214: Chapter 215 Wan'er, Wang Zuo Zhao Shi?

Zhou Yun's gaze fell back onto the map.

City Lord Qin Fang and City Lord Zhao Kun had both blocked a strike for Flower City.

Even after this strike, The Four Cities still refused to stop.

That meant they believed they still held something in their hands capable of suppressing Flower City.

Zhou Yun closed his eyes.

The continuous effect of the previously activated One Mind of Heaven and Earth was still active.

He sank his consciousness down, following the vision that had not yet been severed, and ascended to the heights once more.

Flower City's walls, housing districts, Medical Tent, granaries, patrol squads, and the distant old road unfolded layer by layer within his consciousness.

Further out, the mountains and rivers turned into lines, and the military Formations became slowly moving black dots.

A moment later, he saw a dense mass of military forces in the direction of the old road.

The Four-City Allied Forces.

They had already ended the battle at the mouth of Wuyang Valley and were advancing toward Flower City once again.

Zhou Yun's vision swept across the rear of the allied forces.

Nothing.

At least, there were no swaths of captured Heyang armor, nor were there the gray cloaks of Flower City's Third Scout Squad.

The report from the Third Scout Squad was not wrong.

City Lord Qin Fang had indeed taken the people away.

Yet, the Four-City Allied Forces were still advancing.

They had been dealt a blow to their momentum by Heyang and the Flower City scouts, yet they had not stopped.

Further away, the vision of One Mind of Heaven and Earth began to thin.

The mountain lines were like they had been soaked in mist, their edges blurring bit by bit.

Zhou Yun was about to withdraw his consciousness.

Just then, he saw a patch of yellow appear at the edge of his vision.

That patch of yellow had no boundaries of flag Formations.

Nor did it have the neat outlines of a regular military Formation.

That yellow was spread too wide, like a tide overflowing from behind the mountains.

Zhou Yun focused his consciousness, pressing his vision toward that patch of yellow.

The image became clear bit by bit.

He saw people.

Dense masses of people.

Their clothes were tattered, but their steps were not chaotic.

Some carried wooden clubs, some held pitchforks, and some held only half a rusted blade.

But on their heads, they all wore Yellow Turbans.

Fleeing refugees would not gather into a force like this.

That patch of yellow was advancing in the same direction.

There was organization.

There were Formations.

There were people holding flags at the front of the ranks, and people maintaining the march on both sides.

Yellow Turbans.

Refugees.

Zhou Yun opened his eyes.

The candles in the great hall flickered slightly.

The director-general looked at him immediately.

Zhou Yun did not speak immediately.

His gaze fell on the edge of the map on the table, and his voice was very slow:

"Beyond The Four Cities, others have come as well."

The director-general's gaze paused.

Zhou Yun looked toward the direction of the old road.

"An army of refugees wrapped in Yellow Turbans."

"They are also coming toward Flower City."

As these words fell, the candles in the great hall flickered slightly.

The director-general's fingertips were still resting on the edge of the map.

She did not ask immediately; instead, she pressed down the urgent report that had just been delivered and looked up at Zhou Yun.

"What you saw, City Lord, was it scattered refugees fleeing, or were they marching in Formation?"

Zhou Yun closed his eyes.

The vision of One Mind of Heaven and Earth still lingered in his mind.

That patch of yellow overflowed from behind the mountain line; their clothes were tattered, their weapons crude, yet they did not scatter and flee like ordinary refugees. There were people holding flags, people maintaining the Formation on the flanks, and the entire tide of people was advancing in the same direction.

"In Formation."

Zhou Yun opened his eyes; his voice was not hurried, but it was lower than usual.

"They all have Yellow Turbans on their heads, they have flags, they have Formations, and there are people maintaining the march."

The director-general took a soft breath.

"Then they are not refugees gathered temporarily."

Half a quarter of an hour later, Minister Wang Fugui, Shang Youjun, and Tie Shan were summoned to the City Lord's Mansion.

Zhou Yun did not offer any preamble, simply recounting the scene he had seen with One Mind of Heaven and Earth.

The great hall was quiet for a moment.

The first to speak was Minister Wang Fugui.

He usually carried a hint of a smile, but at this moment, he looked down at the map, his fingers sweeping across several trade routes around Flower City one by one.

"The ledgers have long been off."

Everyone looked at him.

Minister Wang Fugui looked up, the merchant-like shrewdness on his face having been put away.

"After Flower City's reputation spread, logically, there should only be more and more refugees in the surrounding areas. But a few days ago, this official and the director-general checked the accounts several times, and the number of new refugees arriving in the surrounding areas has instead been decreasing."

He paused.

"At the time, this official felt it was abnormal, but I couldn't say exactly what was wrong."

Minister Wang Fugui looked at the blank space on the edge of the map.

"Now it seems, it's not that no one is coming."

"It's that someone on the road took them away first."

Tie Shan frowned, his rough palms pressed against the edge of the sand table.

"To be able to gather so many people and make them obey commands, this is not something that can be done in a day or two."

Shang Youjun looked down at the map, not rushing to reply.

His gaze paused beside the words "Yellow Turban refugees."

"They cannot be simply counted as enemy troops."

Tie Shan looked at him.

Shang Youjun stated his deduction:

"Most people may not know why they were brought here. But they have already been organized. As long as someone behind them gives the order, the refugees will become a tide, and the tide will become a weapon to storm the city."

As these words fell, the atmosphere in the great hall became even heavier.

The director-general walked to the military sand table, first looking at the position of the Four-City Allied Forces, then at the direction of the Yellow Turban refugees marked by Zhou Yun.

"The Four-City Allied Forces have been in contact with Flower City for so long, they have some idea of our background."

She spoke lightly, but without the slightest hesitation.

"They should know that even if Minister Lei and Strategist Zhu Ge take the main force on an expedition, Flower City will not be so empty as to be easily manipulated."

Minister Wang Fugui nodded.

"Especially City Lord Liefeng, having suffered losses from Flower City, it is impossible for him to truly think we have no backup plans at home."

The director-general's gaze fell back onto the sand table.

"Yet they came anyway."

"The timing of the Four-City Allied Forces' mobilization and the timing of this batch of Yellow Turban refugees approaching Flower City is too coincidental."

Her fingertips tapped lightly between the two routes.

"This official judges that this is not a coincidence. The people behind The Four Cities and the Yellow Turban refugees have at least had prior coordination."

"Looking at it from this perspective, it was correct that we did not rashly send out the city's garrison to fight."

Zhou Yun looked at the sand table, not speaking immediately.

This judgment aligned with the unease in his heart.

City Lord Liefeng indeed did not look like someone who would fight an unprepared battle.

Previously, One Mind of Heaven and Earth had not seen the main army, which did not mean the danger did not exist.

It was just that the true trump card had not yet entered Flower City's field of vision.

Now, it had arrived.

"If we only count the Four-City Allied Forces, we can defend."

Tie Shan spoke first.

He was the Minister of the Tiangong Department and understood the walls, Formation, Little Jianmu, and the internal works of the city the best.

"The walls, gates, inner and outer trenches, and the protection of Little Jianmu can all hold. There are enough Materials in the Granary, so temporary reinforcement is not a problem."

He looked at the outer edge of the map.

"But if we add this batch of refugees, it will be troublesome."

"They may not be able to break the city."

"But as long as they surround Flower City, the Medical Tent, resettlement areas, grain supply lines, and the newly migrated citizens within the city will all be bogged down."

Minister Wang Fugui added in a low voice.

"Fighting a war burns money, and besieging a city burns even more."

"Flower City is not afraid of burning money. What we fear is..."

When he reached this point, he subconsciously glanced at Zhou Yun.

"What we fear is lives being ground away bit by bit."

No one in the great hall refuted this.

The Four-City Allied Forces could be treated as enemy troops.

But that batch of Yellow Turban refugees was different.

Once they were pushed to the city walls, should Flower City kill them, or not?

The director-general looked at Zhou Yun.

"City Lord, this official suggests ordering the entire city to be on high alert immediately, activating the defensive Formation, and pulling back personnel from outside the city."

She paused for a breath, then continued:

"At the same time, send a message to Lei Lie and Strategist Zhu Ge, asking them to lead the main force back to reinforce us."

Everyone present nodded secretly.

This was the safest solution in a conventional sense.

By defending to the death with Flower City's existing defenses, waiting for Lei Lie and Strategist Zhu Ge to return with the main force, and attacking from inside and outside, neither the Four-City Allied Forces nor the Yellow Turban refugees would be difficult to handle.

Zhou Yun, however, shook his head.

"We cannot call them back."

The director-general was not surprised, only lowered her eyes gently.

Zhou Yun's gaze stopped in the direction of the Ten Cities.

"Lei Lie and Strategist Zhu Ge are currently relocating the citizens of the Ten Cities."

"Those are people, too."

As this sentence fell, the hall went quiet for a beat.

Zhou Yun continued:

"The citizens of the Ten Cities have just left their old city; there are still elderly, children, wounded soldiers, and sick people on the road. Once the main force retreats, the migration line will fall into chaos."

"Wang Shuai and the Wang Group are also still over there."

"If we expose our main force's movements now, it is equivalent to putting those citizens, and even the soldiers of my Flower City, back under the blade."

He did not speak fast.

Each sentence was like snuffing out a path.

Reinforcing can save Flower City.

But the Ten Cities migration line would be torn apart.

Defending to the death can buy time.

But with a million refugees and over three hundred thousand allied forces pressing outside the city, for every day we drag it out, the situation inside and outside the city will become one point more out of control.

Launching an offensive, the remaining garrison force is not enough.

Closing the city and ignoring it, the Yellow Turban refugees will be pushed up by The Four Cities as a blade.

Zhou Yun looked at the routes on the sand table, his fingers pressing lightly against the edge of the table.

He did not lose his composure.

He was just silent for longer than usual.

The director-general looked at him.

She knew what Zhou Yun was calculating.

He was not calculating which side was easier to win.

He was calculating how many innocent people would be pushed to their deaths behind every choice.

Trying his best to take care of everyone.

During this time, she had come to understand her City Lord more and more.

He was kind and gentle.

To her, he was an uncompromisingly wise ruler.

Facing any problem, he would do his utmost to find a solution that satisfied everyone.

This was a strength.

But it was also a weakness.

In this world, where could there be so many perfect solutions?

If one had to say there were...

She lowered her eyes, looking at the battle report in her hand.

During this time, she had approved too many such booklets.

Household registration.

Resettlement.

Medical Tent.

Grain records.

Professional registration.

Temporary hiring.

Every page was thin.

But stacked page by page, it was the weight of whether a city could hold its people.

She slowly closed the battle report.

"City Lord."

Zhou Yun looked up at her.

The director-general stepped forward, her voice still kept very low.

"Since Lei Lie and Strategist Zhu Ge cannot return to reinforce us."

"Then, let this official solve this problem for you."

Zhou Yun's fingertips paused.

Minister Wang Fugui looked up abruptly.

Tie Shan frowned, looking at the director-general.

Shang Youjun's gaze also moved away from the map, falling upon her.

"director-general?"

Zhou Yun had not yet had time to ask again.

The candles in the great hall suddenly dimmed all at once.

A layer of silver-white light quietly spread from the director-general's body.

The light was not dazzling.

Nor did it explode with waves of Qi like when a warrior had a Breakthrough.

But the moment it appeared, all the ledgers, command tokens, household registration wooden plaques, and the decree patterns on the edge of the sand table in the great hall seemed to be awakened simultaneously, emitting a faint circle of light.

Tie Shan subconsciously took half a step back.

Minister Wang Fugui was stunned in place.

Shang Youjun's expression showed a clear change for the first time.

Silver Rank.

And not an ordinary Silver Rank.

The director-general stood in the silver-white radiance, bowing slightly to Zhou Yun.

Her voice remained low.

"To tell you the truth, City Lord."

"Wan'er is also a Professional."

The candles in the great hall were still bright.

But in the moment that layer of silver-white radiance spread, the flames seemed to be pressed down by half an inch by an invisible hand.

Everyone present, including Zhou Yun, had a flash of undisguised astonishment in their eyes.

All along, in everyone's subconscious, while the director-general had superb administrative ability, on the level of power, she was just an ordinary person.

Even though she held great power, she had never revealed a shred of Professional aura.

One must know that in this world, as long as one is a Professional, no matter how well hidden, traces of power fluctuations would subtly leak out in every gesture.

Yet the director-general now truly possessed Silver Rank strength!

This proved that she was a Professional!

A Professional who could completely hide spiritual power fluctuations!

Besides this, what shocked them even more was the strength level the director-general was currently displaying.

Silver Rank!

Even in this Flower City, where resources were extremely abundant and talents were gathered, before this, there were only two true Silver Rank powerhouses.

One was Lei Lie.

One was Strategist Zhu Ge.

And now, a third Silver Rank had appeared out of thin air, and she had been right under their noses all along!

After a brief moment of astonishment, the first to react was Tie Shan.

This man, who usually only knew how to forge iron and build walls, suddenly burst into wild joy on his face.

"Good heavens!"

He slapped his thigh hard, "I didn't expect the director-general to also be a Silver Rank powerhouse! This is great, with your combat power here, the pressure on us to defend the city will be greatly reduced!"

Minister Wang Fugui, however, frowned slightly.

He did not disagree with Tie Shan's statement.

He just felt that his statement might be too conservative.

As the Minister of the Trade Department who managed Flower City's money and grain, he knew the director-general too well.

In his understanding, this director-general was too steady in her work, steady to the point of being strict.

She never spoke in absolutes, and she never exaggerated.

But the meaning of her words just now was clearly saying...

She alone could handle the current mess.

"That's not right..."

Minister Wang Fugui looked at the director-general, asking tentatively, "director-general, the tone you used just now... could it be that your profession, like Strategist Zhu Ge, cannot be measured by ordinary professions?"

The director-general looked at Minister Wang Fugui and nodded gently.

Subsequently, her gaze turned to Zhou Yun, her voice calm and determined.

"That is correct."

"This official's profession is not one of the ten most common professions in the world."

"Its name is called Wangzuo Zhaoshi."

"Wangzuo Zhaoshi?"

Zhou Yun gave a light exclamation, repeating these four words in his mouth.

The director-general explained, "This official's profession is completely different from the traditional Cultivate system. It does not need to accumulate magic power through meditation, nor does it need to hone battle qi through slaughter."

She lifted her hand slightly, the silver-white light lingering at her fingertips seeming to carry a certain mysterious rhythm.

"It is closely related to official rank, government affairs, and the operation of the territory."

"The higher the official rank, the greater the power, and the broader the government decrees approved, the higher this official's cultivation will rise accordingly."

"This ability is called Ink Accumulation."

"Every approval, every allocation, every household registration entry, and every resettlement decree will become an ink mark. The longer it is accumulated, the greater the power when the brush falls to issue a decree."