Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 475 Rescue, Reunion, The Whole Story, Turning the Tide, Frostfire Spreads

Chu Qingwu is dead!

Everyone looked up at the sky, causing the scene of the brutal battlefield below to freeze for a moment. Their expressions varied, but the shock and tremor in their pupils were almost identical.

The grandson of Chu Tianxu, the governor of Yanling County and a fourth-generation descendant of the Chu family, who was the commander of the Luhe Camp and the prefect of Yanling County, was killed just like that.
"The Yu Shan branch of the righteous army is on its way to reinforce Hekou!"

"The Aries branch of the rebel army is coming to our aid."

"The righteous army of the Shuhe branch has come to our aid..."

………………

Leaving aside the shock everyone was experiencing at that moment, as several loud shouts came from the south, the two sides, who had briefly paused their battle, had their attention drawn back to the battlefield, and their expressions changed instantly.

To the south, a massive force of over ten thousand men was charging toward them, including more than two thousand armored soldiers, all with their left arms bound in blue linen.

"The uprising in the eight villages on the south side has succeeded! It's reinforcements! Our reinforcements have arrived!"

"Hahahaha, brothers, Chu Qingwu is dead, reinforcements have arrived, we've won, we've won, kill!"

"Attack from both sides and annihilate the government troops in Chencang!"

………………

Chu Qingwu's death had already given the rebels below a shot in the arm. The timing of the arrival of the uprising reinforcements from the eight villages to the south was just right. The rebels, who had been reduced to only 20,000 men, were instantly energized, roaring wildly and their morale was boosted once again.

They roared furiously and charged recklessly towards the central army once again. To make matters worse, with more than 20,000 remnants of the army to the north and more than 10,000 reinforcements to the south, the Chencang army was caught in a pincer movement.

"What's the panic? A rabble like this, no matter how many come, it's useless. The rear guard, turn around and draw your bows to shoot down the rebels heading south. Zijian, lead the vanguard to continue annihilating the remaining troops!"

The Chencang government troops were divided into two groups. One group was the Luhe Grand Camp County Guard, which initially numbered about four thousand. After fighting for so long, their losses were negligible, and they still had more than three thousand three hundred men left. The other group was the people under the jurisdiction of Hekou Village and their loyal followers, who initially numbered more than three thousand. They suffered greater losses and now only had more than two thousand men left.

Regular troops, from combat strength and morale to battlefield proficiency, are clearly superior to ordinary people, as evidenced by their minimal losses.

At this moment, facing the situation of their commander being killed and their side being attacked from both the north and south, unlike the panicked and chaotic expressions of the more than two thousand people under the jurisdiction of Hekou Village, their panic lasted for less than ten breaths. After a middle-aged man shouted angrily in mid-air, they immediately recovered.

Immediately following the man's instructions, the more than 1,000 soldiers in the rear, armed with powerful bows, turned their arrows and began to fire arrows at the south side to suppress the enemy; while the more than 2,000 soldiers in the front charged even more fiercely than before, with their human-powered chariots charging into the rebel army almost recklessly.

In an instant, the army's killing efficiency was 20-30% higher than before Chu Qingwu died.

Slashing with knives, thrusting with swords, chopping with axes, stabbing with spears, striking with hammers, cutting with sickles, and even throwing weapons and kicking and punching. If hands and feet were broken, they would bite with their teeth. In short, both sides were trying every means to kill the enemy, and the battlefield instantly became extremely bloody and tragic.

The splattered blood, the ever-piling corpses, the brutal fighting and desperate struggle, and the agonizing screams that filled the entire area—all of these spoke volumes about one undeniably important fact:

Rebellion is not a game of drinking water or eating, nor is it child's play. There are reasons why the rule of the regional military governors could last for nearly three hundred years without collapsing.

For peasants to fight against a regular army is like throwing an egg against a rock—that's an understatement.

Therefore, Chu Qingwu's death and the arrival of more than 10,000 reinforcements did not reverse the situation on the battlefield. No matter how high the morale or how intense the emotions of the rebels were, they were still the ones being slaughtered.

However, at this moment, a small number of intelligent people in the arena, regardless of whether they were in a fighting state, all paid some attention to the air.

To be precise, the focus is on the three people in mid-air.

The first was the Blue-Faced Heavenly King of the Frost Ashes Society; the second was the mysterious man who killed Chu Qingwu, wearing a red mask, a blue linen robe, and holding a black staff; the third was the middle-aged man who appeared immediately after Chu Qingwu's death, angrily rallying the government troops, wearing a blue brocade robe and holding a long sword.

Clearly, the Luhe camp had more than just Chu Qingwu, a Xianyang-level expert, stationed there.

For some reason, Chu Qingwu fought with the Green-Faced Heavenly King of the Frost Ashes Society for a long time, but the middle-aged man in green robes never appeared.

If you look closely at the middle-aged man in blue, it's not hard to guess the reason.

The middle-aged man's blue brocade robe was torn in several places, his breathing was slightly rapid, and the long sword in his hand was stained with blood.

Clearly, he had just emerged from the battle.

Moreover, it seems the battle situation is no easier than this side.

"Two of the Twelve Heavenly Kings of Yanling Headquarters weren't enough; they even sent another expert. But why isn't this person wearing the Blue-Faced Demon Mask, and what about his strength...?"

Chen Yuanyan only glanced at the blue-faced Heavenly King before his gaze immediately shifted to the person in front. His expression turned extremely ugly. The reason was not that the other person's staff still had Chu Qingwu's corpse on it, but that he couldn't see through this person's strength.

The Luhe camp housed more than 5,000 troops. Each of the sixteen villages usually had a small team of 100 men stationed there, so the main camp usually only had about 4,000 soldiers.

The commander in charge of the defense of Luhe Valley was Chu Qingwu, and the deputy commander was Chu Qingkai. The army was naturally commanded by these two. Chen Yuanyan was the military commander of Luhe Valley. His main responsibilities were to be in charge of the military supplies of the main camp and to supervise the sixteen subordinate units within the entire Luhe Valley.

News of the mutiny in the grain-harvesting area of ​​Hekou Village had just reached the military camp. Chu Qingwu did not inform him immediately, but directly mustered his troops and set off. When he realized something was wrong in the main building and was about to leave, he was ambushed by a blue-faced king hiding in the camp and almost died.

If Chu Qingkai hadn't noticed in time and joined forces with him to force that person back, the final outcome would have been unimaginable.

“Even the commander has been killed. I am no match for this person. It was right to send Qingkai to seek reinforcements from the surrounding areas. Now we can only rely on the main army. The armies stationed in the surrounding areas will not be able to come over so quickly, but the commanders and experts at the Xianyang level can arrive in as little as fifteen minutes. Holding them off should not be a big problem!”

boom…………

As Chen Yuanyan's thoughts raced above the army, three or four hundred meters away in the air, Xia Hong drew his long staff, shoved Chu Qingwu's corpse aside, and then turned to look at the Blue-Faced Heavenly King behind him, his eyes full of scrutiny.

"Thank you..."

The blue-faced Heavenly King looked at him with gratitude in his eyes, but more so with surprise and doubt. He clasped his hands and was about to speak, but as soon as he uttered the words "thank you," Xia Hong in front of him suddenly underwent a subtle change. His pupils under his mask suddenly contracted, and his body trembled violently.

If someone were to remove the mask, they would see that beneath it, his face was filled with ecstatic joy and emotion. He immediately clasped his hands and bowed respectfully to Xia Hong, saying with immense excitement, "Greetings..., Your Excellency!"

"You've been sold out, do you even know that?"

The blue-faced man was taken aback upon hearing this, then glanced at Chen Yuanyan above the opposing army. He instantly understood, his eyes filled with anger, and he clenched his fists and bowed, saying:
"My lord, I am from the Hai (亥) branch. Deputy Commander Chu Qingkai is not in the camp. I made an agreement with the You (酉) branch Heavenly King. He will be responsible for assassinating Chen Yuanyan, while I will be responsible for assisting the righteous army in dealing with Chu Qingwu. That bastard must have seen that things were not going well and ran away first."

The Heavenly Kings are named after the characters "Hai" and "You," according to the twelve Earthly Branches. Therefore, there are a total of twelve Heavenly Kings in this Frost Ashes Society.

After quickly realizing what was happening, Xia Hong shook his head and said, "It must be a problem with your intelligence. There was not only Chen Yuanyan in the camp just now, but also another Xianyang-level expert with the strength of 9 Jun. He was only 9 Jun strong. After failing to assassinate Chen Yuanyan, he immediately ran away without even glancing at the battlefield."

Xia Hong had witnessed the entire situation in the military camp from the shadows. He arrived at the battlefield just as the assassination attempt failed and the man was preparing to flee.

He didn't immediately consider the true identity of the person in front of him. Instead, he went through the relationship between the Great Xia and the Frost Ashes Society in his mind before turning his head and asking in a deep voice, "Is your little dragon leader Ji Hong?"

Having operated in Chencang Yanling County for a long time, possessing considerable connections and understanding of the situation, and being able to secure assistance from the Xianyang level in Daxia, Ji Hong was the only person he could think of besides Ji Hong.

The blue-faced Heavenly King immediately nodded heavily. At this moment, the two of them were surrounded by dense bone energy, so they were not afraid of being overheard. After thinking for a moment, he took off his mask, revealing a slightly handsome middle-aged face. He bowed to Xia Hong and said, "Your subordinate Jiang Xinfan greets the Lord!"

Jiang Xinfan!
Xia Hong was stunned. It's no exaggeration to say that when he saw the other party use the Feather Light Sword Technique and felt the aura of the Great Xia Sacred Runes emanating from the other party, countless guesses instantly flooded his mind.

But among all these guesses, Jiang Xinfan was the only one not mentioned.

Jiangxia Town Chief, Jiangxin Fan!

No way, after being away for three years, I've received such a big surprise?
Realizing that Jiang Xinfan had just addressed him as "Lord," Xia Hong frowned slightly, then quickly recovered, his eyes filled with surprise and astonishment.

No, no, now is not the right time to get answers!
Xia Hong quickly cleared his mind of these thoughts and looked up to ask, "What is your purpose in cooperating with the Frostfire Society to instigate this uprising?"

When Jiang Xinfan heard Xia Hong's question, he was taken aback at first, but as someone who had served as the town's leader, he reacted very quickly and immediately understood why Xia Hong had asked the question. His face immediately showed respect.

"The lord has most likely just escaped from the Blood Mist Plains and probably stumbled upon this uprising by accident. Yet, he immediately saw through our ulterior motives. No wonder the Minister of Justice, the Chief Justice, and everyone in Great Xia remain so loyal after three years of silence. This is the lord..."

Although Jiang Xinfan was amazed, he also knew that the situation was critical. He quickly cupped his hands and explained to Xia Hong, "Lord, you have a keen eye. I admire you. This uprising was a task given to Ji Hong by the Frost Ashes Society headquarters. According to the headquarters, a small group of people in Chencang are interested in emulating the reforms in Weibo. They are trying their best to persuade Fang Bo to lower the requirements for citizenship and reduce the tax rate for slaves. Furthermore, they plan to gradually reduce the number of slave villages in Chencang by half."

The headquarters unanimously agreed that this was a drastic measure, and that if Chen Cang were to successfully push through the reforms, it would inevitably damage the foundation of the Frostfire Society. Therefore, they jointly assigned the task of this uprising to Little Dragon Leader…

People who have served as town leaders are different; they can explain the motives and purposes of this uprising in just a few words.

After listening, Xia Hong pondered for only a few breaths before instantly understanding, and his expression became incredibly interesting.

He didn't know what it meant to imitate the reform of Wei Bo, but he not only understood the reform measures Jiang Xinfan mentioned immediately, but also quickly realized that these measures would not only benefit the future development of Chencang, but would also greatly impact the survival space of Shuangjin Society.

It was indeed a brilliant move that cut off the enemy's supply lines and killed two birds with one stone!

However, such reforms will inevitably face enormous resistance.

It should be understood that the slave village is an asset of Chencang, and a valuable asset that can continuously create wealth. The higher-ups rely on them for support, and which of the four classes—the aristocracy, the nobility, the military, and the common people—doesn't enjoy the benefits brought by the slave village?

If taxes are reduced for so many slaves, who will bear the resulting tax deficit? If slave villages are truly reduced by half, firstly, the price of slaves will skyrocket, and many people may no longer be able to live the life they once enjoyed with entourages...

Historically, any reform or restructuring will inevitably infringe upon the interests of some people, and the resistance will be enormous, no matter where it is conducted.

The reason for Xia Hong's interesting expression at this moment is that he is now certain that Chen Cang's high-ranking officials are involved in this Frost Ash Society, and it is highly likely that it is another Fangbo lineage, the Chen family.

Otherwise, where would the intelligence come from? Jiang Xinfan made it very clear that only a small group of people were interested in reforming the system and were trying to persuade Fang Bo. It was obvious that this small group was the core of the core.

Even if the news wasn't leaked by this small group of people, it was at least leaked by someone very close to them.

"So the reason Shuangjin staged the Luhe Valley uprising was to show Chencang Fangbo and the other high-ranking officials that it would indirectly increase the resistance to the reform!"

The reform was originally the idea of ​​a small group of people, and it may not have been brought to the forefront yet, or it may have been brought to the forefront only initially, but it has been the subject of much debate.

At this critical juncture, the rebellion in Nuji Village has caused such a big incident. What kind of chain reaction will it trigger?
Just think about it: the conservatives will definitely make a big deal out of this, angrily denouncing these slaves as ungrateful wretches. They argue that reducing their taxes and loosening their bonds will not only be detrimental to the town's rule, but will also cause even bigger trouble once the slaves gain power.

So forget about restructuring!

Not only is reform impossible, but there is also a high probability that the exploitation and suppression of slave villages will be intensified. We must be vigilant to prevent such incidents from happening again.

"You guys are pretty bold, getting involved in something this big. What if Chen Cang finds out and traces it all back to the Great Xia?"

Xia Hong's tone was clearly not accusatory, but rather a normal inquiry, so Jiang Xinfan did not panic. He simply sneered, "Lord, you may not know this, but Chencang is no good either. Since the beginning of last year, they have been sending many Xianyang-level infiltrators into Beishuo. With their support, Yang Zun has disobeyed the alliance's orders and repeatedly clashed with our Great Xia. Now they are even instigating various towns to break away from the alliance. It is only polite to retaliate. They come to stir up trouble in the territory of the Nine Towns, so naturally we can come to stir up trouble here as well."

Not only has Jiangxia been incorporated into Great Xia, but the Nine Towns Alliance has also been formed!

Extracting another key element from Jiang Xinfan's words, Xia Hong became even more excited, but he still suppressed his many doubts and looked down at the battlefield below, saying, "Then this Frost Ash Society is really stingy. For such a big event as rebellion, they only sent one Xianyang-level expert, plus that group of protectors?"

In fact, there were two, but Xia Hong instinctively ruled out Jiang Xinfan.

Jiang Xinfan's expression suddenly turned strange. He didn't seem to hold much resentment towards the Xianyang-level person who betrayed him. After thinking for more than ten breaths, he said, "Lord, the Frost Ash Society never intended for this rebellion to succeed. Their goal is to make as much noise as possible so that the town, preferably Fang Bo, will notice."

"Isn't the commotion you've caused enough enough?"

"Indeed, it's not bad. There was a problem with the intelligence from headquarters. The original plan was for that 'You' character, the Blue-Faced Heavenly King, to assassinate Chen Yuanyan, and then join forces with me to deal with Chu Qingwu. As long as we could hold out until all the branch reinforcements arrived, no matter how powerful the thousands of troops in the Luhe camp were, they would be useless. But now..."

Jiang Xinfan looked at Chu Qingwu's corpse on the ground with a strange expression.

They certainly couldn't proceed according to the original plan, but they couldn't be considered to have failed. Chen Yuanyan didn't die; instead, it was Chu Qingwu, the strongest among them, who died.

Although that Green-Faced Heavenly King with the character "酉" has run away, Xia Hong is here!

With the lord's strength...

“Another Xianyang-level enemy has gone to request reinforcements. The rebels don’t have much time left. I estimate that more Xianyang-level enemies will arrive within a quarter of an hour. Since I’m here, I’ll lend you a hand. You want to make some noise, right?”

Xia Hong looked down at the one-sided battle below, took a deep breath, and gently shook the Panlong Staff in his hand. Then, as if remembering something, he turned to Jiang Xinfan and asked with a smile, "Do you have any extra masks on you?"

Jiang Xinfan immediately understood and took out a mask of a blue-faced, fanged demon from his pocket, exactly the same as the one he was wearing.

"The Frostfire Society treats us quite well. This kind of mask can even block the senses of a Transcending Body Realm cultivator. It must have cost a fortune to make. They gave me an extra one as a spare, and now I can finally use it..."

Although Xia Hong changed his mask very quickly, Jiang Xinfan still managed to catch a glimpse of his face in the gap, and her heart finally calmed down.

He confirmed Xia Hong's identity through the aura of the Holy Rune Ancestor that Xia Hong had just released. However, he had only been officially a member of the Great Xia for a short time and did not have a deep understanding of bloodlines. He was also worried that he might be mistaken.

"My lord, I will hold off Chen Yuanyan, the army..."

"Need not!"

Xia Hong didn't rush to act. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Among those Cold-Resistant level protectors wearing red masks, are there any of our own people?"

When Xia Hong spoke of his own people, he was naturally referring to the people of Great Xia. Jiang Xinfan knew this perfectly well and immediately cupped his hands in reply: "Yes, there are 53 Cold-resistant level protectors who participated in this uprising. Eight of them are our own people, five are people that Ji Hong recruited in Chencang, and the rest are all sent by the Frost Ash Society's Yanling headquarters."

"Go now and give orders to the sixteen branch leaders, telling them to disperse immediately. Those who are confident they won't be found by Yanling County should return to their previous villages, and those who aren't should flee for their lives; time is running out. Also, have those Cold-Resistant level protectors take their trusted confidants and disperse them around the eastern outskirts of Sutian. Make sure they are all ready..."

As Xia Hong recounted the story, Jiang Xinfan's expression was a mixture of shock and confusion. As soon as Xia Hong finished explaining, he couldn't help but ask, "Lord, with over three thousand county guards, plus two thousand officers from the subordinate units, and Chen Yuanyan's strength is not weak either, how can you possibly manage all this alone..."

"Alright, now hurry up and do as I say!"

Xia Hong didn't let him finish speaking before his body suddenly shot out, flying straight into the sky above the army.

Jiang Xinfan looked at Xia Hong standing in mid-air with a hesitant expression. Then, as if he had thought of something, he looked down and searched the rebel camp for a while. When he saw several guardians wearing red-faced, fanged demon masks, he immediately flew down.

Of the 51 Cold-Resistant Guardians and 16 Branch Masters, more than half were on the battlefield below. Xia Hong had asked him to notify these people, and naturally, he would notify those present first.

It's a good opportunity to keep an eye on the lord while we're notifying these people, so we can help him in time if anything unexpected happens.

"Madam sent me to Chencang in March. Cooperating with Ji Hong was a secondary task. The main task was to find the lord. Now that we have finally found him, we can't afford any more problems."

Jiang Xinfan quickly found the Cold-Resistant Guardians below and began to explain the orders Xia Hong had just given them. Of course, at the same time, he also kept an eye on Xia Hong's situation.

"If we had more troops, or if we had used some other means, I think it would have been difficult to influence the course of the battle, but with just over three thousand men..."

Xia Hong looked down at the army below, a hint of arrogance on his face. He knew perfectly well what Jiang Xinfan was worried about: he feared that he alone couldn't turn the tide of the battle. This would certainly not have been the case three years ago when he first arrived in Caiqiu.

But now...

Xia Hong lightly flicked his long staff, his body suddenly trembled, and a huge amount of energy within his bones poured out, instantly draining the air within a five-mile radius, causing the battlefield below to freeze briefly.

"Everyone raise your shields! Tanks, hold the line in the front!"

Chen Yuanyan, who was below, never took his eyes off Xia Hong and the other person. Although he couldn't hear what they were talking about, he stared intently at the whole process of Xia Hong taking the mask from the other person, flying over the army, and shaking his long staff to release the powerful bone energy.

"50, at least 50 jun or more, enough strength to sway the battle. How could the Frostfire Society possibly send such a powerful expert for a mere uprising in Luhe Valley? It's over, it's all over now!"

Chen Yuanyan only possessed 9 jun of strength, so it was impossible for him to discern Xia Hong's true strength. However, the immense bone energy he witnessed at that moment was enough for him to conclude that Xia Hong possessed a strength of over 50 jun.

He roared at his soldiers to raise their shields to defend themselves, but in reality, he was already heartbroken. Of course, a Xianyang-level soldier was not invincible in front of a large army, but that depended on the specific strength of the army.

The county guards are the lowest-ranking troops in Chencang, and there are only a little over three thousand of them here. Moreover, they have been fighting the rebels for almost an hour. Although they are not exhausted, they are not at their peak.

There are past cases in Mo'aochuan. The most ordinary cold-resistant troops, with a strength of over a thousand, can threaten a Xianyang-level enemy with a strength of around 10 jun. Three thousand can hold off a Xianyang-level enemy with a strength of around 20 jun. Only five thousand can possibly fight against a Xianyang-level enemy with a strength of around 30 jun.

With a force of 50 jun or more, no one less than ten thousand men can withstand it!

The threat here does not include killing. Without special means, it is impossible for anyone below the Xianyang level to kill someone at the Xianyang level.

The ability to fly is no joke.

As the commander of the Luhe Camp personally appointed by Chu Tianxu, Chen Yuanyan showed no sign of despair, even though he was in the deepest despair. He roared and ordered the army to prepare to resist, then rushed to the front, raised his long sword, and prepared to block Xia Hong's impending earth-shattering attack.

"ha…………"

Xia Hong made a move!

He didn't even make the first move. Instead, he waited until the army below had formed their battle formation before suddenly charging down to the front of the army. He dragged his long staff behind him and slashed down the moment he landed.

Waaah...

The airflow quietly gathered at the tip of the staff, and the fierce wind howled. The staff was moving too fast, causing the air from all directions to gather in an instant. The black dragon staff in his hand, which was only about ten feet long, actually brought out a black wind that was three or four hundred meters long, drawing a semicircle in the air from back to front, and then suddenly landed.

boom…………

The words "the sky is collapsing, the earth is splitting, the mountains are roaring, the sea is surging, the ground is shaking, and everything is utterly devastating" all become pale and powerless in the face of Xia Hong's blow.

What does a 300-meter-long gust of wind mean? It almost rolled from the front row all the way to the rear of the army. The moment the gust of wind landed, it blasted a huge trench several tens of meters deep and five or six meters wide into the ground.

boom…………

The ravine was just the beginning. A violent shockwave rippled out from the middle, spreading directly to both sides. Hundreds, no, hundreds, to be precise, four or five hundred soldiers along both sides of the line were instantly blasted away, flying hundreds of meters to either side, crashing to the ground, their fate unknown.

If the people on both sides of the line weren't quite convincing enough, the fact that even the soldiers on both sides, dozens of meters away from the ditch, were knocked back and fell to the ground by the shockwave, with their blood surging and blood seeping from their eyes, ears, noses, and mouth, was enough to show how terrifying this blow was.

As for the unfortunate soldiers who were standing right in the middle and hit by the blow, they had long since been driven into the ditch and merged with the soil.

In an instant, everyone experienced a brief ringing in their ears. The entire battlefield seemed to be completely silent, and everyone, whether they were government soldiers in Chencang or rebel troops, was stunned by the shock.

Xia Hong had already landed, so not everyone could see him. However, those at the forefront of the battle, as well as those in the crowd with stronger skills and better eyesight, were staring intently at Xia Hong, as if he were a god.

"What are you waiting for? The government troops are about to arrive. You only have ten minutes at most. Come with me and slaughter these government soldiers!"

Xia Hong turned his head to look behind him, wearing the mask of a blue-faced, fanged demon. After speaking sharply, he picked up a long staff and charged straight into the crowd of soldiers, beginning his overwhelming attack.

Bang...bang...bang...

Xia Hong gripped the coiled dragon staff, moving with impunity. Although the subsequent strikes were not as terrifying as the charged attack, the wind from the staff was still over a hundred meters long. A group of soldiers with strength between 6 and 10 were no different from ants under the force of the staff's wind.

Their prized thousand-forged armor was now like paper, not even having a chance to make actual contact with the Panlong Staff. The wind from the staff crushed them into dust.

"With the resilience of frost, we will burn the Chu frontier; we will resist the oppressive taxes and restore our food and clothing; we will smash the household registers, and no one will be superior or inferior..."

The Frost Ashes Society's slogan, if shouted out, might not have been so infectious, but combined with Xia Hong's heroic posture with his staff, it instantly invigorated the tens of thousands of rebels to the extreme.

"With the resilience of frost, we will burn the Chu frontier; we will resist the oppressive taxes and restore our food and clothing; we will smash the household registration system, so that no one is superior or inferior!"

"With the resilience of frost, we will burn the Chu frontier; we will resist the oppressive taxes and restore our food and clothing; we will smash the household registers, and no one will be superior or inferior..."

………………

With such a master leader, what do they have to fear?
The Frostfire Society members, including the rebels who had been coerced into joining, were instantly swept up in their emotions. They shouted slogans and raised their broadswords, quickly following behind Xia Hong, like sharp knives and blades, plunging straight into the Chencang army formation.

"It's gone, how can we fight now? How are we supposed to fight?"

"Where is Chen Dianjun? Where is Chen Dianjun?"

"He's dead. He's been dead for a long time. That blow just now killed him like the other soldiers."

"Without help, we've lost. Run!"

"We can't win, run! Run!"

………………

From the moment Xia Hong made his move, the fate of the more than 3,000 troops in the Luhe camp was sealed. Even the reinforcements they had hoped for, namely Chu Qingkai and his Xianyang-level helpers, were of no use.

Unless the prefect arrives in person, or a large number of reinforcements arrive.

Both of these are impossible at this moment.

The situation of the government troops in Chencang, who were rampaging throughout the entire operation, and the rebel army, who could only wait to be slaughtered, was completely reversed.

With Chu Qingwu and Chen Yuanyan dead, and Chu Qingkai, who went to seek reinforcements, failing to appear for a long time, the government troops were left leaderless. In addition, Xia Hong kept charging forward, and the more than 20,000 rebels kept shouting the slogans of the Frost Ash Society. They quickly began to fear and retreat until they began to scatter...

With morale shattered, no formation could be maintained, and the battle tactics taught in the past were completely lost. Everyone retreated in a panic, fearing they would be a step behind others, hoping only to escape alive.

If the three thousand county guards were in such a state, then the more than one thousand people in Hekou Village were even worse off; their rout had already begun long before the county guards.

The eastern perimeter of the grain-harvesting area in Hekou Village was in complete chaos, with the relentlessly pursuing rebel army on one side and the routed and fleeing government troops on the other.

"enough!"

With the government troops defeated, Xia Hong naturally wouldn't waste any more energy. He turned his head and found that Jiang Xinfan was nowhere to be found. He knew that Jiang Xinfan had gone north to inform the other villages' militia. His eyes flickered slightly.

Most of the rebels had gone completely mad, tearing apart any government soldiers they captured alive without giving them any chance of survival. Clearly, they had been exploited too badly before, and their hatred for the government troops had penetrated to the bone.

Xia Hong naturally wouldn't stop these people. He noticed that a few people in the rebel army were quietly retreating and slipping away, including those Cold-resistant level protectors wearing red demon masks. His mind stirred slightly.

Seeing the rebel soldiers driven to madness, Xia Hong pondered for a moment, then flew into the sky, quietly gathering some qi and blood in his throat, and said in a deep voice: "I, the Heavenly King, remind you that you only have six hundred breaths. After six hundred breaths, the government troops will arrive here."

Xia Hong didn't instruct the others on what to do; he said all he needed to say, and that reminder was already quite generous of him.

After leaving those words, he flew directly to the north.

………………

"What? The headquarters has sent a Heavenly King-level expert over here?"

"So fast!"

"Is it really done?"

About 15 kilometers north of the grain-harvesting area of ​​Hekou Village, the tens of thousands of rebel soldiers who were originally marching south suddenly stopped.

At the very front row, twenty-four guardians of the Cold Resistance level, wearing red-faced, fanged demon masks, looked up at the Heavenly King of the Hai character in mid-air. After hearing the news he spoke, their pupils dilated dramatically, and some even couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"Alright, enough talk. The Luhe camp has been breached. There's no need for you to go and provide support. Notify the eight branch leaders: those who are confident they won't be discovered by the county town should return to their villages; those who are worried about being discovered should flee first. You have all made great contributions to this uprising. The rewards from the headquarters will be distributed in a few days. No one will be shortchanged."

After Jiang Xinfan finished speaking, he continued, "You twenty-four people, immediately go to the millet harvesting areas of your respective villages and disrupt all the coal and rocks in the millet fields and ditches."

Upon hearing Jiang Xinfan's order, the pupils on the masks of the twenty-four Cold-Resistant Guardians suddenly narrowed, and they couldn't help but swallow.

The coal and rocks in the gullies of Sutian have been burning for a long time. Disrupting them all means setting the fields on fire.

"Your Majesty, may I ask, is this an order from the headquarters?"

“Burning millet fields has consequences that are far more serious than rebellion.”

"There are only three millet fields in the entire Chencang area..."

"Does my word no longer carry any weight?"

Jiang Xinfan looked at the few people in the crowd who raised questions, his voice suddenly became much lower, and after interrupting them, he continued to sneer: "In short, I, the Heavenly King, have already issued the order. Whether you do it or not is your business. When the headquarters comes down to blame you, just don't say that I didn't convey it."

"My subordinates will do it now!"

Four or five guardians had already stepped forward to respond. The crowd was clearly afraid of the main altar, and given Jiang Xinfan's identity as the Blue-Faced Heavenly King, they naturally wouldn't say anything more. One after another, everyone stepped forward to respond and then dispersed to carry out their duties.

…………

"The uprising has come to an end, this..."

Zhang Yuchuan, accompanied by Liu and Wang, two guardians at the Cold Resistance level, quickly found Hong Xicheng, the branch leader of Qingwu Village. After relaying the orders given by the Green-Faced Heavenly King, he ignored Hong Xicheng's astonishment and fear and turned to leave.

After taking a few steps, Zhang Yuchuan seemed to remember something. He turned back and approached Hong Xicheng, whispering with a smile, "Chief Hong, since you left people in the village and emptied the warehouse, you must have known this would be the outcome of the uprising. You're a smart man; you should know this even without me saying it. First, find a way to evade the city's investigation. Be careful in the future. With that large amount of wealth, you can live a good life. Don't worry, the headquarters will reward you handsomely. Of course, the premise is that you don't get caught by the city."

Upon hearing these words, Hong Xicheng's face turned pale and then red. He dared not say anything more and turned to the group of loyal followers behind him, saying, "Come back with me first, and bring everyone from the village with you. Don't leave anyone behind!"

After finishing his sentence, Zhang Yuchuan stopped arguing and, with his two protectors Liu and Wang, sped all the way to the millet harvesting area of ​​Qingwu Village.

The three of them worked for a while and quickly made more than a dozen bundles of straw, which they scattered throughout the millet field. Zhang Yuchuan also made three torches and gave one to each of Liu Wang's two protectors.

"This field of sorghum was cultivated by Chen Cang over decades with great effort. Is it really going to be burned down in a single fire?"

The protector surnamed Liu took the torch from Zhang Yuchuan, his voice filled with surprise and doubt, and hesitated to throw the torch into the pile of straw.

Sizzle sizzle...

Zhang Yuchuan didn't waste any more words. He directly lit the first pile with a torch, then quickly moved to another location and began setting fires everywhere.

Seeing how swiftly he moved, Liu and Wang exchanged a glance, gritted their teeth, and began setting fires all around the fields.

The fields are heated by coal for a long time, unlike the freezing cold outside. The temperature here is higher than that of a normal indoor living space. In addition, it is the end of the millet harvest season, and there is almost no water in the fields.

In such a dry environment, once a fire starts, the outcome is predictable.

boom…………

The fire suddenly rose up. There was no strong wind in Awata Ward, but the small wind currents actually fueled the fire, which was extremely terrifying.

As a result, the fire spread rapidly, and thick smoke billowed into the sky.

Even more deadly was that, just three or four minutes after the fire started in Qingwu Village, thick smoke quickly rose from the north and south as well.

"If the fires start in all sixteen villages at once, they'll spread out in just a few minutes. Those corrupt officials in Chencang are going to suffer a huge loss..."

There was no fear in Zhang Yuchuan's eyes, only excitement and relief.

"Sir, shouldn't we head back to the county seat?"

The two protectors, Liu and Wang, seemed somewhat uneasy at this moment. As the fire grew higher and higher, they even asked if it was time to return to the county town.

Zhang Yuchuan shook his head and said, "The Heavenly King instructed us to gather at Wufeng Valley first."

Liu and Wang were taken aback, but quickly realized that it wasn't everyone, but just the three of them who were gathering there, and they immediately understood.

"Could it be that the young dragon leader has some other instructions..."

Liu and Wang muttered to themselves, but still quickly followed behind Zhang Yuchuan, heading towards the direction of Wufeng Valley.

Unlike other Cold-Resistant Guardians, these two, including Zhang Yuchuan, are all Little Dragon Head's trusted confidants. Liu and Wang even know that the newly joined Heavenly King of the Hai character in the Yanling headquarters this year was also recruited by Little Dragon Head.

Therefore, after completing a mission, these people often gather privately together.

Sometimes it was on the orders of the little dragon head, and sometimes it was for other reasons.

Of course, there are also times when some extra benefits need to be distributed!
Thinking of this, their hearts instantly burned with passion.

For accomplishing such a significant feat, the young dragon leader should reward him with many fine things.

　235905, I didn't fulfill the flag I set for myself. I'll kowtow to everyone first. I'm really sorry, I made a mistake, please forgive me, feel free to criticize. I'm 2.4 short, I'll make it up next month!!!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)