Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely Chapter 1835 - 588: Great Xia’s 7 Counties, the Xia Envoy Won’t Come, Chickened Out?
Previously on Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely...
Year 13 of Great Xia, the tenth day of June
South Slope of Moao Mountain, Shuobei County, East River City
With the Beishuo Town being breached by the Xia Army at the end of last year, Lord Yang Zhun was personally beheaded by Xia Hong, and the Yang family was entirely exterminated and displayed publicly, the name "Beishuo Town" vanished forever, becoming a part of history.
On the fifth day of March this year, following the signing of a ceasefire agreement between Great Xia and Cai Qiu in Guangning City, Lord Xia Hong announced the establishment of counties the very next day.
Since the beginning of the year, when Chen Cang’s army of one hundred thousand moved southward and stationed in East River City, the Xia Army ascended north from the Bone-Eroding Path to battle Cai Qiu thrice, the situation of the Moao River’s four vassals spread rapidly in the Southern Slope Territory, and is now far from a secret.
One can easily see, at the beginning of this year, the Southern Slope Territory was fully unified by Great Xia. Former identities like the Beishuo People, Wuchuan People, Yangqu People... have all become Xia people. Anyone with a clean background and some strength gradually moved to Xia City for residence, so much so that with a bit of inquiry, everything could be known.
"Great Xia, with Xia City as the core, has established a total of seven county capitals across the territory, namely Longyou, Xingbei, Hongshui, Hedong, Chuyang, Jin Chuan, and Shuobei..."
East River City, the former Great Xia Government Office, now the Chen Cang Headquarters Hall.
Commander Chu Tianhe sat at the head position, with over forty armored generals standing on both sides, all gazing intently forward. In the middle of the hall, a middle-aged man in a black robe and yellow ceremonial cap was eloquently discussing, pointing to a rough map of Great Xia.
"Though Great Xia imitates our four vassals in setting counties, they haven’t entirely copied the governance methods of the four vassals. The so-called seven counties, for now, are only at the level of naming. For local governance, they still use a city, town, and village three-tier system.
The map should be fairly clear; please take a look:
Longyou County encompasses the block of territory beneath the western cliffs of Twin Dragon Mountain, with a total area of approximately 13,000 square kilometers, its county capital being Long Mountain City, with seven town-level stations and over thirty village-level stations;
Xingbei County stretches north of Xing River across this long strip of east-west direction, along with a large part of Redwood Ridge, totaling about 7,500 square kilometers, with Wuyuan City as the county capital, having three town-level stations and over thirty village-level stations;
Hongshui County, starting from Hongmen City, extends eastwards to include parts of the original territories of Chui Mountain and Jiangxia two towns, with a total area of 9,200 square kilometers, the capital being Hongmen City, and encompassing six town-level stations, plus multiple village-level stations;
Hedong County, primarily formed by the original territory of Bashang Town, supplemented with parts of Jiangxia Town’s territory, along with the large stretch next to Moao Mountain, totaling about 12,000 square kilometers, with Bashang City as the county capital, the original Jiangxia Town still preserved, directly governed by the Eight Departments of Xia City, including twelve town-level stations and over forty village-level stations;
Chuyang County, as the name suggests, is formed by merging major territories of Chui Mountain and Yangqu towns, with a total area of over 8,500 square kilometers, the capital being Chui Mountain City, which was originally Chui Mountain Town. The original Yangqu Town is preserved but has been renamed Yangxia, now directly governed by Xia City;
Jin Chuan County, similarly, is formed by merging major territories of Jin Mountain and Wuchuan towns, totaling 16,000 square kilometers, making it the largest county by area in Great Xia, its capital being Jin Mountain City, with Wuchuan Town preserved, similar to Jiangxia and Yangxia, directly governed by Xia City;
The last one is Shuobei County, mainly formed by the original territory of Beishuo Town, supplemented with parts of Wuchuan’s territory, and... this northern section, totaling about 14,000 square kilometers, the capital being the original Beishuo Town, now renamed Linchuan City."
As an adviser of the Overlord Mansion in Heyang County, Fang Tianqing was undoubtedly competent. Lord Chu Tianming was currently following Lord Landgrave for the campaign against Cai Qiu, while he was left to assist Chu Tianhe in managing Southern Slope affairs.
At the end of last year, the grand northern expedition by Great Xia led to the total collapse of Chen Cang and Cai Qiu’s plans in the Southern Slope, and now with its unification, the so-called affairs essentially belong to Great Xia.
Yang Zhun was killed, the Yang family exterminated entirely, Beishuo Town changed ownership, and Chen Cang’s reach into the Southern Slope Territory had effectively been severed.
However, what kind of hero is the Lord Landgrave?
He is someone who aims to unify Moao River, elevate Chen Cang to an unparalleled state, an unprecedented sovereign; how could he possibly abandon this excellent territory of Southern Slope?
No matter if Chu Tianming must undergo some test, the Landgrave would dispatch the Chen Cang army south to confront Great Xia head-on, this is something Fang Tianqing can be a hundred percent certain about.
What troubles him most now is that Lord Chu Tianming, despite clearly winning this time, seems to have his coveted position of Little Landgrave getting more and more out of reach!
"Tianming, since you’re keen on reaching into Southern Slope Territory, then handle it according to your thoughts! All the military expenses and grain come from your own Heyang County. How you specifically contend with Cai Qiu and Great Xia, I won’t interfere, but I have only one request: do not let Chen Cang suffer losses, okay?"
This passage came from the mouth of Lord Landgrave; Fang Tianqing only heard it from his Lord Chu Tianming at the beginning of the year. Upon hearing the Landgrave’s words, his heart was filled with indignation, yet he also sensed a strong sense of crisis.
In the entire process of Beishuo’s destruction and battles with Cai Qiu, the overall power that Great Xia showcased was only a notch away from vassals, demanding Lord Chu Tianming to rely solely on Heyang County’s strength to compete with Great Xia, while ensuring Chen Cang doesn’t suffer losses—whichever way you think about it, it is impossible!
No wonder the position of Little Landgrave has been dragged on for so many years, and in recent years, the pressure from the Township Government on Heyang County has increased more and more. The Landgrave indeed has plans for a change in succession!