Wasteland Commander-Chapter 365 - 56: Jiangzhou Defense Battle - Phase One
"Report~~~! Duke, something terrible has happened~~~!"
At Jiangzhou City Hall, a scout stumbled and crawled over, dragging out his words in his report, his voice trembling with agitation.
Zheng Jinnan had just finished his breakfast, listening to his troops report on the situation with the forces dispatched to Loose Province. He was still planning how to fight a good battle to dampen the Dawn Army’s spirit, when he heard this distressing report.
Zheng Jinnan frowned, "What’s all this about? Someone died? Get in here and speak properly."
The scout rushed in front of Zheng Jinnan, speaking excitedly, "Sir, the zom... zombies, the zombies are coming to attack the city!"
Upon hearing this, many around couldn’t help but gasp in shock.
Jiangzhou has already experienced one zombie siege.
That zombie siege nearly wiped out Jiangzhou while it was still developing; many present had lived through that ordeal.
So everyone was full of fear regarding a zombie siege. Now with a war starting against Loose Province and the Dawn Army, Zheng Jinnan repeatedly used the zombie threat as an excuse to delay deploying troops.
Now, hearing this news again, many officers were scared.
"A zombie siege! Where is the horde coming from?"
"Is it the horde from Jiangkou? Hasn’t that horde been staying quietly in the town? Why would it suddenly come here?"
"Where is the horde at now? How far is it from Jiangzhou? What is the approximate number?"
Zheng Jinnan was also startled, but he quickly calmed down.
He looked at the officers’ panicked expressions beside him, frowned, and knocked on the table: "Calm down, it’s just a zombie horde. After all this time, you’re still frightened by a horde? I seriously question how you became officers. Do you think Jiangzhou now is the same as before?"
The officers felt embarrassed by Zheng Jinnan’s reproach.
Indeed, Jiangzhou now is not what it used to be.
Back then, the military industry hadn’t recovered, bullets were scarce, and fighting against the horde was undoubtedly difficult.
Yet, after nearly a year of intensive development, Jiangzhou’s population has reached nearly fifteen million, and the military industry has developed rapidly.
Not to mention bullets; now we can mass-produce shells, and we can even manufacture warships ourselves.
No matter how formidable a horde is, can it withstand aircraft cannons?
Not to mention, recently the Dawn Army dealt with a million-strong horde from a town in six hours, bombing the Corpse King on the spot. That incident provided a vivid lesson to neighboring forces.
Since then, human fear of the horde has diminished significantly. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎
Humans possess intelligence, and as technology advances, weapons become increasingly sophisticated. By what right can a horde continue to defy humans?
It’s only a matter of time before they’re completely wiped out, and they aren’t worth much concern.
Does Jiangzhou’s army pale compared to the Dawn Army?
Not a single officer present would admit to that; they believe that Jiangzhou’s overall military strength is absolutely above that of the Dawn Army.
What the Dawn Army can achieve, Jiangzhou can naturally do as well.
Just now everyone panicked, having not faced such a scenario in a long time, they momentarily lost their composure.
After Zheng Jinnan scolded them, they regained their confidence.
"Oh, the Jiangkou horde, right? I know about that horde, the total numbers are approximately three million, there’s nothing to fear for us."
"Exactly! Our population in Jiangzhou is fifteen million; if we all come out, five people can take down one zombie. We don’t need guns or cannons; we could crush the zombies with our fists."
"Hahaha! That’s not even a funny joke. Though I also believe we will definitely win, using fists... Aren’t you afraid of getting infected?"
"Duke, I volunteer to lead troops in battle. Just a horde, give me a hundred thousand soldiers; if I can’t deal with this horde in three days, I’ll lay down my head in shame."
Watching the officers bragging, Zheng Jinnan chuckled and said to the scout: "Speak about the situation you’ve scouted. What’s so alarming?"
The scout was initially scared because the horde he scouted was immensely large, but whether the numbers were three million or several million, he couldn’t possibly count accurately.
However, seeing these officers weren’t concerned now, he too felt perhaps he was making much ado about nothing.
Originally, he wanted to report more on the horde’s strength, but seeing Duke and the others’ attitudes, he changed his tune.
"I have scouted some abnormal movements in the zombie horde at Jiangkou. They are moving towards Jiangzhou, with the vanguard approximately over two hundred kilometers from us. The exact number is unknown, but there seem to be quite a few of them, so I got scared and hurried back to report. It’s my fault for making a fuss."
Zheng Jinnan waved his hand: "I don’t blame you. As a low-ranking scout, you’re not aware of upper-level changes. Alright, you can go now, I’ve noted it."
After the scout left, Zheng Jinnan pondered: "If the zombie horde arrives, and these things besiege the city, it will definitely cause panic inside the city. Most people here have experienced the danger of a zombie siege, and by that time, prices will skyrocket, and people’s hearts will be unsettled. Right now, it’s the crucial moment for our army to set out and engage with the Dawn Army. I don’t want to see this happen. Does anyone have any solutions?"
One of the officers immediately said: "Your Grace, I maintain my previous opinion. Give me a hundred thousand troops, and I’ll eliminate the zombie horde within three days. This will showcase the prestige of our Jiangzhou army, stabilize people’s hearts, and boost the morale of the front-line troops, making the Dawn Army realize the might of our Jiangzhou forces."
Another officer promptly agreed: "This is a good approach. I suggest that our Jiangzhou TV station could also imitate Dawn Island by broadcasting this expedition live. This will enhance the cohesion of our people’s hearts. Haven’t you seen how those foreigners in Wanguo Island opposed Ye Fan initially? Later, a military action to deal with zombies turned them into meek lambs. We can adopt the same method."
"Right, the Dawn Army keeps winning in the Loose Province, and there are some negative voices in the city, saying our combat power is not as good as the Dawn Army. This is a perfect opportunity to vindicate ourselves and silence those with ulterior motives."
Everyone contributed their thoughts, treating the zombie horde as a soft target that could be used to build reputation.
Zheng Jinnan thought the same as well, and was very satisfied hearing the officers’ opinions.
"Good, we’ll proceed as you suggested. He Shihu, I’m giving you three divisions, supported by an armored regiment, an artillery regiment, and an air squadron consisting of fifty aircraft. Go and attack the zombie horde. I’ll have Jiangzhou TV station broadcast the process, but you must prevent the zombie horde from approaching our Jiangzhou. Can you do it?"
"Rest assured, Your Grace, I guarantee it will be done. There is a Red Maple Mountain southeast of Jiangzhou. I guarantee not a single zombie will cross that mountain!"
"Good, then prepare to lead the troops out immediately. Don’t let me down!"
Having issued the command, the general named He Shihu promptly went to mobilize the troops.
There is no denying Jiangzhou’s military strength is indeed formidable.
It’s easy to organize another hundred thousand troops after already deploying over a hundred thousand.
An armored regiment with three hundred tanks, an artillery regiment with a thousand cannons swiftly left Jiangzhou City, heading straight to Red Maple Mountain to establish a defense.
Thirty divisions totaling ninety thousand troops, along with several thousand engineers, also departed the city in transport vehicles.
They needed to set up some fortifications at Red Maple Mountain. Although He Shihu felt they might not be necessary, it’s always good to make preparations.
At Jiangzhou Airport, fifty fighter planes were on standby, including five bombers.
These bombers were not the most advanced long-range bombers but were of the early bomber models from Qin Han’s time, not some random plane modifications. Their power was quite substantial.
The pilots of these planes were already in place, ready to fly to the battlefield for strategic bombing whenever needed.
What zombie horde, what rat tide, what Mutant Beast, could withstand the bombs from bombers?
Just like when the Dawn Army’s bombers eradicated the Corpse King, a string of bombs dropped down, rendering the protection from Advanced Zombies useless and eventually bombing them to death.
Influenced by the officers’ relaxed attitude, the hundred thousand deployed soldiers also considered this a very easy mission.
A horde of three million zombies, heh, if each of them shoots down thirty, it would be over, wouldn’t it?
Maybe not even thirty, with the planes dropping some bombs and cannons firing a few shells, killing ten or eight each would already be more than enough.
The troops departed Jiangzhou singing military songs, followed by a large team from Jiangzhou TV station.
Eight reporters with twenty cameramen and numerous filming drones set out, aiming to report this event from multiple angles and perspectives.
In response, Jiangzhou TV station urgently launched a special program named ’The End of the Zombie Horde.’
Jiangzhou TV’s top host was stationed at the rear, ready to connect with front-line reporters at any time.
The expeditionary force took just over three hours to reach Red Maple Mountain, located in the southeastern part of Jiangzhou.
This mountain is the gateway to entering Jiangzhou from the southeast. The north side of the mountain connects to the Celestial River, and the south side links to another mountain.
To reach Jiangzhou from the southeast, one must pass over this relatively mild mountain.
There is also a highway tunnel through the mountain. Since they’re planning to fight zombies, the engineers came and used some mountain stones and soil to block the tunnel entrance.
However, they didn’t block too much, only a dozen meters before stopping, because after dealing with the zombies, this vital transport route needs to be restored. Blocking too much would take a lot of effort to reopen.
The engineering corps began their work, and the main forces swiftly ascended the mountain to set up positions.
The artillery position was set up directly behind, requiring little battlefield defense setup. They could fire directly, performing long-range strikes to inflict damage on the zombies.
Tanks rumbled up the mountain roads, ready to charge down and penetrate the heart of the zombie horde at any moment.
Once the reporters from the TV station arrived, they immediately started broadcasting live, fully implementing His Grace’s intent to make this zombie horde annihilation battle a potent tool in promoting Jiangzhou.
