"The mountains and forests are dense, making them easy to defend and difficult to attack, but this still requires troop support."
Zhao Xiong muttered to himself, his brows furrowed, his fingers lightly tapping the hilt of his sword as he considered defensive strategies.
With 50,000 troops in this vast mountain forest, if all the manpower were dispersed to organize a defensive line, and any one of them were breached, the entire line would inevitably collapse.
If all the buildings were to be crammed onto the city walls, Mingzhou City would become an isolated city, vulnerable to attack.
Moreover, Mingzhou has eight counties under its jurisdiction, covering a considerable area. Zhao Xiong is worried that Chen Zhennan will gradually annex them, which would put them in an even more passive position.
Just as Zhao Xiong was racking his brains for a solution, his soldiers suddenly rushed up to him, looking flustered and still carrying a lingering sense of fear.
"Your Majesty, last night, except for Yi County, the magistrates of the other seven counties were all killed, along with their clerks and constables. A total of 132 people from the seven counties were all killed with a single blow!"
Zhao Xiong was shocked, and his face turned pale as if a cold wind had pierced his bones.
Zhao Xiong hurriedly asked, "Do you know who did it?"
The soldier shook his head, his voice trembling: "I don't know, I haven't seen a single person. The officers below are starting to spread rumors, saying, saying..."
"What do you mean?" Zhao Xiong frowned slightly.
"They say it was ghost soldiers who killed people, but it was the people of Mingzhou who starved to death who came back to take revenge."
Zhao Xiong's hands trembled slightly, his facial muscles were tense, and his lips were slightly pale.
"Such strange things happen in this world. Could it really be the work of ghosts and demons?"
For the past three years, Mingzhou has been preparing for war by forcibly conscripting soldiers, requisitioning grain, and levying taxes. The young and strong have all been conscripted into the army, while the old, weak, sick, and disabled have starved to death, leaving corpses everywhere.
"Could it really be ghost soldiers killing people? Issue an order to strengthen patrols in all counties of Mingzhou, and in the counties where the incident occurred, the highest-ranking official below should take over as the county magistrate."
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