Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 402 Northern Northern Edict, Xiang Fuhai's Injuries

Yuan Cheng stood there, staring at the visiting card. His expression was grim, and a pang of guilt rose in his heart. He clenched his fists tightly, then stepped forward and said to Xia Chuan in a deep voice:
"Minister Si, if the three northern towns truly use this matter to blackmail and force our Great Xia to do something, we absolutely cannot agree. Yuan Cheng, you must take responsibility for your actions. I'm the one who made this mess, so I should bear the consequences. At worst, I'll just..."

"What invitation card? Let me see it!"

Before Yuan Cheng could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a voice from outside the door.

"Meet the lord!"

Upon hearing the voice, Yuan Cheng did not hesitate at all, immediately turning around and bowing respectfully to those behind him. Xia Chuan, who was on the main seat, and Qiu Peng and Lin Kai, who were seated below, also quickly stood up and bowed respectfully to the door.
"Meet the lord!"

Xia Hong didn't delay. He walked over and took the golden document from Yuan Cheng's hand. Then he sat down in the main seat that Xia Chuan had given up and began to examine the document.

[Imperial Edict from Beishuo: Yuan Cheng, the magistrate of the garrison of Daxia Town, led his men to ambush and kill Yang Fan, the president of the Beishuo Town Chamber of Commerce, Yang Pu, the vice president, and members Yang Yun, Yang Shou, Yang Ding, Zhu Yiqing, Zhang Hewen, Li Kang, Li Xinyan, Zhou Ying, Zhou Longhai, Zhu Long, and Bai Dong, a total of thirteen people, on the night of the first day of the ninth month in the snow forest thirteen kilometers north of Hongmen City.]
Yang Ning witnessed the atrocities committed by Yuan Cheng and others. Da Xia has no way to deny it. Bei Shuo and Gui Zhen are both among the nine towns on the southern slope of Mo Ao. They should have set aside their social status and worked together to build a home on the southern slope of Mo Ao. However, Da Xia committed such heinous acts, which is truly despicable.
Beishuo has issued an imperial edict to all towns, informing them to gather at Hongmen on September 18th. At that time, we hope that Great Xia can hand over the culprit and return justice to Beishuo and the towns of Mo'ao!
—Yang Zun, Qin Feng, Shangguan Yang

"This imperial edict is really well written!"

Upon hearing Xia Hong's first words after reading the document, the four people below were immediately stunned.

Seeing the four people's reactions, Xia Hong smiled and waved the Northern Shuo edict in his hand, saying, "What, is there a problem with what I said? This edict from Northern Shuo is well-written and reasonable. It can win people's hearts and minds. Putting aside the two towns of Muyin and Jiangxia for the time being, the lords of the other five towns will find it difficult not to support Northern Shuo from the perspective of the nine towns!"
Qin Feng and Shangguan Yang both signed their names directly at the end, so even if Cao Qianyang and Long Mingyuan don't support it, they probably won't oppose the three towns, and they'll likely all come together on September 18th.

Upon hearing these words, Xia Chuan and the other three's expressions instantly became much more serious.

"The regulations governing the nine towns on the southern slope of Mo'ao are as follows: internal edicts are called town edicts, and diplomatic edicts are called foreign edicts. Foreign edicts are usually made public. Yang Zun's document will spread throughout the eight towns in a few days. There will definitely be a lot of people coming to watch the show on the 18th. Yang Zun is clearly putting us in a difficult position!"

Qiu Peng spoke in a deep voice, and after a moment of thought, everyone's expressions darkened slightly.

If they were to hand over Yuancheng in front of so many people from the Eight Towns, the Great Xia would lose all face. Of course, they would never hand over Yuancheng.

However, if they don't hand over the person, given the conclusive evidence, Yang Zun has already informed all seven towns in advance and even issued an imperial edict to deliberately make it known to everyone in the eight towns. If they don't hand over the person, Great Xia will inevitably be branded as arrogant, and the good reputation they have painstakingly built up over the past two months will be completely ruined.

The damage to their reputation is secondary; if they don't hand over the people, will Yang Zun let it go? Qin Feng and Shangguan Yang both signed this imperial edict, which means that Wuchuan and Jinshan towns will fully support Beishuo.

Thinking of this, Xia Chuan couldn't help but speak in a deep voice: "It's not just these three towns in the north. Duan Hong was humiliated by the lord at the Hongmen Banquet, and he already hates our Great Xia to the bone. In addition, given their unclear and ambiguous relationship with Bei Shuo, Chui Shan will definitely side with Bei Shuo. Cao Qianyang and Long Mingyuan, those two opportunists, will not dare to oppose the four towns even if they don't support them, since they see that the four towns are powerful. In this way, we will have to face the four towns at the same time!"

"The towns of Muyin and Jiangxia don't support us?"

Yuan Cheng suddenly spoke, but as soon as he finished speaking, seeing the looks in Xia Chuan and the other two's eyes, he immediately shut his mouth, his expression becoming even more somber.

Muyin and Jiangxia have received favors from the Great Xia, but under these circumstances, it is uncertain what choices the two towns will make. Moreover, you cannot decide what choices they will make. The Great Xia has never had the habit of entrusting its life and death to outsiders.

"It seems my feeling was right. This Yang Zun is the most troublesome of the three northern towns. Hongmen has only been open for a little over two months, and he can't wait to start uniting with the other towns to target us. Interesting!"

Xia Hong lowered his head and pondered for a moment, looking at the contents of the imperial edict, and asked Xia Chuan, "Are these five people, Yang Fan, Yang Pu, Yang Yun, Yang Shou, and Yang Ding, all direct descendants of the Yang family? What is their relationship with Yang Zun and Yang Fa?"

Xia Chuan was already very familiar with the situation in the Eight Towns, and immediately replied: "The second generation of the Yang family all have the character 'Runcao' in their names. Yang Fan, Yang Pu, and Yang Yun all have it. Among them, Yang Fan is the eldest son of the town chief Yang Fa, Yang Pu is the fifth son of Yang Zun, and the last one, Yang Yun, is the eldest son of the third son, Yang Jian. Yang Shou and Yang Ding are the fourth generation of the Yang family, and also direct descendants. Both of them are in their early thirties and have strength of over twenty-five. Because of their good talent, they are known as the Six Steeds of the Yang Family and have some fame in the Eight Towns."

Upon hearing this, Xia Hong's brows furrowed slightly.

All five are direct descendants; no wonder Yang Zun went to such lengths.

“The Yang brothers wouldn’t risk the lives of five of their direct descendants to smear us. So it’s true that Yang Fan and the other thirteen were killed. If Yuan Cheng wasn’t killed, then it’s because people from other towns are deliberately trying to smear us.”

When Yuan Cheng saw that Xia Hong didn't even ask him any questions and directly asserted that he wasn't the one who killed the person, he was deeply moved.

Xia Hong didn't pay attention to Yuan Cheng. After finishing his own words, he immediately thought of something and continued, "No, it's not necessarily another town. It could be that Caiqiu vassal state, or some other extraterritorial force that has already infiltrated the Nine Towns!"

Upon hearing this conjecture, the expressions of Xia Chuan and the other three immediately became much more serious.

Yuan Cheng hesitated for a moment, then slowly stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Lord, if the four towns unite, our Great Xia..."

"Alright, this is none of your business. Do you think that handing you over will solve the problem? If I really hand you over, all the prestige that Great Xia has worked so hard to build up since April will be gone. If there is this first compromise, there will be a second one soon. And the second one will not be as simple as just handing someone over."

Inter-township interactions are a more practical approach.

If one side shows weakness, the other side will inevitably press its advantage.

Since the Hongmen Banquet at the end of April, Xia Hong has been trying his best to portray the Great Xia as an incomparably powerful force capable of crushing the Eight Towns of Mo'ao. This is why he was able to seize Ba Shang City from Chui Shan, take Jiu Qu Camp from Bei Shuo, open Hongmen City as a port, and trade with the Eight Towns so smoothly.

Ultimately, the eight towns of Mo'ao, including Muyin and Jiangxia, are now filled with fear of the Great Xia. The three northern towns, in particular, are filled with a deep sense of apprehension, since the Great Xia has almost completely transformed the ecosystem of the nine towns in the past four months, turning them from their former high and mighty status into mere supporting characters.

In particular, the opening of ports and trade were undermining the foundation of their respective territories. With so many people from village camps flocking to Hongmen City, where would the authority of their eight towns be? How could they effectively manage their subordinates?
Moreover, who knows which of these people have been bribed by the Great Xia?
As more and more people come to Hongmen, the Eight Towns become increasingly transparent in front of the Great Xia, which is terrifying for any camp in the Ice Abyss.

They are now essentially under the control of the Great Xia.

Even now, it's too late to open up town cultivation resources to people in village-level camps within the territory; they'll only be interested in the Great Xia's merits.
They couldn't simply ban people from their territory from buying things in Hongmen City, since they were already trading with the Great Xia. Continuing the old system of trading between towns and selling resources at inflated prices would only drive even more people to Hongmen City. But leaving it to its own devices was even worse!

There must be clever people in the Eight Towns, and the Great Xia's use of trade as a pretext to secretly infiltrate and win over others is not a particularly sophisticated tactic, so naturally some people can see through it.

Once the people in these village-level camps within the Eight Towns get used to coming to Hongmen City to buy cultivation resources and other supplies from the Great Xia, will they eventually become people of the Eight Towns or people of the Great Xia?
Xia Hong had been aware that the three northern towns were definitely trying to figure out a way to break the deadlock, but the fact that Yang Fan and his group were killed was quite unexpected.

"If the four towns want to unite, then let them unite! At least Yang Zun knows to notify the outside world before issuing an imperial edict. As long as they follow the rules, everything is negotiable!"

Xia Hong wasn't afraid of a direct confrontation; what he feared most was someone who didn't play by the rules, like someone who acted recklessly just because they were at the Xianyang level. That would give him a headache, since he was currently the only Xianyang-level expert in the Great Xia Dynasty.

"Have Yuwen Tao lead the Dragon Martial Army back to Hongmen first, and then transfer all the other scattered armies within the territory. I also need to go back to Xia City. Before the 18th, arm Hongmen to the teeth. Since it's just a bluff, let's make a big fuss. They think they can make my Great Xia submit? It's not that simple."

"I obey my orders!"

Upon hearing this, Xia Chuan's expression brightened, and he immediately cupped his hands in agreement.

After Xia Hong finished speaking, a cold glint appeared in his eyes. He continued, "Regardless of who killed Yang Fan and his thirteen men, since Yang Zun dared to make such a big fuss and let everyone know, he must be absolutely confident that he can convince others that it was Yuan Cheng who killed them. In that case, there's probably no point in trying to explain. Let's wait for Number 18 and the others to arrive. I want to see just how strong these lords of the three northern towns really are!"

Recalling the brief encounter in Ba Shang City, a hint of fighting spirit rose in Xia Hong's eyes. He had a general idea of ​​the strength of those three people, and if given the opportunity, it wouldn't be a bad idea to fight them.

"I just hope that Murong Chui and Xiahou Zhang won't disappoint me."

After pondering for a moment, Xia Hong shook his head and cursed himself for being foolish to place his hopes on someone else.

"I need to go back to Xia City first. There will be big changes to the Martial Arts Pavilion, Weapon Refining Pavilion, and Alchemy Pavilion soon."

Upon hearing Xia Hong's words, Xia Chuan and the other three became excited.

They were fully aware of every change to the camp buildings in Xia City, each change bringing about earth-shattering transformations.

The number of training slots in the Martial Arts Pavilion, the weapon-forging techniques and efficiency in the Weapon Forging Pavilion, the alchemy and appraisal efficiency in the Alchemy Pavilion... Once these buildings undergo major changes, the overall strength of the Great Xia Dynasty will basically experience a leapfrog development.

Xia Hong waved slightly to everyone, and without lingering, flew away towards Xia City to the west after leaving the council hall.

"Respectfully seeing off the lord!"

After Xia Hong had walked away, Xia Chuan and the other three looked up and excitedly stared at each other.

"The number of places in the Martial Arts Pavilion should be able to increase significantly again. What Great Xia lacks now is time. If we don't have enough time, we can only make up for it with this. As long as we can accommodate more people to cultivate at the same time, the number of people who break through to the Cold Resistance level will increase. Our current number of Cold Resistance level people has already surpassed that of the three northern towns. If this round of places increases enough, I estimate that it won't be long before the number of Cold Resistance level people surpasses the total number of people in the eight towns!"

The training slots for the Martial Arts Pavilion are allocated by the Logistics Department, and Qiu Peng, as the head of the Logistics Department, is naturally well aware of this.

Upon hearing his words, Xia Chuan, Yuan Cheng, and Lin Kai all showed slight excitement.

The number of people in the Great Xia family at the Cold Protection level exceeds the total number in the Eight Towns. If that day ever comes, what a magnificent sight it will be!
"The southern slopes of Mo'ao will inevitably become part of the territory of my Great Xia in the future!"

Xia Chuan spoke these words with unwavering determination.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Cheng, Qiu Peng, and Lin Kai all nodded immediately, their eyes filled with unwavering belief.

........................

September 11th, the eighth year of the Great Xia Dynasty
By the time Xia Hong returned to Xia City, it was already dawn.

He went straight to the alchemy pavilion and found Cheng Feng refining medicine.

"Who... Lord, Chengfeng greets the Lord!"

Cheng Feng was so engrossed in refining the medicine that he only noticed Xia Hong when he came up behind him. He quickly tried to get up and bow to him.

"Take good care of your medicine first!"

Xia Hong looked at the pills that were about to take shape in the alchemy furnace, and immediately reached out to stop him, signaling him to continue refining the pills. Then he continued to ask, "What is the specific situation of Xiang Fuhai's injuries? Are you confident that you can heal him?"

Upon hearing this question, Cheng Feng's face immediately lit up with excitement. He first took out the pill that had formed in the alchemy furnace, and then cupped his hands in a respectful reply:

"My lord, Xiang Fuhai's injuries are mainly to his meridians. I have found out the cause. This batch of Sacred Meridian Pills was specially made for his injuries. I am not sure about the specific effects. We will only know after he tries it. I actually made a batch two days ago, but I did not dare to give it to him without permission. Now it is just right to give it to you, my lord."

　I've had a rough patch lately, but I'll get back to work tomorrow. I'll keep up the promise I made at the end of last month; I'll definitely do more than last month.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)