Frost for a Thousand Years

In the imperial court of Leyang, the crown prince assists the state.

He stood below the fifth step, signifying the middle of the nine-five.

Below are all ministers of the State of Qi.

In reality, the person who truly commands the ministers of Qi is Ji Hong, the royal uncle of Ji Yuan and the current prime minister of Qi.

"His Majesty has decreed that another 100,000 soldiers and civilians be relocated to Shuojun," the Crown Prince said.

These words immediately sparked a murmur of surprise throughout the room.

Everyone had some complaints about this decree.

Because the population density in the Northern Liang region was unprecedentedly high.

The entire state of Qi had a population of less than ten million.

The number of soldiers was approximately 500,000.

Although the emperor wanted 100,000 laborers instead of 100,000 soldiers, the difference wasn't that significant.

Immigration and conscription of laborers are two different things.

Immigration is the relocation of the entire population of a place, in households.

It generally includes men, women, the elderly, and children.

One hundred thousand laborers could be conscripted, and they were generally used for corvée labor in construction projects.

That would require 100,000 eligible men.

They are roughly between fourteen or fifteen and fifty-five years old.

People like this are basically soldiers who take up arms at the first sign of trouble.

The Northern Qi dynasty was completely overloaded.

“Your Highness, over the past year or so, His Majesty has relocated a total of 100,000 farming households to Shuojun, and has also mobilized over 100,000 laborers,” said an official in charge of household registration. “If the plan were to establish military farms, those people could cultivate all the usable land in Shuojun. But now, the autumn harvest is not long over, and the people need to use the land for tomorrow's farming. This will cause disturbance to the people.”

After he finished speaking, the Crown Prince said rather forcefully, "Does His Majesty not want to start anew with the people? My dear minister, have you asked Song Shi'an if he will give us time to start anew?"

He spoke very firmly, with the air of a man from a wealthy family.

The officials present were somewhat at a loss for how to respond.

Clearly, his responsibilities include ensuring logistical support and coordinating all parties involved.

Therefore, Ji Hong spoke up at the opportune moment: "Your Highness, the concerns of the officials are indeed reasonable. This old minister would also like to ask, does Shuojun really need so many laborers? Could we perhaps reduce the number accordingly?"

"Prime Minister, but this Shuo County is truly in a difficult situation," the Crown Prince said. "Right now, it is an urgent matter."

"Is it really that severe?" Ji Hong asked.

This grandfather and grandson are clearly putting on a theatrical performance together.

After all, they were all members of the royal family.

However, doing it this way is indeed more acceptable to people.

"My esteemed ministers, you must have heard some rumors. And these rumors are indeed true," the Crown Prince said solemnly. "Song Shi'an did indeed announce to the whole country not long ago that he would launch a war before next summer."

These words caused an uproar in the audience.

Because this news was so outrageous, almost like fake news, and seemed like something out of a TV show, everyone had different opinions and was a little nervous, but not entirely taking it seriously. But now that the Crown Prince has revealed the truth, they are surprised to find that what they thought was fake news is actually true!

"Your Highness, if they intend to start a war next year, wouldn't our military farms in Shuojun be in danger?" a civil official asked, puzzled.

He was quickly and sternly rebuked by an aide: "What does Lord Xu mean by this? Does Song Shi'an mean that if he attacks next year, we have to withdraw from Beiliang and stop cultivating land there? What, are you so afraid of Song Shi'an?"

It's still the same old style of play.

"Lord Li, please address the matter at hand!" the civil official said excitedly. "Fear and prevention are two different things. If we don't take precautions, and the Song rebels launch a surprise attack, causing the loss of the court's supplies and provisions, how can we fight a war?"

"Gentlemen, please calm down." At this moment, Ji Hong spoke up, "What Lord Xu and Lord Li said makes sense, but the key issue is that this is only Song Shi'an's opinion. Although he kidnapped the Wei family and announced this matter, it may be a trick to disrupt our dynasty's policies."

When he said that, everyone nodded in agreement.

"This kind of open scheme is nothing more than an attempt to disrupt our military farming operations in Shuojun."

"However, this open scheme is indeed somewhat cunning. If we do not establish large-scale agricultural settlements in Liangzhou, we will be wasting the foundation we have laid and giving the other side more time to recuperate. If we continue to establish agricultural settlements, and they do launch a war, if the Chishui River line is breached, it will indeed disrupt production."

"That's right. Song Shi'an took down Sun Tuo in the south this time without much effort. Now that his military strength is at its peak, it's not impossible for him to launch such frequent military campaigns."

"As the saying goes, an arrogant army is bound to lose, while a desperate army is bound to win. He already has the arrogance of an arrogant army, so even if he really attacks, we are not afraid of him."

But then again, an arrogant army is bound to lose, but once it loses, it becomes a desperate army, and a desperate army is bound to win... If you keep using the New Three Kingdoms reference, I'll go deaf!

"My beloved ministers," the Crown Prince said, "His Majesty will absolutely not abandon the military-agricultural colonies, nor will he reduce their scale. On the contrary, he has made thorough preparations for war. However, the defense line north of the Chishui River needs to be strengthened and consolidated. These 100,000 laborers are for the purpose of preparing for war. My beloved ministers, at this time, I hope that you can all contribute to the country... and also share His Majesty's burdens."

“But 100,000 people can’t be gathered in a short time,” Ji Hong said. “Your Highness, please give us more time.”

At this moment, Lord Xu, who had just been in charge of household registration, said helplessly, "Your Highness, to be frank, the household registration statistics compiled by the court are indeed somewhat inaccurate, but no one knows exactly how many hidden households there are. All we can do is follow His Majesty's decree and try our best to get local powerful families to send more people. But there has to be a limit to this."

The crown prince was somewhat angered by these words.

But he found that after he said that, most of the other officials lowered their heads along with him.

They silently echoed.

The powerful families have already begun to protest.

It's like a spring that's been compressed to its limit. If it's not controlled properly, it will bounce back and jump even higher.

My father was indeed a powerful monarch.

However, his power in Beiliang was not unchecked.

In this respect, he is inferior to Song Shi'an, who has already reached the pinnacle of power.

Moreover, it is far inferior.

Why?

Because Song Shi'an had already completed the revolution with his blood.

Only blood can teach people a lesson.

Ji Hong also felt that things were a bit tricky. He originally wanted to be a nice guy and say that he would delay the process, but now it seemed that the officials' attitude was that 100,000 people were too many and it was impossible to do so.

"Then, Lord Xu, how many more people can you mobilize now?" Ji Hong asked.

"Prime Minister," Lord Xu said, turning to him, "I don't know how many more people we have, but the number of available households across the country has been adjusted again and again. In the three prefectures, there have been more than a dozen instances of powerful clans rebelling against the court, and some powerful clans have even led their people to hide in the mountains and forests to live in seclusion. As a result, the population of our Great Qi has decreased considerably."

This is where the problem lies.

In the state of Qi, the oppression was directed at powerful families, forcing them to hand over grain and people.

On the other hand, the powerful families in Dayu were required to hand over grain and people.

Song Shi'an directly reached into the pockets of the wealthy, weakening their wealth, without causing social unrest.

Ji Yuan merely forced the aristocratic families to hand over their grain and people, without asking about the process.

Therefore, once implemented, it will inevitably lead to increased exploitation of those at the bottom.

Now, all the prince is asking them to do is hand over the people, without asking where they came from.

Finally, these people were merely tools for land reclamation, unlike Song Shi'an, who genuinely implemented the household responsibility system, allowing them to break free from tenant farming and become true farmers.

Turmoil and bloodshed continued to occur in the State of Qi.

It will still happen tomorrow.

“But His Majesty has given orders, and Song Shi’an’s threat is imminent,” Ji Hong said. “As you all have said, fighting is inevitable, and we are not afraid to fight. But without strong support for the army, this battle will be difficult to win.”

The prime minister had actually thought it through long ago.

The wealthy family managed to contribute 50,000.

The rest, the empire will handle itself. The problem now is getting them to take on these 50,000.

The crowd began to discuss what to do.

Presumably, it will eventually come to fruition.

Finally, the crown prince couldn't stand it anymore.

Step by step, they descended the steps. Then, they slowly prostrated themselves.

"Your Highness!"

Upon seeing this, everyone knelt down as well.

And so, I knelt before him.

"Gentlemen, I beg you, please help the Great Qi."

The crown prince had no choice but to set aside his arrogant attitude and, with deep emotion, earnestly plead.

But in his heart, he had already planned how he would deal with these worthless bastards after he became emperor!

.........

"The Crown Prince bowed to the officials in the palace and finally won the 100,000 laborers to build a defensive line for our army."

On the opposite bank of the Chishui River, Chen Xing spoke to Ji Yuan with heartfelt admiration.

"When will they arrive?" Ji Yuan asked.

"It should take about a month for everyone to arrive here," Chen Xing said.

"My son truly has the makings of a wise ruler," the emperor chuckled.

"The Crown Prince's dedication to the country is truly moving," Chen Xingdao said.

"This time we knelt down and begged for 100,000 laborers. What method should we use next time?" Ji Yuan asked rhetorically.

Chen Xing also felt somewhat suppressed and said helplessly, "If Song Shi'an really sends troops next summer, then 100,000 will definitely not be enough."

Including the 100,000, Beiliang has gradually mobilized 700,000 people, and that doesn't even count as an army.

“We need another 150,000,” Ji Yuan said. “Not counting women and children, to prepare for that battle, we need 200,000 troops and 400,000 laborers.”

In ancient times, this would have been enough to be called a million-strong army.

"According to intelligence and our estimates, Song Shi'an may mobilize 350,000 troops and 500,000 laborers," Chen Xing said.

The number of combat personnel on both sides alone is around 650,000.

Without a doubt, this was the largest war in a century, or even several centuries.

The Northern Liang meat grinder is coming.

"When war breaks out, we'll have to requisition them directly," Ji Yuan said to Chen Xing as a precaution.

"..." Although Chen Xing felt it was too ruthless, he had no other choice and nodded, "We have no other option."

When guns fire, gold flows in.

"Song Shi'an has caused me a lot of trouble."

Ji Yuan smiled and said, "Then I'll let him be anxious for a while."

.........

Doctoral program.

Song Shi'an convened a meeting.

The people who participated in the meeting were quite special.

They were not officials of the Six Ministries, nor princes or nobles, but rather respected figures from the prominent families of the six states of Dayu, excluding Jiaozhou.

Si, Liang, Qin, Huai, Yang, Yi.

Among them, Sun Situ from Yangzhou sat in the most prestigious seat, to the left of Song Shi'an's main seat, as if he were presiding over the meeting.

But he didn't know what to do.

"Lord Sun, what is the purpose of this young Grand Secretary's summons to us?"

Everyone arrived at Song Shi'an's summons, but he himself hadn't arrived yet, so they started chatting.

One by one, they came to Sun Situ's side.

"I don't know either," Sun Situ said, genuinely bewildered.

"You're the father-in-law of the young Grand Secretary, haven't you heard anything about this?" someone asked, somewhat skeptical.

“The Grand Secretary is the Grand Secretary of the whole country, and I am just the father of my little daughter.” Sun Situ waved his hand. “I have long since stopped caring about politics.”

Sun Situ was actually a bit annoyed.

Because he had a premonition that Song Shi'an was going to do something big.

However, before the whole thing was over, he didn't even tell me and let me sit in this position.

Just then, Song Shi'an arrived late.

"My lords, I apologize for keeping you waiting. There were some matters to attend to at the cabinet, and I just finished. Please forgive me."

As Song Shi'an walked, he bowed apologetically.

Everyone stood up and bowed to him.

And so, Song Shi'an sat down in his seat, and smiled and nodded to Sun Situ beside him.

What a joke, son-in-law! I have nothing to do with you!
"Here's the thing, folks." Song Shi'an didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point, "It's a military report from Beiliang, and it's absolutely true. After we announced that we would launch an attack on Ji Yuan next summer, Ji Yuan immediately announced that he would launch an attack on our Yu next spring."

These words caused a stir among the entire room.

Is Ji Yuan a primary school student? He's so childish!

"Young Grand Secretary, is this a feint?" an old man asked.

“I cannot be certain whether it is a feint,” Song Shi’an said, “but Ji Yuan’s court has just passed a policy to conscript 100,000 laborers from across the country. And it is already being implemented.”

"Another 100,000 people have arrived?"

"Is Beishuo Prefecture already close to seven or eight hundred thousand people?"

"Add to that the four or five hundred thousand people of our Nanshuo County, and this original county is almost equivalent to half a province."

"Moreover, most of them were soldiers and men."

War is coming.

Very close.

No one can live in isolation.

"Young Grand Secretary, why have you summoned us, those who have stepped down from our posts?" someone asked.

He also specifically emphasized stepping down.

It means that the affairs of the imperial court are no longer our concern.

Let the Six Ministries do it.

"This matter really depends on you gentlemen who have stepped down from your posts but whose reputations are widespread throughout the provinces and prefectures."

Song Shi'an smiled first, then said very seriously, "Ji Yuan's national strength is less than half that of ours, so in order to prepare for future wars, we must conscript 200,000 laborers without affecting production, which is twice as many as theirs!"

Alright, everyone, come and claim your share. (End of Chapter)