Chapter 449: Diversion, Cai Qiu Young Master, Chui Mountain Fruit

"It's only the 10th today, and there are still 20 days until the martial arts competition officially begins, yet the population has already exceeded 900,000. By next month, it's conservatively estimated to be over a million. This is already more than the population of the three northern town cities, so it needs to be restricted!"

Lin Kai calculated in his heart and soon made a decision. He immediately ordered Ying Yi: "Notify Kong Xiu to continue building wooden houses outside the city to serve as temporary living areas. Starting tomorrow, all outsiders, except for martial arts competition participants, are not allowed to stay in the city for more than 10 hours. I will notify the Four Green Flood Dragon Armies to set up checkpoints in the city for screening. Anyone who does not comply with the regulations will be directly expelled and will not be allowed to enter Hong Gate for five years."

"This method is good!"

Ying Yi's eyes brightened when he heard this, and he immediately nodded in agreement.

The martial arts competition had an age limit; participants could not be older than 25. Therefore, the vast majority of participants were accompanied by elders, which was the main reason for the population explosion in the city in a short period.

Not allowing non-participants to stay in the city for long could at least screen out one-third of the population, and the pressure in the city would be reduced a lot.

However, Ying Yi thought of something else and asked in a low voice: "Lord, the population in the city is not what it used to be, and the security pressure is extremely high. The four thousand troops of the Green Flood Dragon, Golden Sword, Golden Eagle, and Zhenwu armies are completely insufficient. Why not ask Deputy Si Zheng Director Yu Wen to transfer three more large armies from Basha?

This year we are using the banner of the Jiuzhen Martial Arts Competition, and the three northern towns are all holding back their anger and have sent many people to cause trouble. Didn't Lord Zhao also say that there are crowd disturbances and even fights in the city every day recently, basically all instigated by the disciples of the three towns behind the scenes? The martial arts competition is getting closer, and I don't know what kind of ideas they have. Increasing manpower is better than being unprepared!"

After listening to Ying Yi's words, a gloomy look flashed in Lin Kai's eyes, and he shook his head: "The Basha army cannot be moved, and Deputy Si Zheng Director Yu Wen has no time to deal with us now. The Si Cheng being able to leave four armies for Hong Gate is already very generous."

"Cannot be moved?"

Ying Yi was stunned when he heard this, and then asked with a confused face: "Basha has no defense needs, and the five armies of Yunjiao, Long Wu, Tulong, Hubao, and Heijian are all stationed there. Is it necessary?"

After the Battle of Hong Gate ended in September the year before last, Xia Chuan sent the four armies of Long Wu, Tulong, Hubao, and Heijian to Basha to be stationed, while the Yunjiao army remained to guard Hong Gate.

The Green Flood Dragon Army led by Lin Kai, after completing the Basha population migration mission, was stationed in Xia City for a period of time, and later came to Hong Gate, guarding Hong Gate together with the Yunjiao army.

Last year, strange monsters caused chaos in Hong Gate, and the Tulong army briefly returned to reinforce for a period of time, then returned to Basha, so Hong Gate had always only had the Yunjiao and Green Flood Dragon armies.

However, with the population explosion in Hong Gate, plus the fact that Great Xia added six more armies—Gangzong, Golden Sword, Golden Eagle, Zhenwu, Yingwu, and Zhao Long—at the end of last year, at the beginning of this year, there were new changes in the Hong Gate garrison.

The Yunjiao army was transferred to Basha; Hong Gate was guarded by the Green Flood Dragon, Golden Sword, Golden Eagle, and Zhenwu armies.

Compared to Hong Gate, Basha had no defense needs at all. Was it worth keeping five large armies there? Moreover, the five armies included the Yunjiao and Long Wu armies, which were currently recognized as the strongest in Great Xia, and the remaining three armies—Tulong, Hubao, and Heijian—also ranked among the best.

Seeing that Lin Kai didn't answer, Ying Yi continued: "If the five armies cannot be moved, aren't there other garrison troops? Longshan also has no needs. The four armies of Shanhe, Lieying, Xiongwu, and Beizhao can be moved. The eight armies of Shenwu, Xuanwu, Longyuan, Dongyang, Gangzong, Yingwu, Zhao Long, and Feipeng—Great Xia currently has troops available everywhere, right?"

Hearing Ying Yi list all twenty-one armies of Great Xia in one breath, Lin Kai's face was full of smiles, as if he wanted to say something, but he held it back when the words reached his lips, smiling and shaking his head: "Each army has its own mission, the Si Cheng will naturally arrange it well, why are you worrying so much?"

"The Lord's reminder is correct, it is I who thought too much..."

Lin Kai's words were actually quite severe, but Ying Yi didn't hear any blame in the tone, so his expression didn't change much. However, after he finished speaking, he reacted immediately, his face changed drastically, and he looked up at Lin Kai with a bit of shock: "Lord, is the Si Cheng sending troops abroad?"

Currently, Hong Gate had the greatest defense pressure. There was no reason for the Si Cheng and Deputy Si Zheng Director Yu Wen not to see it. How could Great Xia's 21 armies not be able to spare a few?

The only explanation was that Lin Kai was hiding something from him.

Seeing Lin Kai nod slightly, many thoughts flashed through Ying Yi's mind in an instant, and then he thought of something, quickly pointing his hand toward the direction of Chui Shanzhen in the north, his eyes showing a trace of inquiry.

Getting Lin Kai's nod, Ying Yi's expression shook violently.

"So that's it, so that's it! I was wondering why the Lord directly used the banner of the Jiuzhen Martial Arts Competition this year and deliberately sent envoys to provoke the three northern towns. It turns out it was to deliberately expand the influence of the martial arts competition and attract attention!"

Seeing that Ying Yi had already broken the matter, Lin Kai had no scruples and no longer hid it, laughing lightly: "Beishuo's infiltration of Chui Mountain is too serious. Duan Hong is almost openly announcing his merger into Beishuo. If he is allowed to continue like this, Beishuo will be forced directly to our faces.

That Cai Qiu Young Master Cai Shiqi considers himself smart, thinking that he can threaten Duan Hong by relying on Cai Qiu's reputation, not knowing that Duan Hong treats him like a fool..."

Mentioning the three words Cai Shiqi, a cold laugh appeared on Lin Kai's face.

Although he didn't want to admit it, he had to say that if one wanted to find a few of the most famous people in the Jiuzhen at present, then this Young Master Cai Shiqi from Cai Qiu was definitely one of them.

Cai Shiqi began to be active in the Jiuzhen area in October last year. Of course, Lin Kai had already learned through the intelligence of Jin Shan Town that this group of people had come from Cai Qiu at the end of August last year. Obviously, they had stayed in Jin Shan Zhencheng for more than a month before officially starting to be active.

The reason why this person's reputation was so great was that at the end of last year, he used the names of the two lords Shangguan Yang and Qin Feng to hold a unique grievance-cleansing assembly at a place called Qinggang Mountain at the junction of the Jin Shan and Wu Chuan towns.

Before the assembly was held, Cai Shiqi ordered the Jin Shan and Wu Chuan towns to pass the news to the entire Jiuzhen area. On the invitation letters sent to the seven town lords, he actually signed his name before the two lords Qin Feng and Shangguan Yang.

The so-called grievance-cleansing assembly was naturally to cleanse the unjust grievances suffered by the Cai Qiu Fiefdom due to Chen Yiqing's evil deeds last year.

Don't say it, that Cai Shiqi really had some means. The invitation letters jointly signed by the lords of Jin Shan and Wu Chuan towns were still taken seriously by the seven towns. Six town lords went, only Great Xia sent Xiang Fuhai.

No way, if possible, Great Xia naturally wouldn't do such a thing to attract attention. The key was that Lord Xia Hong was away and not present, so even if he wanted to go, there was no way, so he could only claim that Xia Hong was in seclusion and send Xiang Fuhai to replace him.

Of course, nominally it was Xiang Fuhai, but actually, the leader was Xia Chuan. Saying Xiang Fuhai was the leader was just to take care of the Cai Qiu Young Master's face. After all, the lord hadn't shown up, and if even a Manifestation-level expert didn't go, it would be too unreasonable.

It was just a pity that they still underestimated the importance that Cai Qiu Young Master attached to face. Although Xia Chuan had thought very thoroughly, after discovering that the Great Xia lord hadn't arrived, that Cai Shiqi still scolded Great Xia, and even directly said the four words "barbarians are rude."

"A mere 53 bristles of strength, if it weren't for the name of Cai Qiu, humph..."

The lord is humiliated, the minister dies. Lin Kai was also present at that grievance-cleansing assembly. Great Xia was so humiliated by a wet-behind-the-ears kid. If Xia Chuan hadn't stopped them in time that day, he and Yuan Cheng and a group of others would have slaughtered that Cai Shiqi long ago.

Regardless, after a grievance-cleansing assembly was held, that Cai Shiqi really explained Chen Yiqing's matter clearly, and then took the opportunity to cleanse Cai Qiu's grievances clean.

Not only that, he also completely made a name for himself in the Jiuzhen, and also firmly established a good impression for Cai Qiu, saying that the Cai Qiu Fiefdom would never act recklessly like Chen Cang, and would definitely bring permanent stability and peace to the Jiuzhen area in the future...

Whether it was useful or not, let's not talk about it for now. At the very least, the high-level officials of each town had at least half of their original precautions and vigilance against Cai Qiu transferred to Chen Cang.

In the following months, this Cai Shiqi wandered in the northern area, acting chivalrously everywhere, and really earned a wave of favor for Cai Qiu. ===== CHAPTER 450 =====