Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 478 Reunion and Regret, Gathering at the Shogunate and Accusations
"Take off your masks!"

Jiang Xinfan turned to look at the thirteen people who had just arrived, and took off his mask first. Then he gestured for everyone else to take off their masks as well.

The crowd below was taken aback when they heard this, but soon, as Xia Hong, who was next to Jiang Xinfan, removed the mask from his face, most of them became excited.

"Lord!"

"As expected of a lord. I sensed it in River Mouth Village. Only a lord could have such a strong sense of holy rune bloodline."

"It's the lord, we've found the lord."

…………

Upon seeing Xia Hong's true face, the thirteen people below were so excited that they gasped repeatedly. They then simultaneously removed their masks and bowed respectfully to Xia Hong.
"Greetings, Lord."

"Meet the Master!"

"Greetings, my lord."

The thirteen people called out three different names, and everyone was stunned.

"Hahaha……"

Xia Hong smiled, first turning his gaze to the eight people in front of him, and said, "Chen Hua, Kong Xiu, Luo Ming, Hong Yu, Meng Ao, Zhu Kang, Chen Yingba, Wu Ningyuan, am I not mistaken?"

Xia Hong not only remembered all eight of the Great Xia's spies in Chencang, but he also called out each of their names with remarkable accuracy.

It's not his fault, mainly because he was familiar with all eight of them.

Chen Hua and Kong Xiu are considered veteran spies of the Great Xia Dynasty. A few years ago, they infiltrated Muyin Town and made great contributions to relieving the predicament of Muyin for the Great Xia Dynasty. If Xia Hong remembers correctly, these two have become the chief officials of the Eight Offices of Hongmen. They are still willing to come to Chencang to infiltrate. Now, both of them have a strength of 42.
Luo Ming goes without saying; he was the old leader Rogge who ceded Shuanglong Valley back then, and now he has a strength of 49 manes. Chen Yingba is the younger brother of Chen Yingyuan, the original leader of the Hive. He was personally taught a lesson by Xia Hong back then, and now he has a strength of 52 manes. Wu Ningyuan was the third leader of the original Longyou Baiyuan Camp. He surrendered to Daxia during the Longyou War, and now he has a strength of 51 manes.

These five people are all over 40 years old and in their prime. In terms of both age and strength, they should be considered the backbone of the Great Xia Dynasty.

The remaining three, Hong Yu, Meng Ao, and Zhu Kang, looked much younger, probably no more than 30 years old. Xia Hong remembered very clearly that their fathers were Hong Guang, Meng Yi, and Zhu Ling, who died in the Battle of the Hive.

According to seniority, these three are naturally second-generation descendants, but they are too old. There is a consensus within the Great Xia that only children born after the first year of the Great Xia Dynasty are considered second-generation descendants, with Yue Yuan as the dividing line. The three of them obviously do not meet this condition.

However, it's not just the three of them who don't meet the criteria. There are also a large number of people, including Luo An, Lu Dong, Zou Ping, Luo Cheng, Liu Peng, Hong Ye, Zhao Yuanwu, Zhao Yuanshan, Zhao Yuankang, and others. They were all born before the first year and are now between 20 and 30 years old.

This age group is referred to as the new generation in Daxia.

The most active group in Daxia at present, and those who have begun to show their talents, are the new generation. This can be seen from the Nine Towns Martial Arts Tournament a few years ago. Ji Hong, who is currently in Chencang, is also a member of the new generation.

Although Hong Yu and the other two are not as strong as Ji Hong, they are still quite good. The strongest is Zhu Kang with 35 manes, followed by Hong Yu with 33 manes. Meng Ao is the weakest, but he still has 32 manes.

The new generation of the Great Xia is not only becoming stronger, but they are also capable of carrying out such dangerous infiltration missions, which shows that they are playing an increasingly important role in the camp.

"Zhu Kang, you have already inherited Zhu Ling's title, haven't you?"

The lord actually remembers me!

The eight men whose names were called by Xia Hong were extremely excited. Zhu Kang was even more moved when he saw that the lord still remembered his father, Zhu Ling. He cupped his hands and said with a choked voice, "Thank you for your concern, lord. I successfully inherited my father's ninth-rank Xuanling Viscount three years ago."

"That's good!"

Zhu Ling was among the first batch of soldiers of the Yuhan class to die for the Great Xia Dynasty. In addition, Zhu Kang's uncle, Zhu Yuan, was the Director of the Civil Affairs Department. Xia Hong naturally had a deep impression of this family.

After reading the eight people from Daxia, he turned his gaze to the back.

The five people behind were four men and one woman. Three of them were Zhang Yuchuan and Liu Wang, the two protectors in charge of the uprising in Qingwu Village. As for the remaining two young people, a man and a woman, they were none other than Su Jing and Su Xing'er.

Unlike Zhang Yuchuan and the other two, whose faces were full of confusion, Su Xing'er and Su Jing looked at Xia Hong with tears streaming down their faces. When Xia Hong looked at them, they couldn't help but step forward and kneel down with a thud.

"Master, Xing'er knew you would be alright."

Xia Hong had just seen the thirteen people and was amazed by the series of coincidences. The reason for this was that Su Xing'er and her brother were also hanging out with Ji Hong.

He then remembered that Jiang Xinfan had just said a lot, but he had never asked how Ji Hong knew he had disappeared in the Blood Miasma Plain.

Although Ji Hong could guess his identity and the conclusion that he had come to Mo'aochuan from the name Hong Yu on the Heavenly Ranking, only the higher-ups of Caiqiu knew about his disappearance in the Blood Miasma Plain. He was not an important figure to Caiqiu, so the higher-ups would certainly not publicize it.

Therefore, most people in Chencang were definitely unaware of the situation, making it even more difficult for Ji Hong to find out.

Seeing Su Xing'er and her brother now, he immediately realized what was going on.

"You ran into Ji Hong during your trials in the Blood Miasma Plains, right?"

"That's right. Thanks to Brother Ji for saving us, otherwise the four of us would probably have died in the Blood Miasma Plains long ago."

Su Xing'er burst into tears of joy, her voice still choked with emotion, showing just how important it was to her to see Xia Hong again.

The nine members of the Great Xia Dynasty present, including Jiang Xinfan at the head of the table, were all moved when they heard Su Xing'er call out the title "Master" for the second time. Xia Hong did not correct her. The three young men, including Hong Yu, could not help but turn their heads to look at Su Xing'er and her brother, their eyes full of envy.

Fate is truly a wonderful thing...

Xia Hong noticed everyone's expressions but didn't care. In his heart, he couldn't help but sigh.

As Jiang Xinfan had previously stated, the Xuanbing Daogui had inflicted a devastating blow on the two vassal trial areas. Under normal circumstances, given the strength of Su Xing'er and her three siblings at the time, they would not have survived, even with the yellow candles he had given them.

But then I ran into Ji Hong!
It's obvious that what brought Ji Hong and the four siblings together was something exclusive to the Great Xia Dynasty, like yellow candles or fire-condensing oil.

Two years have passed since the trial began in November of the year before last. Su Xing'er's strength of 42 manes has already exceeded Xia Hong's expectations. Looking at Su Jing, who has 38 manes, it is even more exaggerated.

However, Xia Hong quickly noticed the unusual behavior between the two.

The skin membrane is almost flawless, which is a sign of consuming a large amount of Blood Jade Pearls!
"Get up! Meeting Ji Hong is your destiny..."

Xia Hong woke up Su Xing'er and her brother, then turned his gaze to the last three people and continued with a smile, "Zhang Yuchuan, I know you. What are your names, you two?"

Although Su Xing'er and her brother were also confused by the way everyone addressed them as "lord," they had a premonition about Xia Hong's background several years ago, so they quickly calmed down.
But Zhang Yuchuan and the other two were different.

They were Ji Hong's trusted confidants in Chencang, and knew nothing about the Great Xia. However, despite this, the three of them could roughly guess a lot from Xia Hong's strength in the grain-collecting area of ​​Hekou Village and Jiang Xinfan's attitude towards him at the moment.

"Your subordinate Liu Biao greets Your Excellency!"

"Your subordinate, Wang Feng, greets Your Excellency!"

To be able to recruit two 38-mane strength-level Cold-resistant confidants is not something that can be done by strength alone. Strength, wealth, status, and methods are all indispensable.

It seems that Ji Hong has really made a name for himself in Chencang over the past three years!
Xia Hong couldn't help but sigh, his curiosity growing stronger. He waved his hand and said, "Now that this matter is settled, let's not linger here any longer. The fire is getting bigger and bigger, and quite a few Xianyang-level beings have already arrived. Let's pack our things and head to Yanling County City!"

Yanling County is definitely a place we need to visit.

Xia Hong wanted to meet with Ji Hong, check on the situation in Yanling County, and investigate the true nature of the Frost Ash Society. In addition, he wanted to know how the Luhe Valley uprising would develop, whether Chen Cang would continue to forcefully push forward with the reforms, or whether the reformists would give up and become completely silent.

These two choices will inevitably lead Chencang down completely different paths.

Of course, there is one more important thing: the invitation letter from Yang City will take effect on the 25th of next month. Not only out of curiosity about this mysterious Yang City, but also because Xia Hong himself needs to purchase a large number of cultivation resources, he definitely needs to go to Yang City to take a look.

Putting all that aside, let's buy as many things as possible and take them back to Xia City for research!
"Does the lord wish to enter the city as the Crown Prince of Qin, or..."

Upon hearing Jiang Xinfan's question, Xia Hong frowned slightly. After thinking for a moment, he waved his hand and said, "No need. I won't be staying in Chencang for long. It wouldn't be good if Ji Hong were exposed. Just arrange a fake identity for me!"

"My subordinate understands!"

Jiang Xinfan had been in Chencang for half a year, and Ji Hong had been there for three years. The two of them must have a way to solve the identity problem, so Xia Hong was not worried. Seeing that Jiang Xinfan had already made the arrangements, he looked towards the west from afar.

In the two hours that he and the others reunited in Windless Valley, the raging fire in the millet field had fully taken hold, stretching more than 20 kilometers from north to south, with thick smoke filling the sky and the sky above the surrounding area of ​​dozens of miles being completely covered by the ashes of the burned straw.

"The water source is near Hekou Village, but unfortunately the fire has spread completely. Even if we open the sluice gates now, it won't save the situation. Chencang has really suffered a huge loss this time. The restructuring probably won't be possible..."

While Xia Hong was pondering this alone, Zhang Yuchuan, after asking Su Xing'er a few questions, walked to the inner side of the valley with a grim expression and called his two younger sisters down from the carriage.

"Yuzhu, the gentleman who used to stay at our house was named Hong Yu?"

Seeing Zhang Yuzhu nod in confirmation, Zhang Yuchuan's already unpleasant expression instantly turned even more regretful and bitter.

Although he didn't go to Hekou Village tonight, he had just learned everything that happened at the Hekou branch from other people. As soon as Xia Hong opened his mouth, he immediately recognized him as the senior who lived in his house.

As for the name Hong Yu, he found out from Su Xing'er and her brother.

Su Xing'er and her three siblings joined the Frost Ashes Society's Yanling headquarters last year. Like him, they were all members of the Little Dragon Head. Their age difference wasn't that big, so they got along quite well.

Hong Yu, the crown prince of the Great Qin Dynasty, is ranked first on the Heavenly Ranking. His strength is comparable to that of the four powerful warriors in the Tribulation Realm. He is currently the most prominent Xianyang-level warrior in Mo'aochuan.

Most importantly, having served Ji Hong for a long time, Zhang Yuchuan knew very well that Ji Hong had been searching for Hong Yu's whereabouts, and judging from Ji Hong's occasional expressions of attitude, Hong Yu held a very important place in his heart.

Combined with Lord Jiang's obsequious attitude towards Hong Yu just now, and the way the Frostfire-level experts that Little Dragon Head had recruited to the Frostfire Society in May addressed Hong Yu as their lord, Zhang Yuchuan could now sense that this lord was not only powerful, but also had an extraordinary identity.

And on the 18th of last month, he actually managed to take his two younger sisters away from the other party.

Looking back on his actions, Zhang Yuchuan wanted to slap himself twice. As the eldest brother, he had essentially cut off his two younger sisters' path to success...

"Grandpa only mentioned Lord Hong in the letter. If I had known he was Lord Hong Yu when I came back, I would never have done such a stupid thing!" Seeing his two younger sisters still looking at him blankly, Zhang Yuchuan's expression turned bitter. He couldn't explain to his sisters, so he could only apologize to them in his heart.

Jiang Xinfan quickly made arrangements and gathered everyone back together.

"Alright, let's get ready to go! We'll head east out of the Luhe Valley region first, then north to Yanling County. Just like we planned, we'll use the pretext of being merchants. Also..."

His public identity in Yanling County was that of a retainer in the household of Military Advisor Chen, and he had no apparent connection with Ji Hong. As for Chen Hua, Kong Xiu, and the other eight, they were his descendants. The whole family came from outside the region and made a living by trading and bartering. They were all registered in the Chencang clan.

Jiang Xinfan's expression turned slightly strange as he thought of the fake identity he had just discussed with Xia Hong. He continued, "The lord's temporary fake identity is my eldest grandson, Jiang Hong. You should be careful how you address him when you are out."

Upon hearing this, the eight people from Daxia below immediately understood why Jiang Xinfan's expression was so strange. They originally wanted to laugh, but when they turned their heads and saw Xia Hong descending from the sky and already sitting in the carriage, they suppressed their laughter and secretly gave Jiang Xinfan a thumbs up.

"With the lord becoming the eldest grandson, Lord Jiang has really struck gold!"

"Cough cough..."

Jiang Xinfan couldn't help but cough twice, glared at everyone slightly, and then walked towards the carriage.

The eldest grandson rode in a carriage, while the grandfather and head of the family naturally couldn't walk.

However, before getting into the carriage, he thought of something and turned to Zhang Yuchuan, saying, "Yuchuan, let your two younger sisters come up too! It would be more appropriate for the eldest son to have two maids by his side."

Zhang Yuchuan, who had just been filled with regret, became excited upon hearing this and quickly called his two younger sisters over.

Su Xing'er, however, among the group, couldn't help but frown and purse her lips when she saw the Zhang sisters, Zhang Yuzhu and Zhang Yuhong, enter the carriage.

"Xing'er, come up here too! I have something to ask you."

Hearing the sounds from inside the carriage, Su Xing'er's furrowed brows immediately relaxed, a smug smile spreading across her face as she quickly stepped into the carriage.

The remaining twelve men, including Zhang Yuchuan, naturally became the cart pullers.

Like Cai Qiu, Chen Cang also used a human-powered carriage. Given Zhang Yuchuan's strength of twelve men, they should not have been reduced to pulling carriages, but there was no one around, so they had no choice.

Once we reach the main road and pass through villages, we can hire some people with cold-weather protection.

………………

The dating system in Mo'aochuan was not standardized. Although the four domains synchronized the dates, in order to maintain their own unique historical context and enhance the cohesion of their respective populations, they always insisted on using their own dates.

Interestingly, since the four feudal lords rose to power around the same time, the difference in years was not significant. For example, the Caiqiu calendar and the Chencang calendar were only 8 years apart.

On the first day of the eleventh month of the 291st year of the Chencang calendar, during the day...

Chencang has five prefectures, and the most special one should be Donglin.

Donglin County is special for several reasons. First, it is centrally located, situated in the heart of Chencang. Second, of the total territory of Chencang, which is 16 square kilometers, Donglin County alone accounts for more than 6 square kilometers, or more than one-third. Finally, it is the only one of the five counties of Chencang that possesses two large cities.

The two giant cities are located in the south and the center. The one in the center is Donglin County City, while the one in the south, which is almost bordering Yanling County, is the town of Chencang.

As a town, Chencang's importance and uniqueness are self-evident. As the residence of the governor, it also serves as the administrative and economic center, so it is only natural that it has the most dense population and the most concentrated resources.

Of course, safety goes without saying.

"Halt! This is a heavily guarded area of ​​the town; trespassing is strictly prohibited!"

At the south gate of Chencang City, more than a dozen figures rushed in from the south. The thousands of soldiers on duty at the city gate saw them from afar and immediately shouted to stop them.

"I'm in a hurry, don't block my way!"

However, the group that came from the south was clearly special. The leader threw down a token from the sky and flew directly into the city through the gate.

Below, a middle-aged man dressed as a general reached out and took the token. Upon seeing the four large gold-embossed characters "Prefect of Yanling" on the front of the token, his expression immediately changed, and he hurriedly bowed his head to the sky in salute.

Upon seeing this, the surrounding soldiers immediately bowed down as well.

They only looked up after the dozen or so people above had gone inside.

"Captain Liu, please make a trip and deliver the token to the Shogunate!"

The middle-aged general summoned a squad leader and handed him the token.

The squad leader took the token and examined it, his expression slightly trembling. "As expected, it's Prefect Chu Tianxu. I guessed it just now. Prefect Chu Tianming of Heyang, Prefect Chu Tianhe of Xichuan, Prefect Chu Tianmang of Fengyang, Prefect Chen Tiandong of Donglin, and Lord Chen Tianyang of Pingyang City—the five of them arrived before dawn. I heard they've all come to see Lord Fangbo. Only Prefect Yanling is missing..."

A few more people gathered around and asked curiously.

"The five prefectural governors and the lord of Pingyang City have all arrived. Something important must have happened."

"You don't know yet, there's been a rebellion in Yanling County. Someone rushed over with a letter last night, and I heard it's from the Luhe Valley."

"Something happened at Sutian in Luhe Valley?"

"Definitely, otherwise why would it have escalated to the town?"

"If Lord Fang values ​​Su Tian so much, and something really happens to him, it would be terrible!"

"No wonder Yanling County arrived the latest; they must have been delayed by dealing with the rebellion."

"Rebellion? It must be those bastards from the slave village again, instigated by the Frostfire Society. They've only been quiet for a few years, and now it's happening again."

“We should be even harsher on these beasts. I’ve heard that the slaves in Caiqiu don’t even have the right to hunt, let alone gather resources on their own. The governor was generous and granted gathering rights to all the slaves. And after only three years, they’ve started to rebel again.”

"Hmph, these bastards are insatiable!"

“We should be even harsher on them, preferably starving them. If it weren’t for Fang Bo leading us to resist the cold beasts and monsters, let alone living the peaceful life we ​​have now, it would be questionable whether they could even survive. It’s only been a short time, and they’ve already started to take advantage of us and even started to rebel.”

"That Frostfire Society is also despicable; they haven't been completely eradicated after all these years."

"Just wait and see, this Frost Ashes will be uprooted one day."

"The six lords have come to discuss how to deal with the Frostfire Society."

"This time, it's not just six adults who have come..."

The middle-aged general suddenly spoke up, picking up where the last person left off. Seeing that everyone was looking at him, he whispered, "The one from Longxing City has also arrived."

Upon hearing this, everyone's pupils constricted slightly.

Aside from Zhencheng, Chencang established a total of seven large cities in five prefectures and two lakes. Among these seven large cities, Longxing City undoubtedly holds the most special status.

There's no other reason than twofold: firstly, Longxing City is about the same size as Chencang Town; secondly, it is the stronghold of the Chen clan, a lineage of Fangbo, so in a sense, its status is similar to that of a town.

The person the middle-aged general just mentioned in Longxing City was, of course, Chen Tianjue, the city lord of Longxing City.

If we only consider their positions, then Chen Tianjue is on the same level as the five prefects and his cousin, Chen Tianyang, the city lord of Pingyang.

However, given Longxing City's unique status, its city lord naturally enjoys immense privileges, such as being able to obey orders but not summons.

Chen Tianjue hasn't been to Chencang City for over ten years.

The last time I came here, it seems, was on the 300th birthday of the governor.

Here they come again!

"Hurry up and send the sign over; something big is definitely going to happen."

Hearing the middle-aged general's urging, the squad leader quickly nodded in response and then hurried towards the city.

………………

Just as the middle-aged general at the entrance had guessed, a quarrel was indeed taking place in the central main hall of the Chencang Shogunate, a complex of palaces.

"What? I told you, those slaves are a bunch of ungrateful wretches. Three years ago, my father and uncle listened to Mr. Zijing's suggestion and gave them the right to gather resources, saying that they would be grateful for the Shogunate's kindness. Now it seems that was all bullshit!"

“Once you give, people will want more. That’s human nature. We went through the same thing back then. Mr. Zijing is just being presumptuous.”

"In terms of the treatment of slaves, Chencang is much better than Caiqiu, but there are still rebellions. This time it went even further, burning down a large area of ​​millet fields in Luhe Valley."

Putting aside this year's millet harvest, seven or eight out of ten of the five thousand soldiers have perished, the shogunate's reputation has been tarnished, and that vast expanse of millet fields will take at least a decade to recover. The direct and indirect losses are likely to exceed tens of billions!

"I heard that Mr. Zijing was still proposing reforms not long ago, to continue to improve the treatment of slaves, reduce the requirements for obtaining civilian status, and even cut slave villages by more than half. If this is really done, won't these slaves turn upside down?"

"Restructuring? What a load of rubbish!"

………………

What was happening in the shogunate was less of an argument and more of a one-sided accusation.

Everyone focused their attention on the Luhe Valley rebellion, directing their criticism at a middle-aged scholar in the center of the main hall, dressed in blue robes, wearing a cap, and with a refined appearance.

(End of this chapter)