Dragon Transformation in the Apocalypse

Chapter 95 The Eight-Route Allied Forces

Li Chenglong and Zhao Rui led a regiment of soldiers in a steady advance. Some soldiers, upon seeing their arrival and witnessing their strength, immediately surrendered with their hands raised. Li Chenglong was quite satisfied with this, as he didn't particularly enjoy excessive killing, and subduing these people in this way was a good outcome.

Zuo Zhenyue's side was in complete panic and chaos, with many of the city lord's servants choosing to flee. He looked at the several military commanders beside the main hall: "Who will lead troops to help me wipe them out? I promise to give them half of Qianzhou City. Is anyone willing to go?" An officer stepped forward and said, "The enemy is powerful, and our guns and cannons are completely useless. Even bombs didn't harm the two leaders at all. Maybe we were wrong from the start, and those videos are real. Why don't we surrender now, and then deal with them? There might still be some room for negotiation." A "snap" was heard, and the officer who spoke had been shot and fell to the ground. Zuo Zhenyue, holding a still-smoking pistol, shouted, "Anyone who mentions surrender again, I'll kill them on the spot! All of you, go and meet the enemy! Anyone who doesn't go, shoot them on the spot!"

The dozen or so officers below dared not speak out, for Zuo Zhenyue was extremely afraid of being assassinated. Every time he entered the city lord's mansion, he had to hand over all his weapons. Now, Zuo Zhenyue was holding a gun, and he had a personal guard with him. It was unwise to cause trouble for him here. The officers could only give him a perfunctory response and then left. As soon as they were outside, one officer said, "We've risked our lives for him. If it weren't for his disastrous command during this zombie horde, we wouldn't have lost so many brothers. I can't take it anymore. Brothers, since the messenger has said that surrender will spare our lives, why don't we rebel?" Another officer added, "Those who act righteously will find many helpers, while those who act unrighteously will find few. He is neither benevolent nor righteous, so don't blame us for being ruthless."

Inside the main hall of the city lord's mansion, a lewd-looking man said to Zuo Zhenyue, "General Zuo, do you think they'll carry out your orders properly?" Zuo Zhenyue smiled contemptuously, "Their families are all under my surveillance. Go and watch them. If they make any unusual moves, kill their entire families." The lewd man obeyed and left, but as soon as he left, one of the guards standing watch in the courtyard also quietly slipped away. Li Chenglong's side advanced very smoothly. Because of their extraordinary performance in the previous battles, they encountered almost no resistance later on. When they reached the inner city, they found it filled with troops. Just as Li Chenglong was preparing to fight, a man stepped forward and shouted, "We are willing to surrender!" Then the people around him laid down their weapons and made way for them. The lackey who had been with Zuo Zhenyue earlier had his legs broken and was bound.

Led by the crowd, Li Chenglong successfully entered the city lord's mansion. Zuo Zhenyue, looking utterly dejected, sat in a chair. Seeing his former subordinates now defecting to others, he shouted, "You traitors! I'll haunt you even as a ghost!" Then, staring at Li Chenglong, he declared, "I, Zuo Zhenyue, am the commander-in-chief, and will always be!" With a bang, he shot himself. Li Chenglong silently watched the scene unfold, then calmly said, "Drag his body out. And all those who have committed heinous crimes, execute them on the spot, and display their corpses."

Because Li Chenglong arrived with his troops at 6 PM, and with the previous battle, it was now 8 PM. Li Chenglong instructed the acting city lord elected by Qianzhou City to find a place for his troops to camp and rest. However, he repeatedly emphasized that his troops must not disturb the civilians, plunder, or accept anything from others. Anyone who dared to violate military discipline would be dealt with according to military law on the spot. Li Chenglong's orders greatly shocked the people of Qianzhou City. They had expected their city to be looted after its fall, but Li Chenglong showed no signs of victory; instead, he was even stricter with his troops. Their understanding of Li Chenglong became more comprehensive.

Li Chenglong stood in the main seat of the hall and then said, "I have come here again to discuss the Allied Forces. Zuo Zhenyue not only rejected our request for alliance, but also repeatedly insulted us and instigated other states to refuse to join us. We only came to launch this campaign after repeated unsuccessful negotiations with him. Now, on behalf of Jinlan Prefecture, I declare that this campaign is only aimed at those who caused sabotage. We will not punish anyone else, so you can rest assured. However, in order to cooperate and appease the people, we will also deal with some individuals who are recognized by the masses as having committed heinous crimes. Now, let's talk about the Allied Forces, because I cannot stay for long; I have to go to other places to launch campaigns. I want to say this upfront: if anyone goes back on their word after this alliance, their fate will be worse than being in hell."

After more than an hour of discussion, Li Chenglong and the officers of Qianzhou finally decided to form a joint army. In fact, most of them agreed to form a joint army to fight the zombies and completely solve the zombie problem, which made the discussion much smoother.

Li Chenglong stayed in Qianzhou for four days, completely resolving the issue with the allied forces. Subsequently, as footage of his battle with Zhao Rui was transmitted throughout the Sanggu Kingdom, various states responded enthusiastically, and on August 20th, the Eighteen-Route Allied Forces were officially established. The states planned to send a total of 800,000 troops, divided into three routes. One route would assemble in Qianzhou, another in Jinlanzhou, and the third in Dezhou, and then the three routes would advance simultaneously, arriving in Nanhaizhou in early September.

After leaving Zhao Rui to handle the alliance matters, Li Chenglong contacted Wang Bing, instructing him and Zhao Liying to go to Dezhou to assemble another large army, while he returned to Jinlanzhou to lead the final army. On August 27th, the three armies assembled and simultaneously began their southward march, preparing for the southern expedition. Because this expedition aimed to completely resolve the zombie problem, it resonated deeply, and many civilians joined in. The initial estimate of 8 troops was reduced to over 120 million. It's worth noting that, according to Li Chenglong's understanding, the Sanggu Kingdom currently had an estimated population of only 200 million, meaning that 6% of its population would follow Li Chenglong and his forces on the southern expedition.

However, since this was the worst time of year for the Sanggu Kingdom, the army's speed was relatively slow. It took them fifteen days to travel the more than 9 kilometers to reach Nanhai Prefecture, which was already September 11th.