At that time, we only need to keep the secret of the hidden passage, and then take the opportunity to communicate normally with the seven families to gather information about the Nine Towns of Moao Mountain, and everything will naturally fall into place.

"Lu Yang, if I remember correctly, you practice swordsmanship, right?"

It was forbidden to wear weapons in the Political Hall. Seeing Lu Yang without a sword, Xia Hong was afraid he remembered incorrectly and specially asked.

Lu Yang obviously didn't understand why Xia Hong was asking this and nodded with a puzzled expression.

Suddenly, Xia Hong turned his head and instructed towards the rear, "Ming Yue, go to the Star-picking Platform and bring me the sword on the far left of the weapon rack."

"Yes, Lord!"

Ming Yue's voice came from the back of the platform. Neither Xia Chuan nor Lu Yang's expressions changed, evidently already knowing she had been standing there.

Listening to Ming Yue's departing footsteps, Xia Hong slightly shook his head.

It's unclear if it's driven by a hunger for power or truly for the two children, but since Li Xuanling successfully gave birth, her small actions have increased significantly, and Ming Yue and the other four maids have clearly become her little informants.

Lu Yang, standing below the platform, now showed a slightly excited expression.

Having just been asked if he used a sword, and then immediately Ming Yue was sent to fetch a sword.

It was self-evident what Xia Hong intended to do.

"This time, by clearing the hidden passage, you not only found the seven families of Beining Mountain but also discovered Moao Mountain and gathered information on the Nine Towns of Moao. Though it can't compare to Xu Ning bringing back 110,000 people, it is still a significant achievement."

After saying this, Xia Hong paused for a moment of contemplation, then turned to Xia Chuan and said, "Award Lu Yang with 300 military merit points."

"Yes, Lord!"

300 military merit points!

Lu Yang was suddenly stunned, then extremely excitedly bowed deeply to Xia Hong, saying, "Your subordinate thanks the Lord, long live the Lord, long live the Great Xia!"

To get 300 military merit points on the battlefield, one would need to kill three Cold Resistance Level or three hundred Earth-digging Realm Limit soldiers, which is almost impossible without warfare occurring.

Crucially, military merit points, besides accumulated portions, can be converted into Contribution Value.

Currently, the conversion rate of the Camp Supply Department for military merit is 1 to 100, so 300 points of military merit amounts to 30,000 points of Contribution Value, which is no small sum, even for Lu Dong.

"According to your report, the seven family village-level camps of Beining Mountain, plus several large and giant camps, clearly exceed a total population of 400,000. Naturally, they can't all be annexed in a short time, but if you manage well, you are certainly capable of earning the military merit for a nobility rank. I'll be waiting to see if Great Xia's fourth eighth-rank Chixiao Marquis will be you."

"This subordinate will exert every effort and will not disappoint you, Lord!"

Xia Hong smiled and waved his hand, just in time for Ming Yue to return from the Star-picking Hall.

She held a longsword with both hands, her expression unusually strained, yet she persevered in bringing it to the platform and handed it over to Xia Hong.

Swish...

Differently from Ming Yue's struggle, the longsword felt light as a feather in Xia Hong's hand. When he unsheathed it, a sliver of silver cold light immediately reflected into the eyes of the three in the hall.

"This Cold Wing Sword was crafted by Mu Dong last month. Inside, it's made of Ten Thousand Forged Level Iron Material, and the outer layer is wrapped in two thousand pounds of silver. It's considered a fine piece from the Artifact Refining Pavilion, and not many in Great Xia have access to such a weapon."

Lu Yang's eyes had long been focused on the sword; he appeared not to listen to what Xia Hong was saying, as if he could have written "Want" on his forehead.

"Haha, it's a reward for you!"

Xia Hong sheathed the longsword and tossed the Cold Wing Sword directly towards him.

"Thank you..."

"Wait, there's also this Feather Light Sword Technique. You can read it here in the hall, remember it well, then hand it to Xia Chuan."

Lu Yang paused for a moment, took the martial arts skill thrown by Xia Hong, quickly opened it, and after reading for a while, his expression became immediately excited.

"A 50% increase, even more potent than the Long Fist Form, Lord, this technique..."

"This is a new sword technique I've created. Together with these forty-four other volumes, Xia Chuan, later, place them on the top floor of the Martial Arts Pavilion and have the Camp Supply Department set a criteria for borrowing. In the future, all camp members can use Contribution Value to exchange for borrowing rights, but remember, it can only be used for personal cultivation. If anyone is found teaching others, they will be banned for life from accessing the Martial Arts Pavilion."

Xia Chuan took the cultivation technique, flipped through it briefly, and his expression also became excited. He quickly bowed and said, "Your subordinate obeys."

After Xia Hong finished speaking, he stood up directly, looked at Lu Yang with a slightly serious expression:

"When you returned to Xia City just now, you should have seen the changes there. The development benefits brought by the Martial Arts, Artifact Refining, and Alchemy Pavilions have not yet been manifested. What we Great Xia need now is time.

So when you go to the new settlement, you must be vigilant against external spying. If, when gathering intelligence, you let others trace back and expose everything, then both you and Zhao Hu's seven will lose face. Even if I don't punish you, you seven won't be able to raise your heads in Xia City. Do you understand my meaning?"

Hearing Xia Hong's earnest instructions, Lu Yang's demeanor became more solemn, and he nodded solemnly, "Rest assured, Lord, I will carefully select elites tonight and will act cautiously at Beining Mountain, ensuring no one approaches the hidden passage, nor lets anyone obtain any bit of information regarding Great Xia."

"That's good. I will have Yuwen Dao keep an eye on the new settlement. If you encounter any difficulties, feel free to seek his help."

"Thank you for your concern, Lord, this subordinate understands."

"Alright, you both may go now!"

Upon hearing this, Xia Chuan and Lu Yang respectfully complied and exited the Political Hall together.

Xia Hong stood alone on the platform, slowly turning to look at the Map of the Great Xia at the back, his eyes resting on the upper east side of the Hanqiong settlement.

"Far surpassing Twin Dragon Mountain by tenfold, or even dozens of times, this Moao Mountain is genuinely vast. It seems I should make time to see it in person!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.