Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 381 The Tumultuous Changes, Murong Yan's Ambitions, and the Great Victory at Yumen Pass
May 2nd, 132nd year of the Moo calendar
Xia Chuan, located north of the Hongguan camp, led his men to capture two Chuishan Yuhan-level warriors shortly after nightfall.

And almost at the same time he made the arrest.

In the northern city of Muyin, a dramatic change is also taking place.

"Our lord is young and ignorant, bewitched by a witch. If this continues, our Muyin City will be under the Shangguan family's control! Brothers, follow me and charge in!"

"Murong Ping, you've stormed the Lord's Hall! This is treason!"

"The lady was married to the lord through proper channels. How dare you lay a hand on her? This is an act of treason! The late lord's body is barely cold, how dare you go so far?"

"What kind of bullshit lord's wife is she? She's just a witch sent by Jinshan Town to wreak havoc on my Muyin City. In three years, look what she's done to the town! If we let her continue to act so recklessly, Muyin Town will be doomed one day."

"Charge into the main hall and capture the demoness!"

"Charge into the main hall and capture the demoness!"

………………

Outside the main hall of the Lord of Muyin City, more than 10,000 soldiers, clad in armor and armed with weapons, were divided into two camps facing each other. The number of people standing on the side of the main hall was smaller, only a little over 5,000, while the number of people on the side facing the main hall and glaring angrily was over 8,000.

Murong Chui's three sons, Murong Ping, Murong Yan, and Murong An, stood at the very front of the more than 8,000 people. It was the three of them who had just spoken to the main hall.

When Murong Yan uttered the last six words, "The town of Muyin will one day perish," the more than 8,000 people behind him were immediately aroused. They raised their weapons and roared at the lord's hall, wanting to rush in and capture the demoness Shangguan Hong.

In contrast, the more than 5,000 people standing at the entrance of the main hall, although they also drew their weapons and made a gesture of defending the hall to the death, some of them had shifty expressions and uncertain demeanor, clearly lacking confidence. Obviously, not only in terms of numbers, but also in terms of morale, they were completely defeated by the enemy.

"Shut up, everyone!"

Suddenly, an angry shout came from the high platform above the main hall, and the angry shouts in front of the hall stopped abruptly. Everyone looked up at the platform, and their eyes narrowed slightly when they saw who was on it.

On the high platform stood a young man and a young woman, both looking to be under thirty. The man wore a pure silver crown and a crimson brocade robe, the signature of Muyin Town, with silver threads woven into his chest, sleeves, collar, and other parts, making him look exceptionally luxurious. The woman was dressed no less elegantly, with all her head ornaments made of silver and a magnificent red palace dress, also woven with numerous silver threads.

Judging from the gazes of the many people below, it was not difficult to tell that the man and woman were Murong Yan, the lord of Muyin Town, and his wife Shangguan Hong.

Murong Yan looked down at the more than 8,000 people below with an extremely ugly expression. Especially when her gaze finally settled on Murong Ping and his three uncles, a strong killing intent flashed in her pupils.
Unlike him, Shangguan Hong stared down with disdain. Even though she could tell that Murong Ping's side had a much larger number of people than hers, she didn't show any panic. Instead, she sneered repeatedly.

"Murong Ping, I have always respected you as my uncle and tolerated you to some extent, but I never expected you to become more and more arrogant. Now you even dare to lead so many people to storm the Lord's Hall. What should be your punishment for such treasonous acts?"

Although Murong Yan was young, she adopted the demeanor of a lord and directly questioned Murong Ping, which was quite impressive. In particular, she deliberately raised the volume of her last angry shout. When the more than 5,000 guards below heard the voice, their expressions became slightly solemn, and their morale was instantly boosted.

This is the effect of being legitimate. No matter what, Murong Yan is still the lord of Muyin Town. Of the more than 5,000 people below, although more than 1,000 of them are of the Cold Resistance level and come from Jinshan Town, the remaining 3,000 are all from Muyin Town.

They were all genuinely loyal to Lord Murong Yan.

"Brother, no need to waste words with this kid. There are more than 1300 Cold Resistance level cultivators in Jinshan Town. Adding those loyal to the eldest branch, there are only more than 2400 people in total. The rest are all at the limit of the Earth Digging Realm. Just charge straight in."

The hot-tempered Murong Yan directly asked his elder brother Murong Ping for a fight.

"No rush, be patient, wait a little longer!"

Murong Ping knew, of course, that his second brother was right. They knew exactly how many people Murong Yan had under his command before they even made their move.

The more than 8,000 people behind him were all loyal followers of his father, Murong Chui, or rather, the second branch of the family. Among them were more than 2600 people at the Cold Resistance level, two full-strength garrison troops, and the remaining 3,000 people were drawn from various institutions in the town. All of them were at the limit of the Earth Digging Realm.

With this strength, in a real fight, they could basically crush the more than 5,000 people in front of them. At most, the other side could resist for a while by relying on their large number of Cold-resistant level fighters, but it would be absolutely impossible for them to defeat them.

Even so, Murong Ping still did not agree to his second brother's request to fight, but simply told him to be patient and wait a little longer.

"Second brother, don't worry. Father should send someone back with a message soon. Let's check the situation at Yumen Camp first, then we'll talk."

The third brother, Murong An, was also quite calm. Seeing that his second brother was very agitated, he immediately tried to soothe him.

Murong Yan had a bad temper, but he wasn't stupid. Hearing his third brother's words, he seemed to realize something, and his expression immediately calmed down.

Murong Ping neither answered Murong Yan's question nor ordered the crowd to continue their assault on the lord's hall. He simply stood there in front of the hall.

The two groups stood facing off.

Neither of them spoke again, and the scene fell silent.

On the high platform, after cursing a few times, Murong Yan looked at Murong Ping's side, who had the advantage in numbers, with deep worry in her eyes. Finally, she turned to her wife, Shangguan Hong, and asked in a low voice, "Hong'er, will your grandfather and father-in-law really come to save us?"

Shangguan Hong looked at the crowd below with disdain, but when she turned to look at her husband, Murong Yan, her eyes were filled with deep love. Seeing that her husband seemed somewhat frightened, she immediately softened her expression and comforted him, "Husband, don't worry. Didn't you see that Murong Chui didn't show up today? He must have been held back by my grandfather. Don't be fooled by the imposing manner of Murong Ping and the others; they wouldn't dare to lay a hand on us..."

At this point, Shangguan Hong paused, and seeing that her husband's expression had not calmed down, she hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Husband, I won't hide it from you. My father is currently leading troops to attack the Yumen camp. As soon as he takes Yumen, he will immediately continue to press on Zhencheng. At that time, the army will cooperate with my grandfather to put pressure on Murong Chui, and Murong Chui will have no choice but to surrender to Jinshan."

Upon hearing this, Murong Yan's expression froze instantly.

Muyin Town's territory is not large among the nine towns, with a total of forty-one village-level camps and four major camps: Yumen, Fushan, Yunzhao, and Qingyang.

The northernmost Qingyang camp was captured by Wuchuan Town three years ago, so now only the Yumen, Fushan, and Yunzhao camps remain, along with thirty village-level camps surrounding them. The Yunzhao camp is south of the town, bordering Yangqu; the Fushan camp is northeast, bordering Wuchuan Town; and the Yumen camp is north of the town, bordering Jinshan Town and being the closest to the town center, less than fifty kilometers away.

His wife was very blunt. After his father, Shangguan Ning, captured the Yumen camp, he would immediately lead his army to continue pressing towards the town. Even if Murong Yan was stupid, she could guess Jinshan Town's intentions at this moment.

Seeing her husband's stiff expression, Shangguan Hong knew what he was thinking and immediately comforted him gently: "Hong'er knows that my husband has great ambitions and has always wanted to revitalize Muyin's glory. My grandfather told me before that as long as Murong Chui surrenders to Jinshan Town, Muyin Town can remain the same in the future, and no one can shake my husband's position as lord."

"Once we deal with Murong Chui and his gang of rebels, and with Jinshan Town as our backing, my husband can focus on uniting the townspeople while diligently cultivating, breaking through to the Manifest Yang level as soon as possible. Restoring the prestige of Muyin in the future will be a natural progression!"

Hearing his wife's words, Murong Yan's expression softened slightly, and he said with gratitude, "Hong'er, thanks to you, otherwise I really don't know how I would have survived. My grandfather has been gone for four years, and many people who were loyal to him have turned to that scoundrel Murong Chui. If it weren't for your and my father-in-law's support, I, as the lord, would probably have been killed by Murong Chui long ago..."

He paused, his expression turning slightly serious, and continued, “Don’t worry, Hong’er. As long as I can secure my position as lord, from now on, I, Muyin, will follow the lead of Jinshan Town. Once I break through to the Xianyang level, my Murong clan and your Shangguan clan will be related by marriage for all eternity. We will be one family from now on. As soon as our child is born, I will immediately appoint him as the young lord.”

A gentle light appeared in Shangguan Hong's eyes as she lightly stroked her lower abdomen, completely unaware of the dark look deep in Murong Yan's eyes when she finished speaking.

“No wonder last month, Murong Chui transferred all the garrison troops from the Fushan and Yunzhao camps to the Yumen camp. He must have known that your father was going to lead troops to attack Yumen.”

Murong Yan finally realized that Murong Ping had already led more than 8,000 men to storm the Lord's Hall, but Murong Chui still hadn't shown up. He must be at the Yumen camp right now, trying to resist the army of Jinshan Town.

The thought of the Zhenyu Army filled Murong Yan's eyes with resentment.

Muyin Town only has six garrison troops. When Murong Ding was alive, almost all six garrison troops belonged to his eldest son's lineage. Four years ago, after his grandfather Murong Ding passed away, apart from the garrison troops directly commanded by his grandfather's disciple, Deputy Commander Han Qu, the remaining five garrison troops directly defected to Murong Chui's side. He, as the lord, had no way to command them.

Murong Chui's position was that of a town chief, which meant he had no authority to command troops. After Murong Chui succeeded as lord, he never appointed a military commander, intending to limit him. However, his subordinates did not recognize the position, but only the person.

His position as lord was completely hollowed out. If he hadn't married Shangguan Hong and gained the support of Jinshan Town, he would only have a single Zhenyu Army under his command, plus a little over a thousand supporters of the Yuhan class.

Murong Chui has five garrison armies under his command, but he cannot send them all to the town. Troops must be stationed in the three major camps of Fushan, Yunzhao, and Yumen.

Last month, Murong Chui transferred all the garrison troops of Fushan and Yunzhao to Yumen. Murong Yan had already guessed that Jinshan Town would soon take action against the Yumen camp. The surprise he showed to his wife just now was just an act.

"The Yunzhao Camp in the south borders Yangqu Town and has basically no defense pressure, so it's understandable that it was transferred away; but transferring the Zhenyu Army of Fushan away as well means that they intend to give Fushan to Wuchuan."

"By concentrating all three garrison troops outside at the Yumen camp, we're determined to fight Jinshan Town to the death. That scoundrel Murong Chui has indeed been wary of me all along, fearing that Jinshan Town would support me in remaining the lord. He'd rather sacrifice the three garrison troops than surrender to Jinshan..."

After mentally analyzing Murong Chui's motives, Murong Yan's pupils almost blazed with fire; her hatred for Murong Chui had clearly penetrated to the bone.

"That's fine too. If Murong Chui were to surrender directly to Jinshan, I would be of no use to Jinshan. It would be better if the two sides fought to the death. The more Jinshan Town relies on me as its lord, the more Hong'er will be there. As long as I can help Jinshan successfully control the town, my value will remain. In this way, I can continue to hold onto my position as lord. One day, as long as I break through..."

Murong Yan's expression was sinister, and his eyes were filled with a desire to break through to the Manifestation Yang level!

“Yumen is definitely not going to be saved. Murong Chui is being held back by Shangguan Lie. It’s impossible for him to hold off Jinshan Town with just three thousand Zhenyu soldiers. Once the Jinshan Town army advances on the town, Murong Chui’s chances are over. Even if he wants to continue resisting, it will be useless. He will have no choice but to surrender to Jinshan.”

Shangguan Lie had promised me that after Murong Chui surrendered, everyone from the second branch of the family would go to Jinshan Town, while Muyin Town would remain under my control. He assured me that if I had time to break through to the Xianyang level, I would surely be able to revive Muyin and restore the glory of the Murong clan…”

Murong Yan's plan was destined to fail.

"Brother, Yumen has won a great victory! Hahaha! Yumen has won a great victory! The five thousand garrison troops of Jinshan Town suffered a crushing defeat, with more than 40% killed. Deputy Commander Shangguan Ning was seriously wounded and captured alive by Commander Yuwen. Jinshan's army was routed and all of them fled!"

A voice came from afar, shattering his beautiful dream.

Murong Ping, Murong Yan, and Murong An, who were standing in front of the main hall, immediately recognized the voice as that of their fifth brother, Murong Yuan.

Upon hearing the entire statement, the three men's pupils dilated sharply, and their expressions immediately brightened with excitement.

With the results from Yumen in, Murong Ping naturally didn't hesitate any longer. He drew his longsword, pointed it at the lord's hall, and angrily declared:

"You vixen, you have bewitched my lord, disrupted my Muyin, and even colluded with Jinshan Town to plant a large number of spies in the city, intending to control Muyin Town. As the head of the Supervisory Council, how can Murong Ping allow you to continue your insolence? Brothers, follow me into the main hall, capture the vixen, and do not let a single Jinshan escape!"

After he finished speaking, the more than 8,000 people below who had been waiting for the attack suddenly became as if they had been injected with chicken blood. More than 1,700 people at the Cold Resistance level took the lead, followed closely by two groups of Town Guards, and the remaining more than 4,000 people at the Earth Digging Realm brought up the rear. They all rushed towards the Lord's Hall.

Whether in terms of numbers or morale, Murong Ping's side, already in a crushing position, now carried the powerful momentum of the great victory at Yumen and broke through the lord's hall almost instantly.

On the other hand, the people of Jinshan Town who were guarding the Lord's Hall had no choice but to take up arms and resist. However, the others who were originally from Muyin Town but were loyal to Murong Yan were different. Seeing that Murong Ping's side was powerful, their eyes flickered, and they clearly had little intention of resisting.

"All my brothers in Muyin Town, as long as you raise your weapons now and unite against the enemy, I promise to forgive and forget what happened, and the town chief will never pursue the matter!"

Murong Ping was nearly a hundred years old, so how could he not see through these people's thoughts? As soon as he said those words, at least several hundred people around the Lord's Hall immediately switched sides, and as time slowly passed, this group continued to grow.

The situation is now basically clear.

Starting tonight, the second branch of the family will completely call the shots in Muyin Town!

Murong Ping looked up at Murong Yan, whose face was deathly pale, and a cold smile appeared in his eyes.

Unbeknownst to him, a young man in black wielding a broadsword was subtly approaching the high platform above the main hall while fighting against the Cold-resistant level fighters from Jinshan Town.

　Less today, more in the next few days.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)