Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 535 The Five Sons of the Chu Family: Covert Struggle and Overt Exposure
The first day of the first month of the thirteenth year of the Great Xia Dynasty
Just as Xia Hong's first formal negotiation with Cai Qianshan broke down, five figures stood in the clouds two kilometers west of Aikou City.

The five of them were shrouded in a thin layer of white mist. The cold wind blew through them without causing their clothes to flutter in the slightest. The birds that occasionally flew by in the sky completely ignored them.

"Lord Fangbo's method of concealing his aura is simply divine. Not to mention Xia Hong, even though they were only two kilometers apart, Cai Qianshan didn't notice him at all."

"Although Xia Hong is only at the Manifestation Yang level, his basic strength is over 240 jun, which is no less than that of a second-stage Tribulation Body Realm cultivator! Among the five of us, I'm afraid none of us can defeat him."

“That’s right. I remember Cai Qiuhu is at the second stage of the Tribulation Realm. Not only did Xia Hong withstand his attack, but he was also able to launch a counterattack. If Cai Qianshan hadn’t interrupted him just now, I estimate that Cai Qiuhu would have lost all face today.”

…………

"This Xia Hong is indeed no ordinary person!"

As soon as the middle-aged man holding a sword on the left spoke, the other four immediately turned to look at him.

"Third brother, were you scared in Beishuo City?"

"I heard that Xia Hong only brought out two single-level Five Elements Realm Beast King puppets. It shouldn't have been difficult for you to protect Yang Zun with your full strength, but you were scared away by him. You've really disgraced Chencang!"

The middle-aged man holding the sword was none other than Chu Tianxu, who had been frightened away by Xia Hong in Beishuo City. Upon hearing the words of the two men on his right, his brows furrowed slightly, and a gloomy look flashed in his eyes.

"Third Brother's retreat from Beishuo City is for the long-term benefit of our vassal state. The most pressing issue for Chencang right now is dealing with those monsters in the Blood Miasma Plain. How can we let a mere Great Xia cause us to make a mistake?"

Seeing that the third brother, Chu Tianxu, did not speak, the fourth brother, Chu Tianmang, responded on his behalf.

"The monsters of the Blood Miasma Plains have retreated. Now, how do we deal with them? The Nine-Bend Blood Corridor has been ceded. Now is the time to march south. If the monsters counterattack, we'll focus on dealing with them. If they don't, we'll take the opportunity to bring the entire southern foothills into our territory. This way, we can kill two birds with one stone and also help our third brother get revenge. Wouldn't that be better?"

The two men who spoke earlier on the right were also middle-aged; they were Chu Tianming, the eldest son of Chu Longteng, the governor of Chencang, and Chu Tianhe, the second son.

Chu Tianming, who was positioned slightly forward, looked more mature. He held a silver-gray long spear in his hand, and his brows revealed a fierce look. When he spoke, he carried an undeniable domineering air.

After asking a final question, Chu Tianming turned to look at his fourth brother, Chu Tianmang, his face clearly showing displeasure and disgust.

Standing behind him, Chu Tianhe's eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a shrewdness. Noticing his elder brother's gaze, he immediately smiled and chimed in, "Third brother didn't even say anything, yet you, fourth brother, are more anxious than him. Anyone who didn't know better would think that your position as prefect was bestowed upon you by third brother."

Upon hearing this, Chu Tianmang's face immediately flushed with anger, and he stepped forward, clearly preparing to retort to Chu Tianhe.

But before he could speak, Chu Tianxu spoke first.

"Eldest brother, second brother, there's no need to be in such a hurry. I was just giving our father and uncle a suggestion. Whether they listen or not is their business. Didn't you already tell them your thoughts? They'll decide what to do. What's the point of arguing with me like this?"

After saying this, Chu Tianxu gave his fourth brother a look, then took a step back with him and said nothing more.

Chu Tianmang clearly listened to his third brother. Seeing this, he took a breath and immediately retreated as well.

Seeing the two of them adopting this stance of advancing and retreating together, Chu Tianming's eyes were filled with gloom. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he held back and turned to give his second brother, Chu Tianmang, a look.

Chu Tianmang understood immediately and looked at Chu Tianxu and the other man with a cold smile: "The warlords are all saying that although the third and fourth brothers are not from the same mother, they are like brothers. I used to think it was just a joke, but now it seems to be true. Fourth brother, your father and uncle are in their prime, and you've already started to rely on the third brother so early. You've got quite a few ideas."

"Third Brother would rather suffer humiliation than ruin the great cause of the vassal state. This is choosing righteousness over personal gain, and I naturally agree with it. I, Chu Tianmang, am devoted to the vassal state and only wish for Chencang to become stronger and stronger. I have never thought of siding with anyone!"

Chu Tianmang finally couldn't hold back any longer. Of the five brothers, only the eldest and second eldest were born of the same mother. His mother was not the same as that of his third brother Chu Tianxu and his fifth brother Chu Tianba. Although they had a good relationship, they were not as close as the eldest and second eldest brothers.

Thinking of this, he paused, looked at Chu Tianhe and continued with a cold smile: "Besides, the eldest brother is like a father. With our father and uncle gone, the eldest brother is our father and uncle. You can say such things. When it comes to finding a backer, in the whole of Chencang, who can compare to you, second brother?"

Chu Tianhe's face flushed red instantly at the mockery, his pupils fixed on the fourth brother, Chu Tianmang, his face full of anger.

He had said this in a very private setting, but since the regional governors could not keep anything from the governor, it quickly reached the ears of his father and uncle, Chu Longteng.

This statement wasn't actually a big problem. After hearing it, his father, Chu Longteng, praised him highly, saying that he was polite, knew proper etiquette, and had the demeanor of a virtuous younger brother.

Originally, there was nothing wrong with arriving here, but the problem arose later. Father Uncle Chu Longteng said that this statement would help strengthen the concept of seniority in Chencang, so he ordered that the phrase "eldest brother is like father" be widely publicized, making it known to everyone in Chencang.

Ordinary people at the bottom wouldn't think much of it, but it's a different story for those at the top.

Chu Tianhe said that his father and uncle Chu Longteng were in their prime, but this statement was actually a bit problematic. Chu Longteng was already 352 years old this year. Compared with the other three regional governors of Mo'aochuan, he was indeed in his prime, but in terms of lifespan, he was already quite old.

The lifespan of a Xianyang-level cultivator is 200 years, and it becomes 300 years after breaking through to the first stage of the Tribulation Realm. After that, it increases by 50 years for each subsequent stage. Therefore, the lifespan of a cultivator at the fourth stage of the Tribulation Realm is at most 450 years. Based on this calculation, my father, Uncle Chu Longteng, probably has more than 90 years of lifespan left.

Although he was in his prime, it was time to consider the next governor.

In recent years, in particular, Fu Wanhe, the governor of Hecang, has been staying at home and entrusting the affairs of the prefecture to his three sons; Cai Qianshan, the governor of Caiqiu, has also promoted his youngest son, Cai Qiuhu, to the position of junior governor. The fact that the two prefectures have begun to select the next governor has undoubtedly had some impact on Chencang.

The succession systems of the four vassal states differed, but Chencang was the one that emphasized the order of seniority the most. Therefore, when such matters concerning the succession of the regional governorship stirred up trouble, Chu Tianming, the eldest son, undoubtedly became the center of the storm.

In Chu Tianming's view, the next Fangbo can only be himself, after all, the rule of seniority in Chencang was personally established by his father and uncle Chu Longteng many years ago.

But over the past two decades, he has gradually realized that something is wrong.

The father and uncle clearly favored the third son, Chu Tianxu. Even though he helped the father and uncle remove the former Taiyi, Chen Lixin, it didn't seem to change the trend. Even when Xue Zijing from the outer region took over as Taiyi and proposed to reform the system, the father and uncle supported him, but everyone in Chencang opposed it. Only the third son, Chu Tianxu, agreed with the father and uncle and strongly supported the reform. As a result, the father and uncle valued him even more.

Chu Tianming immediately felt a sense of crisis. Even though he knew that the next governorship might be a hundred years away, or even further away if his father and uncles took another step forward, how could he ignore these situations?
Thus began a power struggle between the five brothers.

Chu Tianming and his second brother, Chu Tianhe, were born of the same mother and naturally belonged to the same faction, so they stood together from the start. Chu Tianhe's statement that the eldest brother was like a father was actually a way of showing loyalty to his elder brother while simultaneously subtly criticizing their father and uncle, reminding them not to forget the rules he had established.

But once the word got out, the meaning changed.

Chu Tianhe's surrender to Chu Tianming so early, despite being from the same mother, was a bit too hasty. Moreover, his words were rather nauseating, which naturally drew veiled criticism from many high-ranking officials.

What was originally meant as a veiled insult has now been openly declared by the fourth brother, Chu Tianmang, making it a blatant humiliation.

"Fourth brother, if you have the guts, say what you just said again!"

Chu Tianhe already disliked the fourth brother, Chu Tianmang, and now, provoked by him, his anger surged. As he asked the question, he drew his long sword from his waist, as if he would immediately fight him if he dared to say another word.

However, both were at the second stage of the Tribulation Body Realm, their cultivation levels were roughly equal. Although they had never fought, they knew each other's strengths and weaknesses. How could Chu Tianmang be intimidated by him? Moreover, he disliked his second brother, who was fond of currying favor and scheming. Hearing this, he sneered and spoke directly:

"Second Brother, are you hard of hearing? Fine, then I'll say it again: when it comes to finding a powerful backer, in the entire Chencang region, who can compare to you, Second Brother?"

"you wanna die!"

Chu Tianhe gave a low, deep shout and drew his long sword from his waist with a whoosh...

"Second brother, what do you want to do?"

However, just as he was about to draw his sword and charge forward, a voice came from above, interrupting him.

Although the voice was calm and steady, it carried a powerful and intimidating force. Chu Tianhe almost instinctively sheathed his longsword and bowed down to the sky.

As for Chu Tianming and the other three, they had already bowed their heads in worship.

"You're all over two hundred years old, and you're fighting over some ridiculous nonsense. You're really getting worse as you get older. If you really think you're so capable, then don't even think about this chair of mine. If you've got the guts, go and make your own way in the world. Not to mention that I'm far from dead, even if I were to die in an accident one day, with your abilities, the Chen family could eat you alive, leaving not even a bone fragment. Hmph!"

"Father, forgive me!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Tianming and the other four trembled slightly, their already lowered heads drooping even further as they hurriedly and fearfully begged for forgiveness.

Chu Longteng never showed himself; he seemed to be far away. Seeing his five sons bowing their heads in apology, he remained silent for a long time before finally asking, "How did it go with my order to keep an eye on Xia Hong and Cai Qianshan?"

Chu Tianming immediately replied, "As my father and uncles expected, Xia Hong has more than two Beast King-level puppets. He brought out a total of twelve, including one of the Three Ranks level. Although Cai Qianshan was shocked, he refused to submit to the Great Xia and retreated back to Aikou City. It seems that he wants to use Jinshan and Wuchuan towns to continue fighting against the Great Xia."

"It's not surprising. Cai Qianshan is too petty. How could he be willing to hand over the two towns of Jinshan and Wuchuan to the Great Xia? Let's just watch the two families fight it out in the southern foothills!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Tianming immediately said with a look of urgency, "Father and Uncle, since Cai Qianshan is unwilling to make peace with the Great Xia, isn't this a great opportunity for us? The miasma of the Nine-Bend Blood Corridor has receded, and we can directly send a large army south to expand from Dongchuan City. If we are too late, won't the entire southern foothills region become Cai Qiu's territory?"

Seeing that his father and uncle did not respond, Chu Tianming continued, "Regardless of whether the shrinking miasma is a sinister conspiracy, we can use it. Chen Cang is currently waging war against the Blood Miasma Plain. The Great Xia is of average strength, and Cai Qiu is blocking our way. We only need to spare a small portion..."

“Brother, if I, Chen Cang, were to intervene in the southern border region, Cai Qiu would no longer continue to fight against the Great Xia. Cai Qianshan is just petty, he's not stupid!”

Chu Tianxu couldn't stand it anymore and interrupted Chu Tianming directly.

Upon hearing this, Chu Tianming immediately retorted, "If we don't intervene, and Cai Qiu truly incorporates the southern foothills into its territory, Chencang will be facing enemies on two fronts. Cai Qiu has finally run out of room for expansion, and the southern foothills have such a large population and so many resources, plus the Great Xia, which conservatively has over 200,000 Cold-Resistant level cultivators. If Cai Qianshan were to take all of this over..."

How powerful must Cai Qiu be to swallow up everything in the southern region?
Moreover, Cai Qianshan's intention in confronting Da Xia was not to occupy the entire southern foothills region. He simply wanted to plant a nail in the southern foothills region, and now he has added another item: to regain some face by targeting Xia Hong.

Even assuming Cai Qiu truly wanted to conquer Da Xia, would Chen Cang agree?
Chu Tianxu did not say these words aloud.

He finally understood. His elder brother, Chu Tianming, might not be unaware of these things, but the suggestion to sit back and watch the tigers fight was his own. If his father and uncle agreed, it would mean they supported him. Chu Tianming had obviously seen this, which was why he deliberately voiced his opposition.

In other words, he wasn't ignorant; he was opposing for the sake of opposing.

Since that's the case, what else can he say?

His father and uncles were wise enough not to let him act recklessly.

But what Chu Longteng said next completely surprised him.

"Tianming, since you are determined to take over the Nanlu territory, then let's do it your way! All the army's expenses and provisions will be provided by your Heyang County. I will not interfere with how you deal with Caiqiu and Daxia. I only ask one thing: don't let Chencang suffer any losses. What do you say?"

Chu Tianxu was taken aback upon hearing this and immediately prepared to object.

"it is good!"

But before he could speak, his elder brother, Chu Tianming, gave the answer first.

"Don't agree yet, I have something else to say. If you take the lead in this matter and handle it well, I will follow Cai Qianshan's example and appoint you as a junior governor. But if you don't handle it well and Chencang suffers a loss, then from now on you can forget about the governorship. How about that?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Tianming's expression froze.

Chu Tianhe, Chu Tianxu, Chu Tianmang, and even the fifth brother Chu Tianba, who hadn't said a word from beginning to end, all had slight changes in their expressions at this moment.

The scene froze instantly.

(End of this chapter)