The grass growing on the ground was good news to Zhang Xiaoqiang, but compared to the Golden Wolf Flag, it was a life-saving straw. Once they realized the effectiveness of the grass, it wouldn't take long for them to recover. The previous gale and heavy rain were definitely a disaster for the Mongolians, and they had yet to catch their breath. This was also the best opportunity for Zhang Xiaoqiang, to deal a sudden blow before they could rebuild their homes.
After making the decision, Zhang Xiaoqiang got Zhao Jun to start preparing for the attack, and at the same time, speed up the transportation of food. Through Charle's report, Zhang Xiaoqiang found out that the entire Qi County was almost destroyed by the heavy rain, and in the county, the zombies had suffered quite a bit as well. A large number of zombies were blown into the sky and smashed into meat paste, causing a large portion of the zombies on the streets of Qi County to be wiped out.
The zombies being wiped out by the natural disaster was good news, but the wild growth of plants in Qi County was bad news. The wild growth of plants in Qi County caused a lot of damage to the buildings, and many of the roads were destroyed by the plants. Other than the roads, some of the buildings' foundations and corners were also destroyed by the plants. Hence, the county was changing day by day, and it was about to become a relic in the jungle.
From the small to the big, Zhang Xiaoqiang had already started to imagine what the big cities were like in the past. He didn't know where these plants came from, but it was definitely related to the strong wind. In the strong wind, countless seed-like things were carried by the wind, and when these things fell to the ground, they were nourished by the rain, turning the entire western desert into a paradise for plants.
Zhang Xiaoqiang brought the newly recruited battalion to the temporary base. Along the road, Zhang Xiaoqiang noticed that countless depressions had turned into lakes, and silver ribbon-like rivers flowed on the lush green ground. As far as the eye could see, the lush green vegetation extended all the way to the horizon, and the desolation from before the apocalypse was nowhere to be seen.
The road leading to the temporary base also had traces of being damaged by the plants, but for the time being, this road could still be used for a few years. The people in the car looked at the green grassland outside with curiosity. Some of the plants had all kinds of flowers. Even the locals who were familiar with this place had never seen those exotic flowers and plants. They were all stunned. Their hometown was no longer the hometown they were familiar with.
Unlike the others, Zhang Xiaoqiang's vision allowed him to see something else, the insects that had disappeared for a long time. The relationship between insects and plants was that of the food chain, and without plants, there would be no insects. Only insects that did not require plants would appear in the eyes of the people, such as the mutated earthworms.
After the third heavy rain, it was as if everything had come back to life. The plants were no longer the plants of the past, it was obvious that they had mutated, and the insects were naturally no longer the insects of the past. Colorful butterflies danced on the purple and blue lotus flowers, fist-sized green tiger-striped bees collected honey from the flowers, and crystal clear green beetles crawled on the rhizomes like jewels. There were also all kinds of insects that could be seen everywhere on the ground, gnawing on the rhizomes for food.
Zhang Xiaoqiang looked at the thousands, or even tens of thousands of insects that were thriving on the plant plains, and could not help but feel a strong sense of decadence. Since the apocalypse, he had been constantly fighting against zombies, mutated beasts, and humans like himself. Every opponent was stronger than him by a few times, or even dozens of times. He had always been dancing on the tip of a blade, and although there had been setbacks, in general, he had always won one victory after another, and his forces were constantly expanding.
However, in the face of more and more enemies, as well as the endless stream of new things, Zhang Xiaoqiang felt like he had become a bug caught in the web of fate. The more he struggled, the tighter the web became. He could not see the future, and did not know how strong his enemies would be. He did not even know where his hopes lay.
There were tens of thousands of people who depended on him, and the soldiers who fought for him numbered in the thousands. However, he was at a loss as to what to do. The stronger his faction, the stronger his ability, the stronger his enemies. Perhaps, he shouldn't have rebuilt the chicken farm, and should have brought Yang Ke 'er to the base alone. One day, when the zombies surrounded the city, it would be best for them to roam the earth and the skies.
Mutated beasts, evolved zombies, human Evolvers, mutated plants, mutated insects, all of these were arranged in order in Zhang Xiaoqiang's mind. He did not know who was his ally, or who was his enemy. He also did not know where the path of humanity lay.
The people below only knew that heavy rain could damage metals, but Zhang Xiaoqiang knew that this heavy rain, and the plants after the heavy rain, would cause even more damage to the civilization of the entire human society.
Zombies could eat people and destroy their weapons, but they could not destroy cities and resources. They could not let the knowledge accumulated by generations of wise people disappear. However, the rain and plants could. In a few years, all the cities might be covered by plants, and all the high-tech resources would rot and mold in the roots and grass.
While they were in a dilemma, the convoy arrived at the temporary base. When the emerald green mountain range came into view, the temporary base was completely unrecognizable. Whether it was the reddish-brown mountain range or the dry soil and rocks, they were all hidden in the emerald green. Only the large boulders could not be hidden for a while. They suddenly stood out among the vegetation, and the reddish-brown stone surface was also stained with a bit of moisture.
Zhao Jun took his small staff to meet Zhang Xiaoqiang outside the canyon. After getting off the car, Zhang Xiaoqiang moved his body, looked up at the various fortifications on the mountain top, and then nodded with satisfaction. The vegetation blended all the fortifications into one, and outsiders standing below could not see what was above.
Even Zhang Xiaoqiang could only vaguely distinguish those were bunkers from the shape. If it was a bunker, even he could not recognize it. Walking into the canyon, countless brittle vines crept down along the rock wall, like a curtain of primitive ecology hanging in the air. Countless vines were still branching out with tender branches, and the branches stretched out at a speed visible to the naked eye, wrapping around any protrusion on the rock wall, firmly fixed on it. Countless small buds bloomed on the vines, and green leaves followed. The vines grew at a frightening speed. Almost in the blink of an eye, a bud bloomed with leaves, and then fully unfolded, like a fast-forward camera in front of everyone's eyes.
Walking into the canyon, Zhang Xiaoqiang felt a little familiar when he saw the red rock formation in the past. At least, it was not as scary as the outside. However, large tracts of open space were cleaned up into fields, and countless buds spread out in the fields, forming a few green carpets.
"That's the wheat we planted. I wanted to test it, but who knew that it would become like this in just three days. Many people think that it's because of the rain. Now we can only train for half a day, and the rest of the day we have to clear the wildly growing plants in the base …"
Standing on the edge of the green wheat field, Zhao Jun looked at the three-inch tall wheat seedlings and said to Zhang Xiaoqiang helplessly. From germination to growth, these wheat almost grew one inch a day. Although it was not as fast as the vegetation outside, it was already very scary. Before the doomsday, the growth period of wheat was about seven months. According to the current situation, the first wave of wheat could be harvested in two months at most.
Looking at the crisp wheat, Zhang Xiaoqiang did not have Zhao Jun's worries at all. He was stunned. These green little lives were particularly precious at this moment. Only when they were lost would they feel exceptionally rare. No matter what happened outside, as long as there was a harvest of food, there would be hope for mankind.
"Send someone to manage this wheat field and instruct Sumu Town to carry out agricultural reclamation. Let agriculture be the priority there. Only with food can we have a future …"
Zhang Xiaoqiang looked at the wheat seedlings on the ground and said as if he was sleepwalking. Zhao Jun was slightly stunned and then nodded. He did not understand the importance of food. For him, the food they found in the county's granary was enough for them to eat for one or two years. It did not seem urgent …
"Great West Huli Ao Du, quickly think of a way. The people down there can't live any longer. Half of our yurts have been blown away by the strong wind. More than 10,000 of our people have been killed by the heavy rain and cold. Our flocks of sheep have disappeared into the grasslands. Also, our food can't last us until next month."
Bayan stood in Tie Zhongyuan's tent with a depressed face and complained to Tie Zhongyuan. Tie Zhongyuan's tent was completely different from before. The women who were used as decorations were gone. The expensive carpets on the ground had faded and deformed. Some of the precious porcelain had been shattered and the jewels had changed color in the mud.
Tie Zhongyuan stood on the steps with his back facing Bayan and looked at the oil painting hanging behind the tent. The oil painting depicted the grand scene of Genghis Khan's invasion of Europe. The Mongolian soldiers waving their scimitars were laughing loudly on their horses. The women who were barely wearing clothes were kneeling on the ground in panic. The captives were tied up with ropes and marched into the distance. Countless gold coins and jewels were shining in the open chests.
The oil painting, which used to have distinct layers and bright colors, was mottled and peeled after being soaked in water. Many parts of the painting had begun to peel off. The mottled oil painting reflected Tie Zhongyuan's current mood. All of his lofty sentiments had become bleak after the heavy rain.
"Immediately gather all the troops and abandon the other lakes to defend the sacred lake. Also, gather all the remaining Han women and put them under control, including all the pregnant women. Mobilize all the Eight Divisions. The Gold Wolf Flag has 20,000 soldiers. The Left, Central, and Right Flags have 12 battalions. The remaining soldiers will make up the Gold Flag and the Left and Right Flags. Our next battle will determine our fate …"
Tie Zhongyuan did not solve the problem. Instead, he gave the order to mobilize for war. This caused Bayan to tense up.
He hesitantly asked, "Great Xihuri Aodu, our enemy is …"
Tie Zhongyuan slowly turned around. His handsome face flashed with a hint of obscurity, but his eyes became brighter and brighter. His deep pupils stared at Bayan for a long time, and he spat out two words from between his teeth, "Han people …"