Chapter 243: Irresistible Conditions, Narrow Escape

What kind of place is Pinggu?

It is the old nest of the Zhaoyang encampment!

This place name, even within Longyou, except for the Cold-Resisting levels of the twelve camps, very few others know it. But Qiu Peng actually knows it.

This undoubtedly counted as proving once again that Great Xia's understanding of Longyou was far more than they imagined.

Great Xia sent two special envoys.

One is Qiu Peng, who came to find them.

And the other one, went to Pinggu.

What else could he be doing going to Pinggu? Of course, to find the Zhaoyang encampment.

Daring to kill him, Great Xia would inevitably stand with Zhaoyang against Longshan.

The subtext in Qiu Peng's words, how could the eight people in the hall not hear it?

If it were just a single camp, with the strength Great Xia showed at the moment, to be honest, it was not enough to make Longshan wary.

But the problem was, Qiu Peng had already said just now that the Beehive and Wu Shuang had concluded an alliance with Great Xia, and the two families would act with Great Xia as the leader from now on.

That is to say, Great Xia could already represent three giant camps.

Three families leaning toward Hou Hu at the same time, then Longshan would have much bigger trouble!

So the seven people who were just preparing to make a move on Qiu Peng immediately stopped.

"Great Xia came from afar as a guest, what are you all doing? Sit down!"

Fortunately, Li Ying Xuan Ling at the head gave a step down at the right time.

The seven people either snorted coldly or had unwilling expressions, but they all sat back down.

"So your Great Xia wants to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight?"

Li Ying Xuan Ling's words hitting the nail on the head made Qiu Peng's expression change slightly.

Great Xia sent two special envoys, one looking for Longshan and one looking for Zhaoyang. The intention of sitting on the mountain and watching the tigers fight was very obvious. It was not strange that Li Ying Xuan Ling could see it.

The real reason for Qiu Peng's color change was that when Li Ying Xuan Ling said this, there was a very strong threatening meaning in her tone, which immediately reminded him of his conversation with Xia Chuan before he set off from Wu Shuang just now.

…………

"Lord, at this time, taking the initiative to find Longshan people and saying that we will not intervene in the Longyou dispute, isn't it a bit like confessing without being asked?"

"Of course, sending you and Zhao Long, one to find Longshan and one to find Zhaoyang, even a fool can see our intention of sitting on the mountain and watching the tigers fight. No one will believe it!"

"Then what is the significance of you and Zhao Long visiting the two families?"

"To settle their hearts, at least let them know that we are not cooperating with the other family. We now hold Wu Shuang and the Beehive, counting as three giant camps, and already have the ability to influence the current balance of Longyou. You say in this situation, what attitude will Longshan and Zhaoyang take toward us?"

"Luring, or at least appeasing, not becoming enemies."

"That's likely, but not necessarily. Longyou has a very strong exclusionary attribute. As an external force, Great Xia is very easy to become a target of public criticism. What's more, we took down the Beehive and Wu Shuang with thunderous momentum. If the people of Longshan and Zhaoyang are a bit smart, after knowing the situation, they will inevitably be wary of our Great Xia to the extreme.

If the attitudes of the two families tend to be the same, then it is our Great Xia that will be unlucky!"

Being a fisherman is not that easy. In terms of the current situation in Longyou, as an external force, once Great Xia causes the wariness of both families, the greater possibility is that the two families will take Great Xia as the first target.

Such a simple truth, Qiu Peng naturally understands.

So his face also changed, and then after pondering for a moment, he had some guesses about the real intention of Xia Chuan letting him and Zhao Long visit the two families.

"The Lord means, let me and Zhao Long test, test Zhaoyang and Longshan's attitude toward Great Xia. If both are wary, then we must change the strategy and try our best to ensure that Great Xia does not become a common target for both families?"

"Just you, Zhao Long is different. I originally thought that Zhaoyang was dominant in Longyou at the moment, but judging from the Longshan army stationing here last night until now, and Zhaoyang's families not having any action, this idea is clearly wrong.

Since Zhaoyang is at a disadvantage, then these three families of ours are life-saving straws for him. Therefore, he must rely on and inevitably lure them. So Zhao Long's trip will inevitably be treated as a guest of honor by Zhaoyang, much easier than you!"

With Peng Bo and Chen Yingyuan, plus personal participation, Xia Chuan already had a fairly clear grasp of the situation in Longyou, which was also the biggest basis for him to operate step by step later.

"Taking a step back, Zhaoyang is in the north and still very far from us. Even if he is wary of Great Xia for the time being, he cannot pose a threat to us. But that Longshan army stationed north of Wu Shuang is different. So your task this time is primarily to inquire about the strength of that army, and secondly to test Longshan's attitude. According to their strength and attitude, then make..."

………………

Qiu Peng, as the Si Zheng of the Camp Needs Department, one of the six departments of Great Xia, knows more than just hunting and cultivation.

Managing the massive materials of the camp had long since trained him to have an incomparably clear brain; at the same time, his long-term cooperation with Xia Chuan also gave the two of them sufficient tacit understanding, and he could accurately grasp the meaning in Xia Chuan's words.

Therefore, Xia Chuan handed such an important task of visiting Longshan to him.

Qiu Peng was also a Cold-Resisting level. As he approached the wooden house just now, he had already perceived the general strength of the more than two thousand people in the wooden house. Combined with the threatening posture in Li Ying Xuan Ling's tone at this moment, he soon had a decision in his heart.

"Young Master is joking. To sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, one must have strength. Our Great Xia just wants to guard its own one-acre-three-fen land and live a life. We absolutely dare not have this thought. I hope Longshan will raise your hand high. My Lord promises that as long as Great Xia is not allowed to get involved in this dispute............"

Qiu Peng paused here and stretched out three fingers, continuing:

"First, the three families of Great Xia, Beehive, and Wu Shuang are willing to remain unchanged as in the past, continue to respect Longshan as the master of Longyou, and the annual tribute will be paid as usual;

Second, the three families of Great Xia will not cooperate with Zhaoyang in any form;

Finally, Great Xia is willing to set the entire territory of Wu Shuang as a neutral zone and manage it together with Longshan. From now on, Longshan personnel can travel freely.

These three items, as long as Longshan agrees, Great Xia can execute them immediately!"

Qiu Peng's three conditions were stated, and the eyes of Li Ying Xuan Ling and the seven people below instantly changed. Especially the last sentence, as long as Longshan agrees, Great Xia will execute it immediately, which made everyone's expressions moved.

Seeming to feel that the heat was not enough, Qiu Peng added: "I have a piece of news here about the Han Qiong encampment, which should be of great help to Longshan. Our Great Xia, to show sincerity, will directly give it to Longshan..."

Qiu Peng paused, and then continued: "On April 11th, Wu Shuang and Han Qiong had already joined forces to destroy the Yang Dew encampment. Wu Shuang drew 800 people, and Han Qiong drew 1,000 people. Wu Xiong, Wu Ying, Han Jiuli, and Wu Lin, the four of them are currently stationed at Yangyuan Peak."

Slap…………

Li Xuan stood up directly, and the reaction of the other six was also huge.

The seven people all looked at the head, but found that Li Ying Xuan Ling's gaze had been staring at Qiu Peng without moving, clearly thinking about something.

………………

While Qiu Peng was visiting the Longshan army camp, the Wu Shuang giant stone encampment.

After Xia Chuan arranged the Wu Shuang personnel relocation plan, he was taking Luo Yuan and a group of Cold-Resisting levels, observing the environment around Wu Shuang while chatting.

From the smile on his face, it was not difficult to see that he was in a good mood at the moment.

"Lord, respecting Longshan as the master of Longyou, continuing to pay tribute; not cooperating with Zhaoyang in any form to deal with Longshan, these two conditions are indeed good, but Longshan is not stupid, why should they believe Great Xia?"

Recalling the words Xia Chuan said to Qiu Peng before setting off just now, Luo Yuan finally couldn't help but ask.

"Did I ever say that I wanted them to believe it?"

Xia Chuan's counter-question made everyone stunned.

Among the eight people beside Luo Yuan, only Peng Bo's expression condensed slightly, clearly having some guesses about Xia Chuan's intention.

"Showing weakness, these three conditions are all showing weakness to Longshan!"

Xia Chuan turned his head slightly and saw that it was Hong Guang who spoke. A touch of appreciation instantly appeared in his eyes, and he nodded slightly.

Some people had vaguely understood something and showed a sudden realization, but more people were still looking at Xia Chuan with confusion, clearly waiting for his explanation.

"You say, when Longshan hears these three conditions, what thoughts will they have about Great Xia? Especially the last one, the news about the Han Qiong encampment that I asked Qiu Peng to give them for free, what will they feel after hearing it?"

Three conditions: one is to continue to respect Longshan as the master of Longyou, and the annual tribute will not stop; one is to promise never to cooperate with Zhaoyang; the last one is to set Wu Shuang as a neutral area and manage it together with Longshan.

This is clearly giving things and acting like a grandson, and the things given are not few.

Combined with the last piece of news, telling Longshan how many people the Wu Shuang and Han Qiong families sent to attack Yang Dew, on the one hand, it is naturally notifying Longshan that Han Qiong doesn't have many defenders now. On the other hand, it is also equivalent to making it clear to Longshan that the reason why Great Xia could take down Wu Shuang is because Wu Shuang didn't have many people at home.

When Longshan hears it, what will they feel?

Naturally, they will feel that Great Xia's strength is very weak, and taking down the Beehive and Wu Shuang relies on coincidence and luck. Now even if there are three families, they are still afraid of Longshan, so they will come to propose these three conditions.

"A Great Xia willing to give up so many benefits to Longshan, and actively showing weakness, Longshan will not spend much effort. At least at the current stage, their main enemy is always Hou Hu.

And after giving up part of the rights and interests of Wu Shuang, Great Xia no longer has any value for Longshan to make a move. Forcing a move on us will only push us to Hou Hu's side. As long as the person in charge of the other party is not stupid, he will not refuse."

"Lord, is Wu Shuang that important?"

Zhao Hu turned his head to look at the giant stone formation wall of Wu Shuang, his expression a bit confused.

Among the three conditions just now, he had always thought that the Wu Shuang one was the most useless. Hearing the meaning in Xia Chuan's words at the moment, he felt that this condition was the most important.

"Of course it's important. Yucheng has already been taken down by Li Xuantian. If there is no accident, he might be attacking Yang Dew now, or has already taken it down. At that time, the people of these two camps want to go north to gather with the Longshan army, walking through Wu Shuang's territory is the fastest and most convenient."

After Zhu Yuan finished speaking, Zhao Hu immediately picked up a broken wooden branch and drew a few strokes on the snow. Everyone looked, and only then did they suddenly realize.

Wu Shuang encampment's territory is just located in the very center of the entire Longyou.

"From Wu Shuang, going to any camp in Longyou is the fastest and most convenient. So the Lord setting Wu Shuang as a neutral zone, Longshan will inevitably be moved, especially at this juncture."

Everyone, at this moment, finally completely understood what the essence of the three promises Xia Chuan made to Longshan was.

However, everyone's expressions were stunned, and they all turned to look at Peng Bo.

Lord?

Just now, Peng Bo's address to Xia Chuan, did they hear it wrong?

Xia Chuan was stunned first, then looked at Peng Bo with full expectation.

Peng Bo seemed to have finally figured something out. He bowed to Xia Chuan, then bowed down, and said in a deep voice: "Peng Bo, from now on, is willing to serve Great Xia!"

"Good, good, good!"

Xia Chuan said three "good" words in a row. As early as after taking down Wu Shuang last night, he had proposed recruitment to Peng Bo, but Peng Bo didn't agree at that time.

At this moment, he didn't understand why Peng Bo agreed again, only full of excitement and openness. A late-stage Cold-Resisting level expert with the strength of eight manes, and also a leader of a former giant camp, Peng Bo's joining was absolutely of great significance to Great Xia.

!

Moreover, Peng Bo is different from Chen Yingyuan, Chen Yingba, and Wu Tianxing. Those three all had their families controlled and were considered to be coerced by Great Xia to join;

And Peng Bo, first of all, Great Xia has no grudge with Yang Dew. Secondly, Yuan Cheng and others have a favor to him. His joining basically has no moisture.

And Peng Bo's joining will also play a role in Yang Dew later, which is what Xia Chuan values most.

"Peng Bo, it is wartime at the moment, so I will not make a position arrangement for you for the time being. After the Longyou matter is over, when we return to Xia City, we will arrange it again, how about it?"

Since he chose to join Great Xia, Peng Bo naturally had no two words and nodded.

Luo Yuan, Zhao Hu, and the other eight people also had excited expressions. Clearly, they all knew in their hearts what Peng Bo's joining meant.

………………

Longyou Year 48, April 17th, daytime

Three or four kilometers east of Yang Dew, in the snow, by a big tree with a diameter of seven or eight meters, it was covered with corpses and broken arms. A rough glance with the eyes, at least there were more than a thousand people.

Looking carefully, one would find that these corpses were different.

The inner circle near the big tree was mostly broken corpses, with traces of blade hacking and sword cutting, which could be seen as being killed by humans; the outer circle of the big tree was basically complete corpses. Judging from the situation where their limbs were frozen, it could be determined that they were frozen to death alive by the cold air of the daytime sun.

The blood plasma and the snow on the ground were mixed together, and had long been air-dried into ink color. The air was filled with a disgusting and unpleasant smell. 【243-10

At this moment, he did not understand why Peng Bo had agreed again; he was only filled with excitement and joy. An expert at the late Cold-Resistant stage with the power of eight manes, and also the leader of a former giant encampment—Peng Bo's joining was absolutely of great significance to Great Xia.

!

Moreover, Peng Bo was different from Chen Yingyuan, Chen Yingba, and Wu Tianxing; those three had their families controlled and were considered to have been coerced into joining Great Xia.

As for Peng Bo, first of all, there was no enmity between Great Xia and Yanglu; secondly, Yuan Cheng and the others had shown him kindness, so his joining was basically without any ulterior motives.

Furthermore, Peng Bo's joining would also have an effect on Yanglu later on; this was what Xia Chuan valued most.

"Peng Bo, it is wartime now, so I will not arrange a position for you for the time being. After the Longyou matter is concluded and we return to Xia City, we will make arrangements then. How about that?"

Since he had chosen to join Great Xia, Peng Bo naturally had no objections and bowed his head in agreement.

Luo Yuan, Zhao Hu, and the other eight also had excited expressions; clearly, they all knew in their hearts what Peng Bo's joining meant.

………………

Longyou Year 48, April 17th, daytime.

On the snowy ground three or four kilometers east of Yanglu, beside a large tree with a diameter of seven or eight meters, the ground was covered with corpses and severed limbs. A rough glance with the eyes showed at least a thousand people.

A closer look would reveal that these corpses were still different.

Those near the inner circle of the large tree were mostly mangled corpses with traces of sword and blade slashes, which could be seen at a glance to have been killed by humans; those on the outer circle of the large tree were basically intact corpses. Judging from the fact that their limbs were frozen, it could be concluded that they were frozen to death alive by the cold air of the daytime sunlight entering their bodies.

The blood plasma in the inner circle was mixed with the snow on the ground and had long since dried into an ink-like color, and a nauseating, unpleasant odor permeated the air.

"Cough, cough... cough, cough, cough..."

In the middle of the corpse pile in the inner circle, a burst of violent coughing suddenly sounded.

Crack...

Two large, blood-stained hands suddenly stretched out from under a corpse.

Yuan Cheng stood up halfway from the mountain of corpses abruptly, his expression very flustered. He first took a few deep breaths, then turned his head to look around. Seeing that the surroundings were full of corpses, the fluster on his face dissipated just a little bit.

But in his pupils, there was clearly still a thick sense of fear and shock.

"How are you all doing?"

Suddenly, Yuan Cheng thought of something and hurriedly turned his head to shout at the large tree behind him.

Seeing no one respond, he immediately stood up with a panicked expression, walking toward the large tree while continuing to shout.

"Are you all dead?"

"Is anyone alive?"

…………

"My lord, we are still alive!"

Finally, after Yuan Cheng shouted a dozen times, a weak reply came from inside the large tree.

Hearing this, Yuan Cheng's face was full of surprise. He walked directly to the side of the large tree, followed the tree around for a circle, and finally found a small opening blocked by wooden boards on the south side.

"My lord, you are still alive, that's great!"

The opening was opened from the inside, and Yuan Cheng immediately staggered inside.

The interior of the large tree, seven or eight meters in diameter, had actually been hollowed out by someone.

Inside, seventy or eighty people were crowded together. Many people were standing and stacked against the edges, and there were also some wounded lying in the middle. The space, which was not large to begin with, was packed so tightly that even breathing was difficult.

Although he couldn't walk after squeezing in, seeing so many people still alive inside the tree hole, Yuan Cheng's expression relaxed quite a bit.

Suddenly thinking of something, Yuan Cheng immediately looked up and asked:

"Where is Director Yu Wen Tao? How is he?"

The person at the opening immediately turned his head and pointed to the ground behind him, saying: "Lord Director Yu Wen is fine, but he has been in a coma and has not woken up at all."

Yuan Cheng looked in the direction of his finger and saw Director Yu Wen Tao lying on the ground with his eyes closed. Only then did his expression completely relax.

Phew...

He took a deep breath and looked up to see the terrified expressions on the faces of the Great Xia people in the tree hole. His heart was suddenly filled with immense guilt, and he remained silent for a long time.

He was wrong!

Last night at Yangyuan Peak, his final moment of soft-heartedness had led to a great mistake.

In the last ten minutes before dawn, he had finally led over a hundred Great Xia people, carrying the unconscious Director Yu Wen Tao, to withdraw from the outskirts of Yangyuan Peak.

Originally, according to the plan, they would find a large tree in that final bit of time, and then a hundred people would work together to make a simple tree hole to survive the four hours of daylight, and then return to the Hive after nightfall, which would basically be fine.

But he never expected that a terrifying thing would happen.

A large portion of those people they had rescued from Yangyuan Peak had actually followed behind them. Those people were already covered in dew, so how could Yuan Cheng let them get close?

He first gave a stern warning, then rose up to kill and intimidate them.

At first, it was effective and scared those people.

But gradually, the situation went wrong.

Those people seemed to have suddenly become unafraid of death.

One after another, they rushed toward Yuan Cheng.

That was thousands of people, and among them were not a few Earth-Digging Realm experts. No matter how strong Yuan Cheng was, it was impossible for him to kill them all.

Moreover, it was getting closer and closer to dawn. If those hundred or so Great Xia people didn't finish the tree hole before dawn, they would all undoubtedly die.

At that time, Yuan Cheng had already begun to regret his moment of soft-heartedness, but regret was useless. He could only grit his teeth and persist, relying solely on his great axe to hold on for the last few minutes, allowing all the Great Xia people to hide in the tree hole.

He didn't know how many people he had killed; he only knew that as soon as dawn broke, those who besieged him let out screams, and many people ran away. Before he lost all his strength, he hid himself under the corpses.

"My lord, your body..."

While Yuan Cheng was in a daze, he was suddenly awakened by the person in front of him.

Seeing his terrified expression as he pointed at his body, Yuan Cheng hurriedly looked down. Upon this look, his body also froze.

Being besieged by so many people last night, he had quite a few injuries on his body. A rough look showed at least forty or fifty cuts on his arms, chest, abdomen, and two thighs.

Before he passed out, he should have taken a Blood Sore Pill, so the wounds on his body showed signs of initial healing.

What made his body freeze was not these wounds that were about to heal, but the fact that his wounds were now covered with a circle of white dew.

Moreover, this dew seemed to have undergone some new changes. The dew that grew on everyone on Yangyuan Peak last night was as big as a thumb's fingernail and was transparent;

But at this moment, the dew near the wounds on his body was at most one-fifth the size of last night's, and it was glowing with a milky white color, thicker than before.

While Yuan Cheng's expression was shocked, the person who had just pointed at him also lowered his head to check his own body.

Upon this look, his expression also froze instantly.

"My lord, I have them on me too."

Not only him, but the others in the tree hole began to self-screen one after another.

"I grew them too."

"I have them too, near the wounds."

"I don't have any wounds on my body, but I have them too, though not many."

"Lord Director Yu Wen Tao has them too."

………………

"Calm down, calm down, don't panic. Do you still have any Fire-Condensing Oil on you?"

Without needing everyone to answer, Yuan Cheng realized after asking that this was nonsense.

When he was besieged by those people last night, dew kept appearing on his body, and the Fire-Condensing Oil on these people had basically all been used on him alone.

"I must hurry back to the Hive first. You wait for me here; I will bring Fire-Condensing Oil back very soon. Don't run around!"

"My lord, let's wait until dark. Your wounds haven't healed yet."

"That's right, it's daytime now, and it's not safe outside."

Seeing Yuan Cheng dragging his wounded body to rush out, the people in the hole immediately tried to persuade him, but Yuan Cheng didn't pay any attention at all. He just waved his hand at them, staggered out of the tree hole, and walked toward the Hive on the east side.

(End of chapter)