Most of a person's life was filled with multiple choice questions.
But there would always be a few moments, a few seconds, or a few moments where you would have no other choice in life.
Just like the Kyung Clan. At this moment, Qing Zhen knew that this huge organization was sinking into the darkness like the setting sun. But he had no other choice.
But when there was only one path left in front of you, you would no longer hesitate or feel indecisive.
Because there was nothing else you could do other than move forward.
Inside Ginkgo Manor, Zhou Qi asked, "Since you've already made up your mind, when are we leaving? We'll have to leave sooner or later anyway, so why don't we leave earlier? What are you waiting for? "
"It's not that I'm waiting for anything." Qing Zhen suddenly laughed. "It's that we can't leave right now. Zero won't let me."
Zhou Qi raised his eyebrows. "It hasn't even reached this place yet. If we want to retreat to the Northwest, what right does it have to stop us?"
"I've already said that you can't rely on luck when going against the AI." Qing Zhen said, "When y 'all went to the Central Plains, a monster ran out of the Jing Mountains and headed north to stop Ren Xiaosu. I don't think Ren Xiaosu could kill it. But after y' all returned, that monster never appeared again. No one knows where it is now."
Moreover, the vicinity of Ginkgo Manor had already been monitored by countless falcons. Qing Zhen's every move could not escape their eyes.
Qing Zhen did not intend to care about it either because it was meaningless.
Zhou Qi curled his lips. "If we don't leave now, won't it be even more difficult for us to leave in the future? In any case, I won't care about y 'all when the time comes. If disaster really strikes, I'll just dive into the river. "
Qing Zhen said, "Don't worry, I already reached an agreement with the Northwest a year ago."
Luo Lan was taken aback. "A year ago? Wasn't that when Zhou Qi and I went to the Northwest? You didn't go with us at that time either. The two of us represented the Kyung Clan and only talked about trade. We didn't mention anything else … Wait a minute, did that girl represent you to talk to Zhang Jinglin? "
Qing Zhen said no more.
A year ago, in order to connect the Kyung Clan with the Northwest Railway, Luo Lan and Zhou Qi had sent a girl to the Northwest Railway as a hostage.
At that time, Luo Lan had told Xu Xianchu that this was the girl that Qing Zhen liked. Zhou Qi had been curious as to why he had never heard of this before.
In fact, Luo Lan wasn't too clear about this matter. The information he knew was all told by Qing Zhen.
Before sending the girl to the Northwest, Luo Lan had only seen the girl twice. He had never paid much attention to this matter, so much so that he had almost forgotten about the existence of such a person in the past year.
Now, it seemed that the girl's purpose in going to the Northwest was not so simple.
This year seemed to coincide with the time when Stronghold 61 dug the underground tunnel. In other words, Qing Zhen was already fully prepared to deal with the artificial intelligence at that time.
…
At the rear of the Tri-Mountain Defense Line, Qing Yi frowned as he stood next to a huge sand table.
The sand table this time was a little different from the ones he had seen before. The red flags represented the deployment of the Kyung Clan's troops, while the blue flags represented the imaginary enemy forces.
In the past, the Kyung Clan's sand table would always have more red flags on their side, which made it look very oppressive.
But this time, the blue flags representing the enemy's forces had almost covered the entire area outside the Tri-Mountain Defense Line.
Qing Yi was a little tired from fighting this battle because they knew nothing about the enemy.
When fighting the Li Consortium and the Yang Clan, Qing Yi knew exactly how to fight them. He also knew their weaknesses and strengths.
But fighting against the artificial intelligence-controlled army made Qing Yi feel a sense of powerlessness. It seemed like all his efforts were just for the sake of not losing too badly.
However, whenever Qing Yi looked at the reports from the various fighting forces, he would always be amazed.
The powerful micro control displayed by the artificial intelligence on the battlefield was something that humans could never hope to achieve. The enemy did not use any strange tactics or even any underhanded methods. They were completely open and aboveboard as they nibbled away at the Kyung Clan troops bit by bit.
Qing Yi had thought that the enemy would control the elderly and children to charge into the fray and even make them cry so that they could break through the psychological defenses of the Kyung Clan soldiers.
No matter how cold-hearted a normal soldier was, they would still be soft-hearted when they saw the elderly and children crying for help as they rushed towards them.
But the enemy did not use such methods. Instead, they used their powerful computing abilities to seize more than 40 positions at the Tri-Mountain Defense Line in a single day.
This kind of commanding ability made Qing Yi feel that the enemy's fighting style had a strange sense of beauty when he examined the sand table.
The power of the 152-mm howitzer on the battlefield was terrifying, but the enemy was not even afraid of its firepower.
Qing Yi suddenly remembered what Qing Zhen had said: "When humans and artificial intelligence play Go, the ability displayed by the other party is something you would never have dared to imagine. When you review the game, you will be amazed that Go can be played this way."
Now, Qing Yi was amazed that wars could be played this way.
Qing Yi had lived in the barracks with his uncle since he was a child. He liked the army and liked to learn about military affairs.
In the past, Qing Zhen had asked him what his dream was, and Qing Yi had said that he wanted to be a famous general.
At that time, Qing Zhen had said with a smile that he would help him realize this wish.
Later, after Qing Zhen became the Patriarch of the Kyung Clan, he fulfilled his promise.
Qing Yi's talent for commanding was outstanding. Even if he had three army corps under his command, he could still manage them in an orderly manner.
When the Li Clan and the Yang Clan were reaped, Qing Zhen did not take any action. It was all up to Qing Yi. In the end, the war in the southwest still ended perfectly.
But Qing Yi knew his own shortcomings. His ability might be more reflected in managing the details of military affairs and not in the game of chess on the battlefield.
He did not have Zhang Jinglin's ability to move the hearts of the people, nor did he have Qing Zhen's foresight and foresight, nor did he have Wang Shengzhi's strategy.
As time passed, he slowly understood that he would never be able to become a famous general in this lifetime.
On the stage of this era, he was destined to only be a supporting character.
Just like life, after growing up through the seasons, youths had to understand that youth, sweat, and hot-bloodedness might not necessarily be able to exchange for the dreams they yearned for the most.
But so what? Qing Yi smiled and said to the confidential secretary beside him, "Call the Chief of Staff over. I want to come up with a new battle plan. This time, we're going to give up on Position 171."
Although they would lose in the end, before losing this war, Qing Yi wanted to use everything he had seen and learned to their fullest potential.
…
The evacuation plan in the Northwest went relatively smoothly. Wang Yuexi divided the evacuees into six batches and left one after another. This way, the pressure on the supply depot would not be as great, and the evacuees would also be more emotionally stable.
In the direction of the passageway, Wang Yun calculated that one person would pass through every 2.7 seconds. This orderly speed was in line with their plan.
If there were no other accidents, the evacuation of Stronghold 144 would probably be completed within three days.
Originally, it would take longer to pass through the passageway with the passageway. However, many people gave up on using the passageway with the passageway with their families and embarked on the road of evacuation.
Some people even wanted to donate their vehicles because they heard that the 6th Field Division would still have to stay behind to fight the enemy and that there would not be enough vehicles.
In response, Zhang Xiaoman rejected all of them. After all, vehicles were not of much help to the war effort, and there were not many of them either.
In this day and age, there were not many people who could own a car.
At this moment, Wang Fugui was in a small tavern, hosting a banquet for the big businessmen of the Southwest Chamber of Commerce.
This was still the small tavern where Wang Fugui had asked everyone to help with the irrigation works. However, the owner and employees of this small tavern had all left Stronghold 144 in the second batch of evacuees.
Wang Fugui was dressed in plain clothes as he personally cut up the mutton and lamb chops. Then he threw them into the pot along with the onions, ginger, garlic, and other seasonings as he waited for the mutton to slowly simmer.
He placed the boning knife on the chopping board and wiped the blood off his hands with a smile. "Everyone, we'll be evacuating with the third batch after this meal. The next time we meet will probably be in Fortress 178. I've already spoken to Young Marshal. Please rest assured that even in the midst of war, your assets will be guaranteed. I've also spoken to the black market. "
The expressions of the big businessmen eased up a little. In troubled times, the rich were naturally most worried about their assets.
Although Fortress 178 had never confiscated property for no reason, the other consortiums had done so before. So everyone was very worried at this moment.
But with Wang Fugui's guarantee, they were willing to trust the Young Marshal this once.
Of course, there was nothing they could do even if they did not trust him.
Ever since Wang Fugui gave them a warning, these big shots of the business world had all become extremely obedient. When the Young Marshal went to inspect the river embankments and irrigation works, they wished they could personally carry sandbags to the river embankments to show their loyalty.
In fact, once their loyalty was in place, the benefits that Wang Fugui would distribute to them would naturally also be in place.
This time, Wang Fugui was slaughtering sheep and boning them, but everyone was no longer as nervous as before. Instead, someone took the initiative to ask, "President Wang, just tell us what you want. We won't be stingy with anything we have on hand."
After Wang Fugui wiped his hands clean, he sat down in his seat of honor. Then he sighed with a frown. "Everyone should also know that my relationship with the Young Marshal is not something the average person can compare to. I'm his manager, and he's my boss. If the boss is suffering, it's only natural that I share his worries as his manager. "
The small restaurant fell silent except for Wang Fugui's voice. "Everyone, we're retreating this time, but do you know that the 6th Field Division will still be staying behind to fight? Everyone will definitely be protected by the Northwest Army if they can retreat smoothly. Let me say this on my conscience: Has the Northwest Army ever mistreated anyone before? Has the Northwest Army ever exploited anyone before? Has the Northwest Army ever done its duty? "
The businessmen looked at each other. One of the older ones said, "Brother Wang, we all understand what you're saying. It's indeed all thanks to the Northwest Army that we've been able to live such a good life these past two years."
"Mhm." Wang Fugui said, "It's good that everyone understands this principle."
"What kind of support does Brother Wang need us to provide?"
"Cars." Wang Fugui narrowed his eyes and said, "Now that we're at war, we naturally can't use the trucks that were originally used to travel to and from the Central Plains anymore. However, there's no use for these trucks either. Why don't everyone donate these trucks for the Northwest Army to use?"
The businessmen were shocked. For a business like theirs that relied on goods, trucks were their lifeblood.
Only with trucks would there be goods. It could even be said that you could only get people to work for you if you had trucks in your hands.
But now, Wang Fugui was being too ruthless. He actually wanted to take away all of these trucks the moment he opened his mouth.
Seeing that everyone was a little hesitant, Wang Fugui picked up his teacup and took a sip. He said, "This time, I don't have any benefits that I can give to everyone. It's just that now that the war has broken out, what kind of business do you have left? You can't just enjoy the good policies of the Northwest all day long and not want to do anything for the Northwest in the end. How can there be such a good thing in the world? I'm here to discuss this with everyone. After the war, I, Wang Fugui, will naturally inform the Young Marshal about this. Young Marshal is not a heartless person, so he won't mistreat everyone. "
Someone said hesitantly, "But …"
Wang Fugui put his teacup down on the table and gradually calmed down. "There are no buts. I was the one who helped you deal with the oppression of the laborers. When you wanted to obtain the land for approval, the Northwest Army happily supported you. Now, I'll need everyone's help with this small matter. The Northwest Army will pay for everyone's expenses. "
"We're asking for payment in gold," a businessman said.
Wang Fugui shook his head. "You don't trust the Northwest Army. We don't have any gold, only the Northwest currency issued by Fortress 178's bank."
As they spoke, a crowd of people gathered outside the restaurant's windows. Everyone could clearly see groups of soldiers surrounding the restaurant.
Wang Fugui said, "It's a blessing in disguise. What do you think, everyone?"
The older businessman hurriedly said with a smile, "Of course we're willing to fully support the Northwest Army. President Wang, you can just set the rules."
Wang Fugui nodded and walked outside. "Then I won't stand on ceremony. Fish the lamb out from the pot yourself. I still have something to do, so I'll be leaving first."
Right now, everyone was racing against time. Wang Fugui did not have the time to waste with these big businessmen. The vehicles had to be taken away because the 6th Field Infantry Division was in urgent need of them.
Wang Fugui also knew his reputation would probably be tarnished after he threatened everyone today. But there were some things that someone had to do.
Tarnishing his reputation was better than tarnishing Xiaosu's.
These big businessmen had several hundred transport trucks in their possession, which was more than enough to solve the urgent needs of the 6th Field Infantry Division.
There were already vehicles waiting outside the door. Wang Fugui said to an officer under Zhang Xiaoman, "Don't let them leave this place before we get all the vehicles. Hand over all the diesel and gasoline they've stockpiled as well. The lamb is good stuff, so let them eat more of it. "
"Mhm, don't worry," the officer replied.
President Wang of the Northwest Chamber of Commerce was a trusted aide of the Young Marshal. This was something everyone knew.
Although Wang Fugui had never interfered with the military's affairs and had never crossed the line, it did not mean his words held no weight in the military.
The car carrying Wang Fugui left, leaving only the dozen or so businessmen in the small restaurant looking at each other in dismay. On the stove not far away, in the big iron pot of mutton soup, the soup was bubbling.
Inside Stronghold 144, several convoys were driving towards the stronghold's west gate. Ren Xiaosu was among them.
The dozens of people gathered at the west gate and waited quietly until another convoy from Fortress 178 appeared on the horizon in the Northwest.
Big Bluff said to Ren Xiaosu, "Yesterday, the commander even praised us for arranging the evacuation in an orderly manner. When he sees you later, he'll definitely praise you."
Ren Xiaosu said, "Why did Mr. Zhang come to Stronghold 144 today?"
"I'm not sure. Even Wang Fengyuan doesn't know." Big Bluff shook his head.
Ren Xiaosu was a little puzzled. They only needed to retreat step by step here. Logically speaking, there was no need for Zhang Jinglin to come over.
A few minutes later, the convoy quickly arrived at the west gate. After Zhang Jinglin got out of the vehicle, he said to Ren Xiaosu, "Come with me. I have something to discuss with you."
With that, Zhang Jinglin walked to the side. Other than Ren Xiaosu, no one else followed him.
When the two of them walked to a remote area, Zhang Jinglin said, "I won't be going into the stronghold. I'm just here to tell you something."
"What is it that you have to tell me face to face?" Ren Xiaosu wondered. "The communications in the Northwest are still open."
Zhang Jinglin smiled. "Of course it's necessary. Do you know that Luo Lan and Zhou Qi once sent a girl to the Northwest?"
Ren Xiaosu nodded. "I later heard from Big Bluff that she was a hostage sent by the Kyung Clan, and y 'all are protecting her."
"Being a hostage was a lie. It's true that we wanted to secretly reach an agreement." Zhang Jinglin said, "A year ago, I made an agreement with Qing Zhen. If the Wang Clan's artificial intelligence becomes a disaster one day, the Northwest will have to take in the Kyung Clan and help Qing Zhen and the others evacuate from the Southwest."
Ren Xiaosu was stunned. He did not expect it to be something like this.
Big Bluff and the others had never mentioned it before. It seemed that even Big Bluff did not know about it.
Zhang Jinglin continued, "Since then, Fortress 178 has joined forces with the Kyung Clan to carry out a plan. Over the next year, more than 300 Kyung Clan's secretive researchers have come to the Northwest to work hard on this plan. Now that everything is within Qing Zhen's expectations, I hope you can make a trip to the Southwest and help him retreat to the Northwest. "
"Help Qing Zhen retreat to the Northwest?" Ren Xiaosu did some mental calculations before shaking his head and saying, "No, it'll take at least three days to help Qing Zhen back and forth. And this doesn't even take into account the dangers they might encounter along the way. Since he made such an agreement with you, Mr. Zhang, he must have predicted danger. If I go to the Southwest at this time, what will happen to the 6th Field Division? I can't go. Although I treat Qing Zhen and Luo Lan as friends, they're not in imminent danger right now. At times like this, I need to be with my soldiers. "
Although they were friends on the other side, the responsibility for the 6th Field Division here was on Ren Xiaosu's shoulders. Luo Lan was a friend, and so were Zhang Xiaoman and the others.
Everyone trusted Ren Xiaosu and the Young Marshal to lead them out of this alive. But in the end, Ren Xiaosu was going to abandon them to save someone else?
Although P5092 had said Ren Xiaosu could not join the 6th Field Division in guerrilla warfare this time, he could at least save them in an emergency, right?
If they really could not beat the enemy, they could at least save some of the soldiers by bringing in a behemoth like Midnight, right?
Furthermore, Ren Xiaosu had promised Zhao Wankun and the other soldiers who had activated the key gate that he would defend Stronghold 144 until the last moment and bring everyone out of here.
Perhaps the Northwest would still lose after all their efforts, but these promises could not be broken.
But at this moment, Zhang Xiaoman, who was standing at the city gate, suddenly ran out. "Young Marshal! Young Marshal! A few people ran out of the key gate that was activated on the snowy mountain. They're saying they want to see you now! "
Ren Xiaosu was puzzled. He asked from afar, "Who are they? Do I know them?"
"You know them?" Zhang Xiaoman roared, "They're the former Knight of the Qinghe Group."
This really confused Ren Xiaosu. Didn't the Knight say they were going to climb the highest mountain in the world?
Could it be that Zhao Wankun's key gate had been activated on that snowy mountain?!
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