Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 575 Unexpected Conditions, Qiu Peng is in a bind, Yanze Lake is showing unusual activity.

"The ceasefire agreement drafted by Liang Hengzhang yesterday included five conditions:"
First, return the prisoners of war from Caiqiu and reopen the outposts on both sides of Guangning Mountain for three days to allow the scattered Caiqiu defeated troops to pass through.

Second, all the occupied Changqing Valley territory will be returned, and the Xia army will retreat to the Shigudao area. From now on, Daxia and Caiqiu will take Shigudao as the boundary and will not invade each other.
Third, the two towns each designated Qinghua and Jinyang as port cities, and from then on, those holding passes could freely enter and exit the two places to conduct trade and mutual market activities.

Fourth, the two town lords swore an oath by blood and signed a contract, agreeing not to wage war for the next thirty years. Any violation would result in certain death and annihilation under the Five Elements Calamity.

Inside the main tent of Guangning Mountain, Qiu Peng recited four of the five conditions proposed by Liang Hengzhang in one breath. When he was about to say the last one, he looked up at Xia Hong, who was sitting above him, with a look of unease, as if he had something difficult to say.

Coincidentally, Xia Hong, who was sitting at the head of the table, had his back to him at the moment, his mind completely focused on the map of the entire Mo'ao River and the southern foothills region in front of him, so he couldn't see the expression on his face. After hearing the four conditions, he said with a slight smile: "The handover of prisoners of war and the return of territory are all expected. To take the initiative to request the establishment of trading ports and the opening of mutual trade, is Cai Qianshan planning to deal with us in the form of economic warfare?"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Peng's face immediately turned serious.

The concept of economic warfare was first proposed by Xia Hong when the Great Xia Dynasty expanded into the Wuyuan region in its early years. As the Director of the Logistics Department, Qiu Peng was the first person besides Xia Chuan to come into contact with this concept.

In layman's terms, economic warfare is the plundering of resources from other camps through trade on the basis of unequal productivity. These resources include not only materials but also people.

The whole explanation is convoluted, but it can be summarized in three sentences: exchange finished products for basic raw materials and silver from others. Over time, others will become dependent on you, and once this dependence is formed, the wealth relationship between the two parties will become severely unequal.

For the two large camps, once this disparity in wealth is fully established, the consequences are obvious.

To give a simple example, for the same effect, the pills used for cultivating in the Lumberjacking Realm and the Earth Digging Realm cost 5 taels of silver in Caiqiu, but only 1 tael in Daxia. So the average cultivation level of the population in the two towns will soon be far apart, and the population flow will become even more obvious in the future.

Economic warfare is a war without gunfire, but its cumulative effects on each camp are far more profound than those of war, and to some extent, it can even determine the future of the camp.

Six years ago, the one who launched the economic war against the Great Xia from the north bank of the Xinghe River was Qiu Peng himself, and he was well aware of this principle.

How could the Great Xia Dynasty have planted so many spies in the eight northern towns? How could they even manage to turn Li Yangtian, the military commander of Dragon Valley Town, into a defection? And how could they have such a thorough understanding of the defenses of the five major northern towns and the relationships between their high-ranking officials…?

All of this is inseparable from the support of enormous financial resources!
Qiu Peng took a slight breath and cupped his hands, saying, "Lord, rest assured, Jiang Xinfan has been reporting the price situation in Chencang and the entire Mo'aochuan back to Daxia since last year. I have already had the people in the supply department check and study it. The productivity of the four vassal states is roughly the same as ours, not much higher. The core reason why the prices in the four vassal states are lower than ours is the territory."

A vast territory means more areas available for gathering, hunting, and even exploration, resulting in more abundant resources and naturally lower prices.

Xia Hong understood immediately and waited for Qiu Peng to continue.

After pondering for a moment, Qiu Peng continued, "I have roughly calculated that after the Great Xia unifies the southern foothills, although its territory is smaller than that of the Four Feudatories, its resources are not much worse. After trade is established, it will not be difficult to maintain prices at the same level as the Four Feudatories."

The craftsmen's workshop has a far superior ability to imitate than the four vassal states. Once trade is established, we will obtain all kinds of materials from Caiqiu and will be able to imitate them quickly. However, it will not be so easy for Caiqiu to catch up with us.

Finally, the four domains had a fatal flaw: the six-rank system of household registration. This system had become too powerful to be controlled in Mo'aochuan, as evidenced by the fact that Chencang, which was currently trying to reform it, was being jointly resisted by the leaders of the other three domains.

After trade and exchange take place, the current household registration system of the Great Xia will become widely known, which will be a great temptation for the common people of the four vassal states. For us, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. After careful consideration, I have finally agreed to Liang Hengzhang's request.

Xia Hong nodded upon hearing this. He understood the power of the system's architecture better than Qiu Peng did, so he understood immediately.

For the humans of the Ice Abyss, the most important thing is cultivation resources, and the most productive thing to reflect the cultivation resources is, of course, elixirs.

Putting aside everything else, the alchemy pavilion alone is enough to guarantee that, unless facing a powerful state with a dimensional advantage, the Great Xia, in its vassal-level camps, has no fear of any opponent in terms of productivity alone.

"What about the other three conditions? You didn't agree to them exactly as they were, did you?"

"Of course not!"

Qiu Peng smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "Of the four conditions, I agreed to the contract directly, the trade was agreed to after some consideration, and the remaining two, the return of the Changqing Valley territory and the handover of prisoners of war, took a long time to negotiate..."

Hou Bing and Yuwen Yong captured Guangning Mountain on the night of the fifth day of the lunar new year, while Liang Hengzhang arrived on the day of the sixth day. Now it was the day of the seventh day, so Qiu Peng's negotiations with Liang Hengzhang took a full day.

Of course, it's impossible to discuss only five conditions in one day; there must be many details involved. When Qiu Peng met with him, he naturally wanted to focus on the most important ones, so Xia Hong wasn't surprised.

After Qiu Peng finished explaining the last two points, Xia Hong understood what he and Liang Hengzhang had been talking about all day yesterday.

The Great Xia will not yield an inch of territory. From now on, the Great Xia and Caiqiu will be separated by Guangning Mountain. The trading port of Caiqiu is Qinghua City, while that of the Great Xia is the newly built Guangning City.

蔡丘的所有战俘，按最低1000两的价格交割，10鬃以上实力的2000两，20鬃以上的5000两，30鬃以上12000两；40鬃以上20000两；50鬃以上全按50000两算。

Before Xia Hong could say anything about the previous statement, he couldn't help but show surprise when he heard about the price for the prisoners of war. He couldn't help but ask, "We have more than 100,000 prisoners of war from Caiqiu in our hands, right?"

Qiu Peng nodded emphatically, his expression excited, and said, "As of now, there are a total of 114592 people. I have already had Hou Bing count them overnight. Those below level 10 in the cold-resistant class only account for 60%, about 75000. According to the price I agreed with Liang Hengzhang, Cai Qiu will have to come up with 470 million taels of silver to ransom these prisoners of war. The logistics department has made a small fortune!"

This is more than just a small fortune; it's a huge windfall.

Xia Hong pondered for a while, and couldn't help but feel a little excited.

4.7 million taels of silver may not seem like much at first glance, but considering that the Great Xia has now annexed the five northern towns and unified the southern foothills, not to mention other things, the silver in the treasuries of the five towns is probably no less than this amount.

But that's not how it works. The silver in the treasuries of the five towns represents hundreds of years of accumulation. It's normal for the Great Xia to have gained so much by swallowing up the five towns in one go.

Normally, there is only one way to obtain silver: mining it from silver mines. There are two difficulties here: first, silver mines are hard to find, and second, mining silver mines is difficult. The maximum daily yield of silver is 100 catties, which is equivalent to 1000 taels.

Xia Hong hadn't been back to Xia City for a long time. He remembered very clearly that when he left four years ago, there were only 19 silver mines discovered within the territory of Great Xia. At that time, Great Xia's territory was over 20,000 square kilometers. This alone shows that silver mines are not so easy to find.

The towns on the southern slope of Mo'ao have existed for over a century. The expansion of each family's territory has been limited by the environment and has long reached its limit. Each family has few silver mines under its control, and even if there are a few, the amount available for mining is very small.

The 4.7 million taels of silver given by Cai Qiu were all solid cash. Even without considering its intrinsic value, the manpower and resources required to mine this batch of silver were terrifying.

"The 4.7 million taels of silver, plus what was seized from the treasuries of the five garrisons, can alleviate the financial pressure brought about by this round of rapid population expansion. Trading with Caiqiu is just the beginning. The other three vassal states should soon follow suit and request to trade with us. We cannot afford to close ourselves off. Exchanges with them are unavoidable. We must ensure price stability and be wary of their ulterior motives!"

Upon hearing Xia Hong's reminder, Qiu Peng immediately nodded emphatically and said, "Lord, rest assured! I have already sent a large number of spies to the treasure pavilions of the major cities of the four vassal states to gather information on prices. I have also sent a letter to Xia City to inform Master Mu to prepare in advance to meet the price impact from the four vassal states. With the resources of the entire southern foothills region as a safety net, I am confident that everything will go smoothly!"

Hearing this resolute guarantee, Xia Hong was completely relieved and nodded, asking, "Is the contract all drafted?"

The two town leaders swore an oath in blood, promising that any breach of the oath would result in their death and annihilation under the Five Elements Tribulation. Such a contract is highly binding, and at least for the current stage, Xia Hong would never dare to disobey it. Qiu Peng shook his head and said, "The contract is in duplicate and must be signed in person. We have tentatively decided to hold a meeting in Guangning City on March 15th this year."

Xia Hong raised an eyebrow and looked at Qiu Peng.

Qiu Peng naturally knew what he was thinking, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes as he said, "Although Cai Qianshan was rescued by Li Gangfeng, his injuries must be quite serious. The war in Linchu County is currently being overseen by Yi Zhongfeihu. I suspect that Cai Qianshan may not be able to get out even by March."

At this critical juncture, Cai Qianshan's serious injury will have a significant negative impact on Cai Qiu. If, as Qiu Peng said, Cai Qianshan is unable to make a smooth comeback by March, and Wei Bo and He Cang do not provide any real support, Chen Cang's subsequent attacks will likely become even more intense.

Having already decided to sign a ceasefire agreement with Cai Qiu, Xia Hong had no intention of breaking the agreement. However, if Cai Qiu himself failed to live up to expectations, and the situation in the entire Mo'ao River changed again, it would be normal for Great Xia to make adjustments.

"Don't think about it too much for now. Cai Qiu is in a state of panic right now, and it's hard to find out about Cai Qianshan's injuries. A ceasefire would be beneficial to us in every way. Since Liang Hengzhang is confident in agreeing to the alliance meeting on March 15, let's trust him for now. It'll only be a little over two months. We'll know when March 15 comes."

After Xia Hong finished speaking, he suddenly thought of something and looked at Qiu Peng with curiosity, asking, "Liang Hengzhang made a total of five conditions, and you only mentioned four. What about the last one?"

Qiu Peng's expression stiffened slightly upon hearing this, and he became noticeably flustered. Under Xia Hong's direct gaze, he finally spoke hesitantly:

"My lord, please forgive me. Liang Hengzhang made five conditions. The first four were not too harsh, and I bargained with them. But for the last one, Liang Hengzhang was unusually firm. No matter what I said, he wouldn't budge. After much deliberation, I finally agreed."

Xia Hong's expression grew even more curious as he looked at Qiu Peng, waiting for him to continue.

"Caiqiu wants a marriage alliance!"

Upon hearing the news of the marriage alliance, Xia Hong was stunned for a moment. His first thought was of his son Xia Yusheng and nephew Xia Yuzong, but he quickly realized that neither of the two younger ones were suitable for the marriage.

In other words, the object of the marriage alliance was...

Xia Hong met Qiu Peng's gaze and instantly understood.

"My lord, please forgive me. I have indeed argued with reason, but Liang Hengzhang is completely unmoved. He said that although you do not have the title of governor, you have long had the power of one, and that you have only one wife, which is against the proper etiquette."

Furthermore, Caiqiu and Daxia are now close neighbors. With the signing of an alliance and the addition of marriage ties, the relationship between the two towns will become even stronger, ensuring peace for the people of both towns for far longer than thirty years…”

Xia Hong remained silent upon hearing this. Marriage alliances were a common diplomatic tactic, and given the precarious situation in Caiqiu, it was not surprising that he would entertain such thoughts.

He wasn't a rigid person. The survival rate of men in the Ice Abyss was far lower than that of women, so polygamy was inevitable. He had Xia Chuan marry the Xiao Ning and Xiao Yu sisters in the early days to set an example.

Cai Qiu was determined to make peace with the Great Xia through marriage, and he couldn't possibly refuse them. So, after Qiu Peng argued his case, he agreed, and Cai Qiu had no objections.

only………

Xia Hong looked at Qiu Peng with a strange expression and said, "It's fine if you agree on my behalf, but what about Xuan Ling..."

Qiu Peng's face was full of bitter smiles, and he couldn't say a word. He was inwardly groaning.

He's really in trouble this time.

...............

South of the Blood Miasma Plain, deep within the Misty Lake
The calm, still lake was filled with blood-red miasma, which blocked out the cold light from the sky. The stagnant miasma, the smooth water, and the trees standing motionless along the north and south banks created a completely still painting. The world was silent, and time seemed to have stopped flowing here.

gurgling...

Suddenly, a whirlpool appeared in the center of the lake, and the water swirled around it rapidly, faster and faster.

call………

A gust of black wind suddenly blew over, slightly dispersing the blood-red miasma. The black wind paused above the vortex and slowly condensed into a burly figure.

"Madam, Chen Cang has almost conquered the entire territory of Lin Chu. Cai Qianshan is seriously injured and on the verge of death. He is not in the headquarters. The Forbidden Master has calculated that he is hiding in Weibo and has already taken Qianmian there."

“Eek…”

As Hei Feng finished speaking, a soft moan first rang out from within the vortex, as if someone had woken up from a dream. Then, a pink light appeared, from which came an extremely alluring and seductive female voice.

"Notify the Forbidden Master to take Cai Qianshan into custody and escalate the war between Chencang and Caiqiu. The bigger the commotion, the better. Fu Wanhe has already taken the bait. Bilin is spreading the plague in Hezang. It won't be long before the Ancestor is fully recovered."

"Yes, sir!"

After finishing his words, Hei Feng was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something and continued, "Madam, the Great Xia has made considerable gains this time. The cauldron on Xia Hong's body is too strange; we must be on guard!"

Upon hearing this, Pink Light paused for a moment, her emotions clearly fluctuating, but she didn't say anything, seemingly lost in thought.

Just then, from the depths of the water beneath the shimmering surface of the lake, a surge of blood suddenly erupted.

As the blood tide rose, the previously stagnant blood-red miasma above the entire lake began to surge rapidly, and the world instantly changed color.

Black Wind, who was just about to leave, saw the blood tide at the bottom of the lake and immediately descended to the surface. He knelt down with a thud, and his body began to tremble violently, whether from fear or excitement.

The pink light beneath the lake rose rapidly, slowly condensing into a pink skull. Interestingly, although it was clearly a skull, its posture and movements made it instantly recognizable as female, and against the backdrop of the blood-red miasma, it even exuded a unique beauty.

“You can’t handle Xia Hong, so don’t worry about him. You don’t need to pay attention to Da Xia. Someone will help us deal with him.”

"Yes, sir!"

The voice within the blood tide was hoarse and muffled, breaking off and becoming unusually weak towards the end. Even so, the pink skull and black wind remained silent, quickly lying prone on the water's surface in an extremely humble posture.

(End of this chapter)