80: Chapter 80 Zong Zhengyue's Shock

“Brother Zong, look what I brought for you!” Yan Zhengping’s loud voice could be heard even before he entered the room.

“Old Yan, what brings you here? Come, sit!” Zongzheng Yue stood up to greet him.

“Hmm? What’s wrong? You don’t look so good!” Yan Zhengping asked, seeing the unusual expression on Zongzheng Yue’s face.

“Oh, nothing. Is there something you need today?” Zongzheng Yue didn’t answer, but instead asked.

“Hey! What could it be, just wandering around. I just got two bottles of good wine, so I came to drink a few with you, Brother Zong.” Yan Zhengping said against his true feelings.

“Oh, come on, I know you! You wouldn’t leave your nest for no reason, and even bring your own liquor?” Zongzheng Yue said with disdain.

“Let’s go, let’s go! Let’s find a quiet place, get some appetizers, and we can talk while we eat.” Yan Zhengping stopped explaining and urged him to get up.

The two sat down in a quiet room, with a few small dishes on the table. Yan Zhengping twisted open the wine bottle and filled both their cups.

Zongzheng Yue was a bit distracted, just watching the whole time, not lifting a finger.

“Brother Zong, you seem off today! Come, let’s have one.” Saying that, Yan Zhengping raised his glass.

Zongzheng Yue also said nothing, raised his glass, clinked it, and then drained it in one gulp.

Yan Zhengping looked at him, said no more, and drank his down in one gulp.

After three rounds of wine and five courses of dishes, Yan Zhengping finally got to the point.

“Brother Zong, I came to see you today because I need your help with something.” Yan Zhengping said.

“Speak!” Zongzheng Yue was concise.

“It’s like this: our Southwest Military Region has withdrawn its defenses from the three provinces of Southern Xinjiang, Huguang, and Beihai, right? But there are still fifty or sixty Settlements there on the surface, and we can’t just abandon those people. So I was wondering if I could temporarily borrow your transport planes. I’ll arrange for people to transfer those citizens to a safe place as quickly as possible.” Yan Zhengping explained his purpose.

“Old Yan, do you think doing these things still has meaning?” Zongzheng Yue asked in a low voice.

“What do you mean?” Yan Zhengping frowned.

“What is our so-called “2055 Human Survival White Paper” for?” Zongzheng Yue asked.

“These are clearly two different matters.” Yan Zhengping replied.

“This is one and the same! Old Yan, I advise you, do less of this kind of thing in the future!” Zongzheng Yue was getting agitated.

“Brother Zong, what are you saying? Protecting the border and ensuring the safety of the people is our duty as soldiers. Are we just going to watch those people die?” Yan Zhengping’s temper flared.

“Did you not attend the council meeting, or did you not understand the provisions? The document has already been issued to all Settlements; their chance of survival is something they need to fight for themselves. Why are you meddling in so many unnecessary affairs? Can you manage it all? Do you have the ability to manage it?” Zongzheng Yue retorted testily.

“Zong Si Yan, I finally understand. Suo Tonghua from the northeast was right, you’re just a coward!” Yan Zhengping was furious.

“Who’s a coward? Old Yan, I’m telling you, it’s just you. If anyone else said that, I’d beat him to death!” Zongzheng Yue stood up, pointing at Yan Zhengping.

“Then explain to me, when did the people’s affairs become ‘unnecessary affairs’?” Yan Zhengping asked, suppressing his anger.

“That’s because you haven’t experienced it. Ten thousand excellent commanders and fighters fell in the zombie tide, without even making a ripple!” Zongzheng Yue said loudly, tears vaguely shimmering in his eyes.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” Yan Zhengping calmed his anger and asked in a low voice.

“Sigh! Just yesterday, the Matang Settlement in Haizhou City was surrounded by zombies, and Left Wen Shan, the mayor of Haizhou City, requested aid. You tell me, should I send troops or not? My thoughts at the time were the same as yours: what are we soldiers for? Isn’t it to protect the people? But what was the result? They all died! They all died! They all became zombies!” Zongzheng Yue’s eyes were red. He took a deep breath, took off his glasses, and advised:

“So I’m telling you, Old Yan, don’t take on what you can’t handle. Don’t end up failing to accomplish the task and sacrificing the lives of our soldiers for nothing.”

“So that’s what happened!” Yan Zhengping understood.

No wonder Zongzheng Yue seemed so strange today.

Yan Zhengping walked over to Zongzheng Yue, gently pressed him back into his seat, then walked to the opposite side and sat down again.

He filled the cups with wine.

“Brother Zong, to be honest with you, I’ve had this feeling too. Last year, I gave an order strictly prohibiting anyone from going out on missions. It’s not that our hearts are hard, or that we don’t care about the people’s lives. It’s that the result of intervening is worse than not intervening. How do you intervene, then? If we want to win this crisis, relying solely on passion isn’t enough.” Yan Zhengping said, taking a full drink, and refilling his cup.

“But this year is different. Let me tell you quietly, just one company of my Zhanfeng Assault Team, do you know how many zombies they’ve killed in the past three months?”

“How many?” Zongzheng Yue asked.

“100,000!” Yan Zhengping looked up at him and gave a number.

“How many casualties?” Zongzheng Yue continued to ask. If casualties weren’t a factor, eliminating 100,000 zombies wouldn’t be much.

“No casualties.” Yan Zhengping smiled mysteriously.

“What?!” Zongzheng Yue stood up in surprise, staring intently at him.

“Impossible, absolutely impossible.” Zongzheng Yue simply didn’t believe him.