Chapter 569: Caiqiu's Internal Affairs, Responding to Movement with Stillness |
"Aside from the Fang Bo lineage, Caiqiu has six hereditary noble families below it: the Fan, Liang, Zhu, He, Wu, and Zhong families. There are also busybodies who divide these six families into the Upper Three Families and the Lower Three Families.
The Donghe County among Caiqiu's four counties has long been controlled by the Fan family. Since Caiqiu established itself as a feudatory, the Fan family has always governed the military and administrative affairs of Donghe, obeying mobilization orders but not proclamations. Their status within Caiqiu seems even more exaggerated than that of the Chen family in Chencang.
The founding ancestor of the Liang family, Liang Yuqing, is the sworn brother of Fang Bo Cai Qianshan. Their relationship is extremely close, and they are also in-laws. Cai Qianshan has four sons in total. Except for the youngest son, Little Fang Bo Cai Qiuhu, the principal wives of the three elder sons are all women from the Liang family's main line. There are also many marriage alliances between the direct descendants of the Liang and Cai families. The Liang family is considered the one with the closest ties to the Cai family among the six.
The four feudatories of Mo'ao Chuan all use the same Mufu system, and Caiqiu is no exception. The Grand Steward governs administration, the Commander-in-Chief commands the military. Since Caiqiu's establishment as a feudatory, there have been three Grand Stewards. The first was Liang Yuqing, the second was Liang Yuqing's son Liang Taiqiu, and the third, the current one, is Liang Taiqiu's second son, Liang Hengzhang. Three generations of the Liang family holding the position of Grand Steward speaks volumes about their status.
The founding ancestor of the Zhong family, Zhong Feihu, was Cai Qianshan's number one rival before Caiqiu became a feudatory. At that time, Caiqiu had not yet unified the entire territory. Qingcang County was originally the domain of the Zhong clan. After being defeated, Zhong Feihu led the Zhong clan to join Caiqiu and still received Cai Qianshan's great trust, being appointed as Caiqiu's Commander-in-Chief. However, only a small portion of Caiqiu's military power is in his hands. The one who truly commands the army is the Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Zhu Huorong..."
At the Guangningshan camp, the fighting had completely subsided. Tens of thousands of Caiqiu soldiers, stripped of their armor and left unarmed, were being escorted by the Xia troops towards Valley Village. They all hung their heads in dejection, their faces filled with despair and loss, clearly the aftereffects of being defeated by the Xia army.
Inside the main tent of the camp, Xia Hong sat at the head position. Li Xuanling sat beside him with their two children. Below them, a group of high-ranking officials stood on either side. Qiu Peng stood in the middle, explaining the specific internal situation of Caiqiu to Xia Hong and everyone else.
"The Upper Three Families—the Fan, Liang, and Zhong families—have a status that can rival the Cai family. On major issues within Caiqiu, if these three families join forces, even the Cai family can only compromise.
As for the Lower Three Families—the Zhu, He, and Wu clans—each has a Tribulation Body Realm expert overseeing them. Strictly speaking, they are all vassals of the Cai family.
The founding ancestor of the He family, He Yuankang, is Cai Qianshan's son-in-law. Although he holds the title of Deputy Commander-in-Chief, he basically does not participate in Caiqiu's major decisions and is almost completely obedient to Fang Bo Cai Qianshan.
The founding ancestor of the Wu family, Wu Dingfeng, is a famous martial fanatic in Caiqiu. In his early years, he studied under Fang Bo Li Gangfeng of Weibo, but due to his aptitude, he only became a nominal disciple. There are rumors outside that he has close ties with Li Gangfeng and is likely a spy planted in Caiqiu by Weibo, though there has never been any solid evidence. Observing his past actions, he has also been extremely supportive of Fang Bo Cai Qianshan, not seeming like someone planted by Weibo..."
Xia Hong sat at the head, listening with apparent boredom, but his attention had actually been focused on his son and daughter the entire time.
Having witnessed two major battles between Great Xia and the feudal towns firsthand had probably been a bit of a shock. Xia Yuyao and Xia Yusheng had both broken through to the Warmth Realm one after the other last night.
The first to break through was the eldest daughter, Xia Yuyao, who reached a base strength of 8.8 zong immediately upon breaking through. Next was Xia Yusheng, whose strength was slightly weaker at 8.6 zong.
"I used the highest quality Blood Jade Beads on them. Although they surpassed Xuanling, they still didn't catch up to me. With Great Xia's current cultivation conditions, plus their own innate aptitude, it shouldn't be like this. That means 9 zong is probably the limit for reshaping the skin membrane..."
Everyone hopes their children will succeed, and Xia Hong is no exception. To say he wasn't disappointed at all that his children's aptitude didn't surpass his own would be impossible, but Xia Hong quickly came to terms with it. The cultivation resources the two children could enjoy were basically the most top-tier he could find at this stage. Adding to that the fact they had inherited the White Dew Abomination's dual-element Water-Fire Abomination, and they still didn't reach 9 zong, it most likely proves that 9 zong is the limit.
At the very least, within the entire Southern Foothills region, including the four feudatories, no aptitude surpassing 9 zong could be found. Thinking about it this way, aside from himself, they were basically also top-tier aptitude without equal. What more was there to be unsatisfied about?
Furthermore, strictly speaking, the Warmth Realm is just the starting point of the cultivation path for humans in the Ice Abyss. What determines whether one can go further in the future still depends on later cultivation.
"Lord Leader, based on the various intelligence Jiang Xinfan sent back and what we have recently gathered, the situation in Caiqiu is roughly what I've just described."
Soon, Qiu Peng finished his introduction.
Xia Hong's train of thought was pulled back. He shifted his attention away from his two children, nodded, swept his gaze over everyone, and smiled. "It seems you all haven't been busy in vain. I spent three years in Mo'ao Chuan, yet I don't know as much about Caiqiu's situation as you do."
These words were, of course, deliberately spoken to encourage everyone.
In fact, Xia Hong had already learned about the intelligence Qiu Peng mentioned during his travels in Mo'ao Chuan previously. He even knew more secretive information. However, his return this time was too rushed, and he hadn't had time to discuss it in detail with everyone. Now, having Qiu Peng give everyone a centralized briefing saved him a lot of trouble.
"This is our duty. You praise us too highly, Lord Leader..."
Although Qiu Peng was being modest, a hint of a smile still appeared on his face, clearly pleased with Xia Hong's praise. However, he didn't forget the main reason for gathering here today and changed the subject. "Currently, Cai Qianshan is seriously injured and hasn't recovered. It's difficult for him to come out and manage affairs. Lu Yang has already sent a message back. The war in Linchu County is currently being handled by Commander-in-Chief Zhong Feihu. The two feudatories, Weibo and Hecang, are sending envoys while also assembling large armies at the border. It seems they intend to pressure Chu Longteng, forcing Chencang to withdraw its troops from Linchu.
Caiqiu Mufu's 100,000 Silver Scale Guards have already been deployed. The other three counties have also scraped together 400,000 troops and are rushing towards Linchu County, vowing to retake Linchu County City.
As for Qinghua City, they only dispatched 150,000 Prefectural Guard Army troops to garrison it. They haven't taken any other actions within Evergreen Valley. After Cai Yunzhou retreated in defeat last night, he fled to Red Tiger Ridge. There are still 50,000 Caiqiu troops stationed within Red Tiger Ridge. They have put the surrounding area on high alert. Judging by Red Tiger Ridge's terrain, they plan to use it as a fortress to resist us."
Hearing this, Xia Hong raised an eyebrow, shook his head, and chuckled. "100,000 Silver Scale Guards? It seems Chencang is serious this time. Caiqiu is getting desperate. Unless Weibo and Hecang both send troops to help, retaking Linchu County is definitely hopeless. Probably because Chencang's progress is too fast, Caiqiu fears the war will spill over into Baishui County. That's why they're putting in so much effort!"
The Silver Scale Guards are Caiqiu's most elite army. The soldiers' strength is all above 20 zong. Their total number is only 100,000. The fact that Caiqiu pulled them all out at once shows how much importance they place on Chencang.
Qiu Peng nodded, cupped his hands, and said, "Lord Leader's foresight is brilliant. Your subordinate admires it. According to the person Lu Yang just sent back, the Chencang army captured eight major camps in Linchu in a single day yesterday. Including those taken earlier, three-quarters of Linchu is already in their hands, and they are still accelerating their eastward offensive. If Caiqiu's reaction had been any slower, the entire territory of Linchu would probably have fallen by now."
Lu Yang has been hiding with his men in Linchu County to gather intelligence on the war. Whenever there is new news, he immediately sends someone back to report. Jiang Xinfan and Ji Hong also relay real-time news about Chencang back to the Southern Foothills. After receiving the reports, Xia Chuan immediately dispatches people to notify them. Therefore, Great Xia basically has a clear grasp of the current war situation between the two feudatories.
"Caiqiu only stationed 150,000 troops in Qinghua City. Adding the 50,000 troops in Red Tiger Ridge, that's only 200,000 in total. It seems Caiqiu has also investigated our Great Xia's military strength!"
Yuan Cheng spoke up at this point. His attention was clearly not on Linchu, but on Qinghua City. He immediately grasped the key point from Caiqiu's troop deployment.
Xia Hong nodded, his face showing no surprise.
Before this northern expedition, Great Xia's deployable military strength was 270,000. Factoring in current battle losses, the truly deployable force that can be called military strength is estimated to be only around 230,000.
Admittedly, Great Xia has incorporated the five northern towns into its territory. If we include the military strength of these five towns, the number would certainly be higher. The problem is, the Warmth Realm soldiers from the five towns, firstly, are not part of the Xia army system and haven't undergone Great Xia's battle formation training. Even if forcibly dragged onto the battlefield, the combat effectiveness they can display is extremely limited. Secondly, they have recently surrendered, and their mindset is inherently difficult to gauge. Moreover, there are still occasional rebellions among the five towns' remnants. Xia Chuan is currently trying to pacify while suppressing them. How could Great Xia possibly bring them onto the cruel battlefield?
With 230,000 troops, Great Xia still needs to keep a large portion to guard against Chencang's 100,000 troops in Dongchuan City. It's impossible to deploy all of them into Evergreen Valley. Therefore, if Caiqiu considers Qinghua City as the bottom line for Great Xia's northward advance, stationing 150,000 troops there is definitely sufficient.
"Lord Leader, since Caiqiu considers Qinghua City the bottom line, then the entire Evergreen Valley is ours. Why not immediately send troops to Red Tiger Ridge, crush those 50,000 Caiqiu troops, and then take the opportunity to occupy the entire Evergreen Valley? In the future, we can use Qinghua City as the boundary with Caiqiu, mutually not..."
Yuan Cheng's first statement was clearly paving the way for his real intention. Since Caiqiu has revealed its bottom line, Great Xia can naturally act according to that bottom line.
The entire Evergreen Valley covers 8,000 square kilometers. They currently only occupy Guangningshan, estimated to be about two-fifths. If they could take the entire territory in one fell swoop, Great Xia's territory could expand significantly again.
Hearing this, everyone present felt somewhat tempted.
"That's not advisable..."
Only Yuwen Tao, who had remained silent until now, expressed a different opinion. Seeing everyone look at him with unfriendly expressions, his expression didn't change at all. He just looked at Xia Hong, cupped his hands, and said, "Lord Leader, Cai Qianshan is seriously injured, and the Silver Scale Guards have been fully deployed. This is enough to show that Caiqiu has been pushed to the brink by Chencang. It also shows that the support from Weibo and Hecang for them is probably not very strong. If we continue to push forward at this time, we would be pushing Caiqiu to its doom. Doing this, firstly, does not align with our interests. Secondly, the outcome will not be good..."
At this point, Yuwen Tao paused, organized his thoughts, then looked around at everyone in the tent and continued, "If we continue north, at most we can only reach the walls of Qinghua City. But we would indirectly continue to weaken Caiqiu, aiding Chencang. Everyone, don't forget that the two feudatories, Hecang and Weibo, will not sit idly by and watch Caiqiu be destroyed by Chencang. Since Caiqiu understands our Great Xia's military strength, the other three feudatories can as well.
The reason we can bite off these territories in Evergreen Valley boils down to the fact that Caiqiu didn't consider us their primary enemy. Hecang and Weibo are the same. If we don't stop in time and anger the other two feudatories, once they send troops, forget about whether we can reach Qinghua City; the territory we've taken now might even have to be given back."
Hearing this, everyone in the tent immediately looked more serious.
Even Yuan Cheng, who had proposed the advance, subconsciously moved his lips as if to refute, but after thinking for a moment, he closed his mouth. Clearly, he also understood that Yuwen Tao's words made sense.
"In your opinion, what should we do now?"
Hearing Xia Hong ask this question, Yuwen Tao immediately realized his words had gained the Lord Leader's approval. A touch of excitement immediately appeared on his face. After thinking for a moment, he cupped his hands and said, "Lord Leader originally had no intention of attacking Guangningshan. Hou Bing and Yuwen Yong accidentally captured this place. Right now, Caiqiu is probably more anxious than we are..."
Caiqiu is certainly anxious. When Cai Qiuhu left, he actually only left Cai Yunzhou to garrison this place. This is enough to show that the Caiqiu leadership unanimously believed Great Xia wouldn't dare continue fighting them.
The action of capturing Guangningshan will undoubtedly make the Caiqiu leadership re-examine Great Xia's motives. If Great Xia continues to fight relentlessly alongside Chencang, they will inevitably have to respond.
After a penetrating analysis, Yuwen Tao finally gave his answer, speaking slowly, "The Bone-Erosion Path, plus two-fifths of Evergreen Valley's territory, is enough for our Great Xia and Caiqiu to establish a buffer zone. Continuing northward would at most mean taking the entire Evergreen Valley, but it would drag our Great Xia into the conflict among the four feudatories. Currently, the four feudatories can be roughly divided into two camps: Chencang, with its formidable strength, stands alone on one side, and the remaining three feudatories form another side.
Chencang's 100,000 troops are still stationed in Dongchuan City, which is enough to show they still have ambitions towards the Southern Foothills. If we completely offend Caiqiu and also incur the displeasure of Hecang and Weibo, Great Xia would be isolating itself from the four feudatories. Our future situation would be extremely difficult.
Ultimately, the reason for going to war is for resources. Great Xia unifying the Southern Foothills is only one step away. The urgent task is to take this final step, then accelerate the digestion of the five northern towns, allowing Great Xia's overall strength to quickly catch up to the four feudatories, and then participate openly in the competition within Mo'ao Chuan.
Caiqiu's situation is precarious. They are more anxious than we are. Therefore, we should respond to movement with stillness, waiting for them to come to us..."
At this point, Yuwen Tao paused and smiled. "Everyone, don't forget, Caiqiu's war situation is tense, but we still hold nearly 100,000 Caiqiu prisoners. These are tangible bargaining chips!"
Hearing this, everyone fell into deep thought.
Great Xia unifying the Southern Foothills is only one step away. This final step refers to the 100,000 troops Chencang has stationed in Dongchuan City. Defeating these 100,000 troops is somewhat unrealistic, but given the current situation among the four feudatories, there is still great hope of getting Chencang to voluntarily withdraw its troops.
As for the Caiqiu prisoners, originally after the battle north of the Bone-Erosion Path, there were over 50,000. Later, Yuwen Yong led troops to mop up, and after last night's battle at Guangningshan, they captured another 40,000 or so. The total now is indeed close to 100,000.
Crucially, there are still a considerable number of Caiqiu stragglers scattered in the area south of Guangningshan. As the Xia army sets up checkpoints on both sides of Guangningshan, these scattered soldiers will eventually be captured. By then, the number of prisoners in Great Xia's hands is estimated to reach between 120,000 and 150,000 at most.
These hundred thousand-plus are not ordinary people. They are trained soldiers with Warmth Realm cultivation, ready to go to battle at any time. Given Caiqiu's current predicament, the importance of these prisoners is self-evident.
"Cai Qianshan is seriously injured. Commander-in-Chief Zhong Feihu is currently leading the troops managing the war in Linchu County. The remaining Tribulation Body Realm experts are mostly over there resisting Chencang. The only one who can come to us is the Grand Steward who hasn't shown his face in Linchu County yet..."
"Reporting, Lord Leader! Someone outside the camp requests an audience. He claims to be Caiqiu's Grand Steward, Liang Hengzhang. He came alone, without weapons, and shows no signs of Abomination energy on his person."
Speak of the devil, and he appears!
A smile appeared on Xia Hong's face. He waved his hand at Yuwen Tao, Qiu Peng, and the others, smiling. "Since he actively requested an audience and hasn't overstepped any bounds, he is a guest. The title of Grand Steward is also not low. All of you go out to welcome him. Be polite and bring him here."
"Your subordinates obey!"
Yuwen Tao and the others immediately cupped their hands in acknowledgment, then quickly stood up and walked out together to welcome this suddenly visiting Caiqiu Grand Steward.