Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 498 Yangqu Council Meeting, Resistance and the Alliance Leader's Proclamation
December 27th, 136th year of the Moo calendar

Yangqu Town, Lord's Hall

An extremely heated argument is taking place inside the hall.

"Such a large-scale troop mobilization reveals the intentions of the Great Xia. The lord can no longer wait. If he does not send troops to seek help, the century-old rule of Yangqu may truly be destroyed in an instant!"

"Ask for help? Who should we ask? The three northern towns or Dragon Valley? Sixty thousand Xia troops are stationed in the north, and they are already preoccupied with their own problems. How can they come to our aid?"

"Da Xia is just troop deployment, there's no concrete action. It's common knowledge that Chui Shan secretly defected to them. It might just be a routine troop rotation, what's there to worry about?"

"That sounds nice, but the Pingkang camp in Chuishan is less than 90 kilometers away from Yangqu Town in a straight line, and the Tieling camp is even closer, only 70 kilometers away. In the past, two of these armies were enough to give us a headache, but now seven have come at once. And these are not just any garrison troops, but a real elite army of 14000 cold-resistant soldiers. Even if Great Xia does nothing, how can we sleep soundly in the future?"

"What can we do if we can't sleep? Even the three northern towns are being suffocated by the Great Xia. How can our Yangqu family possibly turn the tide?"

"We need to call for reinforcements! If the three northern towns don't work, then we should go to Dragon Valley. Dragon Valley is right next to us; they won't stand idly by."

"So what if Dragon Valley is willing to send troops? In the past two years, with the support of the alliance, Yangqu has indeed developed well. Now the town has about 21000 people at the Cold Protection level. After deducting the 2000 in the allied forces and the more than 4000 in the hunting team, there are still more than 15000 left. At present, more than 30% are scattered in other towns. Whether these people are willing to return to the town is another matter. Even if they are willing, it is not possible to do so in a short period of time."

In other words, the only troops available to Yangqu at present are 8000 Zhenyu soldiers plus the lord's 1000 Xuanwen soldiers. Even if we mobilize the hunting team and all the remaining Yuhan-level soldiers in the town, we can only gather a maximum of 5000 people.

Leaving aside combat strength for now, Yangqu has a total of 14000 troops, and Longgu is in a similar situation to us, so let's assume they have 16000 troops. With the two towns combined, the total troop strength is 30000.

According to intelligence reports, the Great Xia has deployed a total of 35000 troops in Tieling and Pingkang. There are seven elite Xia armies with official designations. The three armies stationed in Tieling are Tulong, Jinjian, and Zhaolong; the four armies stationed in Pingkang are Yingwu, Zhenwu, Gangzong, and Jindiao. The total number of elite Xia troops is 14000. The remaining 21000 are ostensibly fighting under the banner of the Great Xia, but you all know that they are the Great Xia's garrison troops.

Yan bluntly stated, "These 35000 troops alone are enough to sweep through my Yangqu and Longgu towns. Not to mention, to the north, Muyin town also has the Great Xia Tiger and Leopard Army and the Divine Martial Army, as well as at least 20000 garrison troops. Even if Great Xia were to launch a two-pronged attack from the north and south, and even if they were to wage war on two fronts simultaneously, it would probably only be a matter of time before they defeated both of us!"

………………

There were more than fifty people in the main hall. The one sitting in the main seat was naturally Lord Cao Qianyang. To the left of Cao Qianyang, the military leader Yan Chenzhou also had a seat.

Apart from the two, everyone else, whether it was the town chief Cao Yuankang who had just broken through to the Manifestation Yang level, or the other core high-ranking members of Yangqu who only had the Cold Resistance level cultivation, were all standing.

The last long passage was spoken by an elderly man in white robes standing on the left side of the hall, with a long sword at his waist.

The old man's name was Yan Fengping, the eldest son of the military commander Yan Chenzhou, and one of the three deputy military commanders of Yangqu.

As soon as Yan Fengping finished speaking, everyone who had been arguing fiercely turned to look at him, their eyes filled with surprise and doubt. As everyone fell silent, the hall also fell into a deathly silence.

Not only the people in the hall, but even Cao Qianyang at the head of the table stared at Yan Fengping. However, he only glanced at him once before immediately shifting his gaze to Yan Chenzhou on his left, as if trying to discern something.

Unfortunately, Yan Chenzhou kept his eyes closed the whole time, seemingly unaware of his gaze, and completely unconcerned about the argument inside the hall.

Upon seeing this, Cao Qianyang's expression immediately darkened.

"Feng Ping, do you have an idea?"

After a moment of hesitation, he finally turned to Yan Fengping and spoke.

Yan Fengping showed no sign of nervousness upon hearing the question, and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Since the lord has inquired, then this subordinate will offer his humble opinion..."

He paused for a moment, then a frank expression appeared on his face as he continued, "If the five northern towns had worked together two years ago to prevent the Great Xia from forming an alliance, the situation wouldn't have turned out this way."

In the past two years, the Great Xia, under the guise of its leader, has issued an alliance hunting decree to plunder various resources from the five towns; it has also earned silver from the five towns through trade, and has extensively infiltrated the five major northern towns. To be frank, at this very moment, I'm not even sure if there are any Great Xia spies in this hall…”

"Yan Fengping, you're talking nonsense!"

"I am utterly loyal to the lord, how dare you slander me like this?"

"The guilty party accuses the innocent first! I think you, Yan Fengping, are the biggest traitor!"

………………

As soon as Yan Fengping finished speaking, the hall erupted in chaos. Everyone was furious, their faces turning red. Some of the more hot-tempered people even started cursing.

"Even if none of you in the hall have any problems, can you guarantee that your relatives, friends, and servants have not received any benefits from the Great Xia?"

Yan Fengping asked another question with a very calm expression. This time, everyone in the hall changed their expressions slightly and immediately fell silent.

"The financial and material resources of the five northern towns, even when combined, are no longer on the same level as those of the Great Xia. This means that whatever the two sides do, they will be unequal."

The Yangqu military headquarters initially had more than 200 spies in Xiacheng. In the past two years alone, more than 150 have been captured, more than 50 have been turned, and only 7 are left who can regularly send back messages. It is not even certain whether these 7 have been turned yet.

In contrast, the Great Xia, under the guise of being the leader of the alliance, has been infiltrating the five major towns in the past two years. Take Yangqu as an example: on the surface, there is Wanbaolou and hunting teams holding alliance hunting orders, which can basically enter and leave the entire territory of my town freely. As for the secret operations, it goes without saying that the number of spies that the Great Xia has planted in Yangqu town is probably far more than 200. If the entire territory is included, the number is countless.

In total, we arrested fewer than 20 people.

As for those who were turned, not a single one was turned.

Such a striking contrast, doesn't it speak volumes?

Seeing that everyone in the hall had fallen silent, Yan Fengping did not rush to continue speaking, but gave everyone some time to digest the information.

After a moment, he continued, "In recent years, the integration of the nine towns on the southern slope has become quite deep. As for the situation in Great Xia, not only Yangqu, but also the other four towns in the north are generally aware of it."

The Great Xia alone has 30 elite units, including the Yunjiao and Longwu legions, both level eight, with a total of 10000 men. The remaining 28 level nine legions have a total of 56000 men, making a total of 66000 men. All of these soldiers have a strength of 6 or more. Even if the five northern towns combined their strength, they couldn't gather that many.
Besides these thirty elite units with designated numbers, the Great Xia also has garrison troops stationed in various places, which together number even more. According to our military's current rough estimate, it is at least 10 or more..."

66,000 elite troops and over 100,000 garrison troops!
Upon hearing these two figures, everyone in the hall's expression darkened.

Since the Great Xia established the Southern Foothills Alliance in the border mountains two years ago, the garrison troops in the Nine Towns region have changed their composition. They are no longer mainly composed of soldiers with the ultimate cultivation level of the Earth-Digging Realm, but are now mainly composed of soldiers with the Cold-Resistant Level.

Therefore, the two figures mentioned by Yan Fengping represent that the military strength of the Great Xia alone is conservatively estimated to be over 17.

Note that this refers to troop strength, not cold-weather gear!
The harsh environment of the Ice Abyss dictates that all camps will reserve a portion of their troops with the Cold Resistance Rank for hunting and gathering. Therefore, the number of Cold Resistance Rank troops in the Great Xia will need to be increased by at least 30% to 40%.

Three to four out of ten, conservatively speaking, would be over 22.

Ignoring the somber expressions on everyone's faces, Yan Fengping continued speaking:
"Gentlemen, I haven't yet included the three families of Muyin, Jiangxia, and Chuishan in terms of their cold-resistant level. If we include them, you should all think carefully about what level the overall strength of Great Xia can reach!"

The expressions of the people inside the hall were not only gloomy, but even somewhat desperate.

The fact that the top officials of the three towns had invested in the Great Xia was no secret in the five northern towns; all the core members were aware of it.

Including these three towns, the number of cold-resistant units in Great Xia should be over 30.

"Yan Fengping, do you mean that the unification of the southern region by the Great Xia is a foregone conclusion, and we should accept reality, surrender to Xia Hong, and hand over the century-old foundation of Yangqu to the Great Xia?" As everyone in the hall looked on in despair, someone finally spoke up.

The one who spoke was Cao Yuankang, son of Lord Cao Qianyang, who had just broken through to the Xianyang level as a town leader this June.

Cao Yuankang's tone was not only very low, but his gaze towards Yan Fengping also carried a strong sense of scrutiny, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Yan Fengping's expression remained unchanged. He first cupped his hands in greeting, then nodded and replied, "Though I am reluctant to admit it, I believe that is the truth; the Five Garrisons are beyond redemption..."

"Nonsense!"

Cao Yuankang interrupted him angrily, then shouted, "How can we hand over Yangqu's century-old foundation to others?"

I, Yang Qu, alone cannot contend with the Great Xia, I, the town chief, do not deny. But what about the five northern towns?

The combined fighting force of Yangqu and Longgu can reach up to 4. The three northern towns are stronger than us, with a combined force of at least 15. The five northern towns together make up an army of 20, which is only 10 fewer than the Great Xia. What is there that we cannot fight?
Battles are different from fighting alone. Even those at the limit of the Digging Realm can still go into battle. Although the number of Cold-Resistant level cultivators in the five northern towns is not as large as that in Great Xia, their overall population base is far greater. In terms of the number of people at the Digging Realm alone, we are definitely larger than Great Xia.

Putting all that aside, the two major warlords of Chencang and Caiqiu will not sit idly by and watch the Great Xia unify the southern foothills. With their support, what do we have to fear?
Would the Great Xia dare to risk such a major transgression and confront these two powerful regional military governors?

Cao Yuankang's words instantly lifted the spirits of the people in the hall who had been filled with despair. Their eyes lit up and they nodded emphatically.

"The town chief is right. As long as the five northern towns join forces, they can withstand the might of the Great Xia army. How can we hand over our century-old Yangqu territory to others?"

"The layout of the nine towns on the southern slope has been maintained for more than a hundred years. Why should it change as soon as the Great Xia arrives? The five towns must unite to resist the Great Xia."

"In just over four years since the Great Xia went east, it has successively annexed the three towns of Muyin, Jiangxia, and Chuishan. In the past two years, it has been suppressing the five towns under the guise of an alliance, which has long aroused the dissatisfaction of the Chencang, Cai, and Qiu families. If it dares to rashly raise troops, the two vassal states will definitely not sit idly by."

"My lord, I was born a Yangqu man and will die a Yangqu ghost. No matter how strong the Great Xia is, I will never wag my tail and beg for their mercy. So what if they transfer their army to Pingkang and Tieling? We can just send our own army to the border to defend it."

………………

Cao Yuankang's words directly provoked resistance from the crowd.

The so-called century-old foundation of Yangqu is closely related to the interests of the core high-level personnel in the hall. Therefore, this wave of emotions can be considered as the true thoughts of everyone in the hall at this moment.

Seeing the fervent emotions of the crowd in the hall, a shadow of sadness crossed Yan Fengping's eyes. He then turned to look at his father, Yan Chenzhou, and found that he was still keeping his eyes closed and not saying a word. He could only shut his mouth and choose silence as well.

Cao Qianyang, who was at the head of the table, finally looked satisfied.

“You are all right. How can we hand over Yangqu’s century-old foundation so easily…”

"A proclamation has been issued by the Alliance Leader. Lord Cao Qianyang of Yangqu, come and receive the proclamation immediately!"

Just as Cao Qianyang opened his mouth, before he could finish speaking, a loud sound suddenly rang out over the town.

The sound came from above the main hall, and the other party had obviously deliberately increased the volume to make it known to everyone in the city.

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall instantly filled with anger.

"Hmph! Let's go out and see."

Cao Qianyang, who was at the head of the table, looked extremely displeased. He snorted coldly and then led everyone out of the hall.

Sure enough, as soon as they stepped out of the hall, Cao Qianyang and the others saw two figures standing in mid-air, dozens of meters above the main hall.

Both men were clad in black scale silver armor. The man on the left had a sharp expression and looked quite young, appearing to be in his early thirties at most. He carried a long sword at his waist and held a scroll of golden documents in his hand. The man on the right was a middle-aged man with a large knife at his waist, who was looking down at the Wanbao Tower below.

Xu An, commander of the Golden Sword Army, and Zhu Shun, commander of the Zhaolong Army.

In recent years, the Great Xia has seen several breakthroughs at the Xianyang level. Although the five northern towns don't know everything about them, they do know about the Xianyang level soldiers in the Xia army.

After recognizing the two men, Cao Qianyang said in a low voice, "So it is Commanders Xu and Zhu. May I ask what brings you to Yangqu Town?"

"Is Lord Cao old and hard of hearing?"

…………

As soon as Xu An spoke, Cao Qianyang's face turned red at a visible speed. Not to mention the people behind him, they all clenched their fists and glared at the two people in the sky, their eyes full of anger.

In the southern foothills region, those at the Xianyang level are considered top-tier figures. Yang Qu only has three Xianyang-level individuals. Apart from them, the remaining Yuhan-level individuals naturally dare not respond.

When Cao Yuankang saw Xu An, there was obvious fear on his face. The reason was simple: after Cao Yuankang broke through to the Manifestation Yang level last year, he fought with Xu An and suffered a crushing defeat. His current reaction clearly showed that he was still traumatized.

Cao Qianyang was a lord, and directly responding to Xu An's contempt was a step down. So, although he was very angry, he forced himself to suppress his anger, glaring at Xu An and thinking about how to get back at him.

"The Great Xia prides itself on being a land of etiquette, but it seems to be all talk and no action. Commander Xu, since you have the alliance leader's order, just deliver it. Why are you here trying to gain an advantage through words?"

Interestingly, the one who finally responded was Yan Chenzhou, the commander of Yangqu Army, who had remained silent throughout the council in the hall.

What's even more interesting is that upon hearing Yan Chenzhou's retort, Xu An merely smiled, refusing to retaliate further. Instead, he looked at Cao Qianyang, gave a cold laugh, and then opened the proclamation in his hand, speaking loudly:
"There is a man named Yang Jian who colluded with the two major vassal states of Chencang and Caiqiu, totaling 23 Xianyang-level officials. On the night of December 26th of the twelfth year of the Great Xia calendar, he sneaked into the Ruhu Forest outside Xia City, attempting to assassinate the Second Prince Xia Yusheng. His crimes were heinous. Although 17 people were beheaded on the spot, the ringleader and five major villains have not yet been brought to justice."

The nine families of the Southern Alliance should be of one mind and work together to resist foreign enemies. However, the Northern Alliance has repeatedly colluded with foreign vassals and disobeyed the alliance leader. Now, it has committed such a heinous crime. Our Great Xia follows the will of Heaven and the hearts of the people. How can we tolerate such traitors?

"Beishuo has violated the alliance agreement. The alliance leader has decided to lead all the towns on the southern slopes to jointly attack them. Considering Yangqu's insufficient strength, Lord Cao is ordered to send 10000 troops to Pingkang and Tieling within two days for deployment!"

A total of 23 Xianyang-level warriors from Beishuo and the vassal states went to Xia City to assassinate the Second Prince Xia Yusheng. 17 of them were killed on the spot, and 6 escaped.
Xu An directly revealed that Xia Yusheng had been assassinated, leaving everyone present stunned.

They certainly didn't care about Xia Yusheng; their main concern was that of the 23 Xianyang-level assassins, 17 were killed on the spot, and according to Xu An, the assassination attempt had failed...

All of this news, taken together, was like a bolt from the blue in their hearts.
Upon hearing this, Cao Qianyang's pupils suddenly contracted, and his expression clearly showed a hint of panic.

Coincidentally, the fleeting look of panic on his face was caught by Xu An, who had been watching him intently from above.

Xu An looked at Cao Qianyang on the ground, his eyes flashing slightly cold, but he quickly concealed it and threw the proclamation in his hand directly at him.

"Lord Cao, ten thousand men must be delivered by dawn on the 30th at the latest. Either Pingkang or Tieling is your choice. If they don't get there, you know what will happen to you, hmph!"

Seeing that he had caught the proclamation and finished speaking, Xu An snorted coldly and flew away to the south with Zhu Shun.

Cao Qianyang and a group of Yangqu executives were left standing there alone.

(End of this chapter)