally wouldn't dare to invade the south," the spy said cautiously. "But Song Shi'an didn't even reach Yan territory, and he still managed to throw Yan's government into chaos..."

He spoke very cautiously, yet he said everything.

Song Shi'an indeed had no way to subdue the Baiyue people.

But he was still capable of disgusting the emperor of Baiyue.

As is widely known, the current emperor of Baiyue is a member of the anti-Yu faction.

His existence was indeed a thorn in Song Shi'an's side.

“I have never been afraid of such a scoundrel,” Sun Tuo laughed. “Even without Ji Yuan’s intervention, even without Ji Yuan’s southern expedition, I would still have attacked his country.”

This emperor was indeed far too barbaric.

It's fair to say that it's not political at all.

He disdained to understand the principle of befriending distant states while attacking nearby ones.

Even if he shared the same idea as Ji Yuan, he still had to verbally mock the Emperor Ji for being a coward and needing an ally to fight.

"Your Majesty's martial prowess..." The spy, with his body groveling, could only offer a few words of flattery, ignoring his boasting and offering no defense of Ji Yuan.

Once Sun Tuo started the war, his mission was complete.

You can collect all the rewards.

“I was just about to go to the State of Yu to get some grain,” Sun Tuo said. “You should come with me to see how brave and valiant the men of Baiyue are.”

"Your Majesty, it is my honor!"

The spy happily agreed.

Then, he was taken away.

After he left, Shamo said to him, "Your Majesty, the Duke of Zhangping is, after all, a mere man of the forest. If we echo his sentiments, and he turns against us, wanting to use us as a gift to show his loyalty to Song Shi'an... wouldn't that be a bit risky?"

“What are you thinking?” Sun Tuo retorted directly. “The Duke of Li of Yu is dead, the former crown prince is dead, and I have known Chen Huo for more than ten years. He is not a coward who surrenders before the battle even begins. Coincidentally, he needs us to let Song Shi’an see his value.”

At this point, Sun Tuo looked ahead and said with a smile, "According to the Central Plains, he needs to nurture a bandit to maintain his own importance. And this 'bandit' is us. He won't let us become too strong, nor will he join forces with Song Shi'an to conquer us."

"Then this time," Samoyed pondered, still somewhat confused, "how should we proceed?"

Seeing how stupid he was, Sun Tuo said, "Song Shi'an had just taken power when rumors spread that the Duke of Zhangping was about to rebel. At that time, we should send troops to plunder a few of his counties. When Yangzhou and Yizhou are in chaos, the Duke of Zhangping can then send troops against me, and I can withdraw. In this way, who will gain and who will lose?"

Samoy suddenly realized: "His Majesty gained grain and money and was able to leave unscathed. The Duke of Zhangping used his troops against me to clarify the rumors that he was going to rebel, and at the same time, it demonstrated his importance in guarding the south. His Majesty and the Duke of Zhangping both benefited, while only Song Shi'an lost the people and his prestige, but he... could only grit his teeth and accept it."

Why ban match-fixing?

It's because fixing matches is so damn profitable!
“Let Ji Yuan cause trouble,” Sun Tuo said. “I will act as a bandit, robbing him of his grain, women, and money!”

"Since that's all there is to it, why don't I lead the troops?" Shamo said with concern, "Your Majesty, you must take care of your health..."

Before he could finish speaking, Sun Tuo glared at him coldly.

His eyes were filled with murderous intent.

It looks especially terrifying.

Samoyed immediately knelt on one knee, bowing his head: "Your Majesty's divine might is invincible."

Sun Tuo was indeed getting old, and his health was not very good.

But as the king of all barbarians, he had to demonstrate his power.

In this way, the other barbarian kings dared not underestimate him.

In places like Nanyue, there is no etiquette or social order; in the end, force reigns supreme.

When you are powerful, people respect you.

If you get diarrhea or your health deteriorates, don't blame us for standing up for the right to speak at this time.

Therefore, Sun Tuo needed this direct attack on Song Shi'an in the north to prove that he was still as sharp as ever.

I, the Emperor, will rise again!

……

A scarlet cloth was wrapped diagonally around Yuqiao, and Shamoji lay on the animal hair mat, his serpentine waist sinking into the white tiger skin.

The silver bells of Jiuli adorn her navel, their mesmerizing sounds rising and falling with her breath.

The totem etched by the scorching sun of the barbaric frontier onto her legs, a golden-scaled serpent head swimming towards the secluded valley, the Burmese bells adorned with the serpent's eyes swaying gently with her toes, causing the candlelight in the entire hall to be tinged with the crimson of desire...

"Your Majesty, His Majesty has dispatched troops."

A barbarian maidservant approached him, knelt on one knee, and carefully held a silver goblet in her hands.

Upon hearing this, Samogi slowly stood up.

As he rolled over, the white tiger skin slipped off, revealing his back and a tattoo of a hundred barbarians mating...

The thin hem swayed, revealing her snow-white, full, and somewhat voluptuous thighs.

"Because of Ji Yuan's envoy?" Shamoji asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Shamok did not speak, but slowly reached out and accepted the silver goblet.

Bright red blood rippled gently.

Inside, there was an eyeball floating.

She picked it up and slowly drank the wine.

The barbarian maidservant beside her waited for her. Then, she took the empty bottle containing only an eyeball.

After drinking blood, Samogi's lips still had a bright color.

She raised her slender fingers and gently moistened the blood on her lips with her deep crimson nails, as if she had applied a layer of vibrant rouge.

"Who is the most powerful person in the Great Yu right now?" Shamoji asked.

"Your Majesty, it is Song Shi'an," the barbarian woman said.

Samogi's lips curled into a smile, and her alluring face revealed a hint of appetite: "Mmm~ Song Shi'an." (End of Chapter)