[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-endless-winter-my-camp-infinitely-upgrades":3,"chapter-endless-winter-my-camp-infinitely-upgrades-endless-winter-my-camp-infinitely-upgrades-chapter-481":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Endless Winter: My Camp Infinitely Upgrades",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2266907,4425,"Chapter 481: Pacification, the Governor","endless-winter-my-camp-infinitely-upgrades-chapter-481",481,"\u003Cp>In the 291st year of Chen Cang, the fifth day of the twelfth month\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That is, ten days after Ji Hong reported the strange events at Jiang Mansion to Chen Tianhong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the top floor of Jiang Mansion’s main building, Xia Hong looked at Ji Hong, whom he hadn’t seen in a month, and after hearing his explanation, smiled and asked: “So you’re following Chu Xuanfeng’s orders, risking your life to spy on me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Hong immediately nodded and said softly: “Ten days ago, Chen Tianhong was likely frightened by the Lord, rushed back to his mansion, and immediately took me and Deputy Director Jiang to the Governor’s Mansion to meet Grand Heir Chu Xuanfeng…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rest of the events didn’t need Ji Hong to explain—Xia Hong could already deduce the general picture from the increasing number of Xianyang-level qi signatures around Jiang Mansion recently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, the Governor’s Mansion had firmly concluded that his identity was suspect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Ji Hong finished speaking, Xia Hong raised an eyebrow and asked: “Chu Tianxu is absent—so now the one managing the Governor’s Mansion is Grand Heir Chu Xuanfeng?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Ji Hong nod, Xia Hong showed no sign of surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qiangzhe of the Jie Shen realm typically don’t stay long in one place, especially in densely populated areas—they avoid lingering even more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had lived in Cai Qiu’s Linchu Governor’s Mansion for half a year and never even met Governor Cai Yunlan; normally, it was Grand Heir Cai Yunlan who ran the Linchu Governor’s Mansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, the situation here at Yanling Governor’s Mansion was the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But shortly after nodding, Ji Hong seemed to recall something, shook his head, and frowned: “But it’s not necessarily so. On the fifth day of last month, the Lord happened to meet Chen Cang’s Taiyi Xue Zijing at Shigui Wine House—do you remember?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Hong immediately nodded; Jiang Xinfan had almost certainly investigated Xue Zijing’s identity through Ji Hong, so it wasn’t surprising Ji Hong knew about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xue Zijing resided in the Governor’s Mansion for a month, and only this month did he officially take up residence in Yanling’s Department Office to assume control of the Six Ministries and initiate comprehensive reforms…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Ji Hong mention the reforms, Xia Hong’s eyes instantly flickered with interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Treat Yanling as a pilot for reform, over a ten-year period; if proven viable and capable of strengthening Chen Cang’s power, the reforms will be extended to the entire Fanzhen after a decade】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Hong had already conveyed this reform message to him via Jiang Xinfan on November 30th, so Xia Hong was fully aware.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Hong bringing it up now was clearly setting the stage for what followed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At the end of October, the Luhe Valley rebellion resulted in the complete burning of all Bai Li Su fields; nearly four thousand soldiers of the Luhe Garrison perished; this year’s Lu Su harvest was largely looted by sixteen slave-village rebel forces amid the chaos—originally expected to yield 310,000 jin, only 140,000 jin remained, less than half.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All these factors enraged the Governor and the heads of the Six Ministries; since the beginning of last month, each ministry dispatched personnel to Luhe Valley to investigate the rebellion; by month’s end, they had executed nearly two thousand people, successfully uncovering four branch leaders, and the investigation continues without pause, determined to root out every rebel without mercy…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Luhe Valley rebellion would inevitably come to light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Hong had anticipated this, so he wasn’t surprised—but hearing that nearly two thousand had been executed yet only four branch leaders uncovered, he did show a flicker of surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“None of the twelve branch leaders were caught—these slave-village people may not be strong, but they’ve got some grit!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Hong had witnessed nearly the entire Luhe Valley rebellion; take Qingwu Village as an example—the sixteen leading branch leaders, whether they stayed or fled afterward, in his view, had virtually no chance of evading the Six Ministries’ pursuit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each Frost Ash Society branch had thousands, even tens of thousands of members; if higher-ups merely sowed division and incited betrayal, a few names would surface, and tracing the masterminds wouldn’t be too difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet a month passed, and only four branch leaders were caught—this outcome truly exceeded Xia Hong’s expectations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not surprising—slave-village people have long been oppressed and exploited; most harbor greater hatred for the Six Ministries than fear; the October rebellion likely showed them hope for resistance, so now, facing the Six Ministries’ scrutiny, they’ve shown remarkable resolve.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But what I’m about to say isn’t about them…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The setup ended here; Ji Hong paused, his expression growing grave, then continued: “On the first day of this month, the very first thing Xue Zijing did upon entering Yanling’s Department Office was to halt the Six Ministries’ investigation into the Luhe Valley rebellion, recalled all their dispatched personnel, pardoned the four captured branch leaders, and appointed them as district supervisors in their own villages.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a pacification policy toward the slave villages!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Hong’s gaze sharpened as he continued watching Ji Hong, waiting for more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once the four branch leaders became district supervisors, they immediately turned traitors, exposing over thirty thousand society members; six more slave-village branch leaders followed suit, turning themselves in to the Ministry of Justice; excluding the two who fled, only four Frost Ash Society branches remain in Luhe Valley—and even those four are on the brink; had Yanling’s main branch abandoned them, I’d have had to increase my own investment just to preserve them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s an ancient truth: blocking is worse than diverting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The city did nothing—just offered a district supervisor position—and these branch leaders ascended overnight, inevitably causing the Frost Ash Society to fracture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Xue Zijing truly has some skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“District supervisor posts in slave villages are prime positions—why did the Six Ministry heads allow Xue Zijing to act like this without protest?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Six Ministry heads naturally ranked below Governor Chu Tianxu, but in official hierarchy, they were equal; each answered only to the Zhencheng Six Ministries’ superiors, not to the Governor; moreover, given Chen Cang’s multi-clan upper structure, anyone holding a Ministry head position must have formidable background and strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Zijing was a Taiyi, but merely an outsider; Chen Cang had an unspoken rule: both Taiyi and Lingyi must be Jie Shen cultivators—so Xue Zijing’s appointment as Taiyi was already a violation; the Fanzhen’s high echelons already resented him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Allowing him to handle slave villages this way might be a mere face issue—but appointing four rebel leaders as district supervisors directly threatened their core interests; the Six Ministry heads couldn’t possibly react nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wealth of slave villages was obvious; the district supervisor, managing all village affairs, was a prime plum position; if Xue Zijing had distributed these posts evenly among the Six Ministries, fine—but giving them directly to four rebel leaders? That was outrageous. Even if the Ministry heads dared not defy Xue Zijing due to his Taiyi status, they wouldn’t sit idle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Xia Hong suspected, Ji Hong shook his head: “Of course not—the Six Ministry heads immediately questioned Xue Zijing, calling the move inappropriate; but Xue Zijing said nothing, offered no explanation—just produced his Taiyi token and forcibly suppressed them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Ministry heads refused to accept it; they all petitioned the Zhencheng General Office; even Minister of Military Affairs Chu Baihe petitioned Lingyi Chen Liwu directly, arguing that nearly four thousand soldiers of the Luhe Garrison were killed; if the rebels aren’t thoroughly investigated, how can we honor their ghosts? Chen Cang’s military morale will suffer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So it’s a power struggle!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Baihe’s reasoning, upon reflection, was perfectly reasonable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Zijing’s approach, from a god’s-eye view, had many advantages: it dealt a heavy blow to the Frost Ash Society, reduced governance costs in slave villages, eased slave resentment toward the Fanzhen’s upper echelons…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But from the perspective of Chen Cang’s military households and mid-to-high officials, it was entirely different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You don’t punish or kill rebels—you reward them with high positions, even the plum district supervisor posts; no matter how beneficial these measures may be long-term, right now, the charge of “no distinction between reward and punishment” sticks to you perfectly, and is utterly justified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But conversely, reform is inherently a short-term pain with long-term gains; many surely saw this—yet as always, one’s position determines one’s thinking; defending one’s own interests is an eternal, unchanging truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Zijing’s tactics were clever, but his methods were too crude; it was no surprise the Six Ministry heads opposed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Hong pondered briefly, then asked: “Ten years is too short—so Xue Zijing is using drastic measures to force through Yanling’s reform. He has the Fangbo’s support—he likely doesn’t fear them petitioning Zhencheng. So what happened next?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Fangbo is probably not in Zhencheng—the Six Ministries received no response; only Lingyi Chen Liwu sent a handwritten letter yesterday, on the fourth—after reading it, all six Ministry heads were stunned.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The letter stated: for the next ten years, all actions of Yanling’s Six Ministries—including appointments and dismissals of Ministry heads—will be under the authority of Governor Chu Tianxu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not under Taiyi Xue Zijing—but under Governor Chu Tianxu!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Hong instantly caught this nuance in Ji Hong’s words, and his eyes lit up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Lord probably realized: from Chen Liwu’s letter, it’s clear Chen Cang’s affairs aren’t decided solely by Fangbo Chu Longteng; the Chen clan’s influence in Chen Cang is terrifying—even the Fangbo must fear them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Six Ministries petitioned Zhencheng against the ruling Taiyi Xue Zijing—but the reply came not from the Fangbo, but from Lingyi Chen Liwu, who commanded the army; this alone was unusual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Longteng fully supported reform; the idea of using Yanling as a pilot was his own, pushed against all opposition; logically, for the next decade, Yanling’s Six Ministries should have been under Xue Zijing’s authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Chen Liwu’s letter couldn’t have been Chu Longteng’s will—in other words, Lingyi Chen Liwu had the power to act independently of the Fangbo’s wishes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He didn’t fully defy Chu Longteng either—Chu Tianxu is the only high-ranking official in Chen Cang who supports reform; as long as he cooperates fully, Xue Zijing can still advance the reforms smoothly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not handing Yanling’s Six Ministries entirely to Xue Zijing is merely an obstruction—it adds more variables to the reform.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Hong pondered briefly, a faint smile appearing in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the best system ultimately depends on people to execute it; Xue Zijing’s reform had already angered too many high-ranking interests in Chen Cang—it was already fraught with difficulties and countless variables; now even Lingyi Chen Liwu, whose status rivaled Fangbo Chu Longteng, had intervened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The difficulty of successfully implementing the new system in Yanling over the next decade was obvious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not joking—Xia Hong could now predict: the probability of Xue Zijing’s reform failing exceeds ninety percent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Cang’s situation was simply too complex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Hong set those thoughts aside and smiled up at Ji Hong: “Are these the new updates you brought me today?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes and no. Just now, the Lord said Governor Chu Tianxu is not in the city, and Grand Heir Chu Xuanfeng is managing the Governor’s Mansion—I said ‘not necessarily,’ and the reason is this: last night, after Lingyi Chen Liwu’s letter arrived in Yanling City, I heard a rumor that Xue Zijing and all six Ministry heads were summoned to the Governor’s Mansion for an emergency meeting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Xia Hong’s gaze grew sharply serious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Summoning Taiyi Xue Zijing and all six Ministry heads to the Governor’s Mansion overnight—Grand Heir Chu Xuanfeng had no such authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Ji Hong’s implication was clear: Chu Tianxu is very likely in the city right now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What, are you worried about my safety?”\u003C\u002Fp>",1952,"2026-06-19T20:30:17.581Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","d2432d2847b63e004bf06a23917b770c7b77ad891f52f194a5f7192ec3e8b193","endless-winter-my-camp-infinitely-upgrades-chapter-482","endless-winter-my-camp-infinitely-upgrades-chapter-480",521,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fendless-winter-my-camp-infinitely-upgrades-cover.jpg"]