Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely Chapter 1441 - 459: An Interlude Before the Hall, Touching Progress, Blood Cold Beast and Copper Bone Corpse Demon_3

Upon hearing Fan Qinghu's words, many others quickly chimed in:

"Yes! We sincerely hope the Princely Heir will grace us with his presence."

"With such formidable strength, the Princely Heir is bound to achieve great success in Blood Miasma Plain!"

"The countless souls in Cai Qiu face grave peril from the Blood Miasma Plain; we implore Prince Hong to remain and offer his aid!"

"Even Admiral Fan himself has tendered an apology; as a noble from a region of vast feudal territories, the Princely Heir should be inclined towards tolerance."

.........

"Brother Hong, we implore you to stay!"

Xia Hong remained stationary, a flicker of indecision crossing his features. Observing Cai Yunlan's sincere gaze beside him, he finally let out a soft sigh, stating, "Ah, very well. My sojourn in Cai Qiu is nearing its end; however, if my assistance can be of service, I shall gladly lend my hand."

With his decision made, he turned directly to Fan Qinghu and declared, "I am willing to stay and provide aid, but there is one condition. Since Admiral Fan has assured that a message will be dispatched immediately for identity verification, I request that you send it now! It would be best to have this confirmed at the earliest opportunity..."

He then paused, his tone hardening noticeably as he continued, "However, having already been in Qinghua City and subsequently in Lin Chu County City, this is indeed the third occurrence. As the saying goes, three times' the charm; allow me to be perfectly clear today: before my identity is officially verified, should anyone decide to test me, they would be wise to first assess their own capabilities. Otherwise, do not hold me accountable for any discourtesy!"

The hundred or so individuals present in the hall, after absorbing Xia Hong's overtly threatening words, pondered for a moment before exchanging looks of surprise. Their gazes collectively shifted towards Fan Qinghu.

Upon hearing this, Fan Qinghu's expression momentarily faltered. Noticing the attention he was receiving, he swiftly recovered, maintaining an air of nonchalance as if he had entirely missed the implicit challenge in Xia Hong's statement. With a smile, he clasped his hands and replied, "As expected of a noble from a prominent feudal domain, Prince Hong is truly magnanimous. Fan Qinghu is deeply impressed!"

Thus concluded this brief, tactical exchange within the hall.

Those in attendance exchanged subtle glances. It was abundantly clear to all that Xia Hong's pronouncements were pointedly directed at Fan Qinghu, implicitly stating that Fan Qinghu was not deemed worthy of testing him.

Fan Qinghu, despite understanding this, had chosen to restrain himself!

"Quite perceptive, though I fear you may eventually lose your patience..."

Like the others, Xia Hong maintained an impassive exterior, yet inwardly, he was somewhat taken aback by Fan Qinghu's capacity for restraint in the face of such a blatant provocation.

"While I may not possess the knowledge to navigate Cold Wave Lake, observing the minimal interaction between the Four Vassals and Lulong, it's evident that such a feat is no simple matter. Attempting to casually have Lulong Vassal Governor Lu Junyang verify my identity is not only beyond your capabilities but would likely prove challenging even for your father. If, by some miracle, you were to succeed, by the time the verification was complete, I would undoubtedly have already departed."

Having resided in Cai Qiu for nearly a year, Xia Hong had meticulously worked to conceal any discrepancies in his identity. Fan Qinghu's supposed verification through messaging was merely a feint; how could he not perceive this? It presented an opportunity to bolster the credibility of his assumed identity, so why pass it up?

With the preliminary sparring of wits concluded, attention shifted to the main agenda.

Fan Qinghu, gesturing for silence, then directed a question to Cai Yunlan: "Have all the trial disciples from the county mansion been dispatched, correct?"

Cai Yunlan responded with a nod, stating, "They were assembled by the time we arrived. I have assigned Yun Kai to lead them. They are expected to reach approximately 200 kilometers from here before dawn."

As he spoke, a middle-aged man stepped forward, carrying a detailed sand table, which he proceeded to place directly before Fan Qinghu.

Upon first sight of the sand table, Xia Hong was instantly surprised.

The intricate sand table, crafted from white, light red, and dark red sands, depicted mountains, lakes, snowfields, and forests. It even featured a miniature representation of the Zhenyuan Camp's military tent, encompassing all essential geographical and strategic elements with remarkable accuracy in proportion and realism, while maintaining a clear and easily understandable presentation.

Naturally, the sand table's sophisticated design alone was not the sole reason for Xia Hong's reaction. He paused because this miniature landscape allowed him to gain a rough understanding of Cai Qiu's progress in their campaign against the Blood Miasma Plain.

Across the entirety of the sand table, areas rendered in dark red sand constituted at least eight-tenths. Though unmarked, these clearly represented the undeveloped expanses of the Blood Miasma Plain.

Less than one-tenth of the northeastern section featured light red sand, indicating the location of the Zhenyuan Camp's military tent.

Further to the northeast, at the edge of the sand table, a region depicted with ordinary white sand evidently symbolized the secure territory outside the Blood Miasma Plain.

Recall that upon departing Bone-Eroding Path last year, a soldier had mentioned that Cai Qiu commenced deploying elite forces from Bai Shui County into the Blood Miasma Plain for combat operations two years prior. Xia Hong had later confirmed this account through his own inquiries.

After two entire years, Cai Qiu's conquest of the Blood Miasma Plain had barely progressed beyond a tenth of its total area?

Of course, it was rumored that the neighboring Chen Cang had started its development earlier, with its progress potentially being slightly ahead. However, considering the comparable strengths of both vassal towns, Cai Qiu's slow advancement suggested that Chen Cang's own progress couldn't be significantly greater.

Furthermore, before Cai Qiu's arrival, Chen Cang had relied solely on its own capabilities, which likely resulted in even slower development in the past. Therefore, its overall progress couldn't possibly be much further along.

This snail's pace of development was truly heartwarming!

Indeed, the Blood Miasma Plain presented the most formidable obstacle separating the Moao River from the Nine Towns. Even with the combined efforts of both major towns, progress remained agonizingly slow. For Xia Hong, this situation was more than welcome, allowing him to completely relax.