Frost for a Thousand Years

What the hell do you mean...?

The Duke of Zhangping's move left the barbarian general completely dumbfounded.

Moreover, the other side just stood there, with their army behind them completely still, as if to say: the choice is yours.

He was instructed to bring these princes into the valley after he obtained them.

It wasn't even entering the country.

Only after Song Shi'an retires will they truly accept Chen Huo and his group.

After all, this is an army of foreign tribes, and we still need to consider their potential threat.

But now the other party's stubborn attitude has completely deadlocked the situation.

The barbarian generals and soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment.

Although Song Shi'an's light cavalry was still at least several hours away, this sudden change of plans made everyone uneasy.

This includes the army of the Duke of Zhangping.

Of course, with this Duke around, they couldn't possibly cause trouble.

Over the years, his management of the military camp has transformed it into his trusted personal army.

"Please hand over the prince as agreed."

The military officer extended his hand and issued a very strong warning.

And this is the final warning.

However, his actions clearly angered the personal guards of the Duke of Zhangping.

The officers in front of them drew their swords in unison, producing a resounding roar that shook the very air.

The barbarian soldiers thrust out their spears one by one, baring their teeth and letting out strange howls like ferocious beasts, and immediately began to pant.

The two sides were locked in a tense standoff, and the atmosphere quickly became fraught with danger.

The cavalry immediately reported this to the Nan Yue camp.

"Chen and Huo refuse to hand over the Prince of Jiangling and insist on letting them into the valley first. Our army is about to fight them!"

All the generals and kings looked at the messenger cavalryman and immediately flew into a rage.

Samogi almost stood up in anger, but to appear composed, she forced herself to stay upright, gripping the handrail so tightly that the veins on her skin bulged, and her beautiful face became fierce and menacing.

"You shameless bastard who's pushing his luck!" one of the men immediately cursed. "He's already on the verge of death, and he still wants to bargain with us. Who gave him the courage!"

"This clearly shows they don't want to give us the little prince!"

"Yes, we can't agree to that! We absolutely can't agree to that!"

The collective voice of disapproval is absolutely impossible to suppress. Moreover, Samogi is not a stupid woman; she was just pushed to her limit. Deep down, her most hidden rationality still remained, so she clenched her fists and said rather imposingly, "If he doesn't want to give it to us, then let him wait outside."

"The Queen Mother is famous."

Her words received everyone's support.

The group simply went along with the decision.

But everyone felt a little uneasy.

Because the Duke of Zhangping's demand for a higher price was indeed quite unreasonable...

However, they are not entirely passive.

If the Duke of Zhangping were to surrender to Song Shi'an, it would indeed be a devastating blow to them.

But for the Duke of Zhangping himself, this was 'destruction'.

Let's do it then, fuck you!

.........

The people of Shamogi not only did not retreat, but continued to reinforce their troops into the valley.

There were about seven or eight thousand barbarians, men, women, and children, guarding the valley entrance, the valley, and the cliffs on both sides. They were ready to fight to the death if the Duke of Zhangping dared to force his way in.

Even if they can't win, they still have Beiguan behind them as a support.

Yu people, don't think we're spineless!
"Father, it's been an hour."

Chen Wang rode up to his father's side and said anxiously.

"Remain still." However, the Duke of Zhangping kept his eyes closed, showing no emotion whatsoever. "Do not speak."

Now, he ordered the entire army, including the horses, to rest and meditate in place.

Not wasting a single ounce of energy, maintaining peak condition, and always keeping combat power at its maximum.

Moreover, it is early spring now, not summer. At this time of year, the climate in Lingnan is quite cool and mild.

Today is another day with no wind or rain, perfect for fighting and no chance of getting heatstroke.

Chen Wang had no choice but to wait.

However, his father's words also made sense. Since they had chosen to mediate, they could only hold their breath and concentrate. Whoever lost their composure first would lose.

The loser, on the other hand, will be like a stray dog, losing all opportunities to negotiate.

Besides, could Sama-hime really sit still?
No.

In other circumstances, she is indeed no threat.

But now her people are entangled in a battle with Qiu Juhuan, and the vast majority of her army is caught up in the civil war. How can she dare to simultaneously confront the forces of both the Duke of Zhangping and Song Shi'an?

Even if Ji Yuan were to arrive, he'd better think twice.

Time just flows by like that.

The sun, high in the sky, slowly began to set in the west.

The rosy clouds on the horizon are about to appear.

At this moment, Shamogi, sitting atop the city wall, was playing a game of strategy with the Duke of Zhangping, his heart pounding wildly.

She was like the swordsman who controlled the Trisolaran coordinate transmitter; a single button could control the life and death of the Duke of Zhangping, but if she pressed it, she herself would die along with him.

No, Chen Huo was not attached to the Prince of Jiangling.

He just wanted to enter the country.

Even if he let him into the valley, he still wouldn't be able to enter the North Pass.

His only worry was being double-crossed, and after deceiving the prince, not being allowed into the pass.

But Shamogi had no choice. Sitting in this position, and having even raised the anti-Yu slogan, she could only maintain the persona of a barbarian warrior.

She cannot kneel.

Her governing style is characterized by toughness.

Those generals and kings who had been bribed by him could not be fooled.

Chen Huo.

Stop pretending and just hand the person over.

We'll give you all the territory we promised, as long as you can deal with that beast Qiu Juhuan.

Are you, a man from Qinzhou, really willing to become Song Shi'an's prisoner?
Even if you didn't witness him kill the Duke of Li, you must have heard about the process, right?
Is this the fate of a once-powerful figure?

Is it worth it?
Tell me!
Samogi screamed inwardly, filled with rage.

Just then, the barbarians who were crouching on the mountain like monkeys began to shout and relay the information they had gathered from five or six miles away.

On the right flank of the city wall, a soldier, after hearing and clearly hearing the report, quickly ran to Shamoji and knelt down to report: "Your Majesty, we have spotted Song Shi'an's light cavalry on the mountain. There are a large number of them, at least three or four thousand, and they are less than ten miles away!"

Ten li is roughly four thousand five hundred meters.

This distance is invisible to the naked eye because of obstructions.

However, people on the mountain could see a huge, dark mass pressing in their direction.

At the speed of the cavalry, it would take at least an hour.

Indeed, there was no real urgency, as if they were about to strike at any moment.

The sense of oppression emanating from things that are visible to the naked eye is incredibly strong.

Samogi himself had already begun to have his pupils twitching.

Ten li, less than ten li.

They're about to catch up.

Even after all this, can the Duke of Zhangping still hold back?

Does this man just have to argue with me?
At this moment, the Duke of Zhangping remained as steady as a rock, as unshakable as Mount Tai.

His son looked up at the barbarian monkeys on the cliff, whose expressions were clearly off and who were all talking amongst themselves. He guessed that these people had seen something terrifying and were holding their breath in fear.

Dad, you're really awesome.

I've never seen you push yourself to such extremes in all these years.

You're not like yourself anymore.

Instead, he was like Song Shi'an, who always pushed himself to the brink of despair and then miraculously survived.

They've all gone astray so quickly!

Time continues to pass in this way.

The barbarians on the hilltop grew increasingly shocked and tense.

"They're almost there, aren't they going to stop?"

"This Song Shi'an, is he really going to chase after us all the way to Baiyue?"

"What is the Empress Dowager thinking... why hasn't she given the order yet?"

At this moment, the Empress Dowager also closed her eyes, frowned, and her teeth chattered.

"Your Majesty, there are only five li left!"

At a distance of five li, one can already see the enemy army relatively clearly with the naked eye and roughly discern its outline and boundaries.

Troop strength will also be estimated more accurately.

"Empress Dowager!"

At that moment, the kings and generals burst in together.

The Empress Dowager said she wanted to be alone, but now was not the time for her to have a nice beauty sleep; everyone was being pressured.

"Gentlemen, what do you mean?"

Samogi, sitting in the chair, opened her eyes and scanned the aggressive men.

"We've come this far, a decision must be made!" the king said. "Then Your Majesty, please tell us, what decision should we make?" Shamogi countered directly, "Should our men outside the pass directly engage Chen Huo in war?"

“We can’t start a war. He was going to fight Song Shi’an anyway,” the king said. “We need to withdraw some of our men and bring them into the city.”

Otherwise, the army outside the pass and in the canyon could have been directly crushed by the Duke of Zhangping if he had been pushed to the brink.

"The rest of you should remain in ambush on both sides of the valley, and prevent this guy from entering!" the king said.

“Easy for you to say. This valley is extremely wide; arrows from both sides cannot reach the troops below, and even some boulders and rolling logs cannot harm them,” said one of Shamoji’s generals. “What difficulty would they have in entering the valley?”

"You beast, do you even have the right to speak?" the king retorted directly with a personal attack.

Who are you calling a beast?

Samogi immediately gave him a cold, murderous look.

The king was startled, after all, this was still Shamoji's territory, so he changed the subject and said, "The valley entrance is indeed wide, but there is a narrow section in the middle. If we ambush them there, we will surely be able to seriously injure Chen!"

"Seriously injured? How badly?" Shamoji asked. "Is it enough to defeat him, or just to rout him? And after that, what happens next?"

Although Samogi was not very knowledgeable about military strategy, her words were extremely insightful in terms of politics.

That means that after a fight, the two sides will definitely turn against each other.

Those soldiers would definitely turn against their own side and side with Song Shi'an.

Even if things have become very tense, they can still form a powerful alliance at crucial moments if they don't fight.

This is why Shamoji insisted on waiting until Song Shi'an and Zhangping Guogong went to war before dealing with Qiu Juhuan.

Because she understood very well that once a war started, it wouldn't be easy to end.

This cannot be determined by human will.

In everything, the worst thing is to assume something is true.

"Then what do you suggest we do!" Wang said anxiously, he was also under pressure to the limit.

“It’s impossible for Chen Huo to get along with Song Shi’an,” Shamoji said with absolute certainty. “They can never coexist!”

The implication was that as long as they accepted Chen Huo, the Duke of Qinzhou would join them in fighting against Song Shi'an.

There was also an implication: they had no choice but to compromise on Chen and Huo's demands.

"And what about the young prince? When will he be given to you?" the king demanded.

"I only let him into the valley, not into the pass!" Shamoji stood up and said ruthlessly, "If Chen Huo doesn't hand over the Prince of Jiangling after Song Shi'an retreats, we will bring all our troops over and slaughter all these stray dogs!"

I'm not going to hit Qiu Juhuan anymore either.

To secure internal stability, we must first quell external threats!

"Your Majesty, Song Shi'an's vanguard cavalry has accelerated and is only three li away!"

At this moment, a message, as urgent as a death warrant, arrived at the city gate.

Everyone's hearts tightened simultaneously.

Shamoji, like a raging lioness, roared, "Everyone retreat back into the city! Let Chen Huo in!"

"Yes!"

……

The Duke of Zhangping heard the sound of horses' hooves behind him.

But he remained incredibly calm.

His troops also began to panic, turning around in fear of the surging pursuers.

It's not that I'm afraid of war.

Even if you really did something with Song Shi'an, it wouldn't have come to this.

The key problem is that there is a group of barbarians blocking the entrance.

If we are attacked from both sides, then we will only face certain death!

Give me a straight answer!
Just then, a bugle sounded.

It echoed throughout the entire valley.

The next moment, all the barbarian soldiers retreated.

"Prince Zhang, we have retreated back to the city. You may enter the valley. But without handing over the young prince, entering the pass is absolutely impossible!"

After leaving behind this harsh remark, the barbarian general led his soldiers back.

"Father!" Chen Wang looked at his biological father, wanting to call out to wake him.

Slowly, Chen Huo opened his eyes.

"What's the panic? Song Shi'an hasn't arrived yet, has he?" he said.

“But if the army doesn’t make a decision soon, it will mutini,” Chen Wang said.

"Wait a minute, wait until they've all withdrawn," Chen Huo said. "I know what I'm doing."

Swallowing hard, Chen Huo watched his father perform the extreme maneuver.

Just then, Song Shi'an's vanguard cavalry was making rapid progress.

Dust billowed up from the ground, like a gray storm rising from the earth.

The soldiers at the front had already spotted a large army about a mile away.

However, it was discovered that these people, the moment he was seen, collectively headed towards the valley.

When the vanguard of light cavalry had chased the enemy to within a hundred paces of the valley entrance, the rearguard, led by the Duke of Zhangping, also entered the valley.

They could only abruptly rein in their horses and stop the pursuit.

These vanguard cavalrymen collectively came to a halt.

The cavalry that arrived later also slowed down rhythmically.

Gradually, four thousand cavalrymen blocked the valley, just like the Duke of Zhangping before them.

Sun Qi, a member of the vanguard, also arrived.

The other generals all asked for his opinion.

"General Sun, this traitor Chen has actually entered the valley, which is Shamoji's territory."

"Could it be that he's going to attack the city?"

"Or perhaps..."

“He and Samogi are already in cahoots,” Sun Qi said gravely.

Everyone turned their gaze toward the entrance of Gourd Valley.

Unexpectedly, this once-noble family has become a foreigner.

The Duke of Li and the Duke of Zhangping, two powerful figures among the noble families of Qinzhou, were to be dealt with by Song Shi'an within half a year.

And the princes of Dayu will also become playthings of the barbarian empress.

What a pity, what a pity!

Just then, a cavalryman from the Imperial Guard arrived, dismounted, and presented Song Shi'an's military order to Sun Qi with both hands.

Upon seeing this, Sun Qi immediately dismounted and accepted the gift with both hands.

Although this Imperial Guard cavalryman's mission wasn't particularly significant, he represented Song Shi'an, a member of the Bureau Committee, so he certainly couldn't be too arrogant.

And so, he opened the military command.

However, after watching it, I was stunned.

Everyone gathered around, puzzled.

"What did the young Grand Secretary say?"

Sun Qi did not speak, but simply turned the general's command towards them.

Everyone was stunned when they saw it.

Only two words—

进去
The young Grand Secretary is about to make a strong entrance!

"General, how do we get in..."

"No, we have to go in."

After a moment of confusion, Sun Qi mounted his horse.

The others, puzzled, also mounted their horses.

"Enter the valley!"

Right after he gave the order, Sun Qi led his men, steeling themselves, into the valley.

After leading his troops straight in, Sun Qi looked towards the cliffs on both sides.

There are indeed some people on the mountain, but the area is still spacious and nothing to fear.

He swallowed hard.

If I'm not mistaken...

There should be no obstacles along the way.

Sure enough, the cavalrymen reached the narrowest point without encountering an ambush.

"General Sun, are there any ambushes on both sides?" someone asked.

“Given the Duke of Zhangping’s caution, would he allow Shamoji to ambush you? Even if he did, we are all cavalry,” Sun Qi said.

“That makes sense…” The officer beside him thought he was right.

But why is this guy calling himself 'Duke of Zhangping'?
Shouldn't it be Chen Huo, or Chen the Thief?

"Charge in!"

Sun Qi knew that the outcome was already decided, so he immediately and decisively gave the order.

And so, the four thousand cavalrymen were suddenly poured into the 'mouth' and galloped like the wind.

After passing through the narrow passage, the view gradually opens up.

Upon seeing the Chen-Huo army lined up in neat rows in the vast open space, the soldiers stopped marching in bewilderment and huddled together.

The two sides stood about three hundred paces apart, facing each other in astonishment.

Until the Duke of Zhangping on horseback gently raised his hand.

At this moment, dozens of people suddenly appeared, took out large flags that had been prepared at some unknown time, replaced the 'Chen' flags with flags bearing the character 'Song'... (End of this chapter)