Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 573 Liang Hengzhang, Negotiation
"Father, do you want to cease hostilities with Cai Qiu?"

After Yuwen Tao led his men away, only Xia Hong's family remained in the tent. Xia Yuyao suddenly spoke softly and asked a question.

Xia Hong turned to look at his eldest daughter with interest and nodded, saying, "What is it? What do you want to say?"

During his time back on the southern slope, he always kept Li Xuanling and her two children by his side. Xia Yuyao was present at most of the major battles and meetings that took place. It was not that he wanted to stop the fighting, but rather that he took the initiative to speak up at this time, which meant that he had something else to say.

Xia Yuyao lowered her head and pondered for a moment, then looked up at him and said crisply, "Our biggest enemy right now is Chencang. Caiqiu has the support of two vassal states and is not in danger of being overthrown. They themselves must be very clear about this. The Taiyi is taking the initiative to come to us in a polite manner at this time, and his intention to seek peace is very obvious. However, I think he will definitely not say that he is here to seek peace. He will most likely say that he is here to negotiate peace, and then make many demands for Father to agree to him."

The eldest daughter actually thought of this!

A hint of surprise rose in Xia Hong's heart, but he maintained a calm expression on his face and nodded, asking, "What do you think he will ask for, A Yao?"

"Releasing prisoners of war and returning territory are the most basic requirements. If we go too far, we might have to pay compensation. Ayao guesses that Liang Hengzhang will definitely bring up Weibo and Hezang to put pressure on our Great Xia by leveraging the power of the two vassal states."

Even Li Xuanling was a little uneasy. However, she was quite composed and showed no emotion on her face. But from the way she turned her head, it was clear that she was also quite shocked by her daughter's words.

"Then, Ah Yao, please teach Father how to deal with this Liang Hengzhang?"

“Father must have a plan, why would he need A Yao to teach him? But what A Yao wants to say is that in the entire Mo Ao Chuan, there are currently two camps, Chen Cang and the Three Feudatories. Obviously, the Three Feudatories are stronger. Although Chen Cang dares to attack Cai Qiu, it would never dare to declare war on the entire Three Feudatories. Our Great Xia is currently lacking in strength and needs a lot of time to develop. If the four feudatories of Mo Ao Chuan are pacified, they will probably turn their attention to the southern foothills, which is our Great Xia.”

Upon hearing this, Xia Hong's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a serious expression. His initial critical attitude abruptly ended, and he began to seriously consider his daughter's words.

The daughter realized that he was very keen to end the war and was even willing to give up some of the benefits he had already gained, which is why she said those words.

In essence, what my daughter said boils down to one point:
At this point, ceasing hostilities would give Caiqiu a chance to catch their breath and concentrate on resisting Chencang's attack. The other two vassal states could then put some pressure on Chencang. If Chencang's subsequent battles go poorly, and Chu Longteng decides to stop fighting and turns his attention to Da Xia, what should Da Xia do?
Would the Three Feudatories care about the fate of Great Xia?
It's even possible that the Three Feudatories, together with Chencang, could divide and devour Great Xia.

Xia Hong's expression suddenly turned serious. He had only thought of ending the war with Cai Qiu. If his daughter hadn't reminded him, he really wouldn't have thought of the follow-up.

"The four vassal states of Mo'aochuan cannot cease hostilities, at the very least we cannot allow the relations between the two major camps to ease. We have offended Caiqiu too badly, making it difficult for us to side with the three vassal states. But in Chencang, relations are not too strained yet, and the three vassal states happen to be powerful, so we..."

Li Xuanling then spoke up, but before she could finish, Xia Hong waved her hand to interrupt her. Seeing Xia Hong nod towards the outside of the tent, she immediately understood and didn't continue speaking.

"My lord, Yuwen Tao has brought Cai Qiu's envoy to request an audience."

"Come in!"

Not long after Xia Hong finished speaking, Yuwen Tao walked in from outside the tent first. Behind him, besides Yuan Cheng, Qiu Peng, Luo Yuan and others, there was also a new face.

The man was dressed in a blue brocade robe, with a refined and scholarly appearance. His full head of black hair was tied up with a white silk cloth and secured with a silver hairpin, without any other accessories, making him look clean and neat.

A faint smile played on his lips, and his two seemingly luminous pupils, after a brief glance around the room, immediately focused on Xia Hong.

However, he only paused for a moment. Before Yuwen Tao and the others could speak, he took a step forward, bowed to Xia Hong, and said, "Envoy from the outer vassal state, Cai Qiu Taiyi Liang Hengzhang, pays respects to the Lord of Great Xia!"

Seeing Liang Hengzhang's current posture, Xia Hong's expression did not change, but he was undoubtedly very satisfied.

Daxia is merely a town-level camp, at least for now. Logically, as a regional governor, Liang Hengzhang shouldn't have performed such a grand ceremony, but he did it anyway. On one hand, it acknowledged Daxia's strength, and on the other hand, it represented his goodwill.

It seems my daughter was right; she really did come to seek peace.

No... this is supposed to be a case of diplomacy first, then force!

Xia Hong suddenly understood the reason for Liang Hengzhang's posture. He raised an eyebrow slightly, smiled, and asked, "At this time of war between the two towns, what advice does Liang Taiyi have for us, coming alone?"

Without giving Liang Hengzhang a chance to continue speaking, Xia Hong went straight to the point and asked him about his purpose in coming here.

Liang Hengzhang did not show much surprise on his face, as if he had expected it. He stood up, cupped his hands and smiled, "The foreign envoy has come here for two reasons: first, to point out a clear path for Lord Xia, and second, to negotiate peace."

"Oh...Minglu?"

Xia Hong pretended not to understand and looked down at him curiously.

With a smile on his lips, Liang Hengzhang immediately said, "Chen Cang's 100,000 troops are still stationed in Dongchuan City. Great Xia doesn't have many troops available, otherwise they wouldn't have been so slow to send reinforcements to Changqing Valley. To be honest, Lord Xia, our three vassal states intend to negotiate peace with Chen Cang. The war in Linchu County will probably be over soon. Once the war in Linchu County is over, Chen Cang's next target will probably be Great Xia."

Are you trying to fool me?

Xia Hong chuckled inwardly and raised an eyebrow, saying, "The Three Feudatories are negotiating peace with Chencang. So, Governor Cai intends to hand over Linchu County to Chencang?"

"Of course not. With the pressure from the Three Feudatories, even if Chu Longteng has great abilities, he can only return Linchu County, including the territory that Da Xia has now occupied. He can only return it to Caiqiu in its entirety."

"What arrogance! The territory that my Great Xia has swallowed is not going to be spat out!"

"Arrogant! The armies of Hezang and Weibo are on their own borders, not even in your Caiqiu territory. You think you can fool us with such a paltry trick?"

"Return it to you exactly as it is? You're quite arrogant. How many more troops can you, Cai Qiu, send to Changqing Valley?"

…………

Clearly provoked by Liang Hengzhang's confident demeanor, Yuan Cheng, Qiu Peng, Luo Yuan, and others responded angrily before Xia Hong, who was seated in the main seat, could speak.

The entire main tent was instantly filled with a surge of energy, and the atmosphere became extremely tense.

Xia Hong didn't speak, but the smile that had been on his face suddenly faded, and he stared straight at Liang Hengzhang, waiting for his response.

Liang Hengzhang was also at the Tribulation Realm, though only at the first stage. However, the spectacle inside the Great Xia main tent did not frighten him. Even though the three miniature cold beasts behind Xia Hong were stirring, he remained unfazed.

"Lord Xia, the southern slopes have just returned, and the territory of Great Xia has increased several times over. The most urgent task is to digest this new land, develop our strength, and lay the foundation for establishing a vassal state, rather than fighting a bitter war with my Caiqiu over this barren land of Changqing Valley. The reason why Chencang's 100,000 troops are not moving is because their main focus is on Linchu. Once Chencang is free to deal with this, Lord Xia, do you think Great Xia can hold onto Beishuo, Wuchuan, or even the newly acquired five northern towns?"

Xia Hong's eyes immediately lowered, and he turned to look at Qiu Peng. Qiu Peng had brought back new information from Xia Chuan last night: the rebels in the five northern towns had repeatedly stirred up trouble, and Xia Chuan had already dispatched half of the Dongchuan army to suppress them. Who would believe that Chen Cang wasn't involved in this?

Therefore, Liang Hengzhang's words hit the nail on the head.

Chen Cang's 100,000 troops can cause so much trouble without moving an army. If they really decide to take action against the Great Xia, will the rebels hidden in the Five Garrisons let go of such a good opportunity?

The rise of the Great Xia Dynasty was still too short. Although it swallowed up the five northern towns in one go, there were still great dangers hidden in it. If it was not handled properly, a good thing might turn into a bad thing.

"Liang Taiyi just said that he would point out a clear path for my Great Xia. Could it be that he wants me to withdraw my troops and make peace with Caiqiu?"

"Of course!"

Seeing that Xia Hong had seen through his thoughts, Liang Hengzhang made no attempt to hide his intentions and gave an affirmative answer directly. He then continued, "The Xia army has withdrawn from Changqing Valley and will use the Bone-Eating Path as the boundary with my Caiqiu. From now on, our two families will be friendly neighbors. My Caiqiu can act as an intermediary to have the Great Xia and the Wei Bohe Cang families exchange letters and establish friendly relations."

With the support of the Three Feudatories, Great Xia can easily drive Chencang out of the southern foothills. Given Great Xia's current strength, it will surely be able to establish its own fiefdom within ten to fifty years. At that time, the Three Feudatories will be the first to endorse Great Xia. Then, let alone suppressing Chencang, even dividing and devouring Chencang will not be impossible.”

He's actually making empty promises to himself...

Xia Hong looked at Liang Hengzhang, his face showing no emotion, but in his heart he felt a greater sense of importance towards this Cai Qiutai.

Liang Hengzhang's words were indeed very tempting.

However, this also harbors great hidden dangers.

As things stand, the Great Xia has already thoroughly offended Cai Qiu. Needless to say, as Cai Qiu's allies, the Weibo and Hezang families will certainly not have a good impression of the Great Xia.

Currently, Daxia is still cooperating with Chencang. If, as Liang Hengzhang said, Daxia were to change course and cooperate with the Three Feudatories to deal with Chencang, regardless of the outcome, it would certainly be branded as a double-dealer.

Secondly, would the Three Feudatories truly help the Great Xia drive out Chencang?

The armies of Weibo and Hezang have not yet gathered at the border and have not entered Caiqiu to help them defend against Chencang.

If even long-standing allies act this way, what about the newly joined Great Xia? Furthermore, even if the Three Feudatories were to send troops to the southern border region, claiming to help Great Xia deal with Chencang, Xia Hong asked himself honestly, he wouldn't dare let the Three Feudatories' army come.

Examples of using a pretext to attack another country and usurping another's place are countless in Xia Hong's mind. With the experience of two lifetimes, how could he be fooled by such a small trick?
Xia Hong remained silent, and the atmosphere inside the tent immediately froze.

Liang Hengzhang could also see that Xia Hong was thinking, so he stood calmly in place, patiently waiting for him to speak.

"Can the Three Feudatories join forces to destroy Chencang?"

When Liang Hengzhang heard this question, he was taken aback for a moment, then looked up at Xia Hong and his expression immediately turned somber.

He realized almost instantly, without much thought, the subtext behind Xia Hong's question.

The overall strength of the Three Feudatories was certainly greater than that of Chencang.

But were the Three Feudatories a single entity?

Chu Longteng's ambition is known to everyone in Mo'aochuan. If the three feudatories were truly of one mind, where would Chencang have gotten its chance?
Contracts, alliances, and cooperation have always been a double-edged sword. The advantage is that there is strength in numbers, but the disadvantage is that everyone has their own agenda. In most cases, if one plus one equals two, you should be grateful. In some worse situations, it is better to go it alone.

The three feudatories combined did not have the strength to destroy Chencang, yet Chencang was able to gradually annex and conquer it one by one, as evidenced by its current actions against Caiqiu.

The Great Xia has already become enemies with Cai Qiu. Joining the Three Feudatories Alliance at this critical juncture will most likely have a negative impact on the alliance. Cai Qiu cannot trust the Great Xia, and the Great Xia is even less likely to trust Cai Qiu. This will not only not help suppress Chen Cang, but may even cause a rift in the alliance and indirectly benefit Chen Cang.

Secondly, if the Three Feudatories could not unite to deal with Chencang, then why did Great Xia abandon Chencang as an ally and turn to the Three Feudatories?
It's true that Chen Cang is ambitious, but he can't possibly annex all three feudatories in one go. In fact, judging from the scale of the troops Chen Cang has mobilized, they probably only want to take over Linchu County.

Since that's the case, instead of choosing the Three Feudatories, Great Xia should continue to follow Chencang.

Chen Cang is fighting against three enemies alone, so he must have allies. If the three vassal states really unite to put pressure on Chen Cang, it is still very possible for Great Xia to take the opportunity to have Chu Longteng withdraw the 100,000 troops from Dongchuan.

"Lord Xia, my lord Fang is not one to hold grudges. As long as all the prisoners of war can be returned, it is not unreasonable to give the territory south of Guangning Mountain to your town. Right now, our biggest enemies are Chencang and Chu Longteng. I hope you will consider this carefully."

The conditions are starting to be relaxed!

Xia Hong appeared expressionless, but a snicker escaped his lips inwardly.

When Liang Hengzhang first entered the tent, his conditions were that not only should the prisoners of war be returned, but the Changqing Valley territory occupied by the Great Xia should also be returned. Now that he heard that he wanted to continue cooperating with Chen Cang, he immediately relented and only asked for the return of the prisoners of war.

Since they're willing to agree, then everything is negotiable!
Xia Hong said calmly, "The armies of Weibo and Hezang haven't moved yet. In my opinion, these two vassal states don't care about the life or death of Caiqiu at all. If Chencang is willing to withdraw its troops from Dongchuan City, it's not impossible for our Great Xia to send reinforcements to Changqing Valley, take over the entire Changqing Valley, and even capture Qinghua City and attack Baishui County. It's probably inappropriate for Liang Taiyi to come to me for peace in this manner."

The faint smile that had been on Liang Hengzhang's face came to an abrupt end at this moment, replaced by a gloomy expression. He looked up at Xia Hong at the head of the table, a hint of anger and coldness flashing in his eyes.

"Lord Xia, be careful not to bite off more than you can chew. Qinghua City is one of the seven cities of Caiqiu. Let alone your mere 100,000 troops, your Great Xia's current military strength is at most 300,000. Even if you bring them all, you still can't take it. As for Baishui County..."

At this point, Liang Hengzhang's tone suddenly turned serious, and he continued, "Since Lord Xia has such courage, then the foreign envoy has nothing to say. Let's just see who's the best on the battlefield. I'll return to Chihu Ridge now and wait for the Xia army to attack!"

After saying that, Liang Hengzhang turned and walked out of the tent, seemingly unwilling to continue the conversation.

Xia Hong, sitting at the head of the table, felt a pang of surprise. He hadn't expected Liang Hengzhang to be so resolute, leaving so abruptly.

It was clear that they couldn't continue fighting. With that in mind, Xia Hong immediately gave Qiu Peng a look.

"Liang Taiyi, wait!"

Qiu Peng understood immediately and quickly stepped in to smooth things over, walking briskly towards Liang Hengzhang and stopping him.

(End of this chapter)