The young general's eyes reddened with self-mockery. Men don't easily shed tears, but now he felt as if he had been fed shit: "Fine, fine! I was blind, it was me, I blame myself for misjudging people."
“I thought you were responsible and wouldn’t joke about the lives of 130,000 soldiers, so I trusted you until the army ran out of food and until the heavy snow came.”
"I never imagined that you would become so selfish and so heartless after only three years back in Beijing!"
"I'm so disappointed in you!"
The young general suddenly wiped away a tear, gritted his teeth, and gave Zhou Zhenguang a deep look.
They rushed out of the camp.
Take a deep breath.
As if he had made a decision against his conscience, he shouted with all his might, "Where are the soldiers of the Eastern Camp! From this moment on, I declare my defection from the army. Those who are willing to follow me, step forward!"
The thunderous command caused an uproar throughout the entire military camp.
The soldiers from the Eastern Camp arrived one after another. They stood there, pale and emaciated, their teeth chattering, staring blankly and in shock at the young general. Even lifting their spears was a struggle for them.
The more the young generals looked at it, the more heartbroken and ironic they felt.
He turned his head, glanced at Zhou Zhenguang who was silent, and said, "There is not a single grain of rice left in the granary, and there is not a single piece of clothing in the barracks to get through the winter. As your leader, I cannot watch you starve to death."
"Those who are willing to leave the city with me and gamble on a chance of survival, come with me."
"Those who are willing to stay here and believe in Zhou Zhenguang, believe in his lies, should stay here."
"Zhou Zhenguang, let's sever all ties from now on!"
"You are truly the most incompetent commander I have ever seen!"
After saying this, the young general turned and left.
The assembled soldiers of the Eastern Camp looked at each other in bewilderment.
After learning what Zhou Zhenguang had said in the tent, some people's defenses crumbled. They glanced at General Zhou with disappointment, dropped their weapons, and followed the young general.
"Bang."
"Clang clang clang..."
With one person, there are countless others.
Soon, more than 20,000 people followed the young general.
Zhou Zhenguang did not stop these people. He simply turned to the other generals who seemed hesitant to speak and said, "If you want to leave, then leave. At this point, it is only right that you are disappointed in me."
Several generals moved their lips, gazing into Zhou Zhenguang's unwavering eyes.
They let out a heavy sigh.
The oldest general asked a question that was a gamble: "General Zhou, we've known each other for so many years, I won't say anything else, I just want to ask you one question."
"Will Zhou Cheng be able to solve all the problems, whether it's food or winter supplies, once he arrives?!"
“Yes!” Zhou Zhenguang’s eyes shone with boundless trust.
He never doubted his son's promise.
Despite everyone looking down on his son, as a father, he believed and knew that his son would surely achieve great things.
How many more days until he arrives?
Zhou Zhenguang pursed his lips: "Three days."
"good!"
The other generals got the answer they wanted and chose to trust Zhou Zhenguang one last time, even if it meant sacrificing the lives of all their soldiers: "Then three days, I'll trust you for three more days."
"If Zhou Cheng does not arrive in three days, General Zhou, you will become the sinner of this entire army."
"Now, General, please give the order to kill the warhorses and let the soldiers get through these three days. We must not let our soldiers starve to death before Zhou Cheng has even reached the pass."
"General, please... kill the warhorse!!"
What kind of desperate situation would an army have to be driven to kill its warhorses for food?
How much pain and sorrow they must have felt when they said those words.
For the soldiers, warhorses were not food, but companions, partners who had risked their lives together. Now, they were forced to kill their own comrades for a sliver of hope...
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