Frost for a Thousand Years

"Your Majesty, Nanyue has been destroyed."

A pair of chopsticks landed on the table, making a few crisp clattering sounds.

Ji Yuan's expression remained calm and still, but this action revealed the fear in his heart.

Standing in front of him, Chen Xing's face was also so heavy that it was completely expressionless.

This ruler and his minister encountered the most terrible thing.

Nanyue could be defeated, it could submit to the emperor, or it could even move its capital, but it could never be destroyed.

The word "annihilation" simply means wiping a country off the map.

Last winter, Shamoji was still lively and eager to flatter Ji Yuan, saying that once Ji Yuan entered the Central Plains, he would go and serve him.

Now, it may have become Song Shi'an's Fiji Cup.

Is the information accurate?

Ji Yuan picked up his chopsticks and continued holding his bowl, but he didn't start eating again; he just stood there motionless.

“The information is absolutely accurate.” Chen Xing walked over to Ji Yuan’s side and reported, “Song Shi’an appointed Chen Huo as the governor of Nan Yue… or rather, the new Jiaozhou. He himself led about 30,000 strong barbarian soldiers north and temporarily stationed them south of Yangzhou. It seems that he wants to establish a new prefecture and use a small force to contain the already extremely weak Baiyue region.”

"So, in other words, Song Shi's Annan campaign not only avoided fighting Chen Huo, but also took over the border troops. The annihilation of Nanyue not only resulted in minimal losses, but also brought in 30,000 barbarian soldiers who could charge into a crowd at a single command?" Ji Yuan raised his head and asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Chen Xing pursed his lips and hesitated for a while before saying, "Seventy percent of the world is already in Song Shi'an's hands."

"You've included Northern Yan in your calculations?" Ji Yuan retorted.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Chen Xing replied.

"You shouldn't have calculated it," Ji Yuan rebuked, his voice tinged with a hint of hostility.

After a long pause, Chen Xing raised his eyes and said, "But if that bit of strength cannot be used by us, it will be an eternal thorn in our side."

"..."

Even the mighty ruler Ji Yuan was rendered speechless.

He certainly couldn't possibly be unaware of this principle.

Northern Yan has already become hostile to Qi. Even though it has become neutral, because Yan and Qi share a large border, and Xiangping, a key military stronghold of the other side, is too close to Qi, this part of its strength only exists there. Ji Yuan must be wary of it.

“But Kangxun must understand the principle of ‘if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold’,” Ji Yuan said. “Northern Yan does not reject being a minister of Yu, but he would rather be the King of Liaodong.”

"Yes, Your Majesty." Chen Xing also acknowledged this. "As long as we can maintain a stalemate with Song Shi'an, even if we are at a slight disadvantage, he will put everything aside and become our ally."

Indeed, the hatred stemming from the killing of his son made Kang Xun fear Ji Yuan.

But as time goes by, those national and personal grievances will gradually fade away.

A new ideology will replace nationalism.

Because it is to confront another, more nationalist entity.

The recent essay by the top scholar of the Great Yu Dynasty, titled "The Unity of the Nine Provinces," is an example of using the guise of universal harmony to export great power chauvinism.

"Able to hold out, even slightly at a disadvantage?" Ji Yuan laughed, put down his bowl, and stood up. "What does Lord Chen take me for?"

Ji Yuan descended the steps and walked out of the main hall of Wuwei.

Chen Xing followed beside him, walking slowly as well: "His Majesty's might is unmatched. If it were only a difference of twice the national strength, with His Majesty's brilliant military strategy and the bravery of his generals, there would be no fear at all. But the problem is that our half of the national strength... has not been utilized to its fullest potential."

Chen Xing truly lived up to his reputation as a renowned minister of the Northern Qi Dynasty; with just one sentence, he pinpointed the crux of the matter.

After the pacification of South Vietnam, the national strength of the two sides was roughly two to one.

Because they only share a common defensive line, the forces they can mobilize are two to one.

But this is only in theory.

In reality, Song Shi'an's land reclamation reform in Dayu was a massive undertaking. The powerful families were already suffering greatly from the reduction of their land holdings, and the nobles, in order to survive, gave up all their accumulated wealth accumulated over a century.

On the other hand, the mobilization for war by the State of Qi was completely incomparable.

For example, this time, the Beiliang land reclamation was a scheme by Ji Yuan to lure those laborers and nobles to Beishuo County.

The Northern Qi dynasty had not yet experienced a revolutionary upheaval.

"The news that Song Shi'an has captured Nanyue, renamed it Jiaozhou, and taken 30,000 barbarian soldiers has been sent back to Leyang," Ji Yuan said coldly with a grim face. "Let everyone in Qi know this."

This method of controlling public opinion was Song Shi'an's, and Ji Yuan used it very skillfully.

Logically speaking, a country's reporting on another hostile country can only result in a loss, never a win.

In any situation, the enemy country is always losing.

For decades, they haven't won at all.

They're still alive now, barely clinging to life; they'll perish sooner or later.

Take the Nanyue incident as an example. The normal version of events should be that Song Shi'an suffered heavy losses, with more than half of his imperial guards lost in the Baiyue region. Moreover, the Baiyue kings were dissatisfied with him, and internal strife broke out frequently. He had no choice but to deploy more than twice the original number of troops to guard the area.

The country's finances were essentially destroyed as a result of this war.

This was to maintain the foundation of unity and prevent the people from panicking and the nobles from fleeing.

But what are the dangers?
This would lead the people to have a wrong assessment of the enemy, thinking that Dayu is a paper tiger and that Dayu's army is a bunch of spoiled brats who are no match for the royal army led by the Holy King of Daqi.

What are the benefits of reporting the other side's victory completely truthfully?
If the Northern Qi doesn't stand up for itself soon, it will be the next to perish.

Furthermore, Ji Yuan's target for reprimand was not the common people, but the powerful families.

"Those people usually find me disagreeable, but although they can't see what's happening in the south, they can hear about it," Ji Yuan said with disdain. "Compared to me, they should be even more unwilling to have Song Shi'an on their hands, right?"

The people of Qi were unaware of Song Shi'an's kindness to the people of Dayu, and had no way of knowing about it.

But the officials and nobles of Qi were well aware of Song Shi'an's ruthlessness towards the Dayu family.

Even if the grain in the five granaries were burned and turned to ashes, they were unwilling to share it with the gentry.

The pure white grain was distributed to the poor.

With such a beast arriving in the State of Qi, how can a family with a hundred-year-old tradition possibly prosper?

I dislike Ji Yuan because I oppose everything he does. That's because the nature of the powerful and wealthy is to always oppose, always be strict, and never tolerate the slightest imperfection.

But if they really encounter a powerful and influential family, a cruel official who charges ninety-five out of one hundred, they will realize how good Ji Yuan is.

“Your Majesty,” Chen Xing said, though he felt it was a difficult situation, “within two years… no, starting this year, you must be prepared. The fact that Song Shi’an can tolerate even someone like Chen Huo shows that he only considers you his only opponent.”

"It's an honor, and I'm looking forward to it." Ji Yuan smiled. "Let him bring all his strength. It will save me time and prevent me from having to conquer city by city."

Ji Yuan also intends to achieve his goal in one decisive battle.

However, the difference is that if he loses this battle, it could mean the destruction of his country.

Only if he wins can the score be tied at 50/50.

However, if he wins, he is very confident that he can turn the score from 5-5 to 10-0.

Because both Song Shi'an and Ji Yuan are masters of snowballing.

The emperor and his minister slowly raised their heads and gazed southward.

.........

Meanwhile, Song Shi'an in the south was looking expectantly northward.

After a while, a caravan appeared on the horizon.

A joyful smile immediately appeared on Song Shi'an's face.

"It looks like Jingming has arrived."

Standing beside him was a very gentle and beautiful woman from Jiangnan, who was also happy for Song Shi'an.

“My younger brother has always idolized me since he was little. He always follows me around, calling me ‘brother, brother’,” Song Shi’an said to her. “…” Sun Jinhua was stunned for a moment before forcing an awkward smile. “Shi’an, although I am a woman from Jiangnan, I think I have seen you in Sheng’an before.”

Song Shi'an: "..."

Oh right, when I transmigrated here, the eldest daughter of the Sun family also came to Sheng'an.

Which younger brother would idolize a ladybug older brother who spends all his time in brothels and indulging in debauchery?

"Hey, I almost fooled you."

"Now that Jingming is here, will he be staying for a long time?" Sun Jinhua asked.

"Yes, we'll be in the southernmost and northernmost parts of Dayu. It's been a long time."

Song Shi'an uttered such sentimental words with ease.

A short while later, the other side's carriage was only a few hundred paces away.

Song Shi'an took the initiative to step forward to greet them, and Sun Jinhua, as the second sister-in-law, followed.

Song Ce, who was in the carriage, lifted the side curtain and, upon seeing the two of them, immediately waved to the driver to stop.

Then, he quickly got off the carriage.

They ran towards Song Shi'an in both directions.

"Jingming, I've missed you so much!"

Song Shi'an immediately hugged his little brother.

“…Brother, me too.”

Song Ce is a handsome man who expresses his feelings reservedly, but Song Shi'an's open confession also allowed him to let go of his inhibitions.

The two brothers hugged each other for a long time, both extremely excited.

"Brother..." After letting go of his hand, Song Ce looked at the girl who was particularly reserved and elegant, but was looking at him with a polite smile, "You should already know about your marriage to Miss Sun, right?"

Sun Jinhua's cheeks flushed red, quite shyly.

"I know."

Song Shi'an spoke very generously.

After all, the practice of loving someone before marriage has already been criticized.

He had thoroughly appreciated the flowers of Jiangnan.

"I was referring to the marriage proposal and engagement made by both fathers," Song Ce said.

"Oh, has the marriage proposal already been made?" Song Shi'an asked in surprise.

Sun Jinhua had just found out and was pleasantly surprised.

"Yes." Song Ce nodded. "My sister-in-law agreed to it, even if she just said 'oh'."

That sentence sent a chill down one's spine.

Because this elder sister-in-law was no ordinary eldest mother; she was a heroine who slaughtered powerful bandits like pigs back in the Northern Liang era.

“Now we’re all family,” Song Shi’an said.

"Uncle, you must be tired from your journey." Sun Jinhua placed her hands in front of her, bowed slightly, and said with concern.

"Sister-in-law, I've been entrusting my brother to your care these past few days."

Song Ce also clasped his hands in greeting and returned the gesture.

"Jingming, let's go back to the city first."

Song Shi'an took Song Ce's hand and headed towards Beiguan City.

The two brothers chatted and exchanged pleasantries all the way to the foot of the city wall.

The city wall was built in just one month.

However, it was just an isolated city wall or tower.

The city walls on both sides did not block the narrow pass that was more than a mile long.

But Song Ce was already deeply shocked.

“Within three months, the north gate of this city will be closed, and within a year, the Great Wall on both sides will be built in the middle of the mountain range,” Song Shi’an said. “At that time, it will truly become a city, a city surrounded on all sides.”

"As long as I control this point, open the border market for trade, and facilitate communication between Jiaozhou and Yangzhou, this land of Baiyue will completely become part of my Great Yu's territory." Song Ce raised his head and looked up at the city wall, speaking with great anticipation.

“I put you here mainly for construction purposes,” Song Shi’an turned to look at him and said, “For this purpose, I also brought over a special person to assist you.”

"Brother, are you referring to Xu Miao, a fellow Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) from your cohort?" Song Ce asked.

“Yes,” Song Shi’an said. “This man passed the provincial examination and became a Juren. His family had connections to help him get a government job, but he claimed to be ill and refused. He then passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi. Moreover, like your brother, he volunteered to become the magistrate of Cangxia County. He managed to govern a place where several magistrates died every year quite well. This kind of person is suitable for you to carry out large-scale construction here.”

This person is definitely useful; he was able to stabilize Cangxia, a county known for its death, and even remove it from the list of impoverished counties.

“Moreover, there is another reason why you appointed him, brother.” Song Ce’s eyes gradually sharpened. “This reason is the same as why you appointed me as the prefect.”

You're right.

Song Shi'an looked at him and a relieved smile appeared on his face.

They were both Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) in the same period.

In ancient times, it had a very special meaning.

Those were comrades-in-arms for almost a lifetime.

But Song Shi'an had absolutely no contact with this contemporary.

Mentioning his name is an act of kindness.

It is also a kind of ambition.

To put it nicely, it's forming cliques for personal gain.

Yes, that's already a nicer way of putting it.

The unpleasant version is—"the world is ruled by the family."

“Brother’s benevolence and power are unparalleled in Nan Yue,” Song Ce said. “Ce will continue to carry on this glory for brother and for our Song family.”

Song Shi'an's confidence in the court came from Huai County and Northern Liang.

However, all of them are more or less subject to checks and balances.

But the almost isolated South Vietnam was Song Shi'an's, and the entire Song family's, private property.

The imperial edict is here; it is not as effective as Song Shi'an's password.

"The talks with the Duke of Zhangping are settled. You should maintain close contact with him in the future."

Song Shi'an patted his shoulder and instructed him, "Brother, guard the country well."

"Yes, elder brother."

.........

At this moment, in the farmland of Huai County.

A strong, handsome man, shirtless under the sun, personally plants rice seedlings.

Just then, a beautiful young woman with a headscarf arrived at the edge of the field carrying food and called out to him, "Wusheng, it's time to eat."

Upon seeing that it was Song Qin, Wei Wusheng stood up and walked out of the mud pit with a smile.

This prince personally led nearly a million subjects in a massive land reclamation project across the nine counties of Huaijun. (End of Chapter)