Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 534 Let Strength Speak, Failing to See the Situation and the Resurgence of War
Xia Hong, of course, did not know exactly how many experts at the Tribulation Realm were in the two vassal states.

But since he had personally visited both places, he could at least offer some assistance.

Taking Chencang as an example, on the surface, besides Fangbo Chu Longteng, Lingyi Chen Liwu, former Taiyi Chen Lixin, there are five prefects, two city lords, Chilong Army Commander Wu Dongyang, and the four ministers of the Ministry of War, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Personnel Chu Tianba, He Taiping, Wang Xuanjun, and Chen Tianshuang. Finally, there are the commanders of the Chilong and Baipao armies, Wu Dongyang and Chen Tianqing.

There are sixteen in total.

Of course, this is what's on the surface. Everyone in the Great Xia Dynasty knows to keep some cards hidden. Chencang has been passed down for more than 300 years, so how could it show everything to the public?
Considering that Chencang's overall strength ranks first among the four vassal states, Xia Hong multiplied this number by three, so even if Chencang has no fewer than fifty people at the Tribulation Realm, they would still be at least fifty.

Taking the number of people in Chencang as a reference, the other three vassal states have at most around thirty people at the Tribulation Realm, and the probability of breaking through to forty is extremely low.

With forty Tribulation Realm cultivators, if the Great Xia didn't have the Frost Beast Stake, let alone turning against the regional warlords, Xia Hong would never dare to even make contact with them.

Crucially, this only represents the number of top-tier experts. The strength of a camp cannot be judged solely by this single indicator; the number of lower-level experts at the Manifestation Yang level and the core members at the Cold Resistance level are equally important.

However, in these two aspects, the Great Xia and the Four Feudatories are not even in the same league.

It's no exaggeration to say that in a one-on-one situation, even the weakest of the four vassal states, Hezang, would be no match for the Great Xia.

But things in this world are never simple, especially when it comes to the confrontation and interaction of such powerful forces. It is always a matter of affecting everything, and each side has its own difficulties. There is no such thing as one-on-one.

Chencang is strong enough, but it is hampered by the Chen family internally, threatened by the strange forces of the Blood Miasma Plain externally, and feared by the three major vassal states. They are already constrained in Mo'aochuan, so how could they possibly spare the time to deal with Daxia?
Caiqiu was even more isolated, sandwiched in the middle of the Three Feudatories, a land of constant warfare. It had little room to expand outwards. To its left was the increasingly powerful and aggressive Chencang, and to its right was Weibo, a small but extremely powerful force. They dreamed of bringing in external forces to help them share the burden of the Three Feudatories. Even if they had the will to wage war against the outside world, they lacked the strength.

The two families that Da Xia needs to take into account are nothing more than these two.

Xia Hong had been considering how Great Xia should deal with the two vassal states since his return from Chencang.

The answer is just two words: equality.
The Great Xia is certainly not as strong as the regional military governors, but at this critical juncture, as long as it can demonstrate enough strength to make the regional military governors hesitate to act rashly, it is entirely possible to obtain a status equal to theirs.

Chencang's most pressing task is to deal with the strange force at Yanze Lake. Once they are dealt with, Chencang can begin its eastward or northward advance to pressure the two vassal states of Caiqiu and Hecang.

Cai Qiu's troubles, on the surface, are caused by that strange force, but in reality, they are caused by Chen Cang. Chen Cang's reforms and military campaigns against the Blood Miasma Plain are being carried out simultaneously. Once these two things are accomplished, Cai Qiu will inevitably be the first to be targeted and will become Chen Cang's next target.

At this critical juncture, the emergence of the Great Xia, a third party that is not particularly strong but can still cause considerable trouble for the regional warlords, is simply perfect.

Because they are not that strong, Chen Cang is unlikely to devote too much energy to them; and because they have some strength, Cai Qiu will inevitably try to take advantage of them and make Da Xia pose a threat to Chen Cang.

For these reasons, Caiqiu will inevitably have to compromise with Daxia, and Chencang will most likely, in order to reduce unnecessary trouble, at least not pursue the matter of Beishuo too much, if not to appease Daxia.

These two guesses were what Xia Hong thought of before returning to the southern foothills.

The killing of Yang Zun and the subsequent retreat of Chu Tianxu occurred yesterday, the 30th, during the daytime. A full twelve hours have passed since then, and no one from Chencang has come looking for trouble, at least not openly…

Thinking of this, Xia Hong glanced around briefly before fixing his gaze on Cai Qianshan in mid-air.

Chu Tianxu lost so much face, and no one came for 12 hours, which basically confirms his second guess. So now it's time to verify whether his first guess is correct.

One Fire, Metal, and Water triad, four double-headed, and seven single-headed, totaling twelve Five Elements Realm Beast Emperor puppets—this strength was something Xia Hong decided to show to the two vassal states after much deliberation.

At the same level, the Frost Beasts are stronger than humans. The Three-Line Beast King can contend with a fourth-level Tribulation Body Realm expert, which is equivalent to a regional governor. The four Two-Line Beast Kings roughly correspond to the second-level Tribulation Body Realm experts of a regional governor, which is equivalent to those prefects. The remaining seven Single-Line Beast Kings correspond to the most ordinary first-level Tribulation Body Realm experts.

The key point is, these are puppets!
These are puppets that are not afraid of pain or death. Moreover, the puppetry techniques of the Great Xia Dynasty are mysterious enough in the eyes of outsiders. Putting aside whether he has other puppets that are more numerous and stronger, outsiders have no idea what these puppets need to operate or whether they can be repaired.

The unknown represents mystery, and mystery represents power!
Information asymmetry is always the most fatal flaw of Ice Abyss.

With these twelve Beast King-level puppets, the Great Xia's strength is not much inferior to that of the regional military governors at the level of top experts. In fact, the gap between them and the regional military governors is probably only in the middle and lower levels.

“Lord Cai, in the end, it all comes down to strength. I am but a mere Xianyang cultivator. If I had no powerful backing, how could I have dared to provoke Chen Cang first and then offend you, Cai Qiu?”

Cai Qianshan, who was in mid-air, already had a somber expression. Hearing Xia Hong's words, his face became even more grim, and his right hand trembled slightly, as if he was still weighing whether or not to make a move.

"Let me make this clear: all matters in the Southern Foothills region are to be decided by my Great Xia. Neither Chencang nor Caiqiu should interfere. As for today's clash, I will assume that Lord Fang does not know much about my Great Xia. As long as Lord Fang takes everyone from Caiqiu and leaves now, I will not take today's events to heart. Whether the two sides remain on good terms or become enemies, we can send someone to discuss it in detail later, shall we?"

Cai Qianshan's brows twitched slightly. He looked past the Beast King puppet in front of him and focused his gaze on Xia Hong below. He stared at him for a long time without saying a word, clearly still struggling with his inner turmoil.

If we back out today, we'll lose face big time!

Must we really admit that the status of Daxia is equal to that of Caiqiu?

A mere town-level camp in Daxia...

Seeing Cai Qianshan frowning in thought, Xia Hong didn't disturb him. After all, Fang Bo's status was still too high, and it was understandable that Cai Qianshan couldn't bring himself to do it. He would just need to give him more time.

No one spoke, and the atmosphere remained frozen for several breaths before the struggle on Cai Qianshan's face finally slowly disappeared.

He slightly raised his head, looking at the six Beast King puppets blocking his way, suppressed the urge to attack, and tried to keep his voice as calm as possible as he spoke in a low voice:
"Lord Xia, the towns of Wuchuan and Jinshan have a close relationship with me. Since Great Xia has such strength, it would be really inappropriate for me, Cai Qiu, to continue to obstruct it. You may take Wuchuan Town. I will persuade Qin Feng to lead his men away from the southern foothills. However, Great Xia cannot touch Jinshan Town. What do you say?"

………………

Xia Hong's expression froze, and his eyes instantly turned much colder.

"It seems that what I just said was not clear enough, and Cai Fangbo did not understand what I meant. In that case, I will repeat myself..."

His eyes turned cold, and his tone naturally became much harsher. He paused slightly at this point, completely ignoring Cai Qianshan's stiff expression, and continued:
"From now on, there can only be one ruler in the southern foothills region, and that is the Great Xia!"

Xia Hong deliberately raised his voice and emphasized his words, speaking with a powerful and resounding tone. Not only could everyone in the Great Xia army camp hear him, but everyone in the eastern pass city could also hear him.

Upon hearing Xia Hong's domineering declaration, tens of thousands of Xia soldiers were agitated, their faces flushed. Although no one uttered a sound, their heavy breathing conveyed their attitude to Cai Qianshan and Cai Qiu's group.

Xia Chuan and the other Great Xia Xianyang-level warriors were no exception. They looked up at Cai Qianshan, Cai Qiuhu, and the remaining forty-nine Xianyang-level warriors of Cai Qiu. Although they were outnumbered, their pupils showed no fear, only excitement and enthusiasm, even a strong sense of provocation. With the appearance of twelve Beast King-level puppets, Great Xia was now on par with the regional military governors in terms of top-tier combat power. Xia Hong had already told them that the regional military governors could not send troops south at the moment, and in their eyes, the situation in the southern foothills was already settled.

That being the case, what else is there to say?

Cai Qianshan, suspended in mid-air, had a slightly stiff expression. He clearly hadn't expected that Xia Hong would reject his suggestion without even a second thought.

Having held a high position for many years, Cai Qianshan naturally possessed a certain composure. His expression only stiffened for a moment before gradually calming down. He glanced around at the twelve Beast King-level puppets surrounding him, and finally fixed his gaze back on Xia Hong, slowly opening his mouth:

"Lord Xia, twelve Beast King-level puppets are not enough for your Great Xia to stand on equal footing with me, Cai Qiu. As for Chen Cang, forget about it. Without my help, Cai Qiu, your Great Xia alone cannot withstand Chen Cang..."

"Further words are useless. Since Lord Cai is unwilling to give up Jinshan, let's settle this with our actions! Great Xia has been very generous in its gifts. Today is the first time our two families have negotiated, so I, the lord, will not take action against you. We will formally clash on the battlefield in the future!"

Xia Hong had no interest in talking at all. Chu Longteng hadn't shown up at this critical juncture, and Chen Cang's attitude was already very clear. Cai Qianshan still couldn't recognize the situation and wanted to protect Jinshan.

Cai Qiu wanted to protect Jinshan. On the surface, his intention was to plant a seed of war against Da Xia. On the deeper side, he wanted to use Jinshan as a springboard to expand into the southern foothills.

Whimsical!

Xia Hong sneered, waved his hand to recall the twelve Beast King-level puppets, and then waved to Xia Chuan.

"Collect the crossbows and return to camp. All troops shall perform their duties and await the great battle."

"Yes!"

At Xia Chuan's command, tens of thousands of soldiers shouted in unison in response, then quickly put away their crossbows and scattered like a tide.

Xia Hong's decision to take back the puppet and avoid a major battle was actually a gesture of goodwill. After all, among the Transcendent Realm cultivators present today, only Cai Qianshan and Cai Qiuhu were present. If the two sides were to fight, many of the remaining forty-nine Manifestation Realm cultivators would certainly die.

"Humph!"

However, Cai Qianshan was not very appreciative. His cold snort indicated that deep down, he still firmly believed that Great Xia did not have the strength to stand on equal footing with Cai Qiu.

After snorting, he didn't say anything more. Instead, he waved his hand and led Cai Qiuhu and his group directly towards the direction of Aikou City.

"Lord..."

Seeing Cai Qianshan fly towards Aikou City, Xia Chuan's expression changed slightly, and he immediately leaned closer to Xia Hong to say something.

Before he could speak, Xia Hong waved his hand to interrupt him.

“Since Cai Qiu can’t see the situation clearly and refuses to accept reality, then let’s give them a thorough wake-up call first. Keep a close eye on the Bone-Eating Path; proceed with the Pass City as planned. It’s okay if the tunnel’s progress is slightly slower. Right now, the most important thing is…”

At this point, Xia Hong paused slightly, turned his head to look to the northwest, and continued, "Cai Qiu will not give up on the 50,000 troops in Wuchuan; he will definitely use them to his advantage!"

Lord Xia might as well wait and see if the Xia army can take Wuchuan Town. I will come again another day. I hope Lord Xia will still be so confident then.

As soon as Xia Hong finished speaking, Xia Chuan, Yuwen Tao, and the others immediately recalled what Cai Qiuhu had said earlier, and their expressions darkened slightly.

It must be said that, so far, although Cai Qiu has sent quite a few people, including Fangbo Cai Qianshan and Xiao Fangbo Cai Qiuhu, they have not shown many skills. In an environment like the Ice Abyss, the stronger the camp, the more monsters it has subdued and killed. It is only natural that there should be a multitude of strange and wonderful tricks within the vassal state.

It hasn't been used much so far, which can be seen as Cai Qiu not wanting to completely break ties with Da Xia, so he's still holding back a bit.

But after that scene, the situation changed completely.

Chu Tianxu could tolerate being humiliated by Xia Hong in Beishuo City because he had connections; but Cai Qianshan, the governor, was different. As the most powerful person in Caiqiu, his attitude naturally represented the entire Caiqiu region.

Next, the Great Xia will have to see what Cai Qiu is really capable of.

"Xu Ning, go to Donggu City and tell Luo Yuan what happened here. Tell the central army to be on high alert and not give Qin Feng any chance."

"Subordinates take orders!"

"Xia Chuan, the 20,000 elite Xia Army troops are still in Wuchuan Town. You should go there personally to oversee the situation and cooperate with Luo Yuan's troops to prioritize dealing with Qin Feng's 50,000 troops. If there are any unusual movements in Wuchuan Town, you can also take action accordingly. In addition, keep an eye on the Nine-Bend Blood Corridor north of Dongchuan City. Although I am certain that Chencang will not make any further moves, nothing is absolute, so we still need to be wary of them."

"Subordinates take orders!"

Upon capturing Beishuo City, Xia Hong immediately ordered 20,000 Xia troops to return to Dongchuan City ahead of schedule, precisely to guard against Chencang in the north. Since Xia Chuan was sent back to the left wing to oversee the situation, it was natural to remind him to keep a close eye on the Nine-Bend Blood Corridor.

After a moment of contemplation, Xia Hong continued to look at the pass wall on the east side, and sneered, "I will stay here. As long as Cai Qianshan doesn't move, I won't go anywhere. As long as you can deal with Qin Feng's 50,000 troops, we will only need one pass to reach the southern foothills of Dingding."

Upon hearing this, Xia Chuan and Xu Ning's expressions both lifted slightly, and they immediately became much more serious.

Qin Feng's 50,000-strong army is not only related to the gain or loss of Wuchuan Town, but also represents the first round of the game between Daxia and Caiqiu.

Cai Qiuhu's confident words still echoed in their ears. If Qin Feng's 50,000 troops really caused any trouble, the morale of the Jinshan garrison in Aikou City would surely be greatly boosted, which would undoubtedly increase the difficulty for Yuwen Tao's right-wing army to attack the city.

Although the twelve Beast King-level puppets were powerful, they were not enough for the Great Xia to disregard everything. At least, when Cai Qianshan was surrounded by six Beast Kings, although his face was solemn, he did not show much fear.

Who knows what else Cai Qiu is holding in his hands?
However, if Cai Qianshan had methods he didn't use, does that mean the lord doesn't have any?

Looking back on the journey of the Great Xia Dynasty, when has Xia Hong not been a master strategist who calculated everything clearly?
This time, of course, will be no exception!
Thinking of this, everyone's spirits immediately lifted.

Xia Chuan and Xu Ning bowed to Xia Hong and took their leave, then quickly headed northwest.

(End of this chapter)