Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 594 Deterrence, Retreat, Fang Tianqing's Despondency
The reputation of the Xia people for observing etiquette has only been established in the past six months.

In March, Lady Li Xuanling, wife of the Great Xia lord, and Cai Qiuhu, the Junior Governor of Caiqiu, officially signed a ceasefire agreement in Guangning City. The two families also opened trade channels at the same time. With trade underway, exchanges naturally became more frequent.

Caiqiu people discovered that the Xia people who came from the south were very polite. Whenever they saw an elder, regardless of their status, they would clasp their hands in a gesture of respect. Moreover, the gesture was very particular. The left palm was spread out and placed on top of the right fist. The position of the clasped hands varied depending on the person being greeted: at the chest for peers, at eyebrow level for elders, and on the forehead for the elderly.

The Xia people's fist-and-palm salute piqued the interest of the Caiqiu people. After some inquiries, they learned about the Xia rituals and discovered that the Xia people strictly followed them in all matters, from daily life to major events such as marriage and funerals. This sparked a major debate within Caiqiu.

Supporters believe that without rules, there can be no order, and with the constraints and education of the Xia Dynasty, it is no wonder that the Xia people were able to develop to such a scale in just over ten years. Opponents, on the other hand, feel that there are too many restrictions and too little freedom, and that over time, people's thinking will become rigid and inflexible.

Regardless of the consequences of the debate, the reputation of the Xia people for upholding propriety was thoroughly established within the territory of Caiqiu. Since the four vassal states of Mo'aochuan had frequent exchanges, the other three vassal states naturally knew about it as well.

However, it's rather naive of Chu Tianhe to use such words to belittle himself at this moment.

Xia Chuan looked up at Chu Tianhe in the sky. Although he knew his strength was no match for Chu Tianhe's, he showed no fear on his face and did not respond to Chu Tianhe's words. He simply stared at him for a moment before slowly speaking:

"At the end of January this year, I sent the first letter to the Prefect of Chu. The second letter was sent on the ninth day of the fourth month, and the third letter was sent on the ninth day of the fifth month. You ignored them completely, and the army remained unmoved. It seems that your vassal state does not take my Great Xia seriously..."

At this point, Xia Chuan smiled slightly and shook his head, saying, "Looking back now, I was also foolish. If a letter could have been used to withdraw troops, my Great Xia would not have fought those three great battles with Cai Qiu..."

"Xia Chuan, let your lord come out and speak!"

Xia Chuan was suddenly interrupted. He saw the contempt in Chu Tianhe's eyes above him, but his emotions did not fluctuate at all.

This was exactly what he had expected. Chu Tianhe was not only the son of Chu Longteng, the governor of Chencang, but also a genuine expert at the Tribulation Realm. In Chu Tianhe's mind, he was certainly not qualified to talk to him.

I haven't been called by my first name like this in many years!
A slight ripple stirred in Xia Chuan's heart. Looking at Chu Tianhe, he said in an extremely calm tone, "It would be more appropriate if Chu Longteng were here. You, the second son of a Fangbo, a nobody who followed Chu Tianming to help him seize the throne, want to speak with my lord? Are you even qualified?"

Chu Tianhe's expression suddenly froze, and Fang Tianqing next to him, as well as He Tianxin, He Tianyuan, Lu Qinghu and the other four behind him, all showed a clear look of surprise.

This Xia Chuan, a Xianyang-level cultivator with a basic strength of only 13 jun, dares to speak to Chu Tianhe like that? Is this guy crazy?
"Arrogant, arrogant..."

"Fire arrows!"

Chu Tianhe was not merely enraged; as he spoke, golden and blue flames suddenly erupted around him, a phenomenon caused by the full release of his metal and water elemental calamity energy.

However, under normal circumstances, when a Tribulation Realm cultivator goes all out, what should be unleashed is not Tribulation Qi, but the Golden Body. At this moment, Chu Tianhe did not unleash the Golden Body, but only released the Tribulation Qi within his body, which shows that he did not really intend to make a move.

However, Xia Chuan's reaction was much more intense than his.

boom…………

To Chu Tianhe and the others from Chencang, Xia Chuan's shout of "Fire arrows!" sounded somewhat ridiculous.

Let alone the Body-Shattering Realm, even the Manifestation Realm can basically avoid all crossbow bolt attacks as long as they maintain sufficient altitude.

It's not that crossbows can't reach such high targets. The key point is that all large instruments like crossbows have an effective range. In other words, even if you can shoot hundreds of kilometers away, how much power do you still have after the crossbow has flown hundreds of kilometers? Can it still hurt people?

The Great Xia's Divine Crossbow was no secret in the four vassal states of Mo'aochuan. Chu Tianhe and others were well aware of it. In fact, Chencang also had large crossbows similar to the Divine Crossbow, and their range and power were even greater than the Great Xia's Divine Crossbow.

They had already spotted the twenty crossbows below, and even during their brief conversation with Xia Chuan, they had witnessed the soldiers on the ground setting up their crossbows and drawing their strings.

Chu Tianhe and the others ignored it because they didn't take it seriously.

However, when five silver-white arrows shot towards them from the ground like bamboo shoots rising from the ground, Chu Tianhe, Fang Tianqing, and He Tianxin and the other three behind them instantly changed their expressions.

Boom... boom...

The moment the long arrow pierced the air, it abruptly sucked out the air from the ground. After the crossbow strings that had fired the arrow returned to their restoring positions, they made a loud bang. Although it was a salvo from five machines, the sound was so loud that it sounded like there was only one shot.

How powerful is the return of a taut crossbow string to its original position?
Of the 500 soldiers operating the crossbows, almost half lost their footing and fell to the ground. Dozens were thrown more than ten meters away, and the most seriously injured even coughed up blood.

boom…………

The moment the arrows were launched, the immense force emanating from the five crossbows rebounded to the ground through their bases, creating five giant shockwaves that spread outwards in circular ripples, stirring up endless snow mist. The sheer power of the attack was terrifying.

boom…………

The central army formation of 150,000 soldiers was scattered in all directions by the shockwave.

Such a terrifying display was only caused by the force of the crossbow string returning to its original position and rebounding. What must have happened to the crossbow bolt that flew into the sky?
Chu Tianhe's reaction best illustrates the point...

"Hide behind me!"

The moment the five giant crossbow bolts shot up from the ground, Chu Tianhe had already reacted.

Based on the speed of those crossbow bolts, which could instantly evacuate the air within a radius of several miles, he didn't even need to sense it to know that the impact force of these crossbow bolts was at least 200 jin (a unit of weight).

What does 200 jun or more mean?
He was at the second stage of the Tribulation Realm, and his basic strength was only slightly over 200 jin. Even with other improvements, it would not exceed 240 jin at most.

Therefore, the twenty crossbows below were not the divine crossbows they knew before, but top-secret weapons that the Great Xia Dynasty had never shown to anyone before.

boom…………

He was filled with regret, but Chu Tianhe's actions were not slow at all. He knew very well that He Tianxin and the other five could not even escape the firing range of these five crossbow bolts, let alone block them. So, he immediately not only summoned his thirty-zhang golden body, but also sternly signaled the five to hide behind him.

Fang Tianqing also summoned his golden body, but it was only fifteen feet long and only emitted red fire elemental energy. Although he was only at the first level of cultivation, he should be able to avoid crossbow bolts, so Chu Tianhe ignored him.

With countless thoughts swirling in his mind, the long arrow shot from the Azure Xun Divine Crossbow pierced the air in an instant. Chu Tianhe's movements were indeed swift; he completed the transition to the Golden Body almost the instant the arrow was about to hit the target.

Clang...

The five crossbow bolts below were primarily aimed at Chu Tianhe, but the shockwaves from the bolts spread to a diameter of ten meters by the time they reached mid-air, meaning their range wasn't limited to just Chu Tianhe.

Chu Tianhe's golden body was hit by the crossbow bolt. Almost without any suspense, he was shot hundreds of meters into the air. The arrow even pierced through his golden body membrane and went straight to his bone marrow.

Moreover, all five arrows arrived at the same time!

The terrifying force propelled him hundreds of meters into the sky, where five bursts of brilliant silver light overshadowed his golden body, becoming the sole protagonist in the heavens.

If he was in such a state, then the five people, including He Tianxin, hiding behind him, were even more vulnerable. Their bones were fully exposed, and they gritted their teeth and mobilized their strength to help resist the crossbow bolts. Even so, they could not reduce the impact of the crossbow bolts. All five of them spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered violently. If they had not gritted their teeth and persevered, they would have been blown to pieces.

The one who suffered the most was Fang Tianqing!
Without Chu Tianhe's help to deflect the force, his own fifteen-zhang golden body was no match for the crossbow bolt. Even though what was in front of him wasn't a crossbow bolt, but just an arrowhead, his golden body was instantly pierced, and the terrifying force sent him flying, forcing him to retreat several hundred meters to the side. "Three hundred... no, this is at least three hundred and fifty. How is this possible? How could the Great Xia possibly make such a crossbow..."

Fang Tianqing was completely stunned. Chencang also had a large crossbow called the Dragon Crossbow, which was also made from the Azure Sun Treasure Tree of the Bone-Eating Path. However, the Dragon Crossbow's power limit was only about 100 jun.

More than three hundred jin (a unit of weight) can threaten a third-stage or even fourth-stage Tribulation Body cultivator...

Boom…………

The snapping sound of the crossbow string resetting rang out again, instantly interrupting Fang Tianqing's thoughts. As he was retreating to dissipate his strength, he glanced at the ground out of the corner of his eye and his body trembled violently upon seeing the scene below.

boom…………

Five streaks of silver light rose up from the ground again. The interval between the first five crossbow bolts and the first five bolts was only twenty-five breaths. The second round came so quickly.

Five silver crossbow bolts pierced the air, instantly soaking Fang Tianqing's back. He hadn't even fully absorbed the force of the first volley of bolts yet; if he were hit, he might lose his life.

Clang...

The fiery aura suddenly intensified. Fang Tianqing drew his longsword from his waist, first dispersing the force of the first volley of arrows, and then, without the slightest hesitation, turned and fled north.

However, unlike the first round, in this second round, two of the five crossbow bolts were aimed at Chu Tianhe, and three were aimed directly at him.

Moreover, the three people operating the crossbows below seemed to have already anticipated the direction he would flee in. One crossbow forced him to run, while the other two were aimed at his inevitable escape route to the north.

boom!
He dodged the first of the two crossbow bolts he had anticipated, but he only avoided the bolt itself. The impact force of over 300 jin propelled the arrowhead, just like the first volley, and once again lifted his body hundreds of meters into the air.

In fact, because he was focused on fleeing north, the powerful impact suddenly struck him, causing him to lose his balance and freeze in mid-air for two or three breaths.

puff………

In those two or three breaths, the last crossbow bolt pierced straight through his golden body.

It's penetration in the true sense!
A silver crossbow bolt pierced through the golden body's neck, instantly reducing its original fifteen-foot size by a third. Fang Tianqing coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face turning deathly pale, and his golden body swayed precariously in mid-air.

call………

Of course, he did not sit idly by and wait for his death. Instead, he forced himself to cheer up and continued to flee north. He had clearly seen before that the Great Xia army had brought a total of twenty crossbows, with five firing simultaneously in each round, which was obviously a well-thought-out plan.

If you don't run, you're sure to die.

Unfortunately, while having his neck pierced wasn't a fatal injury for someone at the Tribulation Body Realm, the consequences of his weakened golden body were extremely severe. He lost 30% of his strength and couldn't move fast at all.

"It's over!"

A look of dejection flashed across Fang Tianqing's face. He never imagined that he, a dignified advisor of the Heyang Overlord's Mansion, would die in such a dramatic way at the hands of the Great Xia, which had only risen to power in half a year.

Moreover, he died from crossbow bolts.

"Mr. Fang, let's leave!"

However, at this critical moment...

Chu Tianhe, who had been forced back on the other side, actually turned back.

Clang...

Not only did they turn back, but they also helped him catch the deadly crossbow bolt.

Of course, he didn't take it head-on. The power of that crossbow bolt was something even Chu Tianhe couldn't withstand. He simply used his broadsword to slightly deflect the bolt.

Even with this slight flick, Chu Tianhe's body flew far to the side, his blood and qi trembling violently, showing that the price he paid was not light.

But he managed to block him in the end, and while being forced back, he didn't forget to grab Fang Tianqing and lead him on a frantic escape to the north.

Seeing that Chu Tianhe had returned to save him, Fang Tianqing's face was full of astonishment and surprise.

Why did he feel so desperate just now?

It was because he realized that rescuing He Tianxin and the other four was already Chu Tianhe's limit. The crossbows were so powerful, and there were ten more below ready to fire. The best decision for Chu Tianhe was to run away with the five of them.

As a staff member of the Heyang Bafu, he only held some weight in the eyes of his lord, Chu Tianming, so it was quite normal for Chu Tianhe not to save him.

The other person actually turned back to save me...

"Mr. Fang, it seems we can't continue fighting. Xia Hongren hasn't even arrived yet and we're already like this. We have no reinforcements from within the kingdom. With only our 100,000 troops, Dongchuan City can't possibly hold. Let's retreat!"

Xia Jun was not far from Dongchuan City. After being pulled by Chu Tianhe for less than a few breaths, Fang Tianqing had already arrived above Dongchuan City. Upon hearing Chu Tianhe's words, he almost instinctively tried to dissuade him.

"How can we fight like this? We have no choice but to retreat!"

"We only have two people at the Tribulation Realm to begin with, and the Prefect and Mr. Fang are both injured now. If we continue fighting, we will definitely lose."

"Holding out for now is useless. No reinforcements have been sent to us from within the vassal state. Even if the governor sends a few warriors at the Tribulation Realm, it will be of no use and will only delay the battle with Cai Qiu. We have no choice but to retreat."

"Dongchuan City was basically given away for free, so returning it to them is not a loss."

.........

Upon hearing what He Tianxin and the other four said, Fang Tianqing immediately swallowed his words, his face turning extremely ugly.

There are a million reasons to defend Dongchuan City, but Chu Tianhe, who is in charge, doesn't want to defend it, and neither do the generals below him. What's the use of him insisting on defending it alone?

Most importantly, the Great Xia has demonstrated sufficient strength to prove that their Chencang army of 100,000 men alone cannot gain a foothold in the southern foothills.

"If we back down now, the future is uncertain..."

Fang Tianqing didn't say those words aloud. He just gazed at the southern foot of the mountain, sighed softly, and looked unusually lonely.

(End of this chapter)