Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely

Chapter 1796: Chapter 573: Factional Strife, Hou Tong’s Misfortune

In the thirteenth year of Great Xia, on the seventh day of the first lunar month, late at night

In the mid-section of Bone-Eroding Path, Luo Yuan stood suspended in the air, his expression slightly hesitant, clearly struggling with something internally. Behind him was another person, the recent commander of Beizhao Army, Hou Tong.

Hou Tong recognized Luo Yuan’s internal struggle and leaned forward slightly, whispering, “Since you have already made a decision, why hesitate? Qiu Peng made a decision on behalf of the Lord to agree to the marriage alliance without authorization. The Lady will find out sooner or later, so why not be the bearer of the news in front? It would be a good impression. As for any actions the Lady might take afterward, we won’t get involved…”

“I know!”

Before Hou Tong could finish, Luo Yuan interrupted him directly, then took a slight breath, his brows gradually relaxing.

Hou Tong was right; coming all this way, it’s no use hesitating further.

Great Xia has grown to the present day under the leadership style of Lord Xia Hong, which has gradually become more defined: he only focuses on major decisions and doesn’t involve himself in daily management, even delegating some major decisions to subordinates, as seen during the three years Xia Hong was away in Moao River.

Whenever there is a power vacuum, someone will inevitably fill it, especially since Xia Hong intentionally delegated power.

Wherever there are people, there are power struggles, and today’s Great Xia, its scale unprecedentedly grand, divides the top-tier power structure in Xia City roughly into two factions: Lady Li Xuanling and Minister Xia Chuan.

Claiming two factions might be a stretch since Lady Li Xuanling manages Xia Palace and Minister Xia Chuan oversees the Eight Departments, with the two having very little interaction, let alone conflicts.

But ever since two years ago, when former Prison Department Director Li Tiancheng passed away and Xiang Fuhai took over the director’s position under Lady Li Xuanling’s recommendation, the situation slowly began to change.

Xiang Fuhai repaid favors while handling Prison Department affairs, showing clear bias, even consulting with Lady Li Xuanling before issuing major rules and then reporting to the Minister.

After the Milk Tiger Forest incident at the end of last year, the fact that Lady Li Xuanling could with a single word make Deputy Director Murong Ping resign clearly demonstrated her deep control over the Prison Department.

Following the Prison Department, Forestry Department Director Cheng Feng and Craftsmanship Department Director Mu Dong have also increasingly drawn closer to Lady Li Xuanling. Now, these three departments basically obey Li Xuanling’s wishes in crucial decision-making, even sidelining the Minister’s words.

“Since the Longyou period, it’s evident that the Lady isn’t one to settle for mediocrity. Previously, with the Lord around, it wasn’t an issue, but in just three years of the Lord being away, she has allied three of the Eight Departments, plus people from Xia Palace and the Longshan System, showing signs of overshadowing the Minister in power. Crucially, the Lord has shown no indication…”

After pondering for a moment, Luo Yuan’s eyes slightly gleamed.

He is also one of the Eight Departments Directors, overseeing the Hunting Department, managing tens of thousands in hunting teams, having held a high position for years, naturally understanding the workings of power.

He doesn’t believe the Lord, who has returned for so many days, is completely unaware of the current situation of a split in the top ranks. The lack of any indication suggests Xia Hong’s tacit approval of this situation.

Power itself is an art of balance. As the Lord, of course, he enjoys seeing subordinates’ conflicts. Luo Yuan himself is the head of a department, certainly recognizing this aspect.

Among the Eight Departments, the Lady has gained control over the Prison, Forestry, and Craftsmanship Departments; from the remaining five, Governance and Camp Needs are staunchly the Minister’s faction, Zou Yuankai informs me that Zhu Yuan recently took the opportunity of reorganizing the Northern Five Towns’ household registrations to lean towards the Minister;

Currently, the only ones not aligned are Yuwen Dao’s Military Department and the Hunting Department he oversees.

The Military Department, overseeing the Xia Army, is forbidden from indiscriminate interference by anyone except the Lord; the Lady and Minister mutually understand not to interfere, and Yuwen Dao wisely ignores the top factions’ conflict, focusing solely on leading the army without drawing close to anyone.

So ultimately, the only department left unaligned is the Hunting Department.

Thinking about this, Luo Yuan’s expression turned somewhat bitter.

He wishes to follow Yuwen Dao and remain uninvolved, but the problem is, the Hunting Department doesn’t hold as high a status as the Military Department; he wishes to remain neutral but lacks the qualification.

Neither the Lady nor Minister intends to give him a hard time, but over the past three years, including end-of-year evaluations of the Eight Departments and officials’ appointments, he has clearly felt the Hunting Department is no longer valued as before.

When Great Xia was smaller, a department losing attention had little impact, but what is Great Xia’s scale now?

Not to mention end-of-year evaluations and official appointments, even the most routine high-level discussions now produce results affecting hundreds of thousands if not millions.

The lack of attention to the Hunting Department is most directly reflected in his lack of voice as Director; in situations of scarcity, he cannot fight for additional benefits for himself and his subordinates.

The Lady will find out sooner or later, so why not be the bearer of the news and leave a good impression in front? As for any actions the Lady might take afterward, we won’t get involved…”

“I know!”

Before Hou Tong could finish, Luo Yuan interrupted him directly, then took a slight breath, his brows gradually relaxing.

Hou Tong was right; coming all this way, it’s no use hesitating further.