In the Ice Abyss World, strength ultimately matters most.
Although Xia Hong didn’t initially require the Directors of the Six Ministries to be stronger than others, they certainly couldn’t lag too far behind.
Including Peng Bo and Chen Yingyuan, among others, the Great Xia has already surpassed twenty at the Cold Resistance Level, and with this wave of territorial expansion and strength increase, more Cold Resistance Levels are bound to appear.
If these three don’t achieve a breakthrough soon, it’s hard to ensure that others won’t voice any complaints.
The three of them clearly caught the underlying tone in Xia Hong’s words, showing a hint of guilt on their faces. Ultimately, it was Mu Dong who spoke up:
"Leader, we are not lacking in Beast Blood, but ever since the minister transferred a large number of troops to Longyou, we are also aware that the camp is in need of people. Therefore, we tried to reserve such crucial cultivation resources as Beast Blood for those closer to a breakthrough."
Upon hearing this, Xia Hong recalled when Qiu Peng mentioned the increase in Beast Meat prices back in Wushuang and understood immediately.
A large number of hunting teams have gone to Longyou, and the Beast Meat supply has begun to tighten, let alone the Beast Blood. All 32 Intermediate Hunting Teams have gone to Longyou. I estimate that the Camp Supply Department hasn’t even received any Beast Blood, relying entirely on stockpiles.
Other ordinary people have noticed the issue with the Beast Meat supply and started hoarding. Senior officials and those with higher cultivation like Mu Dong and Cheng Feng in the camp clearly have a much longer-term vision, knowing they are far from a breakthrough, thus allowing others who are closer to have priority access to resources.
From the tightening on resources like Beast Meat and Beast Blood, it’s clear that the Longyou warfare has significantly impacted the normal life here in Xia City.
No, it’s not just the Longyou warfare; any large-scale external warfare Great Xia engages in will severely affect normal living conditions in the future.
To change that, there’s only one solution.
"Establish a formal army that can disengage at any time!"
Images of the Blood Guard Army and the Longyou Army’s grand formations flashed through Xia Hong’s mind. His eyes showed a slight longing as his expression once again turned somber.
First, the strength has surpassed the limit of thirty thousand pounds;
Second, each person has a set of hundred-forged weapons and armor, along with a thirty-stone bow;
Judging by the soldiers’ selection criteria in these two armies, Great Xia definitely can’t achieve that.
Even without delving deeply, Xia Hong could roughly infer that there aren’t likely more than two hundred in the Great Xia who have reached the thirty-thousand-pound limit in the Earth-digging Realm.
Moreover, all these people are hunting team leaders. Gathering them to form an army would undoubtedly have great combat power, but it would hugely impact the lower-tier hunting teams.
"The most ideal state is still to let them grow together, using hunting teams as the foundational units and forming a grand army with multiple teams. This would not only save significant integration time but also not affect their combat strength."
The battle in Wushuang where only 23 people died is the best evidence supporting Xia Hong’s idea.
"Time, still need time, hopefully, Longyou can remain calm for a bit longer, and Zhaoyang and Long Mountain won’t cause me any more trouble!"
It’s not just time; resources must also keep up, especially Beast Meat and Beast Blood.
"Qiu Peng has already started screening personnel; you all should go help!"
Xia Hong noticed the movement of personnel below, knowing that Qiu Peng had begun using the Cold Ruins Tripod for the screening, and immediately dismissed Mu Dong and the other two, then sat alone in a chair, continually contemplating how to quickly improve his strength.
"Those 1800 people are about to return from Longyou soon. The Beast Meat prices must be restored, and resources like the Martial Arts Hall, Dan Medicine, salt, and wine... must be prioritized for the Earth-digging Realm, and some near-breakthrough Logging Realms, to rapidly enhance the number and quality of the camp’s backbone layer. Once the army is established sooner, Longyou can be secured one day earlier!"