In the morning, there were many people standing on the streets of Baihu City. No matter men, women, old or young, their faces are full of sorrow. Most commercial facilities and office buildings are closed and their doors are locked.
From time to time, patrolling soldiers passed by and sounded sharp whistles.
The Harvest Festival has just passed, and the residents of White Tiger City have fallen into the bottomless abyss before they can recover from the festive atmosphere.
Compared with the middle- and high-level people who are busy dragging their families and families to flee inland, the people who are still in the city are the lower-class people.
All their belongings are here - a dilapidated and small but still habitable house, a job with a meager income that can barely make ends meet, and social relationships that are not too much but can still play a role. But once they escape from here, they will become paupers with nothing.
Rather than living on the streets, it is better to stay at home.
At least here, they still have the dignity of being citizens.
Most of them hold on to a glimmer of hope, or a fluke. Because the leader of this country is still sitting in the hall, sitting on his throne.
As long as the Grand Duke of Zhennan has not given up, they feel that there is still hope for this country, even if it is very slim.
For most civilians, giving up the meager assets they have accumulated over half a lifetime is tantamount to having their hearts cut open, and is almost equivalent to giving up half a life.
At this moment, in the main hall of White Tiger City, on the throne, Nangong Xuanwu was sitting upright with a serious look on his face.
The more critical the situation is, the less likely it is that the leader of the country will be in a state of chaos. Even if there are enemy forces a hundred times larger than one's own in front of the enemy, one must remain calm and unafraid in the face of danger.
Undoubtedly, on this point, the Grand Duke of Zhennan did his best.
"The head of the Nangong family..."
A middle-aged man broke the dull atmosphere and said to Nangong Xuanwu. His voice was low, somewhat hoarse, and he was slender. He was wearing a simple white robe, with a hood covering half of his face.
Although only half of his face could be seen, the exposed part was a little leaky and covered with small black blood vessels, as if he had some kind of strange disease.
But no one will look down on the other party because of such flaws. Because this person is none other than Bai Bubai, the "Trickster" who is one of the four great military geniuses in Hongtu.
Bai Bubai's tone at this moment was deep and sincere. He did not call the other party "the head of the country" or "the grand duke", but used the affectionate title "the head of the Nangong family".
After assisting the Nangong family for many years, they have established a deep relationship with each other.
Nangong Xuanwu slowly turned his head and cast a doubtful look.
"Master, should we also consider retreating?"
Without waiting for the other party to answer, Bai Bubai continued, "It has been found that the scale of Saudi Arabia's attack can reach six to seven million people."
"The National Defense Army has been disbanded
Scattered, the total number of people in Baihu City, including the First and Second Group Armies and the city defenders, as well as the troops of various powerful families, was less than one million. "
"And we have to face the eight major legions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the nomadic troops of the entire Dafang Prefecture. With such a disparity in combat power, defending the city alone is like a mantis trying to use his arms as a chariot."
Having said this, Bai Bubai knelt down on one knee, "For this reason, my subordinates suggest that we abandon White Tiger City and retreat to Dongwang Fort!"
The full name of the Eight Legions of Saudi Arabia is the "Jihadi Legion of the United Kingdom of Gratamu Tribes", also known as the "Jihadi Legion of Desert and Storm". It consists of eight army groups, named after dangerous creatures that inhabit the desert, namely red scorpions, jackals, rattlesnakes, scavengers, desert anemones, hornets, sand flies and cacti.
Its combat power is huge and it is a veritable main force of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The combat power of a single legion alone is comparable to that of the National Protectorate of White Tiger City.
Faced with the inevitable outcome of failure, Bai Bubai chose to speak out and persuade Nangong Xuanwu to retreat temporarily to preserve his strength.
Judging from the name, Bai Bubai's surname is Bai, but there is only one family in Longxi River named Bai, and that is the Bai family of Baiye Principality.
Bai Bubai's original name is "Bai Yihuan". In terms of blood, he is the cousin of Bai Ye Grand Duke Bai Wancheng, and the cousin of Bai Ye Fenghua and Bai Ye Liufang.
Because of the palace battles of the previous generation, Bai Yihuan followed her father into exile abroad since she was a child, wandering from place to place. It was not until she was taken in by the Nangong family that she had a stable life.
Therefore, after becoming famous, Bai Yihuan changed his name to "Bai Bubai", which means that although his surname is Bai, he is not from the Bai family.
"Bai Aiqing, I understand what you mean..." Nangong Xuanwu nodded and said, "According to the current situation, retreating is indeed the best choice."
"But..." Nangong Xuanwu raised his head, looked at the blue tiger head flags hanging from the beams on both sides of the courtyard, and said in a calm and firm voice:
"We, the Nangong clan, have been guarding Southern Xinjiang for generations."
"Fleeing without a fight is unprecedented, and I will have no face to face the ancestors of Quanxia."
"Everyone in the city can escape, but my Nangong family can't."
"Just like the promise made by our ancestors to our ancestors thousands of years ago..." Nangong Xuanwu clenched his fists and said in a deep voice, "The city is here, and the people are there!"
The calm and powerful voice echoed in the hall and could not disperse for a long time.
Understanding the Lord's intention, Bai Bubai showed firm eyes and said solemnly, "Since the Grand Duke has decided to stay, my subordinates will definitely follow you until the end!"
Nangong Xuanwu nodded, showing a pleased smile.
Bai Bubai continued, "Since we want to defend to the end, why not organize the people, distribute weapons to them, and let them help defend the city!"
"Organize the people?" Nangong Xuanwu looked thoughtful.
"I would like to ask, who in the world is willing to give up their home?" Bai Bubai said, "Baihu City is the home of many people, and they, like the Grand Duke, are unwilling to leave."
"Well..." Nangong Xuanwu looked thoughtful.
Bai Bubai continued, "My subordinates suggest that we publicly announce that all the properties of the fugitives in the Principality of Tezera will be confiscated."
"Now that they have given up their homes, they are no longer entitled to hold interests in this land."
"Then, imitate the founding battle of the late king, canonize all the people and soldiers who are willing to stay and coexist with White Tiger City, and grant them noble titles!"
"Your home should be protected with your own hands!"
"Without blood and sacrifice, there will be no glory and rights in future generations!"
Nangong Xuanwu looked excited, patted the handrail and stood up, "Well said!"
"But..." After getting excited, Nangong Xuanwu fell into hesitation again, "How can so many people be organized?"
Without enough officers to lead, the people were in disarray, unable to act effectively, and even panicked, crowding in and trampling on each other. Not only is it ineffective, it may also impact nearby regular troops. A force that cannot be commanded is worse than no force at all.
"The problem has been solved." Bai Bubai said, and then clapped his hands outside. Immediately afterwards, several figures entered the hall.
Carrying their luggage and dusty from the journey, they came to the throne and knelt down on one knee.
"Former Lieutenant Colonel Ma Leshan of the National Defense Army, see the Grand Duke of Zhennan!"
"Former Captain Philomena of the National Guard, please see the Grand Duke of Zhennan!"
"Former corporal Zhuang Sishou of the National Guard Army, please see the Grand Duke of Zhennan!"
A series of high-pitched and loud voices resounded through the hall, and Nangong Xuanwu stood up slowly with a trembling body. Looking at the firm figures, tears gradually blurred my eyes.
PS:
I had a sudden illness a few days ago. I had severe pain in my upper abdomen in the middle of the night. I went to the hospital for emergency treatment, and was found to have cholecystitis, accompanied by gallstones the size of mung beans.
The doctor recommended surgery to remove the gallbladder to avoid future disease.
But I was hesitant and did not agree.
First, I was a little scared, so I cut off an organ like this. Although medically speaking, the impact is not big, that is, I can't drink too much wine or eat too greasy food in the future, but after all, it is an organ, and its existence always has its reason.
The second is that the hair on the body is affected by the parents. It is not appropriate to make decisions without communicating with the family.
So I rejected the doctor's advice and planned to receive conservative treatment for a period of time to see how things went, so I was temporarily discharged from the hospital.
I haven’t updated for many days. I will try to write more in the next few days to make up for it.
