351: Chapter 351 Conquering Phoenix Mountain

Their first stop was the Phoenix Mountain Settlement in Phoenix City.

Phoenix City is a county-level city under Andong City's jurisdiction, so from an administrative perspective, it is also managed by Que Xin.

However, Niu Fanling, the temporary leader of the Phoenix Mountain Settlement's command group, had long stopped obeying Que Xin's orders, so his first goal was to deal with him.

The train tracks led directly to the foot of Phoenix Mountain, and the 50,000 civilian Soldiers led by Que Xin arrived outside the Phoenix Mountain Settlement in about two hours.

“People inside, listen up! I am Mayor Que of Andong City. I order you to open the city gates immediately,” Que Xin shouted from below the city.

The Security Guards patrolling the city wall were puzzled to see people, not zombies, outside. Now, hearing someone shout that he was Que Xin, they were even more unsure what to do.

Soon, Niu Fanling received the news and rushed over.

“Mayor Que, what are you doing in Phoenix Mountain in the middle of the night?” Niu Fanling shouted from the city wall.

“Team Leader Niu, do I need to report to you about what I do?” Que Xin retorted.

“No, not at all. It’s just that there are zombies everywhere at night, and I’m worried it’s unsafe for Mayor Que to travel outside,” Niu Fanling explained.

“Hmph! You know it’s unsafe, so why don’t you hurry up and open the city gates to let us in?” Que Xin certainly didn’t believe his words.

“My apologies, Mayor Que. It’s too dark, and we really don’t dare to open the gates. If zombies take the opportunity to rush in, all the Citizens in the Settlement will suffer,” Niu Fanling made an excuse to refuse.

The two of them were having an on-and-off conversation here, but it was actually for others to hear.

Que Xin wanted to make the Soldiers understand why they were attacking the Phoenix Mountain Settlement: it was because Niu Fanling refused to obey orders and commands.

And Niu Fanling said this to make the people in the Settlement understand that his disobedience had a reason, and it was for everyone's safety.

One must have a just cause before going to war.

Without a just cause, the subordinates' thoughts would not be unified, and their morale would be low, making it impossible to unleash their combat power and difficult to manage.

“That’s simply nonsense! Where are these zombies? If there were zombies, could we still be standing here?” Que Xin retorted.

“That’s hard to say. There’s a huge crowd down below the city right now, who knows who’s a person and who’s a zombie?” Niu Fanling babbled.

“Niu Fanling, I think you just don’t want to obey management and are deliberately fabricating reasons. Security Guards inside, listen up! As the Mayor of Andong City, I declare that Niu Fanling is removed from his position as the temporary leader of the Phoenix Mountain Settlement’s command group. Whoever can take him down and open the city gates, I will appoint him as the new leader.” Que Xin tried to divide them with incentives.

He didn't have much hope for this move, it was just a means to buy time.

He had already sent a small team to quietly cross Phoenix Mountain, planning a stealth attack.

It was fake that the Security Guards on the city wall were not tempted; how could one easily become the person in charge of a Settlement?

Of course, conversely, if they had such courage and foresight, they wouldn't just be Security Guards.

So, some were tempted, but no one acted.

“Don’t be deceived by him; he’s kind-faced but cruel-hearted. Everyone, please don’t trust him,” Niu Fanling said quickly, feeling a bit guilty.

“Niu Fanling, Niu Fanling, is that how you evaluate your leader? As the Mayor of Andong City, I have the authority to dismiss you. Everyone listen, Niu Fanling is no longer the person in charge of the Settlement. I order you to immediately open the city gates and let us in.” Que Xin said unhurriedly.

The Security Guards, unaware of the true situation, dared not move.

Another crucial point was that it was too dark. They couldn't see the specific situation below the city, so they didn't dare to rashly carry out Que Xin's order.

Another hour passed, and the time came to the darkest moment before dawn.

The small team Que Xin had sent out had successfully crossed the mountain and quietly infiltrated the Settlement.

“Bang bang bang~”

Someone fired a gun.

Niu Fanling was startled when he heard gunshots from inside the city.

There were no decent weapons in the Phoenix Mountain Settlement, at most a few pistols. However, Que Xin's men were all using K8 assault rifles. The firepower of the two sides was not on the same level, so they quickly advanced to the city walls.

“Stop them! Quickly stop them!” Niu Fanling shouted loudly when he saw people rushing over.

Unfortunately, fighting doesn't rely on shouting. How can you stop them if your weapons are inferior?

Seeing that things were going badly, the Security Guards all found places to hide; no one wanted to risk his own life.

The city gates were opened.

Que Xin ordered the main force to rush in.

He himself remained outside the city, protected by a small team.

Bullets have no eyes, and it was safer outside.

Tens of thousands of people fighting a Security Team with almost no weapons was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. When the sun rose, the battle ended.

Que Xin gathered the Citizens together and held a struggle session.

The protagonist of the struggle session was Niu Fanling.

He listed several of Niu Fanling's crimes, letting everyone know how heinous he was.

After the struggle session, Niu Fanling was executed on the spot.

The Citizens, unaware of the truth, cheered and praised Que Xin as a good official who acted on behalf of the people.