Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 64 A Thousand-Mile March: Arrival at the Front Lines!
The straight-line distance from Sheng'an to Shuofeng is 900 kilometers, which translates to 1,700 li in Dayu.

Because the route was relatively flat and of great strategic importance, it included both post roads and official roads. The actual marching distance was only about 1.4 times the straight-line distance, making it arguably the fastest highway in the Great Yu Dynasty.

Generally speaking, the strategic significance is not that great, and given the complex terrain, the actual distance is usually about twice the straight-line distance.

If we were to launch an expedition against Southern Vietnam, the number of troops could be as high as three or even four times the normal number.

This is why, even up until the Anti-Japanese War, ancient Fujian was considered a "land that military strategists did not contend for".

In this era, the Southern Yue was like a stubborn plaster; once you stepped on it, it would stick right to your feet.

Even if he led his army to occupy the capital of the Southern Yue Kingdom, it would still be difficult to completely conquer this region.

If you ignore him, he'll act like Tarzan, harassing you by pulling on vines and making "ooh ooh ooh" noises. Then, during the autumn harvest, he'll come out of the mountains and steal your grain.

In order to deter the southern barbarians, the imperial court even ordered the hereditary Duke of Li, who was the second nobleman who had followed the emperor, to station troops there.

Don’t you think this is nonsense?

The actual distance from Sheng'an to Shuofeng is about 2400 li.

According to the fastest express courier service in the Great Yu Dynasty, it would take three days and three nights to transmit the military intelligence from the front lines.

Just to clarify, the "800-li urgent delivery" wasn't about a messenger riding a horse from the front lines to the capital.

Normally, to ensure that messages are transmitted back, at least three people and seven horses are needed at each post station for seamless rotation.

Moreover, the horses could not be ordinary warhorses; they had to be superior breeds resulting from the crossbreeding of the Hequ horse and the Ferghana horse, known for their endurance.

To prevent messages from being lost or messengers from dying on the way, at least one copy of the military intelligence must be prepared.

In ancient times, the marching speed, if it was a forced march, was roughly between fifty and seventy li.

Of course, that was when tens of thousands of troops were marching.

The imperial court's allocation of a thousand imperial guards to Wei Wusheng was not actually for support. Rather, it was to escort the generals and civil officials to the front lines and then urgently replace Zhao Xiang.

Therefore, this thousand-strong imperial guard had no extra baggage or accompanying civilian laborers.

Of the thousand men, five hundred were auxiliary soldiers.

Three hundred men were cavalry.

The remaining infantry were also equipped as lightly as possible.

They carried no weapons and only enough rations for five days.

At each post station, supplies would be replenished for the next five days.

The purpose was to reach Shuofeng before Wuwei fell.

Therefore, their marching speed reached an astonishing 90 li per day.

It should take about twenty days to arrive.

Only the most elite Imperial Guards could achieve this level of skill.

It could be said that for each of these thousand imperial guards, this kind of thing was commonplace.

However, this only applies to the Imperial Guard.

In the middle of the night, inside the tent, on a simple, narrow wooden bed, lay only a soft blanket. Song Shi'an lay on it, his upper body naked, wearing only a pair of underpants. San Gou, standing beside him, pulled down the hem of his underpants and applied ointment to his thigh.

He gritted his teeth, revealing a mask of pain.

Qin Kuo lifted the curtain and walked in. Looking at Song Shi'an, who was grimacing by the candlelight, he teased, "Scholar Song, wouldn't it be better to have a gentle young girl apply medicine for you to relieve the pain?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? Get lost!"

Looking back at Chief Clerk Qin, Song Shi'an felt as if the air was filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers.

Incidentally, after joining the army, Song Shi'an completely integrated into the ranks within just over ten days, perfectly adapting to the rough and unrefined nature of the soldiers.

He no longer addressed Qin Zhubu, who was one and a half ranks higher than him, with the same respectful manner as before.

"Hahaha..." Qin Kuo laughed, walked to the side, waved his hand, and then told San Gou to leave.

He personally applied the medicine to Song Shi'an.

Originally, he also looked down on this arrogant and conceited young master from a prominent family. He had already made sarcastic remarks about him before he even arrived.

Throughout the more than twenty days of marching, Song Shi'an never uttered a single complaint. Even when offered the option of riding in a carriage or being allowed to lag behind and be escorted by cavalry, he refused.

On his first military expedition, he rode a horse for nearly two thousand miles.

The others are fine, after all, they are all veterans.

The officers, including the chief clerk and the captain, felt that they could travel on post roads and official roads most of the time, only needing to take a small detour, which was quite comfortable.

But this is a pampered young master.

This alone completely changed Qin Kuo's opinion of Song Shi'an.

"The scraped skin will grow back after it falls off. Then, after repeating this a few more times, it won't hurt when you ride a horse anymore," Qin Kuo comforted you.

"It doesn't hurt at all..."

Song Shi'an scoffed dismissively, but his expression changed drastically the next moment: "Hey! Damn it, it's definitely going to hurt if I press on it!"

"You're doing alright, not bad at all."

After applying the medicine, Qin Kuo personally bandaged it with clean gauze.

Although he said that, Song Shi'an was definitely more than just 'okay'.

Among those young masters from noble families who earned merit by serving in the army, none had ever shown such resilience as him.

Song Shi'an did not become complacent, but instead asked, "Have we already crossed the Southern Wushan Mountains?"

“Yes, we haven’t been in Liangzhou for long,” Qin Kuo said. “How far is it from Langya?” Song Shi’an asked.

"It should be about a two-day journey, but the original route wasn't to go west to Langya by water and then down the Chishui River to Shuofeng," Qin Kuo said. "Instead, we went directly north and passed through Jiamen Pass."

"How are the journeys for both?"

“The land route is definitely shorter, but the water route is half the length of the land route. The travel time is roughly the same, about half a day different. By the way, the land route is half a day faster,” Qin Kuo said.

"Well, then I understand."

After saying that, Song Shi'an slowly got up and staggered to pick up his robe and put it on.

"Why aren't you sleeping in the middle of the night? What are you doing?" Qin Kuo asked, puzzled.

"I have something to discuss with Your Highness."

As Song Shi'an spoke, he prepared to leave.

"Alright then, you should go to sleep early."

Qin Kuo also left with a smile, and before leaving, he said to the three dogs guarding outside the tent: "If the top scholar has any needs, he can apply to me."

"Yes, sir." San Gou clenched his fist and bowed.

Not long after he left, Song Shi'an, supporting his thigh, also left the tent and went to the general's tent.

At that moment, the sword-wielding girl stood calmly outside the door.

Those soldiers are one thing, but you're a girl, and you're like an iron drum, doesn't it hurt at all?
Okay, anyone is better than me.

"Do you wish to see His Highness?" Xin Yue asked.

“Yes.” Song Shi’an nodded.

"Your Highness, Song Shi'an requests an audience!" Xin Yue announced loudly, her face expressionless.

"Wait, wait a moment."

Wei Wusheng's voice came from inside, seemingly feeling that his arrival was a bit abrupt and getting anxious.

After a while, a soldier came out and said, "Lord Song, please come in."

So Song Shi'an entered the main tent.

Then, they saw Wei Wusheng, dressed in casual clothes, sitting very solemnly in front of a wooden table in the tent.

Song Shi'an also caught a glimpse of a jar of the same type of wound ointment as his own.

Well then, you and I are the only useless people in the world.

"Shi An, what is it?" Wei Wusheng asked.

Song Shi'an said, "Why don't the army go around Langya, go down the Chishui River, and take the waterway to Shuofeng?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Wusheng forced himself to stand up and walked to the map on the shelf to observe it: "The two routes take about the same amount of time, but taking the water route can reduce the land distance by half and allow the army to rest a bit. Hmm, that works too."

"Alright, then An will take his leave."

Song Shi'an clenched his fist in a salute and withdrew from the tent.

Watching his retreating figure, Wei Wusheng had no doubts about the change of route. However, Song Shi'an's abrupt suggestion without explanation left him somewhat puzzled.

However, the army still detoured westward.

It will take about a day and a half to arrive.

If the march is fast, they should be able to reach Langya City that very night.

At noon, Dajun cooked lunch on the spot.

Wei Wusheng and Xinyue sat on small stools, holding their bowls, and ate their meal around the small table.

A map was laid out on the table, and Wei Wusheng studied it while eating.

"Lord Song requests an audience."

Reporting from outside the tent.

"Go in," Wei Wusheng said directly.

Then, Song Shi'an walked in.

"Shi An, have you eaten?" Wei Wusheng, holding a bowl, looked up and asked with a smile.

"Your Highness, I have something to discuss with you."

Song Shi'an said solemnly.

Wei Wusheng put down his bowl, became serious, and said, "Xinyue can be absolutely trusted."

Since he had said that, Song Shi'an decided to let it go.

He walked up to him, pointed to 'Langya' on the map, and asked, "Does Your Highness know what kind of city this is?"

Wei Wusheng found the question somewhat strange, but still answered: "If the Cangwu County seat (the urban area of ​​a prefecture-level city) and the Beiliang Valley are lost, they, along with Jiamen Pass, will be two important towns and absolutely the front line against Qi."

"Langya is the third most populous city in Liangzhou, after Yongcheng and Wuwei. It is located upstream of the Shuofeng River, on the banks of the Chishui River. In order to fight against Qi after the fall of the Beiliang Valley, grain, weapons, and clothing from Liangzhou and Qinzhou were transported here by water. Nearly one-third of the supplies for the entire Liangzhou are in this city."

Song Shi'an's tone was calm and composed.

Wei Wusheng listened attentively throughout, his expression gradually becoming tense.

Xin Yue, standing to the side, also stood there blankly, holding her bowl.

Staring into his eyes, Song Shi'an said emotionlessly, "Your Highness, seize all the supplies upon entering the city and send them to Shuofeng by waterway."

(End of this chapter)