#142 - Chapter 142 Zong Zhengyue's Dilemma
The heavy news dropped by the envoy stunned the man.
"If that's the case, then I have no choice but to take a gamble!" The man made up his mind.
"Okay, next you will…" The envoy whispered the upcoming plans.
…
May 25, 2055 AD, morning.
Yusu Province, Kunfeng City, Southeast Military Region Headquarters.
"Report!"
"Enter!"
"Reporting, Commander! People from the Huailing Settlement have arrived."
"Oh? Did they say what it was about?"
"They said they have an emergency that must be reported to the Commander in person."
"Alright, then please have them go to the conference room."
Conference room.
"What can I do for you all?" Zongzhen Yue asked.
"Commander Zong, Mayor Rong of Huaizhou City sent us here to report a very important matter," said a middle-aged man with severe hair loss anxiously.
"Oh, please speak," Zongzhen Yue said.
"Last night, a large number of zombies surrounded our Huailing Settlement," the balding man said.
"Oh? What about casualties?" Zongzhen Yue frowned.
"No casualties," the man replied.
"No casualties? Then you…?" Zongzhen Yue was completely confused.
"It's like this, Commander Zong. After those zombies arrived, they didn't attack. They just stood outside the city. By three or four in the morning, they had all left," the man added.
"Didn't attack, and then left?" Zongzhen Yue looked disbelieving.
"That's right, we saw it with our own eyes. Zombies were everywhere, probably hundreds of thousands of them."
"Then what are you here for today?" Zongzhen Yue asked.
"Mayor Rong feels that this situation is very abnormal and would like to ask Commander Zong for assistance."
"How about this, you go back first. I will send people to investigate the specific situation, and we will discuss it after we have results," Zongzhen Yue prevaricated.
At the current stage, this kind of thing is the most difficult to handle.
Logically speaking, the council has completely delegated authority to each settlement. Then each settlement should be responsible for its own security.
However, the army has the responsibility to maintain stability in the region. It would be fine if the settlements didn't actively seek help, everyone would be busy with their own affairs and not interfere with each other. But once they actively come to ask for help, not sending troops would chill the hearts of the people.
But sending troops also has its difficulties. Currently, the number of combat suits equipped by the troops is not large. Once they are sent out, the military headquarters will face great risks.
Therefore, Zongzhen Yue was also in a dilemma.
The painful lesson of supporting the Matang Settlement last time was still vivid in his mind, and Zongzhen Yue was even less likely to send soldiers without combat suits to support the settlement.
"Commander Zong, please hurry! If those zombies come again tonight, the settlement won't be able to hold out," the balding man said anxiously.
"Okay, don't worry, I will arrange it as soon as possible," Zongzhen Yue replied perfunctorily.
"Then we'll have to trouble Commander Zong, we'll leave first."
After the people left, Zongzhen Yue had a headache.
He immediately arranged for a team of soldiers to go to Huaizhou City to investigate the situation.
Afterwards, he took out his phone and called Yan Zhengping.
"Old Yan, settlements are coming to us for help, how do you handle it on your side?" Zongzhen Yue asked directly.
"Explain the situation, unable to send troops," Yan Zhengping replied.
"Doing this will chill the hearts of the people," Zongzhen Yue said.
"Let me tell you, I get angry whenever I mention this matter. A few months ago, Fangfang led people to support a village and captured a group of bandits. Guess what happened in the end?" Yan Zhengping asked.
"What happened?" Zongzhen Yue asked curiously.
"There was actually a Red Cloak Society spy among them! Damn it, they directly exposed the location of our military headquarters!" Yan Zhengping said angrily.
"Was that the time the zombies besieged your military headquarters?" Zongzhen Yue remembered.
"That's the one. They even used a feint attack and deceived us. We were almost successfully attacked! Alas! That night, more than a thousand excellent commanders and fighters sacrificed their lives!" Yan Zhengping said with a sigh and regret.
"But in the settlements, there are still hundreds of thousands of unarmed civilians!" Zongzhen Yue understood what Yan Zhengping meant, but he was still very troubled.
"Old Zong, you're just too soft-hearted! If every settlement goes to you for help, and you send all the soldiers out, you'll be harming them. If you really fall for the enemy's trick, I'm telling you, it will be too late for regrets! Not only will you not be able to save anyone, but you will put the entire Southeast Military Region and the Central Military Region in a situation of eternal doom! You must think carefully!" Yan Zhengping said sternly.
Because the Southeast Military Region is currently also responsible for the peacekeeping mission in a large part of the Central Military Region, Zongzhen Yue's forces are relatively dispersed.
Zongzhen Yue broke out in a cold sweat after hearing this sentence.
"I almost made a big mistake!" Zongzhen Yue reacted.
"Then are you saying we should just let this matter go cold?" Zongzhen Yue seemed to be asking for advice.
"Old Zong, if it really doesn't work, you should just quit being the Commander-in-Chief of the Southeast Military Region and give way to someone more capable! Your thinking is very dangerous and will harm everyone sooner or later!" Yan Zhengping was not polite at all and did not give Zongzhen Yue any face.
"What are you saying!" Zongzhen Yue complained.
"Think about the 20,000 soldiers who supported the Matang Settlement before! Now it seems that it is mostly your responsibility!" Yan Zhengping continued to say harsh words.
He said this for the safety of hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the Southeast Military Region, and also for the sake of the many settlements and people in the Southeast Military Region and the Central Military Region.
