After buying this two-story building, Song Jinzhao moved her stall into the shop.
Compared to the open street side, placing ice blocks inside the shop kept the coolness lingering for much longer.
Zhang Yuanzong had failed to track down the murderer of Wang Shizhang and the others for a long time. With the arrival of the imperial reinforcements at the border, he had no time to continue the investigation and had to temporarily shelve the case.
Song Shixue was helping Song Anhao walk when she noticed soldiers in armor frequently galloping past on horseback in the street.
She asked with some worry, "Elder sister, are we going to war?"
Song Jinzhao gave a slight nod and spoke to reassure her, "Don't worry. With your elder sister here, if we can't win, we'll run."
The Northern Shuo Kingdom originally planned to send troops after autumn. Now that the Eastern Zhao Kingdom, having taken precautions, had preemptively reinforced the border garrisons, launching an attack wouldn't be so easy.
Xining City was shielded by Hanyan City and Yunzhong City ahead. If Yunzhong City were to fall one day, that would be the time for her to take her three younger siblings and leave Xining City.
Facing ten thousand enemies alone, she knew she didn't have that capability. Moving was the only option.
General Xuanwei led a hundred thousand troops to the Thunderclap Army camp to join forces with Chu Liuyun, Qin Guo, and others.
They fortified Hanyan City until it was impregnable, sending scouts to keep watch along the border between the two kingdoms day and night, as if afraid others wouldn't know that Eastern Zhao had reinforced its borders.
The border generals of the Northern Shuo Kingdom listened to their subordinates' meticulous reports.
A memorial was dispatched to Yandu, the capital of Northern Shuo, with the utmost urgency of an eight-hundred-li express.
Despite this, the Emperor of Northern Shuo still hadn't given up his determination to attack Eastern Zhao. On the third day of the ninth month, he ordered the Second Prince, He Mingnan, to lead three hundred thousand troops to the border.
It was harvest time once again. Song Jinzhao hired ten people to gather the rice and millet from the fields as quickly as possible.
The village chief returned from Yunqiao Town with a deep frown and a grim expression.
The imperial court was increasing the grain tax, adding a full ten percent more per mu of land compared to last year.
Upon hearing this news, every household sighed in despair.
Although Song Jinzhao had managed to build the waterwheel in time, the earlier drought had still affected the harvest.
The yield was already less than last year's, and now with the increased tax, even less would remain in the farmers' hands.
Old Man Song stared at Old Lady Song, who was sitting on a bamboo mat counting silver coins. "You've been helping Jinzhao for over two months, and the money you've earned is almost equal to the harvest from ten mu of land."
Old Lady Song's face was content as she counted the money.
She had never imagined she would one day have steady work, earning more than Old Man Song.
"Jinzhao said there's a war, and grain prices in the city might rise. She told us not to sell our grain for now."
Old Man Song got up and walked to the window, looking at the rice grains drying in the courtyard.
"This year's harvest is only eighty percent of last year's. There wasn't much grain to sell anyway."
Recalling the scene from the war between the two kingdoms ten years ago, the Thunderclap Army had suffered over half its casualties just to stop the Northern Shuo army outside Yunzhong City.
A peace treaty was signed to cease hostilities. He had thought peace would last at least until his old age, but never expected it to end so soon.
After paying the grain tax, Song Jinzhao transported half of the grain to the warehouse behind her shop and stored the other half in the cellar.
News that the Northern Shuo Second Prince, He Mingnan, leading three hundred thousand troops, would soon arrive at the border reached the capital.
Emperor Xiao Chengjing's direct order was: If the enemy dares to attack the city, engage them in battle. You must stop the Northern Shuo army outside Hanyan City.
Within the inner palace, a palace maid hurried into Biluo Palace and pushed open the door to the main hall.
Xiao Yongjia, dressed in pink palace attire, rushed anxiously to the doorway, her face filled with worry.
"Well? What's the situation at the border?"
The palace maid bowed and said, "Your Highness, the Northern Shuo army will soon arrive at the border. His Majesty has issued an edict to defend Hanyan City to the death."
Xiao Yongjia's slender willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed, and her cherry-red lips bore the marks of four teeth. "Is there any news from Brother Liuyun?"
The maid looked up to console her, "Your Highness, please rest assured. The Duke of Qing is brave and skilled in battle. He will surely return victorious."
Xiao Yongjia stood there, her face full of worry, her mind unsettled as she stared into the distance.
In early October, He Mingnan led his three hundred thousand troops to Iron Armor City.
The war between the two kingdoms was like an arrow on a bowstring, bound to be released.
Three days later, at He Mingnan's command, the Northern Shuo army began its assault on Hanyan City.
Warning beacon fires rose everywhere. Beneath the city walls, enemy banners flapped noisily in the fierce wind. A dark, dense army swarmed forward like locusts.
Upon the city walls, the two hundred thousand troops of Eastern Zhao stood ready.
The hearts of the people in the thirteen border cities were constantly in their throats, fearing that if Hanyan City fell, they would be next.
Chu Liuyun led a tenacious defense. The Northern Shuo army launched seven attacks on the city but failed to take Hanyan, with both sides suffering heavy casualties.
Song Jinzhao watched the Thunderclap Army garrison troops being transferred from the city walls, her heart filled with complex emotions.
Originally, each city had only a hundred Thunderclap Army garrison soldiers. After General Xuanwei arrived with reinforcements of a hundred thousand troops, Qin Guo had increased the garrison in each city to five hundred.
Now, transferring them away indicated the battle situation at Hanyan City was not optimistic.
Inside Iron Armor City, He Mingnan stared grimly at the map hanging on the wall, his blood-stained finger tracing the key border locations.
Winter would begin at the border in one month. They had to capture Hanyan City before the severe cold set in.
"Send a message to Yingmen Pass. Have the garrison commander bring fifty thousand troops for reinforcement."
The deputy general responded solemnly, "Yes."
Over half a month had passed. Now, the defending forces within Hanyan City did not exceed a hundred and thirty thousand, while Iron Armor City still held two hundred thousand troops.
Provoked and angered, He Mingnan decided to launch an all-out assault at any cost.
Seeing He Mingnan remain inactive for seven consecutive days, Chu Liuyun began to feel uneasy.
Previously, they had attacked every few days, waging a war of attrition to drain their energy. Now, with no attacks for seven days, it was likely they were brewing a greater scheme.
Qin Guo, the battle-hardened commander of the Thunderclap Army, offered a speculation: "Could it be that, like us, He Mingnan is also transferring troops?"
Chu Liuyun closed his eyes and rubbed his aching temples, his expression weary beyond words.
After being in a state of high tension for so many days, it wasn't just him; every soldier in Hanyan City was the same.
General Xuanwei spoke up, "Your Grace, should we petition the Emperor to request reinforcements?"
Chu Liuyun frowned. "Not a single city has been lost. His Majesty will not issue an edict to send reinforcements."
The state treasury was depleted. The Ministry of Revenue had barely managed to scrape together the armor and weapons for the hundred thousand troops transferred this time.
To transfer more troops would certainly stir up fierce disputes at court. What might arrive wouldn't necessarily be reinforcements; it was more likely to be peace envoys.
