Prince Qing nodded in agreement and said in a cold voice:
"It must be so."
"The traitors are delusional to try to invade Nanze, which means they are making enemies of everyone in the city."
"We will never let him succeed; he doesn't have the ability to unify the world!"
Jin Fengluan's expression was cold as she pursed her lips and said, "Besides conscripting civilians into the army, the defensive fortifications at the city gate must also be completed, and all usable weapons must be prepared! When he comes to attack, let him taste his power!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Alright, you may leave now. Once you receive news from Pingwu, have him come to report immediately!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, I shall take my leave." Prince Qing bowed and withdrew.
After leaving the palace, Prince Qing boarded a carriage and headed to the Shenji Camp's garrison. Although he had previously sent 10,000 Shenji Camp soldiers to be handed over to Kim Jeong-hee, there were still 20,000 Shenji Camp soldiers in Nanze.
Prince Qing decided to unleash the full potential of this last trump card.
Before long, after arriving at the military camp, Prince Qing entered his tent.
"Well? Have you collected all the kerosene?" Prince Qing asked the officer of the Divine Machine Battalion with his back turned.
"Your Highness, the army has had all the oil prepared. I also sent people to search for it among the people, but most cities have fallen, so we can only search in Nanze. I don't think there will be much left," General Jin Fangdao replied in a deep voice.
"Find me as many as you can, no matter how many."
"Yes, Your Highness... But why wasn't all this kerosene sent to the city gate? Logically speaking, that's where the kerosene would be most needed to defend against the rebels when they attack," Jin Fangdao asked, frowning in confusion.
As soon as he finished speaking, Prince Qing turned to look at him, his expression particularly cold and stern.
"Are you teaching me?" he asked, squinting.
"I wouldn't dare." Jin Fangdao's expression changed, and he quickly lowered his head.
"Then do your job well. You can take the troops to the outer city now. The fortifications on the city walls still need your supervision." Prince Qing walked out.
"Yes, Your Highness."
——
It was afternoon.
Inner city of Nanze.
"No way, sir? Someone like me can go into battle and fight the enemy?"
On the street, a thin man, no more than six feet tall, looked terrified and kept backing away as he watched the soldiers walking towards him.
“Everything has a beginning. If you don’t know how, you can learn.” The young soldier in the lead raised his chin slightly, his eyes cold.
"Learn? This...this won't do, I don't know how to do this, I've never killed anyone." The thin man's sallow face was full of fear, and he stood helplessly on the ground.
"Once you've been on the battlefield, you'll know everything. Killing doesn't really need to be taught."
"Besides, with the country in crisis, can you just sit idly by?" The soldier stepped forward and grabbed his arm.
With his hands firmly held, the thin man grew even more terrified: "I have an elderly father to support and a young child to raise. I really cannot go to the battlefield. Please, sir, have mercy and let me go."
Upon hearing this, the soldier paused, a thoughtful expression on his face, and then asked, "How old is your father? And how old is your son?"
The thin man immediately said:
"My father is fifty-eight years old, and my son is just a child."
"Oh." The soldier nodded slightly.
The thin man breathed a sigh of relief and quickly bowed, saying, "Thank you for your understanding, sir."
"Your son is indeed not up to par."
“But your father should also join the army, so you two can go together,” the soldier said abruptly.
As soon as he finished speaking, the thin man's face froze, his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Sir...Sir...Are you joking?"
A crisp "snap" sounded!
"I don't have time to joke with you!" The young soldier said fiercely, slapping the skinny man hard across the face. If he hadn't been holding the skinny man's hand, the slap would have sent him sprawling to the ground.
Even so, blood still seeped from the corner of the skinny man's mouth. He covered his red cheek and looked at the soldier with a horrified expression.
Immediately afterwards, he suddenly howled:
"This is outrageous! This is outrageous!"
The young soldier was enraged by the howl and was about to slap the man again, but before he could swing his hand, his comrade stopped him.
"Hey buddy, stop yelling."
"As you know, the rebels are marching towards us. If Nanze falls to the rebels, who won't suffer?"
“If you don’t fight the rebels, and I don’t fight the rebels, then who will guard Nanze? Are we just going to let them slaughter us?” The slightly older soldier looked at the thin man with a kind smile.
The skinny man looked at him with a mixture of anger and fear and said:
"So you're just going to drag them into the army without any distinction of right and wrong?!"
"That doesn't make sense!"
The young soldier grew even angrier upon hearing this, shouting, "You country bumpkin! What do you know! Without a country, there is no home! If the Great Campaign ends, what use are you guarding your little plot of land!"
"If you continue to resist, I will treat you as..."
Before he could finish speaking, the older soldier interrupted him, still looking at the thin man with a kind expression, and said:
"Brother, don't make things difficult for us."
"This is His Majesty's order. Now is a time of great crisis for Dagan. As citizens of Dagan, everyone should do their part. You cannot back down at this time."
These gentle words went unheard by the thin man; on the contrary, he retorted:
"When Qin Ze rebelled and captured so many cities, I never heard of him forcing people to go to the battlefield."
"Who are you people? You're government soldiers who receive salaries from the imperial court! How come... you seem even less capable than those rebels!"
Upon hearing this, not only the young soldiers but even the older soldiers changed their expressions.
"Brother, don't get carried away with your words, it won't do you any good." The older soldier's face darkened.
Upon hearing this, the skinny man sat down on the ground with a thud, causing the soldier holding his hand to stumble as well.
"I'm not going!"
"I'm a farmer!"
The older soldier, his face as cold as ice, looked at him and said in a chilling tone:
"So, you're saying you're not even concerned about the big picture anymore? You're only thinking about your little family?"
Seeing the soldiers' grim faces, the thin man, though frightened, couldn't care less at this moment and immediately sat down on the ground and howled:
"What do you mean by 'big family' and 'small family'? I don't know."
"I didn't abandon the big project; I'm just a farmer."
“I haven’t enjoyed a single day of happiness. I’m always working in the fields, and when I get home I have to take care of my father and son. I can’t manage those important matters, and I can’t even manage my own family affairs.”
"Hmph, you don't want to go and die? Once the rebels storm the city, your whole family will die!" the older soldier said coldly.
As these words fell, the thin man's body went limp, and he cried out in despair:
"My God... I'm going to die either way..."
"If we defeat them, we won't have to die. As long as you all obey His Majesty's orders, accept the summons, and fight alongside us, there's no reason for us to lose."
“Once the rebels are suppressed, you will all be heroes, and you will surely be rewarded with official titles and ranks in the future.” The older soldier stepped forward and pulled the thin man up from the ground.
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