Chapter 531: Let Strength Speak: Unclear Situation and the Resumption of War |
Xia Hong, of course, did not know exactly how many Tribulation Body Realm experts the two feudatories had.
But having personally been involved in both places, he could at least make an estimate.
Take Chencang for example. On the surface, aside from Fang Bo Chu Longteng, there were the Commander-in-Chief Chen Liwu, the previous Grand Steward Chen Lixin, plus five prefectural governors, two city lords, the Red Dragon Army commander Wu Dongyang, and the four office heads of Military, Punishment, jurisdiction, and Civil Affairs — Chu Tianba, He Taiping, Wang Xuansun, and Chen Tianshuang — and finally the commanders of the Red Dragon and White Robe armies, Wu Dongyang and Chen Tianqing.
That totaled sixteen people.
Of course, that was the public roster. Everyone in Great Xia knew some cards were being held back. Chencang’s legacy spans over three hundred years; would they really lay everything out for others to see?
Considering Chencang currently ranks first among the four feudatories in overall strength, Xia Hong multiplied that visible number by three. Even conservatively, Chencang’s Tribulation Body Realm experts would number no fewer than fifty.
Using Chencang’s figures as a reference, the other three feudatories would each have at most around thirty Tribulation Body experts; the chance any of them exceeded forty was vanishingly small.
Forty Tribulation Body experts — if Great Xia lacked Frost Beast Stakes, they wouldn’t dare get into a confrontation, let alone a falling-out, with the feudatories. Even dealing with them would be impossible without those stakes.
Crucially, this only counted top-tier experts. The strength of a camp doesn’t rest on that single metric; the Sun Manifestation-level fighters below them and the Warmth Realm backbone forces are equally important.
Not exaggerating, in a one-on-one match, even the weakest feudatory among the four, Hecang, would vastly outmatch Great Xia.
But matters in this world were never simple, especially when it came to the interplay and confrontation among major powers. Everything was interconnected; a tug on one thread moved the whole web. Each side had its own difficulties; there was no pure one-on-one situation.
Chencang was strong enough, but internally it was constrained by the Chen clan. Externally it faced threats from the Abomination forces in the Blood Mire Plains and the wary stance of the other three feudatories. In the Mo’ao Chuan itself they were constrained and could hardly spare the energy to deal with Great Xia.
Caiqiu was even worse off. Sandwiched between the three feudatories in the exact middle, it had no room to expand outward. On its left was the increasingly powerful and pressuring Chencang; on its right was Wei Bo — small in population but dangerously capable. Caiqiu might dream of bringing in outside forces to share the burden, but even if they wanted to send troops outward, they didn’t have the strength.
So Great Xia only had to worry about those two.
How Great Xia would present itself to the two feudatories was something Xia Hong had been thinking about on his way back from Chencang.
His answer boiled down to two words: parity.
Great Xia’s strength was certainly inferior to the feudatories, but at this critical juncture, as long as it could display enough power to make the feudatories hesitate, securing a status equal to them was entirely feasible.
Chencang’s urgent problem was the Abomination force at Yanze Lake. Once that was handled, Chencang could press east or north and threaten Caiqiu and Hecang.
Caiqiu’s visible problem was that Abomination force, but its real worry was Chencang. Chencang’s reforms and its military operations against the Blood Mire were happening in tandem. Once those two tasks were completed, Caiqiu would be the first target Chencang would deal with.
At this pivotal moment, the appearance of Great Xia — not so strong, yet capable of causing significant trouble to the feudatories — was simply perfect.
Because it wasn’t overwhelmingly strong, Chencang probably wouldn’t devote too much attention to it; because it had some strength, Caiqiu would be tempted to use Great Xia to put pressure on Chencang.
Given these reasons, Caiqiu would be compelled to compromise with Great Xia. Chencang, wanting to avoid unnecessary trouble, would likely not press the North Shuo matter too hard.
These two deductions were what Xia Hong thought of before reaching the southern foothills boundary.
Killing Yang Zun and driving off Chu Tianxu had happened yesterday, on the 30th during daytime; twelve full hours had passed, and not a single person from Chencang had come to make a scene, at least not openly…
With that in mind, Xia Hong’s eyes briefly scanned the surroundings, then fixed again on Cai Qianshan hovering in midair.
Chu Tianxu had been humiliated and twelve hours later no one had shown up — that basically corroborated Xia Hong’s second guess. Now it was time to test the first guess.
Twelve Beast Emperor-level puppets in total: one with Fire-Gold-Water triple element, four dual-element, seven single-element. This display of strength was what Xia Hong decided, after careful weighing, to show the feudatories.
At the same realm, Frost Beasts were stronger than humans. A triple-element Beast Emperor could tussle with a Fourth Tribulation Body expert, a dual-element Beast Emperor roughly corresponded to a second-transformation Tribulation Body expert like those prefectural governors, while the seven single-element Beast Emperors matched ordinary first-transformation Tribulation Body experts.
The key point: these were puppets!
Puppets that did not fear pain or death, and Great Xia’s puppet secret arts appeared mysterious to outsiders. For all anyone knew, Xia Hong might have even more puppets of greater number or greater power; outsiders did not know what these puppets consumed to operate or whether they could be repaired.
The unknown equaled mystery, and mystery equaled power.
Information asymmetry had always been the Ice Abyss’s deadliest weapon.
One could even say that with these twelve Beast Emperor puppets, Great Xia’s top-tier strength nearly equaled that of a feudatory. The real gap with the feudatories was probably limited to the mid- and lower-tier forces.
“Fang Bo Cai, ultimately strength must speak. This lord the humble Sun Manifestation realm holds, without something to rely on in hand, would I dare start a fight with Chencang and offend you, Caiqiu?”
Cai Qianshan’s face was already sullen as he hovered in midair. Hearing Xia Hong’s words, his expression worsened; his right hand trembled slightly, as if he was still weighing whether to act.
“My words stand. All affairs in the southern foothills are to be decided by Great Xia alone. Whether Chencang or Caiqiu, none may interfere. I treat today’s clash as showing that the Fang Bo lacks full understanding of Great Xia. If the Fang Bo now takes all of Caiqiu’s people and leaves, I will not hold today against you. Whether the two sides later become friendly or hostile, we can send people to discuss that in detail. How about it?”
Cai Qianshan’s brow twitched. His gaze slid past the Beast Emperor puppets blocking him and landed on Xia Hong, studying him for a long time in silence, clearly still conflicted.
If he retreated today, he would lose face badly.
Did he really have to admit that Great Xia’s status was equal to Caiqiu’s?
A mere town-scale camp of Great Xia…?
Seeing Cai Qianshan frown and hesitate, Xia Hong did not interrupt. After all, the status of a Fang Bo was high; it made sense that Cai Qianshan couldn’t easily swallow his pride. A bit more time was all that was needed.
No one spoke, and the atmosphere froze for dozens of heartbeats before the struggle on Cai Qianshan’s face slowly subsided.
He lifted his head slightly, looked at the six Beast Emperor puppets blocking him, suppressed his urge to strike, and tried to calm his voice as he spoke:
“Lord Xia, Wuchuan and Jinshan towns have deep ties with this Fang Bo. With Great Xia possessing such strength, if I, Caiqiu, obstruct you it would indeed be unreasonable. Wuchuan town you may take; I will urge Qin Feng to withdraw his people from the southern foothills. However, Jinshan town — Great Xia must not touch Jinshan. How about that?”
Xia Hong’s expression faltered for a moment; his gaze turned markedly colder in an instant.
“Looks like my words just now weren’t clear enough. Fang Bo Cai didn’t grasp my meaning. Very well, I will say it again…”
His eyes chilled and his tone hardened. Pausing slightly, he ignored the stiffness on Cai Qianshan’s face and continued:
“There can only be one ruler of the southern foothills from now on, and that ruler is Great Xia!”
Xia Hong deliberately raised his voice and emphasized the sentence. The declaration landed with resolute force. Not only the Great Xia camp but everyone inside the Pass City to the east could hear it.
When tens of thousands of Great Xia soldiers heard Xia Hong’s domineering proclamation, their emotions surged. Faces flushed; none shouted, but the heavy breathing told Cai Qianshan and the Caiqiu entourage exactly how they felt.
Xia Chuan and the other Sun Manifestation-levels in Great Xia looked up at Cai Qianshan, Cai Qiuhu, and the remaining forty-nine Sun Manifestation figures of Caiqiu. Though outnumbered, their pupils held no trace of fear — only exhilaration, passion, and a distinct provocation.
With twelve Beast Emperor-level puppets displayed, Great Xia’s top-tier combat strength was no longer obviously inferior to the feudatories. Xia Hong had already told them the feudatories could not send troops south at present; in their eyes, the southern foothills were essentially settled.
If that was the case, what more was there left to discuss?
Cai Qianshan’s expression stiffened. He had clearly not expected Xia Hong to flatly refuse his proposal without a second thought.
Long accustomed to high rank, Cai Qianshan had cultivated composure. His face only remained stiff briefly before gradually smoothing. He swept his gaze over the twelve puppets surrounding him, then fixed back on Xia Hong and slowly said:
“Lord Xia, twelve Beast Emperor puppets still do not make Great Xia and Caiqiu equal. Chencang is an even greater matter. Without Caiqiu’s help, Great Xia alone cannot withstand Chencang…”
“Enough talk. If Fang Bo refuses to give up Jinshan, then we will see deeds rather than words. Great Xia offers courtesy: today, since this is the first negotiation between our sides, I will not strike you now. On the battlefield of tomorrow, the two sides will meet properly!”
Xia Hong had zero interest in continued negotiation. Chu Longteng had not shown up at this pivotal moment; Chencang’s stance was already clear, and Cai Qianshan still failed to read the situation and insisted on keeping Jinshan.
Caiqiu’s shallow motive in insisting on Jinshan was to plant a thorn against Great Xia. Its deeper motive was to use Jinshan as a stepping stone to stain the southern foothills.
Delusional!
Xia Hong snorted coldly, waved his hand, and withdrew the twelve Beast Emperor puppets. Then he gestured to Xia Chuan.
“Retract the crossbows and return to camp. Each unit resume its duties and wait for the war.”
“Yes!”
At Xia Chuan’s command, tens of thousands of soldiers replied with a shout, then quickly retracted the Divine Machine Crossbows and dispersed like a tide.
Xia Hong’s voluntary withdrawal of the puppets to avert a major battle was in itself a gesture of goodwill. After all, among the Caiqiu Tribulation Body experts present today, only Cai Qianshan and Cai Qiuhu were here. If the two sides had truly fought, many of the remaining forty-nine Sun Manifestation fighters would surely have died.
“Hmph!”
But Cai Qianshan did not feel obliged. His cold snort betrayed that he still firmly believed Great Xia lacked the strength to stand equal with Caiqiu.
After the snort he said nothing more, waved his hand, and with Cai Qiuhu and his group flew straight toward Pass City.
“Lord…”
Seeing Cai Qianshan head for Pass City, Xia Chuan’s expression changed slightly. He moved close to Xia Hong, about to say something.
Before he could speak, Xia Hong waved him off.
“If Caiqiu cannot see the situation and refuses to accept reality, then wake them up thoroughly. Keep watching the Bone-Erosion Path closely; maintain surveillance. Carry on with the plan for Pass City — the tunnel work can be slightly delayed. Right now the most important thing…”
Xia Hong paused, turned his head to look toward the northwest, and continued: “Those fifty thousand troops in Wuchuan — Caiqiu will not let that go. They will use them to stir trouble!”
The Grand Steward of Xia might as well wait and see whether the Great Xia forces could take Wuchuan Town City. Xia Hong added that when the time came he would return, hoping the lord would still be so confident then.
As soon as Xia Hong finished, Xia Chuan and Yuwen Tao immediately recalled the words Cai Qiuhu had said earlier; both faces darkened.
It must be admitted that up to now, Caiqiu — including Fang Bo Cai Qianshan and Little Fang Bo Cai Qiuhu — had brought many people, but had shown few techniques. In the harsh Ice Abyss environment, the stronger a camp was, the more Abominations it had subjugated and destroyed; naturally the feudatories would possess countless strange trickery techniques.
The fact that they hadn’t used many yet could be taken as a sign that Caiqiu did not want to completely tear its relationship with Great Xia — they were holding back.
But after the earlier episode, the situation had changed completely.
Chu Tianxu had been humiliated in North Shuo City by Xia Hong and could tolerate it because he had superiors above him. Cai Qianshan was different — he was Caiqiu’s number one. The attitude he displayed represented the entire Caiqiu feudatory.
Now Great Xia would have to show Caiqiu what they were truly capable of.
“Xu Ning, you go to Donggu City and report what happened here to Luo Yuan. Tell the Central Route forces to be on alert and not to give Qin Feng any chance.”
“Understood!”
“Xia Chuan, the twenty thousand elite Great Xia soldiers are still garrisoned in Wuchuan Town City. You personally go there to take station and coordinate with Luo Yuan’s forces to prioritize dealing with Qin Feng’s fifty thousand troops. If Wuchuan Town City shows any movement, act accordingly. Also keep an eye on the Nine-Bend Blood Corridor north of Dongchuan City. I still predict Chencang won’t make a move, but nothing is absolute; remain vigilant.”
“Understood!”
After taking North Shuo City, Xia Hong immediately dispatched twenty thousand soldiers back to Dongchuan City to guard against Chencang in the north. Since Xia Chuan was being sent to garrison the Left Route Army, he had to be reminded to watch the Nine-Bend Blood Corridor.
Xia Hong thought for a moment, then looked at the Pass City walls to the east and sneered, “I will stay here. As long as Cai Qianshan makes no move, I won’t go anywhere. If you can handle Qin Feng’s fifty thousand troops, then the southern foothills will be ours — only the Pass City remains.”
Hearing this, Xia Chuan and Xu Ning both showed a flicker of determination; their expressions instantly turned more serious.
Qin Feng’s fifty thousand troops related not only to Wuchuan Town’s fate but also formed the first round of contest between Great Xia and Caiqiu.
Cai Qiuhu’s confident words still rang in their ears. If Qin Feng’s fifty thousand troops caused some mishap, the Jinshan garrison in Pass City would be emboldened, and that would greatly increase Yuwen Tao’s Right Route Army’s difficulty in taking the city.
Although the twelve Beast Emperor puppets were formidable, they were not enough to make Great Xia utterly invulnerable. When Cai Qianshan had been surrounded by six of the Beast Emperors, his face had been solemn but not terrified.
Who knew what other cards Caiqiu still held?
Then again, if Cai Qianshan had techniques he didn’t use, didn’t the Lord of Great Xia have his own secrets?
Looking back on Great Xia’s path so far, when had Xia Hong not planned and calculated everything in meticulous detail?
This time would be no different.
With that thought, everyone’s spirits rose again.
Xia Chuan and Xu Ning bowed to Xia Hong and took their leave, then swept off swiftly toward the northwest.