Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely

Chapter 1718: Chapter 544: News from Chen Cang, Xia Chuan’s Deployment

Just as Jinyang was about to settle.

Outside Wuchuan City, Xia Chuan had not yet received the triumphant news from Jinyang, but instead received the latest news from the northern Chen Cang army.

“Report to Minister, the Chen Cang’s army of one hundred thousand just left Yanling County city before dawn. Though they are numerous, their marching speed is extremely fast due to the support of the Deceit Technique, able to cover 150 kilometers in one hour!”

Chen Yingba, who had rushed in, didn’t even have time to take a sip of water before he jumped into the main tent and immediately bowed in salute upon seeing Xia Chuan.

“Bring out the map of Chen Cang!”

Seated at the main tent, Xia Chuan furrowed his brows upon hearing the news. After the soldiers placed the map of Chen Cang on the side, he walked directly to the map.

Ji Hong had stayed in Chen Cang for almost four years and had essentially learned almost everything about Chen Cang. Since last year, Jiang Xinfan had gone to Yanling, re-establishing contact with Great Xia and sending back much intelligence, including the complete map of Chen Cang.

“The entrance to the Jiuqu Blood Corridor is located at the very south end of Yanling County, only 220 kilometers from the county city. Marching 150 kilometers in one hour indicates that they have likely already entered the Jiuqu Blood Corridor, and at the latest, they’ll pass through Danxue Peak by the first half of the night and head south to Jinyang…”

Marching 150 kilometers in one hour—if Chen Yingba had come yesterday to speak of this, Xia Chuan wouldn’t have believed it anyway. But after last night’s business in East Valley City and Qin Feng’s five thousand army, he began to understand the feudal towns’ Deceit Techniques and therefore quickly accepted this now.

“No, Cai Qiu is also planning to head south, but according to the latest reports returned, their army is still in the gathering stage and at the earliest will not pass the Bone-Eroding Path until the third night. How can Chen Cang be so fast?”

Moving such large armies is no joke—aside from the allocation of military supplies, merely mobilizing tens of thousands or even over a hundred thousand soldiers to gather together is not simple, nor is planning and clearing the marching route, the selection and appointment of commanding officers, and the coordination and cooperation within each region…

Moreover, like Cai Qiu, Chen Cang is also operating across regional boundaries, surely it needed thorough pre-investigation and planning; it’s impossible to hastily send troops southward. Chen Cang’s speed is somewhat unreasonable.

“Indeed, it is astonishingly fast, but Lord Jiang and young brother Ji Hong have already investigated the situation thoroughly…”

Finally managing to catch his breath, upon hearing the confusion in Xia Chuan’s tone, Chen Yingba’s face showed admiration as he continued to speak.

“The commander of Chen Cang’s southbound army is Heyang County Governor, Chu Tianming. According to Ji Hong’s findings, the army of one hundred thousand was entirely drawn from the Town Guard Army of Heyang County, their strength all above level 10, and there are as many as two hundred leaders of Xianyang Level; besides the main commander Chu Tianming, the Tribulation Body realm includes two deputy commanders: West River County Governor Chu Tianhe and Pingyang City Lord Chen Tianyang.

Ji Hong’s findings suggest that the southbound Chen Cang army seems to relate to the succession of the position of Landgrave, serving as a test for Chu Longteng’s eldest son, Chu Tianming, which is causing quite a stir throughout Chen Cang…”

After Chen Yingba’s explanation, Xia Chuan finally understood.

The reason behind the rapid movement of the southbound Chen Cang army essentially lies in the excessive number of people exerting effort across Chen Cang.

Like Great Xia and many other camps in Ice Abyss, Chen Cang also has a system of inheritance for the eldest son. Chu Tianming, as Chu Longteng’s eldest son, naturally has a group of supporters in Chen Cang. Although Chu Longteng previously stated that the southward invasion by Chen Cang’s army would be fully in the hands of Heyang County, Chu Tianming’s followers certainly wouldn’t stand idly by.

Chen Cang Commander Chen Liwu is Chu Tianming’s biggest supporter, who holds the reins of the feudal town’s military affairs. With just a word, virtually all the armies of the fief opened green lights for Chu Tianming, ordering the cleaning of snow paths for the march in advance, prioritizing the provision of supplies to the army, and selecting the most elite soldiers from the Town Guard Army for the southward march…

As a result, Chu Tianming leads his troops south, enjoying the top resources across all aspects—most elite Town Guard soldiers, top Xianyang Level experts, and best and fastest provision of resources… Chen Cang’s overall strength initially surpassed Cai Qiu’s, and with all these conditions in place, Chen Cang’s southbound army’s efficiency naturally far exceeds that of Cai Qiu’s.

What intrigued Xia Chuan the most was Chen Yingba’s last sentence.

“The so-called test for the Landgrave seems to be an intentional reveal by Chu Tianming to gain more support within the fief, and events unfold exactly as he anticipated. Across Chen Cang, from Commander Chen Liwu down to ordinary soldiers, everyone is striving to support him, and the southward army even shouts slogans, claiming they will pacify the Southern Slope, destroy Great Xia, and capture Xia Hong alive within a month!”

“A month, what big words!”

Xia Chuan was not just purely interested; hearing the slogan shouted by the southward Chen Cang army from Chen Yingba, he immediately sneered twice and then bowed his head into contemplation.

“I remember at the end of last year, Jiang Xinfan sent back a message that Chu Longteng was following Grand Master Xue Zijing’s advice, trying to implement reforms where only his third son Chu Tianxu supported it, using Yanling County as a test point for a ten-year term to observe the effect.

Thus, it seems that for this Little Landgrave selection, he should internally be more favoring Chu Tianxu, and now actively testing the eldest son with the southward matter, intending to make him Little Landgrave—what does this mean?”