Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely

Chapter 1528: Chapter 478: Ten Years of Reform, Xue Zijing from the State, the Divide Between Dragon and Mang (Part 3)

In theory, the number three hundred was actually a slightly bold guess he made after careful observation, but looking at Ji Hong’s current reaction, it’s clearly far from sufficient.

Considering Ji Hong has stayed in Chen Cang for more than three years and he just said he visited the Chen Cang Mansion, Xia Hong immediately overturned his own speculation, and then watched with both a solemn and curious expression waiting for his answer.

“Five hundred, definitely not less than five hundred…”

Ji Hong first gave his assessment, then after pondering for a moment, continued: “Regarding Cai Qiu’s situation, I don’t understand much, so saying three hundred might not be wrong, but here in Chen Cang, it’s absolutely impossible!

Putting other matters aside, I’ve learned from my mentor… from Chen Yuanhong’s mouth that under Landgrave Chu’s command, apart from the Red Dragon Army, there’s also a unit of Mystic Divine Guards, reportedly with a total of 200 people, all of Xianyang Level cultivation.”

Upon hearing that Chen Cang also had a 200-person Xianyang Level army, Xia Hong’s expression instantly became incomparably solemn.

This is an army, not those high-ranking core members of Chen Cang.

Taking a moment for introspection, to build an army of Xianyang Level, even if there are only 200 people, from Xia Hong’s personal viewpoint, Great Xia would need at least a thousand Xianyang Level, likely even more.

And Ji Hong’s basis for estimation is not only this.

“Putting aside the Mystic Divine Guards, you should know, Lord, that all four vassals of Moao River practice the Six-class System; those who can be registered generally either have or their ancestors have Xianyang Level cultivation. The top noble families even have Tribulation Body Realm powerhouses sitting in command.

Chen Cang has an unwritten rule: to be considered a noble family, the tribe must have at least more than ten Xianyang Level powerhouses, and such families, there are 32 in total in Chen Cang, with top noble families possessing Tribulation Body Realm powerhouses sitting in command; besides the lineages of the two main Landgrave families, there are the Wu, He, Wang, Lu, and Gongsun clans.

The clan leaders of Wu, He, and Wang clans, I mentioned before, are disciples of Chu Longteng and Chen Liwu. The remaining Lu Family and Gongsun Family, one is by Pingyang Lake, the other is north of Heyang by Changping Mountain, are noble families with legacies of over two hundred years, submitted under Chen Cang for less than a century, can be said they were conquered by Landgrave Chu Longteng, one by one…”

Only now did Xia Hong realize why Ji Hong would say Tribulation Body Realm powerhouses were under the Chen Cang Mansion.

Indeed, Chen Cang also had Tribulation Body Realms operating outside the mansion.

Lu Family and Gongsun Family, these are at least two, possibly even more!

“These two families…”

Before Xia Hong could finish his sentence, Ji Hong already knew what he wanted to ask, and promptly replied, “The clan leaders of both families don’t hold positions in the mansion, but obey Landgrave Chu Longteng’s orders, and many of the Xianyang Level members of these two families are key military and political figures under the mansion.”

Thus, while Chen Cang bears the name of a Feudal Town, it’s actually a community blended with multiple forces, at the top are the Chu Family and Chen Family, followed by the Lu Family, Gongsun Family, Wu, He, and Wang clans, although having deep connections with the Chu Family and Chen Family, internally they might not lack personal ambitions.

“By these measures, Chu Longteng can be considered a significant figure…”

Chu Longteng’s personal strength might be the first in the Feudal Town, but it shouldn’t be enough to be unrivaled. At least the Chen Family has someone to spar with him, under such circumstances, to merge so many noble families into one Feudal Town, having strength and strategies alone might not suffice.

This more resembles weaving a meticulous political tapestry, where each thread represents a family’s lineage, interests, and pride; a slight mismanagement could lead to a deadlock, escalating to a complete rupture, and even turning against oneself.

Personal charm, ability to command respect, balance artistry, authority, fairness—almost every leadership quality Xia Hong could think of was now attributed to Chu Longteng.