Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 550 Red Tiger Ridge, Zhang Yiqing's Anxiety
Changqing Valley is located south of Mo'ao Mountain and runs in a north-south direction. The valley is more than 200 kilometers deep and has an average width of more than 40 kilometers on both the east and west sides.

Qinghua City is located at the northern entrance of the valley, while the Bone-Eroding Path is at the deepest point on the southern side. The two places, one in the north and one in the south, sandwich the entire Changqing Valley area in the middle.

Caiqiu mobilized a total of 20 troops this time. Qinghua City alone certainly couldn't provide that many people, so they had to be mobilized from the four major prefecture cities and even Caiqiu town.

Two hundred thousand soldiers gathered from all over the country, first assembled in Qinghua City, then entered Changqing Valley, and marched south to the Erosion Road. Finally, they passed through the Erosion Road and arrived at the southern foot of the mountain before they could begin to fight the Xia army.

The speed of an army's march is affected by many factors, such as the size of the army, the environment, climate, the quality of the roads, whether there are cunning tactics used, the planning ability of the commanding general, and whether the soldiers have received such training on a regular basis, etc.

Of the many factors that affect marching speed, roads must be the most significant.

With their strength at the Cold Resistance level, most of the roads in the Ice Abyss would be no problem for them, even without any repairs. However, an army is an organization that acts collectively, unlike individuals. They can't let all the soldiers run wild like untamed horses.

Moreover, when marching, it's not just people who move; the real bulk of the work is the military supplies such as provisions, equipment, and more. In some ways, these supplies are even more important than the soldiers themselves, and any problems with them are major issues, so no carelessness is allowed.

Military supplies are usually loaded with manpower-carried wagons, which places higher demands on the roads.

However, Changqing Valley is precisely the area that Caiqiu neglects the most. Apart from a small area in the north near Qinghua City where a road has been built and maintained, the roads in other places are in a terrible state.

If the roads are bad, it's naturally difficult to march quickly.

…………

In the central part of Changqing Valley, there is a mountain range running north to south. To its north, an oval-shaped giant peak rises high, resembling a tiger's head. The middle part meanders and stretches for more than 20 miles, like a slightly arched tiger's back. At its southern end, there is a winding ravine, like a long tail, hence the name Chihu Ridge (Red Tiger Ridge).

Chihu Ridge is located in the middle of Changqing Valley and is not particularly famous. There are five villages in the whole area: Hushou, Tieqiu, Zhonggu, Xiaqiu, and Huwei, all of which are located on the west side of the ridge.

The most well-known aspect of Chihu Ridge is probably that when Qinghua City planned to build the official road in Changqing Valley, the end point happened to be here.

The roads that Qinghua City was willing to expend the effort to mobilize laborers to build were of extraordinary quality. Not to mention the various types of timber, stone, and iron used in their construction, the county guards were also dispatched to maintain them on a daily basis, making the investment quite substantial.

Investment is for returns. The construction of roads in Qinghua City was ultimately for the purpose of seizing resources. Usually, the extent to which roads were built indicated the extent of the jurisdiction of the regional military governor.

Although Chihu Ridge only has five villages, it unexpectedly became a trading hub for all the villages in the southern part of Changqing Valley because it is located at the end of the official road. Therefore, it is not well-known in the north, but it is a famous place in the south.

Especially in the southernmost village of Huwei, all the villages in the south that want to buy better cultivation resources or barter basically have to come here.

The villages in the southern part of Changqing Valley were not valued by Qinghua City. They were weak and had no scarce resources. Coming to Huwei Village was, to put it nicely, a transaction, but to put it bluntly, a request for help.

Those who come to Huwei Village all need something from them, so Huwei Village's status has naturally risen. They may not be anything in the north, and they are like ants in the eyes of Qinghua City, but in the eyes of the major villages in the south, they are definitely the overlords.

Under such circumstances, Zhang Yiqing, as the leader of Huwei Village, lived a...

How comfortable it was, you don't need to guess.

Huwei Village has a population of 80,000, making it one of the largest villages in Changqing Valley. The most common surnames in the village are Hu and Zhang.

Originally, the Hu family was more powerful than the Zhang family, as the previous leader was surnamed Hu. However, the situation changed drastically ten years ago when Zhang Kuang, the head of the Zhang family, became the deputy commander of the Qinghua City Guard.

The Caiqiu military system stipulated that the commander-in-chief was in charge of an army of two thousand men, which was divided into four battalions: front, center, left, and right, each with five hundred men. The front, left, and right battalions were each led by three captains. The central army was the most special. In name, it was directly under the command of the commander-in-chief, but since the commander-in-chief was the head of the army, he would not spend too much energy leading it. Therefore, the central army was usually managed by the deputy commander-in-chief.

Zhang Kuang's experiences can be described as legendary. His deeds have long been known to everyone in Huwei Village, and even many people in the other four villages of Chihu Ridge have heard of them.

He became famous at a young age, breaking through to the Cold Resistance level at the age of eighteen. He had extremely high martial arts talent and lofty ambitions. He went to Qinghua City to make a living early on. In his early twenties, he was noticed by a nobleman and entered a wealthy family to work as a servant.

It is said that Zhang Kuang worked diligently and conscientiously in the nobleman's mansion for more than ten years. Seeing that he was down-to-earth and loyal, the nobleman gave him an opportunity to participate in the selection of the Qinghua City County Guard.

When the opportunity came, Zhang Kuang seized it. At the age of thirty-four, he not only successfully passed the selection but also ranked among the top ten. As soon as he entered the army, he started working as a squad leader.

For the next ten years or so, Zhang Kuang performed exceptionally well in the army. With the support of influential figures around him, his strength grew stronger and stronger, and his position rose steadily. He went from squad leader to scout, to deputy captain, and then to captain. Ten years ago, he was promoted to deputy commander-in-chief, successfully joining the ranks of the military's high-ranking officers. He also gained noble status and became a prominent figure in Qinghua City.

When one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.

The Zhang clan had been encroaching on the village's power as Zhang Kuang's status rose. Ten years ago, when Zhang Kuang was promoted to deputy commander, the Hu clan chief was so frightened that he immediately relinquished his position as leader.

At that time, Zhang Yiqing took over the leadership position.

Zhang Kuang had more than thirty grandsons, and Zhang Yiqing was one of them, but he was not the one who received much attention.

Thinking about it, it makes sense. Given Zhang Kuang's current status in Qinghua City, if he were someone he valued, why would he come to a small place like Huwei Village? He could easily get a position in the Qinghua City government office, which would be more comfortable than living here.

Therefore, Zhang Yiqing was unhappy when he first came to Huwei Village.

No matter how unhappy he was, he had no choice but to obey his family's arrangements.

The Zhang family was originally just an unknown small family in Huwei Village, but ever since Grandpa Zhang Kuang entered the ranks of the elite and gained a foothold in Qinghua City, the Zhang family has risen to prominence and begun to act like the wealthy and powerful families in Qinghua City.

To put it bluntly, he came to Huwei Village to manage the family's external businesses. Huwei Village's annual income was only about 200,000 taels. After deducting the portion to be handed over to the local government, the remaining amount was at most 50,000 taels.

The Zhang family has only been in power for a short time and cannot compare to other wealthy and powerful families. Even a small gain is still a gain, so they naturally want to make the most of it and sent a member of their own family to help them.

Zhang Yiqing came with mixed feelings, constantly thinking about returning to Qinghua City. How he would get back to Qinghua City would depend on his performance.

Since he was managing the family's external businesses, if he wanted to go back, he would naturally have to deliver a satisfactory answer to the clan leader, his grandfather Zhang Kuang.

To put it bluntly, it's about sending more money back to the clan. In the past, it was only 50,000 taels a year, so I'll send more back, and more each year, so that I can get my grandfather's attention.

With this mindset, when Zhang Yiqing arrived in Huwei Village ten years ago, he naturally racked his brains to make money.

Tiger Tail Village itself has no special products; its biggest source of income is trade with major villages in the south.

Tiger Tail Village travels to and from Qinghua City via the official road, purchasing finished cultivation resources from the city and exchanging them with the more valuable basic resources, as well as iron, coal, and other supplies, from the villages to the south.

The problem is that the villages in the south are poorer and weaker. The types and amounts of supplies that can be extracted from them each year are basically the same. How can production be increased for no reason?

Zhang Yiqing was a resourceful man, and he quickly came up with two solutions: human trafficking and taking a cut from the status of people classified as "lowly".

The buying and selling of people is easy to understand. It involves bringing attractive young men and women, or young men and women, from villages in the south, bringing them into slavery, selling them to brokers in the city, and then having them resell them to wealthy families in the city.

As for the commission from the lowly status, it involves using registration as bait to lure people into the lowly status, then introducing those registered to the city or to important places in Changqing Valley, and then taking a cut of the money these people earn.

Both of these methods are actually somewhat illegal, but Changqing Valley itself is not valued by the warlords. Furthermore, even if it means entering the slave or lowly status, most of the unregistered people in Changqing Valley are eager to do so. Occasionally there might be a few troublemakers, but as long as they are dealt with properly, there will be no problem at all.

In this way, Zhang Yiqing's goal of generating revenue was indeed achieved.

In the first year, Huwei Village's income increased by 20%, reaching 60,000 taels. It continued to increase by 10% every year thereafter. Last year, which was the 299th year of the Caiqiu calendar, the income for the whole year reached as high as 150,000 taels.

It should be noted that this is the revenue that belongs solely to the Zhang family, after deducting the portion that is paid to the local authorities.

Zhang Yiqing's performance was remarkable, and his status in the clan naturally rose day by day. Until two years ago, he finally caught the eye of his grandfather, Zhang Kuang, who promised him that if he served for another year, the clan would send someone to Huwei Village to take over his position.

As for his new assignment, he is to join the law enforcement team in Qinghua City.

Zhang Yiqing was overjoyed to learn of his grandfather's arrangements for him.

The leader of Huwei Village sounds impressive, but compared to the law enforcement team of Qinghua City, he's nothing.

His cousin, Zhang Yiping, became the captain of the law enforcement team. Every month, his regular salary alone amounted to five hundred taels of silver, not to mention the extra profits he made. His annual income was at least thirty thousand taels of silver.

It's true that he earned 150,000 taels for the clan in a year, but that belonged to the clan. The amount he actually received was at most 7,000 or 8,000 taels. If you add in what he earned on his own, his annual income would at most be over 10,000 taels.

Income is secondary; status is the key!
Once you join the law enforcement team in Qinghua City, even if you're just an ordinary member, you're still a minor official in the vassal state. With an official title, you're superior to everyone else, and as long as you don't do anything reckless and offend those high-ranking officials, you can rest easy from then on.

With his grandfather's guarantee, Zhang Yiqing naturally worked even harder in his final year, managing to increase his income by another 20%.

At the end of last year, he waited anxiously for the clan's summons, his eyes practically weary from waiting.

But instead of being summoned, on the first day of the first lunar month, Grandpa Zhang Kuang arrived in person!

"Caiqiu is about to wage war, and speed is of the essence. Everything must be done quickly. However, the official road in Changqing Valley has only been built up to your section. When the city lord found out, he was furious and immediately dismissed the heads of the three departments of jurisdiction, civil affairs, and finance, and appointed three new heads. The three new heads of the three departments worked overnight to formulate a new plan, conscripting laborers from the entire Changqing Valley to clear the snow-covered roads for the army to advance south..."

Zhang Yiqing trembled upon hearing the news brought by his grandfather, Zhang Kuang.

The head of the six departments of Qinghua City was a figure even more important than my grandfather, Zhang Kuang. City Lord Cai Yunzhou dismissed him without a second thought. Cai Qiu wanted to wage war against foreign forces, and his army was going to march south. Who was he going to deal with?

Although he was confused by the news, he still managed to grasp the key information: Cai Yunzhou was furious because the official road to Changqing Valley had only been built up to Huwei Village.

Zhang Yiqing actually knew a little about the construction of the official road in Changqing Valley. He had heard that the city lord Cai Yunzhou had planned the entire area, but later, the Ministry of Finance said that there was no money, and the heads of the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Finance said that Changqing Valley was a barren land and it was unnecessary to spend a lot of money and grain to build an official road. Cai Yunzhou could not persuade him, so only half of it was built and it stopped at Huwei Village.

Now a major event has occurred: Cai Qiu is about to launch a military campaign, but the incomplete construction of the official road has made it difficult for the army to march south. Cai Yunzhou's fury is understandable and justified.

To write three major works in one go is a bit too exaggerated.

Zhang Yiqing later learned the reason from his grandfather, Zhang Kuang.

Cai Qiu suffered a great loss while away from home. It is said that he fought against a vassal state in the south called Da Xia and lost over a hundred Xianyang-level warriors. Even the regional governor lost face.

Upon hearing this news, Zhang Yiqing was completely stunned.

The four vassal states of Mo'aochuan have fought wars for decades, but this is the first time that over a hundred Xianyang-level warriors have died in one go.

No matter how uneasy he was, he could only do as his grandfather instructed.

To be precise, it wasn't Grandpa's order either.

No sooner had Zhang Kuang arrived than the new leaders of the three departments of Qinghua City arrived, bringing with them the same orders that Grandpa had given: to immediately conscript laborers to clear the snow-covered roads in preparation for welcoming the army.

Zhang Yiqing quickly threw himself into the matter, hastily conscripting laborers from the village starting at the beginning of January. As for the four surrounding villages, they had already been notified one by one.

Chihu Ridge mobilized 80,000 laborers in one go. Only after Zhang Yiqing truly got involved in the matter did he realize that the entire Changqing Valley was in motion.

On the night of the second day of the first lunar month, just after they finished clearing the snow tracks, Cai Qiu's southward army arrived immediately!

The massive army of 200,000 men marched swiftly forward. Seeing their imposing and magnificent military might, and combined with the information his grandfather had shared, Zhang Yiqing's heart pounded.

For Cai Qiu to be so on high alert, just how powerful must that vassal state called Da Xia be?

The key question is, with hundreds of Xianyang-level warriors, they can be killed without hesitation. Can sending an army of 200,000 guarantee a sure victory?
(End of this chapter)