Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely

Lu Yang poured out everything he knew in one breath. Seeing Xia Hong above him furrowing his brows without speaking, he thought he hadn't said enough and immediately said anxiously:

"Forgive me, my lord. In the past month, Zhao Hu and I had no suitable identity above and were also afraid of giving ourselves away and being detected. We could only secretly probe for information from a few large camps. This is all we have found out so far!"

"No, you've done very well. Just continue to be cautious!"

Xia Hong immediately spoke, a glint flashing in his eyes as he continued, "We do not know the situation in Beishuo and the other towns. Taking the initiative to step out of Pingxi Plain and spying on their true strength is very beneficial for us. Until we understand their power, we must continue in this manner."

The survival rules of the Ice Abyss World were long set, and the interaction patterns between all camps were only two: the big devour the small, or hostile competition.

Beishuo Town was still unaware of Great Xia's existence, but Great Xia had already pinpointed their general location. This situation, where they are in the open while we remain hidden, is very advantageous for Great Xia, which just unified Longyou and still needs time to grow.

"If I remember correctly, four years ago, Yang and Li said both of them were scouts of the Imperial Army from Beishuo Town. They came to Redwood Ridge to map the areas surrounding Beishuo. They probably came from the east of Twin Dragon Mountain along the Xing River North Bank all the way west into Redwood Ridge. So, not only Beining Mountain, but the areas on the eastern side of the Xing River North Bank could also be within Beishuo Town's sphere of influence!"

At this, Xia Chuan couldn't help but speak.

Upon hearing this, Xia Hong nodded slightly. The identities of Yang and Li as scouts of the Defensive Army were confirmed by Luo Ming, Shi Qing, Hong Gang, Huang Yong, Lu He, and the other leaders of Redwood Ridge, who all personally told him so.

"No!"

But after contemplating for a moment, Xia Hong quickly dismissed Xia Chuan's hypothesis.

"If the eastern areas of the Xing River North Bank were the sphere of Beishuo's influence, Yang and Li would have already explored this side four years ago. Why haven't we seen anyone from Beishuo Town come over in these past four years? Even just Redwood Ridge itself is a substantial resource area that should have attracted them!"

Xia Chuan also realized the flaw in his statement and immediately fell into thought.

At this point, Lu Yang interjected, "Could it be that Yang and Li were unfortunate and met with misfortune on their way back, and didn't have the chance to relay the information back to Beishuo Town?"

Xia Hong and Xia Chuan both looked up at the same time, an odd expression on their faces.

Indeed, that is a possibility!

"We can't rule out this possibility, but we should prepare in advance. If we continue exploring east along the Xing River North Bank, there's a high probability we will encounter people from Beishuo Town or the other towns. It's even possible that they were exploring from east to west along the North Bank but were stopped by something along the way, which is why they haven't ventured to the west side yet."

Upon hearing Xia Chuan's words, Xia Hong immediately turned around to look at the large map of Great Xia's territory hanging behind the high platform, his gaze fixed on the North Bank of the Xing River, the latest location explored by Great Xia, Songyang Ridge.

"Since the east-west depth of Beining Mountain is more than two hundred kilometers, the east-west span of the Xing River North Bank should at least be that long. Let's provisionally set this distance as two hundred kilometers. From the southern mountain wall to the northernmost part of Songyang Ridge, which is the area Great Xia has currently discovered, did Xu Ning mention the exact distance?"

Xu Ning came back from Wuyuan last month, and Xia Hong hadn't seen him in person.

But Xia Chuan had seen him, so he immediately replied, "The southern mountain wall to the easternmost part of the Five Ape Mountain is fifteen kilometers. Xu Ning explored north for twenty-five kilometers before finding Songyang Ridge. The width of Songyang Ridge is about twenty-five kilometers. Overall, the North Bank area we have explored is approximately seventy kilometers. According to the lord's estimate of over two hundred kilometers, we've explored about a third."

"My lord, Minister, what are we waiting for? Inform Xu Ning to speed up the eastward expansion and annexation to control the entire Xing River North Bank early. If Beishuo or other towns control it, it will be much more difficult for Great Xia to expand east in the future!"

Lu Yang's words practically articulated what Xia Hong and Xia Chuan were both thinking.

The name Xing River was given by Xia Hong on the seventh day of the third month of the Yuan year. Along with this name, another one was created, called Xing Valley Pass.

Why call it a pass?

Because the northern and southern banks of this river valley are the largest pass between the entire Pingxi Plain and the outside world of Twin Dragon Mountain. Currently, Great Xia lacks the ability to cross the water, so it can't manage the southern bank, but the northern bank is entirely manageable. The North Bank is the only way for Great Xia to exit Pingxi Plain.

Eastward expansion!

These two words are evidently powerful, as not only Xia Hong but Xia Chuan and Lu Yang were also staring at the Xing River North Bank area with intense interest.

"No, we don't know the specific strength of the Moao Nine Towns. If we rashly let Xu Ning and his people speed up their exploration and encounter them too early, it would be a disaster, not a blessing. Even if the Nine Towns' strength is comparable to Great Xia or slightly inferior, if they detect Great Xia's intention to expand east, they will undoubtedly join forces to block the entire Xing Valley Pass and not let us through, possibly even launching an attack!"

Hearing Xia Chuan's words, Lu Yang was momentarily stunned, then, upon reflecting, looked at Xia Chuan with eyes full of admiration: "Minister, you have great foresight. I am impressed!"

Xia Hong, sitting at the main seat, looked at Xia Chuan with eyes full of praise.