Chapter 184: What Great Xia Wants: Liu Dahu

The Mutual Exchange Fair was still proceeding as usual, but unlike before, the main participant had shifted from the Tongling and Zhu He camps to only the Great Xia camp.

Especially after Xia Chuan announced that the exchange ratio for Great Xia's iron ore and coal stone was one to fifteen, nearly all nine medium-sized camps, except Zhu He and Meng Yuan's groups, erupted into loud cheers.

Previously, Xia Chuan had offered all camps on Wu Yuan Mountain a chance to merge—something the Great Xia camp had presented as a blessing.

But deep down, most people didn't truly accept this statement.

After all, none of them had ever visited the Great Xia camp; they didn't know the actual situation. Though they could infer from Yuwen Tao's hundred or so men's attire and the weapons and iron ore Xia Chuan had brought that Great Xia's strength was formidable.

Yet merging your own people into another camp couldn't be decided by strength alone.

What if Great Xia was strong but treated their people poorly?

Or worse—what if Great Xia operated like the Three Tiger Camp?

But now things were different: iron ore and weapons were tangible benefits.

A fifteen-to-one exchange ratio was four tenths lower than the pricing set by Tongling and Zhu He camps—how much coal stone and supplies could they save, and how much more iron ore could they obtain?

For them, these immediate, concrete advantages were the true blessing.

"My lord, this is our camp's specialty—Chen Guo fruit. The flesh is sweet and carries a unique fragrance. Previously, its exchange ratio with coal was three to one; with iron, it should be forty-five to one. We have forty-five thousand jin here and wish to exchange for one thousand jin of iron."

"My lord, this is our camp's produced remedy for colds. Weak women and children with fever or headache can be treated with it. Previously, its ratio with coal was one to one. We brought twelve hundred jin and wish to exchange it all for iron."

…………

When it came to the material exchange phase, Qiu Peng took the lead without hesitation.

As Director of Camp Logistics, he oversaw all camp supplies, was responsible for bringing these goods, and naturally, he was the one to manage the exchanges with the eleven camps.

Xia Chuan did not interfere, merely observing quietly from the side.

After watching for a short while, he understood the gist.

Coal was clearly the standard pricing unit used across all camps on Wu Yuan Mountain.

Almost every commodity was priced in terms of coal.

Xia Chuan's eyes flickered slightly with interest, and he showed a touch of approval for the way these people managed their affairs.

Indeed, coal was well-suited as a pricing standard.

First, it was a necessity—its heat output far exceeded that of wood, greatly improved the environment, and unlike wood-burning, produced little smoke and burned more efficiently;

Second, it was used widely—for smelting iron, refining medicine, softening soil, even improving living conditions—and every household could use it.

Finally, its extraction threshold was high, like iron, with limited output; each camp needed to deploy personnel at the Digging Realm level to produce it—and fortunately, nearly all eleven camps possessed this capability and had coal mines.

Of course, other items weren't unsuitable; comparatively, iron and cold-beast meat were even better as standard units.

But the problem was, these two items were scarce on Wu Yuan Mountain.

…………

"My lord, this trade has been incredibly profitable for us! Over forty thousand jin of iron ore exchanged for over half a million jin of coal stone, plus all these new goods—Chen Guo, Dong Zhu, Green Water Cows, Xiang Han Guo, cold remedy, medicinal Bai Zhi Umbrella, Yu Gu Grass, Han Tong Powder…"

Cheng Feng just told me—if we take these back and test them in decoction pots, we might uncover many new medicinal formulas!"

Even before the exchange was complete, Qiu Peng handed off the remaining tasks to his subordinates, rushed over to Xia Chuan with several new items, and reported excitedly.

Xia Chuan took the new items Qiu Peng offered, his eyes flickering with interest.

For Great Xia, this trade was indeed advantageous.

Exchanging so little iron ore for so much in return—even without knowing the difficulty of gathering these goods, Great Xia had already gained an incalculable surplus by volume alone.

Even if they exchanged everything for coal, they still profited immensely.

"My lord, in my opinion, we don't need to absorb these people into our camp. Just leave them here, like Zhu He and Tongling—release a fixed amount of iron ore periodically. After this exchange, they're effectively still gathering resources for us. What do you think?"

Hearing Qiu Peng's words, Xia Chuan immediately frowned and replied:

"Do you think I brought all of you this far to Wu Yuan Mountain just to acquire these goods?"

Qiu Peng froze, then fell into thought.

Seeing he remained silent, Xia Chuan shook his head, idly turning the new items in his hands, and spoke directly:

"Whether these items are valuable or not can only be determined after we return and test them. But regardless, they're useful to us—and if they're useful, we must find a way to obtain them.

Do you think we need to adopt the same method as those two camps to get them?"

The question was blunt enough.

Even if Qiu Peng were foolish, he now understood.

"Brother sent us here to expand territory. Great Xia doesn't want just these goods—it wants the entire… Wu Yuan Mountain!"

Xia Chuan looked down with disdain. Years of high position had broadened his vision far beyond Qiu Peng's, and given him deeper insight into camp relationships.

He turned to look at Zhu Xing and Meng Yuan, noticing they were admiring Great Xia's weapons, and let out a quiet sneer: "Do you think Zhu He and Tongling operate this way out of kindness, exploiting nearby camps?"

Of course not!

They use this method because they lack the strength to absorb the other nine camps.

Qiu Peng now fully understood and nodded.

Seeing he grasped it, Xia Chuan shifted tone and smiled:

"Of course, your method won't work here on Wu Yuan Mountain—but that doesn't mean it won't work elsewhere. The core issue is…"

"Strength!"

With his thinking cleared, Qiu Peng immediately recognized the key point. Seeing Xia Chuan's probing gaze, he answered directly:

"Only if Great Xia lacks overwhelming strength—meaning it cannot fully annex territory—should we use such unequal exchanges to indirectly make other camps gather resources for us!"

Brother was right: talent must be cultivated.

Xia Chuan nodded, looking at Qiu Peng with growing appreciation.

"The camps here on Wu Yuan Mountain aren't worthy of trading with us. These forty thousand jin of iron ore are merely a gesture of goodwill. If they're even slightly clever, they'll understand after returning."

Qiu Peng's expression brightened. Watching the crowd still gathered around the weapons after the exchange, he smirked: "My lord, you knew they couldn't afford these weapons, didn't you? You brought them here just to show them off, right?"

Xia Chuan nodded, a faint smile touching his lips.

He wasn't surprised by their reaction to Great Xia's weapons—indeed, he'd known this since meeting Xiao Kangcheng.

The weapon-smelting skill here on Wu Yuan Mountain was vastly inferior to Great Xia's.

Even though both were ten-forged iron, the weapons here contained too many impurities and lacked sufficient cold-solidification. Compared to Great Xia's blades, they fell far short in sharpness and hardness.

Poor weapons explained why hunting levels here remained low.

Xia Chuan had priced ordinary weapons at five times their weight.

That meant a heavy sword weighing six hundred jin required three thousand jin of iron ore to exchange—equivalent to forty-five thousand jin of coal under Wu Yuan Mountain's coal-to-iron ratio, just for the lightest heavy sword.

Special weapons like bows were even more expensive.

A ten-stone iron-tough bow cost five thousand jin of iron ore—seventy-five thousand jin of coal.

Qiu Peng had initially been confused, but now he understood: Xia Chuan had set prices so high precisely because he never intended for them to be exchanged.

He brought these weapons here only to show them off.

"First, spark their curiosity and awe toward Great Xia—then, when they send delegations to visit, their impression will be deeper, and our subsequent annexation of these camps will accelerate."

Xia Chuan spoke softly. Seeing the exchange complete and everyone still clustered around the weapons, he stepped forward and said: "Ladies and gentlemen, this Mutual Exchange Fair ends here. I know you want these weapons, but we didn't bring enough coal stone today. How about this:"

He paused, gestured for Qiu Peng to collect the weapons, then smiled: "I said earlier that each camp may send three representatives to visit Great Xia. Bring your goods then, and exchange them. These weapons are commonplace in Great Xia—you may exchange them anytime you wish."

Though some looked disappointed, everyone nodded.

"My lord, when should we send our delegation? And how do we find Great Xia's camp?"

Chen Hua from Xifeng Camp was the first to ask.

Many turned to look at him, their expressions subtly shifting.

Xia Chuan's eyes lifted slightly, a hint of satisfaction on his face.

The fact that he asked this question clearly meant Xifeng Camp had the strongest interest in merging with Great Xia—and the greatest urgency to learn its condition.

"Rest assured, I've arranged everything. After nightfall tomorrow, I'll send men to wait here. Once all ten camps have arrived, they'll escort you to Great Xia's camp. After one day, they'll return you here by the same route."

Ten camps?

There were eleven here.

Everyone glanced around.

A few sharp minds immediately realized something and turned their gaze to Xiao Kangcheng.

"Forgive me, but my Xiao He Camp already has people in Great Xia!"

Xiao Kangcheng bowed and explained with a smile.

The others instantly understood—he was the only one present who knew Xia Chuan. Clearly, Xiao He Camp had already contacted Great Xia.

Seeing Great Xia's people had finished packing, Xia Chuan had no reason to linger. He signaled Yuwen Tao to lead the group away, then turned to the leaders of Wu Yuan Mountain's camps, bowed, and laughed loudly:

"Ladies and gentlemen, we'll take our leave today! Tomorrow night, Great Xia's camp looks forward to your arrival."

Suddenly remembering something, he turned to Xiao Kangcheng and invited:

"Chief Xiao, since you're heading the same way, come with us. Xiao Yuan and your two daughters, Xiao Ning and Xiao Yu, are waiting nearby—we can deliver them to you."

"Thank you, Lord Xia Chuan!"

Hearing Xiao Yuan and his two daughters were nearby, Xiao Kangcheng smiled and nodded, joining them with Lu Shun and Xiao Ping pushing a cart.

Once Great Xia's group departed, the remaining ten camps had no reason to stay.

"I'll take my leave first—I need to discuss this with my people. Wu Yuan Mountain won't be peaceful much longer!"

Meng Yuan, usually silent, was the first to speak up and left with his three men.

Others were surprised but said nothing.

After Meng Yuan left, Zhu He and the other eight camps followed suit.

…………

On the eastern slope of Yi Yuan Peak, Meng Yuan and his three men raced across the snow.

Though all four carried heavy sacks on their backs, they moved at great speed, their expressions tense, as if fleeing something, not daring to pause for a moment.

"Leader, we've gone over a kilometer—should be safe now."

Meng Yuan, who had been sprinting ahead, immediately stopped at the sound, turned back to glance behind, and, sensing they were now far from the cave, slowly relaxed his tense expression.

Once his demeanor fully eased, he turned to the man on the far left among the three behind him and spoke with reproach:

"I told you not to come. You insisted on coming anyway, hoping to save your two brothers and all those family members—do you think the Great Xia encampment is something you can just mess with?"

"Yuwen Tao led just over thirty men and wiped out your whole group. As for Xia Chuan, his strength is unknown, but his status is clearly higher than Yuwen Tao's. How could you, alone, possibly rescue anyone from him?"

"Over a hundred Earth-Digging Realm cultivators, each armed with excellent weapons—thank heaven they didn't recognize you. If they had, tonight our Tongling encampment would've suffered the same fate."

"I've cooperated with you for all these years—would you really let us drown in a ditch now?"

"Shut your mouth!"

Before Meng Yuan could finish his tirade, the man cut him off with a sharp rebuke.

The man lifted his head, revealing an ordinary face, but the ferocity in his eyes and the brutality of his tone stunned Meng Yuan, leaving his face flushed alternately pale and red, speechless for a long while.

"Cooperated with me? Haven't I cooperated with you?"

"Without my three brothers, how could your Tongling encampment have peacefully exploited the iron ore beneath these other camps all these years?"

"Without my three brothers, where did your camp's population even come from?"

"I've done countless dirty deeds for you—just help me this one time."

"Why are you whining like this?"

Liu Dahu's gaze turned icy as he stared at Meng Yuan, recalling how his second and third brothers, along with so many family members, had been slaughtered before his eyes—his fury had reached its peak.

His desire to kill had surged to its zenith; had Meng Yuan not been useful, he would have slain him right then and there.

Revenge, revenge—I must have revenge!

Second brother, third brother, wife, son… rest easy. One day, I will make Yuwen Tao, Xia Chuan, and every last person in the Great Xia encampment die with you!

Beneath his sleeve, Liu Dahu's fists clenched so tightly they nearly bled as he roared inwardly.

After more than a dozen breaths, he turned to Meng Yuan, gradually suppressing his emotions and speaking calmly: "Leader Meng, my family just died before my eyes—I couldn't help but lose control. I apologize for my rudeness; I beg your forgiveness."

Hearing his sudden shift in tone, Meng Yuan paused, then his expression softened slightly. "It's fine. We've had a good relationship all these years. What happened just now… well…"

Liu Dahu's expression fully relaxed. He bit his lip, as if making a decision, then bowed deeply to Meng Yuan: "Leader Meng, all my family are dead, and Sanhu Camp is gone. I have nowhere else to go—I wish to join your Tongling Camp."

"From today on, I change my name to Liu Biao. I will be just an ordinary member of Tongling Camp. I beg you, Leader Meng, to keep my secret. From now on, I am yours to command—how does that sound?"

Meng Yuan froze in surprise, then his expression instantly brightened.

Judging by how Great Xia treated Liu Erhu and the others, if Liu Dahu's true identity were exposed and reached Great Xia, he would be dead for sure.

It meant he now held a lethal leverage over Liu Dahu—one Liu Dahu had willingly handed to him.

Liu Dahu was defecting to him!

Thinking of Liu Dahu's strength, Meng Yuan felt some unease, yet a spark of excitement flashed in his eyes. He hurried forward and helped him up:

"Liu Da… Biao, no need for such formality. Having you join us is a blessing for Tongling Camp. Don't worry—Tongling Camp only knows one man: Liu Biao. I don't know who Liu Dahu is. No one does."

Liu Dahu, head bowed, wore a triumphant smile. He raised his head and instantly changed his expression, showing gratitude: "Liu Biao, thank you, Leader Meng!"

Judging by today's situation, this fool Meng Yuan will surely lead his entire camp to merge with Great Xia—then I can infiltrate under my new identity.

It won't be hard to kill this fool later. Once he's gone, no one will know my true identity.

Great Xia Camp is strong, isn't it?

I'll infiltrate it, use their resources to strengthen myself, and when I'm powerful enough, I'll kill Yuwen Tao, Xia Chuan, and everyone else.

When that day comes, I'll see what expressions you all wear!

Liu Dahu's face remained calm, but inside, he howled with twisted triumph, imagining Xia Chuan and Yuwen Tao kneeling before him. A faint red glint rose in his eyes, and his lips curled slightly.

"I always said—this fool's strength isn't even as strong as yours, yet he's the leader and you're his subordinate? Turns out you're the big tiger who escaped!"

A clear, teasing voice suddenly came from the side, freezing Liu Dahu's expression and sending a jolt through his heart.

"Who's there?"

"Who is it?"

Meng Yuan and the other two subordinates were startled. All three whirled toward the voice, demanding to know who it was.

(End of Chapter)