Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 363 Xiang Liang and Wang Yuxiu, Buddhist Edict and Strategy

October 3rd, 131st year of the Moo calendar, night

A wooden house near the main building in Hexia Village.

"Brother Xiang, open the door quickly."

A girl in a blue dress, about seventeen or eighteen years old, carrying a bowl of steaming meat soup, knocked on the door of the wooden house with an expectant look on her face and called out to someone inside.

Squeak...

The wooden door slowly opened from the inside, revealing a young and resolute face.

He was a young man in his early twenties. It was clear that he was in a bad mood, as his face was still gloomy when he opened the door. But when he saw the girl and the steaming bowl of meat soup in her hand, his gloom immediately disappeared, replaced by a gentle and helpless expression.

“Yuxiu, didn’t I tell you not to send me anything? Your father already doesn’t trust me, and you keep coming here every day. If he finds out, he’ll scold you again.”

Wang Yuxiu clearly didn't heed Xiang Liang's words. She walked into the house with practiced ease, went straight to the hall, put down the meat she was carrying, glanced around the room briefly, and, finding no one there, turned to the young man and asked, "Did your grandfather go out again today?"

Upon hearing this, Xiang Liang's expression instantly darkened, and he nodded.

Upon hearing this, Wang Yuxiu's face immediately showed sympathy, but after thinking for a moment, she still stepped forward and said softly, "Brother Xiang, your eldest and second brothers have been missing for more than half a month. This kind of thing has happened in the village before, but it's been too long. If they were really okay, they would have come back long ago. The fact that they haven't come back for so long must mean..."

At this point, she looked up and saw that Xiang Liang's face had become even more somber. Realizing that she shouldn't continue, she immediately stopped and stepped forward to gently comfort him, saying, "Brother Xiang, please persuade your grandfather not to look for him anymore. The snow forest is not safe at night. What if you don't find your brother and end up getting him killed too? Why don't you two just stay in Hexia Village and live peacefully from now on?"

Xiang Liang remained silent for a long time without answering her question.

Wang Yuxiu seemed to realize something, and said with a hint of anger, "My father let you into the main building yesterday, and you still said he was worried about you. As long as you are determined to integrate into Hexia Village, with your qualifications, my father, Uncle Liu, Uncle Zheng and the others will definitely be willing to accept you."

"Besides, my dad said that you not only have talent for cultivation, but your hunting talent is also much stronger than others. When you break through to the Cold Resistance level, he might even hand over the village's hunting team to you!"

Hearing Wang Yuxiu's words, Xiang Liang's expression immediately softened, but after a moment's hesitation, he gave a wry smile and shook his head, saying, "After all, I've only been in Hexia Village for a little over nine months. Your father is right to be worried about me. Yuxiu, my elder brother and sister-in-law have been missing for so long, and Grandpa is searching for them every day. I can't stay in the village any longer. We've already made a plan. If they still can't be found in a few days, I'll pack up with Grandpa and we'll all go together..."

"Brother Xiang, you can't leave!"

Upon hearing Xiang Liang's words, Wang Yuxiu's eyes immediately welled up with tears, and she interrupted him. The reason she had been coming here every day for the past two weeks was because she was worried that the grandfather and grandson would leave Hexia Village together while searching for someone.

The thing she feared most had finally happened. Wang Yuxiu could no longer contain her love. Her cheeks flushed crimson, and she gritted her teeth, stepping forward to hug him. She rested her head on his chest and said with unwavering determination, "Brother Xiang, no matter what, I will not let you leave Hexia Village."

Xiang Liang's expression froze slightly, and a complex look appeared in his eyes.

He knew very well how much courage it took for a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl to rush up and hug him like that, given that her sense of shame was at its strongest.

He took a deep breath, pondered for a moment, then gently raised his hands and embraced Wang Yuxiu, whispering, "Yuxiu, I know your feelings, but gaining your father's approval is indeed not easy. Yesterday, your father summoned me to the main building for questioning, but he still approached me indirectly. Later, I saw a monk from Dajue Temple come over, and he immediately chased me away. It's clear he still doesn't trust me much. I'll continue to linger here..."

"That's my third brother!"

Suddenly interrupted, Xiang Liang's expression froze.

Wang Yuxiu seemed to have made an important decision, and gritted her teeth as she continued, "Brother Xiang, the reason I came to see you today was to talk about this matter. The monk with long hair who came yesterday is my third brother, Wang Yuwen. He and my second brother, Wang Yu'an, were among the first batch of children selected by Dajue Temple seven years ago. He came yesterday to deliver a Buddhist decree from Dajue Temple to my father."

A glint of light flashed in Xiang Liang's eyes, then he looked at Wang Yuxiu with a puzzled expression and asked, "What is the Buddha's decree?"

"The Buddha's decree is the message that Dajue Temple conveys to the eighteen families of the three villages of Qinghepu. Once the decree is issued, all camps must abide by it."

Wang Yuxiu clearly intended to continue speaking, and Xiang Liang did not interrupt her.

"I heard that something happened in Qinghe Village five days ago. Under the cover of daylight, spies from the Nine Towns, led by Jiangxia, set fire to the village, causing countless deaths and injuries. More than a dozen monks from the Zen Temple died. The master was furious and ordered half of the Digging Realm and Cold Resistance Realm personnel from all the camps of the three villages and eighteen families to gather in Qinghe Village. He probably intends to take revenge on Jiangxia Town."

"Nine Towns?"

Having spent more than half a year with Xu Ning in Hexia Village, Xiang Liang was naturally aware of the existence of Jiuzhen, but at this moment, in front of Wang Yuxiu, he still had to pretend to be clueless and look at her with a face full of curiosity.

Wang Yuxiu hurriedly explained the Nine Towns to him, then, remembering something, she continued to ask, "Didn't you always feel that my father was worried about you? The reason lies with the Nine Towns, especially Jiangxia Town, which is closest to our Qinghe Village. They sent many spies to infiltrate Qinghepu, which is why my father is so wary of strangers. In the past few years, they have actually caught quite a few, but I didn't expect that there were still so many of them lurking in Qinghe Village. This time, the incident has caused such a big commotion that the Master is finally going to take action to punish them."

"I see!"

Xiang Liang looked at him with understanding and nodded, asking, "You just said you came to see me today to talk about this. Why?"

Wang Yuxiu gritted her teeth and said, "Brother Xiang, haven't you always felt that my father doesn't trust you? Taking advantage of this opportunity when Dajue Temple issues a Buddhist decree, if you just ask my father to volunteer and accept the conscription, he will definitely be very happy. If you can make some contributions in the battle for Dajue Temple, he will definitely treat you as family in the future. At that time, the two of us..."

By the end, Wang Yuxiu's face was full of embarrassment, her meaning self-evident.

Seeing the hesitation on Xiang Liang's face, Wang Yuxiu thought he was afraid of going to the battlefield, so she immediately continued, "Don't worry, Brother Xiang, my third brother Wang Yuwen is now a steward of the Zen Temple. I will tell him to take care of you when we get to the battlefield, so there will be no danger."

"That's not what I'm afraid of!"

Xiang Liang immediately shook his head, tightened his grip on Wang Yuxiu's hand slightly, and said, "If I go directly to your father and volunteer, he will definitely guess that you leaked the information to me, and then you will be scolded again."

Seeing that Xiang Liang wasn't afraid but worried about her, Wang Yuxiu's face immediately lit up with a sweet smile. She nodded and said softly, "You don't need to go to him now. He should talk to all the hunting teams in the village in the next couple of days. When it's your turn, just be proactive and he'll definitely be able to tell."

"Yuxiu, thank you. For our future, I will definitely try my best to integrate into Hexia Village as soon as possible!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yuxiu's face flushed even more, and her eyes were filled with sweetness as she looked at Xiang Liang.

The two young people chatted quietly inside for a while longer. Finally, as dawn was approaching, Wang Yuxiu reluctantly left, turning back every few steps.

Xiang Liang watched Wang Yuxiu leave, then turned back into the house. Looking at the still-warm soup on the table, his expression became unusually complicated.

Bai Shanqiu came out of the house, saw Xiang Liang's expression, smiled gently and asked, "Do you feel guilty for lying to her like this?"

Xiang Liang didn't speak, but the expression on his face clearly gave the answer.

Do you like this Wang Yuxiu?

Upon hearing Bai Shanqiu's question, Xiang Liang's expression froze for a moment, then he said in a low voice, "Hexia Village belongs to Dajue Temple. She is from Hexia Village, and should be considered an enemy of our Great Xia. How could I fall in love with an enemy?"

"Confused!"

Bai Shanqiu, being an old man with experience in matters of love and sex, could not possibly fail to see Xiang Liang's feelings. When he heard Xiang Liang deny it with this lame excuse, he immediately shook his head and scolded him with a smile before continuing, "The three villages and eighteen families in Qinghepu are at most humans who have been bewitched by monsters. They are not bad people, so why are they considered enemies of our Great Xia?"

The two of us are here investigating the situation at Dajue Temple so that Daxia can rescue the three villages and eighteen families from Dajue Temple. Your deception of her is essentially to save her and the people of Qinghepu, so there is no need to feel guilty. Once Daxia uncovers the true nature of Dajue Temple, she will naturally understand you.

Liking her is not a sin. You volunteered this time, taking such a great risk to stay in Hexia Village. Lord Xu knows this all too well. If you two really do end up together one day, he will definitely stand up for you.

Bai Shanqiu's words clearly had a significant impact on Xiang Liang. He stood there in deep thought for a long time, and the complexity and entanglement in his eyes gradually faded, and his expression began to clear. Then he looked up at Bai Shanqiu, a look of gratitude on his face, and cupped his hands, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, Elder Bai. I almost got carried away!"

Seeing that Xiang Liang had figured it out, Bai Shanqiu's face also showed a hint of satisfaction. Although the two were not related by blood and had not even had much contact in Wuyuan in the past, he truly appreciated this bold and meticulous young man from the bottom of his heart.

"It's good that you've figured it out. Alright, make up everything Wang Yuxiu just said: the decree from Dajue Temple, Wang Yuwen, Wang Yu'an, and Jiuzhen's arson in Qinghe Village angered Dajue Temple... This intelligence is very important, especially the fact that Dajue Temple is gathering people to take action against Jiuzhen. We need to send this information back to Xia City as soon as possible. We can't wait until the end of the month. I'll find a quiet time to slip away after dawn."

Xiang Liang nodded emphatically and began organizing the intelligence with Bai Shanqiu.

They had been infiltrating Hexia Village for more than half a year and had long ago set up a way to send messages back to Baiyang. If there was no important situation, they would send a message to Xiacheng at the end of each month to report that they were safe. If there was an important situation, they would send a message back in advance. The specific method was to put the letter in the crevices of a large tree that had been marked, 15 kilometers west of Hexia Village.

Chen Ying, the garrison commander of Baiyang, would send someone to check the big tree every day during the day to ensure timely communication between the two sides.

The intelligence gathered tonight is clearly extremely important, and the two of them certainly can't wait until the end of the month; they must send the message back as soon as possible.

………………

The seventh year of the Great Xia Dynasty, the thirtieth day of the ninth month, on the eve of nightfall.
In the main hall of the Baiyang Garrison, Garrison Commander Chen Ying sat in the main seat.

Below, besides the eleven members of the Iron Eagle Squad at the Cold Resistance level, there were more than fifty people wearing hundred-forged iron armor. Each of them had a token hanging from their waist. The words on the tokens were almost all the same: Qingyang, Menghu, Jinzong, Mingyue, etc.

If you look more closely, you'll notice that the tokens hanging from these people's waists are emitting a faint silver light. They are clearly made of thousand-times-forged iron and have been deliberately edged with an iron cloud pattern, making them more beautiful than ordinary tokens.

Among the eleven people in the front row who were at the Cold Protection level, Chen Shang suddenly stood up slowly, looked back and counted all the people sitting below, and then turned to Chen Ying in the main seat and bowed, saying: "Commander, the captains of the fifty-seven intermediate hunting teams at Baiyang Garrison have all arrived."

Although they are father and son, they still address each other by their official titles in formal settings.

Upon hearing his eldest son's words, Chen Ying nodded slightly and gestured for him to sit down. Then, he looked around at the crowd below and said in a deep voice, "Lord Si Cheng has just sent word that, starting today, the entire Baiyang outpost will retain only five full-strength intermediate hunting teams. The remaining fifty-two teams can keep their weaker members, while the others at the Cold Resistance level and the Earth Digging Realm's limit must be withdrawn to Wuyuan and cannot remain here."

The crowd below showed no surprise upon hearing this, clearly having anticipated it; some had even guessed the reason and asked directly:

"Commander, is it because of Xu Shouzhen and Dajue Temple?"

Six days ago, many people witnessed the scene of Xu Ning being carried back by Xia Chuan and Xu An. In addition, Baiyang is the closest to Qinghepu, and they had also heard about the incident at Dajue Temple, so they immediately made the connection.

"Don't ask any more questions. We'll just do as the Chief Clerk orders!"

Chen Ying frowned slightly, not answering the crowd's questions. It wasn't that he was deliberately hiding it from them, but rather that he himself wasn't entirely sure.

Xia Chuan's orders to him were to disguise the Baiyang garrison as an ordinary village-level camp. From now on, he would act as the leader of Baiyang Village and conceal as much as possible anything within the camp that could be connected to the Great Xia.

Actually, you can get a general idea from this order.

Without a doubt, it must be related to Xu Ning and Dajue Temple. The fact that Baiyang's outpost was disguised as an ordinary village camp is clearly because they were worried that Dajue Temple would discover this place and then follow the clues to find out about the existence of Daxia.

Besides this, Chen Ying couldn't think of any other reason why Xia Chuan would give him such an order.

Of course, these were just his wild guesses, and he wouldn't tell the people below him. What he was troubled about now was how to pretend to be an ordinary giant camp.

Disguising Baiyang as a village-level camp is not an easy task!
His Iron Eagle Squad already has eleven members at the Cold Resistance level, and the captains of the fifty-seven intermediate hunting teams below are all at the Cold Resistance level. Just based on Bai Yang alone, it is clear that he is not an ordinary village-level camp.

Secondly, there is the overall population of the camp. Baiyang is just a small outpost and has not set up eight subordinate departments. Although there are only more than 5,000 people at present, the hunting team members alone account for about 60%, and the remaining 40% are basically members of the eight departments of Wuyuan, with the majority being people from the craftsmen and logging departments.

The logging department is here to find new types of vegetation; the artisan department is here to find rare materials that can be used for manufacturing or forging; the military department is here to survey the terrain; the prison department will have people stationed here; and the remaining civil, hunting, and logistics departments also have some members staying here with their own purposes.

Those who can serve in the Five Plains and Eight Offices, even without official rank, are at least at the limit of the Earth-Digging Realm, and a small number have even reached the Cold-Resistant Level.

In other words, the population structure of Baiyang's more than 5,000 people is as follows: more than 100 are at the Cold Resistance level, and the rest are basically at the Earth Digging Realm or at the limit of the Earth Digging Realm. There are not even 50 people at the Wood Cutting Realm.

How can you fake it now?

Anyone with a modicum of sense would immediately sense something amiss after just one visit to Baiyang's outpost; an ordinary village-level camp couldn't possibly possess this capability.

A normal camp would be predominantly populated by lumberjacks and ordinary people.

If Bai Yang wanted to achieve this, he could only transfer a group of ordinary people and lumberjacks from Xia City and Wuyuan.

The problem is, if people are living well in Xia City, who would want to come to Baiyang?

After racking his brains for a long time, Chen Ying finally came up with an idea, which is why he summoned all the captains of these hunting teams.

He looked down at the crowd below and said in a deep voice, "Since the Chief Minister has given the order, we must obey it and do it well. I have thought it through. Since we are going to disguise it, we should do it thoroughly. We need to mobilize a large number of ordinary people and lumberjacks. It is not realistic to mobilize people from Xia City for no reason, so we can only find a way ourselves!"

"Does the master mean we should bring our families with us?"

Upon hearing this, someone immediately realized what was going on.

"That's right!"

Chen Ying nodded immediately and continued, "From today onwards, everyone who stays at the Baiyang post must bring their family members with them. Of course, these must be ordinary family members; those above the Digging Realm are not acceptable. The lower the cultivation level, the better, preferably ordinary people."

As soon as he finished speaking, most of the people below immediately showed expressions of resistance.

"Gentlemen, it's certainly more comfortable to enjoy life in Xia City, but you all know how crucial the north bank of the Xing River is to our Great Xia. This time, the order wasn't given to me by the Garrison Command, but by the Chief Administrator himself, which shows how much he values ​​it. So there's no room for discussion; everyone must obey. After you go down, explain this clearly to your respective teams..."

At this point, Chen Ying glanced at his eldest son, Chen Shang, and continued, "My youngest son, Chen Ping, just left for Xia City. My wife, eldest daughter-in-law, second daughter-in-law, and six grandchildren will arrive in Baiyang by tomorrow night at the latest."

Upon hearing Chen Ying's words, the crowd below was immediately moved, and many who had just shown resistance now looked ashamed.

"The garrison commander has set a good example; what more can we say?"

"I will send a message back soon and tell my family to pack their things and come to Baiyang."

"It's just a matter of living in Baiyang for a while, sir. Don't worry, I'll have all the team members notify their families to come over as soon as I get back."

………………

Hearing everyone's expressions of approval, Chen Ying finally showed a hint of satisfaction.

Just as he was about to speak, someone rushed in from outside the door.

"Sir, news has come back from Hexia Village, please take a look!"

The newcomer was He Yuanfeng, a member of the Iron Eagle Squad. He looked exceptionally intelligent and quickly walked to the side of the main seat, taking out a piece of animal hide from his pocket and handing it to Chen Ying.

When Chen Ying saw that it was He Yuanfeng, his expression changed. He looked down and saw the few lines of writing on the animal skin. He jumped up from his chair.

"I need to go back to Xia City. That's all for today's meeting. Just do as I say for now, and we'll talk about the rest when I get back."

Before anyone below could respond, Chen Ying strode quickly toward the door.

Seeing Chen Ying's hurried manner, everyone exchanged bewildered glances.

The first day of the tenth month in the seventh year of the Great Xia Dynasty
On the Star-Picking Platform, Xia Hong sat cross-legged atop the Enlightenment Lotus Platform, holding two golden pills in his hands, his eyes thoughtful.

Although both pills are golden, the one on the left is significantly lighter in color, and it has only three spiraling rock patterns, while the one on the right has six.

"The difference in medicinal power between the Bone Condensing Pill and the Bone Gathering Pill is more than thirty times. The energy contained in this Bone Gathering Pill is too strong. I estimate that even an ordinary Iron Bone Manifestation Yang level cultivator cannot withstand it."

The Bone Condensation Pill is a pill used for cultivation at the Manifestation Yang level. Xia Hong obtained a high-grade jade bone for the first time, and after the alchemy workshop appraised it, he directly synthesized the formula. Unfortunately, at that time he was only at the Cold Resistance level and could not use it.

As he broke through to the Manifest Yang level, the Alchemy Pavilion naturally began refining Bone Condensation Pills.

The formula for this Bone Gathering Pill was discovered and synthesized five years ago after he used the Divine Crossbow to kill the Frost Wolf King in the Yanglu Realm.

Xia Hong has killed quite a few beast kings, and their bones are mostly silvery, so they are referred to as silver bones.

The formulas for the two pills are basically the same, the only difference being the main ingredient: the Bone-Condensing Pill uses jade bones, while the Bone-Gathering Pill uses silver bones.

"Since there are six-patterned ones, are there also nine-patterned ones?"

Looking at the six rock patterns on the Bone Gathering Pill, Xia Hong's mind stirred.

If it has nine patterns, its medicinal power is dozens of times that of the Bone Gathering Pill, and his cultivation speed will be even faster.

“The cultivation at the Manifestation Yang level is no longer about directly increasing strength, but rather focusing on improving the bones. However, unlike the tempering during a breakthrough, the bones are now nourished with medicinal power. Although the process is slow, I can feel the color of the bones gradually brightening. It should be similar to the cultivation at the Cold Resistance level. Once a critical point is reached, the bones will be strengthened, and the strength will increase dramatically.”

Xia Hong clenched his fist and pondered for a moment, "Lu Yang sent a message back the day before yesterday mentioning that the standard for measuring the power of the Nine Towns Manifestation Yang level is Jun. One Jun is roughly equivalent to the power of a hundred hairs. My current strength is probably less than eleven Jun. I wonder what level this strength would be if taken to the Nine Towns."

As he said this, a hint of arrogance flashed in Xia Hong's eyes.

There are more than twenty Xianyang-level beings in Jiuzhen. Although he has only met one Yang Fa, he has already been able to see a lot of things.

"If I could witness the Vajra Master and Xiahou Zhang fight with my own eyes, I would have a clear understanding of the strength of both Jiuzhen and Dajue Temple. What a pity..."

Xia Hong's expression shifted slightly, and he suddenly looked up at the main building.

"Chen Ying is back. Why so urgently? There must be news from Hexia Village!"

His eyes lit up slightly, and he flew directly towards the main building.

No sooner had he flown out than a white figure emerged from the rear chamber of the Star-Picking Palace—none other than Li Xuanling.

"Do you want to..."

Li Xuanling obviously thought Xia Hong was going out to do something, and spoke angrily with her pretty face. But before she could finish speaking, she saw that Xia Hong had just entered the main building, so she immediately stopped, but her face still showed deep worry. After thinking for a moment, she also walked towards the main building.

………………

Main building, council hall
"Good, good, Chen Ying!"

Xia Chuan had just finished reading the letter Chen Ying brought back, and he was extremely excited, uttering the word "good" three times in a row, clearly losing his composure.

He barely managed to suppress his emotions and looked at Chen Ying, saying, "You've received the orders I gave to the Baiyang garrison yesterday, haven't you?"

"Received, I have already begun to carry it out..."

Xia Chuan asked about Baiyang's outpost being disguised as a village-level camp. Chen Ying naturally knew the answer, so he told Chen Ying his entire plan of how he intended to disguise it.

After listening, Xia Chuan nodded and instructed the existing personnel at the station to bring their families over. This was indeed the best way to disguise themselves. As long as others did not become suspicious, there would be basically no problems.

"Wouldn't they have security concerns about sending their family members to the Baiyang post?"

When Xia Chuan pointed out the only problem with the plan, Chen Ying immediately nodded and said, "Si Cheng hit the nail on the head. When I first brought it up, they were indeed somewhat unwilling, but I have decided to have all nine members of my family move to Baiyang. They have no choice but to accept it."

I see. With Chen Ying setting an example, the others really have no choice but to comply.

Xia Chuan looked at Chen Ying with a hint of appreciation in his eyes and said, "You did a good job. From now on, do as I say. Don't expose your relationship with Da Xia. Just act like a normal village camp. If any other strangers, especially people from Qinghepu, discover Baiyang's outpost, you must be especially careful."

"I obey my orders!"

"You should go back first..."

Xia Chuan was about to let him leave when he remembered something and his expression turned slightly serious as he added, "After you go back, tell them to rest assured that there will be no problem with the safety of the Baiyang outpost."

"Subordinates resign!"

Upon hearing Xia Chuan's promise, Chen Ying's expression brightened. He nodded emphatically in response, then turned and headed out of the hall, returning to Baiyang.

"Is this news from Hexia Village?"

No sooner had Chen Ying left than Xia Hong's voice came from behind the main hall.

"Greetings, Lord!"
Xia Chuan turned around, bowed to Xia Hong, and then excitedly handed over the letter.

Unlike the blood-written letter that Xu Ning brought back before, the intelligence sent back from Hexia Village this time was not only detailed in content, but also in clear handwriting.

[Wang Chuan, the leader of Hexia Village, has two sons, Wang Yuwen and Wang Yu'an. They were among the first batch of children selected by Dajue Temple from Qinghepu seven years ago. Wang Yuwen is an abbot of the Zen temple and has three tassels of strength. There is currently no news about Wang Yu'an.]

On September 24th, spies from the Nine Towns set fire to Qinghe Village, injuring countless people. The Great Awakening Temple was furious and issued a Buddhist decree ordering all camps in the three villages and eighteen households to send half of their Earth-Digging Realm and Cold-Resistant Realm troops to assemble in Qinghe Village. The specific date is unknown, and it is suspected to be retaliation against the Nine Towns.

After reading these two intelligence reports, a look of joy immediately appeared in Xia Hong's eyes.

Compared to him, Xia Chuan's expression was much more excited at this moment. He didn't hide his emotions much in front of Xia Hong, and said with obvious joy:

“Brother, it matches up, it all matches up. Yesterday, Lu Yang sent a message back from Dongling, saying that Beishuo Town also issued a town decree, requiring all village-level camps within its territory to send half of their members to the Cold Resistance level and 30% to the Earth Digging level. Although it didn’t say exactly what they were for, it can basically be connected to Dajue Temple.”

It's not just about matching the information brought back by Xu Ning; combined with Lu Yang's message from Dongling yesterday, and these two pieces of news from Hexia Village, we can basically figure out the truth.

Xia Chuan directly stated his speculation:
"The Nine Towns had known about the existence of Dajue Temple for a long time, but because Jiangxia Town was the closest, they were the only ones who paid the most attention. The other eight towns were probably just looking for a bargain, so they only sent some spies to lie in wait in Qinghe Village."

In recent years, Dajue Temple has become increasingly powerful. The other eight towns could tolerate it, but Jiangxia Town could not. So Xiahou Zhang took action himself to try to find out the strength of Dajue Temple. However, he was also worried. So he ordered all his spies to set fire to Qinghe Village. It was likely a diversionary tactic. Another group of people were specifically responsible for spying on Dajue Temple on Chilong Lake.

It now appears that Jiangxia Town has failed. Not only did they fail to ascertain the true strength of Dajue Temple, but Xiahou Zhang also suffered a loss; all nine spies were reduced to ashes, and now they face retaliation from Dajue Temple.

Xia Chuan paused here, his smile deepening:

"With Dajue Temple being so powerful, Jiangxia Town was naturally unwilling to stand alone in the front lines. So it asked the other eight towns to help. The situation of the other seven towns is not yet clear, but Beishuo's decision to pull people out of village-level camps clearly indicates that they do not intend to genuinely help."

If the strongest town, Beishuo, reacted this way, the attitude of the other seven towns was even more unpredictable.

"Sit back and watch the tigers fight, let Dajue Temple and Jiuzhen fight?"

Xia Chuan had basically explained the whole situation clearly, and Xia Hong didn't add anything further. Seeing Xia Chuan's excited face, he immediately guessed what Xia Hong was thinking.

"Of course!"

Xia Chuan nodded without hesitation, then continued, "Ignoring the five great masters, just considering the more than five thousand Cold-resistant level cultivators with three-mane strength and the eight hundred and twenty or more formal Bhikkhus, the Great Awakening Temple's apparent strength is enough to overwhelm even the combined strength of the Nine Towns. The two sides are already on the verge of a major battle. We should not only sit back and watch the tigers fight, but if there's an opportunity, we should also have Lu Yang and the others fan the flames. It would be best if the Great Awakening Temple and the Nine Towns fought as fiercely as possible, so that when they are both exhausted, Great Xia can reap the benefits..."

"Jiuzhen is not Longyou!"

Xia Chuan was interrupted by Xia Hong before he could finish speaking.

Seeing Xia Chuan's confused expression, Xia Hong shook his head and continued, "Don't mistake the Nine Towns for Longyou. Back then, Longyou seemed to have twelve families, but in reality, only Longshan and Zhaoyang were fighting. As a third party, we could sit back and watch the tigers fight, and then take advantage of the situation to intervene and reap the benefits. Of course, we could do that."

Our opponents now are nine town-level camps with strength at least equal to, or even surpassing, that of the Great Xia Dynasty. Replicating what happened five years ago is no easy feat.

"Hasn't the Nine Towns already united to fight against the Great Awakening Temple? Shouldn't that count as two sides?"

Xia Chuan still looked somewhat puzzled, but after saying these words, before Xia Hong could even speak, he immediately realized what was going on and his expression changed slightly.

Yup!

Just as he had just guessed, Bei Shuo clearly did not intend to genuinely help Jiangxia Town. If Bei Shuo was like this, the other seven families were probably in the same boat. This meant that the nine towns, each with their own ulterior motives, could not truly unite. Thus, the nine towns could not be considered an independent entity.

What if the Great Xia secretly brokered a union between the Nine Towns?

Xia Hong saw through his thoughts at a glance and immediately shook his head, saying, "This idea is even more unrealistic. If the Nine Towns really unite, no matter whether Dajue Temple wins or they win, Great Xia will only be more unlucky."

If the Nine Towns truly unite, their strength will be absolutely terrifying. Whether they destroy the Great Awakening Temple or the Great Awakening Temple destroys them, it's almost certain that the next target will be the Great Xia.

Will Great Xia be able to deal with either of these two sides at that time?

"I made a stupid mistake."

Xia Chuan immediately realized what was going on, shook his head and made a self-deprecating remark, then looked up at Xia Hong and asked, "What does Big Brother mean?"

Xia Hong lowered his head and remained silent. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Our biggest advantage right now is that we are hiding in the shadows and are not so passive. Until they realize the existence of Great Xia, it is inevitable that we will sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. But in this process, we must assess the situation and make a move when the time is right. Since the Nine Towns all have ulterior motives, we will defeat them one by one."

Dajue Temple is just the right touchstone; it can help us find out which family is the breakthrough point, and what the current situation is in Jiangxia Town…”

At this point, Xia Hong turned to look at the map of the Great Xia territory behind the high platform, which covered the entire panorama of Mount Mo'ao. He pointed to the Jiangxia Town area and said with a smile, "That's our first target!"

Upon hearing the words "defeat them one by one," Xia Chuan immediately understood. When Xia Hong said that Jiangxia Town was the first target, he immediately realized what was going on.

"The main target of Dajue Temple's retaliation this time is Jiangxia Town. The other eight towns are unlikely to be genuinely willing to help, which will inevitably alienate Jiangxia Town. If we..."

At this point, Xia Chuan frowned slightly and immediately stopped.

According to Xia Hong's thinking, the Great Xia would step in to help and gain the favor of Jiangxia Town. But wouldn't this expose the Great Xia in advance and arouse the vigilance of the other eight towns?

Thinking of this, he immediately looked up at Xia Hong, a look of confusion on his face.

Xia Hong smiled and shook his head repeatedly, saying, "Of course not so soon, and it would be too much of a loss to just gain the favor of the Jiangxia Town family. We must choose the most suitable time; this cannot be rushed!"

At this point, his eyes flickered slightly, and then he continued to Xia Chuan: "Recently, you should select a group of clever Cold-resistant level soldiers in Xia City and send them to Dongling. Have Lu Yang arrange for them to infiltrate the Eight Towns to see if they can gather more useful intelligence. Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you win every battle."

"Okay, brother, I'll take care of it right away!"

"Have you made all the arrangements for Baiyang? Since Dajue Temple is going to launch an attack to the east, they will likely send people to keep an eye on the western tail side. We must prevent them from discovering the existence of Daxia in advance."

"It's all arranged, Chen Ying is handling it."

Xia Hong nodded slightly, pondered for a moment, and then asked in a low voice, "The four armies of Yunjiao, Longwu, Tulong, and Hubao are about to return from Longshan. How many people in the Yunjiao and Longwu armies have not yet broken through to the Cold Resistance level?"

"Yunjiao Army 587, Longwu Army 562."

Upon hearing that so many people hadn't broken through, Xia Hong's brows furrowed.

In fact, given the current number of Cold-Resistant soldiers in Great Xia, it would be perfectly feasible to form not just two, but five large armies composed entirely of Cold-Resistant soldiers.

The problem is that even members of a hunting party need to cooperate and work together, let alone a large army that is more organized and has more sophisticated combat tactics.

The coordination of soldiers, the training of tactics, and the execution on the battlefield are all factors that affect the combat power of an army. If you randomly gather people to form an army, unless their cultivation level is several levels higher, the army's combat power will not only not be improved, but will be entirely detrimental.

"With the great battle imminent and little time left, inform Qiu Peng to have the logistics department free up all the slots in the Martial Arts Pavilion and give them priority to the soldiers of the Yunjiao and Longwu armies who have not yet broken through. Help them break through to the Cold Resistance level as soon as possible. Otherwise, when we actually meet the Nine Towns, Great Xia will not even have an army that can be seen during the day. That would be a laughing stock."

Xia Chuan nodded upon hearing this, his expression immediately becoming more serious.

"Alright, that's all for now. Get everything arranged. I'm going to survey the Xinghe River area soon. If there's anything urgent, have someone come to Wuyuan to find me. Let me know immediately if there are any new developments in Dongling."

The Wuyuan outpost is located on Wuyuan Mountain, on the north bank of the Xinghe River, less than four or five kilometers from the water. It would be more appropriate for Xia Hong to stay in Wuyuan to explore the water.

Upon hearing this, Xia Chuan immediately showed resistance, clearly worried that Xia Hong was lying to him and that he had secretly run away from Wuyuan to Qinghepu.

"Brother, you..."

"Don't worry, I won't be going there before February next year!"

Xia Hong immediately saw his worry, gently shook his head and continued, "Dajue Temple is about to fight Jiuzhen, which is a time when nerves are on edge. If I rush over there rashly and expose the existence of Daxia, wouldn't that be asking for trouble?"
Besides, we wouldn't find anything by going at this time. Dajue Temple only sends people to various villages to collect six-year-old children every February. If I really wanted to spy on Dajue Temple, I would choose to go in February. Don't worry!

He gestured for Xia Chuan to relax, then turned to look behind the platform, a hint of helplessness on his face, and said, "Don't worry, you've been watching me closely for days. Is it really necessary for you to come with me to the main building?"

“I’m going to Wuyuan too, so I can take the two kids out for some fresh air.”

Upon hearing Li Xuanling's words from behind the platform, Xia Chuan immediately smiled. If he could take the two children to Wuyuan, then there would be no need to worry.

Xia Hong certainly wouldn't abandon his two children and run off to Qinghepu on his own.

"Big brother, I'll go arrange it right now!"

Seeing Xia Hong's helpless expression, Xia Chuan smiled lightly, bowed, and left the main hall to look for a suitable candidate.

　Everyone says that it's unnecessary to waste so many words describing the military. Without these current descriptions, how will we portray them as powerful and formidable in the future?
　　
　
(End of this chapter)