Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 496 Xia City Shakes, Han Yue's Death Causes Earthquakes
Xia Yusheng's trial has finally come to an end!

The trial lasted only a little over half an hour from nightfall to the return to the city. Most of the time was spent on the journey, and the actual time spent in the Tiger Breeding Forest was less than two hundred breaths.

The entire process can only be described as thrilling.

The Tiger Forest is right next to the city wall. The commotion from the battle between the Beast King and the Xianyang-level beast, along with the surge of soldiers in the outer city's central area, had already alerted everyone in the city. Moreover, it was nighttime, and many people were already going in and out of the three city gates.

As the army sealed off the city gates, many soldiers stood guard and searched outside the city. In less than two hours, the news spread throughout the city.

"Has the Second Prince encountered danger?"

"Is it okay?"

"It's alright, no serious injury!"

"Is it a cold beast or a monster?"

"I heard that there are 23 people here, all at the Xianyang level, from the five northern towns. You all saw the two battlefields above the west side of the Lunch Tiger Forest, right?"

"Are you sure they're from the five northern towns?"

"How could it be fake? Madam fought with Yang Zun."

"The Five Northern Garrisons? They've already kidnapped the Second Prince, they must be tired of living!"

“They kidnapped the leader’s son, broke the alliance, and the five northern towns are finished.”

"The lady was furious. I heard that she killed fifteen people on the spot, and eight of them ran to Redwood Ridge. The Hunting Department just issued a document ordering that no one is allowed to go out to gather or hunt tonight. Hunting teams that are out have also been notified to return."

"They can't escape. The Vice Minister and the Chief Justice Yuwen will each lead 30,000 troops to garrison Jinyang City and Dongchuan City respectively. Once the news gets out, the world will surely be thrown into chaos!"

………………

While news was spreading wildly in the outer city, the inner city had long since fallen into a deathly silence. To be precise, the atmosphere in the inner city changed the moment some of the Imperial Guards escorted Emperor Xia Yu's imperial carriage back to the Xia Palace.

The dilapidated state of Chi Yan Zhu Hong was obvious to anyone with eyes to see. So when the imperial carriage drove from the main road of the inner city into the Summer Palace, the people who saw it along the way all changed their expressions and quickly returned home, using all their connections to find out what was going on.

Compared to the outer city, the people in the inner city had a higher level of authority, so their information channels were wider and more accurate. When they learned that Xia Yusheng had almost been kidnapped in the outer city, they keenly sensed that something big was about to happen, so they all returned to their homes to wait for news from the Xia Palace.

Inner city, Yuan Mansion

"Mother, is the Second Prince alright?"

The mistress, Shi Lu, was holding her two-year-old son, Yuan Yi, sitting anxiously in the hall, waiting for her husband, Yuan Cheng, to return. But instead of her husband, her eldest son, Yuan Shao, arrived first.

The ten-year-old eldest son, Yuan Shao, was dressed in a white training uniform. He was already quite robust and his appearance was becoming more and more like Yuan Cheng's. He was also holding the hand of a five-year-old girl, Yuan Shu, who was also dressed in a training uniform.

Upon hearing her eldest son's question, Shi Lu immediately glared at him and said, "How did you know? Which gossipy servant told you?"

Her husband, Yuan Cheng, was promoted to the rank of Fifth-Class Golden Palace Viscount last year, and his treatment naturally improved accordingly. The Yuan family mansion has also been upgraded. Now the mansion has been expanded to 1000 square meters, and there are 50 maids and as many as 100 servants.

The eldest son, Yuan Shao, was already ten years old and had long since moved to a separate courtyard to live alone. Shi Lu provided him with six maids and 15 servants. The maids usually lived in the mansion and had no chance to spread rumors. However, the servants often helped the eldest son to gather information outside.

Yuan Shao shrank back sheepishly after being glared at by his mother, but he was also loyal and did not implicate the servant. Instead, he mustered his courage and continued, "Mother, please tell me if the Second Prince is alright?"

Shi Lu originally wanted to get angry, but considering that her eldest son and the Second Prince were indeed very close, it was normal for him to be worried. She sighed softly, "Don't worry! The Second Prince is fine, but I heard he was frightened."

Were you scared?
Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao's face immediately showed a strange expression.

No one knows a son better than his mother. Seeing the expression on her son's face, Shi Lu knew exactly what he was thinking. She immediately said sternly, "The world outside the city is not as good as you imagine. It's a miracle that the Second Prince was able to come back alive after being assassinated by more than twenty Xianyang-level experts. How does your strength compare to theirs? How many people are protecting you? If the enemy's target tonight is you, do you think you'll be in any better shape?"

More than twenty Yang-level!
Having only heard rumors from outside, the servants in the manor were already only vaguely aware of what had happened that night. What useful information could Yuan Shao possibly get from them? But when he suddenly heard the truth from his mother, his expression froze instantly.

Although he was young, he had already thoroughly studied the Xia Li Xiu Zhi Pian (夏礼修制篇), so he was very clear about the levels of cultivation. The Xian Yang level was the most powerful level known in the Nanlu Jiuzhen region. His father, Yuan Cheng, had only broken through to this level last year.

How did the Second Prince, who only had a strength of two taels, survive an assassination attempt by more than twenty Xianyang-level experts?
Yuan Shao's eyes widened in horror, and he no longer held any contempt in his heart.

Just then, a maid rushed into the main hall from outside the mansion gate and hurriedly approached Shi Lu, reporting, "Madam, the Duke and the other officials have returned. They all looked very grim and rushed into the Summer Palace. I wanted to ask the Duke to return to the mansion, but he ignored me completely..."

"Something big is going to happen!"

Upon hearing the maid's words, Shi Lu's expression froze slightly. Turning her head, she noticed the maid's hesitant expression, as if she was pondering something. She immediately asked in a deep voice, "Why are you stammering? Just say what you have to say."

Having served as the mistress of the house for over ten years, Shi Lu had naturally developed a certain air of authority. Upon hearing this, the maid immediately stopped hesitating and slowly said, "I saw Qiu Sizheng carrying back a female corpse. The female corpse seems to be... Lady Hanyue."

Upon hearing this, Shi Lu's expression changed drastically. She jumped up from her chair and asked in surprise, "Did you see clearly?"

In fact, not only Shi Lu, but Yuan Shao in the hall also suddenly perked up upon hearing the sound, turning his head to look at the maid with his pupils full of surprise and questioning.

The maid was stared at by the mother and son, and she became a little nervous. But after carefully recalling the scene she had just seen outside the mansion gate, she nodded.

"Lady Hanyue has visited the manor many times before. I have seen her before and just now I saw her very clearly. I am 90% sure that the female corpse is her."

If you're 90% certain, then it's basically a done deal!
Shi Lu's face immediately showed sorrow. She then turned to look at Yuan Shao and found that her eldest son's eyes were already red.

Shi Lu was not surprised by her eldest son's reaction.

As the Second Prince has grown older in recent years, his wife, Li Xuanling, has begun to have Xia Yusheng meet with powerful and influential people of the same age in the inner city in advance. This is clearly an attempt to pave the way for her eldest son and prepare him for becoming the heir apparent in the future.

The method of contact was to have sons of powerful and influential families in the inner city, such as Yuan Shao, the eldest son of Xia Yusheng, regularly visit the Summer Palace every month to accompany Xia Yusheng in practicing martial arts and learning skills.

The person specifically in charge of doing this was Han Yue.

Han Yue not only regularly picks up these children every month, but also teaches Xia Yusheng and them martial arts. Yuan Shao and other second-generation members of the Great Xia family are only about ten years old, the most innocent age. After years of companionship, they have developed a deep affection for Han Yue. It is only natural that Yuan Shao would show such an expression when he heard that she had died.

Not only Yuan Shao, but also the Lin family, Yue family, Qiu family, Lu family, and many other families in the inner city will probably have many children who are heartbroken tonight.

If even Yuan Shao is so heartbroken, what about the Second Prince?
The thought suddenly flashed through Shi Lu's mind, and she couldn't help but sigh softly.

Han Yue is not just a maidservant in the Zhaixing Palace. Since the birth of the two princes in August of the third year of the Great Xia Dynasty, Han Yue has been taking care of them without leaving their side. It is not an exaggeration to say that she is Xia Yuyao and Xia Yusheng's wet nurse.

The most heartbroken by Han Yue's death are probably the two princes, especially the second prince who was present tonight. She had just heard that Han Yue was injured while protecting the second prince.

"Hey!"

........................

Summer Palace, Lord's Hall

In the very center of the main hall lay a female corpse, none other than Han Yue.

Han Yue's arms and legs were all turned outwards at an extremely strange angle. Her usually gentle and quiet face was now only ferocious, with her mouth open and her expression even somewhat distorted.

It is not hard to see that he must have suffered great pain before his death.

The main seat on the high platform above the east side of the main hall was empty. Li Xuanling was sitting on the special seat on the side wing, looking down at Han Yue's corpse, his face extremely gloomy.

Below the main hall, Qiu Peng and the other twenty-seven Xianyang-level cultivators stood on either side, their eyes fixed on Han Yue's corpse, their expressions extremely somber.

No one spoke in the hall; the atmosphere was extremely heavy.

In the end, Qiu Peng stepped forward. He walked to the middle of the hall, first covered Han Yue's body with a white cloth, then turned his head, cupped his hands, and slowly spoke to Li Xuanling, breaking the silence in the hall.

"We, a group of twenty-seven, followed the Soul-Permeating Incense all the way to a small stone peak about a hundred meters high, about thirty kilometers deep in Redwood Ridge. We caught up with Yang Jian and the others, but in the end we only managed to kill two of them: Yang Jian, the old man who pretended to be a Dragon Guard soldier, and the other four escaped..."

He paused slightly before continuing, "Then we found Han Yue's body in the cave at the top of the stone peak. Yang Jian and his six companions had just returned to the cave, and either out of revenge or to try and extract some crucial information about Xia City from Han Yue, they subjected her to severe torture. Looking at the condition of her body..." Qiu Peng didn't finish his sentence, but everyone present looked down at Han Yue's body on the ground, their expressions slightly moved.

Given Yang Jian and his group's status and strength, the probability of them taking their anger out on a woman with only the Cold Resistance level is very small. Therefore, it is likely the second scenario mentioned by Qiu Peng, in which Yang Jian and his group are trying to extract some key information about the Great Xia Dynasty from Han Yue.

Judging from the horrific state of Han Yue's corpse, regardless of whether she ultimately yielded, there must have been a period in the middle when she chose death over submission. This is why everyone was so moved at that moment.

After their initial emotional outbursts, the anger in everyone's hearts naturally began to rise rapidly, especially among Qiu Peng, who was the first to speak.

His face was filled with rage, and he was about to step forward and speak when he heard a staggering footstep coming from outside the hall.

"Lord Qiu, Yuan Bai said they've found Yue..."

The person who walked in from outside the hall was none other than Han Yue's husband, Tie Xinchuan, the commander of the Dragon Guard. He was not the only one who entered; there were also nine other commanders of the Dragon Guard, including Yuan Bai, Lu Dong, and Luo An.

Unlike the other nine, Tie Xinchuan's legs felt as heavy as lead as he staggered into the hall, his eyes filled with hope and pain. He didn't even dare to walk in quickly; instead, he asked Qiu Peng a question first.

Unfortunately, before he could finish his question, he saw the white cloth on the ground in the middle of the hall, which was already soaked with blood in many areas.

Tie Xinchuan was a veteran of the Great Xia Tupo region and had seen countless battles. How could he not see that there was a corpse covered by the white sheet? His body jolted, and he immediately looked away, raising his head and asking again in a trembling voice, "Lord Qiu, is Hanyue... alright?"

No one in the room spoke, but everyone felt a slight tremor in their hearts.

Qiu Peng's expression was extremely heavy; he didn't know how to answer and could only remain silent.

Tie Xinchuan didn't hear a reply for a long time, and his eyes instantly reddened. Then he staggered towards the white cloth.

Tie Xinchuan deliberately slowed his pace. Although it was only a dozen meters, it felt like an eternity to him. He walked until he reached the white cloth, then squatted down with a pained expression and slowly unveiled it.

"what…………"

Seeing the狰狞 expression on his wife's face after three years of marriage, and the horrific state of her limbs, Tie Xinchuan's emotions collapsed instantly. His legs went weak and he fell to the ground. After picking up Han Yue's body, he looked up and let out a mournful cry, tears streaming down his face.

"Moon, Moon, don't scare me, wake up..."

"Shiyu is only two years old. He can't be without his mother. Yue'er, wake up quickly."

"Please, Yue'er, don't scare me. Wake up, wake up! Don't sleep anymore."

………………

Tie Xinchuan called out repeatedly with a numb expression, trying to wake his wife in his arms. From his gentle actions of restoring his wife's face and limbs, it was clear that he was aware that his wife was dead.

This numb, repetitive shouting is simply an unconscious act born from an overwhelming grief, stemming from an inability to believe the truth.

Tie Xinchuan's extremely sorrowful cry moved all the Xianyang-level figures in the hall, including Li Xuanling, who sat at the head of the table.

"Madam, let's send in the troops!"

Yuan Cheng's anger surged to its peak, and he finally couldn't hold back any longer. He stepped forward, cupped his hands, and addressed Li Xuanling at the head of the table in a deep voice.

Qiu Peng immediately followed behind, cupping his hands and saying, "Yang Jian showed his face tonight. This matter must have been planned by Bei Shuo. The rest of the Xianyang level must have come from the two major vassal states of Chencang and Caiqiu. If that's the case, then Jinshan, Wuchuan, Yangqu, and Longgu are all involved."

The five northern garrisons are already reduced to ashes. The armies of Chencang and Caiqiu are unable to advance south. Given the current strength of the Great Xia, annexing the five garrisons is a foregone conclusion. Let's send troops directly!

"If it weren't for the life-saving protection of Lord Hanyue, the Second Prince might have been kidnapped by these villains tonight, and his troops would have been sent to slaughter Beishuo, both to avenge Lord Hanyue and to deter those two major vassal states, to tell them that the scales of our Great Xia are absolutely not to be touched!"

"What kind of bullshit vassal states are they? They don't even dare to fight us head-on with 23 Xianyang-level warriors. Instead, they hide in the shadows and do things like assassination and plunder. Yang Jian and the other five who escaped tonight, every single one of them, must be brought to justice. Their blood must be used to pay tribute to Lord Hanyue!"

"The reason why our Great Xia tolerates the existence of the five northern garrisons in the southern foothills is only because of the face of Caiqiu and Chencang. In recent years, the two vassals have repeatedly taken advantage of the situation, and now they have become even more audacious and made a move against the Second Prince. This is intolerable and we must take action!"

"Unifying the southern foothills was the lord's grand plan. Now that things have come to this, what else is there to say? The Minister of War and the Chief Minister of War Yuwen are personally leading an army of 60,000 to suppress the north. Their military might is invincible. The destruction of the five towns is of utmost urgency!"

"Madam, let's send in the troops!"

"Madam, let's send in the troops!"

………………

In an instant, the crowd in the hall was filled with fervor, and everyone petitioned Li Xuanling at the head of the table to send troops to attack the five northern towns.

Li Xuanling looked down at Han Yue's corpse on the ground. Although he felt grateful, he was more afraid. Just as the people below had said, if Han Yue hadn't risked her life to protect him tonight, it would have been his son who had been captured.

If Xia Yusheng were captured by Yang Jian and his group, given her husband Xia Hong's unyielding nature, his fate would likely be even worse than Han Yue's. She, as his mother, would probably live with regret for the rest of her life.

Thinking of this, Li Xuanling clenched her fists tightly. Her lingering fear instantly transformed into overwhelming rage. She stood up abruptly from her chair, looked at the crowd below, and spoke sharply:
"Beishuo, as a member of the Southern Mountain Alliance, has colluded with the two vassal states to openly attempt to assassinate my son in Xia City. This is intolerable and can no longer be tolerated. Since the lord is currently absent and you have all petitioned, I will act on your behalf and immediately assemble a large army to launch a northern expedition to punish the traitors..."

She paused, glanced at everyone in the hall, and continued, "Chief of the Garrison Command, Yuan Cheng, listen to my command..."

"My subordinate is here!"

Yuan Cheng, who was the first to be called out, suddenly perked up and immediately stood up, bowing to Li Xuanling with his hands clasped.

"You are hereby appointed to lead the Dragon Slaying Army, along with the Golden Sword Army Commander Xu An, the Zhaolong Army Commander Zhu Shun, the Yingwu Army Commander Zhu Xing, and the Zhenwu Army Commander Lin Ye, totaling 10,000 troops, to form the rear army for the Northern Expedition. You are hereby appointed as the Marshal of the Rear Army. Regardless of where the five armies are stationed, they shall proceed to Chuishan Town within three days to assemble and control the two towns of Yangqu and Longgu. If any unusual activity occurs in the two towns, troops shall be dispatched immediately to suppress it."

"Subordinates take orders!"

"Luo Yuan, Director of the Hunting Department, obey my command."

"My subordinate is here!"

"You are hereby appointed to lead the Tiger and Leopard Army, along with the Divine Martial Army Commander Hong Tian, ​​the Steel Mane Army Commander Zhao Hu, and the Golden Eagle Army Commander Zhao Bao, totaling 8,000 men in four armies, to form the central route of the Northern Expedition. You are hereby appointed as the Marshal of the Central Route. Regardless of where the four armies are stationed, they shall proceed to Muyin Town within three days to assemble. Your task is quite heavy, as you must not only cooperate with the rear army to control Yangqulong Valley, but also divide your forces to closely monitor the movements of the two northern towns of Jinshan and Wuchuan."

"I obey my orders!"

"Minister of Civil Affairs, Murong Chui, obey orders."

"My subordinate is here!"

"The Central Route Army has a heavy mission. I hereby appoint you as the Deputy Marshal of the Central Route Army. You shall immediately proceed to Muyin Town and recruit the city's cold-weather-resistant soldiers to form a temporary army. The army shall be under the command of the Central Route Marshal and shall not be less than 20000 men."

"Subordinates take orders!"

"Qiu Peng, listen to my command."

"My subordinate is here!"

"Starting today, the Logistics Department shall conscript laborers throughout the Great Xia territory to ensure the smooth passage of all roads and to prevent any delays in the march of the troops; immediately allocate all military supplies, including tents, provisions, medicines, weapons, armor, etc., according to the size of the army, and send them to Hanqiong, Chuishan, and Muyin to ensure the soldiers' needs are met; furthermore, you are hereby ordered to instruct the garrison troops throughout the Great Xia territory to strengthen their defenses without fail."

"Subordinates take orders!"

After arranging the affairs of the two armies and their supplies in one go, Li Xuanling pondered for a moment, then turned to Xu Ning and said, "Xu Ning, Lin Kai, listen to my command."

"My subordinate is here!"

"My subordinate is here!"

"You two should immediately travel from Hanqiong to the Beishuo territory and send a message to Lu Yang. I will have the Dongyang, Heijian, and Qingjiao armies stationed in Hanqiong. Tell him to be prepared to start an uprising in Beishuo at any time."

Separately, I will travel to Dongchuan and Jinyang to convey my decree: Xia Chuan, the Assistant Minister, will lead 30,000 troops from Dongchuan as the left flank army; Yuwen Tao, the Director of the Military Affairs Department, will lead 30,000 troops from Jinyang as the right flank army. Both are hereby appointed Marshals of the Left and Right Flanks. Three days from now, we will officially launch our attack on Beishuo. There must be no delay!

"Subordinates take orders!"

(End of this chapter)