Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 471 Opportunity for a Comeback and Cruel Oppression: The Frostfire Society Branch, the Beginning of the Uprising
Inside a side room of the Zhang family's courtyard.

Zhang Qinggu was sitting at a wooden table. On the table was a piece of rough paper covered with small writing. He wrote his signature, then carefully placed the paper into a yellow envelope. Finally, he wrote the last line on the envelope:

[Received by Zhang Yuchuan, servants' quarters, at the residence of Military Advisor Chen in Yanling County]

After writing the recipient's name, Zhang Qinggu breathed a sigh of relief. Recalling the whole process of answering Xia Hong's questions in the main house, a blush crept up his aged face again, and his pupils were filled with excitement.

He is 67 years old this year.

Based on the normal lifespan of a cold-weather-grade vehicle, it has about thirty years left to live.

But that was the normal situation. As a slave, he had lived in Qingwu Village since childhood, engaging in unlimited gathering, mining, hunting, and farming year after year without sufficient resources, and his body had long been overburdened.

He estimated that he would only have seven or eight years left to live.

"28 years ago, I risked my life to act as bait for the cold beasts in the jurisdiction. I only broke through the cold resistance level with the help of the reward. Not only did I successfully extend my life, but I also got rid of my lowly status and entered the slave status. Only then was I able to build a house in the village, get married and have two sons.
After decades of hard work, my eldest son Shanhong and youngest son Shanhe have grown up, married, and had children, giving my Zhang family one son and three grandchildren.
Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. Thirteen years ago, my two sons heard about my story and, in order to give their children and grandchildren a citizenship, risked their lives to work in the millet fields for the local government to harvest seeds. As a result, my wife and I, along with all four of us, perished, leaving only me and my three grandsons.

Now that my three grandchildren are all grown up, I never imagined that Heaven would be so kind as to give my Zhang family another chance to turn our lives around!

Suppressing his excitement, Zhang Qinggu whispered these words and then turned to look at the main house, continuing, "As long as you, sir, take a liking to Zhu'er and Hong'er and are willing to buy their slave status and keep them by your side, your two granddaughters' future will be secured."

Yu Chuan is more talented than them. Staying in the wealthy family in the county town as a servant might seem glamorous, but he's ultimately just an unclaimed slave with no future. It's better for him to come back and see this lord. If all three siblings are chosen, they won't have to waste their lives like the old man, stuck in this slave village with no hope of ever rising above their circumstances.

Zhang Qinggu was unwilling to live an ordinary life when he was young, otherwise he would not have risked his life to become bait for the cold beast. It can be said that he spent his whole life striving to turn his life around, for himself and for his family, and his two sons were also influenced by him.

Unfortunately, neither of his sons was as lucky as him, and both of them ended up dying tragically.

Even so, Zhang Qinggu never gave up the idea of ​​changing his fate. This can be seen from the fact that a year ago, he was willing to spend more than 5,000 taels of silver to bribe various officials and go to great lengths to send his eldest grandson to the military governor's office in the prefectural city as a servant.

The people of Nuji Village should not have private property, but firstly, there are always ways to circumvent policies, and secondly, the local authorities probably have some hope for the people of Nuji Village, so they usually turn a blind eye. Therefore, as long as most people are diligent and hardworking, they can still save some money.

However, the quantity can naturally not be too large.

Five thousand taels—that was almost all that Zhang Qinggu had saved up, bit by bit, through a lifetime of frugality.

It should be noted that he was at the late stage of the Cold Resistance Realm, with the strength of the Six-Bristle Realm, and the cost of removing him from slavery was only 3000 taels; his two granddaughters were only at the Earth-Digging Realm, so the cost of removing them from slavery was even lower, only 500 taels.

Logically, with this money, he could directly renounce his slave status. Moreover, since his strength was already above 5 manes, he met the standards for becoming a citizen. He only needed to pay a very small fee to get rid of his slave status and become a normal citizen of Chencang.

The problem is, he's already so old, what good would it do him to become a citizen?

A year ago, his three children and grandchildren all turned fifteen and lost their eligibility to be registered as citizens with their father and grandfather. In fact, even if they had the eligibility, he would not have chosen to do so.

Once registered as a citizen, everything that the slave village originally owned would be taken back by the local authorities, including this small courtyard that he had worked so hard to build for half his life. Moreover, he would no longer be able to live in the slave village and would have to find his own way out.

Where could a man in his sixties or seventies, nearing the end of his life, possibly find a way out with three children and grandchildren at the Earth Digging Realm?

Going to the county seat is one way out, but the mountains are high and the roads are long. It's hard to say whether they can even get there. People like them, grandfather and grandson, have neither connections nor strength. Even if they do get to the county seat, they won't be able to live a decent life.

The tax standard for registered commoners is 50 taels per month. If they fail to pay for three consecutive months, their registration certificate will be immediately revoked, and they will be reclassified as lowly, and then they can only engage in lowly occupations.

Zhang Qinggu saved up more than 5000 taels of silver his whole life. Paying 50 taels of silver in taxes every month was harder than climbing to heaven for him. With his three children and grandchildren, that would be 200 taels, which was even more impossible.

Now nearly seventy years old, he has naturally lost the ambition of his youth and no longer holds much hope for his future. But his three children and grandchildren are different. His eldest grandson, Yu Chuan, is only nineteen this year, and his two granddaughters are even younger. They are still young and have a bright future ahead of them.

Therefore, after much deliberation, Zhang Qinggu finally gave up on removing his family's registration and decided to use the more than five thousand taels of silver to find a good future for his eldest grandson.

In other words, he was sent to the military governor's office in the prefectural city to serve as a servant.

Although the servants were still slaves, their living conditions and future prospects were completely different from those of the people living in the slave village. Especially for servants in wealthy families, even the things that flowed from under the master's fingernails were enough to make them enjoy themselves endlessly. Sometimes, they could even rise to the top in one step with just a word from their master.

Zhang Yuchuan, the eldest grandson, is resolute, quick-witted, and resourceful. Most importantly, he is also quite talented. At the age of fifteen, he broke through the limit of the Earth-Digging Realm and began to use beast blood to reshape his skin membrane. Due to limited resource supply, when he was seventeen years old two years ago, his basic strength had reached more than 9 jin, but he had not yet broken through.

Zhang Qinggu knew then that the Zhang family had finally produced a genius.

Changsun's battle physique aptitude is conservatively estimated to be top-tier, or even possibly top-grade. Such amazing talent, coupled with his shrewd and calculating nature, is the core reason why he was willing to spend a huge sum of money to send him to a wealthy family in the county town to be a servant.

Over the past year, his eldest grandson has indeed not disappointed him.

He sends a letter back every three months. According to the latest letter, he has just broken through to the Cold Resistance level with the superior combat physique, and his strength is as high as 2.8. He is now a personal servant of a young master in the mansion. He is now a first-class servant and his monthly salary is as high as 30 taels.

Zhang Qinggu may not be very strong, but he has lived for many years and has a lot of experience. In his early years, he also dreamed of making a name for himself and went to Yanling County for a few years. So he knows very well that in a wealthy family like the Chen family, even servants are divided into seven classes. The first class are basically the personal servants of the noblemen in the family, which is equivalent to the master's confidant. In many people's eyes, this is no different from making a name for oneself.

Ever since the news of the eldest grandson becoming a first-class servant in the Chen family reached Qingwu Village, the people in charge of the village have become much more polite to him. Those filthy people who used to grope the two granddaughters have also given up their crooked thoughts.

“Yu Chuan can stay in the Chen residence; his future is not bad, but ultimately he still has to depend on his master’s mood. Let him ask for leave to come back and try his luck. Even if he fails, it doesn’t matter; he can just go back to the Chen residence. No matter how high the status of that noble young master in the Chen family is, he can never compare to this Lord Hong…”

Through the questioning in the main house, Zhang Qinggu learned that the person he had unexpectedly encountered was named Hong Yu.

The name was secondary; the key was that Zhang Qinggu remembered very clearly that when he was gathering in the snow forest last night, Hong Yu flew to him.

"Flying through the air is a great skill possessed only by experts at the Manifestation Yang level. The master of the Chen family, Military Advisor Chen, is only at the Manifestation Yang level. If we can get on the good side of this Lord Hong, the future of Yu Chuan, Zhu'er, and Hong'er will be limitless!"

Zhang Qinggu was deeply moved. Seeing that it was already dawn outside, he stuffed the envelope into his pocket and walked towards the village's administrative office.

Each prefecture in Chencang has its own messenger. The messengers will travel back and forth regularly according to the distance. All letters must be delivered through them. The fee is generally calculated according to the distance, with a minimum of 3 taels of silver. In special cases of urgent delivery, additional fees will be charged.

For several years, there hadn't been a single urgent letter in the entire Qingwu Village. Zhang Qinggu naturally didn't have the financial resources, so after the letter was sent, it could only be slowly delivered to the county town by waiting for the regular correspondence between messengers.

"Today is the eighth day of the eighth lunar month. Under normal circumstances, Yu Chuan should not receive the letter until mid-October. The servants have asked for leave, so it may not be so easy. Just wait patiently at home. That lord's injuries are very serious, and he should not leave for a while. I hope Yu Chuan can get there as soon as possible."

After delivering the letter, Zhang Qinggu returned to the courtyard full of hope. The main house had been given to that gentleman, who had already moved to the side hut with his two granddaughters.

His two granddaughters were only at the Earth-Digging Realm cultivation level and were sleeping during the day, so he didn't disturb them. As soon as it got dark, he immediately went to wake them up.

"Zhu'er, Hong'er, from now on, you will sleep for two hours during the day and wait in Lord Hong's room at night. No matter what he orders you, you must do it in full, understand?"

Zhang Yuzhu and Zhang Yuhong were not young, so how could they not understand the implication in their grandfather's words? They immediately blushed with embarrassment.

"grandfather……"

Seeing that his two granddaughters looked shy but showed no sign of resistance in their eyes, Zhang Qinggu was taken aback at first. Then, thinking of the adult's true face after washing away the bloodstains, he immediately realized what was going on.

But after realizing what he had said, he didn't smile. Instead, he sighed inwardly and continued, "Go on your way! Whether you can seize the opportunity is up to you."

Sensing the heaviness in their grandfather's voice, the two sisters nodded. Then, the older sister, Zhang Yuzhu, seemed to remember something and asked in a low voice, "Grandpa, we're preparing to harvest the millet. In five days, it'll be our turn to go to the millet fields to help others start fires and cook. As for the adults..."

"Don't worry, I just got back from the jurisdiction and I've already asked for leave for both of you. You don't need to go for the next two months."

Upon hearing that they didn't have to go to the sorghum field, both women's faces immediately lit up with joy.

“Your eldest brother has made a name for himself in the county town. The people in the jurisdiction don’t dare to offend me now. Asking for leave for you two is a piece of cake.”

Hearing their grandfather mention their eldest brother, the two girls' faces were filled with pride. The younger sister, Zhang Yuhong, asked with a longing look, "Grandpa, it's been almost two years since my eldest brother left home. Didn't you say last night that you were going to write him a letter and ask him to come back? When will he be able to come home to see us?"

Zhang Yuchuan was the only son of the eldest son Shan Hong, while Zhang Yuzhu and Zhang Yuhong were the two daughters left behind by the youngest son Shan He. Although the three siblings were cousins, they were all raised by their grandfather. The three grew up together and their relationship was even closer than that of biological siblings.

Zhang Qinggu knew that his granddaughter had always missed her brother, and she had always avoided answering the question in the past, but this time was different.

He smiled and said, "It should be soon. I've already sent the letter to the local authorities. If all goes well, he should be home in November."

The two girls were overjoyed to hear that their brother was coming back, and then, urged by Zhang Qinggu, they headed toward the main house.

………………

Just as Zhang Qinggu and his family of three were filled with hope.

In the main building of Qingwu Village, Zhang Long, the village chief and chief steward, sat in the main seat, looking at the crowd below with a troubled expression.

"This year, the harvest of millet in the Hezang Banner was poor, which led to a price increase of more than 30%. The county seat just issued a document to all localities, increasing this year's millet harvest quota by 20%. Last year, our entire Luhe Valley delivered a total of 260,000 jin of millet, so this year we must deliver at least 312,000 jin, which will be distributed among 16 villages, with each village having to deliver an average of 19,500 jin. This is the minimum guaranteed amount."

"19500 catties of sorghum? Are you kidding me? The harvest season is only 80 days long, and you can only go during the day. Our village currently has 198 slaves at the winter level. If that's divided among them, each person would have to harvest about 100 catties, which means each person would have to harvest at least 1.2 catties per day. Is that even possible?"

"There are only two hours during the day. Each sorghum plant can only produce a maximum of 0.2 jin. It means that you have to harvest six to seven plants in two hours to meet the target. Not to mention the hard work, most people can't withstand the poison of the green fire and the black fireflies. If we don't harvest enough sorghum and a lot of people die, it will be even more difficult next year."

"Absolutely impossible, it's simply impossible. Not just in Qingwu, but in the other fifteen villages, if anyone can do it, I'll sleep in a field of reeds for one night."

…………

Snapped!
"Alright, all of you shut up. I want to hear your suggestions, not tell me how difficult it is. Do you think I don't know how difficult it is? The county seat has already issued an official document to the Luhe Valley camp. If you have the guts, go to the county seat and shout it. What's the use of shouting here?"

Seeing that everyone's voices were getting louder and louder, all saying that it was impossible, Zhang Long slammed his hand on the table and angrily interrupted them.

Chencang's management of slave villages is not too strict. Usually, the village chief and the chief administrator are the same person. He is responsible for implementing the orders issued by the county government, and his main task is to hand over various materials to the county government.

The area where Qingwu Village is located is called Luhe Valley, which has 16 slave villages. In order to facilitate administration, Yanling County established a large camp here, stationing 5,000 county guards. At ordinary times, a small team of 100 men would be sent to each village, which was specifically commanded by the chief of the county administration.

The village chief is the most prestigious person in the village, and usually the strongest. In addition, he has the title of chief steward and controls a hundred-man county guard, so his deterrent power is considerable.

So when Zhang Long spoke angrily, everyone immediately shut their mouths.

Seeing that everyone was too intimidated to speak, and knowing that they couldn't offer any useful suggestions, Zhang Long calmed himself down and continued in a deep voice:
"Since the county has already given the order, we can only try to complete it. I just returned from the Luhe Valley camp, and the village chiefs have already come up with a solution."

This year's sorghum quota cannot be met using the normal harvesting methods of previous years; special measures are necessary during this special period!

Each village has decided that this year they will harvest not only during the day but also at night, specifically in the first two hours after dark.

For the next two months or so, all gathering and hunting activities in the village will cease. All those at the limit of the Digging Realm will be called in, and that should be enough manpower. Let those at the Cold Resistance Realm lead the teams and see how things go. If there is hope of completing the task, then there is no need to move more people. If it is still not enough, then call in those at the Digging Realm as well..."

As Zhang Long slowly revealed his solution, the expressions of everyone seated in the room instantly sombered.

The sorghum fields are no fun place; harvesting sorghum is an extremely dangerous task. In previous years, only those at the Cold Resistance level were allowed to go, and the mortality rate was over 20%. Sending those at the Earth Digging level is unprecedented.

Seeing the somber expressions on everyone's faces, Zhang Long's heart skipped a beat. But thinking that he might lose his job if he failed to complete the mission, he immediately hardened his heart and his expression became much more determined.

In an environment like the Ice Abyss, normal plants naturally cannot grow. Asparagus, a precious crop with a higher edible value than animal meat, has a complex process from its origin and growth patterns to its harvesting.

Poppy roots are fragile and susceptible to wind damage, so they must be planted in windless areas, or at least where the wind is very weak. Although individual plants are large, their yield is surprisingly low, so small-scale planting is useless. They must be planted on a large scale in open areas without strong winds. In the Ice Abyss, finding such a place is virtually impossible. Secondly, it needs sunlight but is also sensitive to cold. Therefore, it cannot be enclosed, and a network of ditches must be dug in the poppy fields to provide heating through long-term coal burning. This requires a large amount of coal, so the area around where it is planted must have a coal mine with enormous reserves.
Then, crops naturally need water to irrigate them. In an environment like the Ice Abyss, it is difficult to find fresh water, let alone safe fresh water.

Finally, in addition to these three factors, to ensure the growth and maturity of sorghum, it is essential to use fertilizer made from fermented animal bone meal as nutrients throughout the entire process.

These four requirements alone mean that areas suitable for growing sorghum are extremely limited.

Indeed, there are only three areas in the entire Chencang region where sorghum can be grown, and Luhe Valley is one of them, and also the smallest one.

The key is that not only are the growing conditions for sorghum demanding, but the harvesting process is also incredibly difficult.

Due to the long-term use of coal for heating, the roots and stems of the sorghum were continuously baked, causing them to emit a deadly high-temperature toxin. Because the toxin was bluish in color and looked like flames up close, Chen Cang named it "Blue Fire Toxin".

That Azure Fire Poison can only withstand the Cold Resistance level for a maximum of three hours, while the Earth Digging level has a limit of two hours. Once the time limit is exceeded, the internal organs will spontaneously combust, which is almost incurable and will inevitably lead to death.

However, through years of cultivation, Chen Cang has also gained experience. The Green Fire Poison is a high-temperature toxin, and the lower the temperature, the weaker the toxicity. The daytime temperature in the Ice Abyss is much lower than the nighttime temperature, so if the Cold Resistance level is selected to go in to harvest during the two hours of the daytime, they will basically not be affected by the toxin.

The problem is that, besides the Blue Fire Poison, there is another major challenge called the Black Firefly.

These black fireflies are tiny black insects, only the size of a thumb, with a pointed head and a thick tail. They are not considered cold-resistant beasts, but rather byproducts of millet. They usually hide randomly in mature millet stalks, and once disturbed, they shoot out like poisoned arrows with an impact force ranging from 2 to 8 arrows. Because of their small size and high speed, they can even penetrate a thousand-fold iron armor, making them impossible for ordinary cold-resistant armor to defend against. The mortality rate of 20% of the annual millet harvest is basically caused by these black fireflies.

With these two challenges, coupled with the low yield per plant of poppy, in previous years, the maximum yield for a single daytime harvest of the cold-resistant variety was only four to five plants, about one pound, in two hours, even with a mortality rate of 20%.

The harvest season for sorghum is generally only about 80 days. Taking last year as an example, there were a total of 210 slaves in Qingwu Village who were at the level of "Winter Protection". They handed over a total of more than 16300 catties of sorghum. If the average was divided, each person would have less than 1 catty per day. This was already considered to be working at the limit.

Someone just calculated that Qingwu Village now only has 198 slaves of the Cold-Resistant level. According to the target set by the jurisdiction this year, 19500 catties, if each person harvests 100 catties, each person can harvest at least 1.25 catties per day, which is more than six plants.

The key point is that this is still the minimum figure. The harvest season may be shortened, and the annual mortality rate remains unchanged at 20%. Once the number of people decreases, the remaining people will have to bear more of the burden.

Therefore, it is impossible to achieve this target by relying solely on cold-weather-grade slaves!
But Zhang Long also knew in his heart that the solution he had come up with with the chief administrators of the other fifteen villages was indeed a bit excessive.

In the first two hours after nightfall, although the temperature was relatively low, the Azure Fire Poison was still potent. No one knew how long the Earth-Digging Realm could withstand it.
There are also Black Fireflies, which can kill even those at the Cold Resistance level if they are not careful, let alone those at the Earth Digging Realm Limit. Once they encounter one, they will surely die.

To put it bluntly, their proposed method was to exchange the lives of slaves at the limit of the Digging Realm for Reed Millet.

The problem is, they can't think of any other solutions besides this one.

Since the prefectural government has issued the order, it must be obeyed no matter what, even if it costs us our lives, to complete this year's sorghum quota.

"You have your difficulties, and so do I, the steward. Since the orders from above have been issued, we must comply. I just returned from the sorghum fields. The sorghum is growing well this year, and we can start harvesting it the day after tomorrow. Make sure all the people in your eight districts are properly arranged. Not only those at the cold-weather level, but all the people at the extreme level of the digging realm in the village must be mobilized. As long as we can meet the targets, I promise I will not treat you eight unfairly..."

At this point, Zhang Long paused slightly.

Although Qingwu Village is a slave village, it has a total population of 80,000. The village is divided into eight districts, each with a population of about 10,000. The eight middle-aged men in front of them are the deputy managers in charge of the eight districts.

In Chencang, those who could serve as the chief steward of the slave village were basically mid- to low-ranking officers in the county or town guards. Some retired due to injury or old age, while others did not want to continue in the army and used connections and money to get the position.

Since they were all colleagues in the military, their relationship was actually quite good.

Zhang Long also knew that these people wouldn't do anything without a benefit, so if he wanted them to do something, he naturally had to prepare a reward for them.

So after a pause, he continued, "The county government said that as long as this year's target is met, there will be a reward of 30 taels of silver. If our village can meet the target, I, the chief steward, will not keep all 30 taels for myself. Each of you eight will receive 3 taels. In addition, if there are any other rewards, I will share them all with you. How about that?"

Upon hearing this, the eight people below immediately showed interest.

"Rest assured, Steward, I will make the necessary preparations."

"There are so many people in the village who are at the limit of digging, it's their turn to contribute. In the end, harvesting millet is also doing things for the warlords, something they would beg for."

"The slave village is the private property of the jurisdiction. They have to do whatever they are told to do, otherwise we're just wasting our time supporting them."

"Yes, yes, I will go back and start taking stock of the people in the area. I will make sure that by the day after tomorrow, all the people at the limit of the Earth Digging Realm will be brought out and taken to the fields to harvest millet."

"With so many people, how can we not meet the targets?"

………………

Qingwu Village has a total population of over 80,000, with about 4,000 at the Digging Realm Limit. During the day, these people are naturally still in their dreams, unaware that Zhang Long and the eight deputy stewards have quietly decided on their cruel fate for the next two months.

That's just how things are. A single document from the higher-ups can directly change the fate of countless families at the bottom. In the brutally hierarchical region of Mo'aochuan, this situation is obviously even more severe.

On the night of the ninth day of the eighth lunar month, Zhang Long, the village chief and chief steward of Qingwu Village, along with eight deputy chief stewards, directly halted all gathering and hunting activities. They then summoned all the household heads in the village to announce the new regulations for this year's millet harvest.

The announcement of the new regulations caused an uproar throughout the village.

Those more than four thousand at the limit of the Earth-Digging Realm were especially devastated, expressing their doubts and resistance, with some even objecting on the spot.

Unfortunately, all these doubts and objections were useless, especially after Zhang Long ordered his subordinates to brutally kill five people. All the discordant voices disappeared immediately.

On the tenth day of the eighth lunar month, the annual millet harvest officially began.

After that, almost every day, deafening cries could be heard from Qingwu Village. Chen Cang, like Cai Qiu, favored the color blue. Whenever there was an important event, he would hang a blue cloth strip at his door to show his solemnity. As a result, in less than two months, the doors of thousands of houses in the village were covered with blue cloth.

The regulations of the four vassal states of Mo'aochuan were the same: slaves could only be registered with silk. This scene of every household wearing blue silk naturally indicated that this year's grain harvest was an extremely tragic man-made disaster for the millions of slaves in the sixteen slave villages throughout the Luhe Valley, including Qingwu Village.

During this process, the situation in other villages is unclear. In Qingwu Village, almost every night from the first day, people voiced their resistance and opposition, but in the end, they were all suppressed by Zhang Long and his men. Some people were at their limit and did not want to go to the poplar fields to die. With the help of their families, they tried to escape, but no one succeeded. After being caught, they were not only executed on the spot, but their families were also held responsible and had to be punished.

Based on the principles of making use of waste and deterrence, Zhang Long devised a punishment measure: to go to the west side of the village to pick sorghum. The rule was that as long as five stalks were picked, the punishment would be over.

The problem is that all the villagers at the Cold Resistance level and the limit of the Digging Realm have gone, leaving mostly ordinary Digging Realm cultivators, or even Logging Realm cultivators. For these people to go to the Reed Fields is no different from sending themselves to their deaths.

Under Zhang Long's extremely brutal suppression, the voices of resistance in the village initially grew more and more intense, but by the end of October, these voices of resistance had all disappeared, contrary to the norm.

By early October, every night before departure, no one cried out or voiced any objection. Everyone seemed to have accepted their fate and obediently followed Zhang Long and Xia Si to Lusutian.

However, there was something more in the eyes of these people, something that was hard to explain.

Zhang Long and his eight deputy commanders, along with the subordinate officials and the hundred county guards, did not realize that their bloody suppression had finally worked, bringing these people to complete submission.

As they watched the sorghum piling up in the village's main warehouse grow ever larger and closer to this year's target, their smiles grew even wider, and they felt incredibly happy.

October 15th, 299th year of Caiqiu calendar, late at night

In the basement of a house north of Qingwu Village.

The dim firelight illuminated thirty-seven tired faces, six of which were aged, while the rest were mostly middle-aged.

Most of them looked disheveled, their eyes tired and their clothes covered in brown dust. But as they looked at the middle-aged man in the blue silk robe at the head of the group, a glimmer of light appeared in their pupils.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it has been thirty-five days since our last gathering. You all know why I have called you here again today, don't you?"

Upon hearing the words of the middle-aged man in the lead, the crowd below immediately began to speak up:

"Damn it, we're all doomed anyway, what are we waiting for!"

"My son can't hold on any longer. If he goes a few more times, he'll surely die. Leader, just give the order! Those bastards like Zhang Long don't treat us like human beings anymore!"

"How many people have they driven to their deaths? My elder brother and two nephews have all died in the poplar fields. I'm afraid I won't be alive for more than a few days."

"Master, our Second District has already developed more than two thousand members. Recently, people in their families have died in the fields, and many are asking when the uprising will begin!"

"As long as the leader gives the order, my 1,900 members in District 3 will respond immediately. Rather than die a slow death like this, we might as well rise up in rebellion. Even if the uprising fails, I will accept my fate!"

“Master Hong, in previous years the number of members was too small, so it was hard to say. Now, with the eight districts combined, the number of members has reached tens of thousands. As long as you give the order, followers will gather in droves and wipe out Zhang Long and his gang of scoundrels.”

"Zhang Long and the eight deputy commanders, plus more than ninety subordinates under their jurisdiction, and the hundred county guards, add up to only two hundred or so people. If you include their loyal followers in the village, there are only two or three thousand people in total. We have enough people, so what are we afraid of?"

………………

"Don't be impatient!"

Seeing the crowd's excited state, Hong Xicheng's eyes flashed with a hint of excitement, but he quickly raised his hand to signal them to calm down. Once everyone quieted down, he spoke in a deep voice: "I know you're all holding your breath and wish you could start an uprising right now, but there's absolutely no chance of success if we start now. You should all understand that..."

He paused for a moment, looked around at everyone, and continued, "Including me, there are only thirty-seven members at the Cold Resistance level in the branch. They say there are tens of thousands of members, but only a little over 1,500 of them are at the Earth Digging Realm limit."
On Zhang Long's side, with his subordinates plus a hundred county guards, and their henchmen, there are at least 300 people at the Cold-Weather level. Most importantly, there's that small squad of county guards; although they only number 100, they are all fully equipped with heavily forged weapons and armor, and their combat skills are at least equivalent to several thousand men. Even with tens of thousands of followers plus our small force, if a real fight breaks out, we still have no chance of winning.”

Upon hearing Hong Xicheng's words, the thirty-six people present immediately looked dejected.

They were well aware of what Hong Xicheng was saying.

The problem is, if this continues, they will have no way to survive.

"Master, even if there's no chance of winning, we must give it a try!"

"That's right, we're going to die anyway, so we might as well take a gamble!"

…………

"Master, when you brought us into the Frostfire Society, you clearly stated the three principles of the society, which I still remember to this day: First, overthrow the tyranny of the Chu family and restore peace and order to our people; second, reject all exorbitant taxes and levies and protect the foundation of our survival; third, abolish the six-class system of social status and establish an oath of equality for all beings."

Each of these three principles is a matter of life and death. Since we agreed to join the Frostfire Society, we've already risked our lives. I'm not afraid of death anymore. I'm just a worthless life; I'd rather die in the millet fields than fight Zhang Long and his men!

The crowd below remained excited, but when the last person mentioned the three tenets of the Frostfire Society, everyone's expressions instantly became solemn.

Of course, this also includes Hong Xicheng.

He suddenly looked up, the faint light reflecting on his pupils as if his eyes were emitting fire. He faced the crowd and said in a deep voice, "The three principles of this organization are not only remembered by you all, but also by this leader!"

He spoke with an extremely solemn expression, then a hint of excitement appeared on his face. He changed the subject and continued, "Rest assured, everyone, the day of rebellion is not far off. I have summoned you here today to tell you some good news..."

Hong Xicheng paused for a moment, then continued, "The Little Dragon Leader has sent word to the Yanling headquarters. He will send people to assist our uprising by the end of this month at the latest. As soon as the Little Dragon Leader's men arrive, we will immediately rise up in rebellion!"

Little Dragon Head?
Upon hearing this, the expressions of all thirty-six people present were suddenly shocked.

(End of this chapter)