Chapter 899: First Volume, Chapter 899: The Showdown Is Imminent

First Volume, Chapter 899: The Showdown Is Imminent

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

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 present-day Di, it was nothing less than adding frost to snow.

Whether commoners or the court, all were rendered immobile, and 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.

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

The Di King had read every one of these pleas; though heartbroken, he made an agonizing decision—to cancel all relief efforts. Whether the people could survive this harsh winter would now depend on themselves.

This seemingly cold-hearted decision won the support of most officials in the court.

After all, relief is not empty words; 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. Such massive consumption rivaled the cost of supplying emergency military rations to the Front Line.

Moreover, Di was already short on grain; any rescue effort 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, the Di King'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, by some twist of fate, in his reign, betting the kingdom's fate on war had instead trapped him.

The Di King well understood the truth that prolonged gambling never yields a winner, yet... why had it been him who faced Qin Feng?

Below him, Chen Si and Li Yu also wore grim expressions; this blizzard felt like Old Heaven's punishment for Di's Bo Bing Du Wu, further worsening a situation already teetering on collapse.

Though Chen Si knew well how critical the events in Sangzhou were to the Di King, with the nation now on the brink of ruin, he felt compelled—out of duty to the greater good—to risk offering counsel.

"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 endured constant warfare; yet since the war began, not a single major city has fallen into enemy hands. At first glance, it seems we hold the advantage—but in truth, this is precisely what Qin Feng intended."

"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 fast to Zhuozhou's major cities and adopt a defensive strategy. We must not reinforce Zhuozhou further; our Great Di can no longer afford any more consumption."

The Di King understood Chen Si's heartfelt intentions and knew that, given Chen Si's deep understanding of Qin Feng, his proposed strategy was undoubtedly the best available option.

Yet the Di King 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.

The Di King'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 respectfully and spoke softly: "Your Majesty, I believe General Chen's defensive strategy is the only viable option at present."

"Or rather, we have no other choice. Even if we exhausted every resource to reinforce Zhuozhou with troops and materials, the snow now blocks 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."

The Di King 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 monitored by the Brocade Uniform Guard, even night owls unable to infiltrate, the Di King had still received whispers—Qin Feng was constructing storage and transit depots in Changshui.

Though so far, every sign of this depot suggested purely commercial use, the Di King 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—but he had no good way to stop it.

After long deliberation, he sighed deeply and looked at Chen Si and Li Yu: "It is time I summon Qin Feng."

Hearing this, Chen Si immediately replied: "Your Majesty, the current situation is unfavorable to us. Summoning Qin Feng now will 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, your grasp of politics is weak. Summoning Qin Feng now is the best opportunity—only at the Negotiation Table can we force Qin Feng to retreat as much as possible."

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

After a moment, Chen Si ventured cautiously: "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 the Di King.

The Di King 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 Great Di a chance to breathe, even "cutting flesh to feed the hawk" was worth it.

The Di King spoke firmly: "For the sake of the greater cause, no one is beyond sacrifice."

Hearing this, Chen Si and Li Yu understood fully. 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 the Di King—now, with sudden summons, Qin Feng's sharp intellect would surely grasp the stakes involved.