Although Li De was anxious, he really couldn't go into the dense forest at this moment.

Dou Yong said, "My old home used to be next to the mountains. Whenever a fire broke out, my grandfather would lead people to put it out. My grandfather told me a lot of measures. No matter what, we can't let the forest fire burn this place down, can we?"

Li De waved his hand: "Forget it, you go and make the arrangements. There's nothing I can do about it."

When it comes to fighting, he will not hesitate to go in, but when it comes to putting out a fire, he only knows the most primitive methods, which are patting and watering.

Dou Yong showed no politeness and began to command the soldiers.

Several soldiers were sent into the forest to investigate and see exactly where the forest fire had spread.

Then have all the soldiers clear a buffer zone on this side of the hillside.

At least when the wildfire reaches this point, it won't spread to the areas behind, so the villages behind won't be burned.

They are at least safe behind the cordon. Otherwise, given the current situation, they only have two options: evacuate or go to the rocky mountain on the other side.

Going to the opposite rocky mountain is unrealistic; the forest in front of it might also catch fire along the way.

Evacuating from the mountains is even worse; the commander might be inside. If they go to a safe area and watch the forest fire burn, even if the commander is safe, their guilt will still be significant.

We can only move forward step by step.

More than two hundred people got to work very quickly.

The isolation zone was completed in one hour.

It still relies on the sparse forests here and the lack of weeds caused by the drought, which makes it much easier to clear them.

Another factor is the village's layout. The village was built in an area with few trees around it. Without artificial isolation, these sparse trees could easily spread together in a fire.

After completing the quarantine, Dou Yong said, "At least for now, we are safe here. We can't possibly leave."

Li De was extremely anxious. In just one hour, he felt his lips burning and had already asked Dou Yong many times.

"Staying here won't save the commander."

Dou Yong rolled his eyes: "Company Commander, actually, staying here is the safest place for us."

"What?"

Li De was shocked: "You're planning this?"

Dou Yong remained calm: "Company Commander, think about it. The forest fire is so big. If the commander were really inside, he would have been killed long ago. The fact that we are here doesn't mean we didn't try to rescue him. It's too dangerous inside, so don't blame us."

Li De was completely enraged.

He thought that Dou Yong's efforts were because he really had a solution.

Unexpectedly, Dou Yong's purpose was not to save the leader.

He kicked Li De to the ground and cursed, "I used to rely on you because you were clever, but I never expected you to be so cunning."

"A true man should always uphold integrity and responsibility when standing between heaven and earth."

"When I joined the army, I swore an oath to serve my superiors to the death."

"Now, you are actually trying to shirk responsibility and avoid danger by not going to rescue them. You are a disloyal and unjust person."

Dou Yong did not expect Li De to be so angry.

Isn't this the best arrangement now?

Are we supposed to throw these two hundred soldiers into the fire?

Dou Yong also admired Shen Xi, but that admiration was not enough to cost him his life.

Li De usually listened to Dou Yong, which made Dou Yong think that he could control Li De, who didn't have much of a brain.

But today, Li De acted completely out of character.

Dou Yong tried to persuade him further, but Li De refused to listen and instead ordered, "Follow me into the woods."

No matter how dangerous the forest was, even if there was only a one in ten thousand chance of saving his commander, he would still go and risk it.

Dou Yong hurriedly called out, "Company Commander, even if we're going, we should take precautions. Kong Ze, go and fetch more water."

Dou Yong realized he couldn't stop them; he couldn't just let them go in like that.

Kong Ze listened to Dou Yong and immediately ordered his men to fetch more water.

Fortunately, there was a newly dug deep well outside the village. The leader ordered people to make a water pump that could quickly supply water. With the help of more than a dozen people, they were able to pump a large amount of water out of the deep well.

The water output is very fast.

Li De couldn't wait any longer and wanted to head straight for the dense forest.

Dou Yong had no choice but to follow, but he soaked himself completely, carried a small bucket of water on his back, and tore off his wet clothes, folded them thickly, and tied them to his face.

Li De was too lazy to pay attention to him anymore.

But Dou Yong instructed Kong Ze: "Wet the company commander's clothes and make a face mask to cover his mouth and nose."

Kong Ze swung a bucket of water at Li De, who immediately cursed, "You little brat, what benefits has Dou Yong given you that you listen to everything he says?"

Kong Ze chuckled, got himself wet, then made a face towel, and also made one for Li De, handing it to him.

Li De finally ordered the soldiers: "Do as Dou Yong says."

They hadn't gone far when the soldiers who had been gathering information returned, bringing with them a motionless person, whose condition was unclear—whether dead or unconscious.

They were all covered in dust and sweat, panting heavily.

What happened?

"It was terrifying. Dozens of people ran out of the fire, and even though we were like fireballs, we still got set on fire."

"Fortunately, they didn't have much strength left, and we shook them off with all our might."

"Company commander, the fire is too big. We can't put it out, and we can't get in."

Li De was startled: "Is it the commander's man or someone else?"

One of the soldiers said, "He's not one of the commander's men."

The guards of Chenxi have special guard uniforms.

Li De felt a little relieved.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!