Nanming Prefecture:
Unlike Liuzhou, which has a sparse population but whose people are gradually calming down, the capital of Jiangnan, with a population of about one million, is now shrouded in a dark cloud. In just five or six days, people's hearts have fallen apart and panic has spread throughout the city. If it weren't for the governor's iron-fisted suppression, chaos would probably have broken out long ago.
At this moment, in the main hall of the prefectural government, several adjutants under the governor were studying the subsequent city defense strategy. Also present were the educational commissioner Mu Hongqing and his apprentices, as well as the Jiangnan Provincial Governor, who was just there for show.
In just five days of defensive fighting, the most elite navy in Jiangnan lost more than half of its strength in the defense of Nanming Prefecture, a truly devastating defeat.
At this moment, everyone in the meeting had a gloomy expression, and the atmosphere was extremely tense.
It's no wonder everyone's morale is low; the situation is just too bleak!
A few days ago, due to the extremely infectious nature of those zombies, in order to preserve their strength, they temporarily retreated to the city and dared not go out to fight in the field. However, they unexpectedly discovered that as their efficiency in killing zombies slowed down, fewer zombies were surging up on the river. By the fourth day, according to Mu Hongqing's observation from high above, no new zombies were coming ashore!
This made them think that the living corpses in the river had been completely drained, and that things had taken a turn for the better!
So, the night before, after much discussion, Zhou Hanyang and the others decided to take the initiative and launch an attack at a cost. They devised numerous strategies, and even with the loss of a third of their soldiers, they managed to wipe out hundreds of thousands of zombies outside the city.
But just when they were excitedly thinking that they had finally made it to a turning point, that night, they were hit with another wave of despair!
That night, a surging tide of living corpses appeared endlessly, numbering at least 500,000, catching the exhausted soldiers completely off guard. If it weren't for a few men's quick reaction and their gritted teeth and determination to hold on, the Nanming would probably have fallen by now!
Although the Nanming has managed to hold out, they now have fewer than ten thousand soldiers left!
"How's the situation outside?" Zhou Hanyang asked Mu Hongqing, who had just returned, his voice slightly hoarse.
"It's very strange. Although we repelled the horde of zombies this time, the number remaining is unprecedented. But for some reason, no new zombies are appearing in the river." Mu Hongqing frowned and said, "I observed all night and I'm quite certain that not a single new one has appeared!"
"Do you think those things could be artificially controlled?" Zhou Hanyang asked, his eyes red.
Mu Hongqing sighed, "That's possible, but if that's the case, then it would be even worse."
Zhou Hanyang took a deep breath and then looked at another military officer. "How are the soldiers who were imprisoned?"
"Same here," the lieutenant shook his head. "Any injury, even a scratch, will become infected. The soldiers locked up are beyond saving!"
Bang!!
The furious man smashed the conference table to pieces, startling the governor so much that he fell to the ground.
Mu Hongqing frowned. "General, the safety of a million people in Nanming Prefecture now rests on your shoulders. You cannot afford to lose your composure!"
"How can we stay calm?" Zhou Hanyang gasped for breath. " The Nanming Prefecture is in complete chaos right now, and I have to send troops to suppress those ignorant civilians. We have no more than six thousand troops available to defend the city gates. If there's another outbreak like yesterday, what will we use to defend it?"
Mu Hongqing sighed. He really wanted to argue that it was only natural for the people to be in such a state of chaos. The governor's methods to quickly stop the spread of infection in the city were far too simplistic and brutal. Anyone who was injured, regardless of age or gender, was hacked to death and burned alive. How could the people endure that?
If the methods had been more gentle and rational, the city wouldn't be in such chaos now.
However, now is not the time to discuss gains and losses. If morale is lost in this situation, then there will truly be no hope!
"I believe that an attack on the scale of yesterday's attack is unlikely to occur."
"Oh?" Zhou Hanyang and the others looked up sharply upon hearing this. "Why?"
"The pattern observed over the past few days shows that the faster we clear out the city, the more new zombies emerge from the river. Conversely, the slower we clear out the city, the fewer zombies there are. Moreover, zombies that have attacked a city once generally won't attack a second time; they'll all scatter into the countryside."
Mu Hongqing took a breath. "Actually, following the general's initial strategy of scorched earth and fortified positions would have allowed us to hold out for longer."
Zhou Hanyang frowned upon hearing this, and after thinking for a while, it seemed that this was indeed the case. However, he added, "Even so, we can't remain in this stalemate. Who can say for sure what other strange things are hidden in the mist over the river? Contacting the imperial court and requesting reinforcements is the right thing to do. Lord Mu, you've observed for several days; have you found a way to get out of that mist?"
Upon hearing this Mu Hongqing shook his head; "That mist is extremely strange, and the illusions within it are incredibly realistic. If this is a magic array, it is truly a creation beyond the heavens."
"Alright, alright, I don't want to hear any of this!" Zhou Hanyang waved his hand. "Just tell me, is there any way?"
"Have!"
"Oh?" Zhou Hanyang's expression immediately changed, and he grinned, "I knew it! Mr. Mu is a genius; he must have a solution!"
The speed at which this person changed their attitude was so fast that the surrounding lieutenants couldn't help but cover their faces, but they were clearly used to their superior's demeanor and said nothing.
Mu Hongqing, not bothering to argue, simply took out a mechanical wooden bird and said, "I discovered that this fog restricts living things from leaving the country, but not inanimate objects. I used this wooden bird to try and contact the nearest Qizhou, and in less than half a day, the officials there actually replied!"
"Oh? Why didn't you say so earlier!" Zhou Hanyang immediately became excited. "How's the situation over there?"
"It's not too bad. The floating corpses caused a lot of chaos, but it wasn't nearly as bad as what we're experiencing. Plus, the prefect of Qizhou is a seasoned and capable official. He reacted quickly, joined forces with the local garrison commander, and implemented a scorched-earth policy, which temporarily stabilized the situation."
"Good, good, good!" Zhou Hanyang rubbed his hands together. "That's good, that's good!"
He feared most that the entire Southern Capital in a situation like that of Nanming Prefecture. After all, other prefectures did not have such tall cities and elite garrisons as Nanming. If he really thought that way, then hundreds of millions of people in Jiangnan would probably be turned into living corpses. No matter how helpless he was, he would probably be unable to escape the blame!
"Since the wooden bird can be released, sir, you should quickly request assistance from the imperial court!"
Upon hearing this, the others also began to urge them on.
Mu Hongqing sighed and said, "First of all, I am not from the Ministry of Works, and to be honest, I am not good at mechanical ingenuity. The wooden bird I make can only fly a limited distance. I can only see if it can transmit messages to the outside world from the shortest distance. And then there is another problem."
"What's the problem?" Zhou Hanyang frowned. "Given the current situation, we're just trying anything, there's no time to worry about anything else. With such a big deal as the blockade of Jiangnan, the imperial court will definitely take action. As long as your wooden bird can fly out of the fog, I believe the court will respond."
"My concern is that the one who replies to our letter might not be the imperial court."
"Huh?" Zhou Hanyang was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
"If this fog is just a formation, that's fine, but if there's something else," Mu Hongqing said quietly, "Could the Admiral possibly discern whether the reply we received was from the imperial court or something else entirely?"
Everyone: "."
--
"Report!!"
Beyond the fog, the imperial army, which had been blockading Jiangnan for six days, remained locked in a stalemate. Several great sorcerers calculated day and night but still could not decipher the patterns within the fog. While Duke of Qin and others remained calm, many of his generals were extremely anxious and requested to enter Jiangnan to provide support.
The Duke of Qin refused all requests from his subordinates, but this stalemate could not continue indefinitely. Just as he was considering some radical measures, good news suddenly arrived.
A wooden bird appeared in the blockade area around the Huai River in Jiangnan. After reading the contents of the letter, the general in charge of the area immediately dispatched soldiers to deliver it over by express courier.
"It's a letter from Mu Hongqing!"
The letter was received by Shen Yinian, the Ministry of War had temporarily come to the rescue. Seeing the familiar handwriting and the unique spell lock of the Yin-Yang Academy, Shen Yinian's brows immediately relaxed. "Your Majesty's insight is brilliant. Mu Hongqing is indeed capable of shouldering great responsibility. We are all struggling with this fog array, yet he was the first to discover the possibility that the array cannot contain living beings. Truly remarkable!"
Upon hearing this, the great sorcerers all nodded in agreement, but the generals on the Duke of Qin's side had strange expressions. After all, everyone knew that Mu Hongqing was the Duke of Duke of Qin son who had been expelled from the family!
"That child has been clever since he was little." The Duke of Qin, however, didn't seem to mind, nodding with a smile, "Your Majesty certainly has a good eye."
"Immediately request assistance from the Ministry of Works to manufacture a batch of temporary wooden messenger birds for intelligence gathering!" Shen Yinian hurriedly ordered.
"Yes!"
"Wait!" Suddenly, the Duke of Qin spoke up to stop him.
"Does Your Excellency have a statement?" Shen Yinian asked curiously.
Having finally established a communication channel, he was very eager to know what the current situation was like for the Shen Family.
"Are you sure this letter was sent by Mu Hongqing?"
"Huh?" Everyone else was taken aback, but Shen Yinian was the first to react. "Does the Duke think it's fake?"
"Uncertain," the Duke of Qin shook his head, "But it's possible. Handwriting and techniques can be imitated. There's definitely something else hidden in the fog. No one can say for sure if he intercepted our letters. If the information is wrong, then this isn't a plea for help, but a trap!"
"Your Excellency is still being cautious!" Shen Yinian nodded, acknowledging that this was indeed a possibility.
"But we can't just give up because of this, can we?" The other generals were also anxious. They had finally found a way to avoid this stalemate, but now it wasn't working.
"No, that's not it. There is someone who can help now," the Duke of Qin said with a smile. "If this fog only targets living things, that person is the most suitable for the current situation. Of course, the premise is that His Majesty is willing to let him leave the capital!"
"Oh?" Everyone was taken aback, but Shen Yinian was the first to react. "Does the Duke mean... Wang Ye, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review?"