Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely

Chapter 1665: Chapter 526: Beneath Aikou City, Good News from East Valley City

“Aikou City won’t be taken down in a short time. It’s estimated that Jinshan Town will take some time to conquer. This year, during the Cold Yuan Festival, you probably won’t be able to return!”

To the west of Aikou City, above the main tent of the Great Xia’s Right Route Army, Xia Hong withdrew his gaze from Aikou City to the east, turned around, and softly spoke to Yuwen Dao and the others.

It was half an hour until dawn. Today was December 30th. Once the day broke, the twelfth year of Da Xia would officially turn the page, ushering in the thirteenth year.

Since the establishment of Great Xia, there have been quite a few festivals, not only the Cold Yuan Festival, which lasts for half a month at the end of the year, but also the Heavenly Element Festival on the eve of the mid-year Martial Arts Competition; the Hunting Festival after the competition ends on the fifteenth of August in the latter half of the year; and after the Hunting Festival, the Ancestor Sacrifice Festival on the ninth of September…

But in the hearts of the Xia people, the most important is definitely the Cold Yuan Festival.

The Cold Yuan Festival signifies a renewal of the year and means that Great Xia has continued its heritage in the Ice Abyss for another year, which is significant by itself. Not to mention that on the last day of the Cold Yuan Festival, the Xia Palace holds a Cold Yuan Banquet to review the past year’s development and achievements in the camps, and also to summarize and reward the performances of the Eight Departments and officials of each jurisdiction…

Moreover, hunting, mining, gathering, pioneering, cultivation… In general, the life of the Xia people is quite busy, with not much time to rest throughout the year. The half-month period of the Cold Yuan Festival is a time when they can completely put aside all their tasks and spend time with their families in peace.

Its inherent significance and intentional emphasis have naturally elevated the Cold Yuan Festival to a high status in the hearts of the Xia people.

Unfortunately, with the current war in the Northern Land, this year’s Cold Yuan Festival is destined for many people not to return, especially the soldiers of the Four Army Routes and the personnel serving the war in the Northern Land.

The Cold Yuan Festival was established by Xia Hong himself, so he naturally understands its significance to the Xia people, which is why he offered words of comfort to Yuwen Dao and the others.

“You overthink, Lord. What importance does a celebration hold compared to matters of military affairs? We’ve already cleared three of the Northern Five Towns. Once we seize Wuchuan and Jinshan, the Southern Slope will be unified. The brothers can earn military merits and then return to celebrate properly; isn’t that wonderful?”

However, Yuwen Dao clearly didn’t need such comfort.

“It’s not often we get the chance to earn military merits; what festival are we supposed to care about then!”

“I’m just 1200 points away from the Fifth Rank, waiting for the battle to start.”

“Lord, we can’t let the Minister’s Left Army steal all the glory!”

“It’s not just about the spotlight; the key is military merit. This time, quite a number of people in the Left Army might reach the threshold for nobility!”

……

Not only Yuwen Dao, but the remaining generals also all spoke with smiles, their tones full of excitement. From their voices, one could tell that they were not only not resistant to the war but extremely enthusiastic about it.

Xia Hong heard their words, shook his head, and chuckled softly.

For the Xia people of today, ennoblement and promotion are regarded as paramount matters.

To be ennobled, in essence, means to join the privileged class, something Xia Hong understood very thoroughly. So from the first day the ennoblement system was implemented, he instructed Xia Chuan that the number of noble titles must be strictly controlled.

Xia Chuan clearly took his words to heart. The Nine-Rank System has been enforced since Longyou’s conquest in the second year of Da Xia. It has been eleven years since then, and although Great Xia’s population has surpassed six million, there are still fewer than five hundred nobles.

On average, there isn’t even one noble per ten thousand people.

It’s time to grant a batch of noble titles to inspire people, as the camp now has abundant resources to fully support it.

“No rush. Once the Southern Slope is unified, ennoblements and promotions will all be based on military merit. Moreover, I’ve brought back a lot of good things from the Four Vassal States Territory. After the war, those with outstanding military merits will be specially rewarded!”

When everyone heard Xia Hong’s words, their pupils instantly revealed a hint of fervor.

Yuwen Dao’s Right Route Army originally had 50,000 men. After transferring 10,000 troops from the Xiang Fuhai Division to Luo Yuan, 40,000 remained. Among these 40,000, there are nine Numbered Armies: Long Wu, Xuanwu, Fei Peng, Red Scale, Tiance, Qinglang, Zhuhuan, Luoyang, Iron Eagle.

Except for Long Wu, Xuanwu, and Fei Peng, the six other Numbered Armies were all newly added during the three years Xia Hong was absent. The Commanders of these six armies are Jiang Yuanlong, Zou Yuankai, Hong Gang, Wang Tao, Luo Ming, and Chen Ying.

Jiang Yuanlong is a member of the Jiang Family from Jiangxia Town. Four years ago, he led a troop against Dajue Temple at Hongmen; Hong Gang, Zou Yuankai, Chen Ying, and Luo Ming are all veterans from the Redwood Ridge period; Wang Tao is from Long Mountain, officially becoming part of the Xia people after the defeat in Long Mountain during the second year of Da Xia.

Xia Hong is naturally familiar with these six people. He had already observed these six individuals, as well as Long Wu Army Commander Hou Quan, Xuanwu Army Commander Hong Guang, and Fei Peng Army Commander Hou Bing, assessing the cultivation levels of the nine commanders of the Right Route Army even before arriving last night.

Among the nine, five are at the Xianyang Level: Hou Quan, Hong Guang, Hong Gang, Zou Yuankai, and Jiang Yuanlong. Of the remaining four, Luo Ming is the most powerful, with basic strength reaching 63 bristles, while Chen Ying, Wang Tao, and Hou Bing are slightly behind, with strengths around 60 bristles.

Without the support of a top-grade War Body, the baseline strength of the Cold Resistance Level can only increase to around 60 bristles. Rising above 60 bristles makes breaking through to the Xianyang Level almost a certainty.

Xia Hong himself was told this by Xia Chuan after taking Beishuo City.

Clearly, due to the increasing number of people breaking through to the Xianyang Level, within the three years he was absent, Great Xia has accumulated enough experience to deduce the strength threshold required for breaking through to the Xianyang Level.