"Haven't the Nine Towns already united to fight Dajue Temple? Shouldn't that count as two sides?"

Xia Chuan's expression was still somewhat puzzled, but as soon as he voiced his thoughts and before Xia Hong had the chance to speak, he immediately realized his error, and his expression changed slightly.

He was right!

Just as he had guessed earlier, Beishuo clearly has no intention of genuinely assisting Jiangxia Town. With Beishuo acting thus, the other seven are likely similar, indicating that the Nine Towns harbor hidden agendas and cannot truly unite, thus the Nine Towns do not qualify as an independent side.

What if Great Xia secretly facilitates the Nine Towns to unite?

Xia Hong instantly saw through his thoughts and promptly shook his head, saying, "That idea is even less realistic. If the Nine Towns truly unite, whether Dajue Temple wins or they win, Great Xia will only suffer more."

If the Nine Towns truly and sincerely unite, their power would be terrifyingly immense. Whether they annihilate Dajue Temple or Dajue Temple annihilates them, the next target would inevitably be Great Xia.

Would Great Xia have the capability to handle either of these sides?

"I was foolish."

Xia Chuan immediately realized his mistake, shook his head in self-mockery and then raised his head to look at Xia Hong, asking, "What do you mean, big brother?"

Xia Hong remained silent, pondering for a moment before speaking, "Our greatest advantage at the moment is lying in concealment, still not so passive. Until they perceive the existence of Great Xia, observing the conflict from a distance is necessary. But during this, we must assess the situation and strike at the right time, since the Nine Towns harbor hidden agendas. We must defeat them one by one.

Dajue Temple is precisely a touchstone; it can help us identify which is the breaking point. Currently, Jiangxia Town..."

At this point, Xia Hong turned to look at the panoramic Map of the Great Xia that covered the entire Moao Mountain visible behind the high platform, pointing at the Jiangxia Town area with a hint of a smile, "is our first target!"

Upon hearing the words "defeat them one by one," Xia Chuan already reacted, realizing what Xia Hong's true target was when he mentioned Jiangxia Town."

"The main target of Dajue Temple's retribution this time is Jiangxia Town, while the other Eight Towns are unlikely to sincerely help. Thus, Jiangxia Town is bound to become estranged from them. If we were to..."

Stopping midway, Xia Chuan furrowed his brow, halting immediately.

According to Xia Hong's strategy, Great Xia would intervene to gain Jiangxia Town's goodwill. But doing so might prematurely expose Great Xia and raise the other Eight Towns' guard, wouldn't it?

Thinking of this, he promptly raised his head to look at Xia Hong, displaying a trace of confusion.

Xia Hong smiled and shook his head, saying, "Of course not so early, and merely gaining the goodwill of Jiangxia Town alone wouldn't be worth it. We must choose the most appropriate timing, this cannot be rushed!"

He flashed a thoughtful expression, then continued to Xia Chuan, "Recently, select a batch of clever Cold Resistance Level individuals in Xia City and send them to East Ridge, arranging for Lu Yang to infiltrate them into the Eight Towns for gathering more useful intelligence. Knowing yourself and knowing your enemy, you can fight a hundred battles without defeat."

"Alright, big brother, I'll arrange it immediately!"

"You've arranged everything over at Baiyang, right? Since Dajue Temple plans to deploy forces eastward, they might assign someone to watch the west side; do not let them perceive Great Xia's existence in advance."

"Everything is arranged. Chen Ying is handling it."

Xia Hong nodded slightly, contemplating briefly before quietly asking, "The Cloud Dragon, Long Wu, Dragon Slayer, and Tiger Leopard armies will soon return from Long Mountain. How many have yet to achieve Cold Resistance Level in the Cloud Dragon and Long Wu armies?"

"Cloud Dragon Army 587, Long Wu Army 562."

Upon hearing the substantial number of those yet to breakthrough, Xia Hong's brows furrowed intensely.

With today's number of Cold Resistance Level in Great Xia, not to mention two, the full composition of five armies solely from Cold Resistance Level soldiers is achievable.

The problem is, even the Hunting Team members require coordination and teamwork, let alone the more rigidly organized and intricately combat-focused army?

The soldiers' cooperation, battle tactic training, and battlefield execution—these factors directly impact army strength. Hastily gathering individuals to form an army, unless cultivation levels are significantly superior, would yield no benefit to army strength and would be detrimental instead.

"With great warfare imminent and not much time left, notify Qiu Peng to have the Camp Supply Department allocate all Martial Arts Pavilion slots, prioritizing those Cloud Dragon and Long Wu army members yet to breakthrough, hastening their achievement to Cold Resistance Level. Before we notably face the Nine Towns, securing a daylight-appearing army in Great Xia is essential to avoid ridicule."

Xia Chuan nodded, his expression growing markedly serious.

"Alright, proceed as discussed. Ensure these matters are arranged; I'll soon explore the Xing River water area. If urgent, have them find me in Wuyuan; any new developments at East Ridge, notify me promptly."

The Five Ape Mountain base in Wuyuan is merely four or five kilometers from the Xing River North Bank, making it apt for Xia Hong to survey the water area.

Xia Chuan's expression revealed reluctance, apparently fearing Xia Hong might deceive him and sneak off to Qinghepu.

"Brother, you..."

"Rest assured, I won't head over until February next year!"

Xia Hong instantly perceived his concern, lightly shaking his head and continuing, "With Dajue Temple facing Nine Towns in battle, tension runs high. If I recklessly go over, exposing Great Xia's existence, wouldn't that be seeking trouble?

Moreover, going now wouldn't yield discovery. Dajue Temple annually dispatches personnel each February to villages collecting six-year-old children. To genuinely observe Dajue Temple, departing in February would be wise, don't worry!"

While assuring Xia Chuan, Xia Hong also turned to look at the high platform behind, displaying a hint of helplessness, "Rest assured as well; you've shadowed me for days already, following me even to the main tower, is this necessary?"

"I'm heading to Wuyuan too, just taking the children out to breathe fresh air."

Hearing Li Xuanling's voice from behind the high platform, Xia Chuan's face broke into a smile. Accompanying the children to Wuyuan indeed assuages concerns.

Xia Hong certainly wouldn't neglect the children, leaving them to journey to Qinghepu independently.

"Brother, I'm off to arrange it now!"

Observing Xia Hong's face full of helplessness, Xia Chuan chuckled lightly, bade farewell respectfully, turned, and departed the grand hall to begin selecting candidates.

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