Chapter 562: Fan Yang’s Envy — A City Is About to Be Built in the Valley |
Caiqiu's jurisdiction over Evergreen Valley only extended to Red Tiger Ridge, which is the middle section of Evergreen Valley. The entire southern half of Evergreen Valley had no Caiqiu garrison camps stationed at all.
The so-called Qingyu Gully Camp is actually the northernmost valley village of Qingyu Gully. When the Xia troops wanted to station here, for convenience's sake, they followed the naming conventions of the Southern Foothills region and gave it this name.
It must be said, although last night's rebellion was massive in scale, it did not cause any impact on the villages in the Qingyu Gully area.
The reason is simple: the great battle occurred at the northern mouth of the Bone-Erosion Path. Even Qingtan Village, the southernmost village in Qingyu Gully, is ten kilometers away from the northern mouth of the Bone-Erosion Path. Being so far away, they naturally weren't affected much.
The Caiqiu army was not completely annihilated; over fifty thousand people escaped from the northern mouth. But these people had long since scattered in all directions. The routed soldiers were already frightened birds, and they also had to guard against pursuit from the Xia troops behind them. With rebels everywhere in Evergreen Valley, they were solely focused on fleeing for their lives and certainly didn't dare to randomly enter villages.
Although not affected by the flames of war, and without any routed troops causing trouble, the villagers of Valley Village, who had been tense all night, still didn't dare to close their eyes at dawn. Only when Village Chief Fan Kong returned with confirmed news did their anxious hearts finally settle down.
Village Chief Fan Kong not only brought back the good news of the successful uprising but also brought back a large group of unfamiliar golden-armored troops.
Not far from the Main Building of Valley Village, in front of a slightly shorter house, nineteen-year-old Fan Yang was leading five or six peers in starting a fire. After the flames rose, he turned to look at the hundreds of golden-armored soldiers surrounding the Main Building, his eyes filled with admiration and longing.
However, his strength was too weak. Such direct peering quickly attracted the attention of the golden-armored soldiers. Meeting the sharp gazes of those soldiers, Fan Yang felt a pang of guilt even though he knew he hadn't done anything wrong, and hurriedly averted his eyes.
Valley Village Chief Fan Kong was his grandfather, and also one of the rebel leaders who heavily participated in last night's great battle. When Grandpa Fan Kong returned at dawn, he immediately gathered their entire family and told them about the situation of last night's battle.
Fan Yang was present at the time, so he also heard a lot.
"What kind of person is Little Fang Bo Cai Qiuhu?"
However, his boasting did not elicit exclamations of amazement from his peers. After exchanging glances, they instead asked a question.
Fan Yang was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized that Valley Village was too remote. Most people in the village only knew the two words 'Caiqiu'. They had no concept of what titles like Fang Bo and Little Fang Bo meant.
He thought for a moment and explained, "You know Qinghua City, right?"
Hearing this, everyone immediately nodded.
Not just Valley Village, for the over one million people of Evergreen Valley, Qinghua City was a place they dreamed of living in. They heard that silver was everywhere there; spirit pills and miraculous medicines, divine weapons and sharp blades, martial arts techniques and cultivation methods... everything was available, anything could be bought; the beast meat and beast blood in the city were so abundant they couldn't possibly finish it all, and every day they even had to throw some away...
"The city lord of that Qinghua City is a subordinate of that Little Fang Bo, and a relatively low-ranking one at that, an unimportant subordinate!"
Fan Yang's next sentence instantly stunned everyone.
They froze for a full five or six breaths before suddenly looking up at Fan Yang, their pupils filled with disbelief.
Although they didn't speak, the expressions on their faces said it all.
This... how is this possible?
In the minds of these half-grown youths, the City Lord of Qinghua City was already a god-like figure. But now Fan Yang was telling them that he was merely a subordinate of this Little Fang Bo, and an unimportant one at that.
And this Little Fang Bo almost died at the hands of this army right before their eyes last night?
All six of them turned their heads in unison to look at the group of golden-armored soldiers outside the Main Building, their gazes filled with indescribable shock and awe.
The six of them only had Lumberjack Realm cultivation. They only came out from their homes after nightfall, and by the time they walked out, this golden-armored army had already entered the village.
The six of them knew very little about last night's battle in the south, only vaguely aware that something major had happened. Furthermore, their cultivation level determined their perspective; they simply couldn't discern the strength of these soldiers.
Only now, hearing Fan Yang's explanation, did they realize.
"You haven't been to the cellar south of the village. Many Caiqiu prisoners of war are locked up there, at least fifty or sixty thousand. Grandpa said those soldiers all have Warmth Realm cultivation, not a single one is weaker than him."
His youthful nature taking over, Fan Yang couldn't help but add another sentence.
The six were already somewhat numb by now. The impact of the Little Fang Bo hadn't faded yet, and Fan Yang threw out such astonishing words.
Village Chief Fan Kong was the recognized strongest in the Qingyu Gully area, with Warmth Realm cultivation and 9 Zong strength. Fifty or sixty thousand soldiers, and not a single one was weaker than him? What kind of concept was that?
Actually, Fan Yang's understanding of the Caiqiu higher-ups was also only partial. He vaguely remembered his grandfather saying that the Fang Bo was the supreme, most powerful existence in Caiqiu. Since that was the case, then the Little Fang Bo should be the number one person under the Fang Bo.
Caiqiu had four commanderies, two lakes, and one valley. Ranked by importance, Qinghua City was at the bottom. So, by that calculation, Cai Yunzhou, the City Lord of Qinghua City, was of course just the other party's subordinate, and an unimportant one at that.
"Brother Yang, look quickly! Grandpa Village Chief and the others are coming out of the Main Building!"
While Fan Yang was pondering, someone suddenly spoke up, pointing towards the Main Building.
He hurriedly turned his head to look and saw that Grandpa Fan Kong and his father Fan Hong, along with over a dozen Warmth Realm villagers, were walking out of the Main Building. Their expressions were very excited, clearly indicating something happy had happened.
"Grandpa, Dad, uncles, did you meet the Great Xia Fang Bo?"
Fan Yang immediately went up to greet them, paid his respects, and couldn't wait to ask.
What he was most curious about right now was that Great Xia Fang Bo.
To command such a powerful army, defeat Caiqiu's two hundred thousand strong army, and almost kill Caiqiu's Little Fang Bo—how terrifying must the strength of the Great Xia Fang Bo be?
Ever since he walked out of the house after dark, he had wanted to go into the Main Building to see. Unfortunately, the Main Building was heavily guarded by those golden-armored soldiers. Unauthorized personnel would be scolded even for approaching, so he naturally didn't dare to go.
In his mind, since Grandpa, Father, and the others had come out of the Main Building, they must have already met that Fang Bo. Driven by curiosity, he asked.
However, with this question, Fan Kong, Fan Hong, and the dozen or so Warmth Realm villagers from Valley Village all looked somewhat awkward.
"Ahem, Yang'er, what do you take your grandfather for? Meeting the Fang Bo? What a joke! Your grandfather couldn't even enter the main hall of the Main Building. Being able to meet Deputy Commander-in-Chief Yuan was already a stroke of great fortune!"
Hearing this, Fan Yang was stunned. Then he noticed that behind Grandpa and the others, there was actually a young general in armor following them.
Seeing the dark-colored war armor worn by the officer, a look of envy immediately appeared on Fan Yang's face. Then, raising his head slightly to clearly see the officer's appearance, his entire person froze instantly.
"This general... looks about the same age as me..."
That officer's appearance was truly too young, looking at most not even twenty. His skin condition was also much better than Fan Yang's. Standing with Grandpa Fan Kong and the others, if someone said he was only sixteen or seventeen, people would probably believe it.
The officer's armor was overall dark-colored, but many parts that had been slashed revealed a silvery glow. Fan Yang had also come into contact with silver by now, and he could tell at a glance those parts were made of pure silver. Moreover, judging by the densely packed Forging Patterns on them, there were probably no less than ten thousand.
The source of the dark light emitted by the armor should be the largest breastplate area. That breastplate was so black it shone, and it also emitted an extremely terrifying Frost Beast aura, clearly no ordinary item.
"Old Fan, you exaggerate. The Lord Leader is currently discussing with the honorable sirs how to deal with the Guangningshan army, so naturally cannot spare the time to receive you. The resettlement issue for Valley Village, Lord Qiu has already provided a solution. You only need to follow it from now on. Great Xia craftsmen will arrive in a few days. You first notify the other villages in Qingyu Gully to prepare in advance. Lord Qiu also said that if you have any other matters later, you can all come directly to me. For minor matters, I can make decisions; for major matters, I will naturally help you request instructions. If there's nothing, then don't come to the Main Building area anymore!"
The young officer was Dragon Garrison Captain Deputy Commander-in-Chief Yuan Bai.
Yuan Bai had tried his best to keep his tone very polite. However, his strength far exceeded that of Fan Kong and the others. Coupled with the breastplate made from flood dragon scales, which occasionally emitted a terrifying aura, as soon as he spoke, the authority in his tone still made Fan Kong and the others tense up immediately.
"Thank you for your concern, sir. This humble one will go make arrangements immediately. We will definitely not approach the Main Building without reason later. If there is anything this humble one can be of use for, sir, please just send someone to notify me!"
Fan Kong, after all, was over seventy years old. Steadying his mind slightly, he hurriedly replied to Yuan Bai.
Yuan Bai nodded, glanced at Fan Yang and the others, and continued, "Then I'll head back first. Also, the Lord Leader dislikes noise. Move all the people around the Main Building away."
"This humble one obeys!"
Fan Kong immediately cupped his hands and accepted the order. Then, together with the others, he watched as Yuan Bai walked towards the Main Building. Only after the other entered the Main Building did he turn around to look at his son and the others, his wrinkled face full of excitement.
"We've struck it rich, this time we're really going to strike it rich! The valley is going to build a city! The valley is going to build a city! Hahahahaha..."
Fan Kong let out a hearty laugh. His son Fan Hong, along with the other dozen or so Warmth Realm villagers, also became extremely excited.
After last night's battle ended, just like in Qingtan Village, the joy of the great victory didn't last long before Fan Kong began to worry about Valley Village's resettlement.
Great Xia had only defeated the Caiqiu army at the valley mouth. The two feudatories would definitely continue fighting afterwards. Qinghua City's seventy thousand strong army was currently stationed in the Guangningshan area north of Valley Village.
During the day, the Xia troops had already escorted all the Caiqiu prisoners of war to Valley Village. As tens of thousands of Xia troops successively entered and stationed here, Fan Kong also realized that the Xia troops intended to use Valley Village as an outpost to resist the Caiqiu army.
In other words, the two feudatories would most likely clash at Valley Village next.
Valley Village had over twenty thousand people in total. Originally, there were 26 Warmth Realm cultivators. Nine died in last night's battle, leaving only 17 now. The rest were mainly Lumberjack Realm, with only a little over two thousand Digging Realm.
With just this little strength, once the village became a battlefield for the two feudatories to clash, the fate of these people was easy to imagine.
Therefore, during the day at the valley mouth, Fan Kong tried every possible method to request an audience with the Great Xia higher-ups, wanting to seek a way out for Valley Village.
Unfortunately, his strength was truly too weak—so weak that any random Xia soldier could stop him. During the day, he had actually seen Xia Hong from afar and mustered the courage to shout loudly, trying to attract the other's attention.
But he had only shouted once before being stared at by the gazes of countless Xia troops. Those soldiers had just finished a bloody battle with the Caiqiu army, their eyes too fierce and intimidating. Even though they said nothing, he was still scared into closing his mouth.
Helpless, he could only follow the Xia troops back to Valley Village.
Fortunately, he was the Village Chief of Valley Village. In terms of familiarity with the village's situation and the surrounding terrain, he dared to claim second place, and no one dared to claim first. When the Xia troops needed to find a place to imprison prisoners of war and survey the surrounding terrain, they immediately thought of him.
The person who found him at the time was Yuan Bai.
As for how high the official position of Dragon Garrison Captain Deputy Commander-in-Chief actually was, Fan Kong still didn't really understand even now. But after diligently helping Yuan Bai finish all the tasks, he still mustered his courage and stated his request to see Xia Hong.
As expected, Yuan Bai directly refused him.
"See the Lord Leader?"
Yuan Bai had only said these three words at the time, using a questioning tone, his eyes filled with thick disbelief.
Fan Kong had considerable life experience and quickly realized that, from the other party's perspective, his request was indeed somewhat unbelievable.
It was like if he went to Qinghua City and asked to see City Lord Cai Yunzhou; everyone would probably think he had gone mad, and absolutely no one would pay him any attention.
And that was just Cai Yunzhou, whereas this Great Xia Lord Leader was a figure on the same level as Fang Bo Cai Qianshan.
Given his identity, strength, and status, what qualification did he have to meet him?
Understanding this point, Fan Kong stopped talking about requesting an audience with the Lord Leader. Instead, he directly stated his worries for the over twenty thousand people of Valley Village, begging Yuan Bai to speak to the Great Xia higher-ups on his behalf, considering how diligently he had worked for him.
When Yuan Bai heard he was seeking a way out for the over twenty thousand commoners of Valley Village, his expression immediately improved a lot. He even directly brought him to the Main Building, saying he would take him to see several lords.
Although he couldn't enter the main hall of the Main Building, when he was at the entrance, Fan Kong could sense the powerful auras of the dozens of people inside the hall. Combined with the Xia troops patrolling around the Main Building, he instantly realized just how outrageous his request to meet the Great Xia Lord Leader was.
It was like when he usually gathered everyone in the village for discussions, and suddenly a three or four-year-old child came from outside saying they had something to request an audience with him. The guards at the door probably wouldn't even ask for a reason and would directly shoo the person away.
Although a bit far-fetched, the situation was actually similar. In front of these Xia troops, he was really no different from a three or four-year-old child.
The main hall of the Main Building was clearly shielded by some method. Even though he had been standing right at the entrance just now, he couldn't make out a single word those lords were saying.
In the end, only after the discussions ended did Yuan Bai bring him good news.
"Great Xia intends to bring Qingyu Gully under its governance, so they will not engage Caiqiu's army here in battle. Valley Village's terrain is good. Lord Qiu proposed to the Lord Leader to build a city here, and the Lord Leader agreed..."
Valley Village would not become a battlefield, and Great Xia intended to build a city here!
Setting aside Yuan Bai's subsequent instructions for now, upon discerning these two meanings, Fan Kong was instantly overjoyed, almost shouting out loud at the time.
Valley Village was going to build a city!