Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely Chapter 1387 - 449: Accelerated Fission, Military Power Handover, Military Remonstrance and Mutiny (Part 4)

Ziheng's martial prowess, currently at 31 tufts, should have rightfully seen him elevated from Vice Commander of the Second Army of the Yellow Armor Army to Commander last year, following the established rotation between the two prominent families. However, Duan Hong actively obstructed this advancement, not only maintaining Duan Xian's position as Commander but also ousting Ziheng entirely from the Yellow Armor Army.

The current situation is even more egregious: Duan Hong has disregarded the strength of a Grandmaster, who possesses 42 tufts, and instead appointed Duan Ming, a mere 28 tufts of strength, as the Commander of the Third Army!

Duan Hong's blatant disregard for established norms and preferential treatment has reached a critical point, indicating a clear intention to transform Chui Mountain into his personal dominion...

"If he genuinely harbored such aspirations for absolute control, I might have afforded him a modicum of respect!"

Helian Shan's sharp, cold laughter abruptly cut through his son's words, a look of utter contempt crossing his features. "Chui Mountain is currently a sinking ship. Had he possessed the ambition to unify the entire town and secure Chui Mountain's standing within the Nine Towns Territory, it would have honored the former lord who entrusted him with this position! Instead, he resorts to nonsensical pronouncements of sole leadership. This incompetent fool stifles all opposition, placing his Duan Family disciples in every crucial military and political office solely to facilitate a swift surrender to Beishuo, thereby handing over Chui Mountain in its entirety. If the former lord's spirit could witness this, he would undoubtedly rise to deliver several stinging rebukes to this inept."

Helian Shan's direct address of the former lord, coupled with his scathing condemnation of Duan Hong as an "inept," betrayed the profound depth of his fury.

Helian Ba, his own emotions inflamed by his father's pronouncements, inquired with righteous anger, "Father, what are Grandmaster and the others hesitating for? Let us simply lead the soldiers and rise against them! With Great Xia's backing, defeat is impossible! Rather than be coerced by the Duan Family into submitting to Beishuo, it would be far better to take the initiative. In the Nine Towns Territory today, who wouldn't wish to be a citizen of Great Xia?"

"There is no need for haste; the time is drawing near. Senior Brother and Junior Brother have just delivered the notification: at daybreak, Duan Ming will proceed to the Inner City Camp to meet with your Grandmaster. That moment will be when the heavens shatter and the earth splits asunder. You should return to the Inner City Military Camp and make your preparations. I, too, require some preparation!"

Upon hearing this, Helian Ba was momentarily taken aback. While he possessed a general understanding of the town's current predicament, he had only received his father's orders the previous night to discreetly gauge the willingness of the soldiers in the Reconnaissance Camp to join a rebellion. To suddenly learn that a plan cultivated over several months was set to unfold at daybreak left him feeling somewhat flustered, causing him to forget to respond to his father for a crucial moment.

Observing the bewilderment on his son's face, Helian Shan's expression immediately turned grim. However, recalling the limited information his son had been privy to, he quickly relaxed his brow, adopting an air of unwavering confidence. "Worry not! When daybreak arrives, Chui Mountain Town will undergo a complete and irreversible transformation, and it will transpire precisely as we intend, with no other outcome possible!"

These words caused Helian Ba to look sharply at his father, his eyes brimming with both curiosity and confusion. He felt an urge to question further, but seeing as Helian Shan had already gestured for him to depart, he restrained himself, turned, and made his way back to the Inner City Military Camp.

Returning from the mansion to the Inner City Military Camp, Helian Ba's gaze drifted, filled with a heavy melancholy, towards the encampments of the First and Second Armies situated adjacent to his own.

"The First Army is the Duan Family's direct lineage. The Second Army has also been almost entirely reconstituted, comprised predominantly of Duan Family members. We are left with only the Third Army, though Grandmaster still commands the three thousand troops of the Defensive Army under his authority."

Back in his quarters within his own camp, Helian Ba suddenly experienced a jolt of realization, his expression instantly becoming taut. "No! Duan Ming is coming at daybreak to assume command of the military. Have they anticipated that we, the Third Army, would refuse to comply?"

The transfer of military authority is inherently a highly sensitive matter. This is especially true for the Third Army of the Yellow Armor Army. Within Chui Mountain Town, aside from the Third Army, the Mu Family faction now only had the three thousand troops of the Defensive Army remaining. Once the Third Army was effectively neutralized, relying solely on the three thousand Defensive Army would certainly prove insufficient to make any significant impact.

Duan Hong very clearly understood this situation. He harbored a concern that Grandmaster Mu Qinghe might exploit the moment to stir up trouble, which led him to deliberately select daylight for Duan Ming's arrival at the camp for the handover. His intention was to neutralize the effectiveness of the three thousand Defensive Army!

Out of the three thousand Defensive Army, merely a small contingent possessed the Cold Resistance Level cultivation. The majority were limited to the Earth-digging Realm, rendering them incapable of operating normally during the day.

Upon this realization, Helian Ba was suddenly seized by apprehension and unease.

"The Duan Family commands two Yellow Armor Armies, and with the three thousand Beishuo Army within the Duan Clan's territory, their total strength reaches five thousand. Including their own clan disciples, there are at least six thousand individuals at the Cold Resistance Level. On our side, counting the Third Army and the disciples from the Mu, Zhu, Qiu, and Helian families, we have approximately over three thousand. Last month, I incorporated one thousand from the Xia Army, bringing our total to merely around four thousand. It seems our chances of victory are not very high, are they?"

The clandestine infiltration of a substantial number of Beishuo Army at the Cold Resistance Level into the city could be concealed from the common populace, but it was not hidden from those who had managed the Town for many years.

Grandmaster Mu Qinghe had already made preparations for this scenario. Coincidentally, last month, as Helian Ba began his oversight of the South City Gate, heeding the Grandmaster's counsel, he too secretly allowed a contingent of the Xia Army to enter.

The crux of the issue was that this particular contingent of the Xia Army was not substantial in number, merely one thousand strong.

One thousand Xia Army soldiers were clearly insufficient to alter the prevailing circumstances.

Then, why had his father exuded such confidence moments before?

"No, no, it is ultimately the Great Xia in its prime! As long as that individual, the foremost figure among the Nine Towns, makes an appearance, our prospects of victory can surge to at least eighty percent!"

Helian Ba swiftly found his answer. He had personally borne witness to Xia Hong's astonishing might during the Battle of Hongmen the preceding year. In his estimation, should Xia Hong personally intervene, virtually all obstacles could be overcome.