Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 591 The Seven Counties of Great Xia: The Xia Envoy Didn't Come, Did They Back Down?

The 10th day of the sixth month in the 13th year of the Great Xia Dynasty
Southern foothills of Mount Mo'ao, Shuobei County, Dongchuan City

With the fall of Beishuo Town by the Xia army at the end of last year, the lord Yang Zun was personally killed by Xia Hong, and the entire Yang clan was beheaded and their heads displayed to the public. The name Beishuo Town ceased to exist and became a thing of the past.

On the fifth day of the third month of this year, after the Xia and Caiqiu families officially signed a ceasefire agreement in Guangning City, Lord Xia Hong issued a notice to establish a prefecture the very next day.

Since the beginning of the year, when the 100,000-strong army from Chencang marched south and entered Dongchuan City, and the Xia army marched north from Shigu Road and fought three battles with Caiqiu, the situation of the four vassal states of Mo'aochuan spread like wildfire throughout the southern foothills, and is no longer a secret.

It's easy to imagine that at the beginning of the year, the southern foothills were completely unified by the Great Xia. People from Beishuo, Wuchuan, Yangqu, etc., have all become Xia people. Anyone with a clean background and some strength has gradually moved to Xia City to live. They can find out everything by asking each other.

"With Xia City as its core, the Great Xia Dynasty had seven major prefectures throughout its territory: Longyou, Xingbei, Hongshui, Hedong, Chuiyang, Jinchuan, and Shuobei..."

Dongchuan City, formerly the Daxia Si Yamen, is now the main hall of the Chencang Xingying headquarters.

Commander Chu Tianhe sat at the head of the table, with more than forty armored generals standing on either side below, their eyes fixed straight ahead. In the middle of the hall, a middle-aged man dressed in a black robe and wearing a yellow cap was pointing at a rough map of the Great Xia Dynasty and talking eloquently.

"Although the Great Xia has followed the example of the four vassal states in establishing prefectures, it has not completely copied their governance methods. The so-called seven prefectures are currently only at the level of names. They still use a three-tiered system of cities, towns, and villages to govern the local areas."

The markings on the map should be fairly clear, please take a look:
Longyou Prefecture is a large territory located at the foot of the cliff on the west side of Shuanglong Mountain, with a total area of ​​approximately 13000 square kilometers. Its capital is Longshan City, and it has seven town-level outposts and more than thirty village-level outposts under its jurisdiction.

Xingbei County is a long and narrow area running east to west north of the Xing River, plus a large area of ​​Hongmuling, with a total area of ​​about 7500 square kilometers. The county seat is Wuyuan City, and it has three town-level garrisons and more than 30 village-level garrisons.

Hongshui County, starting from Hongmen City, encompassed parts of the former Chuishan and Jiangxia towns to the east, with a total area of ​​9200 square kilometers. Its capital was Hongmen City, and it had six town-level garrisons and several village-level garrisons under its jurisdiction.
Hedong Commandery, mainly consisting of the original territory of Bashang Town, plus part of Jiangxia Town, and a large area adjacent to Mo'ao Mountain, covers a total area of ​​approximately 12000 square kilometers. Its capital is Bashang City, while the original Jiangxia Town is retained. It is directly under the jurisdiction of the Eight Departments of Xia City, with twelve town-level garrisons and more than forty village-level garrisons.

Chuiyang Prefecture, as the name suggests, was formed by merging most of the territory of Chuishan and Yangqu towns. It covers a total area of ​​more than 8500 square kilometers. The prefecture's capital was Chuishan City, which was the original Chuishan Town. The original Yangqu Town was retained, but it has now been renamed Yangxia and is directly under the jurisdiction of Xia City.

Jinchuan County, like the others, was formed by merging most of the territory of Jinshan and Wuchuan towns. It has a total area of ​​16000 square kilometers, making it the largest county in the Great Xia at present. Its capital is Jinshan City, while Wuchuan Town is retained. Like Jiangxia and Yangxia mentioned earlier, it is directly under the jurisdiction of Xia City.
The last one is Shuobei Commandery, mainly consisting of the original territory of Beishuo Town, but including part of Wuchuan's territory, and... this area to the north, with a total area of ​​approximately 14000 square kilometers. The commandery seat was the original Beishuo Town city, which has now been renamed Linchuan City.

As a staff member of the Heyang County Overlord's Office, Fang Tianqing was undoubtedly qualified. His lord, Chu Tianming, was currently following Lord Fang in the campaign against Caiqiu, and he was left behind to assist Chu Tianhe in handling affairs in the southern foothills.

At the end of last year, a vigorous northern expedition by the Great Xia thwarted the plans of the Chencang and Caiqiu families to invade the southern foothills. Now that the southern foothills are unified, all matters ultimately belong to the Great Xia.

With Yang Zun killed and the entire Yang clan wiped out, the town of Beishuo changed hands. Logically, Chencang's reach to the southern foothills should have been severed.

However, what kind of hero was Fang Bo?
That was a great ruler who would unify the Mo'ao River and elevate Chencang to the status of an unparalleled kingdom. How could he possibly give up such a vast and beautiful territory on the southern slopes?
Regardless of whether Chu Tianming underwent the test or not, Fang Bo would send the Chencang army south to confront the Great Xia head-on; Fang Tianqing was absolutely certain of this.

What troubles him most right now is that although his lord Chu Tianming has clearly won this time, the position of Junior Governor that he longs for seems to be getting more and more out of reach!
"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?"

These words came from Lord Fangbo. Fang Tianqing had only heard them from his lord Chu Tianming at the beginning of the year. Upon hearing Lord Fangbo's words, he was filled with resentment, but he also sensed a strong sense of crisis.

Throughout the process of conquering Beishuo and fighting Caiqiu, the overall strength shown by Daxia was only a step away from that of a regional military governor. It was impossible for Lord Chu Tianming to compete with Daxia with the strength of Heyang alone and not let Chencang suffer losses!

No wonder the position of Junior Governor has been delayed for so many years. In recent years, the Zhencheng Shogunate has been suppressing Heyang County more and more. It seems that the Governor really has plans to change the heir!

As a staff member of the Heyang Overlord's Mansion, Fang Tianqing shared the same fate as his lord, Chu Tianming, and while worried, he immediately offered a solution.

It is impossible to deal with the Great Xia with the manpower and resources of Heyang alone. Therefore, if he wants to pass the test of the regional governor and win the position of junior regional governor, he must find another way, to feign an attack on the east while attacking the west. On the surface, he sends 100,000 troops south from the Nine-Bend Blood Corridor to feign an attack on the Great Xia, while secretly he mobilizes the elite troops of Heyang to advance west to attack Caiqiu. This is the countermeasure he planned for Chu Tianming.

Looking back now, his plan was incredibly brilliant.

At the beginning of the year, he single-handedly stormed into the Xia camp and persuaded Xia Chuan, the Grand Secretary of the Xia Dynasty, to take Dongchuan City without losing a single soldier.

If this achievement is insignificant to Chencang, then the fact that the elite troops of Heyang launched a surprise attack on Caiqiu, captured half of Linchu's territory in a few days, and then broke through Linchu's county city, took over the entire Linchu county in March, and now extended the war to Caiqiu and Baishui counties, is absolutely amazing.

Now, who in Chencang isn't excited about this?

It's practically a done deal that Lord Chu Tianming will become a minor regional governor.

But the more this was the case, the more uneasy Fang Tianqing became.

The reason is simple: in March, Chencang swallowed up the territory of Caiqiu, and the intensity of the war between the two vassal states obviously decreased. This was because Chencang went on the defensive, while Caiqiu, having formally signed a ceasefire agreement with the Great Xia, launched a fierce counterattack, wanting to retake Linchu.

Although the war showed no signs of abating, the higher-ups were much more relaxed, and it was time for Lord Fangbo to fulfill his promise.

However, three months have passed, and Uncle Fang still hasn't mentioned it.

At first, Fang Tianqing thought that he was being a little impatient. After all, it was a major event to establish an heir, and Chen Cang was currently the most influential among the four vassal states, so it was only natural to take it seriously. It was normal for Fang Bo to delay.

But as time went on, Fang Tianqing slowly came to his senses.

The merit our lord has made this time seems a bit too great. Not to mention the test from the governor, Chu Tianming, the eldest son of Heyang, is currently too prominent in Chencang. The governor's other four sons simply cannot compare.

The calls for the governor to bestow upon him the title of Junior Governor were growing louder and louder, with numerous voices emerging from the shogunate, other districts within the domain, and even the military, which was somewhat taboo.

It's not that it threatens the position of the Prefect, but the key is that such crazy and intense calls clearly put the Prefect in a difficult position, as if he can only hand over the position of Prefect to his eldest son, Chu Tianming.

Who is Fang Bo? How could he be coerced like this?
After Fang Tianqing came to his senses, he keenly realized that someone was up to no good!

"It's highly likely that Yanling County orchestrated this. Chu Tianxu is busy with reforms and restructuring within the county, yet he still managed to pull off something like this. We underestimated him..."

Leaving aside Fang Tianqing's inner thoughts, even though he considered himself extremely intelligent, he wasn't foolish enough to think he was smart enough to influence Fangbo Chu Longteng's thoughts. Therefore, he couldn't come up with a solution for Fangbo's matter for the time being. He could only advise his lord, Chu Tianming, to wait patiently and obediently follow Fangbo in conquering Caiqiu. As long as the achievements were outstanding, no matter how unwilling Fangbo was, the position of Junior Fangbo would eventually belong to him.

As for myself, I will naturally cooperate with Chu Tianhe to handle the affairs on the southern slope.

Although the Great Xia did not formally establish vassal states, it effectively functioned as a regional military governorship.

Since the Great Xia's Northern Expedition at the end of last year, this game between the three main factions of Chencang, Caiqiu, and Great Xia has actually come to an end.

Although Fang Tianqing was arrogant, he had to admit that, so far, the biggest winner was not Chen Cang, but Da Xia.

In one northern expedition, the Great Xia not only swallowed up the five northern towns, but also eliminated the hidden forces planted by the two major warlords in the southern foothills. Furthermore, it won three battles against Caiqiu and, taking advantage of the fact that Caiqiu was busy fighting Chencang, it marched north from the Bone-Eating Road and occupied half of Changqing Valley.

With fame and practical benefits, they made a fortune.

If it weren't for Chen Cang's 100,000-strong army marching south and occupying Dongchuan, thus driving a wedge into the southern foothills, the current situation would be almost perfect for the Great Xia.

Fang Tianqing could even foresee that if Chen Cang's 100,000 troops had not been stationed in Dongchuan City, Da Xia might have helped Cai Qiu after signing a ceasefire agreement and shaking hands in peace.

This was almost unacceptable to Chen Cang.

Chencang is not lacking in the ability to fight on two fronts simultaneously against two powerful regional forces. The problem is that behind those two forces are two more.

What Chen Cang fears most right now is that the Three Feudatories and the Four Great Xia Families will join forces.

The three kingdoms each have their own agendas, and the newly established Great Xia has not yet gained the strength to intervene in the affairs of Mo'aochuan. The hope of the four kingdoms joining forces is not high, but many things are afraid of starting from the beginning.

Hezang and Weibo are also supporting Caiqiu, but despite their loud slogans, their armies remain motionless. At most, Li Gangfeng made a brief appearance at the beginning of the year, which was only because Cai Qianshan was almost killed.

Da Xia's agile figure made Fang Tianqing a little scared.

Who could have imagined that at the beginning of the year, the two sides fought fiercely with Cai Qiu, with a total of hundreds of thousands of troops involved. There were even rumors that the Great Xia beheaded tens of thousands and captured more than 100,000.

In March, Da Xia signed a ceasefire agreement with Cai Qiu and returned more than 100,000 prisoners of war to Cai Qiu. Although it was compensated, could a little silver compare to these elite soldiers with the cold-weather protection level?

In April, Chencang was forced into a defensive position. This was partly due to the initiative of the shogunate, but also partly due to the sudden increase in Caiqiu's military strength and morale.

At this point, the intentions of the Great Xia were basically clear.

Clearly, the Great Xia was aware of the war between the two vassal states of Mo'aochuan. They were unwilling to benefit Chencang, which is why they made peace with Caiqiu and returned all the prisoners of war.

This was only the intention of the Great Xia Dynasty in early March.

In March, less than a month after the Great Xia and Caiqiu signed the ceasefire agreement, on the ninth day of the fourth month, an envoy was sent to Dongchuan City.

Two words: retreat.

"The entire southern foothills belong to Great Xia. Dongchuan City is a city that Great Xia has painstakingly built over many years. It does not belong to Chencang. Chencang is given one month to retreat to the north of Danxue Peak."

The notice from Da Xia was so domineering that it was somewhat surprising.

Chu Tianhe, who had been promoted to commander-in-chief and was stationed in Dongchuan City, flew into a rage on the spot and almost beheaded the Xia envoy named Zhao Long. It was only because Fang Tianqing strongly dissuaded him that he did not take action. How could Chen Cang possibly retreat?
The Blood Corridor is an area even more difficult to traverse than the Bone-Eroding Path. Once Chen Cang retreats, as long as the Great Xia sends a large army to guard the southern exit of the Blood Corridor north of Danxue Peak, it will be as difficult as ascending to heaven for Chen Cang to move south from here in the future.

So, unsurprisingly, the Chencang army did not move an inch until the end of April.

Upon learning that Xia Jun had made no unusual moves, Chu Tianhe became even more dismissive, believing that Great Xia was merely bluffing and that Xia Hong simply didn't have the guts to engage Chen Cang in a direct battle.

On the ninth day of the fifth month, the second ultimatum from the Great Xia Dynasty arrived.

The wording was the same: withdraw the troops within a month. There were no harsh words. The Xia envoy who came was still Zhao Long.

Chu Tianhe didn't even see him this time, and directly ordered his subordinates to send Zhao Long away.

Today is the ninth day of the sixth lunar month.

Fang Tianqing was in the main hall at this moment, seemingly discussing the latest county-establishment measures implemented by the Great Xia with Commander-in-Chief Chu Tianhe and the generals. In reality, he wanted to see if the Great Xia would send a third wave of envoys today.

But it's almost dark now, and still no one has come.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they probably won't be coming.

Fang Tianqing felt slightly relieved. He glanced at Chu Tianhe at the head of the table and the generals on either side. Seeing that they still didn't take it seriously after hearing it, he frowned slightly.

"Hmph! Imitating the four vassal states to establish prefectures is like parroting words, overestimating one's own abilities. There's no need to compare them to Chencang. The other three vassal states of Mo'aochuan, whenever they establish prefectures, all have an area of ​​over 20,000 square kilometers. The seven prefectures of Daxia are no more than 16000 square kilometers in size, and the smallest is only 7500 square kilometers. Aren't they afraid of becoming a laughing stock if word gets out?"

"You insignificant fiefdom can only show off your power in a small place like the southern foothills. What kind of bullshit seven prefectures are you? Once the governor has wiped out Caiqiu, he can lead his troops south and the entire southern foothills will become my territory of Chencang!"

"Although the Great Xia is a small vassal state, its territory is quite large. The seven prefectures combined cover nearly 80,000 square kilometers. The more than ten resource-rich areas, such as the southern foothills of Mount Mo'ao, Mount Beining, the entire Xinghe River, Hongmuling, and the Arrow Bamboo Forest, are also quite valuable..."

"It won't be long before all the meat in my bowl is gone!"

"Hahahahaha..."

The generals inside the hall burst into laughter. Upon hearing the last few words, their gazes turned to the simple map of the southern foothills in front of Fang Tianqing, and their expressions clearly became excited.

With territorial expansion and increased resource areas, the ultimate benefits will fall on the heads of these regional warlords, so they are naturally excited.

However, upon seeing the generals' reactions, Fang Tianqing's brows immediately furrowed. After a moment's thought, he said in a deep voice, "It seems you all see Great Xia as meat on a chopping block. I have only mentioned the territory, not Great Xia's overall strength. Perhaps you would like to continue listening..."

Heyang was the only one of the five prefectures in Chencang to have a "hegemon's office." This meant that all the administrative structures were set up according to the standards of a shogunate. Not only were there staff to lead the government and command the six ministries, but there was also a military commander to lead the troops. Except for the portion that had to be handed over to the shogunate, the prefect, Chu Tianming, had the right to allocate the money, grain, and supplies produced by the prefecture independently. It was basically equivalent to an independent town-level camp.

Fang Tianqing wielded immense power. As early as when the Chencang army entered Dongchuan City, he had sent out a large number of spies to infiltrate various parts of Daxia to gather intelligence. Now, half a year later, he naturally knew more than anyone else present.

"I just introduced the three-tiered system of cities, towns, and villages in the Great Xia, plus the newly established seven prefectures. According to information confirmed by our spies, the Great Xia has a total of 372 outposts in the entire territory except for the capital, which are the 7 prefectures, 17 large cities, 95 towns, and 253 villages."

After incorporating the five northern towns into its territory, the Great Xia Dynasty dispersed the original population of the five towns to various outposts within its borders. Those with clean records and cultivation were granted permission to relocate to Xia City. According to scouting reports, the total population within its borders is conservatively estimated to be no less than 1600 million.

1600 million!
Upon hearing this number, not only the generals in the hall, but even Chu Tianhe above the hall was a little uneasy. However, he remained calm, though a hint of surprise flashed across his eyes. He then spoke in a deep voice: "1600 million, that's almost half of the population registered in Chencang. It seems that this time, Great Xia has really made a profit!"

Fang Tianqing nodded and continued, "Although the Great Xia has a large population, its rise to power is still relatively recent, and the cultivation levels of its people vary greatly. Although I don't have accurate information, based on the reports from various cities, I can roughly estimate that the total number of people at the Cold-resistant level in the Great Xia should not exceed 600,000. Moreover, more than 40% of these 600,000 are newly received from the five northern towns, and 80% of them are surrendered soldiers..."

The newly acquired troops, with 80% of them being surrendered soldiers, mean that the true core of the Great Xia army is only 360,000. After deducting the necessary forces to maintain the normal operation of the territory, the troops that can be deployed to war are at most 200,000, and at most no more than 300,000.

"Thanks to Mr. Fang, we were able to take Dongchuan City without bloodshed. If we hadn't stationed ourselves here, and instead engaged in normal combat with the Xia army, it probably wouldn't have been so easy for us to establish a foothold in the southern foothills with an army of 100,000!"

"Ha ha ha ha……"

As soon as Chu Tianhe spoke, all the generals in the hall burst into laughter.

"You flatter me, Prefect. I was merely borrowing your power! In the end, it was all thanks to the immense prestige of Lord Fangbo and my Chencang. Otherwise, how could Xiachuan, such a fortified city, have been so easily handed over to us?"

Although Fang Tianqing was being modest, a hint of smugness was clearly visible in the corner of his eye. He was obviously very proud of his achievement of taking Dongchuan City without firing a shot last year.

This achievement is truly remarkable!
Fang Tianqing was especially excited after entering Dongchuan City and discovering that the resources and energy that the Great Xia had invested in this city were terrifying.

Dongchuan City is 15 kilometers long and 15 kilometers wide. The four walls are 20 meters high and 8 meters thick, and are all made of pentagonal iron piles cast from ten-fold iron. With such a magnificent city and their 100,000 troops, even if the Great Xia only has less than 300,000 troops available, they are confident that they can hold out for several months.

Even if the Xia army's siege is disorganized and gives them an opening, they might be able to launch a counterattack.

Besides all that, the most crucial point is that Chencang suffered no losses in taking this city, which is what Fang Tianqing is truly proud of.

Since capturing Dongchuan City at the beginning of the year, Fang Tianqing's reputation for being able to repel an army with a single word has resounded throughout Chencang. Now, not only the high-ranking officials, but even the ordinary people of Chencang know about him.

How could Fang Tianqing not be pleased?
However, we still can't get too carried away...

Fang Tianqing shook his head, suppressing his agitation and calming himself down. Then, noticing the dismissive expressions on the faces of the generals in the hall, his brow furrowed slightly. He continued speaking to Chu Tianhe at the head of the table: "The overall strength of Great Xia, as it stands, is indeed considerably weaker than that of my Chencang. But Prefect and generals, do not forget that Xia Hong, the ruler of Great Xia, possesses the ability to control the Beast King puppet..."

Upon hearing this, Chu Tianhe and the generals in the hall immediately wiped the smiles off their faces and put on a solemn expression.

This is probably their biggest concern right now!

With Xia Hong's abilities, if he is determined to take back Dongchuan City at any cost, then unless Lord Fangbo personally comes, they really can't stop him with their small force.

However, Lord Fangbo is currently unable to come here in person. Caiqiu's fierce counterattack is still ongoing, and the Wei Bo and He Zang families are also watching him from the shadows. Lord Fangbo is in Linchu County and cannot move his feet at all.

but……

Chu Tianhe looked towards the palace gate, his tightly furrowed brows relaxing slightly.

Today is the ninth day of the sixth lunar month, and night is about to fall. The Xia envoy has not yet arrived, which means that the Great Xia has not sent anyone.

If that's the case, then the two previous so-called ultimatums were clearly just bluffing by the Great Xia. They had only ceased hostilities with Caiqiu for three months, so where did they get the courage to start a war with Chencang?
The war between the two vassal states of Mo'aochuan was no secret. Xia Hong and the high-ranking officials of Da Xia were probably aware of it. Even Caiqiu had lost a prefecture. What made Da Xia dare to snatch a tooth from the tiger's mouth from Chencang?

Moreover, it's just Dongchuan City; the Great Xia Dynasty is nothing compared to it...

"Prefect, there is an urgent military situation!"

Urgent military situation?
"Come in quickly, what urgent military situation is it?"

Chu Tianhe was stunned. Fang Tianqing, who was below, reacted faster and took the initiative to speak first, letting the people outside in.

The man who entered was a middle-aged man dressed in gray and white civilian clothes. This was the attire of a front-line scout in the Chencang army, and everyone in the hall immediately understood.

The middle-aged man looked extremely anxious. As he entered the room, he knelt down to pay his respects and quickly reported, "Reporting to the Prefect, the 150,000 Xia troops from the Dongchuan camp are rapidly approaching us; in addition, two Xia armies, each numbering over 100,000, have appeared out of nowhere in the southeast and southwest directions."

They are bringing a large amount of baggage with them, including crossbows, battering rams, siege ladders, and many other massive siege weapons. They are rapidly approaching us and are expected to arrive in two hours at the latest.

Snap...

Upon hearing this, Chu Tianhe stood up abruptly from the main seat with a snap, his pupils filled with shock.

Fang Tianqing was not much better off than him. After listening, his expression changed repeatedly, clearly indicating that he was quickly thinking of a solution.

The generals inside the hall also looked at each other for a while, and then their faces showed some panic.

No wonder they didn't see the third wave of Xia envoys today.

The Great Xia Dynasty launched a direct and unannounced attack, mobilizing its entire army to invade!

"Three hundred and fifty thousand, three hundred and fifty thousand! Great Xia has mobilized all the troops it can. How did they mobilize them? I sent thousands of scouts scattered throughout the entire territory of Beishuo Town. There are clearly only 150,000 troops from Dongchuan. Where did the other two armies come from? He Tianyuan, where did they come from?"

Chu Tianhe clearly hadn't anticipated Da Xia's sudden attack. He finally uttered two angry questions and quickly focused his gaze on a middle-aged general in the front row on the left side of the hall.

He Tianyuan, one of the three generals under his command, was in charge of battlefield reconnaissance and intelligence gathering. When the Great Xia suddenly gained 20 troops, General He Tianyuan did not give any prior warning.

He naturally wanted to get an explanation from this person!

(End of this chapter)