Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely Chapter 1379 - 447: Feint to the East, Cai Qiu Prince, Chui Mountain Fruit

"It’s merely the tenth day, with a full 20 days remaining until the Martial Arts Competition officially commences, and the populace has already surged past 900,000. By next month, conservative estimates project it will surpass one million, exceeding the total population of the Northern Three Towns combined. This influx must be regulated!"

Lin Kai, deep in thought and making a swift decision, immediately gave his instructions to Ying Yi: "Inform Kong Xiu to continue constructing temporary wooden housing outside the city. Commencing tomorrow, all individuals not participating in the Martial Arts Competition will be restricted to a maximum stay of 10 hours within the city. I will direct the Four Qing Jiao Armies to establish checkpoints throughout the city for thorough screening. Any non-compliance with these regulations will result in immediate expulsion and a five-year ban from entering Hongmen."

"That is an excellent strategy, my Lord!"

Ying Yi’s eyes gleamed with approval, and he readily concurred.

The Martial Arts Competition has stipulated an age limit for participants, restricting them to under 25 years of age. Consequently, the majority of these participants are accompanied by their elders, which accounts for the significant and rapid increase in the city’s population.

By prohibiting non-competitors from extended stays within the city, at least one-third of the population can be managed, thereby substantially alleviating the internal pressures on the city.

However, a new concern arose in Ying Yi’s mind, prompting him to inquire discreetly, "My Lord, with the city's population ballooning, the security demands are immense. The existing four armies — Qing Jiao, Golden Sword, Golden Eagle, and Zhenwu — totaling four thousand soldiers, are now woefully insufficient. Should we not request Yuwen Sizheng to dispatch an additional three large armies from Bashang?"

"This year, we are operating under the banner of the Nine Towns Martial Arts Competition, and the Northern Three Towns have been harboring considerable resentment, dispatching numerous individuals to incite trouble. Did Lord Zhao not report daily gatherings, disturbances, and even brawls within the city, largely instigated by the youths from the Three Towns? As the Martial Arts Competition draws nearer, their ultimate plan remains unknown. It would be prudent to augment our forces as a precautionary measure."

Upon hearing Ying Yi’s words, a flicker of intrigue crossed Lin Kai’s gaze before he shook his head, stating, "The Bashang army is currently immovable, and Yuwen Sizheng is far too occupied to concern himself with our matters. The Minister has already been exceedingly generous in allocating four armies to Hongmen."

"Immovable?"

Ying Yi appeared bewildered, his brow furrowed in confusion as he questioned, "Bashang faces no immediate defensive necessity; with the Cloud Jiao, Long Wu, Dragon Slayer, Tiger Leopard, and Black Arrow — all five armies stationed there — why would they be immobile?"

It was in September of two years prior, after the conclusion of the Battle of Hongmen, that Xia Chuan deployed the Long Wu, Dragon Slayer, Tiger Leopard, and Black Arrow armies to Bashang, while the Cloud Dragon Army remained at Hongmen.

The Qing Jiao Army, under Lin Kai’s command, successfully executed the Bashang population relocation mission. Following a period of stationing in Xia City, they proceeded to Hongmen, aligning with the Cloud Jiao Army to maintain its defense.

Last year, during the chaos instigated by the Deceitful Monster in Hongmen, the Dragon Slayer Army made a temporary return to provide assistance before eventually returning to Bashang. Consequently, Hongmen had consistently been guarded by only the Cloud Dragon and Qing Jiao armies.

However, with the burgeoning population of Hongmen, coupled with Great Xia’s reinforcement of six new armies—Steel Mane, Golden Sword, Golden Eagle, Zhenwu, Ying Wu, and Zhaolong—at the close of the previous year, troop deployments to Hongmen saw a significant shift this year.

The Cloud Dragon Army was reassigned to Bashang, leaving Hongmen under the protection of the Qing Jiao, Golden Sword, Golden Eagle, and Zhenwu armies.

When contrasted with Hongmen, Bashang appears to lack any pressing defensive requirements. Is it truly justifiable to maintain five large armies in such a location? Furthermore, these five armies include the Cloud Dragon and Long Wu, both widely recognized as the most formidable forces within Great Xia, with the Dragon Slayer, Tiger Leopard, and Black Arrow armies also ranking among the elite in terms of martial prowess.

Observing Lin Kai’s silence, Ying Yi pressed on, "If the five armies are indeed immovable, are there no other garrisons available elsewhere? Long Mountain also lacks any apparent strategic need; its four armies—Mountain River, Falcon Hunting, Xiong Wu, and Beizhao—could potentially be redeployed. With the Divine Martial, Xuanwu, Longyuan, East Sun, Steel Mane, Ying Wu, Zhaolong, and Fei Peng armies—a total of eight armies—Great Xia clearly possesses surplus troops across various regions, does it not?"

As Ying Yi meticulously listed all twenty-one of Great Xia’s available armies, Lin Kai’s face was illuminated by a gentle smile. It seemed he held back words he wished to utter, opting instead to simply shake his head and reply, "Each army has its designated purpose, and the Minister ensures their deployment is handled with utmost propriety. Why concern yourself with such intricate details?"

"Your reminder is most astute, my Lord. I appear to have been overthinking the matter..."

Though Lin Kai's words were rather firm, Ying Yi perceived no reprimand within them, leaving his expression largely unchanged. He swiftly responded, his countenance shifting, and looked up at Lin Kai with a flicker of astonishment. "My Lord, is the Minister dispatching troops abroad?"

Currently, it is only Hongmen that bears the brunt of the greatest defensive strain. Both the Minister and Yuwen Sizheng are undoubtedly aware of this. How could it be that Great Xia's twenty-one armies could not spare even a handful of their forces? The sole logical conclusion is that Lin Kai is withholding information from him.

Observing Lin Kai's slight nod, a torrent of thoughts surged through Ying Yi's mind. He quickly grasped the situation and promptly gestured northward, towards Chui Mountain Town, his gaze filled with inquiry.

Upon Lin Kai's confirmatory nod, Ying Yi's expression visibly jolted.

"I understand now, I understand! I couldn't fathom why my Lord would instigate the Nine Towns Martial Arts Competition so early this year, even going so far as to dispatch envoys to provoke the Northern Three Towns. It turns out this was all a deliberate ploy to broaden the competition's reach and draw attention!"

With Ying Yi having deciphered the truth, Lin Kai saw no further need for pretense and offered a soft chuckle. "Beishuo's infiltration into Chui Mountain is becoming far too aggressive. Duan Hong nearly declared an open merger with Beishuo. If we allow him to continue his machinations, Beishuo will be practically on our doorstep."

"Cai Qiu's princely heir, Cai Shiqi, fancies himself intelligent, believing he can leverage Cai Qiu's renown to dissuade Duan Hong from joining Beishuo. Little does he realize that Duan Hong regards him as nothing more than a fool..."