Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 61: The Expedition Begins!
The farm has all three kinds of sacrificial animals: cattle, sheep, and pigs.

On the sacrificial altar, three enormous animal skulls still emitted a strong, pungent stench.

Tai Lao was the highest level of sacrificial ceremony in ancient times.

Typically used in important military operations.

The last time Zhao Xiang went on a campaign, it was a grand feast, and the emperor himself inspected it.

Although this mission was small in scale, it was led by a prince in person and was a rescue mission that was destined to fail. The fact that the eldest son of the emperor, Prince Jin, personally offered sacrifices showed the importance the court attached to it.

"I bow to the ancestors of the Great Yu Dynasty!"

Standing to the side, Sima Yu, holding a gilded bronze rod several feet long with a few strands of scattered ceremonial beads at the top, swung it from bottom to top.

Slowly, the King of Jin knelt before the sacrificial altar and prostrated himself in worship.

Soldiers on the drill ground, each holding a weapon in one hand, kneel down on one knee.

"Second bow to the three thousand gods of the Great Yu!"

Sima Yu waved the ceremonial implements.

Once again, they knelt and prostrated themselves.

"I bow three times to the rivers and mountains of Dayu, praying for peace and prosperity for the nation and its people!"

After bowing for the last time, the Prince of Jin stood up.

Holding the wine cup in his hand, he slowly turned to face all the soldiers. In a loud and clear voice, he proclaimed: "The traitor Ji Yuan of Qi, whose ancestors were merely stablemen, stole a tiny kingdom, relying on raids from the south and plundering from the north, two-faced and treacherous, to control the northern lands, intending to wreak havoc on the world. He even dared to invade our powerful Yu kingdom, burn our cities, and kill our people. This time, we will surely raise a righteous army to resist the enemy a thousand miles away!"

Having said that, he raised his wine cup, faced the crowd, offered a toast, and then slowly poured the wine. Then he declared, "I swear I will not return home until the bandits are defeated!"

"We must win! We must win! We must win!"

Everyone simultaneously dropped their guns to the ground with a series of thuds.

At this moment, burly men on both sides of the sacrificial altar began to beat drums loudly.

Dust billowed across the drill ground, and shouts filled the air.

Then, to the sound of drums, the army marched out of the camp in orderly formation.

The King of Jin stepped down from the sacrificial altar and went to Wei Wusheng.

"Greetings, Your Highness Prince Jin!"

Wearing armor and with a sword at his waist, Wei Wusheng knelt on one knee and clenched his fist in salute.

“Please rise, Your Excellency.”

The Prince of Jin smiled and helped him up. Then, he bent down and patted the dust off the red robe under the prince's armor, saying in a particularly friendly manner, "Between brothers like us, there's no need for such formalities."

"Yes, Your Highness," Wei Wusheng replied solemnly.

"The journey ahead is fraught with difficulties and dangers. I have specially requested this amulet in the hope that it will protect my beloved and ensure his safety."

The Prince of Jin took out a brocade pouch containing a talisman and placed it in Wei Wusheng's palm.

"Thank you, Your Highness. I will definitely treasure it."

Wei Wusheng carefully fastened the cord to his waist and declared passionately, "On this journey, Wusheng will surely give his life for the Great Yu and fight to the death against the enemy."

"Yes, my dear brother." Prince Jin patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "When you return victorious, I will personally host a welcome banquet for you."

"I am deeply grateful to Your Highness!"

"Go forth, and may you return victorious soon."

And so, Wei Wusheng turned and left.

He was integrated into the military.

At the entrance to the drill ground, near the barracks and stables, Xinyue was already standing beside a blood-red steed, waiting in advance.

Walking over, Wei Wusheng casually tossed the amulet aside.

Xin Yue reached out and caught it, then opened her palm: "What is this?"

"Give it to you."

Wei Wusheng straddled the stirrups, smoothly mounted the horse, and expressionlessly cracked the whip.

"..." Xin Yue frowned, looking at the gorgeous sachet with a somewhat subtle expression.

But I accepted it anyway.

Then the two rode quickly forward, catching up with the leader of the procession.

The King of Jin and the King of Zhongping watched as the army gradually and completely departed.

"Second Brother, what did you just say to Wusheng?" asked the Prince of Zhongping.

"We exchanged pleasantries," said the Prince of Jin. "He said that when he returns in triumph, I will host a welcome banquet for him."

“If there is indeed a triumphant return, it would give him an opportunity to turn to us.” Prince Zhongping chuckled jokingly. “But to think that one sentence can outweigh Fourth Brother’s willingness to spend all his wealth is too much to ask.”

"maybe."

“Tomorrow, I plan to invite Situ’s eldest son to the palace to test his thoughts,” said Prince Zhongping.

“Yes, if the Sun family of Yangzhou expresses their willingness, then we can bring Sun Heng in.”

Although Sun Heng is mediocre, Sun Qian has not yet matured, so let his older brother join the game for now.

If the King of Wu makes a move, the King of Jin will not sit idly by and wait for his doom.

But it's not stillness; it's slow, gentle, graceful, and orderly movement.

"Second brother, although this is unrealistic."

Wei Yiyuan looked at him and said, "If Wusheng returns, we will definitely do our best to win him back. Then, we must persuade the Sun family to reconcile with him."

"Which is more likely: Sun reconciles with Song Shi'an, or he returns to his hometown alive?"

"…Too."

Wei Yiyuan then realized that both of these were impossible events.

"But I really do look forward to a triumphant return."

When all the soldiers who were to go to war were gone from the drill ground, the Prince of Jin suddenly sighed as he looked at the empty, yellowish-brown dust.

To rule the world, one must first have a world to rule.

.........

"Master, please come up."

As they prepared to mount their horses, San Gou immediately cowered on the ground like a stone, serving as a stirrup for Song Shi'an.

Song Shi'an, who had originally intended to step on it, hesitated for a moment and then withdrew his foot: "Get up."

San Gou, not understanding, stood up and asked, "What is the matter, Master?"

"Hold it with both hands," Song Shi'an said.

Then, San Gou did as he was told. Then, Song Shi'an placed his foot on his palm. The other man lifted him up, and he successfully mounted the horse and sat down.

He had no intention of popularizing democracy in this feudal world, but doing such a thing was still somewhat physiologically unacceptable to him.

Perhaps he will change in the future.

Perhaps he has always been like this.

Song Shi'an rode his horse, with three dogs guarding him.

Actually, Song Shi'an knew absolutely nothing about horseback riding. But some of his original physical instincts were still there.

Once you get on, you'll basically be completely used to it.

After leaving the military camp's drill ground, the army marched onto the central axis of the Heavenly Street.

The central axis of an ancient capital was incredibly magnificent.

Song Shi'an roughly estimated that it was at least 100 meters wide.

It can accommodate tens of thousands of troops, moving smoothly like clouds and water.

With only a thousand people, the line length seemed rather 'meager' after the width was increased.

Although the wealthy young men in the capital were more reserved than the common people in the outer city and were not as enthusiastic or excited, there were still quite a few people seeing off the troops today.

Although there was no congestion on either side of the road, it wasn't sparse either, with people standing every few steps.

Every now and then, people would smile with praise and offer encouragement to the troops accompanying them.

Until they reached a certain point in the march, a burly, half-naked man by the roadside suddenly started beating a heavy drum.

All the soldiers and residents of the imperial city looked over.

"Isn't this General Xia?"

"It's General Xia!"

"The general is beating the drum to send us off!"

The soldiers felt a sense of kinship when they saw Xia Chun, and the drumming was deeply moving.

As a descendant of a noble family, he was able to fight alongside the soldiers, show compassion for them, and was willing to endure hardships and live and die with them. He was loved and respected by everyone in the army. Even if he suffered many defeats, who would blame him?
If you insist that those who died in battle cannot speak out, then there's nothing we can do.

Upon seeing the naked general, Wei Wusheng proactively cupped his hands in a fist salute and greeted him with a smile.

Marching through the imperial city, I thought this would be the only isolated incident.

But in the middle section, the dozens of people from the Song family who had gathered together immediately surrounded Song Shi'an upon seeing him.

Jiang ran straight to his horse, grabbed Song Shi'an's hand, and cried with tears in her eyes, "Son, be careful, be careful!"

"Don't worry, Mother, I will." Song Shi'an deliberately hid his left hand on the other side of the horse's body in front of Jiang Shi, so that she would not see the wound.

"Please be careful with it."

Song Ce bowed deeply to Song Shi'an.

Song Shi'an smiled slightly at him, and then, as he passed by, Song Shi'an, looking down at him, gently patted his and Song Qin's heads a few times.

"You're not done lying to me yet..." Biting her lip, Song Qin muttered under her breath, "You just wait."

You've become arrogant.

"Scatter, Mother, Jingming, Little Sister, don't hinder the army's advance."

Under Song Shi'an's persuasion, they reluctantly returned to the roadside.

Standing in the center, Song Jing stared sharply at Song Shi'an.

After their eyes met, they nodded to each other.

Xin Yue watched this scene from afar.

Then came a somewhat surprising discovery.

Both Zhu Qing and Qin Kuo rose to their positions through military merit; one was a commoner, and the other came from a family of minor officials.

During this military campaign, only Song Shi'an was a registered resident of the imperial city.

He certainly deserves respect.

The moment the army quietly left the imperial city gates, it was as if all the people of Sheng'an had come out of the city.

At a glance, the central avenue, which is only a hundred paces wide, was completely blocked except for the marching route.

It was bustling with activity, with people shoulder to shoulder.

Fortunately, the people who managed to squeeze to the front row offered food and drink, stuffing it into the soldiers' hands.

"Kid, eat it while it's hot. Here, stuff a few more into your pocket."

"Good lad, kill a few more of those Qi traitors!"

"Sixth Prince, please protect the people of Great Yu!"

"Why shouldn't a man carry a hunting hook and seize fifty states beyond the passes!"

Some people even loudly recited Song Shi'an's signature works.

It must be said that the feelings of the people are simple and genuine.

But Song Shi'an really couldn't eat anymore.

Holding a hot steamed bun in his hand, he smiled and waved his hand to politely decline.

Then, gazing upon these enthusiastic subjects.

He was keenly aware that powerful families, nobles, and dukes were indeed strong allies on the path to power. But right now, what could save their lives were the countless ordinary people at the bottom of society.

As long as Wei Wu and I return to our lives, we will walk along this main road in Sheng'an, facing the will of the people.

Who can kill me?
Who dares to kill me?
He smiled.

At that moment, Song Shi'an suddenly noticed that there were two women standing behind the crowd on the roadside.

The two were dressed simply, but one of them was clearly not a commoner.

More importantly, both of them wore white veils that covered their faces.

Are you just pretending to be something you're not?

Song Shi'an revealed his disdain.

The next moment, one of the most distinguished people slowly lifted the veil from the middle, revealing his face.

Oh, it's Sister Sun.

Seeing that Song Shi'an had noticed her, Sun Jinhua smiled sincerely. Then, she crossed her hands in front of her abdomen, bowed slightly, and gave a gesture of goodwill.

Song Shi'an also looked at her and returned the greeting.

(End of this chapter)