Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 511 Xia Army Main Tent, Father and Son Reporting the News
The icy abyss is cold day and night, but compared to the ice, it is even colder during the day.

The low daytime temperature is secondary; the key issue is the cold light emitted by the sun in the sky, which is extremely invasive to the skin. Before the human skin membrane is fully formed, being exposed to the cold sun will result in instant death.

During the ongoing war, while the five northern towns could not be said to be completely sealed off, key cities directly under the jurisdiction of the town, such as Whitewood City, and important large strongholds were basically closed off, and all normal activities such as gathering, hunting, and transporting goods had ceased.

Intelligence is the key to determining the outcome of a war. This principle is not only understood by the Great Xia, but also by the Five Northern Garrisons... no, now it should be the Four Northern Garrisons.

Unfortunately, the four northern towns did not have as many people as the Great Xia, and since they were on the defensive, they naturally did not have much energy to interfere with the transmission of information in the wilderness.

Speaking of this, it is worth mentioning that the control of the territory by the four northern towns is on a completely different level compared to that of the Great Xia.

Taking Beishuo as an example, the town's control over its seven jurisdictions is actually extremely loose. In summary, there are only two measures: first, to set up a large camp to garrison troops in the central area of ​​the seven jurisdictions; and second, to collect tribute from all village-level camps in the jurisdictions every six months.

This pattern has long destined that the vast majority of camps will have almost no centripetal force towards North Shuo.

Of course, there's some truth to focusing on the big picture and letting go of the small details.

The seven districts of Beishuo have a maximum of 80 village-level camps, and the total population is definitely not small, definitely over a million.

The problem is that out of this million people, there are probably less than 500 who are at the cold-resistant level. Even if we double that number to 1000, what difference would that make to the town of Beishuo?

The Great Xia Dynasty established rules long ago: the higher one's cultivation level, the more hunting and gathering tasks one must undertake. Except for minors under the age of fifteen, no one in the Great Xia Dynasty can gain something without working.

Not all camps are like the Great Xia. People are inherently lazy. Once their lives improve and their status rises, it becomes very difficult to get them to go back to the way they were before and fight to the death against wild beasts in the wilderness.

The Mo'ao calendar has been running for 136 years. That is to say, apart from the Great Xia, the towns on the southern slope have been around for about a hundred years. Why is it that none of the major towns have a population exceeding one million?
To put it bluntly, it's because the town is unwilling to support such a large population.

It's not that they can't do it, but that they're unwilling!
A large population means a large amount of resources are needed, and in a harsh environment like the Ice Abyss, resources don't just fall from the sky.

Frosty beasts need to be hunted, medicinal herbs need to be collected, minerals need to be mined... all kinds of resources require people to work hard, even risk their lives, to obtain.

When people are in a lowly position, their fighting spirit is undoubtedly high. But once they have accumulated their initial wealth and risen in status, it becomes very difficult to get them to work as hard as before.

Instead of taking in all the people in the area and exhausting themselves, it would be better to collect resources from them regularly through tribute. This way, they wouldn't have to do anything and would still have income. They would only need to provide some protection and bring in all the geniuses and elites that occasionally emerge from these villages. This way, they could maintain the town's superior status in the long term, effectively control the territory, and continue to develop even if the town focused on elites. It was a win-win-win situation.

It wasn't just Beishuo who thought this way; it can be said that the reason why the situation of nine towns standing side by side in the southern foothills region could be maintained for a hundred years was that almost all nine towns shared this mentality.

Of course, this idea was first proposed by Yang Zun, and the specific measure was the so-called Northern Shuo Supervisory System, which was followed by the other eight towns.

Xia Hong had analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of this system when he first set foot in the territory of Beishuo. It was definitely suitable when the town's strength was insufficient, resources were relatively scarce, but the overall territory was too large.

However, if any one of these three situations changes, immediate changes must be made, otherwise it will seriously affect the town's development. Once institutional inertia is formed, it may even cause the entire town to stagnate. It may seem that its strength is still improving, but internally it has already become rigid and has no vitality left.

The great battle currently unfolding in the North is probably the best interpretation of Xia Hong's words back then.

………………

One mile north of Whitewood City, thirty giant black military tents are arranged in a ring on the snowfield, guarding a wooden watchtower in the very center.

The watchtower was fifty meters high, and on top of it, a large golden square banner with kui dragon patterns was fluttering in the wind. It was daytime, and the large black character "夏" (Xia) in the center of the banner shone brightly, making it exceptionally eye-catching.

Like the army of Mulonghe in Zhongyang Camp, the watchtower was also built above the main wooden tent. However, this main tent was 30 meters long, twice the size of Mulonghe's tent.

On the south side of the main tent, nineteen-year-old Hong Yang and his father Hong Fan were walking towards the main tent, following behind an armored soldier.

Unlike his father, whose face showed a slight unease and nervousness, Hong Yang's eyes were full of curiosity. He kept looking around as he walked forward. When he saw the main tent clearly, especially the hundreds of young soldiers wearing black and silver armor standing outside the tent, his eyes immediately showed a hint of envy.

"The soldiers guarding the main tent of the Dongchuan Allied Army must be the elite of the elite, but judging from their age, they seem to be around the same age as me..."

As the son of Hong Fan, the leader of Hongyuan Village, Hong Yang's knowledge is certainly not shallow. He broke through to the Cold Resistance level two years ago. Thanks to the precious pills his sister sent back, he now has the strength of 13 manes. Looking at the entire Jingxi, apart from the group of freaks in Dongling Village, he is almost no less than anyone else.

But now, he couldn't see through a single one of the hundreds of soldiers outside the main tent who were about his age.

The Ice Abyss Law states that those you cannot see through are likely more powerful than you.

In other words, the hundreds of soldiers guarding the main tent were all at least level 13, but their ages were all about the same as his.
"Wait here, I'll go and report to the commander-in-chief."

"Thank you very much, sir. I will wait here quietly."

Hong Yang followed his father, still confused. When they were about twenty meters away from the main tent, the soldier who had brought them left a message, ignored Hong Yuan's polite words, and turned to walk towards the main tent.

Seeing his father adopt such a humble posture, Hongyang frowned and couldn't help but lean forward and whisper, "Father, we've come to inform Xia Jun, which might help them win. Why be so lowly?"

After all, her father, Hong Fan, was the leader of Hongyuan Village and a confidant of Lord Lu Yang, the Sword Master of Beishuo. He now possessed the strength of 36 hairs. Although he was not much of a threat to the Great Xia, considering that his mission was to inform the Xia army, it was really inappropriate for him to be so humble.

"Shut up!"

Hong Fan was extremely uneasy at this moment. To be precise, from the moment he entered the Dongchuan Allied Army camp, his mind had never been at peace.

Seeing his son still looking defiant after being scolded, he paused for a moment, and many thoughts flashed through his mind.

The true identity of Lord Lu Yang, the real mastermind behind Dongling, the 10,000 reinforcements from Jingxi, and the fact that Gu Tianxiong has already been turned...

Overwhelmed with thoughts, Hong Fan finally remembered Hong Yuru, the eldest daughter of Li Hu, who had married him two years ago.

Having followed Lu Yang for several years, he had actually made many guesses about the situation in Dongling. Although he wanted to ask Lu Yang for confirmation countless times, he always held back his words. Firstly, he knew very well that he was not qualified to do so, and secondly, the weaker one's strength, the more one knew, which was not a good thing.

But ever since his eldest daughter, Hong Yuru, married Li Hu two years ago, she has been sending precious cultivation resources home through intermediaries from time to time, and he understood immediately.

Hong Fan wasn't some ignorant young man. The pills, refined salt, spirit wine, clothing, and daily necessities that his daughter sent back were clearly products that only the Great Xia could produce.

After his daughter married out of the village, she said she was living in Dongling Village with her son-in-law, Li Hu. But in the past two years, he could hardly find her whenever he went to Dongling. The servants made up good excuses, saying that their son-in-law and daughter were away from home. But how could they not be home every time?

If the items his daughter sent back, made in the Great Xia Dynasty, only gave him some suspicion, then when he happened to go to Dongchuan City on business in the middle of last year and unexpectedly saw his son-in-law Li Hu outside the barracks, that completely confirmed his suspicions.

Li Hu, the son-in-law, and the core members of Dongling, including their master Lu Yang, were actually all people of Daxia. Hong Fan was terrified at the time and remained trembling for a long time until the middle of this year when his daughter came back to visit. He mustered up the courage to ask her about it and received her noncommittal attitude. Instantly, he understood everything.

Having been a leader for so many years, he's not stupid. His daughter wouldn't tell him something so important, and even if she did, he wouldn't dare listen.

All he wanted was an answer, and his daughter's attitude was the best answer. After learning all this, he was filled with excitement.

After the alliance meeting at Chuishan two years ago, it was almost a consensus that the Great Xia would eventually unify the southern foothills. Which village-level camp like theirs hadn't considered switching sides to the Great Xia?
I've inexplicably become a citizen of the Great Xia!

The key point is that the Great Xia has planted such a large chess piece in the north, yet the northern towns have not noticed it at all. How terrifying will the role of this chess piece play in the future?
The answer to this question can be considered found today.

Hong Fan let out a sigh of relief, clearing his mind of his thoughts. He then turned his head and saw his son, Hong Yang, staring at the young soldiers outside the main tent with a face full of dissatisfaction. He immediately shook his head repeatedly.

"No need to look anymore, their strength is basically all above level 30, and most of them are stronger than your old man!"

"This...this is impossible, how could this be..."

Hong Yang's expression froze instantly. He then looked up at his father, his pupils filled with shock and disbelief, and his voice even began to tremble.

"The strength of the Great Xia Dynasty was originally..."

Hong Fan originally intended to continue speaking, but halfway through his sentence, he noticed that all the soldiers in the main tent were looking at him. Realizing that they could all hear what he said, he immediately cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and shut his mouth with a nervous expression.

"Alright, come in!"

The soldier who had gone in to report finally came out. He first called out to Hong Fan and his son, then whispered a few words to the guard, the Imperial Guard, before turning and walking out of the tent.

"Thank you, Master Jun!"

Hong Fan still politely and humbly bowed to the man, and then led his son toward the main tent curtain.

"go in!"

Luo An, clad in black scale silver armor, saw the father and son approaching at the entrance of the main tent. He immediately opened the curtain and gestured for them to enter in a deep voice.

"Thank you very much, sir!"

Hong Fan didn't recognize Luo An, but he could tell from Luo An's demeanor that he was definitely not simple. Thinking about it, it made sense; someone so young who was guarding the main tent couldn't be simple...

wrong!

Hong Fan suddenly remembered something and quickly turned his head to take another careful look at Luo An's face. His body trembled violently as he instantly remembered.

"Isn't this Luo An, the one who caused trouble in Dongling last year? That's right, it matches up immediately. He's the son of Luo Yuan, the head of the Hunting Department of the Great Xia Dynasty. Last year's incident was just a staged play by the Great Xia Dynasty..."

Hong Fan, who was already mentally prepared that his lord Lu Yang was a person of the Great Xia, naturally did not have much of a reaction at this moment.

The main tent was built of a wooden shed. It was more like a normal wooden house than a military tent. There was a screen inside the curtain. Hong Fan led his son around for a few meters before officially entering the tent.

call…………

The moment they stepped into the main tent, a wave of intense heat hit them. The father and son only raised their heads briefly, but when they saw the hundreds of burly officers and soldiers clad in thick armor inside, their foreheads instantly broke out in a thick layer of sweat.

These officers and soldiers all exuded a powerful aura, and Hong Fan couldn't even see through the one closest to the screen.

It's not that I can't see through it, I can't even estimate it.

"Twice, maybe even more. The weakest officers in this tent are probably all over level 60, and the dozen or so at the front should all be at the Manifestation Yang level. The strength of the Great Xia is truly this great..."

As Hong Fan's heart trembled violently, Hong Yang, who was following behind him, was already trembling with fear.

Hong Yang considered himself quite knowledgeable. Upon entering the Allied forces' main camp and seeing so many soldiers of the Cold-Resistant level, although he was shocked, he managed to keep his composure and did not show any discomposure.

But it's different now.

At this moment, he could clearly sense that each of the hundreds of generals in the tent had the strength to kill him instantly, and most likely, his father was the same!
The father and son walked cautiously to the deepest part of the main tent, and after only catching a glimpse of a white figure on the head seat, they immediately knelt down.

"This humble one, Dongling Hongfan, greets Your Excellency..."

Hong Fan dared not delay. After bowing, he continued, "I have been entrusted by Lord Lu Yang to inform you that the Jingxi army has arrived at Qingxuegou before dawn. There may be some unusual activity in Baimu City, so please make preparations as soon as possible!"

"Where are you from?"

Hong Fan was stunned for a moment when he heard the voice. The voice sounded no older than his son's. This coach was much younger than he had imagined.

He didn't dare look up and quickly replied in a low voice, "I came from Beining Mountain. My lord is tied up at the Jingxi camp. He instructed me beforehand that as soon as he saw any movement at the Jingxi camp, I should immediately report to the Dongchuan Allied Army camp, so..."

"Minister Si, they've moved! The army in Whitewood City has begun to move!"

Hong Fan was interrupted by a hurried voice from behind before he could finish speaking.

"Commanders of all battalions, issue the order to prepare for war."

"I obey my orders!"

Xia Chuan, who was at the head of the table, stood up abruptly. At his command, hundreds of officers and soldiers immediately bowed and clasped their hands in response, and a wave of heat rose up in the main tent once again.

boom…………

The father and son, Hong Fan, who were kneeling on the ground, were startled and filled with fear. They lowered their heads even further.

(End of this chapter)