Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 477 The Rapidly Advancing Great Xia Dynasty: Military Expansion, Reforms, and a Series of Coincidences

Xia Hong's shock was not without reason.

After reaching the pinnacle of the Earth-Digging Realm's membrane, breaking through to the Cold-Resistant Level only requires stimulating the flesh beneath the membrane with the medicinal power of the Yang Yuan Pill. This breakthrough process is not without difficulty, but the difficulty is basically within the range that humans can bear. Moreover, the level of difficulty is directly related to the level of one's battle physique's aptitude.

In other words, the better the battle physique aptitude, the greater the pain endured, the more resources consumed, and the greater the difficulty of breakthrough; while the worse the battle physique aptitude, the opposite is true. Those who are the most ordinary cold-resistant level, who only have 1 mane strength after breakthrough, have almost no other difficulties except to endure the pain of flesh and blood reorganization.
However, a breakthrough at the Yang level is a completely different story.

First of all, the requirement of having the highest-grade battle physique alone directly eliminates more than 90% of those at the Cold Resistance level.

Secondly, even if you have the aptitude for a top-tier battle physique, your base strength cannot be too low. The worst-tier battle physique aptitude, according to normal calculations, would only have a base strength of 24 manes at the peak of the Cold Resistance period. If someone were foolish enough to try to temper their bones with only 24 manes of strength, based on Xia Hong's own experience of breaking through, the result would be certain death.
Then there's the supply of resources. Breaking through from the Earth-Digging Realm to the Cold-Resistant Level doesn't require any pills. But breaking through from Cold-Resistant to Manifesting Yang is different. Without specific pills, most people can't even figure out how to temper their bones.

Finally, there's the time cost!
Xia Hong remembered clearly that he officially went into seclusion in the third year of the Great Xia Dynasty, and in August of the fourth year of the Great Xia Dynasty, he raised his basic strength to 72, which meant breaking through to the peak of the Cold Resistance stage, before he officially began the bone tempering process.

He began his seclusion in August of the fourth year of the Great Xia Dynasty and remained in seclusion until September of the seventh year, a full four years, before finally breaking through to the Xianyang stage with his Burning Bone Battle Body and officially emerging from seclusion.

Of course, when he broke through back then, he had neither the Yang-Boosting Pill nor any experience from predecessors to follow. He had to figure everything out on his own. Furthermore, his Bone Burning technique surpassed the normal fourth-grade bone structure. Considering these special circumstances, the four-year breakthrough time could be shortened even further.

But it definitely won't shorten the time by much!

The problem is that even if the breakthrough time is shortened.

But where does the resource, namely the Yang-Boosting Pill, come from?
Xia Hong still remembers that he brought back a total of 16 Heavenly Yang Fruits from White Tiger Pool and Flood Dragon Nest. Cheng Feng refined 36 Yang-raising pills in the first batch. He gave 15 to Li Xuanling, 5 to Xia Chuan and 5 to Yuwen Tao, and gave the remaining 11 to Qiu Peng to keep in the supply department for future use.

With 19 people breaking through, let alone 11, even 36 would be impossible.

The Great Xia Dynasty must have undergone earth-shattering changes in the past three years!

While Xia Hong was shocked, this thought immediately popped into his mind, and in an instant, even his desire to go home became much more urgent.

He suppressed the shock in his heart and continued to ask, "19 people, besides you, who are the other 18?"

Jiang Xinfan had already noticed Xia Hong's confusion. After thinking for a moment upon hearing the question, he gave his answer:

"Two years ago, on the ninth day of the twelfth month of the tenth year of the Great Xia Dynasty, the two officials, the Si Cheng and Yuwen Si Zheng, were the first to break through; four months later, in the fourth month of the eleventh year of the Great Xia Dynasty, Yuan Si Zheng of Yuan City broke through; in June, Xu Ning, the deputy director of the jurisdiction, and Lu Yang, the garrison commander of Dongling, broke through..."

Xia Hong was not surprised by Xia Chuan and Yuwen Tao's breakthroughs; he had thought of it before coming to Caiqiu. As for Yuan Cheng, Xu Ning, and Lu Yang, it was probably thanks to the master's organs. The benefits these three received were probably not limited to breaking through to the Manifest Yang level. Thinking that the key to breaking through to the Tribulation Body Realm was the five internal organs, a slight smile appeared on Xia Hong's face.

That's already five, there are still 13 to go, and he continued listening to Jiang Xinfan continue.

"Originally, this should have been the end, because the Supply Department had used up all the Sheng Yang Pills in its inventory. But then the Madam took out 6 more, and the Director and Director Yuwen each took out 2. With these 10 Sheng Yang Pills, Director Qiu of the Supply Department, Yue Feng, the Guardian of Longshan, and Xiang Wentian, the Master of Wanbaolou, all broke through to the next level in September and October of last year..."

Qiu Peng, Yue Feng, and Xiang Wentian—three more!

Xia Hong had a vague impression of Xiang Wentian. He was Xiang Fuhai's most talented grandson. In the year Ba Shang was destroyed, he was crippled by Yang Fa, but later recovered with the help of the Sacred Vein Pill.

The position of Wanbaolou's owner was originally held concurrently by Qiu Peng, the head of the logistics department. It seems that the position has now been handed over to Xiang Wentian. Thinking of this, Xia Hong asked with great interest, "If Xiang Wentian has become the owner of Wanbaolou, then what about Xiang Fuhai?"

"The Director of the Prison Department!"

Upon hearing Jiang Xinfan's answer, Xia Hong's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately asked with a questioning expression, "Elder Li..."

"Lord Li Tiancheng, the former Director of the Prison Department, passed away on the eighth day of the fourth month last year. The Vice Director posthumously conferred upon him the title of Fourth-Class Viscount of Yuheng. His wife personally handled the funeral arrangements according to the Xia Dynasty rites. His title has been inherited by his grandson, Li Hu."

Li Tiancheng, as expected, did not survive.

Li Xuanling must be very sad to have lost her loved one!

Xia Hong sighed slightly. Li Tiancheng's death was only expected; he had a premonition about it before coming to Caiqiu.

Jiang Xinfan noticed the dejection on Xia Hong's face and sighed softly, "Speaking of which, Elder Li also suffered from his age. If he were even three or four years younger, as long as his qi and blood hadn't entered a period of decline, he would have had a chance to break through."

Later, I heard that Elder Li was selfless and impartial. Knowing he had no chance of breaking through, he didn't use any of the six Yang-Boosting Pills his wife gave him. He only revealed the truth on his deathbed. Everyone in Great Xia who knew about this was deeply moved, especially Lords Qiu Peng, Yue Feng, and Xiang Wentian, who personally carried Elder Li's coffin and buried him as dutiful sons. The grandeur of his funeral was unprecedented not only in Great Xia but also in the Nine Towns.

Li Tiancheng deserves this treatment!

Xia Hong nodded. From the destruction of Longshan to his death, Li Tiancheng only stayed in Daxia for a little over eight years, but he laid the foundation for almost all of Daxia's current judicial and criminal laws, including the last prison department to be established. His contribution to Daxia was definitely not small.

"After Xiang Wentian broke through, the Sheng Yang Pills of the Camp Supply Department were completely gone. Although Cheng Sizheng had 4 Tian Yang Fruits, he could not find the auxiliary materials for refining Sheng Yang Pills. In desperation, last November, the Madam, Si Cheng, and Yuwen Sizheng led all the Xian Yang level members of the camp deep into the interior of Mo Ao Mountain, firstly to find medicinal materials, and secondly to search for Tian Yang Fruits."

It must have been a blessing from heaven that Madam Sicheng and the others actually found two new Heavenly Yang Branches, obtaining a total of 14 Heavenly Yang Fruits. They also found the auxiliary materials. Cheng Sizheng refined 18 batches at once, obtaining a total of 54 Yang-Boosting Pills, which quickly replenished the inventory of the Supply Department.

The ten people who subsequently broke through were Luo Yuan, Lin Kai, Zhao Long, Liu Yuan, Hou Jing, Xiang Tianyang, Mu Qinghe, Mu Qingyu, Murong Ping, and Murong Yuan. The last one was my subordinate!

Xia Chuan, Yuwen Tao, Yuan Cheng, Xu Ning, Lu Yang, Qiu Peng, Yue Feng, Xiang Wentian, Luo Yuan, Lin Kai, Zhao Long, Liu Yuan, Hou Jing, Xiang Tianyang, Mu Qinghe, Mu Qingyu, Murong Ping, Murong Yuan, Jiang Xinfan.

Xia Hong had a general idea of ​​the 19 newly added individuals at the Xianyang level.

"So the key is still the Yang-Boosting Pill. Xuanling and Xia Chuan have given me such a wonderful surprise. This is great, so great..."

These are 19 newly achieved breakthroughs. Including Li Xuanling, Xiang Fuhai, Mu Longhe, and Murong Chui, plus himself as a lord, the Great Xia Dynasty currently has as many as 24 Xianyang-level cultivators.

Of course, it can't compare to the regional military governors, but within the entire territory of the Nine Garrisons, it is already overwhelmingly powerful. The other eight garrisons—no, now there should only be five left—even if all five garrisons are combined, they still can't compare to the Great Xia.

This means that, as long as there's no interference from regional warlords, the Great Xia could unify the entire southern foothills without even needing any special methods; these 24 Manifestation Yang level cultivators could easily accomplish it. More importantly, this is only at the Manifestation Yang level!
What about the cold-weather protection level?

Three years ago, before coming to Mo Aochuan, the maximum number of people in the Earth-Digging Realm of Great Xia had already reached 11, and a surge of Cold-Resistant level people was brewing. At that time, Xia Chuan predicted that it would happen in the next two years. Now, more than three years have passed, and the number of Cold-Resistant level people in Great Xia is now...

Xia Hong looked up at Jiang Xinfan and asked in a low voice, "Do you know how many Cold-Resistant level cultivators Great Xia has right now?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xinfan's face immediately showed difficulty. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "My lord, please forgive me. I am currently serving as the Deputy Director of the Military Department and I am not very familiar with the specific situation in Xia City. However, after breaking through to the Xianyang level at the beginning of the year, I stayed in Xia City for more than two months. Based on the situation in Xia City, I estimate that the total number of Great Xia's Yuhan level should be over 17!"

More than 17!
Xia Hong's expression suddenly changed. Of course, he would not compare this number with that of the regional military governors. He remembered very clearly that when he left Great Xia three years ago, the number was more than 17800. In just three years, it had increased tenfold!
But he soon figured out the reason.

That massive blowout was probably only one of the reasons.

The key is the integration of the three towns of Chuishan, Jiangxia, and Muyin. The cold-resistant level of these three towns, along with the large number of people at the limit of the Earth-digging realm below, must have added fuel to the fire of this surge, otherwise it wouldn't be as exaggerated as 10 times.

"You are the Deputy Director of the Ministry of War. What changes have occurred in the Ministry of War recently?"

Upon hearing Jiang Xinfan's position, Xia Hong didn't bother to inquire about any other changes and went straight to asking about the situation in the Ministry of War.

The surge in the number of soldiers in the Cold-Weather Guard category means that the manpower is becoming increasingly abundant. Yuwen Tao is not one to maintain the status quo, and the Ministry of War will certainly have more than just the appointment of Jiang Xinfan as Deputy Director; there must be other, even bigger changes.

As expected, Jiang Xinfan's subsequent answer confirmed his guess.

"Si Cheng and Yuwen Sizheng began working on expanding and reforming the army at the beginning of last year. Our department now only retains 30 unit designations, and has also added a Zhenyu Army. The 30 units that retain their designations are meant to be elite, leaning towards external warfare and the defense of Xia City. Sizheng initially designated them all as level nine legions, with a soldier limit of 2000. The legion level will be promoted based on battlefield performance and contributions. The soldier limit for level eight legions will be increased to 5000. The higher the level of the legion, the more soldiers it can recruit, and of course, the better the treatment will be..."

Legion Rank Promotion System!

As Jiang Xinfan recounted the story, those eight words popped into Xia Hong's mind, his eyes lit up instantly, and he couldn't help but show his admiration on his face.

He had already been thinking about expanding the legion. As the Great Xia Dynasty grew larger, it would inevitably face large-scale legion battles in the future. Naturally, it would be impossible to stick to the rule of a thousand men per army. However, he hadn't really come up with a good way to do it.

The system devised by Xia Chuan and Yuwen Tao not only perfectly solved the problem of the number of troops, but also took into account the treatment and support. This system can be continuously adjusted by the Great Xia according to the scale, and can even be used indefinitely. It's brilliant...

"Of the 30 legions under the Military Department, only the Yunjiao and Longwu Legions have been promoted to level eight, each with 5000 men. The remaining 28 legions each have only 2000 men. In addition, there is the Zhenyu Army, a newly established military force that is more focused on defending the territory. It still follows the previous system of 1,000 men per army, and is based on the needs of the outposts outside Xia City. Currently, it has a total of 70,000 men."

The 30 legions total 66000 men, and the garrison troops total 70000 men, for a total force of 136000 men, plus more than 30000 cold-weather-grade soldiers, which is more than enough to meet the daily needs of the eight departments.

As Xia Hong pondered this in his mind, Jiang Xinfan remembered something, patted his head and said with a smile, "By the way, when I set off in March, the Ministry of War added a new Imperial Guard. I heard it was a personal guard specially formed for the lord, with only 1000 slots. People in the army were fighting tooth and nail for it, and they even started a martial arts competition. It should be completed by now, just waiting for the lord to return and inspect it!"

Praetorian Guards!
After listening to Jiang Xinfan's entire account, including his mention of the completion of his Imperial Guard, Xia Hong's smile deepened. He was even eager to return to the Great Xia Dynasty to personally inspect the army's condition.

"Soon, by the end of the year at the latest, I'll be back..."

However, he suppressed his excitement first, paused after speaking, then turned his head to look at the inside of the valley and asked with a strange look in his eyes: "Ji Hong's public identity in Chencang is that young master of the Chen military advisor's mansion?"

Jiang Xinfan was taken aback at first, but after seeing Xia Hong's expression, he immediately understood and nodded.

As expected, a look of understanding appeared in Xia Hong's eyes.

There was a van inside the valley, with two women sitting inside. Xia Hong noticed it as soon as he landed.

The two women were none other than the Zhang sisters, Zhang Yuzhu and Zhang Yuhong.

Combining what he had learned from Zhang Qinggu, the words Zhang Yuchuan had spoken to Zhang Qinggu when he returned half a month ago, and his identity as a protector of the Frostfire Society, Xia Hong quickly guessed most of the truth.

Clearly, the young master of Chen Canjun’s mansion that Zhang Yuchuan mentioned is most likely Ji Hong himself. In other words, he was spotted by Ji Hong at Chen Canjun’s mansion by chance, and then Ji Hong secretly brought him into the Frost Ash Society. This led to Ji Hong’s secret return from the county city and his uprising with the Frost Ash Society.

Fate is indeed a strange thing. Two years ago when Xia Hong was in Caiqiu, he thought that when he got to Chencang, he would find Ji Hong and, if possible, help him take revenge and bring him back to Xiacheng, since he was a good prospect.

Who would have thought that before he even started looking, the two of them would connect in such a coincidental way.

"Speaking of this, it's quite interesting. I asked Ji Hong about it, and he said that three years ago, after Chen Yiqing brought him to Yanling County, he initially just put him in Chen's residence and tricked him into practicing diligently so that he could return to Jiuzhen to take revenge when he became stronger."

Ji Hong naturally dared not say anything and focused all his energy on cultivation. Unexpectedly, the master of the Chen family, Chen Yiqing's uncle and one of the three great military advisors of Yanling County, Chen Yuanhong, saw his talent in swordsmanship and was overjoyed, immediately taking him as his last disciple.

That's what talent is all about; they can rise to the top anywhere!
Xia Hong smiled and shook his head, saying, "Chen Yiqing's bad intentions have turned into good deeds. Ji Hong was able to arrive in Mo'aochuan before me and be taken in as a disciple by Chen Yuanhong. It's quite a stroke of luck."

If Chen Yiqing knew that the more than three hundred talented disciples of Chencang were all lured and killed by Ji Hong alone, he would probably regret it to the core.

"Greetings to the two Heavenly Kings!"

Suddenly, thirteen footsteps came from outside the valley, interrupting Xia Hong and Jiang Xinfan's conversation. The thirteen people quickly rushed into the valley. When they saw Xia Hong and Jiang Xinfan wearing masks, their eyes flashed slightly, and they immediately bowed down.

Upon hearing the voices of the thirteen people, Xia Hong's expression instantly froze.

According to what Jiang Xinfan had said in Hekou Village, of the 13 people who came this time, 8 were Da Xia's own people, and the remaining 5 were people that Ji Hong had recruited in Chencang.

Xia Hong turned his gaze to the last two people, and his expression suddenly became extremely strange.

Today's coincidences seem to extend beyond just Zhang Yuchuan's case!
(End of this chapter)