Chapter 572
Within Caiqiu, Using Stillness to Control Movement
Chapter 572 Within Caiqiu, Using Stillness to Control Movement
"Besides the lineage of the Fangbo, Caiqiu has six other clans: Fan, Liang, Zhu, He, Wu, and Zhong. Some enthusiasts have divided these six clans into three upper clans and three lower clans."
Donghe County, one of the four counties of Caiqiu, has been controlled by the Fan family for many years. Since the establishment of the Fan family in Caiqiu, they have always controlled the military and political affairs of Donghe County. They obey orders but not summons. Their status in Caiqiu seems to be even more exaggerated than that of the Chen family in Chencang.
Liang Yuqing, the ancestor of the Liang clan, was the sworn brother of Fangbo Cai Qianshan. The two were very close and also related by marriage. Cai Qianshan had four sons. Apart from his youngest son, who was also Fangbo Cai Qiuhu, the wives of his three sons were all women from the main branch of the Liang clan. Many of the direct descendants of the Liang and Cai clans were also related by marriage, making Liang the family with the closest relationship to the Cai clan among the six clans.
The four domains of Mookagawa all used the same system of regulations as the shogunate, and Caiqiu was no exception. Taiyi was in charge of the government and Lingyi was in charge of the army. Since the establishment of Caiqiu, there have been three Taiyi. The first was Liang Yuqing, the second was Liang Yuqing's son Liang Taiqiu, and the third, which is the current one, is Liang Taiqiu's second son Liang Hengzhang. The Liang family has been in charge of the government for three generations, which shows their status.
Zhong Feihu, the ancestor of the Zhong clan, was Cai Qianshan's number one enemy before Caiqiu was established as a fiefdom. At that time, Caiqiu had not yet unified the entire territory, and Qingcang County was originally the territory of the Zhong clan. After Zhong Feihu was defeated, he led the Zhong clan to join Caiqiu. He was still highly valued by Cai Qianshan and was appointed as the Commander of Caiqiu. However, he only had a small part of the military power in Caiqiu. The one who truly commanded the army was the Deputy Commander, Zhu Huorong..."
At the Guangning Mountain camp, the battle had completely ended. Tens of thousands of Caiqiu soldiers, stripped of their armor and unarmed, were being escorted by the Xia army towards the river valley village. They were all dejected, their faces filled with despair and loss, clearly a consequence of being defeated by the Xia army.
Inside the main tent of the camp, Xia Hong sat at the head of the table, with Li Xuanling and their two children sitting beside him. Below, a group of high-ranking officials stood on both sides, while Qiu Peng stood in the middle, introducing the specific internal situation of Caiqiu to Xia Hong and everyone else.
"The three families, namely Fan, Liang and Zhong, are able to rival the Cai family in terms of status. In fact, if the three families join forces on major issues concerning Caiqiu, the Cai family will have no choice but to compromise."
These three clans—Zhu, He, and Wu—each have a powerful expert at the Tribulation Realm, and strictly speaking, they are all vassals of the Cai clan.
The ancestor of the Zhu clan, Zhu Huorong, was someone the lord had met before in the southern foothills. He was Cai Qianshan's eldest disciple and is now the deputy commander of Caiqiu. It is clear from the job arrangement that Cai Qianshan intends to promote him to a higher position to replace the current commander, Zhong Feihu.
He Yuankang, the ancestor of the He clan, was Cai Qianshan's son-in-law. Although he held the position of deputy commander, he basically did not participate in Cai Qiu's major decisions and almost always listened to Cai Qianshan, the Fangbo.
Wu Dingfeng, the ancestor of the Wu clan, was a well-known martial arts fanatic in Caiqiu. In his early years, he had studied under Li Gangfeng, the governor of Weibo, but due to his lack of talent, he only became a nominal disciple. Rumors circulated that he had a close relationship with Li Gangfeng and was very likely a spy planted in Caiqiu by Weibo, but there had never been any concrete evidence. Judging from his previous actions, he also strongly supported Governor Cai Qianshan, which did not seem like someone planted by Weibo..."
Xia Hong sat at the head of the table, listening listlessly, his attention actually fixed on his two children.
Having witnessed the two major battles between the Great Xia and the vassal states, Xia Yuyao and Xia Yusheng were probably a bit stimulated, as they both broke through to the Cold Resistance level last night.
The first to break through was the eldest daughter, Xia Yuyao, who had a base strength of 8.8 manes upon her breakthrough; then came Xia Yusheng, who was slightly weaker, with a strength of 8.6 manes.
“I used the highest quality Blood Jade Beads on them. Although they surpassed Xuanling, they still couldn’t catch up with themselves. Given the current cultivation conditions in Great Xia, plus their own aptitude, this shouldn’t be the case. In other words, nine hairs are probably the limit for reshaping the skin membrane…”
Everyone hopes their children will succeed, and Xia Hong is no exception. It's impossible for him not to be disappointed that his children's talents haven't surpassed his own. However, Xia Hong quickly realized that the cultivation resources his two children could enjoy were basically the best he could find at this stage. In addition, considering that the two of them inherited the water and fire dual-elemental artifacts from Bai Lu Gui, if they still couldn't reach the 9-mane level, then it's highly likely that the 9-mane level is the limit.
At least in the entire southern foothills region, including the four kingdoms, there is no one with a aptitude higher than 9. Thinking about it this way, apart from themselves, they are basically top-tier aptitudes that are out of reach. What more could they want?
Furthermore, strictly speaking, the Cold Resistance level is merely the starting point of the cultivation path for humans in the Ice Abyss. Whether they can go further in the future depends on their subsequent cultivation.
"My lord, based on the information Jiang Xinfan sent back, as well as the various intelligence we have gathered recently, the situation in Caiqiu is roughly what I have described."
Qiu Peng finished his introduction very quickly.
Xia Hong's thoughts were pulled back, and he turned his attention away from the two children. He nodded and glanced at everyone, then smiled and said, "It seems you haven't been working in vain. I've been in Mo'aochuan for three years, but I don't know as much about Caiqiu as you do."
These words were, of course, deliberately spoken to encourage everyone.
In fact, Xia Hong had already learned about the information Qiu Peng mentioned when he traveled to Mo'aochuan. He even knew some of the more secretive details. However, he had returned in such a hurry that he hadn't had time to tell everyone in detail. Now that Qiu Peng was telling everyone the whole story, it saved him a lot of trouble.
"This is our duty, Your Excellency is too kind..."
Although Qiu Peng was being modest, a smile still appeared on his face, clearly pleased with Xia Hong's praise. However, he did not forget the main purpose of the gathering today, and changed the subject, saying, "Currently, Cai Qianshan is still recovering from serious injuries and it is difficult for him to come out and manage things. Lu Yang has already sent back news that Cai Qiu's war in Linchu County is currently being handled by Yi Zhongfeihu. The Wei Bo and He Cang families are sending envoys on one hand and gathering a large army on the border on the other. It seems that they want to put pressure on Chu Longteng and force Chen Cang to withdraw its troops from Linchu."
The 100,000 Silver Scale Guards of Caiqiu's government have been mobilized, and the other three prefectures have also gathered an army of 400,000, which is heading towards Linchu Prefecture, vowing to take back the city of Linchu Prefecture.
As for Qinghua City, they only deployed 150,000 county garrison troops to garrison it, and made no other moves within Changqing Valley. After Cai Yunzhou's defeat last night, he fled to Chihu Ridge, where Cai Qiu's 50,000 troops are still stationed. They have put the entire surrounding area on guard. Judging from the terrain of Chihu Ridge, they intend to use it as a fortress to defend against us.
Xia Hong raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, shook his head and laughed, "100,000 Silver Scale Guards? It seems Chen Cang is serious this time. Cai Qiu is getting anxious. Unless Weibo and He Cang send troops to help, there's no chance of taking back Lin Chu County. I guess Chen Cang is making too much progress, and Cai Qiu is worried that they will spread the war to Bai Shui County, so he's putting in so much effort!"
The Silver Scale Guards were Caiqiu's most elite army, with all soldiers having a strength of over 20 men, totaling only 100,000 men. Caiqiu mobilized them all at once, demonstrating the importance they placed on Chencang.
Qiu Peng nodded and cupped his hands, saying, "Lord, your strategy is brilliant. I admire you. According to the men Lu Yang just sent back, the Chencang army captured eight camps in Linchu yesterday. Including those they captured before, three-quarters of Linchu has fallen into their hands, and they are accelerating their eastward advance. If Cai Qiu had reacted any slower, Linchu would probably have fallen entirely by now."
Lu Yang had been hiding in Linchu County to gather intelligence on the war situation. As soon as there was any new information, he would immediately send someone back to report. Jiang Xinfan and Ji Hong would also send real-time news from Chencang back to Nanlu. Xia Chuan would immediately send someone to inform them after receiving the report. Therefore, the Great Xia was basically aware of the current war between the two vassal states.
“Cai Qiu only deployed 150,000 troops to Qinghua City, plus 50,000 troops to Chihu Ridge, for a total of 200,000. It seems that Cai Qiu has also investigated the military strength of our Great Xia!”
Yuan Cheng then spoke up, his attention clearly not on Lin Chu, but on Qinghua City. He immediately saw the key point from Cai Qiu's troop deployment.
Xia Hong nodded, showing no surprise whatsoever.
Before this Northern Expedition, the Great Xia had 27 troops available. Considering the current battle losses, the number that can actually be mobilized and can be called troops is estimated to be only around 23.
Admittedly, the Great Xia has incorporated the five northern towns into its territory. If the troops of these five towns are included, the number is certainly more than that. The problem is that the soldiers of the five towns are not part of the Xia army system and have not undergone the Great Xia's battle formation training. Even if they are forcibly pulled into the battlefield, their combat effectiveness will be extremely limited. Secondly, they are newly recruited, and their mentality is difficult to control. Moreover, the rebels in the five towns are still fluctuating, and Xia Chuan is currently appeasing and suppressing them. How could the Great Xia possibly drag them into the brutal battlefield? Of the 230,000 troops, the Great Xia still needs to reserve a large portion to guard against the 100,000 troops in Chencang in Dongchuan City. It is impossible to commit them all to Changqing Valley. Therefore, if Cai Qiu regards Qinghua City as the bottom line for the Great Xia's northward advance, then sending 150,000 troops is definitely enough.
"My lord, since Cai Qiu has made Qinghua City his bottom line, then the entire Changqing Valley is ours. Why not immediately send troops to Chihu Ridge, crush Cai Qiu's 50,000-strong army, and then take over the entire Changqing Valley? From now on, we can use Qinghua City as the boundary with Cai Qiu, and not interfere with each other..."
Yuan Cheng's first sentence was clearly a prelude to his true intentions. Since Cai Qiu had revealed his bottom line, Great Xia would naturally act in accordance with it.
The entire Changqing Valley covers 8000 square kilometers, and they currently only occupy Guangning Mountain, which is estimated to be only two-fifths of it. If they can take over the entire territory in one fell swoop, the territory of Great Xia will expand significantly.
Upon hearing this, everyone was immediately tempted.
"inappropriate……"
Yuwen Tao, who had remained silent until now, expressed a different opinion. Seeing everyone looking at him with hostility, his expression remained unchanged. He simply looked at Xia Hong, cupped his hands, and said, "Lord, Cai Qianshan is seriously injured, and the entire Silver Scale Guard has been mobilized. This shows that Cai Qiu has been driven to a dead end by Chen Cang. It also shows that the support from Wei Bo and He Cang for them is probably not strong enough. If we advance further now, we will only be pushing Cai Qiu to his death. Doing so is not in our best interest, and the result will not be good..."
At this point, Yuwen Tao paused, organized his thoughts, looked around at everyone in the tent, and continued, "If we continue to advance north, we can only reach Qinghua City at most, but this will indirectly weaken Caiqiu and help Chencang. Don't forget, the two vassal states of Hezang and Weibo will not sit idly by and watch Caiqiu be destroyed by Chencang. Since Caiqiu knows the strength of our Great Xia's troops, the three vassal states can do the same."
The reason we were able to take over Changqing Valley and other territories is ultimately because Cai Qiu didn't consider us his primary enemy. The same applies to Hezang and Weibo. If we don't stop in time and anger the other two vassal states, once they send troops, not only will we not be able to reach Qinghua City, but we might also have to give back all the territory we've acquired.
Upon hearing this, the expressions of everyone inside the tent immediately became more serious.
Even Yuan Cheng, who had proposed the advance, subconsciously moved his mouth as if to refute, but after thinking for a moment, he kept quiet, clearly understanding that Yuwen Tao's words made sense.
"In your opinion, what should we do now?"
Upon hearing Xia Hong raise this question, Yuwen Tao immediately realized that his words had been approved by the lord, and his face lit up with excitement. After a moment's thought, he cupped his hands and said, "The lord originally had no intention of attacking Guangning Mountain. Hou Bing and Yuwen Yong seized this place by accident. Cai Qiu is probably even more anxious than we are right now..."
Cai Qiu was naturally anxious. When Cai Qiuhu left, he only left Cai Yunzhou to guard the area, which showed that the Cai Qiu leadership unanimously believed that Da Xia dared not continue fighting with them.
The capture of Guangning Mountain will undoubtedly force the Caiqiu leadership to re-examine the motives of the Great Xia. Since the Great Xia is relentlessly continuing to fight alongside Chencang, they will have to take countermeasures.
After Yuwen Tao finished his insightful analysis, he finally gave his answer, saying slowly, "The Bone-Eating Path, plus two-fifths of the Changqing Valley's territory, is enough for my Great Xia to build a buffer with Caiqiu and continue to advance north. At most, we can take over the entire Changqing Valley, but that will drag my Great Xia into the struggle between the four vassal states. The four vassal states can be roughly divided into two camps: Chencang is powerful and occupies one side, while the remaining three vassal states form another side."
The fact that Chencang's 100,000-strong army is still stationed in Dongchuan City shows that it still has ambitions for the southern border region. If Caiqiu is offended to death, it will also arouse the resentment of the Hezang and Weibo families. The Great Xia will cut itself off from the four vassal states, and its future situation will be extremely difficult.
To put it simply, the war is for resources. Great Xia is only one step away from unifying the southern border region. The most urgent task is to complete this final step, then accelerate the assimilation of the five northern towns, so that Great Xia's overall strength can quickly catch up with the four vassal states, and then openly participate in the competition for Mo'ao River.
Caiqiu is in a precarious situation; they are even more anxious than we are. Therefore, we should remain calm and wait for them to come to us…
At this point, Yuwen Tao paused, then smiled and said, "Gentlemen, don't forget, the battle at Caiqiu is critical, but we still have nearly 100,000 Caiqiu prisoners in our hands. These are real bargaining chips!"
Upon hearing this, everyone fell into deep thought.
The Great Xia Dynasty is about to unify the southern border region, and it is only one step away from this final step. This final step refers to the 100,000-strong army stationed in Dongchuan City by Chencang. Defeating this 100,000-strong army is a bit unrealistic, but given the current situation of the four vassal states, it is still very hopeful to get Chencang to withdraw its army on its own initiative.
As for the prisoners of Caiqiu, there were originally more than 50,000 after the great battle on the north side of the Bone-Eating Road. Later, Yuwen Yong led troops to suppress them, and with the battle of Guangning Mountain last night, more than 40,000 were captured. Now the total number is indeed close to 100,000.
Crucially, a considerable number of the defeated troops from Caiqiu are scattered in the area south of Guangning Mountain. As the Xia army sets up checkpoints on both sides of Guangning Mountain, these scattered soldiers will be captured sooner or later. At that time, the number of prisoners in the hands of the Great Xia is estimated to be between 12 and 15.
These tens of thousands of prisoners are not ordinary people, but soldiers with the ability to withstand cold and are well-trained, ready to go to the battlefield at any time. Given the current predicament Caiqiu is facing, it goes without saying how important these prisoners are.
“Cai Qianshan is seriously injured, and Yi Zhongfei is leading the army to oversee the battle in Linchu County. The remaining Jie Shen Realm cultivators are mostly there resisting Chencang. The only one who could come here is Tai Yi, who has not yet shown his face in Linchu County…”
"Reporting to the lord, someone is requesting an audience outside the camp. He identifies himself as Cai Qiu Taiyi Liang Hengzhang. He came alone, without any weapons, and there is no trace of any strange creature on him."
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear!
Xia Hong smiled and waved to Yuwen Tao, Qiu Peng and the others, saying, "Since he has taken the initiative to see us and has not overstepped his bounds, he is a guest. Taiyi's status is not low either. You all go and greet him politely and bring him over."
"Yes, sir!"
Yuwen Tao and the others immediately bowed and obeyed, then quickly got up and went out together to greet Cai Qiutai, who had suddenly come to visit.
(End of this chapter)