Chapter 564
The Future of Qingyugou, the Anxious Father and Son of Su Lie
Chapter 564 The Future of Qingyugou, the Anxious Father and Son of Su Lie
Qingyugou is called a ditch, but it is actually a small river running north-south for more than 20 kilometers. The southern end of the river is close to the Gushidao (Erosion Bone Road), and about 10 kilometers away from the northern entrance.
Given the perilous nature of the Ice Abyss waters, human villages are generally not located near water, making Qingyugou an exception.
Firstly, it is both narrow and shallow, with the widest part of the river being only about five meters and the deepest part only three meters. It cannot accommodate any slightly larger aquatic cold-blooded beasts, so its danger level is much lower than that of other bodies of water.
Secondly, because its water flow is irregular.
At the southern end of Qingyugou is a small hill over a hundred meters high. Inside the hill is an underground river that connects to the Mo'ao Mountain. Every July and August, a large amount of fresh water gushes out from the underground river and flows northward through the ditch.
Living water is a rare sight in the Ice Abyss. In addition, the vegetation coverage of Evergreen Valley is higher than that of the outside world, and the green color occasionally dominates. Every year in July and August, living water flows out from the underground river. No one dares to approach the river surface, so it is basically undamaged. The vegetation is reflected on it, and the whole river is as clear and transparent as green jade. Thus, it has the elegant name of Green Jade Valley.
No matter how elegant the name, it cannot change the fact that Qingyugou is located at the southernmost end of Changqing Valley. Changqing Valley as a whole is very barren, and Qingyugou, located in the deepest part of the valley, is even more barren than one can imagine.
There are a total of sixteen villages in the Qingyugou area. The three largest villages, Hegu, Qingtan, and Xiaochi, each have a population of over 20,000. The remaining thirteen villages have populations ranging from as few as four or five thousand to just over ten thousand.
Changqing Valley is not without its advantages; its biggest advantages are its higher temperature and higher vegetation coverage compared to the outside world.
When vegetation grows well, there will be plenty of fruit. Qingyugou is located at the deepest part of the valley, where the temperature is higher than in the northern areas, the vegetation grows in a better environment, and the fruit harvest is even more amazing.
Unfortunately, the fruit can only fill one's stomach and cannot be used for cultivation. This has resulted in the people in the Qingyugou area not starving to death, but their overall strength is difficult to improve. Compared with other regions, the number of people at the Cold Resistance level is extremely small.
Misfortune and fortune are intertwined, and good and bad always go hand in hand. This is the norm. Because of the high temperature, the vegetation grows lushly and the fruit harvest is high. But also because of the high temperature, the cold beasts do not like this place. As a result, it is difficult for the people in Qingyugou to hunt, and the harvest of animal meat and blood has never been good.
Animal meat and blood are the basic cultivation resources that form the foundation of a camp's development. Without these, even if one doesn't starve, it will be difficult for the camp to grow.
To give a simple example, before humans broke through to the level of cold resistance, their average lifespan was only around forty years. This meant that they lacked animal meat and blood.
Humans living in resource-rich camps have an average lifespan that is only two-fifths that of other species.
Thinking about it this way, what good is it to just not starve to death?
People aren't stupid. They might not notice it for a year or two, but over time, the locals of Qingyugou will naturally see the signs. So for many years, they have been trying to make changes.
Unfortunately, their strength is too weak, making change difficult even if they want to.
The best way to change their situation is to migrate, but they have neither the strength nor the courage, and where can they migrate to?
Changqing Valley is only so big. All the places suitable for people to live in are already taken, and the uninhabited places are too dangerous. As for Qinghua City, they would like to go there, but unfortunately, no one would want them even if they sold themselves into slavery.
Therefore, they can only stay in place and slowly die!
Of course, this predicament is not unique to Qingyugou; many places deep in Changqing Valley are in the same situation, where everyone can only barely survive.
But starting today, things are about to change!
The thirteenth year of the Great Xia Dynasty, the fourth day of the first month, during the day.
At the southernmost tip of Qingyugou, lies Qingtan Village.
The village was packed with people, both inside and out. It was daytime, and it's hard to imagine that such a scene could happen in Qingtan Village.
Su He stood next to his father, Su Lie, the two of them following behind Su Xing'er and her three siblings with excited expressions, their eyes filled with excitement as they looked at the mountains of armor and weapons piled up in the village.
"Lord Yuwen said that these spoils of war will be temporarily stored in your Qingtan Village, and will be taken away in one go when the others come later."
Su Xing'er and her three siblings were not standing at the head of the table. Standing at the front was still Xiang Liang, who was in charge of coordinating with them. Xiang Liang had brought Yuwen Tao's military orders from the main tent at the valley entrance half an hour ago.
The weapons and armor piled up in the village were all captured from Cai Qiu's army. The Xia army was escorting the prisoners north to the Qingyugou camp, and on the way, they had the prisoners move their supplies over.
Cai Qiu's 150,000-strong army was routed. Although some escaped, most were killed or captured. The number of weapons and armor captured by the Great Xia was terrifying, at least 80,000 to 90,000 sets.
With so many weapons and armor, it's impossible to carry them around, and it's even more unacceptable to just leave them at the valley entrance. Qingtan Village is not far from the valley entrance, so storing them here makes them easy to retrieve and convenient for future transport.
"Father, when are we going to Great Xia?"
Seeing the once arrogant Caiqiu soldiers now like quails being strangled in the hands of the Xia army, all looking utterly dejected, Su He couldn't contain his excitement and whispered a question to his father, Su Lie, in front of him.
He also participated in the battle at Taniguchi in the middle of the night!
He witnessed firsthand how Cai Qiu's 150,000-strong army was routed by the Xia army, their overwhelming force inspiring despair; and how Cai Qiu, the powerful figure who could summon a thirty-zhang-tall golden body, was forced into retreat by the puppets brought out by the Xia governor, nearly losing his life...
Even though an hour or two had passed, he still couldn't calm down completely. At this moment, going to the Great Xia and becoming a Xia person was the only thought in Su He's mind.
Previously, he certainly wouldn't have dared to harbor such extravagant hopes in the face of such a powerful camp.
But this time was different. Xia Jun's ability to defeat Cai Qiu's army was inseparable from the help of the rebel army. The rebel army made a great contribution this time.
Father Su Lie joined the Frost Ash Society early on and was one of the core members who cooperated with Su Xing'er and her three siblings to plan the uprising. If one were to pick the most meritorious members of the rebel army, Father Su Lie would certainly be among them.
Merit will be rewarded, that's for sure!
Su He didn't want much; he just wanted to lead everyone in Qingtan Village to join the Great Xia and become Xia people.
"Shut up! Who gave you the right to speak? You're so talkative!"
However, Su Lie's reaction at this moment did not seem as enthusiastic as his, and he even angrily rebuked him after hearing his question.
Su He was stunned by the scolding and didn't quite understand why his father was reacting so strongly.
"Lord Xiang, may I ask when we may go to see our master?"
However, soon after, Su Xing'er asked a question from ahead, and Su He's mind stirred slightly, and he began to guess why his father was reacting so strongly.
When Su Xing'er came to Qingtan Village, she said that she had become a disciple of a Fangbo. Now it seems that this Fangbo is obviously the powerful figure who almost killed Xiao Fangbo Cai Qiuhu last night, who is also the Great Xia Lord Xia Hong, who is currently being hotly discussed in the entire Qingtan Village.
According to his and his father's thinking, since Su Xing'er and her three siblings had become disciples of Fang Bo, their status in Da Xia must be very high. However, judging from the situation since the end of last night's battle, it seems that this is not what they thought. More than two hours have passed since the end of the battle, and not only has Su Xing'er not even seen Xia Hong, but so far, the only people in Da Xia who have been in contact with her are Xiang Liang and his group.
It's not that Xiang Liang's status is low. Judging from the fact that Xiang Liang was able to bring back the order from the Xia army's commander-in-chief, he obviously has some status in the Great Xia. But Su Xing'er and her three siblings have made such a great contribution. Even if no one of great importance comes, surely a few commanding officers can come to congratulate them?
But nobody showed up!
There is only one explanation: Su Xing'er's status in Daxia may not be as high as they imagine.
If that's the case, then things will get complicated.
So far, Da Xia has not mentioned how to arrange for these people. According to Su He's own idea, they are all Cai Qiu rebels, and the best outcome is of course to move away from Changqing Valley and live in Da Xia.
But will Great Xia still have to fight Cai Qiu?
If a battle breaks out, will the final ownership of Evergreen Valley change?
If the Great Xia continues to deny these people any assurances and eventually abandons them altogether, the fate of these anti-people rebels when Cai Qiu's army returns is predictable.
Right now, the father and son, along with all the Changqing Valley rebels who participated in the rebellion, are waiting for the Great Xia to settle them.
The father originally thought that Su Xing'er was a disciple of Fang Bo and must have a high status in Da Xia. He believed that as long as he could mention it to the ruler of Da Xia, not to mention people in other places, the people of Qing Tan Village and even Qing Yu Gou should have a good future.
Now that it has been suddenly discovered that Su Xing'er and her three siblings do not have a high status in the Great Xia Dynasty, the situation has become complicated.
With a low status, one naturally has little say. After all, one can't even see Xia Hong, so how can one talk about finding a good home for Qingtan Village?
"Master?"
Xiang Liang was stunned when he heard this, and it took him a while to realize that Su Xing'er was referring to Lord Xia Hong as her master. His expression immediately turned strange.
"Miss Su, has the lord really accepted you as his apprentice?"
There's a reason Xiang Liang asked this question.
He was assigned by Yuwen Tao to make contact with Su Xing'er. According to Yuwen Tao, the lord had planted a few spies in Changqing Valley, and he was tasked with contacting them and causing trouble in the name of the Frost Ash Society to assist the Xia army in the great battle against Cai Qiu.
A few days ago, when the two met, Su Xing'er did mention that she had become a disciple of Lord Xia Hong, but Xiang Liang didn't take it seriously at all.
Lord Xia Hong, what kind of person is he?
According to Xiang Liang's idea, if he wanted the leader to take on disciples, their qualifications would at least be on par with the two princes.
Of the four siblings, the three Su brothers are a different story. The one with the best aptitude is Su Xing'er, who is nineteen years old this year and has a cultivation level of 44 in the Cold Resistance level. Her talent is indeed quite good. But to be honest, geniuses like her are very common in the Great Xia Dynasty, and there are even many who are more outstanding than her.
It makes no sense that the lord would take these four under his wing.
Xiang Liang guessed that the lord had probably formed a bond with the four siblings by chance while traveling in Mo'aochuan, and that they had some special experience together, which led Su Xing'er and the other three to misunderstand and think that they had become Xia Hong's disciples.
It must be said that Xiang Liang's guess was quite accurate.
Su Xing'er's body trembled slightly upon hearing his question.
The master-disciple relationship between the four siblings and Xia Hong was indeed not formal. The so-called master-disciple relationship was fabricated by Xia Hong three years ago when he brought them into Qinghua City to avoid trouble.
Looking back now, although the four of them always called him Master, Xia Hong never gave any positive response from beginning to end, including when they reunited in Yanling County at the end of last year, Xia Hong did not mention it once.
These thoughts flashed through Su Xing'er's mind, and her face turned slightly pale. Seeing that Xiang Liang was still waiting for her answer, she composed herself slightly and replied with great difficulty, "Thank you for reminding me, Lord Xiang. Lord Fangbo has indeed not formally accepted me into his sect. We address each other as Master and Master out of gratitude for Lord Fangbo's kindness. It is indeed a bit presumptuous of us. I hope you will forgive me, sir."
When Xiang Liang asked the question, there was actually no harshness in his tone, but Su Xing'er keenly noticed a hint of displeasure on his face. She was quick-witted and immediately understood the reason, so she hurriedly bowed and apologized.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Xiang Liang's face immediately showed satisfaction. He nodded and smiled, "I knew it. Although your aptitude is good, it's unlikely that our leader... Fang Bo would be interested in you."
Logically speaking, since Great Xia has not yet been officially promoted to a vassal-level camp, the lord should not be given the title of "Lord of the Land" for the time being. However, in Xiang Liang's opinion, this is only a matter of time, so after thinking about it, he did not correct Su Xing'er's address of the lord.
Right now, not only Su Xing'er, but also the people of Qingtan Village and Qingyugou, and even all the laborers from Changqing Valley who participated in the rebellion, all thought that Daxia was a vassal state, and they all addressed Xia Hong as Fangbo.
There's no need to correct it anymore; it's about to become a reality anyway, and the Xia people themselves are starting to change their tune.
While Xiang Liang was still thinking about how to address her, he didn't notice that Su Xing'er's face instantly darkened when she heard his last sentence.
Su Xing'er is no longer the naive little girl she once was. She had stayed in Qinghua City with Xia Hong, then in Linchu County, and later, after being separated from Xia Hong, she lived in Yanling County for a long time.
She knew very well that her talent was definitely top-notch in a place like Evergreen Valley, but compared with the top geniuses of the vassal states, it was clearly not enough.
The Great Xia was also a vassal state, and the master was the ruler of the Great Xia. He must have seen more and better geniuses. So, although Xiang Liang's words were harsh, they were also true.
"May I ask Lord Xiang if Xing'er may request an audience with Lord Fangbo? There are more than 200,000 laborers involved in this rebellion. Although many died in the battle at the valley entrance, there are still more than 100,000 left. Most of them are currently gathered in Qingtan Village. I would like to ask Lord Fangbo how he plans to settle these people."
Upon hearing Su Xing'er's question, Su Lie and Su He, father and son behind him, along with the leaders of the laborers surrounding them, immediately perked up and turned to look at Xiang Liang, clearly eager for his answer.
"I knew you all looked so worried, so that's what you were all concerned about..."
Upon hearing this question and seeing the concerned looks on everyone's faces, Xiang Liang suddenly realized what was going on. He shook his head repeatedly, then slapped his forehead and said apologetically, "It's my fault. I should have told you as soon as I got back. When I came back from the main tent at the valley entrance, Lord Qiu from the Logistics Department told me that he would come to Qingtan Village to see you as soon as his meeting was over. He should be announcing how you will be settled!"
At this point, Xiang Liang paused, then patted his chest and laughed, "Don't worry, our Great Xia never mistreats those who have made contributions. Moreover, Qingyugou has already been incorporated into the territory of Great Xia, so you people are rightfully part of our Great Xia. We will not forget you."
With Xiang Liang's guarantee, Su Xing'er and her three siblings, Su Lie and his son, and other labor leaders felt much more relaxed.
(End of this chapter)