Frost for a Thousand Years

After Sun Jinhua arrived, Song Shi'an's army marched another thirty li and set up camp on the spot along the way.

It was already winter, and Sheng'an City was covered in a blanket of white snow. Meanwhile, in Beiliang, the temperature had already dropped to below minus ten degrees Celsius.

At this time, most of Dayu was practically at a standstill.

The North cannot fight, nor will it be attacked.

Fortunately, the temperature experienced by Song Shi'an's army in southern Yangzhou, at a latitude roughly around Xiamen, was just over ten degrees Celsius.

One of the reasons Song Shi'an chose this time to launch a southern expedition was that he could confidently wage war against Ji Yuan when Ji Yuan posed no threat.

Of course, the winter nights in the Baiyue region are also quite chilly.

In addition, this area has ancient terrain with a lot of miasma, making it easy for plagues and malaria to spread. Therefore, there were bonfires everywhere in the camp.

"who?"

As Sun Jinhua was walking through the camp, a patrolling guard stopped her. This was because she was approaching a location not far from Song Shi'an's main camp.

Beside her was a waitress.

"My young lady wishes to see the young Grand Secretary. Please inform him," the maid said.

The man sized them up, and after recognizing them as the youngest daughter of the Sun family, he smiled meaningfully and said, "You wait here, I'll go and report to the young Grand Secretary."

After he left, the waitress complained rather unhappily, "What kind of eyes do you have? What kind of person do you take me for?"

"Women are not allowed to accompany soldiers in the military. Our coming along is already a violation of military discipline. It's normal for others to have speculations," Sun Jinhua said calmly.

The waitress stopped complaining.

At the same time, his eyes wandered around, taking in everything around him.

After a while, the soldier came over: "Please come, but only Miss Sun can come."

"it is good."

Sun Jinhua simply followed along.

Upon entering Song Shi'an's tent, she saw the young Grand Secretary dressed in a mink coat, standing in front of a hanging cowhide map, holding a lamp and observing intently.

Sun Jinhua remained quiet and did not disturb her.

After a while, Song Shi'an put down the lamp, turned around, looked at the young woman, and said with a smile, "Jinhua, what brings you here?"

In the middle of the night, the most beautiful woman in Jiangnan entered Song Shi'an's tent.

Any normal man would have a lot of speculations.

If they stay for a long time, it basically confirms that something happened between the two of them.

If the waiting time is short, it means that Song Shi'an's time is relatively short.

Therefore, due to the inherent male fertility worship, Song Shi'an had no need to rush, and rushing wouldn't have helped.

“Young Grand Secretary is extremely busy, and I dare not disturb him. Furthermore, my presence on this military campaign will prevent me from offering the same assistance as Lady Xinyue,” Sun Jinhua said. “However, I would like to ask if my identity might be of any use?”

Of course it's useful.

The rumor that Sun Situ's daughter was brought into the main tent by the young Grand Secretary in the middle of the night for a one-on-one visit and support was bound to have a strong impact.

“There really is one.” Song Shi’an sat down in his seat and then extended his hand to her.

Sun Jinhua was a little nervous, but she still sat down next to him and waited very attentively.

“That Zhao Han is indeed a man of great talent. He explained the situation in Yangzhou to me very clearly. However, he is, after all, a native of Yangzhou, and he is involved in some matters, so it's not easy for him to comment on certain people. Therefore, it's difficult for him to be objective,” Song Shi’an said. “These five people are the five military commanders who accompanied the expedition to the south. Four of them are from Yangzhou, and one of them, Sun Qi, is your cousin. Apart from your cousin, tell me about the remaining four. What is their true evaluation?”

You can't look at these people's resumes, because all you see on them are victories.

Just like the children of certain academic cliques, a quick search reveals a plethora of papers with their names listed as authors, including many first-author papers, all boasting impressive reputations and high academic value.

Do you find resumes useful?
But if you were their classmate, you would basically know that someone who was forced to do the work didn't get to do it, but ended up reaping a lot of rewards.

Although Sun Jinhua wasn't from their generation, she was, after all, a native of Yangzhou, having grown up in her ancestral home of Quyang. She certainly knew their true reputation better than Song Shi'an. And compared to the common people, this young lady from a prominent family, who somewhat enjoyed swordsmanship, must have been exposed to far more inside information.

Zhao Han was an ambitious and ruthless man, but which of those generals didn't have connections with him, and which didn't give him gifts and rely on him to introduce them to important figures?

If he were to actually make a critical comment, Song Shi'an would actually dislike the person more—he would be completely ruthless and lack any professional ethics in his pursuit of advancement.

"Young Grand Secretary..."

“It’s just the two of us now, so just call me Shi’an,” Song Shi’an said gently.

"Shi An." After calling out the name with some difficulty, Sun Jinhua felt a sense of relief and said, "If you trust me, I can also talk about my cousin, Sun Qi."

“Of course, as long as you don’t mind,” Song Shi’an said.

After organizing her thoughts, Sun Jinhua said, "This cousin is much older than me, about the same age as my eldest brother, and he is quite prestigious in the family."

“Yes, the outstanding figures of the Sun family are Sun Qian in the north and Sun Qi in the south,” Song Shi’an said. “I have heard of their reputation and abilities.”

"Jin Hua dares not overpraise, but Brother Sun Qi has indeed been far ahead of the other children since childhood."

"Yes, I've heard about that too."

“He was praised by the elders of the clan for his knowledge of military strategy. Some of the battles he fought were certainly fabricated, but he did personally lead troops and win some battles,” Sun Jinhua said. “When the great chaos broke out in Yizhou, several counties in Yangzhou followed suit. It was my cousin Sun Qi who led troops, sowed discord among the rebel leaders, defeated them one by one, and gathered up the refugees.”

"That's great." Song Shi'an nodded.

“However…” Sun Jinhua hesitated for a moment before speaking, “Unlike my brother Sun Qian, my cousin is not so eager to make a name for himself. He is more expected to… succeed my uncle as the clan leader in Yangzhou.”

"Oh, I understand." Song Shi'an nodded, finding the information quite useful.

"As for the remaining four," Sun Jinhua continued her analysis, "this Zhu Kang has accumulated the most military achievements, and he is particularly cowardly. He impersonated others in many battles, and he rarely even fought in person. In Yangzhou, it is rumored that his father is the richest man in the country."

"Shouldn't your family be the richest in Yangzhou?" Song Shi'an joked.

Sun Jinhua pursed her lips and explained, "It's about the rich man he's amusing, or rather, his father is very generous, giving away money and land lavishly, paving the way for his son."

"That's true. The Zhu family sent quite a lot of grain this time, and the bribe to San Gou was also very substantial." Song Shi'an nodded. "This man is not bad."

Such patriotic entrepreneurs are worthy of praise.

“Anyway, if we’re talking about mediocrity and weakness, he’s definitely the worst,” Sun Jinhua said.

“Since he’s afraid of war, we’ll give him some jobs that don’t involve fighting, and I’ll take full control of the military,” Song Shi’an said.

“Then you have to tell him that he will definitely get a promotion when he gets promoted,” Sun Jinhua said.

“I do understand this,” Song Shi’an smiled.

Sun Jinhua smiled as well.

Then, she continued to analyze things for Song Shi'an one by one.

He offered a thorough critique of the strengths and weaknesses of some of the sons of officials who accompanied him on this trip.

This further confirms Zhao Han's sincerity.

Although the two said slightly different things, Zhao Han subtly reminded him which people were just braggarts and he should try to avoid using them.

However, unlike others, Zhao Han didn't mention Sun Qi much.

Just like when he brought Sun Jinhua to him this time, he not only didn't take credit for it at all, but also kept emphasizing that he had no connection with Grandfather Sun, and he was even less familiar with this Sun Jinhua.

Beneath the calm and peaceful surface of Yangzhou's waters, undercurrents are surging.

"Thank you, but it's getting late, so you should go back and rest," Song Shi'an said. "We'll talk again tomorrow."

Sun Jinhua nodded gently.

Then, Song Shi'an turned around and continued to hold the lamp, looking at the map.

He turned his back completely to me.

On the table behind her, those confidential military reports lay unguarded in front of her, and she could even see their contents.

As she looked at the letter, memories of that day flashed through her mind.

She fled from Sheng'an back to Yangzhou, originally intending to simply disappear, but her accompanying maid was too frightened and secretly informed her uncle of the situation. Not long after, she was captured by the Sun family and brought before that grandfather.

"Uncle, punish me according to family law!"

Sun Jinhua, completely unlike a girl, stood in front of her seated uncle and shouted excitedly.

"For a man?" Uncle sipped his tea, calm and composed.

Sun Jinhua bit her lip and turned her face slightly away, looking very stubborn.

“You’re still young, you don’t understand much,” your uncle said. “Right now, you think you can’t live without him. But later you’ll find that you can live without him.”

"It has nothing to do with him..."

"If it has nothing to do with him, why have you stayed home all the time after the wedding? Why did you leave home after your father arranged another marriage for you?"

"I... I have disgraced my uncle. Please use family discipline!"

"Shameful? Is this as shameful as your father being humiliated at the banquet?" Uncle laughed. "Do you really think that running away from the arranged marriage in Sheng'an and bringing shame to the family is shameful?"

"How can I not lose face?"

"What if I told you that Song Shi'an sent someone to look for you?"

"..."

Sun Jinhua's emotional reaction at that time was a hundred times more shameful than what he had done.

But what made her even more pathetic was that she was secretly pleased.

Until her uncle's words hit her like a bucket of cold water, running through her entire body: "Your father asked Song Shi'an to come find you because he knew that your worthless self-esteem would be completely abandoned because of that man."

"Jinhua?"

Song Shi'an turned around and saw that she hadn't left yet, and asked with some confusion.

"Shi An, can you close your eyes?" Sun Jinhua asked.

Song Shi'an looked at her without saying a word.

But then, she slowly closed her eyes.

She took off her cloak and walked step by step to Song Shi'an. Looking at his face, she slowly tiptoed and brought her lips closer to his.

Their breaths had already mingled.

When the distance was less than an inch, Sun Jinhua leaned in several times, finally pursed her lips, and lowered her head.

When Song Shi'an opened her eyes, she saw a disheartened young girl.

He raised his hand and placed it on her shoulder, just about to offer some comfort.

Suddenly, Sun Jinhua hugged him tightly.

It pressed tightly against her, completely against her body.

It's like that hug a couple gives before boarding the high-speed train during summer vacation—completely embraced, brimming with strength.

"Jinhua?"

"I just want to hold you. Don't let me leave tonight, okay?"

"This will damage your reputation..."

"It doesn't matter anymore, I don't care at all!"

…………

The following day, the army continued its march.

We are getting closer and closer to the residence of the Duke of Zhangping, only two hundred li away.

This Sun Jinhua completely cosplayed as Xinyue, carrying a sword and freely entering and leaving his tent, like an internal affairs assistant.

However, his reputation within the military is completely different.

And these negative comments can't be deleted.

As night fell, Sun Jinhua went to Song Shi'an's tent again.

Meanwhile, in Sun Qi's barracks on the right flank, a female attendant who had followed them secretly entered.

“General, there is a secret about Song Shi’an,” she said, “but there is no token, so I can only convey it verbally.”

“It’s right to communicate verbally; don’t leave any evidence,” Sun Qi said.

This maid was arranged for Sun Jinhua by Sun's uncle to protect her.

Because of a woman's natural ability to love, the two quickly became acquainted.

But she was not an ordinary, delicate woman; she was a skilled female spy, adept at communication.

"Miss, you have already gotten close to Song Shi'an and obtained a very important piece of information from a lot of intelligence," the woman said. "Song Shi'an has never wanted to fight the Duke of Zhangping, but he has already tricked the various families out of their grain and troops, so he has no choice but to fight. Therefore, he plans to lead his army all the way to the Duke of Zhangping and then negotiate peace with him."

"Make peace?" Sun Qi's face darkened. "Just as my uncle said, he really wants to deceive everyone."

Song Shi'an is that kind of person; even when you all tell him not to do something, he insists on doing it.

But after I let him do everything, his rebellious personality kicked in, and he kept saying, "No, no!"

“That won’t do,” Sun Qi murmured seriously. “The major families are giving such strong support because they want to get rid of the Duke of Zhangping, this thorn in their side. We can’t afford not to take action.”

“However, Song Shi’an and the Duke of Zhangping probably don’t trust each other very much,” the maid said. “In their secret correspondence, Song Shi’an requested that the other party send at least a trusted confidant with real authority, rather than those fake spies.”

"It seems they really want to settle everything privately and deceive everyone." Sun Qi shook his head, filled with anger at this malicious plan.

Because they believed that, at least, this matter was a win-win situation for both Song Shi'an and Song Shi'an.

What made them win?
Yangzhou gained autonomy, and its voice carried more weight, making it impossible for the imperial court to strictly control and exploit them.

Song Shi'an, on the other hand, had eliminated all his political enemies and completely wiped out the people of Qinzhou. His power had reached its peak, except for Yangzhou, which he could not control.

But Song Shi'an didn't want a win-win situation; he wanted to win alone.

Always, win! win! win!

"General, why don't we report this to Grandfather immediately?" the maid said. "We can expose Song Shi'an's conspiracy and force the Yangzhou families to return the grain."

“No, exposing them would be bad for both sides.” Sun Qi raised his hand, rejecting the decision. “Rather than letting their schemes be exposed, it would be better to let them fight it out.”

Once a fight breaks out, Song Shi'an will have no say in the matter.

The prerequisite for controlling the situation is constant probing and mutual blackmail.

However, if there is already a lack of trust between the two people, even the slightest friction can lead to a chain reaction, completely spiraling out of control and triggering a major war.

Then some people might ask, why not just secretly send troops and provoke trouble, so that they would have no choice but to fight?

That would definitely lead to a fight.

But given Song Shi'an's personality, he would definitely execute the general who disobeyed orders and sent troops without authorization on the spot.

This person is absolutely capable of doing it.

Therefore, no one would dare to provoke him.

They can only resort to underhanded tactics.

"I've got it, I've got it." A smile appeared on Sun Qi's lips as he finally had a solution. "Isn't it just about letting them fight each other?"

"Then I'll take my leave." The waitress said, seeing that he had a plan, and prepared to leave.

"Does Jin Hua still care about Song Shi'an?" Sun Qi asked.

"Miss, she will never do it again."

With a chilling gaze, the waitress spoke as if she understood the sentiment, "A man who toys with women's hearts is not worth loving!" (End of Chapter)