Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 574: Giving up the initiative, but still needing to be self-reliant – a wake-up call.

In negotiations, one party must always hold the initiative.

Liang Hengzhang took the initiative to visit and was so polite. It seemed that the initiative in this negotiation was on the side of Daxia, but the actual situation was not so.

Cai Qianshan was seriously injured, Cai Qiu's army suffered heavy losses, and Lin Chu County was lost by more than half. On the surface, it seems that Cai Qiu is more eager to withdraw his troops because they want to free up their resources to focus on defending Chencang.

In reality, Changqing Valley is not very significant to Caiqiu. With Qinghua City as a formidable pass blocking the way, as Liang Hengzhang said, Caiqiu only needs to expend a small amount of troops, and even if Daxia brings all 300,000 of its available soldiers, it will be difficult to break through.

Caiqiu may seem to be in dire straits, but everyone knows that the two vassal states of Weibo and Hecang will not sit idly by and watch it be annexed by Chencang. The reason why the two armies are not willing to exert their strength now is because they do not see that Caiqiu is in danger of collapse.

Chu Longteng controlled the war within the territory of Linchu County, clearly taking this into account. As long as the armies of the two vassal states did not arrive, neither rescuing Cai Qianshan nor the two regional governors joining forces to put pressure on him would be of any consequence to Chencang.

Caiqiu will not perish; the four vassal states have a tacit understanding on this point.

Compared to Caiqiu, the cessation of hostilities in Daxia was even more urgent.

The newly expanded territory on the southern slopes needs to be absorbed and assimilated; the more than ten million new residents of the five towns need to be settled and cared for; the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and officers dispatched by the Great Xia in this northern expedition are all waiting to be rewarded for their merits...

Of course, there is also the most important thing: to pass on the cultivation experience I gained during my three years of travel in Mo'aochuan, and to have the craftsmen department research and develop the various precious materials I brought back from Yang City. There are many things that urgently need to be planned and arranged.

The current strength of the Great Xia is still some distance from establishing a vassal state, but as long as these things are done well step by step, and there is a period of time for fermentation and preparation, establishing a vassal state will not be too far away.

"call…………"

Inside the main tent, Xia Hong saw Liang Hengzhang turn his head with a slightly smug look, and he knew that the initiative in this negotiation had fallen into the hands of the other party.

Even after winning a battle, Xia Hong was still being manipulated in negotiations. It was a difficult feeling to remain silent, but considering that everything was for the future, he had no choice but to accept it.

However, he didn't indulge Liang Hengzhang. He turned his head and gave Qiu Peng a look, then stood up and left with Li Xuanling and the two children.

"Respectfully seeing off the lord!"

Qiu Peng understood immediately and bowed to everyone. After Xia Hong left, he smiled at Liang Hengzhang and said, "Since Liang Taiyi is willing to cease hostilities, let's first discuss a plan."

Upon hearing this, Liang Hengzhang frowned slightly, but quickly relaxed, smiled, nodded to Qiu Peng, and sat down with the others.

Xia Hong was clearly being arrogant, implying that he, Cai Qiu Taiyi, was not qualified to have a face-to-face meeting with him, the ruler of Great Xia. If it were any other normal town-level camp, Liang Hengzhang certainly wouldn't have tolerated him.

But the Great Xia Dynasty couldn't do that!

"If we can't win on the battlefield, it's useless to have the initiative in negotiations. We can't rely on the two vassal states. In the end, we still have to rely on ourselves to protect Linchu County. The vassal states are in a state of panic. Whether it's to stabilize the current situation or to consider the subsequent war with Chencang, we must first rescue the tens of thousands of prisoners of war in the hands of the Great Xia."

Although Great Xia has strength, it is not yet strong enough to establish itself as a vassal state. Its threat is far less than that of Chencang. Making friends with them and jointly defending against Chencang is the wisest course of action. The ruler of Great Xia is arrogant, but he is a shrewd man. Negotiations should not be difficult. The real challenge is how to get them to make some concessions and minimize the losses for the vassal states..."

Seeing Qiu Peng remain silent for a long time after sitting down, Liang Hengzhang knew that Qiu Peng was waiting for him and realized that Qiu Peng was another extremely difficult opponent. He sighed slightly, took the initiative to speak, and officially started the negotiations.

"Lord Qiu, our regional governor has put forward five conditions for this ceasefire..."

As soon as Liang Hengzhang spoke, Qiu Peng immediately sat up straight, his expression becoming extremely serious. Although Xia Hong hadn't given him any specific instructions, after years of following him, the two naturally had a good understanding of each other, and Qiu Peng could roughly guess where Xia Hong's bottom line was.

Secondly, putting Xia Hong aside, it is only natural for him, as the head of the marketing department who is in charge of the finances, to strive for the interests of the Great Xia.

Inside the main tent, as a heated debate began over the ceasefire agreement, Xia Hong quietly took Li Xuanling and her two children, sat on the shrunken Beast King puppet, and flew to the sky above Guangning Mountain.

“That Liang Hengzhang is clearly bluffing. It’s impossible for Caiqiu and Chencang to stop fighting. Hecang and Weibo are also happy to see the two sides continue fighting. If we stop fighting with Caiqiu at this time, we will offend all three feudatories at once. What do you plan to do with Chencang’s 100,000 troops?”

Li Xuanling couldn't speak while inside the tent, but now that she's out, she couldn't help but blurt out what was on her mind.

Xia Hong, who was holding Xia Yuyao's hand, turned around and smiled upon hearing this, saying, "It's better to offer help in times of need than to kick someone when they're down. I haven't had any contact with the Weibo and Hezang families, so I don't care. Chencang is inherently ambitious, and befriending them is like asking a tiger for its skin. On the other hand, Caiqiu is currently facing difficulties, and being sandwiched between the three vassal states, their situation is precarious even without war. They are the ones who need allies the most among the four vassal states. The only breakthrough for Great Xia to ensure that it is not targeted by the four vassal states and even to gradually take over Mo'aochuan in the future is Caiqiu. Doing good to Caiqiu will definitely be more beneficial than harmful."

Li Xuanling reacted quickly. After only a moment of contemplation, she immediately understood Xia Hong's meaning. However, after nodding, she continued to look at Xia Hong, clearly waiting for his answer.

"The 100,000-strong army in Chencang cannot be dealt with by external forces; they can only rely on themselves. Caiqiu's situation is actually similar to ours. The armies of the two vassal states will not cross the border to help them. They want to take back Linchu... no, they want to resist Chencang's subsequent attacks. They can only rely on themselves."

Li Xuanling naturally understood why Xia Hong changed his mind. At present, Caiqiu's hope of regaining Linchu County was not great. The core purpose of the subsequent battle with Chencang could only be to prevent the territory from being further eroded.

"After being tricked like this, Cai Qiu should be able to see the true colors of the Hezang and Weibo vassal states. Well, saying 'true colors' isn't quite right. This is the way of diplomacy. If you're not strong enough, you'll have to obediently sit on the dinner table. Wasn't Cai Qianshan just sure that my Great Xia was unable to continue fighting, which is why he sent Liang Hengzhang to negotiate peace?"

After Xia Hong finished speaking, he smiled slightly. Having lived two lives during the Eastern Zhou, Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, he had a wealth of experience in his mind to deal with the current situation. The only thing he needed to do now was to buy more time for the Great Xia.

"Let's cease hostilities and return the hundreds of thousands of prisoners of war at a low price, doing Cai Qiu a favor. This will not only improve relations with them but also allow them to focus on fighting Chencang. Besides, even a weakened camel is bigger than a horse. Cai Qiu has managed to contend with the Three Feudatories in this battleground for centuries; he's not that simple. Losing Linchu County is nothing compared to his current predicament. Once Chencang's eastward advance is blocked, our opportunity will arrive, and..."

At this point, Xia Hong paused, then turned his head to look to the west.

Guangning Mountain is located in the southern part of Changqing Valley. It is flanked by towering Mo'ao Mountain on the east and west sides. However, Xia Hong's gaze was clearly not on the mountain itself. His eyes seemed to pass through the mountain and see behind it.

"Don't forget, there's another instigator in this conflict between Chencang, Caiqiu, and our Great Xia, who has always remained hidden behind the scenes."

Those monsters of the Blood Miasma Plains!
Upon hearing this, Li Xuanling's gaze sharpened slightly, and following Xia Hong's gaze, she looked to the west, her expression becoming somewhat solemn.

The Blood Corridor and the Bone-Eating Path were deliberately opened up by the monsters of the Blood Miasma Plain. In other words, they have witnessed all the major battles in the entire Mo'ao River region and the southern foothills during this period.

The way the monster improves is by killing people. Logically speaking, after so many major battles, the number of troops involved on all sides should be over a million by now. If we include the population affected by the major battles, the total number should be at least in the tens of millions. The monster should have shown up and made its move long ago.

The fact that they haven't taken action yet can only mean one thing: they have bigger schemes up their sleeves. What scheme could be more important than a population of tens of millions?

The thought of it sends chills down my spine!
"Once the negotiations are resolved, you should go back. Building a city on Guangning Mountain is just an outpost. If you really want to guard against Cai Qiu, you still need to take control of the Bone-Eating Path. The Bone-Eating Path was previously controlled by General Black Wind. I need to spend time thoroughly investigating it to make sure they don't have any backup plans. You take Yao'er and Sheng'er back first. I'll go back after I finish my business."

"understood!"

Li Xuanling nodded in agreement immediately.

The two younger children were a little reluctant and wanted to speak, but when they noticed their mother tightening her grip on their hands, they immediately shut their mouths.

Xia Hong couldn't help but smile when he saw this, but he didn't go along with the two of them as he had before.

Three years ago, when he passed through the Bone-Eating Path, he fought with General Black Wind. At that time, the opponent had strength of over 100 jun, and now he would only be stronger. Moreover, he now knows that Black Wind and the monsters of the Blood Miasma Plains are from the same source, which adds more risks to his exploration. Naturally, he can no longer let the two children run wild.

"With the ceasefire just completed with Cai Qiu, Changqing Valley is temporarily unable to leave the Sacred Cauldron. We can take this opportunity to thoroughly investigate the risks of the Bone-Eating Path and make some arrangements to prevent further problems." As fellow human camps, fighting Cai Qiu ultimately relies on top experts, overall military strength, and other hard power; but the situation is completely different when dealing with monsters. Great Xia now has many ways to deal with monsters.

………………

The Great Xia army had a total of 90,000 troops crossing the Bone-Eating Pass. After the final battle at Guangning Mountain, except for 10,000 troops who stayed in Hegu Village to take care of the prisoners, the remaining 80,000 troops were all stationed in the military camp on the mountain.

Fortunately, Guangning Mountain was originally the place where Caiqiu stationed his troops, and there was no shortage of barracks and tents on the mountain. The 80,000 Xia troops, along with the tens of thousands of newly added Caiqiu prisoners, were all stationed in an orderly manner.

With Lord Xia Hong himself present, the main tent was naturally placed at the center of the mountaintop, while the commander's tent, which was in charge of the army, was set up on the right side, becoming an accessory.

Although it was just a supporting role, the Great Xia Dynasty had many rules and regulations, especially the military department, which was already very strict. With Lord Xia Hong taking the lead in abiding by them, all military affairs during wartime still had to be decided by the command tent. Therefore, the most lively place in the entire mountaintop military camp, besides the main tent, was the right-side command tent.

However, the usually bustling command tent was unusually quiet at this moment.

The commander's tent is a crucial military location, naturally guarded by elite troops. Currently, there are too many prisoners of war from Caiqiu in Guangning Mountain, and the Xia army is facing a severe shortage of manpower. The Dragon Guards, who were originally only responsible for the lord's camp, have also been assigned to guard the commander's tent.

Outside the command tent, Su Xing'er and her three brothers stood ramrod straight, their eyes fixed on the tent entrance, their expressions unusually uneasy.

Buzz...

Although she couldn't see or hear anything inside the tent, the powerful air currents emanating from the main tent from time to time made Su Xing'er realize that she had probably caused a little trouble this time.

"Commander Hou's position in the Xia army is probably not very high. In other words, it was entirely his idea to instigate us to cooperate in attacking Guangning Mountain. The tension in the tent is palpable; it must be that Commander Yuwen Tao blaming him. This means that capturing Guangning Mountain is likely to be fruitless and even disastrous. In that case, we'll be even less likely to see our master again..."

Thinking of this, Su Xing'er's face was full of bitterness.

After the Battle of Gukou, she was overjoyed, thinking that she would soon be able to see her master, Xia Hong. However, in Qingtan Village, Xiang Liang's words poured cold water on her enthusiasm.

"With your qualifications, it's likely that Uncle Fang won't be interested."

Xiang Liang's words, while a bucket of cold water, also stirred up Su Xing'er's stubbornness. After witnessing many young geniuses in Da Xia, she realized that she was indeed not qualified to become Xia Hong's disciple, but she was unwilling to believe that Xia Hong really had no feelings for her four siblings.

Four months in Changqing Valley, half a year in Linchu County, such a long period of time spent together day and night, plus their reunion in Yanling County, Xia Hong must have developed feelings for them, Su Xing'er firmly believed this.

She is not qualified to meet her master because her merits are not great enough. As long as she can make great contributions to the Great Xia Dynasty, she will be able to meet her master.

With this in mind, as soon as Su Xing'er received Hou Bing's message, she immediately decided to lead the core members of the Frost Ash Society to fully cooperate with him, instigate the rebels to assist the Xia army, and continue to attack Guangning Mountain.

Guangning Mountain was successfully captured, but now it seems that it is quite different from her previous ideas.

"Like Cai Qiu, there must be infighting within the upper echelons of Great Xia. Commander Hou led his troops to capture Guangning Mountain without authorization. Although he was of great merit to Great Xia, he also offended Commander-in-Chief Yuwen Tao. If even he was blamed, then we need not worry. Now, the hope of seeing Master... Lord is probably even more remote."

Su Xing'er sighed softly, her mind suddenly stirred.

Someone is watching me!

She turned her head to look in the direction of the gaze, and the next second she met a pair of eyes that were scrutinizing her.

He was a young general dressed in black and silver armor. He was handsome and looked to be in his early twenties, but his strength was unfathomable. Even with my own strength of 44, I still couldn't see through him.

"The black scale silver armor is the attire of the Dragon Guard. I inquired beforehand and learned that the Dragon Guard soldiers are among the most talented second-generation descendants of the Great Xia Dynasty, and the vast majority come from wealthy families in the Great Xia. These people shouldn't recognize me..."

Just as Su Xing'er was wondering to herself, the young general unexpectedly walked straight towards her.

"Have you four received any instruction from the leader?"

Upon hearing the young man's question, Su Xing'er immediately realized that he had heard about her. She looked embarrassed and nodded slightly.

"There's no need for that. When I was young, I also received instruction from the lord. Like you, I was once overjoyed, thinking I could become his disciple. But as I witnessed more and more geniuses and came to understand the lord's power more and more, I long ago gave up that idea..."

The young general paused slightly as he spoke, a look of reminiscence on his face. He then realized what he had done, slapped his forehead, and smiled as he cupped his hands to Su Xing'er, saying, "I forgot to introduce myself. I am Luo Cheng, the Dragon Guard Commander of the Great Xia Dynasty, and the Commander of the Ninth Battalion!"

In the first year of the Great Xia Dynasty, before Longyou was annexed by the Great Xia, Xia Hong infiltrated the Beehive underground base alone and formed a master-disciple relationship with Luo Cheng.

Now, more than a decade has passed. Luo Cheng doesn't know if the lord still remembers that experience, but he has always kept it firmly in his heart, remembering even the details clearly.

In his early years, he also harbored a strong desire to impress the lord with his talent and diligence, and to be able to formally become his disciple.

However, as more and more promising talents emerged in the Great Xia Dynasty, his talent gradually became less and less remarkable, and even his diligence was not among the best. His obsession gradually began to waver.

If the extraordinary talent displayed by the eldest son, Xia Yuzong, in previous years had only dealt him a heavy blow, then when the two princes made a public appearance, he was truly relieved, and his obsession with becoming their disciple completely vanished.

Using the two princes' qualifications as a reference, the difficulty of becoming a disciple of the lord is extremely high, almost impossible.

He was fortunate enough to have had a mentor-disciple relationship with the lord, and he really shouldn't ask for too much more.

As the commander of the Dragon Guard, Luo Cheng had considerable authority. In addition, he was responsible for the defense of the main tent and the general's tent, so his information channels far exceeded those of others. He already knew almost everything about Su Xing'er and her three siblings.

He had finally let go of his obsession with becoming an apprentice, and now that he saw Su Xing'er and her three siblings, it was like seeing himself back then. Naturally, he felt a sense of closeness, which is why he couldn't help but come up and strike up a conversation.

Of course, Su Xing'er and the other three were unaware of these circumstances.

Seeing the confusion on the faces of the four siblings, Luo Cheng did not take the initiative to explain anything. After thinking for a moment, he spoke slowly.

"With the lord's strength, nothing that happens in the entire Guangning Mountain camp can be hidden from him. He must have seen your performance during the previous battle at the valley entrance. If he wants to see you, you don't need to do anything at all. Just wait to be summoned. Do you understand?"

Upon hearing these words, Su Xing'er's body trembled violently.

If you want to see them, you don't need to do anything at all, just wait.

In other words, if she doesn't want to see him, nothing she does will make a difference.

Su Xing'er realized this, and her eyes instantly reddened.

(PS: I was on hiatus for a few days at the beginning of the year, I'm really sorry. I'll resume updates now, and there will be a lot of updates later. No more bragging this time, so please look forward to it!!!)
(End of this chapter)