Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 385 Fate and Timing, Garrisoning Troops at Bashang, Fame Spreads Throughout the Nine Garrisons, Everyone Gone Cold [Crazy Request for Votes!]

The eighth year of the Great Xia Dynasty, April 30th, night.
A tall building not far from the Lord's Palace in Muyin City.

At the entrance of the high-rise building, hundreds of fully armed soldiers in golden armor are on duty. Passersby who come and go will stop and look at these soldiers with great curiosity on their faces.

"Is this the army that defeated Wuchuan at Fushan yesterday?"

"It was them. I heard they attacked Fushan during the day. Wu Chuan was leading the army, and the deputy commander Qin Yuanyi surrendered without a fight. There were more than two thousand men, and along with the deputy commander Qin Yuanyi, they were taken back to the town last night."

"To attack the Fushan camp during the day? How is that possible?"

"Why not? Look at the cultivation level of these gatekeepers."

"Hiss, are all the gatekeepers at the Cold Resistance level?"

"The soldiers of the Great Xia Dragon Martial Army are all at the Cold Resistance level."

"This, how is this possible? Even the three northern towns don't have this kind of strength, do they?"

"The strength of this Great Xia Town is definitely stronger than that of the three northern towns. The town leader must be very powerful to be able to get such a powerful ally."

"What town chief? He should be called lord."

"Yes, yes, yes, look at my memory, I almost forgot."

........................

The murmurs among the pedestrians were quite loud. The soldiers of the Great Xia, who had won two great victories in a row, had completely lost their fascination with the Nine Towns. Hearing these people's comments, they couldn't help but show some arrogance on their faces.

In the lobby on the top floor of the high-rise building, Yuwen Tao gathered with eleven high-ranking officers of the Dragon Martial Army, all of whom looked extremely excited.

"I can't believe you actually managed to kill Murong Yan, brother, you did a great job!"

Overjoyed, Yuwen Tao couldn't help but praise his elder brother, Yuwen Yong.

Yuwen Yong was not his blood relative; he was an orphan adopted by his father, Yuwen Hu, when they were at the Jingxian camp in his early years, and Yuwen Hu recognized him as his adopted son.

Yuwen Yong was eight years older than him. Although Yuwen Tao recognized him as his elder brother, Yuwen Yong never acted like one. He always remembered the kindness of his adoptive father, Yuwen Hu, and respected Yuwen Tao greatly. Their relationship was actually closer to that of master and servant.

The entire Longwu Army of one thousand men had infiltrated Muyin City as early as the beginning of April.

Yuwen Tao had already predicted that Jinshan and Wuchuan would attack Muyin Town when the Battle of Bashang City began. Knowing that Murong Chui was confident in controlling the situation in Muyin City, he led the Longwu Army to the Yumen Camp in late April to secretly ambush them.

When he set off for the Yumen camp, he left Yuwen Yong behind and gave him a special task: to take advantage of the chaos in the town and find an opportunity to kill Murong Yan.

Having stayed in Muyin City for over a month, Yuwen Tao naturally realized that the core problem in Muyin Town lay with its lord, Murong Yan.

Murong Yan's talent for cultivation is undoubtedly exceptional, but he has ambition without the means to achieve it. Moreover, he is single-mindedly devoted to colluding with outsiders while also guarding against his own people. This person seems to have an obsessive-compulsive desire for the position of lord, making him quite a peculiar individual.

However, Murong Chui was indecisive by nature, and out of respect for his deceased elder brother Murong Ding, he was unwilling to lay a hand on his grandson no matter what.

When Xia Hong set off from Xia City, he personally instructed that Muyin Town was a nail driven into the heart of the Nine Towns by the Great Xia, and it would play a huge role in the future.

With Xia Hong's instructions, Yuwen Tao naturally had to find a way to ensure that Muyin Town would not have any problems. Since Murong Chui and his five sons could not bring themselves to do it, then the villain had to be played by the Great Xia.

When Yuwen Yong was in the Mirror Immortal Camp, his talent was not outstanding. However, after arriving in the Great Xia, he seemed to have suddenly become enlightened. With the abundant supply of various cultivation resources, his cultivation level advanced by leaps and bounds. Four years ago, when he broke through to the Cold Resistance level, his basic strength reached 2.8, making him an extremely top-tier superior battle body.

Four years have passed, and Yuwen Yong's basic strength has now exceeded 21, just one step away from the peak of Yuhan. In the Dragon Martial Army, his strength is second only to him and Hou Quan.

Murong Yan has high talent, but due to his age, his strength is actually not strong. He only has the strength of a nineteen-mane master. Without even considering the enhancement of the holy runes and martial arts, it would not be difficult for Yuwen Yong to kill him in a one-on-one fight, relying on his basic strength.

The problem is that given Murong Yan's identity, he will inevitably have many loyal protectors, and Jinshan Town will most likely not let anything happen to him.

Leaving Yuwen Yong in Muyin City is at most a side hustle for Yuwen Tao; if it succeeds, great, but if it fails, there won't be much loss.

He didn't have much hope before he set off.

To everyone's surprise, Yuwen Yong actually killed Murong Yan.

A thousand thoughts may arise, but in reality, they pass by in an instant.

Yuwen Yong was even more aloof than Yuwen Tao. Upon hearing the praise, his face remained expressionless, and he simply said calmly, "You flatter me, Minister Si!"

Yuwen Tao knew his temperament and didn't take it seriously. He smiled and said, "Although you have made great contributions this time, you have become too prominent. There are more than 100,000 people in Muyin City who are clamoring for you to pay for their lord's life. You should not show your face in the city until Murong Chui returns."

Recalling the scene two days ago when he personally killed Murong Yan, and the tens of thousands of people in Muyin City roared and demanded that he pay with his life, Yuwen Yong still had lingering fear in his eyes. When he heard Yuwen Tao tell him not to show his face in the city, he naturally agreed wholeheartedly.

In any camp, the lord holds an extremely special position; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he is the spiritual totem in the hearts of everyone in the camp.

Yuwen Yong's killing of Lord Murong Yan in front of more than 10,000 people caused a huge uproar. If it weren't for the three Murong brothers protecting him the night before last, he would never have been able to leave the Lord's Hall alive.

Tap tap tap...

As everyone remained silent, a series of light footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall.

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Tao's expression froze. The others in the room were initially taken aback, but quickly recovered and all looked at Yuwen Tao with mischievous expressions.

"That footsteps... could it be Miss Murong?"

“This young lady has only been back in the city for a day, and she has already come to see the magistrate four or five times.”

"In the two battles at Yumen Fushan, Shangguan Ning was defeated and Qin Yuanyi was captured alive. The Chief Justice displayed his divine power. Miss Murong witnessed the whole thing and it's normal that she was captivated."

"A man like Si Zheng, which girl wouldn't be captivated by him?"

"Ha ha ha ha……"

…………

"Get out of here, you've got nothing better to do, huh? Go and rest."

Despite being constantly ridiculed by everyone, Yuwen Tao, who was usually cold and aloof, showed a rare hint of annoyance on his face and waved for everyone to get lost.

"Si Zheng is twenty-five this year, isn't he? Don't be shy!"

As Xia Li said, "Men should marry when they come of age, and women should marry when they come of age..."

"Miss Murong is known as the Pearl of Muyin. Whether in appearance or talent, she is first-rate. She and Lord Sizheng are a match made in heaven!"

"The age is also suitable, so I, Zhu Yang, agree to this marriage."

"Hahahaha, Zhu Yang has agreed, so we have to do it."

………………

As everyone walked out, they couldn't resist turning back to make a few cheeky remarks.

Yuwen Yong also showed a rare smile. He paused for a few moments, clearly intending to say something serious, but Yuwen Tao waved his hand repeatedly, not giving him a chance to speak. He could only bow and follow the others out.

Only after everyone had left did Yuwen Tao's expression relax slightly.

At the same time, a girl in red quickly walked into the hall.

In Muyin Town, the red hue prevailed, and the clothes worn by the higher-ups all had some red undertones. Murong Yan was no exception. As she walked too fast, the hem of her slightly long crimson skirt swayed gently. Before she even entered, a charming smile appeared on her bright and beautiful face when she saw Yuwen Tao.

Being hailed as the Pearl of Muyin is not simply a matter of having the best cultivation talent in the entire town; her appearance is also top-notch among women of the same age, and she is quite famous throughout the entire Nine Towns.

From the time Murong Yan turned fifteen, not only within Muyin Town, but also from the other eight towns, many people came to Murong Chui to propose marriage. Given Murong Chui's status, those who dared to come to him to propose marriage were naturally not simple people. They were basically members of the Xianyang family from the nine towns. Unfortunately, Murong Chui rejected them all.

“Brother Yuwen, my father and four uncles have all said that no one will cause trouble for your brother anymore, so you can rest assured.”

Upon hearing Murong Yan's words, Yuwen Tao didn't react much, only nodding slightly.

This was exactly what he had expected. With Murong Yan dead, the second branch of the Murong family would benefit the most. It would be unreasonable not to protect Yuwen Yong.

"Brother Yuwen, you haven't broken through to the peak of the Cold Resistance realm yet, have you?"

Yuwen Tao nodded. Although his current basic strength was 32 manes, he was still at the late stage of the Cold Resistance cultivation level. He was a top-grade battle body with close to six manes, so there was still at least 15 manes of room for improvement.

Upon hearing his reply, Murong Yan suddenly showed a hint of shyness, took out a small iron bottle from her bosom, and handed it over directly.

“Brother Yuwen, with your talent, you will definitely break through before me. Once I break through to the peak of the Cold Resistance Realm, I will have to use other methods to increase my strength. These are the Dragon Carp Pills I have saved up over the years, a total of 21. I’m giving them to you.”

After the girl finished speaking, her cheeks were already red to the roots of her ears, and the last three words, "This is for you," were almost inaudible. If you weren't close enough, it would be difficult to hear them clearly.

Yuwen Tao looked at the Dragon Carp Pill that Murong Yan handed him, and his expression immediately became complicated. Looking up at the extremely nervous expression on her face, he knew that Murong Yan had mustered up a lot of courage to do such a thing. He didn't know how to refuse her without hurting her.

“Miss Murong, I remember that these Dragon Carp Pills are not cheap in your Nine Towns. One pill costs 18 taels of silver, and 21 pills are worth nearly 200 million taels. I cannot accept such a valuable item. Besides, we also have Dragon Carp Pills and Green Cod Pills in our Great Xia Town. I don’t need them. Please take them back!”

The standard for ice abyss silver is 10 taels to 1 catty. 200 million taels of silver is a full 20 catties of silver, which is a huge sum of money no matter where it is placed.

Murong Yan's intentions were quite clear when she offered him such a valuable gift, but Yuwen Tao still politely declined.

Rejected by Yuwen Tao, Murong Yan's face, which had been flushed to the roots of her ears, turned deathly pale in an instant. She looked up at Yuwen Tao, her face full of disbelief.

She bit her lip tightly, a stubborn look suddenly appearing on her pale face. She forced back her tears, took a step towards Yuwen Tao, and said with utter grievance, "Brother Yuwen, we've been together day and night for almost a month. You must have feelings for me; I can tell. And if you didn't like me, why did you risk your life to save me during the Battle of Fushan when Qin Yuanyi tried to capture me?"

Since the fifth day of last month, after introducing Yuwen Tao to her grandfather Murong Chui, driven by curiosity, Murong Yan has almost always followed Yuwen Tao by her side. The young girl was in love, and when she learned that he was only twenty-five years old this year, that his strength and talent far surpassed hers, and that he even led such a powerful Dragon Martial Army, Murong Yan's curiosity naturally turned into admiration.

On the night of the first day of May, Shangguan Ning, the deputy commander of Jinshan Town, led his troops to attack Yumen Camp. Yuwen Tao, with the Longwu Army who had been lying in ambush, launched a swift and decisive attack, defeating 5,000 Jinshan Town guards in one battle. He himself killed several Jinshan masters in the battle and captured Shangguan Ning alive. At that moment, this young talent, who was both a strategist and a warrior, had already quietly entered Murong Yan's heart, and her admiration was rapidly turning into love.

Until the day before yesterday, during the battle at Fushan, Qin Yuanyi knew he couldn't defeat the Longwu Army by force. He first pretended to surrender, and then suddenly attacked to capture her and use her to threaten the Longwu Army to retreat. At the critical moment, Yuwen Tao shielded her with his body from a sword. It was at that moment that Murong Yan completely fell for him.

Based on the fact that he blocked Qin Yuanyi's sword for her, Murong Yan was certain that Yuwen Tao had feelings for her.

Murong Yan was pampered since childhood. Not only her grandfather, but also her father's elders and cousins, who dared to disobey her? In the entire Muyin City, she walked sideways. She finally took the initiative to express her love, but was rejected by Yuwen Tao. Her stubbornness naturally rose up immediately. Even though she was rejected, she was determined to get to the bottom of it today.

"Brother Yuwen, please tell me!"

Murong Yan stared straight at Yuwen Tao, completely losing the shyness she had shown when she delivered the gift. Her eyes were filled with grievance, stubbornness, and resentment.

"Miss Murong, I have other matters to attend to. You should go back first!"

However, all she received in response was Yuwen Tao's increasingly harsh words.

"I know what you're worried about, I'll go talk to Grandpa and explain!"

Seeing Yuwen Tao's cold expression, Murong Yan clenched her fists. She seemed to have thought of something, gritted her teeth, left a sentence, and turned to leave.

Yuwen Tao remained alone in the hall, and after a long silence, he lowered his head and sighed softly.

"You're worried that Murong Chui won't want her to marry into the Great Xia, right?"

A teasing voice suddenly rang out in the hall. Yuwen Tao turned around abruptly upon hearing the sound and saw the black figure standing behind him. His expression immediately became excited, and he quickly bowed, saying, "Yuwen Tao greets the Lord!"

The person who arrived was none other than Xia Hong.

Since arriving in Muyin Town from the East Ridge Secret Passage in early March, Yuwen Tao had not returned to Xia City for two months. Seeing Xia Hong suddenly appear here, he couldn't help but feel excited.

Of course, since Xia Hong has come to Muyin City in person, it proves that everything on the north bank of Xinghe River, Hongguan Pass, and Bashang is basically over.

"Both Jinshan and Wuchuan towns have signed agreements with Murong Chui, guaranteeing no fighting for ten years. In return, all prisoners captured by the Longwu Army in the battles of Yumen and Fushan, including Shangguan Ning and Qin Yuanyi, will be released. However, the two towns will exchange silver for them."

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Tao quickly asked, "What's the price?"

“5 taels for ordinary soldiers, 5 taels for soldiers in winter uniforms, 10 taels for military commanders, 20 taels for military governors, and 50 taels for the two deputy commanders.”

Upon hearing the price, Yuwen Tao's eyes immediately lit up.

In the two battles at Yumen and Fushan, the Longwu Army captured a total of 2794 prisoners, which, according to Xia Hong's estimate, could be converted into 1600 million taels of silver.

According to the Great Xia Dynasty, half of the spoils of war by soldiers could be reserved. This means that the Longwu Army could receive at least 800 million taels of silver from these two battles. Even if it was divided equally, each soldier would receive 8000 taels.

8000 taels of silver is by no means a small amount for an individual.

Last year, Xia Hong successively cleared four silver mines in Longshan, which immediately made the silver inventory of Daxia abundant. The Department of Operations and Supplies also adjusted the price of silver, from 120 points per jin to 80 points per jin.

Submitting 8000 taels to the Operations Department can be exchanged for a full 64000 contribution points.

With 64000 contribution points earned, the Dragon Martial Army's expedition to Muyin was definitely the right decision. The brothers will surely be overjoyed when they hear the news.

Yuwen Tao was extremely excited and couldn't wait to gather the Dragon Martial Army soldiers downstairs to announce the news.

Seeing Yuwen Tao so excited, Xia Hong smiled and waved his hand, saying, "No need to be so excited. The Longwu Army performed very well this time. What is a little silver? Make sure to record all the soldiers' battlefield performance and personal gains. When you return to Xia City, don't forget to record their military merits."

There are also awards for military merit?

Yuwen Tao was taken aback upon hearing the voice, and immediately looked up at Xia Hong with a puzzled expression.

"You think the Dragon Martial Army fought these two battles just to help Mu Yin?"

Seeing Yuwen Tao's expression, Xia Hong immediately knew what he was thinking. He asked back with a strange look, then shook his head and continued, "I don't have such great kindness. All the battles fought by the Great Xia army must and can only be fought for the Great Xia. Sending troops to help Muyin is to stabilize the current situation in the Eight Towns. To put it bluntly, it's to pave the way for the future expansion of my Great Xia. You should understand that, right?"

Yuwen Tao nodded immediately; he had naturally known this all along.

The problem is that just because he understands this doesn't mean all the soldiers do. Of course, the smart soldiers can see the bigger picture and understand Xia Hong's deeper intentions, but they are a minority. The vast majority of soldiers probably still believe that this expedition is to make good relations with Muyin Town so that the Great Xia camp will not be isolated and helpless when it operates in the southern foothills of Mo'ao Mountain.

Xia Hong quickly realized what was happening and frowned slightly, saying, "From now on, there's no need to hide these things. The origin and cause of every major battle can be directly announced to the entire army. Every soldier must clearly understand why they are fighting. Don't let them go to the battlefield confused, thinking they are bleeding for someone else. It's one thing if soldiers don't contribute, but it would be a great injustice if they lose their lives for no reason. You yourself are the Chief of the Military Affairs Department, you should understand how important this is, right?" Upon hearing this, Yuwen Tao's body suddenly stiffened, and he hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "It was my dereliction of duty, Lord. Rest assured, when I return to Xia City this time, I will immediately lead the Military Affairs Department to issue new regulations. From now on, before the start of every major battle, the cause of the battle must be clearly explained to every participating soldier."

Let the soldiers know why they are fighting!

This simple sentence was incredibly important. Yuwen Tao felt as if he had been enlightened, and his eyes were filled with reverence as he looked at Xia Hong.

He's been in charge of the military for several years now, how come he never thought of that?

Seeing Yuwen Tao's expression, Xia Hong knew he understood. He nodded and continued, "Pack your things, the Dragon Martial Army is moving."

With the war at Muyin over, Jinshan Wuchuan and Muyin reached an agreement, so there was no need for the Longwu Army to stay there any longer.

"Move to another location?"

However, Yuwen Tao keenly sensed the hidden meaning in Xia Hong's words and immediately asked with curiosity, "Lord, isn't the Dragon Martial Army returning to Xia City?"

"Ba Shang City and Jiuqu Camp have both come under the control of Great Xia. I have decided to send the Longwu Army to garrison Ba Shang. In addition, the eight subordinate departments are being established. Ba Shang City has a special status, so this time there will be no garrison commander. Instead, Xu Ning, the deputy commander of the garrison, will be in charge. You will be stationed in Ba Shang with him!"

Xu Ning has recovered and has been promoted to deputy director of the jurisdiction.

Yuwen Tao immediately understood, cupped his hands, and solemnly replied, "This subordinate will certainly work together with Deputy Commander Xu to guard Ba Shang for the Lord!"

Xia Hong nodded, then suddenly remembered the little girl from earlier. He turned to Yuwen Tao and asked with a smile, "You still haven't answered my question?"

Seeing the smile on Xia Hong's face, Yuwen Tao naturally knew what he was asking. He said with a hint of helplessness, "So many people from Jiuzhen have proposed marriage to him, including members of the Xianyang family. Murong Chui refused to agree to it. He probably sees this granddaughter as a seed of Xianyang and probably won't agree to Murong Yan marrying into Daxia. Rejecting her now will save us trouble in the future."

Yuwen Tao's insight was indeed profound. Considering the young girl's aptitude, Xia Hong did not deny his speculation, but simply smiled and said, "If the disciples of the Xianyang family are no good, what if a Xianyang-level expert comes to propose marriage in person? Your aptitude is far superior to hers. Murong Chui considers her a Xianyang seed, and aren't you also a Xianyang seed of Great Xia? Muyin Town won't last many years. Even if she breaks through to the Xianyang level, it won't work. I think this young girl is quite good. Even for the sake of Great Xia, you should seize the opportunity!"

When asked about Muyin Town's limited lifespan, Xia Hong spoke with an air of disdain and a strong sense of confidence.

This confidence instantly infected Yuwen Tao.

That's right! The scions of the Xianyang family are no good. If a member of the Xianyang family were to personally come and propose marriage, would Murong Chui dare to refuse? Would he even refuse?

He straightened up slightly, his expression gradually becoming more confident. He looked up at Xia Hong, a hint of gratitude on his face, and said, "Lord, I understand!"

"Good. I have already spoken with Lord Cao Qianyang of Yangqu and Lord Long Mingyuan of Longgu. You will lead the Longwu Army south through Yangqu Town and then through Longgu Town to reach Jiangxia. Once you arrive in Jiangxia, you will know how to proceed. Set up camp in Bashang City as soon as possible. I need to return to Xia City first."

After the Feast at Hongmen last night, Xia Hong went directly to Muyin City with Murong Chui. He learned about the Twelve Blood Scripture Technique and gained some insights. Now that he had informed Yuwen Tao to lead the Dragon Martial Army south, he had nothing else to do and naturally had to return to Xia City first.

"Last night at Hongmen, the lords of the eight towns were all quite frightened by me, especially the three in the north. They're probably searching everywhere for news about Great Xia now. The north bank of the Xinghe River should be quite lively lately. They might even send spies to infiltrate Xia City, which would be even more interesting!"

Xia Hong pondered for a few moments, then a smile appeared on his face.

The Level 5 Spirit Stele increased the safe zone of Great Xia to 50 kilometers. It should be noted that Xia City is currently only 20 kilometers long. This means that not only within Xia City, but also in the area 30 kilometers outside Xia City, any alien life form will be detected by the Mother Stele.

It was impossible for the Eight Towns to send spies to secretly infiltrate Xia City.

There is so much that the Great Xia Dynasty could do about this.

For example, secretly letting some spies in to occasionally leak some true or false information to the Eighth Town could be used to intimidate, confuse, or entice people. This would definitely have a significant effect.

"My lord, now that the Great Xia has fully emerged on the southern slopes of Mount Mo'ao, what about our subsequent trade with the Eight Garrisons..."

"It has been agreed that every September and October, Daxia will open trade channels simultaneously with the other eight towns. Hongguan... now renamed Hongmen, is a trading port, and all the rules will follow those of the previous nine towns."

In addition, the Great Xia also signed long-term trade agreements with Jiangxia and Muyin towns, mainly for the two towns to come to Hongmen to trade with us.

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Tao's expression brightened, and a look of great joy immediately appeared on his face.

He was not completely ignorant about commerce. He enjoyed communicating with Qiu Peng and thus understood Xia Hong's ideas on foreign trade. Based on his two months of observation in Muyin Town, he believed that with the current productivity of the Great Xia, as long as trade was established with the eight towns, they would definitely make a fortune.

"Alright, I'm leaving now. You take the army to rest before setting off again."

"Your subordinate obeys and will respectfully see the lord off!"

Yuwen Tao immediately bowed and nodded. When he looked up, he found that Xia Hong had already left. Without delay, he immediately summoned Deputy Commander Hou Quan and instructed him to inform the Longwu Army soldiers to pack their things and prepare to head south.

After Hou Quan left, he lowered his head and pondered for a moment. He took out a piece of anti-evil jade from his pocket, took out a small dagger, and gently carved two words on the front of the jade. Only then did he call Yuwen Yong over.

"Brother, please give this jade to Miss Murong for me!"

Yuwen Yong was stunned for a moment, but then a smile appeared on his face. After taking the jade, he rushed outside.

The Longwu Army's march was not restricted by the weather, and as soon as Yuwen Tao gave the order, the soldiers quickly packed their belongings.

Murong Chui must have known the news beforehand; while the soldiers were packing their belongings, he brought over a large quantity of dry rations.

It was just what they needed for the march, so Yuwen Tao didn't refuse. He discussed it with Murong Chui and agreed that once the prisoners were returned from Muyin and Jinshan Wuchuan, he would send someone to personally deliver the silver from the two towns to Hongmen.

With everything arranged, Yuwen Tao bid farewell to Murong Chui and led the Longwu Army out of Muyin City in a grand procession, heading directly south.

As Yuwen Tao walked out of the city gate of Muyin City, he seemed to sense something and suddenly turned around to look at the top of the city wall. Sure enough, he saw a red figure standing there, waving at him from afar.

Yuwen Tao looked at the beautiful figure above the city wall, mouthed two words, and then turned around and followed the army south.

Above the city wall, Murong Yan's face was covered in tears. She looked down at the silver-black jade in her palm, and a tender look appeared in her eyes.

"Brother Yuwen, Yan'er will definitely wait for you."

On the front of that jade stone were two small characters engraved in deep ink.

【ten years】

………………

The Great Xia Dynasty used a trap to declare that it had replaced Ba Shang Town and become a new member of the Nine Towns of Mo'ao.

Although those who participated in this banquet were mostly lords of the eight towns, and then the military leaders or town leaders of the Xianyang level in each town.

But don't forget, there were a total of four people from Jiangxia's side.

Moreover, the banquet was held on the Daxia side, which had even more people.

Therefore, it was inevitable that the influence of the Feast at Hongmen was expanding at an extremely rapid pace, both among the upper and lower classes of the Eight Towns.

Xia Hong, the lord of Daxia Town, fought against five opponents and killed three great masters in succession. The reason why Dajue Temple was destroyed so quickly was because of him.
Xia Hong's strength is unfathomable. At the Hongmen Banquet, even the combined efforts of Duan Hong, the lord of Chuishan, and Mu Longhe, the town chief, could not withstand his casual strike.
The Xia army is terrifyingly strong, even stronger than the three northern towns. The Yun Jiao and Long Wu armies are all at the Cold Resistance level. The garrison troops of the eight towns would be completely powerless against them and would only be crushed. Don't believe it? The results of the three major battles at Yumen, Fushan, and Fengshan do not lie.
Jinshan and Wuchuan were defeated by the Longwu Army one after another. Both families were afraid of Daxia and wanted to use millions of taels of silver to ransom people from Daxia.

The Six Garrisons had originally divided up the territory of Ba Shang, but at the Feast at Hongmen, Xia Hong, the lord of the Great Xia, forced the Six Garrisons to redistribute it, taking the best Ba Shang City and Jiuqu Camp.
The Great Xia Garrison had tens of thousands of troops, with eight thousand stationed at Hongmen alone. The other eight garrisons simply couldn't compare.

Chui Shan angered the Great Xia, and Xia Hong personally ordered Duan Hong, the lord of Chui Shan, to send everything he had received from the Ba Shang Treasury to Hongmen within a month, untouched.

........................

News about the Great Xia spread like wildfire, and the entire eight towns of Mo'ao Mountain were immediately engulfed in heated discussion.

This heated discussion wasn't limited to the town; many village-level camps also joined in after receiving the news.

In fact, anyone with a discerning eye can see that the rapid spread of the news must have been fueled by the towns of Jiangxia and Muyin, and even Daxia Town itself may have been involved.

But the truth is undeniable!
Especially since Xiahou Zhang, the lord of Jiangxia, and Murong Chui, the lord of Muyin, said it themselves on multiple occasions, and no one else has refuted it, their credibility is even higher.

On the second day of the sixth month, Duan Hong, the lord of Chuishan Town, actually sent all the things he had been allocated in Ba Shang City to Hongmen.

As soon as the news spread, the entire town of Jiuzhen was instantly in an uproar.

Ba Shang Town was destroyed, Da Jue Temple was gone, and now the Great Xia has appeared, and its strength is terrifying.

As these rumors continued to circulate and spread, Daxia Town became increasingly prominent, instantly overshadowing the three northern towns and even gaining the reputation of being the number one town in Mo'ao.

………………

July 10th, 132nd year of the Moo calendar, during the day

In Beishuo Town, on a main road near the Lord's Palace.

Yang Ning had just returned from the military camp. His face was full of shock. He hadn't even taken off his thousand-forged iron armor yet. He was just hurrying along when he arrived at the door of a house and went straight up to knock on the door.

"Who?"

"It's me, Tiger!"

The person inside heard the sound and immediately opened the door.

Yang Ning rushed into the house and saw Li Hu dressed in civilian clothes. Without caring whether he was sleeping or not, he asked in a very low voice, "Have you heard about what happened in Daxia Town?"

Daxia Town?
Li Hu, still half asleep, paused for a moment after hearing the voice before nodding and saying, "Of course I've heard. You've been in the military camp lately, haven't you? This news has been circulating for half a month now."

Are you confused? Have you forgotten something?

Seeing Li Hu's nonchalant expression, Yang Ning immediately rebuked him angrily.

Seeing Yang Ning's expression, Li Hu quickly rubbed his face, his brows furrowing. He soon realized why Yang Ning was acting this way and said with a strange expression, "You don't think this Daxia Town is related to the Daxia camp we encountered nine years ago when we were drawing maps on the north bank of the Hengjiang River, do you?"

Yang Ning paused, taken aback by his question, and fell into deep thought.

He had just heard the news about the Great Xia from the military camp and was momentarily flustered, so he came directly to find Li Hu. Now, after being asked this question, he suddenly realized that the possibility was indeed too small.

"No, no, the camp and the lord's name match up, plus they came from the north bank of the Hengjiang River, all three match up. How could there be such a coincidence? Although it's a bit unbelievable, I think there must be a connection between the two..."

Before Yang Ning could finish listening, Li Hu shook his head repeatedly and interrupted him, saying, "Nine years. Nine years ago, the Great Xia camp didn't even have a decent set of clothes. I remember that lord, Xia Hong, had just broken through to the Earth Digging Realm, and nine years later he became a Manifest Yang Level expert with tens of thousands of troops under his command, as well as two elite brigades of a thousand men each, all composed of Cold Resistance Level experts. Brother, would you believe this if I told you?"

Don't say you don't believe it. If Yang Ning had said that in the military camp just now, people would probably have thought he was a fool.

Nine years is not enough time for many people to complete the cultivation process of the Earth-Digging Realm. Considering Xia Hong's age back then, it would be quite good if he could reach the stage of reshaping the skin membrane. If he had the Cold-Resistant Level cultivation, he would be considered a genius. Breaking through to the Manifestation Yang Level would be the kind of breakthrough that would allow him to crush Duan Hong, the lord of Chuishan Town...

It's impossible!

After those four words popped into Yang Ning's mind, his brows furrowed, but he gritted his teeth and looked up at Li Hu, saying in a low voice, "Hu Zi, I admit that under normal circumstances, these two things are definitely not related, but I remember the lord once said that anything is possible in the Ice Abyss. Are you 100% sure that this Great Xia has absolutely no connection with the Great Xia of back then?"

Of course I can be 100% certain!

Li Hu was about to speak, but seeing the expression on Yang Ning's face, he held back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

“There are many powerful monsters in the Ice Abyss, and their methods are all kinds of strange. Tiger, have you ever thought that it's possible that the Great Xia camp encountered an extremely powerful monster that used special methods to cultivate them to this level in a short period of time?”

Upon hearing this, Li Hu's expression suddenly froze, and he looked up at Yang Ning. A glint instantly appeared in both of their pupils.

"If we can find out the truth about this matter and report it to the lord, then the Great Xia camp will become a great opportunity for our Beishuo Town. The two of us will have made an unparalleled contribution to our Beishuo Town!"

An unparalleled achievement!

Li Hu's face instantly turned extremely excited. His talent was not strong, with only a medium-level combat physique aptitude. He had just broken through to the peak of the Cold Resistance realm, and his basic strength was less than 15. If he wanted to improve further, he could only rely on pills.

The problem is that the pills that can enhance the strength of those at the peak of the Cold Resistance realm are all too expensive.

Dragon Carp, Green Cod, and Tiger Power—these three types of pills each cost over 100,000 taels of silver to buy. Even Yang Ning, a member of the Yang clan, is envious of them, let alone someone like him who lost his father at a young age.

If he can truly achieve such a great feat, let alone the Dragon Carp Pill, the lord might even personally reward him. Would he still have to worry about cultivation resources in the future?
Thinking of this, Li Hu instantly perked up, looked up at Yang Ning, and asked:

"Brother, do you mean we should go and confirm this first?"

"Of course we need to confirm it."

Yang Ning nodded and said in a deep voice, "To be honest, even though I've told you so much, I still can't believe it. If we go directly to report to the town head, we'll definitely be treated like fools. We have to confirm it in person. I'll ask Commander Huang for leave in a few days, and you should ask Commander Pei for leave too. Just say you're going to another town to buy some things, and we'll go to Hongmen together to investigate the situation."

Both of them were commanders of the Zhenyu Army, and under normal circumstances, they could not leave the army for a long time and had to ask for leave.

"it is good!"

Li Hu nodded immediately, his eyes shining brightly.

He originally couldn't believe it no matter what, but after hearing Yang Ning say this, he now hopes that this Daxia Town is the Daxia camp he came into contact with nine years ago.

A camp that has grown from a small town to a town-level camp in just nine years—even just confirming this news and reporting it to the town head—is an absolutely tremendous achievement!
………………

Yang and Li from Beishuo were not the only ones eyeing the Great Xia.

Putting aside the ulterior motives of the Mo'ao towns, any normal person would be curious to hear about the appearance of such a powerful town-level camp nearby.

Crucially, in early July, the Great Xia Dynasty announced that from now on, the Hongmen trading port would not only target the eight towns, but all the people within the eight towns.

Moreover, it's open indefinitely!
In other words, anyone within the eight towns, whether a camp or an individual, can bring goods to Hongmen to trade with the Great Xia at any time and place, and no one will be refused.

The news caused an instant uproar across the southern foothills of Mount Mo'ao.

In an instant, all eyes in the entire Eight Towns were focused on Hongmen.

Under such circumstances, the number of people coming to Hongmen naturally increased.

From Xia Hong, the lord of the Great Xia, to the Eight Tribes of the Great Xia, to the Yun Jiao and Long Wu armies, and the Seven Armies of Hongmen... more and more information about the internal affairs of the Great Xia was gradually uncovered by these people from the Eight Towns, whether openly or secretly.

　Please vote, please vote! It's the last day, let's try to reach 4000, is there any chance?

　　
　
(End of this chapter)