Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 450 Feint to the East, Prince Caiqiu, and the Fruits of Chuishan
"Today is only the tenth of the month, and there are still 20 days before the martial arts competition officially begins. The population has already exceeded 90, and by next month it is conservatively estimated to be over one million. This is more than the population of the three towns in the north. We need to restrict it!"

Lin Kai quickly made a decision after considering the situation in his mind. He then ordered Ying Yi, "Instruct Kong Xiu to continue building wooden houses outside the city as temporary residences. Starting tomorrow, all outsiders who are not participants in the martial arts competition are not allowed to stay in the city for more than 10 hours. I will notify the Qingjiao Fourth Army to set up checkpoints in the city for screening. Anyone who violates the regulations will be expelled and will not be allowed to enter Hongmen again for five years."

"That's a good idea!"

Ying Yi's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he immediately nodded in agreement.

The martial arts competition has an age limit; participants cannot be older than 25. Therefore, the vast majority of participants are accompanied by their elders, which is the main reason for the rapid increase in the city's population in a short period of time.

Those who are not participating in the martial arts competition are not allowed to stay in the city for long, which can filter out at least one-third of the population, greatly relieving the pressure on the city.

However, Ying Yi thought of something else and asked in a low voice, "My lord, the population in the city is not as large as before, and the pressure on public security is extremely high. The four armies of Qingjiao, Jinjian, Jindiao and Zhenwu, with a total of four thousand men, are completely insufficient. Why don't we ask Yuwen Sizheng to transfer three more armies from Ba Shang?"

This year, we're using the banner of the Nine Towns Martial Arts Tournament, and the three northern towns are all holding their breath, sending quite a few people to cause trouble. Lord Zhao also said that recently there have been daily disturbances and even fights in the city, mostly instigated by the youths of the three towns. The tournament is getting closer, and we still don't know what they're really up to. Sending more men is better than nothing!

After hearing Ying Yi's words, a dark glint flashed in Lin Kai's eyes, and he shook his head and said, "The Ba Shang army can't move. Yuwen Sizheng is too busy to deal with us right now. It's already very generous of Sicheng to leave four armies for Hongmen to use."

"Can't move?"

Ying Yi was taken aback upon hearing this, then asked with a puzzled expression, "There is no need for defense in Ba Shang. Yun Jiao, Long Wu, Tu Long, Hu Bao, and Hei Jian, the five armies, are all stationed there. Isn't that unnecessary?"

After the Battle of Hongmen ended in September of the year before last, Xia Chuan sent the four armies of Longwu, Tulong, Hubao, and Heijian to garrison in Bashang, while the Yunjiao Army remained to guard Hongmen.

After completing the population relocation mission in Ba Shang, Lin Kai's Qingjiao Army stationed in Xia City for a period of time. Later, they also came to Hongmen and joined the Yunjiao Army in guarding Hongmen.

Last year, the Hongmen were plagued by strange occurrences. The Dragon Slaying Army briefly returned to provide support, but then turned back to Ba Shang. Therefore, the Hongmen side has always only had the Cloud Dragon and Azure Dragon armies.

However, with the surge in Hongmen's population, and the addition of six new armies—Steel Mane, Golden Sword, Golden Eagle, Zhenwu, Yingwu, and Zhaolong—by the end of last year, the garrison at Hongmen underwent further changes at the beginning of this year.

The Yunjiao Army was transferred to Ba Shang; the Hongmen side was guarded by the Qingjiao, Jinjian, Jindiao, and Zhenwu Armies.

Compared to Hongmen, Ba Shang has no defense needs at all, so why bother leaving five large armies there? Moreover, the five armies include the Yun Jiao and Long Wu armies, which are currently recognized as the strongest in the Great Xia Dynasty. The remaining three armies, Tu Long, Hu Bao, and Hei Jian, are also among the top in strength.

Seeing that Lin Kai did not answer, Ying Yi continued, "If the five armies cannot move, aren't there other garrisons in other places? There is no need for Longshan. The Shanhe, Lieying, Xiongwu, and Beizhao armies can move. The Shenwu, Xuanwu, Longyuan, Dongyang, Gangzong, Yingwu, Zhaolong, and Feipeng armies are also available. Our Great Xia has plenty of troops available everywhere, right?"

Hearing Ying Yi name all the 21st Army of the Great Xia in one breath, Lin Kai's face immediately lit up with a smile. He seemed to want to say something, but he held back and shook his head with a smile, saying, "Each army has its own mission, and the Commander will arrange it. Why are you worrying so much?"

"The elder is right, I was overthinking it..."

Lin Kai's words were actually quite harsh, but Ying Yi didn't detect any reproach in his tone, so his expression didn't change much. However, he immediately realized what he had said, his face changed drastically, and he looked up at Lin Kai with a slightly surprised expression, saying, "My lord, is the Minister of War waging war abroad?"

Right now, Hongmen is under the greatest defense pressure. There's no reason why Si Cheng and Yuwen Sizheng couldn't see that. How could the 21st Army of Great Xia not be able to spare a few troops?
The only explanation is that Lin Kai is hiding something from me.

Seeing Lin Kai nod slightly, Ying Yi's mind flashed with many thoughts in an instant. Then he thought of something, quickly raised his hand and pointed in the direction of Chuishan Town to the north, a questioning look in his eyes.

Upon receiving Lin Kai's nod, Ying Yi's expression suddenly changed.

"I see, I see! I was wondering why you, sir, went so far as to raise the banner of the Nine Towns Martial Arts Tournament this year and deliberately sent envoys to the three northern towns to provoke us. It turns out you were intentionally trying to amplify the tournament's influence and attract attention!"

Seeing that Ying Yi had already brought everything to light, Lin Kai had no more scruples and stopped hiding things. He chuckled and said, "Beishuo's infiltration of Chuishan is too serious. Duan Hong is practically going to openly announce that he's merging with Beishuo. If he continues like this, Beishuo will be forcing its way right into our faces."

Cai Qiu's heir, Cai Shiqi, considered himself clever and thought he could use Cai Qiu's reputation to threaten Duan Hong and prevent him from joining Bei Shuo. Little did he know that Duan Hong thought he was a fool..."

Lin Kai sneered at the mention of Cai Shiqi's name.

Although I hate to admit it, I have to say that if you were to find a few of the most well-known people in the Nine Towns right now, then Cai Shiqi, the heir from Caiqiu, would definitely be one of them.

Cai Shiqi started operating in the Jiuzhen area last October. Of course, Lin Kai had already learned through intelligence from Jinshan Town that this group of people had come from Caiqiu at the end of August last year. Obviously, they stayed in Jinshan Town for more than a month before they officially started their activities.

This man is so famous because at the end of last year, he used the names of the two lords, Shangguan Yang and Qin Feng, to hold a unique exoneration ceremony at Qinggang Mountain, a place at the border of Jinshan and Wuchuan towns.

Before the conference was even held, Cai Shiqi ordered the towns of Jinshan and Wuchuan to spread the news throughout the entire territory of the nine towns. On the invitations sent to the lords of the seven towns, he actually put his name before that of the two lords, Qin Feng and Shangguan Yang.

The so-called "rehabilitation conference" is naturally meant to clear the name of the wrongful conviction suffered by Caiqiu, the governor of the region, last year due to Chen Yiqing's evil deeds.

To be fair, Cai Shiqi was indeed quite capable. The invitation letter, jointly signed by the lords of Jinshan and Wuchuan, was taken seriously by all seven towns. Six of the lords went, but the only one from Daxia went was Xiang Fuhai.

There was no other way. If possible, the Great Xia would not do such an attention-grabbing thing. The key was that Lord Xia Hong was away and there was no way to go even if they wanted to. So they could only claim that Xia Hong was in seclusion and sent Xiang Fuhai to replace him.

Of course, nominally Xiang Fuhai was in charge, but in reality, it was Xia Chuan who led the team. Saying that Xiang Fuhai was in charge was just to save face for that Prince Cai Qiu. After all, the lord hadn't shown up, and it would be too unreasonable if not a single Xianyang-level person went.

Unfortunately, they underestimated how much Cai Qiu, the heir apparent, valued his reputation. Despite Xia Chuan's thorough planning, Cai Shiqi still berated the Great Xia lord upon discovering his absence, even going so far as to call him a barbarian.

"A mere 53-man strength, if it weren't for Cai Qiu's reputation, hmph..."

A subject who has humiliated his master shall die. Lin Kai was also present at that exoneration ceremony. The Great Xia was so humiliated by a mere brat. If Xia Chuan hadn't intervened in time, he and Yuan Cheng and the others would have killed Cai Shiqi long ago.

In any case, after the exoneration ceremony, Cai Shiqi really explained Chen Yiqing's case clearly, and then took the opportunity to clear Cai Qiu's name.

Not only that, he also made a name for himself in the Nine Towns, and he confidently established a good impression of Caiqiu, saying that the Caiqiu vassal state would never act recklessly like Chencang, and would definitely bring permanent stability and peace to the Nine Towns in the future...

Whether it will be effective or not is another matter, but at the very least, most of the wariness and suspicion that the leaders of various towns originally had towards Caiqiu has been transferred to Chencang.

For the next few months, Cai Shiqi traveled throughout the northern regions, righting wrongs and doing good deeds, which really earned Cai Qiu a lot of goodwill. Given these circumstances, it's not surprising that the events at Chuishan could be linked to Cai Shiqi.

"It is now certain that Beishuo is backed by Chencang, while Wuchuan and Jinshan are backed by Caiqiu. These two sides are currently competing for control of Chuishan."

Chen Cang wanted Bei Shuo to annex Chui Shan; while Cai Qiu was trying his best to stop it.

Cai Shiqi himself is already stationed in Chuishan Town, but the mastermind behind Chen Cang hasn't shown up yet. It's already quite clear who's in the lead. This fool, does he really think he can intimidate Duan Hong with just fifty-odd Cold-Resistant level weapons?

Ying Yi was also aware of the situation in Chui Mountain and the information about Cai Shiqi. He naturally understood what Lin Kai was saying. When he thought of Cai Shiqi, he couldn't help but shake his head, a look of disbelief on his face.

According to his understanding, Cai Shiqi is currently stationed in Chuishan with more than 50 cold-resistant soldiers. Without the full support of Shangguan Yang and Qin Feng, what confidence does he have that he can intimidate Duan Hong and prevent him from siding with Beishuo?

Lin Kai smiled and shook his head, saying, "If there were no Chencang and only Caiqiu as a vassal state, then Cai Shiqi's intimidation would be effective. But with another vassal state involved, it would be difficult for it to be effective. You can tell from Duan Hong's proactive cooperation in the past few months, constantly letting people from Beishuo into the city, that he didn't take Cai Shiqi's threat seriously at all."

"In the end, strength is what matters. No matter how strong Cai Qiu is, he can't put out a fire from afar. Duan Hong is already loyal to Bei Shuo, and he also has Chen Cang backing him up. What use are his 50-odd Cold-resistant level troops? His so-called identity as the heir of Cai Qiu can at most save his life. He's far from being qualified to interfere in the affairs of the Nine Towns!"

Ying Yi shook his head. In terms of background, he was certainly not as good as Cai Shiqi, but when it came to the ability to judge things, he did not think he would lose to the other party.

After saying that, he seemed to remember something, looked up at Lin Kai, and asked in a low voice, "Sir, the infiltration of Caiqiu has always been personally handled by the Chief Inspector, right? With Lord Duan Hong actively cooperating, there should be more people from Beishuo in Chuishan Town than we are..."

"That's not necessarily true!"

Lin Kai suddenly interrupted Ying Yi, a smile appearing on his face.

The claim that people from Beishuo secretly entered the city refers to Cai Shiqi.

This prince from Caiqiu, although of high birth and strong ability, has no real foundation in the Nine Towns. With only the 50-odd Cold-resistant level soldiers he brought, the situation he can control is naturally extremely limited.

With Lord Duan Hong's cooperation, as long as Bei Shuo wasn't right under his nose, they could basically send as many people as they wanted into the town.

Unlike Cai Shiqi, the Great Xia's infiltration of Chuishan Town began two years ago after the Battle of Hongmen.

Therefore, although Cai Shiqi was in Chuishan Town, his understanding of Chuishan Town was not as extensive as that of the Great Xia.

"With the strong cooperation of Mu Longhe's former subordinates and the Mu clan, our infiltration of Chuishan over the past year and a half has been far deeper than you imagine. Otherwise, how would the Chief Clerk know so much about the situation..."

Lin Kai's eyes flickered slightly, and after a pause, he continued, "Beishuo is also afraid of arousing Cai Shiqi's vigilance, so they have been secretly sending people to Chuishan Town. Although the movements are small, they still can't hide them from us."

With Chencang's support, Yang Zun doesn't dare to openly annex Chuishan right now. His biggest concern shouldn't be Cai Shiqi, but rather us, or rather, the other seven towns!

Ying Yi frowned slightly upon hearing this, but after pondering for a moment, he quickly understood and nodded, saying, "Chen Cang can handle Cai Qiu's situation. Moreover, Yang Zun's annexation of Chui Shan did not actually rely on Chen Cang's power, so the accusation of colluding with external forces cannot be pinned on him."

But if he really dared to be the first to destroy a town, it would inevitably provoke a joint condemnation from the remaining seven towns. If his relationship with Chen Cang were amplified at that point, Bei Shuo would effectively cut itself off from the nine towns. Not to mention the five southern towns, even Jinshan and Wuchuan towns would likely have to be wary of him.

"Not bad!"

Lin Kai smiled upon hearing this and continued, "That's Yang Zun's biggest worry right now, but coincidentally, our Great Xia doesn't have that worry..."

Ying Yi suddenly realized something, his eyes lit up, and a big smile appeared on his face. He laughed loudly and said, "Haha, that's right! Our Great Xia doesn't need to destroy Chui Mountain at all."

"It's also because Duan Hong is too stupid. He was in such a hurry to merge with Bei Shuo that he couldn't see the situation at all. He only knew how to fear Da Xia and worry about the regional warlords. If it weren't for that, we really wouldn't have found such a good opportunity!"

Lin Kai's expression was strange. Thinking of Duan Hong's actions since the Battle of Hongmen two years ago, he shook his head repeatedly and couldn't help but wonder how Duan Hong had cultivated to the Manifest Yang level.

"Alright, that's all for now! I..."

Lin Kai was about to dismiss Ying Yi, but before he could finish speaking, he sensed something and abruptly turned to look outside the hall. Ying Yi, who was beside him, also noticed and quickly turned his head to look as well.

A white figure came into view. The two looked up and saw a delicate figure dressed in white palace attire and covered with a silk veil, slowly walking towards them from outside the palace gate.

The newcomer was veiled, and although Lin Kai and his companion couldn't see her face clearly, they immediately understood when they met her deep, serene, and majestic phoenix eyes, and noticed the exquisite palace dress she wore, which turned from white to red under the light.

"Lin Kai, the righteous envoy of Hongmen, pays his respects to Madam!"

"Ying Yi, the Right Commander of Hongmen, pays his respects to Madam!"

"No need for formalities, get up! I'm on my way to Chuishan Town and just happen to be passing through here. Xia Chuan said that you have a lot of intelligence about Chuishan, so I came here specifically to ask you. If there's anything you need me to know, you can tell me now, and I'll set off immediately."

When Lin Kai heard that Li Xuanling was speaking to him, he didn't answer immediately. Instead, he paused for a moment and couldn't help but ask, "Madam, please forgive me, but if I may ask, didn't the Minister of Works say that he was going to the town of Chuishan? Why did it turn out that you went instead?"

"He has gone into seclusion and will not be out for some time."

Upon hearing Li Xuanling's answer, Lin Kai and the other man froze for a moment, then reacted and their faces lit up with ecstatic joy.

Si Cheng has gone into seclusion and will not be able to come out for some time.

Both of them knew exactly what this meant!

(End of this chapter)