This is insane!
Zhou Hanyang and Xu Ming exchanged a glance, both feeling insane at Mu Hongqing's audacious suggestion!
Both men were veterans who, while not renowned generals of their time, had led troops for many years, so they naturally understood each other's meaning immediately.
Even if they retreat, those zombies might rush into the city, but they might not dare to harm the city's inhabitants!
Because that would only increase the number of zombies, conflicting with Anguchi's goal of releasing more zombies, it's a method of seeking survival in the face of death!
Didn't you make the zombies commit suicide?
So, I'll let you in. Faced with those civilians, will you kill them or not?
"This... this..." Even Zhou Hanyang, who was usually radical, seemed somewhat hesitant when faced with this suggestion.
This method is too risky!
As the governor of a region, he had the responsibility to defend the territory. Abandoning the countryside could be considered as shrinking the defense line, but abandoning the city would be an inescapable responsibility. If the entire Nanming Prefecture collapsed and all the people were infected, and he himself fled with his soldiers, according to the law, it would be a crime punishable by the execution of his entire family!
"This is the only way!" Mu Hongqing said quickly, observing the situation. "The soldiers just reported that although the new zombies at the riverbank are powerful, they are clearly divided into two groups, fighting fiercely against each other. It seems that the ordinary zombies at the city gate are also divided into two factions. I suspect their goal is to seize Nanyang Prefecture!"
" Nanyang Prefecture is the center of Jiangnan and a crucial hub connecting the capital, the West Sea, and the heart of Jiangnan. Its strategic location is extremely important. The enemy is a demon, but at this scale, the benefits can already be calculated in terms of military strategy. If the zombie forces in the sea are divided into several waves, then for them, who already possess sufficient troops, occupying a favorable geographical location is of paramount importance!"
"The soldiers just reported that the fighting at the shore is fierce. At this point, whoever has more zombies on their side will likely gain the upper hand. Under these circumstances, no one should dare to easily increase their number of low-level zombies!"
The two men were taken aback, looking at Mu Hongqing with puzzled expressions. As the youngest academic administrator, Mu Hongqing was even faster than them, these veteran generals, in military analysis!
"How was that determined?" Xu Ming couldn't help but ask, "Based on the analysis from the past two days, new zombies are only released into the formation when there are fewer zombies outside. How do you determine which faction will be responsible for releasing the new zombies? If I can still grab a spot to reinforce my troops even if you have fewer zombies, then the situation will be different!"
Zhou Hanyang nodded in agreement. "Because if new zombies are released indiscriminately, the side currently in control at the port might choose to massacre civilians to increase the number of zombies and limit the entry of new ones!"
"No." Mu Hongqing shook his head. "If that were the case, the initial fierce offensive wouldn't have come so quickly. If whoever activates the mode of reducing the number of zombies first also gains an advantage over the other side, then it wouldn't be very meaningful. Instead, it's more likely that they would prioritize activating the mutual slaughter mode."
Both of them were somewhat unable to refute this, and they looked at each other, caught in a deep dilemma!
"We can't delay any longer!" Mu Hongqing urged. "If we hesitate any longer, we won't be able to back out even if we want to!"
"If we cancel, where can we go?" Xu Ming asked, frowning.
"Retreat through the west gate!" Mu Hongqing said decisively. "We are different from ordinary civilians. Strong soldiers are the zombies' primary targets. Once the zombies enter the city, they are likely to spare the civilians, but they will definitely not let us go, especially the bloodlines of the Black Dragon Guard. Therefore, we must escape and preserve our strength to find an opportunity to counterattack later!"
Is there any way to fight back?
The two men looked at the vast ocean of zombies outside with bitter smiles. Without the city, this retreat meant they probably would never have another chance to take back Nanming Prefecture!
"General!!" Seeing that the two still hadn't moved, Mu Hongqing urged them again in a stern voice!
"On my command!" Finally, Xu Ming spoke first, "Everyone at the city gate, stay behind with me to cover the retreat. The rest of you, immediately escort Lord Mu Hongqing and the important members of the inner circle of the city out of the west gate!"
"Old Xu, you!!" Zhou Hanyang's eyes widened immediately. "What do you mean by this?"
"One of us must stay," Xu Ming grinned. "Firstly, it's to fulfill our duty to the court. Secondly, if we both leave, how can the descendants left behind to cover the rear be content?"
"But why you?"
"You're younger than me," Xu Ming patted the other's shoulder. "I don't have many years left to live. The bloodline poison will flare up within five years at most. Besides, my sons are already capable of standing on their own. If the Xu Household loses me, His Majesty will be less inclined to target us. But you're different. You have at least twenty more years to live. Not many of your Zhou Household's children are promising. There are two with decent aptitude, but they're still young and need your help."
"I," Zhou Hanyang choked for a long time, but couldn't utter a single tough word.
His Zhou Household was indeed as the other party described: few descendants, only he himself had risen to the position of governor-general among the elders, the highest among the other descendants was Fourth Rank general, and that was a sinecure. The next generation was even more useless. The Zhou Household really couldn't do without him!
"Alright, you're a grown man, stop being so fussy!" Xu Ming turned around and waved his hand, saying, "Don't ruin our family's marriage. Although my youngest son is a bit of a good-for-nothing, he has a gentle personality and is pursuing the imperial examination route. Your daughter won't be mistreated after marrying into the family."
"The bride price is indispensable!!" Zhou Hanyang said through gritted teeth.
"Haha, then you'd better prepare a generous dowry!"
As he spoke, under the setting sun, Xu Ming's somewhat aged figure stood tall and straight. Holding a large sword, he walked towards the horde of zombies. The zombies had clearly understood their plan and suddenly became extremely ferocious. Xu Ming wiped the blood from his face, laughed loudly, and leaped to the front. With a single swing of his half-man-high tiger-mouth sword, he cleaved dozens of zombies in half at the waist. His unparalleled bravery and momentum instantly boosted the morale of those at the front!
Seeing this, Zhou Hanyang's eyes filled with tears, and with his eyes red, he and his personal guards saluted deeply on the spot. Then, without further ado, since the decision had been made, there was no time to procrastinate, otherwise it would be a waste of the opportunity that his comrades had risked their lives for!
"Withdraw!!"
And so, the guards belonging to Zhou Hanyang's faction retreated one after another, escorting the governor and Mu Hongqing back into the city, which in turn aroused the frenzy of the living corpses in the distance!
Meanwhile, the civilians still in the city, hiding in their homes, cautiously peeked through their windows and saw a large number of soldiers retreating towards the west gate. They were so frightened that they rushed into the streets, but they couldn't catch up with the Black Dragon Guard on horseback and those who had activated their bloodline to run.
For a moment, it felt as if the world was collapsing. Nanming Prefecture had experienced the zombie crisis in the city, and no one would want to go through that kind of terror again. But now, the soldiers guarding the city gate had run away!
A group of people chased for miles until they could no longer see even the dust. Then, a large number of civilians collapsed to the ground, wailing and weeping. The soldiers had fled.
They really ran away!
Who can they rely on now?
--
"Quite clever!" In the West Sea, Fifth Master Shen, who was observing the situation in Nanming Prefecture through the eyes of the living corpses, couldn't help but clap his hands in admiration. "This illegitimate son of the Duke of Qin is truly extraordinary! To be able to analyze the situation so quickly and arrive at such a strategy—truly remarkable!!"
"Hmph!" The eldest princess sneered, "He's a talented man, but unfortunately Lu Ming doesn't think much of him. Even if he dotes on his wife, he shouldn't let such an outstanding young man turn against her for the sake of the family!"
"Is it rumored that the Duke of Duke of Qin feels guilty towards his wife, which is why he tolerates her in every way?" Fifth Master Shen asked curiously.
"What utter nonsense about tolerating everything!" The eldest princess sneered. "If he truly loved his wife so much, why did he take concubines? It's not like he lacked offspring. His wife, Lady Xu, gave birth to four outstanding sons for the Lu Household, more than all his concubines combined. His eldest and second sons are also quite accomplished. But so what? Did it slow down his pace of taking concubines? Hypocritical man, lustful by nature. He's in a powerful position, so no one objects to his desire to take concubines, and his wife can't stop him either. Yet he uses this method to show his respect for his wife. It's truly disgusting!"
Fifth Master Shen nodded upon hearing this. "You humans are indeed very complex; you make many simple principles so complicated."
The eldest princess smiled slightly, "Human hearts are complex more often than you think; you'll find out soon enough."
"By the way, how's things in Nanyang City?"
"Not good," Fifth Master Shen shook his head, his expression turning serious.
Sorry for the late post. I slept all day today and was in a daze, only getting up at 5 am. I feel a bit better than yesterday. Thank you for your concern, everyone. I will try my best not to stop updating Mofang, and it seems that I will be almost back to normal by the day after tomorrow at the latest.
Just wanted to point out a bug in the first two chapters. In chapter 183, the author did indeed use the phrase "loyal to the king," but using that term seemed inappropriate. I'll fix it shortly. Thank you all for your support.
The typos from the previous two days have been corrected. Thank you all for your support!