Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 497 Hatred and Growth, Murong Ping as the Scapegoat
As Li Xuanling finished his deployment, everyone in the hall accepted their orders and left, leaving only Qiu Peng and a few others behind.

Of course, Tie Xinchuan, who was in the very center of the hall, was still holding Han Yue's body in a daze. Only when he heard Li Xuanling finish his deployment did he suddenly come to his senses, quickly put down Han Yue's body, and bow to Li Xuanling at the head of the table.
"Madam, I request to join the Left Route Army to attack Beishuo!"

Tie Xinchuan's voice wasn't loud, but the overwhelming hatred in his deep tone sent a chill down Qiu Peng and his group's spines.

Li Xuanling did not immediately agree to Tie Xinchuan's request. Instead, he glanced at Yuan Bai and the eight commanders of the Dragon Guard behind him, and then said in a deep voice, "My son was in danger tonight. The culprits are the two major vassal states of Beishuo, Chencang, and Caiqiu. There is no doubt about that."

But Han Yue didn't have to die, you all know that, right?

As soon as she finished speaking, the nine people behind her, including Yuan Bai and Lu Dong, were filled with shame. They were already kneeling on the ground, and after hearing Li Xuanling's words, they immediately turned around and kowtowed repeatedly to Tie Xinchuan.

"Alright, stop it! Even if you kowtow until your heads are broken, Han Yue won't come back to life. Since you've made a mistake, you should be punished..."

After Li Xuanling finished speaking, he paused, thought for a moment, and then continued, "The Dragon Guards shall set off immediately for Dongchuan City and join the Left Route Army, under the command of Marshal Xia Chuan. In this Northern Expedition of the Great Xia, all Dragon Guards soldiers will not be credited with military merits."

As for Tie Xinchuan, judging from his appearance, he probably wouldn't hesitate to slaughter the entire town of Beishuo. Yuan Bailuo and the others are even more so. At this moment, they are filled with guilt over Hanyue's death, and right now, taking revenge on Beishuo is probably the only way to make amends to Tie Xinchuan.

Therefore, Li Xuanling's decision not to record their military merits was less of a punishment and more of an opportunity to make amends.

Despite feeling deeply ashamed, Yuan Bai, Lu Dong, and the others still bowed respectfully to Li Xuanling and said in unison, "Thank you, Madam!"

Li Xuanling waved his hand, turned his head to look behind the platform, and said in a deep voice, "Bring them both in!"

Han Shuang led Xia Yuyao and Xia Yusheng out slowly from behind the high platform, entered the hall, and walked to Han Yue's corpse.

The people in the hall were not surprised to see the three appear; they clearly already knew that the three were standing at the back.

"Second sister..."

Han Shuang's eyes were already red and swollen from crying. When she walked to her sister's body, she finally couldn't hold back anymore. Her legs went weak and she threw herself into Han Yue's arms, sobbing as she called out "Second Sister." She was completely sobbing.

Xia Yusheng's pupils widened as he stared intently at Han Yue's corpse, his body even trembling slightly, lost in thought.

Of the three, Xia Yuyao reacted the least. She looked down and carefully examined Han Yue's corpse, a hint of coldness in her eyes. Then, as if she had thought of something, she gently reached out and poked her younger brother.

Xia Yusheng was startled awake. He turned his head to look at his sister and immediately realized what was happening. He gritted his teeth, walked up to Tie Xinchuan, bent his knees, and was about to kneel down in front of him.

"Uncle Tie, I'm sorry!"

"Your Highness..."

Seeing Xia Yusheng's actions, Li Xuanling frowned sharply; Qiu Peng exclaimed in surprise and leaped forward to try to stop Xia Yusheng.

However, we no longer need him.

When Tie Xinchuan saw Xia Yusheng's legs bent, he realized what Xia Yusheng was about to do. He immediately stepped forward to support him. When he heard Xia Yusheng's tearful apology, a look of emotion flashed across his face. He said in a deep voice, "Your Highness is of noble birth. How dare I accept such a great gift?"

The death of Yue'er has nothing to do with the Second Prince. If one has to pinpoint a connection, it's my fault for lax military discipline, which gave Yang Jian and his bastards an opportunity. If I can't even see this much, then I'm afraid I've wasted all those years of instruction I've received from the Lord.

Seeing that Tie Xinchuan had taken the initiative to stop Xia Yusheng and said these words, Li Xuanling, Qiu Peng and the others all showed a hint of satisfaction on their faces.

Aside from the murderer, the greatest indirect responsibility for Han Yue's death tonight undoubtedly lies with Lu Dong and the other Dragon Guard soldiers. But in the end, they were unintentional; they suffered because of their lack of combat experience.

Xia Yusheng does bear some responsibility, but compared to Lu Dong and the others, his responsibility is insignificant.

"It's my fault that Aunt Hanyue died. If I hadn't kept insisting on leaving the city, those people wouldn't have had the chance, and Aunt Hanyue wouldn't have died protecting me. Uncle Tie, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."

Unfortunately, Xia Yusheng, still quite young, was determined to take all the blame upon himself. His small body struggled in Tie Xinchuan's arms, clearly still wanting to kneel down and apologize.

Seeing her son's state, Li Xuanling frowned slightly and said sternly, "Would it do any good to kneel down and apologize to him?"

"I……"

Hearing his mother's stern reprimand, Xia Yusheng immediately stopped, then turned to look at her with teary eyes, his face full of confusion and helplessness.

Seeing Xia Yusheng's pitiful appearance, and remembering that her son had only just turned nine this year, Li Xuanling couldn't help but feel a little soft-hearted. However, her expression remained unchanged, only her voice softened slightly as she continued, "If you really think you were wrong, then focus on cultivating and becoming stronger. Before you have the strength, don't keep clamoring to leave the city. I've said more than once before that your status is different from others. Right now, the Southern Foothills are about to undergo a major change, and the Five Northern Towns are all watching you. This time, I was also wrong; I shouldn't have been soft-hearted and let you leave the city..."

At this moment, Li Xuanling truly felt a pang of regret. She knew very well how much risk her son would take to leave the city at this critical juncture, but after all, she had imprisoned him for more than four years. She was, after all, a mother, and no matter how ruthless she was, she couldn't resist her son's constant pleas.

She originally thought that with the protection of Meng Ying and the other two, plus several Beast King puppets, there should be no danger in the Tiger Forest outside the city. She even deliberately moved up the date for her son's trial in the Tiger Forest by two days.

Who would have thought that Yang Jian's group could have been lying in wait deep in Hongmu Ridge for so long, and they arrived immediately as soon as Xia Yusheng's imperial carriage moved.

Invisibility and interdimensional teleportation—the tactics of regional warlords are truly impossible to guard against. If Han Yue hadn't risked her life to protect him, this time…

"Mother, if I don't break through to the Manifestation Yang level, I will never leave Xia City again!"

Li Xuanling's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Xia Yusheng's firm words.

Qiu Peng and the others standing nearby changed their expressions slightly upon hearing this. Looking at Xia Yusheng's still-childish face, which was full of determination, they were all slightly moved.

The Second Prince seems to have grown up!
Xia Yuyao turned to look at her younger brother, her eyes filled with astonishment.

She, as the older sister, knew better than anyone how much her younger brother longed for the world outside Xia City. The fact that he could say this in front of their mother showed just how much this incident had affected him.

Hearing her son speak with such determination for the first time, a strange light flashed in Li Xuanling's eyes. After a moment of thought, she said slowly, "With your talent, breaking through to the Manifestation Yang level is not difficult. As your mother, I hope that you will keep your word!"

Han Yue's death seems to have greatly helped her son's growth.

After this thought crossed Li Xuanling's mind, he waved his hand and said, "Hanshuang and Tie Xinchuan go together to arrange Hanyue's funeral. Yuan Bai, you two go too. Yao'er and Sheng'er, you two go back to Zhaixing Palace first." "Your subordinate takes his leave!"

Tie Xinchuan, Han Shuang, Yuan Bai, and the other Dragon Guard commanders all bowed and left the main hall. Xia Yuyao then took her younger brother's hand, walked around the high platform, and headed towards the Star-Picking Hall behind the Lord's Hall.

Once most of the people in the hall had left, Li Xuanling asked Qiu Peng and the others, "Who is in charge of the Xia City Prison Department now?"

The head of the prison department is Xiang Fuhai, but Xiang Fuhai is currently leading troops and stationed in Jinyang City, Jinshan Town, so there is someone else in charge of the department.

A middle-aged man immediately stepped out from behind Qiu Peng, cupped his hands and said, "Murong Ping, Deputy Director of the Prison Department, greets Madam."

Murong Chui has five sons. The most talented are his eldest son Murong Ping and youngest son Murong Yuan. Currently, only two of them have broken through to the Xianyang level. Murong Ping was appointed as the deputy director of the prison department last year, while Murong Yuan is serving in the army.

When Murong Ping stepped forward, he looked very uneasy, clearly realizing why Li Xuanling had singled him out.

As expected, Li Xuanling looked at him and sneered, "The moment the Holy Son's imperial carriage leaves the city, Yang Jian and the others will receive the news. In recent years, I have often heard your prison department talk about how many spies from the Five Garrisons you have arrested. Now it seems that it is all just self-praise and empty fame. In the year-end evaluation of the eight ministries next month, your prison department will be at the bottom!"

Murong Ping broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing the first part of the sentence, and his face paled even more when Li Xuanling uttered the last sentence.

Not only him, but Qiu Peng and the others also felt a sudden pang in their hearts, turning to look at Murong Ping with a look of sympathy on their faces.

Murong Ping's position as deputy director is likely to be in jeopardy...

It's already December 26th, and the annual assessment of the Great Xia Dynasty is about to begin. The assessment is related to the year-end contribution value of officials at all levels. Not only are officials at all levels compared, but the eight ministries also have to compare with each other. Moreover, the assessment results of the eight ministries are related to all the staff at all levels within the ministries. Li Xuanling's words have directly reduced the annual income of everyone in the Prison Department by about 30%.

What does 30% mean?
A prison warden stationed at a major prison, under normal circumstances, can earn about 1.5 million contribution points a year if his performance evaluation is normal. A 30% reduction means a loss of 450,000 contribution points, which, according to the current contribution point to silver ratio in the Great Xia Dynasty, is 45000 taels of silver.

This amount of money is nothing to a Xianyang-level official, but it's a lot to a Yuhan-level official. Moreover, this is just the loss of one executioner. The current territory of the Great Xia Dynasty covers the three towns of Muyin, Chuishan, and Jiangxia. The number of large outposts throughout the territory has long exceeded 100. Executioners, deputy executioners, and prison wardens of all levels, as well as prison wardens of all levels of the Heavenly Prison... everyone's income will be reduced by 30%. When you calculate it like this, it's terrifying.

Li Xuanling's meaning was clear: since Xiang Fuhai was in Jinyang, what happened in Xia City had nothing to do with him; the responsibility lay entirely with Murong Ping, who was in charge.

The year-end evaluation was directly downgraded to the very bottom, and the harvest was reduced by 30%. The events in Xia City will soon spread. After the prison officials at all levels know the truth, even if they don't say it, they will definitely have a lot of opinions about Murong Ping, the deputy director.

The Great Xia now has a vast territory. Although the eight inner city departments are the center of power, they are located in remote and mountainous areas. All specific affairs still need to be handled by lower-level officials in various places. If those in charge, such as the heads and deputy heads of the departments, lose the support of their subordinates, the situation will become very serious.

Let alone Murong Ping being just a deputy director, even if the director Xiang Fuhai were to offend everyone under him, his resignation wouldn't be far off.

There are quite a few Xianyang-level officials in the Great Xia now. There are a lot of people who are envious of the third-rank position like Deputy Director. They are just waiting for you to make a mistake so they can bring you down.

Murong Ping's pale face naturally meant that he also understood this principle.

Thinking that he had only been appointed as the deputy director last year, and that he might have to step down in less than two years, Murong Ping's expression was somewhat bitter. However, he had no room for argument on this matter, and in the end, he could only cup his hands and say in a deep voice:
"The prison department is willing to accept the punishment!"

"Not only will they have to accept punishment..."

Qiu Peng then interjected, and seeing Murong Ping looking over, continued, "Yang Jian and his gang of scoundrels must have an inside agent in the city. The area where Yang Jian and his men are hiding has been found. It's not difficult to find that inside agent, but it's difficult to find all the spies in the Five Garrisons and prevent such incidents from happening again. The war in the southern foothills is about to begin, the Great Xia army is about to advance, and the Five Garrisons in the north are about to be overthrown. In their hysteria, who knows what they might do next?"
If these spies cause any more trouble, the consequences will be far more serious than just being at the bottom of the performance evaluation.

Murong Ping, being older and more experienced, immediately understood that Qiu Peng was helping him. He quickly gave Qiu Peng a grateful look, then bowed to Li Xuanling and said, "Madam, I will return to my department to make arrangements to thoroughly investigate His Highness's assassination attempt and find the accomplice. Anyone involved in this matter will not be let off the hook."

Li Xuanling waved her hand, signaling him to leave, and then continued to Qiu Peng and the others: "You all go and make arrangements! All matters related to this Northern Expedition will be coordinated by the four marshals, and I will be stationed in Xia City."

"Subordinates resign!"

Qiu Peng and the others immediately bowed and took their leave, then withdrew from the main hall.

Li Xuanling sat alone on the chair for more than ten breaths, and finally turned her head to look at the main seat on the side, a few strands of sorrow appearing in her beautiful eyes.

………………

Li Xuanling's deployment in the Lord's Hall of Xia City is currently only known to Qiu Peng and other high-ranking officials of the Great Xia Dynasty. The mobilization of troops and supplies is not so fast. Although the people in the city have a feeling about it, Qiu Peng and other high-ranking officials are very tight-lipped, so no one knows the news clearly.

Lin Kai and Xu Ning were the first to travel from Hanqiong to the Beishuo region and send a message to Lu Yang in Dongling.

Therefore, Lu Yang was the first person outside of Xia City to know the situation.

December 26th, the twelfth year of the Great Xia Dynasty, late at night

Dongling Garrison, Main Building

"Those scoundrels from the Five Towns are utterly audacious!"

After hearing the news brought by Xu Ning, Lu Yang stood up angrily, smashed the table in front of him, and his face was full of coldness.

Lin Kai said coldly from the side, "Madam has decided to start the war. They won't be able to cause trouble for long. The central and rear armies will be in place in three days. Xu Ning and I will go to Dongchuan and Jinyang separately to inform Si Cheng and Yuwen Sizheng. Madam asked me to inform you that she will have the Black Arrow, Azure Dragon, and Dongyang armies assemble at the Hanqiong outpost. You should be ready to start an uprising in Beishuo at any time!"

Lu Yang's expression changed, and he nodded heavily, saying, "I've been lying low for nine years, and this is the day I've been waiting for. Please pass on a message to the Minister of Justice: the entire Jingxi region, including parts of Linya and Hegu, is now under my control. As long as the Minister of Justice gives the order, I can make Jingxi switch sides immediately, and it wouldn't be difficult to quickly take over Linya and Hegu."

Beishuo has only seven jurisdictions in total. Dongchuan has already fallen into the hands of the Allied forces, leaving only six. Lu Yang is now confident that he can take three of them directly.

Upon hearing this, Lin Kai and Xu Ning were immediately invigorated.

"Military supplies, food, and other necessities will arrive in Hanqiong in three days at the latest. We already told Zhang Jiuling when we came that he would send people to transport the supplies up as soon as they arrive. You just need to wait for orders."

After giving their instructions, Lin Kai and Xu Ning bid farewell to Lu Yang, one heading north to Dongchuan City and the other northwest to Jinyang City, to inform Xia Chuan and Yuwen Tao respectively.

(End of this chapter)