Zhang Xiaoqiang's idea was good, but Yuan Heping knew it was impossible. He knew Zhao Zhigang and He Zilong better than anyone else. They would not be satisfied with the supplies provided by the grassland army. They would only threaten the 800,000 survivors and ask the grassland army to withdraw from Ordos City and give them the whole Hetao Plain, so that they could have a place to breathe.
Ordos City was close at hand, and going north was too uncertain. Everyone would choose to go there, and these two had always been shameless. Trust was bullsh * t. Exchanging people for supplies would let them find the weakness of the grassland army and take the 800,000 survivors as hostages, or as commodities to exchange for the Hetao Plain.
The second proposal was also unrealistic. Cao Lidong knew something about the Joint Military Headquarters, but because of his position, he did not know much. Yuan Heping knew more about it than Cao Lidong. They seemed to be in a state of disunity, but once they encountered something, they would be absolutely united and would not let any outsiders have any chance to intervene.
He Zilong and Zhao Zhigang were nominally the highest officers of the two armies, but in fact, they were just the leaders chosen by the two forces. It was easy to control them. Once they were controlled, the Second Division and the Third Division could immediately elect new officers, and they would not play any role at all. The army was concentrated in the hands of officers with real power.
Yuan Heping mentioned the grassland army in front of Cao Lidong, which made Cao Lidong somewhat uncomfortable. He did not know what Yuan Heping was thinking. The words "grassland army" did not attract too much attention from them. What they cared about was the meaning of Yuan Heping's words. Cao Lidong was now incorporated by another army.
"That place is occupied?"
He Zilong reacted first, and Zhao Zhigang's expression changed. Then they saw the camera on the table, and the picture was fixed on the smiling faces of the pedestrians on the city streets.
"Don't ask me. I don't know much about that place. Cao Lidong just came to contact us on behalf of the grassland army, and did not bring any task. You can also see it as an old subordinate who has made a fortune, and come to show your respect to your old superior..."
Yuan Heping casually mentioned the grassland army. He Zilong walked up and grabbed the camera. Yuan Heping did not stop him, but just smoked...
Zhao Zhigang waved his hand to dismiss the Evolved Hu Ben behind him. He and He Zilong looked at the footage. The footage was not professional, as it was shot from different angles. The video had been edited, and some of the images were very rough, but the roughness made it look more real.
"This … this is …"
He Zilong stuttered a little. Yuan Heping raised his eyebrows and pretended not to care.
"Oh, this is their internal propaganda material. It's made for their hundreds of thousands of civilians. The control over there isn't strict, so Cao Lidong brought me a copy. He didn't mean anything else. He just wanted me to understand the strength of the grassland army."
There were tens of thousands of soldiers, tanks, armored vehicles, and uniform equipment. Looking at the countless granaries, the two of them were filled with desire.
"That side's combat power is not bad at all. Millions of Flesh-Eaters were wiped out so easily. They also have their own military factories. They don't lack bullets or anything like that. I think they've already started producing artillery shells and rockets …"
Seeing the greed on their faces, Ishihara knew what they were thinking. What they were trying to say was that if they could kill millions of zombies, then they could kill them just as easily. They didn't have many bullets, and it was impossible to replenish them. One side lacked ammo, while the other side had experienced countless battles and had plenty of ammo. It was obvious who had the upper hand.
"We're not bad either. The 1,000 evolvers of the Tiger Brigade are equivalent to tens of thousands of elites …"
He Zilong was not convinced. Zhao Zhigang's eyes lit up behind his glasses, and Yuan Heping looked at Cao Lidong with disdain. "Oh right, I forgot to ask. Did you see those evolvers on your way back?
What are they waiting for? "
Yuan Heping asked on purpose. In this short period of time, he had already thought of a plan, but it required Cao Lidong's cooperation. Cao Lidong knew what he was trying to say and immediately replied, "Oh, I've seen them before. They're in the grassland army's captive camp. There aren't many of them, only about 30 of them. I heard that they encountered a high-grade Flesh-Eater and almost got wiped out, but they were saved by one person …"
Cao Lidong's words made Zhao Zhigang and He Zilong uncomfortable. What Cao Lidong was trying to say was very straightforward. The enemy had only sent one person to capture their elite team, and they had even been saved by someone after suffering heavy losses.
"They didn't just send you to deliver cigarettes to Division Commander Yuan, right?
Division Commander Yuan must have a plan since he told us everything in front of us. I admit that we were not honest in the past. We were just trying to find a way to survive. Now that we have a way to survive, it all depends on Division Commander Yuan's plan … "
When Zhao Zhigang said this, Yuan Heping felt relieved. The fish had bitten the bait, and the rest was up to them. However, Yuan Heping was not in a hurry. He stood up and said to Cao Lidong, "It's getting late, and it's time to eat. You've brought a lot of supplies this time, and I'll take advantage of you and have a good meal. Everyone, why don't you stay and have a meal together …"
When Yuan Heping's meal was placed on the table, even Yuan Heping himself was shocked. This time, Cao Lidong had obtained three carts of supplies from the logistics warehouse. He wanted to use them to build a relationship with the other officers, but before he could think of how to use them, Yuan Heping had already seized them. Yuan Heping knew that even if these things were given to other officers, it would be like throwing meat buns at a dog. It was better for him to use them on a knife's edge. Now, the timing was just right.
There were a lot of dishes on the table. A variety of meat and vegetable dishes were paired with each other. There were all kinds of smoked meat, canned meat, fish, and an unknown type of meat. In the mountainous area, what kind of good food was everyone yearning for day and night?
Nothing else but meat. In addition to meat, there were all kinds of golden colored ethnic snacks.
What caught people's attention was not the dishes, but the big and small bottles of liquor. The liquor was not placed on the table.
With more than twenty dishes on the table, there was not enough space to place the liquor on the table. A separate table was set up on the side, and on it were all kinds of expensive liquor. There were porcelain bottles, crystal bottles, artisanal packaging, and even earthenware packaging. Among them, Apricot Spring and Maotai could only be considered common goods. Many of them were aged for decades.
Including Cao Lidong, the four of them sat around the table. Other than Cao Lidong, the other officers who were in charge of the lives and deaths of hundreds of thousands of people were somewhat fearful. They did not lack food and clothing, but they were not extravagant to this extent. Perhaps it was nothing before the apocalypse, and perhaps it was also nothing during the first half of the apocalypse. However, in the Yin Mountain Range, it was a crime to set up such a table. One must know that there were people starving to death on a daily basis.
"Battalion Commander Cao's position over there is not low. Otherwise, they would not have taken out so many good things. I wonder if every battalion commander can get such supplies?"
He Zilong did not move his chopsticks. He held the fragrant wine cup and gently swayed it between his nose. A pair of treacherous eyes stared at Cao Lidong, and then swept across Yuan Heping's face with an almost imperceptible sharpness.
Yuan Heping did not respond. He picked up his chopsticks and picked up a large piece of meat. The meat was soft and fragrant, and the smell aroused one's appetite. When he started chewing, he was completely conquered by the aroma of the meat. He did not look at anyone else and only ate the meat.
Cao Lidong quickly glanced at Yuan Heping and shook his head with a wry smile. "I don't have that kind of face. After they found out about Commander Yuan, they are very interested in Commander Yuan and want to invite him to be the principal of the military academy. Count this as a meeting gift …"
A piece of information came out of Cao Lidong's mouth, causing He Zilong and Zhao Zhigang to mull over it. Yuan Heping had only said half of what he had to say, his expression unhurried and unhurried. Even now, they still had not understood Yuan Heping's meaning. Hearing that someone else was interested in Yuan Heping and wanted to invite him to be the principal made them even more uncomfortable. No matter who it was, they would not give up their military authority to become some principal of a military academy. Who knew what kind of connection Yuan Heping had with that side?
Yuan Heping and Cao Lidong ate and drank to their heart's content while He Zilong and Zhao Zhigang ate without tasting the food. After a long while, Zhao Zhigang slammed his chopsticks on the table. The crisp sound of chopsticks hitting the table made Yuan Heping and Cao Lidong, who were immersed in their work, raise their heads and look over. Zhao Zhigang slammed his chopsticks down and grabbed a bottle of wine with a face full of smiles. Without looking at the strength and brand, he poured himself a full glass of wine, raised his glass, stood up, and sincerely said to Yuan Heping, "Division Commander Yuan, I admit that we have wronged you in the past. We backstabbed you and backstabbed you. This is our fault. Today, I will apologize to you.
He gently kicked He Zilong, who was sitting next to him, with his right foot under the table. He Zilong also stood up and said, "Division Commander Yuan, we have always been working together. We have been together for so long, and we have never left you in the lurch. I admit that we have caused you a lot of trouble during this period of time, but we were too anxious. Seeing that we were going to die soon, we just wanted to save as many seeds as possible. It is our fault for giving up on the survivors. Let me give you a chance to explain …."