Frost for a Thousand Years

When Song Shi'an's army was only thirty li away from Guangfu, they set up camp along the river and then slowly advanced while pacifying the people.

The Song generals had already anticipated Chen and Huo's strategy, which was to set up a large bus.

All the elite soldiers, provisions, and able-bodied laborers were concentrated in the city of Guangfu.

As for other strategic locations, they were completely abandoned, including the people under their jurisdiction.

Such tactics are generally used when there is a significant difference in numbers between the two sides.

When Zhuge Liang suddenly launched his Northern Expedition, the Wei Kingdom adopted this tactic: fortification and scorched earth, abandoning most cities and concentrating its army and supplies in one city for a defensive posture.

However, this has a prerequisite: the city itself must possess certain characteristics—it must be easy to defend and difficult to attack.

It remains the same distinction between the City of Energy and the City of Time.

“We expect to have enough food for two years in Guangfu City,” Zhao Han told Song Shi’an. “This city is not only sturdy on the outside, but also has many hidden bunkers inside. In particular, its barbican, once the city gate is breached, is a towering, winding, and very wide open space.”

As he spoke, he gestured with his hand to form the shape of a ring, explaining, "Its walls are smooth, with no support on any side, so ladders cannot be erected. If we want to attack, we can only continue to assault the inner gate. And if we just pour hot oil or molten metal on the high place, it will be like an oven... It's difficult."

“That’s for sure.” Nodding, Song Shi’an said, “The Duke of Zhangping has been managing things in Guangzhou for over a decade. If he can overcome this easily, then the late emperor has entrusted the wrong person all these years.”

“Young Grand Secretary,” Zhao Han walked to his side and suggested, “Guangfu is built on the Guang River. Although the current rainfall is not heavy and the water storage is not high, the flood season will begin in February. Why don’t we use this month or so to gradually gather the people of Guangfu, mobilize the population, and build a reservoir on the upper reaches of the Guang River…”

As he spoke, his tone grew increasingly sinister.

"We're all from Dayu, this isn't right."

However, Song Shi'an directly refused.

Flooding Guangfu City is indeed a good idea.

He had given up everything, leaving him with only this isolated point. The surrounding people could also be used by Song Shi'an.

But the people in Guangfu City are from Dayu, not from Northern Qi.

After being rejected in this way, Zhao Han did not persist.

Just then, San Gou entered and reported, "My lord, the rumors are true. It really is the Prince of Jiangling leading the troops, and they have even taken the initiative to leave the city, fighting all the way..."

While San Gou hesitated on how to phrase it, he said, "Just say it."

"The banner of avenging the blood feud of my brothers and father and killing the traitor Song Shi'an!" San Gou could only shout.

"There's no need to be so forceful," Song Shi'an said, pressing his hand down as he felt he was losing face.

“Yes,” San Gou continued, “He personally led three thousand troops, most of whom were elite cavalry, and they stood ready in front of Hengguan Pass.”

"Did anyone respond to him?" Song Shi'an asked.

“There really are,” San Gou said. “There are several thousand mountain bandits and nearly ten thousand barbarians.”

The saying "Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts" was said by an ancient person.

But often, this is just a general political slogan.

Slogans are just slogans, but their implementation can vary.

Just like the White Horse Cavalry, one of the most famous light cavalry in ancient times, its strategic purpose was to resist the Hu people. Its leader, Gongsun Zan, was an extreme nationalist who killed the Hu people the most fiercely. However, most of the members of this cavalry were Hu people who were good at riding and archery.

The Southern Yue Kingdom rebelled against Yu, but cooks, doctors, and blacksmiths from the Central Plains were strictly forbidden to be harmed during each raid. Moreover, whenever something happened on the border between Yizhou and Yangzhou, the Southern Yue Kingdom was always involved behind the scenes.

Conversely, the same applies.

Political slogans are not the same as methodology.

"In that case, let's call a meeting to discuss how to respond."

"Yes." San Gou withdrew.

Zhao Han also prepared to step down.

As he was leaving, Song Shi'an suddenly called out to him, "Mr. Zhao, could you help me send Sun Jinhua back?"

"..." Zhao Han suddenly stopped and slowly turned around. "Young Grand Secretary, I really don't have much of a relationship with that Old Master Sun. Or rather, we're not familiar with each other at all."

"Oh, I see." Song Shi'an nodded.

Zhao Han felt a chill run down her spine at his ulterior motive, so she confirmed again: "Young Grand Secretary, I did report some things to General San Gou that day."

“Yes, he told me everything exactly as I said it,” Song Shi’an said.

Word for word.

Since it is exactly the same word, with the wisdom of the young Grand Secretary, he must know that he is issuing a disclaimer.

Whatever Sun Taigong did, whatever he wanted to do with this woman, it was not what he wanted, nor was it what he knew.

"Young Grand Secretary," Zhao Han asked finally, looking at the other party, "this Prince Jiangling is quite difficult to deal with, isn't he?"

“Of course,” Song Shi’an said. “This boy is extremely brave and is also a descendant of the late emperor, making him quite a troublesome figure for me.”

"I understand."

Zhao Han then left.

After he left, Song Shi'an said with a deep voice, "There are still capable people in Yangzhou."

.........

"Mr. Zhao."

After the meeting, Sun Qi, the vanguard general in this operation, privately approached the broker and bowed to him with great sincerity.

Zhao Han, who had been summoned, immediately flew into a rage, pulling at his sleeve and saying, "General, my Zhao family and the Sun family have a long-standing friendship. Why has your patriarch placed me in such an unjust position!"

"Mr. Zhao, what do you mean by this?" Sun Qi leaned closer, quite puzzled.

"Still pretending? Still pretending!" Zhao Han said excitedly, "Why would Huang Cen and Zhao Ke appear in that place in the middle of the night? It's obvious that Chen Huo sent envoys to have a secret meeting with the young Grand Secretary. You killed them in the middle of the night and exposed this matter so that the young Grand Secretary would have no choice but to fight."

These are basically all open secrets, so Sun Qi didn't deny it.

"How could you know such confidential information? You must have used that young sister Sun to use her beauty to secretly steal intelligence." Zhao Han pointed at him, gritting her teeth as she said, "You know perfectly well that I brought your sister here. Now that this has happened, the young Grand Secretary will surely suspect that I colluded with your great-grandfather. Even now, you're still pretending to be innocent!"

"Mr. Zhao, calm down, please calm down." Sun Qi could only force a smile. "Things have already come to this point, there's no point in pursuing it any further."

"What are you saying? What are you saying?" Zhao Han was about to swear. "I will never get on your ship, absolutely not."

"Now, it's not a question of whether you're coming on this ship with us or not."

"You actually dared to threaten me!"

Zhao Han was about to leave when she said that.

“Sir,” Sun Qi quickly stepped in front of him and said with a forced smile, “Sir, please listen to me first, it’s not too late to leave after you’ve finished.”

Zhao Han gave a cold snort and turned her head away.

Then, Sun Qi rationally analyzed for him: "The young Grand Secretary's idea is good; he wants to maintain stability in the region and let Chen Huo go. However, Chen Huo is guilty of heinous crimes and must be punished. Now, the die is cast, the tide has turned, and peace talks are no longer possible. What can the young Grand Secretary do?"

Zhao Han did not respond.

“Since we’re going to fight, we should fight it out beautifully,” Sun Qi said. “For the Six Ministries and the Cabinet, winning this battle would be a good thing. The young Grand Secretary is not an indecisive person.”

"Aren't you afraid of being purged?" Zhao Han asked.

“Given the young Grand Secretary’s temper and his heroic deeds, anyone who offends him, like those in Liangzhou, would be killed without hesitation. Why wait until tomorrow?” Sun Qi said. “The fact that he’s not killing me now, not touching my great-grandfather now, and even tolerating you, sir, doesn’t that prove something?”

"Don't overestimate yourself," Zhao Han cautioned. "Yangzhou isn't so powerful that it can decide things behind closed doors."

"But with Chen Huo dead, Nan Yue is now under the control of the Empress Dowager," Sun Qi reminded him. "Yangzhou is where the old shackles of many years are finally lifted."

"The imperial court will send someone."

“The people sent by the imperial court, whether from Sizhou or Qinzhou, are ultimately just individuals,” Sun Qi said. “They are not the ruthless ministers who have been entrenched in Yangzhou for over a decade.”

The Duke of Zhangping is too domineering and too cautious, and he also has a prince under his control. This old man is the biggest headache for the people of Yangzhou.

They could solve it no matter who was in charge.

So-called treating someone to a meal is just a way of saying you'll be treated like a dog.

“Although the young Grand Secretary is now in a high position and wields great power, he is also surrounded by obstacles and the whole world is watching him,” Sun Qi said very seriously. “He must achieve results and quickly establish military merits. Before this battle, we coaxed him to fight, but now it has become that he has to coax us to fight.”

The collapse of the Chen and Song dynasties reversed the balance of power between the two sides.

"You guys really don't value my life at all."

Zhao Han was unaware that Sun Jinhua had been slapped, but he had indeed never seen that woman again after that.

He didn't know whether he was killed or what.

He only knew that if Song Shi'an blamed him, he was finished.

This is why he has been issuing statements to distance himself from the situation ever since he sent the person over.

He had a vague feeling that these people were definitely up to something bad.

“Now, the young Grand Secretary doesn’t give me a friendly look anymore,” Zhao Han said unhappily. “Today, I privately suggested that he use water to attack Guangfu City, but he rejected it.”

“They are all commoners of the Great Yu, and to take such drastic measures, I also feel it’s inappropriate,” Sun Qi said.

"General Sun thinks the war is going too fast and that's not appropriate," Zhao Han said sarcastically.

"Mr. Zhao, putting all that aside," Sun Qi felt he had convinced him, so he stopped pretending and asked, "What do you think is the significance of Chen Huo sending the Prince of Jiangling to personally lead the troops?"

What puzzled Sun Qi the most was this.

Prince Jiangling was arguably Chen and Huo's most important asset.

Are we just going to release him like this? Is he even a match for Song Shi'an?

"Do you think Chen Huo is acting?" Zhao Han asked rhetorically.

“Whether I’m acting or not, I don’t know, but as the vanguard, I still want to know about the enemy I’m going to face,” Sun Qi explained.

Looking back now, it seems the Duke of Zhangping has grown old.

They can't compare to the Duke of Li, who always stood his ground.

Despite holding considerable military power, he remained timid and submissive, like a soft-hearted bean curd.

I'm afraid this kid has even killed his own pro-war faction members, yet he still harbors illusions about Song Shi'an.

If the two continue to maintain secret contact...

Then he might very well be killed by Song Shi'an, who holds a grudge against him.

So, did this battle actually start?
"Do you understand now?" Zhao Han snorted and said, "You're afraid of being betrayed and sacrificed because of your radicalism, and you're also afraid of missing the battle opportunity because of your conservatism and being punished for it."

Sun Qi suddenly realized.

This is also a calculated move.

If this battle really goes on, Song Shi'an might entrust the most dangerous battle to me, which would increase my mortality rate.

If this battle is a sham, and he retreats conservatively, Song Shi'an can then punish him for poor performance in battle.

The same applies to the Duke of Zhangping.

Let's test the waters with the troublesome identity of the Prince of Jiangling.

He wanted others to think he was up to something, and that his relationship with Song Shi'an remained ambiguous.

Politics is treacherous, and not understanding politics is dangerous.

And the battlefield is the best way to eliminate dissidents.

Why didn't Li Tianxia save Zhang Lingfu?

Even if he failed to save Zhang Lingfu, resulting in the complete annihilation of Zhang Lingfu, there was still no way to punish him.

Song Shi'an, this is a case of wanting him dead.

"That battle..."

"Only victory is allowed, defeat is not an option."

Zhao Han told him the result.

Disobeying orders means death, defeat means punishment, and inevitable victory always comes with risks.

"No problem."

Having confirmed the matter with Zhao Han and feeling more confident, Sun Qi nodded with a slight smile: "Winning against a child is nothing, what's so difficult about it?"

.........

Before Hengguan Pass, the two armies faced each other.

Both sides increased their distance from each other.

The drums thundered and the banners were raised.

At this moment, a noble-looking young man dressed in scale armor, wearing a golden helmet, and holding a long spear rode up to the front of the battle. Ignoring his deputy's advice, he insisted on entering the midst of the two armies and shouted, "Song Shi'an, I respect you as a hero, and I am also a hero. Before the army goes into battle, do you dare to meet me on horseback before the battle lines!"

To emulate the story of Ji Yuan and Wei Wusheng.

He was extremely proud and arrogant.

Song Shi'an, standing at the front of the Song army, looked at the child, chuckled, and said to Sun Qi beside him, "General Sun, how is your archery skill?"

Sun Qi was taken aback by what he was told, and said somewhat uneasily, "It's...it's alright."

"Shoot this little bastard for what he's got," Song Shi'an demanded.

Wei Wusheng defeated the powerful ruler Ji Yuan, who recognized the young man's talent and took the initiative to hug him in the player tunnel, saying something like, "The future is yours."

You haven't even started fighting yet, and you're already trying to ride the coattails of Da Yu's GOAT to generate hype for The Legendary Twins?

To put it bluntly, Wei Yixing is not even an All-Star level young player.

Having no other choice, Sun Qi could only draw his bow to its full extent and then suddenly fire an arrow towards the Prince of Jiangling.

Whoosh!
Arrows flew out from the enemy army.

Wei Yixing, who was originally waiting for this meeting of the century, could only rein in his horse abruptly. The horse's hooves rose high, just in time to dodge the arrow that flew towards him and landed at his feet.

Wei Yixing immediately flew into a rage and shouted, "Song Shi'an, you have no martial ethics! You dare not face me! You despicable scoundrel!"

He was still grumbling when his lieutenant rushed out with several men, raised their shields to protect him, and said with a "Don't be so pretentious, little prince" look, "Take His Highness back, take His Highness back!"

Didn't you see that Song Shi'an doesn't even give you the time of day?
Helpless, Wei Yixing could only go back cursing.

Following this minor incident, the two armies directly engaged in a fierce battle of bombardment.

Song Shi'an, who had been behind the banners, also retreated and stood on a chariot with San Gou, watching the melee from afar.

"Although this Prince of Jiangling isn't very bright, he's incredibly brave," Song Shi'an remarked.

“I heard that this Prince of Jiangling got lost in the wilderness when he was twelve years old, but he didn’t die even after two days,” San Gou introduced. “When he was found, he was wearing several wolf skins.”

"Is that so?" Song Shi'an smiled with admiration. "I love him to death."

Three Dogs: "..."

See? The dialogue in the new Three Kingdoms is something even the ancients couldn't hold back.

"He's already killed more than twenty people in a row, and he's not tired at all. In fact, he's getting stronger with each battle." Song Shi'an nodded. "This kid must think he's really something."

"You ignorant fool," San Gou sneered.

"That's right."

While observing him, Song Shi'an said, "Then let's use the tactic that General Sun Qi advised me to use, and lose a round first."

.........

"My lord, the Prince of Jiangling has won!"

A cavalryman hurriedly entered the main hall to report to the Duke of Zhangping.

At this moment, his son Chen Wang was also present.

"How did you win?" asked the Duke of Zhangping.

"The Prince of Jiangling led his elite troops into fierce battle against the enemy's vanguard. The barbarian army was inspired and fought with increasing ferocity, at one point overwhelming the enemy. The enemy was forced to retreat, conceding their positions and returning to their camp," the cavalryman described.

The more Chen Wang listened to this, the more he felt something was wrong.

"Very well." The Duke of Zhangping nodded. "What did His Highness say?"

"He said he has a plan for tonight, a brilliant plan," the cavalryman said.

"Isn't that just raiding a camp?!" Chen Wang was speechless and blurted it out.

“Tell the Prince of Jiangling not to carry out his brilliant plan, but to guard Hengguan and fight only at the pass,” said the Duke of Zhangping.

"Yes!"

The cavalrymen received the order and rushed off to deliver it.

"Father!" Chen Wang stood in front of him as soon as he left, and asked with great incomprehension, "Can the Prince of Jiangling defeat Song Shi'an? Do you think he can defeat Song Shi'an?"

"Why would I send him if he can't win?" said the Duke of Zhangping.

"Even if he has a slight advantage by chance in this battle, can he win the raid?"

"That's why I told them not to go."

"Besides you, who else can he listen to!" Chen Wang said excitedly. "In every battle, he always takes the lead and fights the enemy. With his brute strength and sharp armor, he can indeed kill a lot of enemies. But it is this kind of pleasure in killing enemy soldiers that makes him lose his sense of self and doesn't take Song Shi'an seriously at all. He thinks that Song Shi'an keeps winning simply because he hasn't met him yet."

"Isn't this personality adorable?" the Duke of Zhangping retorted.

"..." Chen Wang was speechless.

Looking at his father, he became increasingly suspicious and serious. After a long while, he lowered his voice and said, "Dad, you just want to lose."

The Duke of Zhangping remained silent.

“You sent the Prince of Jiangling into battle without intending to win. If you wanted to win, you would have kept him by your side,” Chen Wang said confidently.

"You noticed it too?"

Staring at his son, the Duke of Zhangping felt a little disappointed.

"I see, I'm not stupid, I see through this." Chen Wang was almost crying with anxiety. "But I just don't understand why you would do this, even thinking of dying. I just don't understand, I just don't get it!"

"Even you can't understand it?"

The Duke of Zhangping looked at his son and felt a little better.

"Huh?" Chen Wang was confused.

The Duke of Zhangping sighed softly and said, "Whether he knows me or condemns me, only history will tell." (End of Chapter)