Chapter 898: First Volume, Chapter 898: Opportunity Appears

First Volume, Chapter 898: Opportunity Appears

In the eleventh month, a once-in-a-century blizzard swept across half of the Bei Di Guo.

This blizzard arrived with shocking suddenness, leaving everyone unprepared.

As the saying goes, a timely snow foretells a bountiful year; in past years, this snow might have carried a slight positive effect, but for Bei Di Guo now, it was merely adding frost to snow.

Whether commoners or the court, all were rendered immobile; the vast majority of "activities" had already ground to a halt.

Since the snow first fell, within just ten days, disasters erupted one after another across the land; countless civilians froze or starved to death, and officials from every region urgently appealed to Wang Du, begging His Majesty to open the granaries and distribute relief grain to help the people survive this unbearable winter.

Alas, every appeal letter sent to Wang Du sank into the sea without a ripple, let alone a wave.

Bei Di Wang had read every one of these pleas; though heartbroken, he made the agonizing decision to cancel all relief efforts—the people's survival through this harsh winter would depend entirely on themselves.

This seemingly cold and heartless decision won the support of most officials in the court.

After all, relief is no empty promise; with the snow blocking all roads, the cost of transporting goods had skyrocketed. In the past, delivering one sheng of grain required sacrificing one sheng; now, delivering one sheng required sacrificing three sheng—a loss so immense it rivaled supplying emergency military rations to the Front Line.

Moreover, Bei Di Guo was already short on grain; rescuing any region was tantamount to drinking poison to quench thirst.

If all efforts were poured into saving the east while abandoning the west, it would inevitably spark rebellion in the west, making the situation even more dire.

Inside the Imperial Study, Bei Di Wang's face was etched with worry; since the National War began, the domestic situation had steadily deteriorated.

Throughout history, all great Di monarchs had waged war to sustain war—but, absurdly, under his reign, betting the nation's fate on war had instead trapped him.

Bei Di Wang knew full well the truth that prolonged gambling never produces a winner, yet... why had he, of all people, encountered Qin Feng?

Below him, Chen Si and Li Yu also wore grim expressions; this blizzard felt like Old Heaven's punishment for Bei Di Guo's Bo Bing Du Wu, pushing an already precarious domestic situation further into chaos.

Though Chen Si knew well how critical the events in Sangzhou were to Bei Di Wang, with the nation now on the brink of collapse, he had no choice but to risk offering counsel for the greater good.

"Your Majesty, based on my observations over this period, I can now clearly discern Qin Feng's intentions."

"Sangzhou is firmly under Qin Feng's control, while Zhuozhou has been ravaged by war—but not a single major city has fallen into enemy hands. On the surface, it seems we hold the advantage; in truth, this is precisely what Qin Feng intends."

"As long as Zhuozhou's major cities remain standing, both Zhuozhou and the court retain the confidence to continue fighting—but in doing so, we are dragged deeper into an endless quagmire of war."

"I believe we need only hold the major cities of Zhuozhou with a defensive strategy; we must not reinforce Zhuozhou any further. Our Great Di can no longer afford any more consumption."

Bei Di Wang understood Chen Si's sincere intentions and knew that, given Chen Si's deep understanding of Qin Feng, his proposed strategy was undoubtedly the best option available now.

Yet Bei Di Wang knew even better that this sudden blizzard would accelerate the evolution of the domestic situation; unless he struck with thunderous force to crush the Rebel Party in Sangzhou, rebels would soon sprout like mushrooms after rain.

Chen Si's method was the safest—but no different from slow suicide.

Bei Di Wang's aggressive mindset, however, carried heavy gambler's instincts; he himself now had no clear idea which path to take, so he turned his gaze to Li Yu.

Li Yu bowed and spoke softly: "Your Majesty, I believe General Chen's defensive strategy is the only option available now."

"Or rather, we have no other choice. Even if we exhausted every resource to reinforce Zhuozhou with troops and materials, the snow has sealed all roads—relief grain cannot even be distributed, let alone military supplies?"

"This defensive policy must be maintained until next spring, when the ice melts and the land revives—only then can we consider other measures."

Bei Di Wang fell into deep thought; his greatest fear was not whether Zhuozhou could hold until spring, but whether Qin Feng would grant him any breathing room.

There is no wall in this world that cannot be penetrated; though Changshui County had been tightly watched by the Brocade Uniform Guard, even night owls could not infiltrate it, Bei Di Wang had still received whispers: Qin Feng was building storage and transit depots in Changshui County.

Though so far, every sign of this depot suggested it served "commercial" purposes, Bei Di Wang knew well: with a single word from Qin Feng, this so-called commercial warehouse would instantly become a facility for Military Use.

He knew Qin Feng was scheming right under his nose, yet Bei Di Wang had no good way to stop him.

After long deliberation, he sighed deeply and looked at Chen Si and Li Yu: "It is time I summoned Qin Feng for an Imperial Audience."

Upon hearing this, Chen Si immediately replied: "Your Majesty, the current situation is unfavorable to us; summoning Qin Feng now would only embolden him—it is not the right moment."

Li Yu, however, held a different view and quickly explained: "General Chen, though you are a master of military affairs and possess profound Strategic Vision, you are somewhat weak in politics. Summoning Qin Feng now is the best opportunity—only at the Negotiation Table can we possibly force Qin Feng to retreat."

Facing Li Yu's direct challenge, Chen Si did not grow angry; instead, he fully acknowledged his own political shortcomings and lowered his head in thoughtful silence.

After a moment, Chen Si cautiously asked: "Lord Li, if we summon Qin Feng now, he will surely exploit Lü Zhu Guo as leverage—how shall we respond?"

Li Yu did not answer, but turned his gaze to Bei Di Wang.

Bei Di Wang understood perfectly: Lü Li and the remnants of the Hawk Faction were thorns in Qin Feng's side; given any chance, Qin Feng would unhesitatingly eliminate Lü Li and his faction.

But if this could buy Bei Di Guo a chance to breathe, even "cutting flesh to feed the hawk" was worth it.

Bei Di Wang said firmly: "For the sake of the greater cause, no one is beyond sacrifice."

Hearing this, Chen Si and Li Yu understood clearly; they immediately withdrew to prepare for Qin Feng's Imperial Audience.

On the way out of the palace, Chen Si still felt uneasy.

Since Qin Feng arrived in Wang Du, nearly half a year had passed without him ever meeting Bei Di Wang—now, to summon him suddenly, with Qin Feng's intelligence, he would surely grasp the stakes involved.