Chapter 1228 Girl

The reassignment of Zhu Jun was not a spur-of-the-moment decision by Gu Chengyuan when considering Lu Chong's appointment, but rather a far-sighted consideration based on the overall strategic layout of the war zone in the next stage.

Currently, the core commanders of the First and Third Army Groups have been identified, but the position of the commander of the Second Army Group is still vacant due to the ongoing Night Market Campaign (acting by Commander-in-Chief Wang Tiefeng).

Therefore, Gu Chengyuan's strategic intentions in appointing Zhu Jun as the deputy commander-in-chief of the night market campaign are mainly as follows:

First, it is to further hone Zhu Jun's campaign-level command capabilities and accumulate practical experience in large-scale joint operations.

Secondly, it was to allow him to familiarize himself with and participate in the Second Army Group's combat system, personnel composition, and logistical network in advance.

After this battle, Zhu Jun will officially take command of the Second Army Group and undertake the strategic task of leading the army eastward to recover the entire territory of Xiangzhou.

At the same time, this personnel arrangement will also mark the final transformation of the three main army groups in the Central Plains Theater into independent operational clusters:

The Second Army Group will advance to the Tongren Military Sub-district, with its forces aimed directly at Xiangzhou, undertaking the task of attacking key targets in the eastern strategic direction;

The First Army Group returned to the heart of Ye Province as a strategic reserve and core area defense force, specifically tasked with clearing out all prefectures, states, districts, counties, townships, and villages in Ye Province.

The newly formed Third Army Group is stationed in Chongqing, consolidating the southwestern front while gathering strength to recapture the entire territory of Chongqing!

The three major military groups thus formed a pincer movement, capable of independently carrying out large-scale campaigns and also able to support each other, becoming three iron fists in Gu Chengyuan's hands that could be thrown at different strategic directions at any time.

Considering this, Gu Chengyuan emphasized to Zhou Guihong again:

"Zhu Jun is hereby ordered to have his daily affairs handled by his deputy, and his classes at the Fuxing Military Academy are to be temporarily suspended. Upon receiving this order, he is to immediately report to the night market frontline!"

"My requirement is that he must be fully familiar with and have a basic grasp of the Second Army before the end of the campaign."

"Understood, Commander! I will draft the order immediately!" Zhou Guihong solemnly accepted the order, closed her notebook, and turned to leave quickly.

Watching Zhou Guihong's departing figure, Gu Chengyuan's gaze returned to the window, as if he had pierced through space and seen the magnificent scene of three great steel torrents each guarding their own territory, their military might invincible.

Under his command, this ever-growing war machine is undergoing a new round of strategic upgrades and transformations towards greater efficiency and stronger strike capabilities.

.....

Yucheng, a gathering place for Beibei.

This largest settlement in Chongqing, which was built on the foundation of Beibei District before the apocalypse, established by the former 77th Army Corps and developed by the Chongqing Military Sub-district, now boasts a total number of survivors exceeding one million. It has now been thoroughly marked by the Central Plains War Zone.

The former campus of Yuna University has now become a super-large military base due to the presence of the Chongqing Military Sub-district Office.

The buildings, originally imbued with an academic atmosphere, have been reinforced and renovated. Communication antennas and air defense weapons have been installed on the rooftops, and heavy fortifications and armed sentries stand at the school gate. The fluttering flags of the Central Plains Theater Command and the Chongqing Military Sub-district declare the military nature of this place.

On campus, soldiers in various uniforms hurried about, and large patrol teams armed with guns were distributed in various areas like sophisticated computer programs.

Echoing this is the Yucheng Survivors Management Committee, located on the former site of the Beibei District Government.

This building was also militarized and became the civil administration center of Beibei, fulfilling functions similar to those of a municipal government in the old days.

The entire Beibei settlement has already shown a rare and initial restoration of order and vitality in the end times!

The power system has been initially repaired, and major roads, administrative buildings, military facilities, and some important factories and residential areas can enjoy stable lighting after nightfall.

Although it has not yet recovered to the pre-apocalyptic level, the brief flashes of light at night are enough to dispel the darkness of the apocalypse, bringing great psychological comfort and a real sense of security to the survivors.

During the day, the streets are even more orderly.

However, this order is largely maintained by the ubiquitous and strictly law-abiding military and police of the surveillance bureau.

Most of these military and police members were transferred from the "Yucheng Correctional Team," a well-known early group in Beibei. They had experienced the most brutal phase of order reconstruction and were decisive and resolute.

The officers and key personnel are mostly elite soldiers who retired due to injuries from the elite air assault brigade. They not only bring extremely high military skills, but also inject the discipline and execution of the main force into this law enforcement team.

They wear uniform dark gray duty uniforms, stab-proof vests, helmets and other protective gear, and "inspection" armbands. They usually work in teams of 10, similar to military squads, and are equipped with automatic weapons, riot control equipment and short-range communication equipment. They patrol the streets and alleys of the gathering area with high vigilance.

Despite numerous rectifications and constraints, the enforcement standards of the Supervision Bureau remain extremely high to this day. Unlike the civilized enforcement of the law before the apocalypse, they advocate violent enforcement, and absolutely violent enforcement at that!

Any act of fighting, robbery, or blatant violation of the management regulations issued by the management committee (such as violating the rationing system, damaging public facilities, or spreading panic) will immediately incur their ruthless crackdown!

At best, they would be subdued on the spot and forcibly taken away for "labor re-education"; at worst... the dark red splatter marks on the walls at the street corner that had not been completely cleaned up, and the occasional short and crisp gunshots, were the most direct warnings.

Here, there are no lengthy trial procedures, and wartime regulations grant the Bureau of Supervision significant discretionary power in emergency situations. Efficiency and deterrence are the cornerstones that prevent large-scale unrest in this community of millions.

It is precisely for this reason that the Supervision Bureau is now known by the local people as "the sharpest sword in Chongqing"!

Of course, this title has both positive and negative connotations. Those who are protected usually applaud it, while those with ulterior motives naturally criticize it harshly!

However, the supervisory bureau doesn't care...

It was midday, and people were moving in an orderly fashion within the designated areas on the streets.

Although the survivors' faces still bore the marks of hardship and exhaustion from the apocalypse, their sallow complexions and ill-fitting old clothes indicated that supplies were still scarce, compared to the despair and numbness of the early days of the apocalypse, there was now a faint but real light in their eyes—the basic stability of having enough to eat, and a slight hope for a better tomorrow.

Along the streets, some of the previously dilapidated shopfronts have been simply repaired. Although there are very few items for sale, and most of them are barter stalls, there is at least some of the lively atmosphere of the marketplace.

"Jingle Bell--"

A crisp bicycle bell rang out, and a man in faded overalls rode a bicycle with a cloth bag hanging on the handlebars, from which a few still relatively fresh wild vegetables could be vaguely seen.

The man's name is Li Gensheng. He used to be a worker in a machinery factory on the outskirts of the city. Now, he struggles to support himself and his elderly mother by cultivating a small vegetable garden on the outskirts of the settlement and occasionally doing odd jobs to earn a few meager points.

At this moment, he was carefully protecting the few hard-won wild vegetables on the handlebars, which was a rare "extra meal" for him and his mother tonight.

He habitually scanned his surroundings with a wary gaze, an instinct for survival in the apocalypse.

However, as his gaze swept across the crowded street corner, it involuntarily settled on a figure...

She was a girl who looked very disheveled, wearing an ill-fitting, stained, gray coat, her hair was messy and tangled, and her face was covered in dust.

Even so, it cannot completely conceal a certain indescribable quality about her.

In the somewhat hazy midday light, her skin appeared unusually pale, almost transparent.

The profile lines, faintly visible through her disheveled hair, were so exquisite they seemed otherworldly, as if sculpted from ice and snow by a top artist.

She stood there, her eyes vacant and bewildered, a stark contrast to the crowd around her, whose faces were etched with anxiety or numbness as they struggled to survive.