Frost for a Thousand Years

Northern Liang.

Countless supplies of grain and provisions, escorted by the army, were continuously transported from various cities to three military camps south of the Chishui River and more than ten fortified villages.

There was not a moment's rest.

The soldiers throughout Nanshuo County knew what was going to happen next.

A fierce battle between Yu and Qi!
This movement was quickly noticed by Xiao Qun, who was stationed in Langya and was ready to join the war against Beiliang... or more precisely, ready to take over the military power of Nanshuo County.

In the commander's barracks, he and Luo Ting studied the sand table, both with very solemn expressions.

"Why would you do that?" Luo Ting found it unbelievable. "Even if Ji Yuan wanted to launch a full-scale attack, shouldn't his first priority be to send troops to defend the area?"

He was relieved of his military command by Song Shi'an and Wei Wusheng during the previous Langya Mutiny.

Logically, he should bear the responsibility for failing to command the army effectively. However, Song Shi'an later won the battle, and in that battle, he also contributed by sending naval forces into Beiliang to divert troops. Therefore, he remained firmly in his positions as the governor and general of Langya.

As a military general with impeccable reputation and abilities, he was deeply trusted by Xiao Qun and was practically his right-hand man.

Of course, the reason why he is valued so highly is because he was the only victim of the Great Yu side in the previous Northern Liang war.

It's impossible for him to be without feelings towards the Beiliang Group.

"Say it again," Xiao Qun asked the soldier who reported, sternly, "How much grain?"

"Reporting to the general, it is a great deal," the man said. "From my observation, the provisions and weapons there are enough to sustain the entire Northern Liang army, including tens of thousands of civilian laborers who accompanied them, for a full year."

That's all.

Xiao Qun stated this reality without changing his expression.

"General?" Luo Ting was stunned in surprise.

"You can go down now," Xiao Qun said to the soldier.

"Yes."

The soldiers then withdrew.

Then, Luo Ting asked rather nervously, "General, how much grain does Beiliang have in total?"

“The military-agricultural settlements in Beiliang have been very successful, with no disasters or famines, so their food supply is naturally sufficient for self-sufficiency,” Xiao Qun said. “Even though Liangzhou has cut off their food supply.”

“That’s all.” Luo Ting’s eyes widened.

"They actually pulled this stunt."

Xiao Qun's eyes were calm and still, yet they revealed a chilling intent tinged with murderous intent.

Luo Ting looked at this distinguished general and had a very bad feeling.

If the soldiers and horses are not moving, the grain and grass will go first.

Even a child can recite these eight words of wisdom.

As a general, how could he not understand?

But under what circumstances would all the grain and fodder be transported to the front lines?
This move can be interpreted as the Northern Liang soldiers' determination to defend the Chishui River line to the death.

But the Northern Liang's defenses are not limited to just this one line.

Even if Ji Yuan had crossed the Chishui River, it wouldn't necessarily mean that the Great Yu army would suffer a complete defeat.

Since there is no need to defend the Chishui River to the death, what if we lose if we send all the grain and fodder to the front line?
It's important to understand that when you lose, it's very difficult to retreat gracefully and in an orderly manner.

Not to mention the possibility of calmly retreating with provisions and weapons.

The truly rational approach would be to transport about 30% of the grain supplies to the front lines. The main grains would be stockpiled in the capital city of Shuofeng.

As the war progressed, supplies were continuously maintained.

"All the food is being transported to the front lines, so what are the soldiers in the city eating?" Luo Ting asked Xiao Qun tentatively.

“I did not give that order,” Xiao Qun said, looking at him.

"Such a large-scale military operation, and they did it without your authorization, General," Luo Ting said directly, no longer concealing his intentions. "Are they planning a rebellion?"

"How can this be considered rebellion!"

Xiao Qun, who was usually calm, finally became agitated. He slammed his riding whip into the sand table and said angrily, "This is factional strife, this is a power struggle. This is the turbulent situation you can't see."

"But who else could be behind them, besides Song Shi'an?" Luo Ting asked.

"General Luo, how could you drag a high-ranking official into this?" Xiao Qun reprimanded him unhappily.

Luo Ting's involvement with Song Shi'an signifies a power struggle between the nobility and Song Shi'an.

If we only focus on Northern Liang.

That was the commander-in-chief's impeachment and warning of a certain general who "disobeyed orders".

The former is private, the latter is public.

"General, I dare not," Luo Ting said earnestly, already suffering from PTSD related to power grabs. "But the factional strife in the court must not cross that line. Otherwise, it will harm the nation and its people."

Luo Ting was aware of the conflicts between these noble families and powerful clans.

But their conflict of interests has nothing to do with me.

"You're not criticizing Song Shi'an, you're criticizing me."

Xiao Qun turned to face the young general and, after calming down, said, "General Luo, you believe that one should not let personal matters interfere with public affairs and that everything should be prioritized for the greater good. What are your thoughts on the matter of Song Shi'an Langya back then?"

“Of course I’m angry,” Luo Ting said. “But Song Shi’an was ultimately doing it for the stability of Beiliang and risked his life; it wasn’t for his own selfish desires.”

“Yes, his defense of the territory and resistance against the enemy is a noble cause,” Xiao Qun countered. “But is it also a noble cause to establish a separatist regime in Northern Liang and amass military power?”

After a moment of silence, Luo Ting said, "That's open to discussion."

"It was a matter of righteousness then, and it is still a matter of righteousness now," Xiao Qun said with a faint smile. "So, will it always be a matter of righteousness in the future?"

Ultimately, Song Shi'an began to wield power.

But who doesn't wield power?

“I am a general in charge of a region, with an army of nearly 100,000, but I am hampered by powerful regional officials. My logistics and supplies are also provided by the imperial court,” Xiao Qun said. “As a military general, I only have the authority to lead troops into battle. All I need to do is fulfill these responsibilities.”

"No matter what..." Luo Ting said after hesitating, "we have to finish this battle first."

"The problem of Northern Liang will never be solved."

From a politician's perspective, Xiao Qun taught Luo Ting this lesson. Then, he also wanted to involve the other party: "Wang Dalong was your deputy general before, but he has already mixed up with the people of Beiliang. If these newly promoted meritorious groups are allowed to take root firmly in Beiliang, will Langya, which you are in charge of, be fighting against Qi or against 'Shuo'?"

Luo Ting was persuaded.

If the matter of resisting Qi is to be handled entirely by the people of Beiliang, then Liangzhou only needs to provide funds and manpower to defend its territory.

Then he'll have a hard time getting ahead.

Just like the Duke of Qin of Northern Yan.

His role became a thorn in the side of the warlords.

“General,” Luo Ting said, “their move is simply to get us to send troops to help resist Qi. Since that’s the case, then we should also send troops directly and join forces with them.”

“No, we need the city,” Xiao Qun said sharply. “At least Shuofeng City must be under our control.”

"General, you mustn't!" Luo Ting hurriedly said. "If you seize the city now, Qin Kuo, Zhu Qing, and the others will be cut off from their retreat. So many men, and so much grain they brought—if they surrender to Qi..."

"Bastard!"

Xiao Qun clenched his fist and punched the edge of the sand table, cracking the solid wood.

Intelligent people like them actually figured out the purpose after they saw through Beiliang's arrangements.

It's like a master chess player watching a game.

The "General's Chariot" maneuver doesn't require you to realize it until it's executed; you can anticipate the opponent's intentions even before they make the move.

Xiao Qun was outmaneuvered.

“General, as a military officer, I should not be involved in these matters,” Luo Ting said. “But if I may be so bold as to ask, are Qin Kuo, Zhu Qing, and the others already ‘traitors’?”

To be precise, have they already been labeled as 'rebels'?
He actually guessed right.

He and Chen Ling impeached him together on the grounds of defying orders and establishing their own power.

"This matter should be decided by His Highness," Xiao Qun said.

Then, the two fell into a terrifying silence.

It's true that everyone dislikes Northern Liang.

However, it's also true that if Ji Yuan were to wipe out Beiliang without taking any damage, everything would be over.

"Someone is coming."

Suddenly, Xiao Qun summoned a trusted guard and said to him, "You will now travel by water... no, ride a horse along the Chishui River to Shuofeng City. Take my military order with you and have Zhu Qing transport the grain back, and do not leave the city." "Yes!"

“There’s more,” Xiao Qun said, “send another person to Yongcheng to deliver a military report to Lord Chen Ling via express courier service.”

After Xiao Qun finished speaking, he returned to his desk and prepared to write a letter.

At this moment, Luo Ting hurriedly walked over, half-squatted beside him, and whispered, "General, for civil officials, it is better to lose cities and territories than to lose in the court."

He held a pen in his hand, hovering in mid-air.

Xiao Qun knew, of course, that if he were to discuss this with Chen Ling, his answer would definitely be – occupy Shuofeng, and they wouldn't rebel!
Chen Ling was not certain that they would not dare to rebel.

Even if it were the other way around, he wouldn't care.

In fact, they were even happier.

If Northern Liang rebels, he will be able to directly bring down Song Shi'an.

Anyway, he wasn't the one fighting the war.

Even if we lose Beiliang, we still have Liangzhou.

Even if we lose Liangzhou, we still have Qinzhou.

If all else fails, retreat to Sizhou.

But if Song Shi'an wins, they will never be able to hold their heads high again.

In the end, Xiao Qun chose to stop writing.

.........

The Embroidered Uniform Guards have finally arrived in Beiliang.

Carrying the Crown Prince's orders and Song Shi'an's letter, he went to Shuofeng.

He was then received by Qin Kuo.

Because of the lack of information and the fact that Sheng An was thousands of miles away, his heart was always uneasy.

But after seeing this letter written by Song Shi'an himself, he was completely convinced that they had definitely become rebels.

Song Shi'an gave them orders to threaten them with surrender and said that they should not listen to any orders from anyone in the future. Why is he now personally writing a letter to persuade him to cooperate with Liangzhou and hand over military power?
There is only one possibility.

In the south, the Northern Liang group has been branded as rebels!

The crown prince even coaxed and tricked Song Shi'an into writing a letter to persuade them to repent and give up their military power, which was the only way out.

"My lord," Qin Kuo asked the Imperial Guard with utmost respect, "may I ask you a question?"

"Excuse me," the Imperial Guard said with a smile, extending his hand.

He came to bring peace.

The purpose was to make the Northern Liang Group lower their guard and obediently hand over their military power.

Therefore, he certainly couldn't let the other party feel even the slightest hostility.

until,

"Are my family members alright?"

"..."

This question left him speechless.

Qin Kuo captured that moment of stunned silence perfectly.

The moment they were captured, the Imperial Guards panicked even more.

Even though he quickly put on a smile and said, "Of course, your family is all well."

"How do you know about my family?"

"..."

If I haven't done anything wrong, why would my family receive the attention of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?
Qin Kuo once again exposed a flaw in the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

But I don't blame the other party.

Thanks to Song Shi'an's off-court assistance, the information gap between the two disappeared.

Naturally, it's impossible to control.

"Somebody come!"

Having reached this point, Qin Kuo was completely cornered and blurted out, "This man is impersonating a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, tie him up!"

"?!"

.........

"Why hasn't the General Headquarters of the Agricultural Settlement responded?"

The Crown Prince, who was overseeing the land reclamation ceremony, was getting a little anxious and excitedly addressed Xi Shan.

"Your Highness, there's been no news from the Embroidered Uniform Guard or General Zhao," Xishan said hurriedly.

The two places are so close to each other.

Moreover, this matter is so urgent.

"Can we really be so sure whether the army has been brought under control?" the Crown Prince asked incredulously.

“Your Highness,” Xishan said very seriously, “the patrolling troops have been monitoring the various camps, so there should be no trouble.”

“If things really go wrong, then it’s all over,” the Crown Prince said. “Such an important matter should be reported. If Zhao Yi succeeds, he will definitely reply. If he fails, the Embroidered Uniform Guard will also reply quickly. Instead, there will be no response at all, like this.”

The crown prince was starting to panic.

He was even imagining a scene.

Zhao Yi and the Imperial Guards attempted to control Hua Zheng, but were instead killed by Hua Zheng.

He controlled the entire army.

Then, they rebelled under the pretext of "purging the emperor's inner circle of corrupt officials".

If that were the case, the Prince of Jin might actually win.

“Your Highness, do not worry,” Xi Shan said. “General Zhao Yi and Grand Master Hua are both nobles from Qinzhou. It is impossible for them to fight each other.”

These words did indeed put the Crown Prince at ease.

Admittedly, since the founding of the nation, infighting among nobles has been relatively rare.

They conquered this world, so of course they should all sit on it together.

"Moreover, the Embroidered Uniform Guards sent the message directly to General Zhao on horseback. If the news hadn't leaked out, Grand Master Hua wouldn't have been so vigilant," Xi Shan added reassuringly.

“Indeed, as long as the news doesn’t leak out, he couldn’t possibly receive the intelligence before Zhao Yi…”

The crown prince nodded and continued to console himself.

So many officials have all been placed under control.

Who could accurately deliver the information to East China University of Political Science and Law at such a time?

Even Song Shi'an, who is the most likely candidate, couldn't do it.

Because of him, he was the most closely watched.

"Reporting, Your Highness!"

Just then, a report came from outside the hall.

"Go in!" the crown prince exclaimed excitedly.

"Your Highness, this is a letter sent from the Jianxing General Camp..." the soldier said. "According to the Chief Clerk of the Army, it was sent by Grand Master Hua."

"..."

The crown prince was dumbfounded.

A letter from East China University of Political Science and Law?

Why is East China University of Political Science and Law still writing to me?

"Your Highness." Xishan took it and presented it to the Crown Prince.

The prince felt a sudden tightness in his chest when he opened it.

Although the letter was written by Hua Zheng himself, it was a joint letter from the General Headquarters, including all the generals of several branch battalions, as well as Zhao Yi.

This is... a coup! (End of Chapter)