Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 360 The Losses of the Eight Garrisons, Xiahou Zhang's Certainty, and the Arrival of the Four Armies at Longshan
The name Xinghe was given by Xia Hong.

In the third month of the first year, in order to gather enough beast blood to break through to the Cold Resistance level, he frantically hunted intermediate-level cold beasts and traveled south from Redwood Ridge to the riverbank for the first time.

Seeing that the riverbank was lush with aquatic plants, and that these were clearly not ordinary plants, Xia Hong named it "Ying".

As the ruler of the Great Xia, Xia Hong's naming naturally had an official nature, so from the first year onwards, everyone in the Great Xia referred to the river to the south as the Xing River.

Unlike the people of Daxia, the people of Jiuzhen call the Xinghe River Hengjiang.

The name Hengjiang originated from Jiangxia Town.

Looking at the map of the nine towns, it can be seen that the eastern entrance on the north bank of the Hengjiang River appears to be sandwiched between two towns, one in the south and one in the north. However, in reality, Chuishan Town in the north is still two or three kilometers away from the entrance. Jiangxia Town is the one that truly controls the entire entrance.

The character "横" (heng) itself reveals that Jiangxia Town discovered the river's east-west orientation very early on. This also indirectly proves that Jiangxia's exploration of the north bank of the Hengjiang River actually began quite early.

September 28th, 131st year of the Moo calendar, night
On the north bank of the Hengjiang River, in the main building of an unnamed camp in the eastern section, Xiahou Qin paced back and forth nervously, glancing up at the west window of the main building from time to time, a hint of fear clearly visible in the depths of his pupils.

"It's been almost half an hour since night fell, and they still haven't returned. What should we do?"

"The military leader is so strong, he'll be fine, he'll definitely be fine."

"How could the Vajra Master be so powerful?"

"If Vajra Guru is so powerful, then what about the other four Gurus..."

………………

Half an hour ago, just before nightfall, he finally managed to escape the entanglement of the monks with long hair from Dajue Temple and fled back to Jinbi Village. He was still in a state of shock, and now his mind was filled with all sorts of thoughts. One moment he was worried about the safety of the military leader Xiahou Zhang, and the next he was shocked by the terrifying strength that Dajue Temple had shown. His whole body became visibly flustered.

stomping on...

Hearing hurried footsteps outside the door, Xiahou Qin turned around sharply and saw that it was his subordinate who walked in. His expression immediately darkened.

"My lord, the people from Beishuo Town have also escaped back. There are eighteen people in total. The two leaders are Huang Lin, the commander of the town's garrison, and Pei Yang."

Upon hearing his subordinate's report, Xiahou Qin immediately snorted coldly.

"Eighteen people escaped. Bei Shuo actually sent so many people, humph!"

People from the six towns of Jinshan, Wuchuan, Longgu, Yangqu, Chuishan, and Bashang had already fled back to Jinbi Village. However, the number of people who fled back from the previous towns was only about seven or eight at most, while Beishuo had as many as eighteen.

The fact that eighteen people escaped does not mean that Beishuo only released eighteen people into Qinghe Village.

Excluding those killed by the monks of the Zen temple during the arson, more than 150 people managed to gather at the earthen wall on the west side of Qinghe Village after the arson ended.

Jiangxia was the main force behind the arson tonight. Xiahou Qin knew very well that his family had only sent more than sixty people. When they finally gathered at the west earthen wall, only more than forty people remained. In other words, the other six families present at the time had more than one hundred and ten people in total. If you include those who escaped in advance and were not surrounded, there were even more.

They escaped through the western earthen wall, but the more than 5,000 gray-robed monks pursued them relentlessly and killed some of them. In the end, even fewer managed to escape.

"At the town's military council meeting on the eighth day of the new year, it was clearly agreed that, apart from Jiangxia, the seven families could not send more than ten spies to Qinghe Village. Now it seems that none of them have kept their promise. Eighteen people from Beishuo were able to escape back. I estimate that they sent at least forty spies to Qinghe Village."

After Xiahou Qin finished speaking, he sneered repeatedly. Under normal circumstances, he would be angry if the Seven Towns did not keep their promise, but the situation tonight was different.

No one expected that Dajue Temple was so powerful.

If these seven families really follow the original agreement and only send a few spies, then tonight only Jiangxia's family will be in trouble.

The subordinate clearly understood Xiahou Qin's words and nodded, saying, "So far, twenty-three of our people have returned. The other six towns each have seven to eight people, with Beishuo having the most at eighteen. The total number is less than ninety. Judging from the fire at the beginning of the operation at dawn, there were at least two hundred people. In other words, in this infiltration operation, the eight towns lost a total of more than one hundred Yuhan-level soldiers."

"more than!"

Xiahou Qin's expression hardened slightly, and he said in a heavy tone, "Don't forget, there are still more than a dozen experts who went to explore Dajue Temple, two or three from each family, and none of them have returned yet. I estimate..."

It's been almost an hour since night fell, and if they haven't returned by now, it's highly likely they won't be coming back at all. Xiahou Qin was well aware of this.

The subordinate clearly hadn't realized this yet, and his expression froze upon hearing it:
"Lord Gu, Commander Zhang, and Commander Zhu, are all not coming back?"

Upon hearing these three names, a heavy expression flashed across Xiahou Qin's face.

Xiahou Gu, Zhang Yuan, and Zhu Qing are all top-tier experts in Jiangxia Town, with strength exceeding 25. Among them, his cousin Xiahou Gu's base strength is as high as 35.

Three masters, and they actually perished at Dajue Temple.

Of course, it wasn't just the three from Jiangxia Town; all the experts sent to spy from the other seven towns also failed to return, so it's almost certain that they all met with misfortune.

These dozen or so experts were not like ordinary cold-resistant level fighters; they were the backbone of each town. Normally, the death of even one of them would be a major loss, but the death of more than a dozen at once like this had never happened before.

"That Vajra Master's strength is truly terrifying. If it weren't for my uncle's personal intervention, we would most likely have died in Qinghe Village. What's most infuriating is that despite so many deaths and such huge losses in Jiuzhen, we still haven't been able to find out even a tiny bit about the specific situation of Dajue Temple, and..."

At this point, Xiahou Qin's tone hardened, and he turned to look to the west, his face full of worry.

Uncle Xiahou Zhang has not returned yet.

Before escaping Qinghe Village, Xiahou Qin witnessed Xiahou Zhang's fight with Vajra Master. It was clear that his uncle, Xiahou Zhang, was no match for Vajra Master.

They haven't come back yet, could it be...?

"Impossible, absolutely impossible! My uncle's strength is extraordinary. Even if he couldn't defeat that Vajra Master, escaping shouldn't be a problem, right, right, right..."

Xiahou Qin could only console himself with this thought and continue to wait.

call…………

Ten minutes later, a gust of wind suddenly came from the west.

Xiahou Qin suddenly turned his head and looked to the west. He saw a figure rushing towards the main building, and his face instantly lit up with joy.

However, this joyful expression did not last long and was soon replaced by worry.

"Uncle, how are you?"

The one who flew in from outside was, of course, Xiahou Zhang.

But Xiahou Zhang's condition at this moment was terrible.

His face was deathly pale, his breathing was disordered, and his golden brocade robe was tattered. After flying into the main hall of the building, he could not even stand steadily. He used his sword to support himself before he could sit in the main seat.

"Cough cough...cough...pfft..."

After taking his seat in the main seat, he coughed up several mouthfuls of blood.

A large section of broken silver bone was exposed on his left shoulder, and his left arm was almost connected by broken flesh, hanging limply downwards, as if a slight force could pull the entire arm down.

Xiahou Qin had never seen his uncle in such a disheveled state. Even when he went forward to help him up, he seemed at a loss, clearly flustered.

"What's the big deal about a little injury? As long as I'm alive, I'll be fine!"

Seeing his nephew's flustered expression and poor performance, Xiahou Zhang was clearly displeased. He first gave a stern rebuke, then took out a golden pill from his pocket and swallowed it. After closing his eyes to regulate his breathing for a moment, he opened his eyes and looked at Xiahou Qin, asking in a deep voice, "Of the nineteen people who went to spy on Dajue Temple, have any of them returned?"

Xiahou Qin, having been scolded by his uncle, gradually calmed down and quickly shook his head, replying, "None of them have returned."

Upon hearing this answer, Xiahou Zhang showed no surprise whatsoever, clearly having anticipated it.

"That Vajra Master at Dajue Temple possesses strength at least above seven jun (a unit of weight), and his physical body is exceptionally powerful. In the entire Nine Towns, there are no more than a handful of people who could rival him in a one-on-one fight. Given his strength, the other four masters who are on par with him must be of similar or even greater strength. Xiahou Gu and the others deserved their deaths..."

At this point, Xiahou Zhang paused slightly, a hint of anger on his face, and continued, "It's hateful that nineteen people were sacrificed, and we didn't get a single useful piece of information. What exactly is going on at Dajue Temple? What are the characteristics of those four masters? And what were they doing with all those children they took in the past seven years? We know absolutely nothing. If I had known it would be like this, I would have gone to spy on Dajue Temple myself. This whole thing has resulted in so many unnecessary deaths." "Uncle, you absolutely mustn't!"

Upon hearing this, Xiahou Qin's expression immediately became tense, fearing that his uncle Xiahou Zhang might act impulsively and actually go to spy on Dajue Temple. He quickly spoke up to stop him, and then continued solemnly, "That Dajue Temple must be related to the supernatural. Uncle is unaware of the enemy's situation, how can you risk your life? As long as Uncle is here, it will be worth it even if many Yuhan-level warriors die in Jiangxia!"

The greatest strength of monsters is never their power, but their mysterious and unpredictable methods. Without understanding them, even a powerful expert at the Manifestation Yang level could easily fall victim to their attacks.

The reason this operation was designed this way was to ensure Xiahou Zhang's safety. If Xiahou Zhang were allowed to spy on Dajue Temple alone, and something happened, Jiangxia Town would be severely damaged.

The reason why the Nine Towns can maintain their current relatively balanced state is that each town has roughly the same number of Manifestation Yang-level experts. If one of them were to disappear for no reason, the consequences would be absolutely unimaginable.

The current state of Muyin Town is a bloody example.

Three years ago, the news of the death of Murong Ding, the lord of Muyin Town, spread like wildfire. The Eight Towns immediately changed their attitude towards Muyin Town. Not to mention the various forms of bullying and oppression, Wu Chuan even sent troops to invade Muyin's territory. If it weren't for the joint pressure from the other seven towns, Muyin would have lost at least half of its territory.

Xiahou Qin did not want Jiangxia to follow in the footsteps of Muyin Town.

Xiahou Zhang, a man over a hundred years old, naturally understood this principle. He didn't argue with his nephew's advice, but instead showed a hint of hatred on his face, saying, "Those bastards from the Seven Towns, relying on the distance from Dajue Temple, don't want to put in any effort. They just want to sit back and reap the benefits. Not a single person is willing to contribute. If a few more Xianyang-level cultivators had come with me, there would have been no need for this feint. I've even lost an arm now, bah..."

Hearing this, Xiahou Qin's expression sombered, but then he seemed to realize something and said fiercely, "We've suffered heavy losses. The Seven Towns have also lost a lot of people this time. They were too clever for their own good, secretly sending so many people to infiltrate Qinghe Village. Now they've all been wiped out. It'll be impossible for them to send anyone to infiltrate Qinghe Village again..."

He paused slightly, looking at Xiahou Zhang with a worried expression, and continued to ask, "Uncle, Jiangxia has completely fallen out with Dajue Temple. Those five masters are so powerful, what will become of Jiangxia in the future..."

Jiangxia is located on the eastern exit of the north bank of Hengjiang River, only fifty kilometers away from Qinghepu, where Dajue Temple is located. This distance is practically the same as being next to each other. Jinbi Village, where they are currently located, is Jiangxia's territory on the north bank of Hengjiang River, only twenty kilometers away from Dajue Temple, making it even closer.

With such a powerful force appearing around the camp, and almost certainly connected to the monsters, Jiangxia Town's future situation is clearly very precarious.

Xiahou Zhang naturally understood his nephew's meaning. His expression darkened slightly, and after a moment of thought, he sneered, "Now that it's confirmed that Dajue Temple is related to the supernatural, the Eight Towns shouldn't try to stay out of it."

Upon my return to the town, I will immediately inform the lord and invite the other eight town lords to discuss how to deal with the Great Awakening Temple. To think that my Jiangxia family could stand in the way of these monsters is wishful thinking.

Will the Eighth Town agree?

"If you disagree, then give all the east exits to Dajue Temple. Such a generous gift is enough to clear up this misunderstanding. Once Dajue Temple is on the north bank, they can attack whomever they want without us having to worry about them."

Anyway, all Dajue Temple has needed so far are six-year-old children, and they haven't indiscriminately killed like other monsters. If the Eight Towns don't care, then we won't care either. If it causes a major disaster in the future, we'll all suffer together!

Upon hearing his uncle's words, Xiahou Qin's eyes immediately lit up.

Yup!

Everyone knew exactly what the Eight Towns were planning. If it were an opponent of average strength, Jiangxia Town could simply swallow its pride and suffer a loss. But this Dajue Temple was clearly no ordinary place.

The Vajra Master who could severely injure Xiahou Zhang, along with the other four unseen masters, more than five thousand monks with hair, and an unknown number of formal monks, their strength clearly surpasses that of Jiangxia Town.

If the Eight Towns dare to sit idly by as before, then Jiangxia Town can indeed do as Xiahou Zhang said, and the Eight Towns won't be able to find fault with it.

"It was agreed back then that the nine towns would be of one mind and one heart, but now that something strange has happened, those eight families haven't contributed a single bit. They just want to sit back and reap the benefits. Where in the world is there such a free lunch?"

Xiahou Zhang sneered twice, clearly certain that the other eight towns would not dare to refuse Jiangxia Town's request for help.

………………

It was the 24th day of the 9th month in the seventh year of the Great Xia Dynasty, in the middle of the night.

At the entrance to Xiazhidao, directly east of the Longshan outpost, soldiers clad in light gold armor emerged one after another and headed west towards the Longshan outpost.

Seemingly on their first march, the soldiers were exceptionally excited, and as soon as they stepped off the straight road, many of them began chatting excitedly.

"Is this the last straight stretch?"

"The Longshan outpost is just ahead, maybe two or three kilometers away."

"That's too fast. We set off from the Xia City military camp at night, passed through Mirror Valley and Beehive to Wushuang, and finally arrived here. Including the one and a half hours of rest along the way, it only took us five and a half hours in total, right?"

"almost."

“I have studied the complete map of the Great Xia territory. The total length of our journey should be more than 120 kilometers. Excluding the time for rest, our marching speed per hour is about 30 kilometers per hour.”

"Taking the straight road is still faster..."

………………

"Speed ​​up, we're almost there! There are still many people coming out after the straightaway, don't dawdle!"

At the exit of the straight road, Zhao Long shouted, interrupting the soldiers who were chatting idly ahead, urging them to speed up, clearly somewhat angry.

"A march of more than 30 kilometers in an hour? This marching speed is even worse than the Yunjiao Army five years ago. This is too bad."

Yue Feng, standing next to Zhao Long, shook his head and laughed upon hearing this, "Our Fourth Army has only been established for a few days. It's already quite good that we've achieved this speed. Soldiers' combat strength, marching speed, battlefield execution... these all need to be improved gradually through training. Do you expect to reach the sky in one step?"

Zhao Long nodded upon hearing this, but then smiled wryly and said, "I understand what you're saying, but the difference is just too great. I heard earlier this year that the Cloud Dragon Army under the Chief Minister and the Dragon Martial Army under Yuwen Tao, the Chief Minister, can travel more than 100 kilometers per hour on straight roads, which is almost three times faster than ours."

Moreover, both armies have been focusing on improving their marching speed on normal snowfields since last year. I've heard that even without taking straight routes, they can now march over fifteen kilometers in an hour.

Upon hearing this, Yue Feng's expression froze, and he immediately nodded and gave a wry smile.

He was naturally aware of these circumstances.

The Yunjiao Army and the Longwu Army, as the two earliest armies established in the Great Xia Dynasty, are naturally the best among the eleven armies in the Great Xia Dynasty in every aspect, whether it is the number of cold-resistant troops in the army, the overall combat power, the marching speed, or the soldiers' battlefield execution.

Let alone their newly established Fourth Army, anyone with a discerning eye could see that the other five armies were significantly inferior to the Yunjiao and Longwu armies.

Not only that, but even the combat tactics that the other nine armies are currently using against the cold beasts and humans were first researched and developed by the Cloud Flood Dragon Army and the Dragon Martial Army a few years ago, and then taught to them.

As a fellow commander of a large army, Zhao Long naturally did not want his Falcon Army to fall too far behind. Therefore, even on his first military expedition, he had exceptionally high standards. The march was able to reach a speed of more than 30 kilometers per hour, thanks in large part to his constant urging along the way.

"Let's forget about comparing ourselves to the Yunjiao Army and the Longwu Army. I've heard that many of their battle tactics were personally taught by the lord. The lord clearly intends for them to become the template for all future armies of the Great Xia. Let's work harder and see if we can catch up with the Xuanwu, Shenwu, and Longyuan armies first."

Hearing Yue Feng's words, Zhao Long could only nod helplessly.

There is really no chance of catching up with Yun Jiao and Long Wu's armies.

Putting everything else aside, let's just talk about the number of cold-weather-resistant models.

The number of soldiers at the Cold Resistance level in both the Yunjiao and Longwu armies has exceeded four hundred, almost half of the total number of soldiers. It is estimated that in a few years, all soldiers in both armies will break through to the Cold Resistance level. In contrast, the four armies they just established only have a little over four hundred soldiers at the Cold Resistance level combined.

How can we pursue this?
Let's just be honest and compare ourselves with the other armies!

"We'll be there soon. I'll go back first and have the Longshan camp prepare food. I'll also go to the silver mine to inform the lord."

The military regulations of the Great Xia state stipulate that the people of the station where the army is stationed are responsible for the army's food and supplies transportation. Like Jinggu, Longshan also designated a piece of land within its station specifically for military camps, which was called Longshan Camp.

Yue Feng was the magistrate of Longshan, and he was in charge of these matters, so he spoke first to Zhao Long to resign.

Zhao Long, knowing the rules, immediately nodded and said, "Alright, you go first, I'll keep an eye on the army here!"

Yue Feng immediately turned around and rushed towards the Longshan outpost.

"Longshan Camp... If nothing unexpected happens, I'll be staying here with the Falcon Army for a few years. I wonder if I'll ever have the chance to lead a large army to expand the territory of my Great Xia."

Zhao Long raised his head and gazed at the towering main ridge of the Longshan Mountains to the west, his eyes filled with longing to make a name for himself.

(End of this chapter)