#212 - Chapter 212 Private Meeting of Military Commanders

"What am I supposed to do if you pull out?" Zongzhen Yue asked.

"You can go find Shentu Fu. His territory isn't small either; shouldn't he contribute?" Yan Zhengping pointed out a clear path for Zongzhen Yue.

Zongzhen Yue understood; Yan Zhengping was setting a trap for him.

But he really couldn't ignore it. Even knowing it was a trap, he could only walk into it.

"Old Yan, I think I understand now. This is your real reason for coming, isn't it?" Zongzhen Yue asked, looking at him.

"What nonsense! I came to give you a heads-up, worried that your side would be ravaged by ants," Yan Zhengping firmly denied.

"I believe you like I believe in ghosts!" Zongzhen Yue retorted, continuing:

"I'll arrange several patrol teams in the downstream areas for 24-hour patrols. I can also call on the headquarters' direct regiment at any time. If there are any issues, I'll send people over."

This was the best response Zongzhen Yue could currently manage.

This method could cope when there were fewer ants, but if multiple colonies were crossing the river simultaneously at different locations, the current plan would be insufficient.

However, as things stood, there shouldn't be any major problems.

"Alright. How about this? Call Shentu Fu and Suo Tonghua and have them both come over. They must contribute to this matter as well. Relying on just the two of us isn't enough. We'll each be responsible for a section of the defense zone, striving to keep these mutated ants firmly blocked south of the Yangtze River," Yan Zhengping said.

"Old Yan, have you considered that doing this would create two problems?" Zongzhen Yue frowned.

"Oh? Tell me!" Yan Zhengping looked at him.

"First, we're making such a big commotion without reporting it to the Military and Political Department. If the council investigates, we'll both be in trouble."

"Second, without a reported military action, the Military and Political Department certainly won't approve weapons and ammunition for us. This battle won't be easy! It's purely a war of attrition. How long can we last?"

Zongzhen Yue analyzed.

"Here's what I'm thinking: we'll analyze the specific situation. Isn't Baili Ji trying to be a dictator? Then we'll make the matter big. If the matter is big enough, even if he's the Speaker, he might not be able to suppress it. Justice resides in the hearts of the people; I don't believe all the council members are blind!" Yan Zhengping said righteously.

"That's right! I, Lao Zong, declare that I support you on this matter!" Zongzhen Yue patted his chest and said.

Zongzhen Yue and Suo Tonghua didn't get along, so Yan Zhengping simply took the lead himself. He had already made up his mind that if the council blamed them, he would take full responsibility.

...

The night passed uneventfully. The giant ants remained south of the Changjing Resettlement, without advancing north.

It wasn't until the morning that Shentu Fu and Suo Tonghua arrived at the Southeast Military Region.

"Old Yan, you can't even rest at night. What's the rush in calling us over?" Suo Tonghua shouted as soon as he entered the door.

Shentu Fu always looked serious. After entering the office and sitting down, he didn't say a word.

That was just him: ruthless and not verbose.

"Please, have a seat," Yan Zhengping invited them to sit down.

Suo Tonghua completely ignored Zongzhen Yue.

They didn't really have any grudges; they just couldn't stand each other and were always ready to argue.

"Here's the situation: yesterday afternoon, a large number of giant ants were discovered in Jingmen City, Hanzhong area. The small ones are several centimeters long, and the large ones are over two meters. The number of ants is very large, and they leave nothing untouched wherever they go, eating everything edible. According to my analysis, these ants may continue to spread north," Yan Zhengping said.

"Then why don't you send a few bombers to flatten them all?" Suo Tonghua said.

"It's not that simple. These ants are just the ones we've already discovered; there are certainly more we haven't found yet. Since there's one group, there will naturally be many groups. Before we're fully prepared, rashly attacking those ants isn't a wise choice," Yan Zhengping said.

"Then what do you plan to do?" Suo Tonghua asked.

"Eliminating those ants isn't the most important thing; the most important thing is that these ants must not cross the Yangtze River," Yan Zhengping said, getting to the point.

Suo Tonghua stopped talking and quietly pondered.

Shentu Fu twirled the prayer beads in his hand, seemingly also thinking.

"You're right; these ants must not cross the river! Even if a single ant crosses the Yangtze River, it would be a huge threat to the entire Hua Nation," Suo Tonghua was the first to state his position.

"That's right!" Shentu Fu said two words.

"Now that everyone agrees, let's discuss how to handle this matter," Yan Zhengping said.

"Wait, why didn't you go to Baili Ji about this?" Suo Tonghua asked.

He knew that Yan Zhengping and Baili Ji were old comrades-in-arms and that the two had always been close. He should have gone directly to him at this time.

"I did, but he doesn't approve of doing it this way," Yan Zhengping said.

"This..." Suo Tonghua hadn't expected that.

Shentu Fu also frowned.

The severity of this matter could be understood with a little thought. No one had anticipated that Baili Ji would have such an attitude.