Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 451 The Mountain Rift
May 15th, 134th year of the Moo calendar
Chuishan Town, during the day

In the southern foothills of Mo'ao, there aren't many people with the cold-resistant level, and very few people can brave the cold to go out. So even in the most densely populated town, there are hardly any people on the streets during the day, making it unusually quiet.

If the city is like this, then the area around the city gates is even worse.

At the south gate of Chuishan, apart from a hundred or so soldiers in full armor standing dutifully on the outside of the half-open gate, there was not a single other person to be seen.

No wonder, the busiest time at the city gates is usually at night, and during the day, except for special circumstances, no one enters or leaves the city.

That being said, precisely because of this, all towns usually only send out a small number of Cold-resistant level guards to watch over the city gates during the day. The situation at the South Gate at this moment is clearly a bit abnormal.

Soon, a middle-aged man in silver armor, dressed as a general and wearing two swords at his waist, slowly walked down from the city gate tower.

Seeing the soldiers standing firmly on both sides of the city gate, the middle-aged man's face first showed a hint of approval. Then, he quickly lit a bonfire in a corner of the city gate and shouted to the soldiers, "Brothers, you've all worked hard. There's not much around right now, so come and warm yourself by the fire!"

Upon hearing the middle-aged man's order, the soldiers in yellow armor immediately relaxed. They hurriedly gathered around the campfire, first shaking off the snowflakes from their bodies, and then extending their hands to warm themselves by the fire.

The cold-resistant level only protects against the severe cold, but it doesn't mean you can't feel the cold. You can warm yourself by a fire, which is certainly more comfortable than standing on either side of the city gate as a stake.

However, not long after, one of the soldiers couldn't help but speak up.

"Captain, please forgive my bluntness, but Deputy Commander Duan has gone too far. It's not our Yellow Armor Army's job to guard the city gates!"

These words seemed to ignite the long-suppressed anger in everyone's hearts, and many people chimed in.

"Back when the first lord and the army first established the army, they made it very clear that our Yellow Armor Army was a crucial weapon for protecting the city, the core foundation and the greatest reliance for Chuishan to stand on the southern slope of Mo'ao. It would never be deployed unless necessary. But now, we are even made to guard the city gates. What are the 15,000 garrison troops doing?"

"Times have changed! Ha... Back when the army was first established, the first leader said that only he and the army commander had the authority to mobilize the Yellow Armor Army in the entire Chui Mountain region. But now? We're treated like prostitutes. Duan Mian, Duan Sheng, Duan Yang, and Duan Chen, the four deputy army commanders, can be used however they want!"

"It's just our three armed forces! Isn't the First Army pretty comfortable?"

"Nonsense, that's the lord... Duan's direct line, who would dare to give orders recklessly? The Second Army started restructuring last year, and more than half of them were removed due to age restrictions. I heard that the replacements are almost done, and it's estimated that it will be our Third Army's turn soon."

"What bullshit age limit? Isn't it just because the military commander is crippled, they want to eliminate the Mu family's influence in the military? The Second Army hasn't even started its reorganization yet, and Deputy Commander Mu Ziheng has already been dismissed. I've asked around about the remaining dismissed soldiers, and they were basically all close to the Mu family."

“I’ve also inquired, and it’s true! Lord Qinghe’s position as deputy commander was abolished last year, and he only retained the position of commander of our three armies. I heard that his position as commander is also about to be lost.”

"Our Third Army is the commander's elite force. How else can the lord change things? Can he just carry out a complete overhaul and replace all of us?"

"That's most likely the case."

"Those Duan family members are simply outrageous. The military commander was only captured by the Great Xia, not killed. The Great Xia lord has publicly stated that he will be sent back after ten years. Why are they already instigating the lord to suppress the Mu family? What will happen when the military commander returns?"

"It's no use even if the military commander comes back; he's already crippled!"

"this…………"

As everyone was discussing the matter with righteous indignation, the middle-aged general in silver armor suddenly spoke up and reminded them of something.

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions froze slightly, then they turned to look at the middle-aged man, their faces filled with deep indignation.

Like the other towns, Chuishan also has two military branches: the regular town defense army and the elite Yellow Armor Army.

The Yellow Armor Army consists of three branches. The first branch can be considered the direct line of the Duan family; the third branch is the direct line of the Mu family; only the second branch is alternately commanded by the Duan and Mu families. However, in terms of actual influence, the Mu family is actually more powerful.

Those guarding the city gate at this moment were all soldiers of the Third Army.

Ever since the Battle of Hongmen two years ago, when the army leader Mu Longhe had his arms cut off by Xia Hong, the lord of Daxia, and was captured and sent to Daxia to serve, their situation in Zhencheng, as Mu's direct troops, began to decline.

Taking the three northern towns as an example, the internal high-level situation of the nine towns on the southern slope of Mo'ao can be roughly divided into two types. One type is like Beishuo and Jinshan, where one family has the final say, namely the Yang family of Beishuo and the Shangguan family of Jinshan. The other type is like the two clans in Wuchuan, where the Qin family and the Ye family have the final say together.

Chuishan belongs to the latter category, with the Duan and Mu families coexisting there.

Strictly speaking, Duan Hong was actually a descendant of Mu Longhe. The foundation of Chuishan was originally built by Mu Longhe and Duan Hong's father, Duan Zhao.

During the year or so that Mu Longhe was away, Lord Duan Hong, at the instigation of his clan members, continued to suppress the Mu family. First, he had Duan Xing remove Mu Qingyu from his position as head of the Censorate; then he dismissed Zhu Ziying, Helian Shan, Qiu Sanming, and many of Mu Longhe's former military subordinates.

The most egregious act was removing Mu Qinghe from his position as deputy commander. Fortunately, the Third Army of the Yellow Armor Army was Mu's direct subordinate force, and Duan Hong probably kept Mu Qinghe's position as commander of the Third Army out of fear of causing a large-scale rebellion among the soldiers.

The Mu family members and Mu Longhe's former subordinates were subjected to such blatant suppression and targeting, and their side was constantly being marginalized in the town. How could they not have any complaints?
Duan's behavior is not difficult to understand.

Mu Longhe was one of only two Xianyang-level experts in the entire Chuishan region, and in terms of seniority, even Lord Duan Hong could not compare. Such a person had a strong influence in the army and in various parts of the town. Now that something had happened to him, the Duan family would naturally take the opportunity to eliminate his influence and completely control Chuishan.

The problem is that they were too impatient and their behavior was rather unseemly.

Although Mu Longhe was crippled, he was not dead, and Xia Hong publicly promised to send him back after ten years. From the Battle of Hongmen to now, less than two years have passed, and there is no longer a single member of the Mu clan in the core leadership of the town.

Even among Mu Longhe's former subordinates, apart from a few who took the initiative to pledge their loyalty to the Duan family and were able to retain their original positions, the vast majority of them were basically dismissed from their posts, either staying at home in idleness or becoming ordinary hunters with no authority whatsoever.

It could be said that, currently, the Mu family only had the Third Army of the Yellow Armor Army left in the entire Chuishan region. According to the first soldier to speak, Lord Duan Hong was about to take action against the Third Army, and Mu Qinghe's position as commander would soon be revoked. At that time, these soldiers of the Third Army would most likely be purged from the army and replaced by others. The first soldier looked up and met the gaze of the middle-aged silver-armored general, a glint of malice flashing in his eyes, before tentatively speaking slowly, "The lord is too… muddleheaded!"

Hearing that he had directly targeted Lord Duan Hong, the soldiers were all shocked, but they did not interrupt him, they just looked up at him.

"Why are you so eager to purge the old guard and the Mu clan so that you can lead us to surrender to the Northern Shuo? My Chuishan Town still has 15,000 garrison troops, plus our 3,000 Yellow Armor Army. We can still stand firm in the nine towns and preserve the fate of Chuishan Town. Why should we wag our tails and beg for mercy from others?"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers' expressions immediately darkened.

The relationship between the Duan and Yang families was no secret in Chuishan. In the past year or two, Lord Duan Hong's intention to defect to Beishuo was known to everyone in Zhencheng, and at least to the soldiers of the Yellow Armor Army.

Putting aside the thoughts of others, as the backbone of Chuishan Town, these people, whether from their inner feelings or from the perspective of practical interests, absolutely do not want to be merged into Beishuo.

Even if we take a step back and assume that Lord Duan Hong's view of these former Mu Longhe subordinates is similar to that of the Mu clan, even if he were to bring Chuishan into Beishuo, he would only seek the greatest benefit for his own elite Huangjia Army and the Duan clan.

And these people, along with the Mu clan and the millions of people in the town, will ultimately become bargaining chips for Duan Hong to defect to Beishuo, and sacrifices for the destruction of Chuishan Town.

"It's a pity the commander is not here. If he were here, how could he have allowed the lord to act so recklessly? The former lord, Duan Zhao, left a will before he passed away, saying that the Northern Shuo were wolves with ambitions. I think the lord has long forgotten those words."

"I've disliked the people of Beishuo for years, especially those Yang family members. Every time they come to Chuishan, they act like they're the masters, completely disregarding the people of Chuishan. The Duan family and their ilk are spineless cowards, treating us like their own fathers. Humph..."

"If you really want to find a powerful backer, Jinshan or Wuchuan, aren't they better than Beishuo?"

"And then there's Great Xia. Although the Great Xia lord cut off the chieftain's arms, he didn't kill him. In front of so many people, he not only praised the chieftain's family's reputation but also promised to imprison him for only ten years. Considering the situation of the Six Garrisons' joint coercion during the Battle of Hongmen two years ago, it's truly remarkable that the Xia Hong lord could do this. In my opinion, he certainly lives up to his reputation for benevolence."

“That’s right. Great Xia is now at its zenith and is already the number one town in Mo'ao. If we really want to seek refuge with the three northern towns, we might as well go to them.”

“I’ve been to Hongmen. To be honest, the situation there is far superior to that of the other eight major towns, let alone Xia City.”

"As soon as the martial arts finals were over last year, a lot of news started circulating in Xia City. They used a contribution value system, and I heard that the Dragon Carp Pill only cost less than 4000 taels of silver. There were also precious pills like the Green Cod Pill, Black Fiend Pill, and Yang Yuan Pill. The price they bought for their own people was more than twenty times higher than the price for outsiders!"

"I've heard about it too. No wonder the young people of Great Xia are so strong. In last year's martial arts competition rankings, the top 100 in both groups had only a little over 10% of the students from outside the town."

………………

The initial indignant discussion about their own town's situation gradually shifted to a longing for the Great Xia Dynasty, and before anyone knew it, the topic had been steered astray.

The soldier who was clearly leading the conversation, seeing that the time was right, suddenly turned to look at the middle-aged general in silver armor in front of him, cupped his hands and said, "Colonel Helian, you are the son of Commander Helian and can be considered a former subordinate of the military leader. Are you willing to just be a supporting character to the Duan family and be incorporated into Beishuo?"

The middle-aged man being questioned was startled by the voice, then looked up and found that all the soldiers were looking at him. He immediately lowered his head and fell into thought.

Seeing his reaction, the soldiers didn't disturb him, but waited quietly. Although they didn't speak, their eyes clearly showed some anticipation.

Each unit of the Yellow Armor Army has one thousand men, divided into three battalions. The most elite battalion is the scout battalion, with two hundred men; then there are the first and second battalions, each with four hundred men.

All of them, more than one hundred people, were from the scout battalion.

The middle-aged silver-armored general before them was Helian Ba, a captain in the scout battalion.

Helian Ba's father, Helian Shan, was one of Mu Longhe's three disciples, and also one of the commanders of the Zhenyu Army who was dismissed by Lord Duan Hong last year.

This can be considered a direct lineage. Helian Shan was Mu Longhe's apprentice, and Helian Ba, his grand-apprentice, had also joined the Third Army of the Yellow Armor Army at a young age. In terms of bloodline, he was definitely a former subordinate of Mu Longhe.

Therefore, when it comes to the pent-up frustration in their hearts, none of the soldiers present could compare to Helian Ba, after all, Helian Ba's father had already been dismissed from the town's high-ranking positions and relegated to a marginal position.

With the military reorganization imminent, even Commander-in-Chief Mu Qinghe will be dismissed, so Helian Ba's position as a colonel is naturally not going to be retained either.

Helian Ba ​​looked up at the crowd, his face filled with anger, and said, "Of course I don't want to! My father, Helian Shan, followed our master and fought countless battles, big and small, to ensure that Chuishan could establish itself in the Nine Towns. It's no exaggeration to say that half of Chuishan was conquered by our master and my father and their men. Now, we've become bargaining chips for the Duan family to use to surrender to Beishuo. Those damned Duan family, if they really dare to do this, I'll rebel!"

It's completely the opposite!
As soon as Helian Ba ​​finished speaking, the soldiers gathered around the campfire fell into a deathly silence.

A hint of fear flashed across their faces first, then they lowered their heads and fell into deep thought, their eyes filled with struggle and hesitation.

"That's right! Damn it, the Duan family's behavior is too disgusting. The Mu family has made so many contributions to our Chui Mountain, and they are so quick to discard us after they have served their purpose. Who can guarantee that we will not suffer the same fate as the Mu family in the future?"

Finally, someone spoke up!

With the first, there is the second.

"Inverted!"

"That's right, it's the opposite!"

…………

(End of this chapter)