Among these people, Liu Jiangyuan quickly saw several familiar faces. He strode up at one of them.

"Lao Fang, why are you? How did you end up here? ”

The person who came was Pei Chang Fang Chen.

The surface of his combat uniform was full of tears, and there were always twenty or thirty of them. The wound was not deep, the incision was only at the muscle level, and the bone was not injured. Despite this, Fang Chen's chest and back were still wrapped in bandages, and his movement was very inconvenient, looking like a high-risk patient in the intensive care unit.

"Hehe, I didn't expect to meet you here."

Fang Chen's injuries were not serious, he let go of the adjutant who was supporting him, and on his pale face, he squeezed out a smile: "It seems that you reacted much faster than me." Hehe, let's not laugh at 50 steps and laugh at 100 steps, we are all lucky to be able to withdraw alive...... How about it, do you have many casualties? ”

"Don't mention it————"

Liu Jiangyuan shook his head, looked around, and his eyes suddenly became dim: "The troops were scattered, and only more than 700 people rushed out from my direction. There was no car, from last night until now. Fortunately, a helicopter came yesterday and took the most seriously injured away. Otherwise, the speed will be even slower. ”

"I met those cars you sent back."

Fang Chen's face, which had just entered middle age, showed a smile of insight into the world: "Those pilots are all good. They escaped with us and returned to pick up more people. We made several trips back and forth, and when we retreated, we took the communicator with us, and the various units were in a similar situation to yours, and they were scattered in different directions. The situation on my side is slightly better than yours, and there are more than 1,400 people in the forest, but they are very scattered, and they are all on this road. ”

Saying that, Fang Chen seemed to have just discovered something, and asked suspiciously, "Why, looking at your appearance, it seems that you haven't gotten supplies?" ”

Liu Jiangyuan smiled bitterly and shook his head: "From last night to now, I haven't even drunk saliva, where is there any hellish supplies." ”

Fang Chen immediately turned around and ordered the adjutant: "Go quickly, put out the food and water compressed in the past, as well as the leftover meals from yesterday." ”

After speaking, he turned to Liu Jiangyuan again: "My luck is better than yours." The World War II zone airdropped a supply yesterday, and we got some of it. Plenty of food, and hot egg pancakes, but they're all cold now. ”

This is a joke, of course. At this time, it's good to have food, who cares about hot and cold?

Half an hour later, the two units, which had just completed their merger, began to move forward again.

The taste of being wrapped in bandages was not comfortable, and Fang Chen's movements were very inflexible. In particular, several wounds in his legs were cut deeply, and he could only walk forward with the support of his adjutant and soldiers.

He stared at the end of the road, which was a little dazzling in the sunlight in the distance, his deep eyes as dark as shadows.

"Lao Liu, your 517th Division, there are only a few people left?"

Liu Jiangyuan swallowed the cake that had not yet been chewed in his mouth, raised the kettle and poured it on his neck, wiped his lips with the back of his hand, and sighed: "It should be more than that." Although it was a siege, all the troops were scattered in the various fortifications. The previous style of play simply didn't work for mutated creatures, and depth and firepower were not effective in melee situations. Those monsters rushed in like a tidal wave, and everyone was scattered, and at that time, there was no way to contain them. We have lost our communications equipment and are unable to communicate with other troops. Specifics...... I don't know very well. ”

An indescribable sense of loss surged into Liu Jiangyuan's heart.

Looking at the distressed officers and soldiers around him, he suddenly lost interest in continuing to eat, and he no longer felt hungry.

"Remember the dinner that the commander had with us in the 11th Separate Force before the battle began?"

Fang Chen's expression was a little frustrated, and his voice was full of frustration: "I once suspected Su Hao, thinking that he wanted to seek personal gain, and deliberately said those intimidating words to make the commander give up the battle plan. Now think about it...... He's right. The plan was a bastard, and the campaign was a mistake from the start. We should not use expanded pheromone tactics and should not put too much faith in the combat effectiveness of our troops. If those mutated creatures were really stupid enough to get under the muzzle of a gun and wait to die, we wouldn't have been preparing since before the war, and we wouldn't have been wiped out by a sudden outbreak of viruses. We...... Underestimated them. ”

Liu Jiangyuan was actually extremely tired, but Fang Chen's words made him think again.

"We really should believe Su Hao. As the inventor of tactics, he knows better than anyone what pheromones do in different situations. I should have been on his side at that time, but I didn't. I want to avenge my family, and I really want to kill all the monsters and regain the world world before that. We have been proven wrong...... The next time I meet Su Hao, I will apologize to him. ”

Fang Chen didn't comment on Liu Jiangyuan's words, he stared at the ground and took a step forward in silence.

Yes, I apologize......

Su Hao is not the kind of person with a small belly. He will accept his and Liu Jiangyuan's apologies.

But even if you apologize, what's the use?

The 517th Division and Pei are integrated infantry divisions, with a full strength of more than 20,000 troops. Now, the troops were in pieces, suffering heavy casualties, and all technical weapons and heavy equipment were lost, plus a large amount of supplies and resources left behind in the positions...... Even if they can get rid of the pursuit of mutant creatures, it is estimated that it will be difficult for the two divisions to recover. Perhaps, the military department will most likely cancel the number directly.

At this time, a communications soldier trotted up from behind, handed a tablet tactical computer to Fang Chen, and said breathlessly, "Division commander, you...... You'd better take a look at this. ”

Pei left behind a large amount of communication equipment, and this communication computer is one of the few pieces of equipment left.

The screen of the tactical computer is small, but the picture is clear enough.

The scene on the screen is the live broadcast of Su Hao's telecommunications meeting with the military department. Because the shooting angle of the camera is a little off, the picture is separated from it, and it is divided into two parts: Su Hao and the conference room of the military headquarters, and everyone's expressions, demeanor and movements can be seen at a glance.

After watching it for a few minutes, Fang Chen suddenly frowned, and asked the communication soldier standing beside him, "Is there a way to expand the screen and sound?" So that everyone can hear, see? ”

"Yes, yes, it's just very troublesome."

Soon, the soldiers tore open dozens of military backpacks, tied them to each other with straps, and connected them into an irregular cloth of tens of square meters. Using the projection function of the tactical computer, the communications unit enlarges the picture on the screen. Although the curtain made of the rucksack was very rough and there were too many connecting gaps in it, it was barely able to see the faces of Su Hao and the participants in the military department, and roughly distinguish the specific identities of each person.

The loudspeaker was a makeshift drilled steel helmet, connected by a piece of iron sheet twisted into a bell mouth to enlarge the hard part of the helmet's edge, and the sound broadcast, although slightly faint, could be heard by most of the officers and soldiers present.

"Long before the Battle of Hefei, I explained to you the seriousness of the problem. The success rate of this plan is extremely low, it will cause a large number of casualties, and the entire Southeast Third War Zone may also collapse as a result, and the offensive frenzy of mutated creatures will even spread to the neighboring war zones, causing unpredictable and terrible consequences......"

"We've wasted a lot of time, and instead of saying things that don't fit here, let's really do something practical. The troops that were routed at the front had to be picked up. I've got to save them————"

"That's right, you are a general and can order the life and death of others. I don't have a big picture of the big picture, and I don't understand why the neighboring war zone hasn't sent reinforcements so far? Rest assured, I have already arranged for the evacuation of the civilians. I've been injected with potions, and my officers are stronger than ordinary soldiers. Watching others get killed and being indifferent to it is not what I do. Sorry General, I can't obey your orders right now. There are many people on the front line waiting for my help. Although General Zhang Shengfei is stubborn, his most reckless performance is completely in line with his military status. He is my role model and the pride of the soldiers of the Republic......"

There was silence on the entire road, and more and more soldiers and officers began to crowd forward. Their bodies were covered in gunpowder smoke and blood, their faces were tired, but their eyes were shaking with different gazes. Doubtful, surprised, angry, nervous......

Most of them didn't know Su Hao, but the young and handsome colonel on the screen with a righteous face was obviously on his side.

He was speaking for us, helping us to argue with the military department, even at the cost of angering the generals who stood up to us.

He also said that he would come to our rescue.

An indescribable emotion and excitement is flowing silently through the crowd, following the ears into the brain, firmly fixing the difficult thinking.

We are not alone, we are not forgotten and someone will come and help us.

Yes, we are defeated, defeated by those terrible mutated creatures. But we have done our best, we did not escape from the battle, many of our comrades died in battle, and they used their lives to cover us from the battlefield. Surviving doesn't mean running away, escaping death is just trying to regroup and come back.

Next time, we'll win.

A dark-faced veteran stared intently at the screen. He pointed to Su Hao's image and asked suspiciously, "Who is this young man?" I've never met him. ”

The warrant officer next to him, who had lost his left ear, turned sideways, pointed his right ear at the megaphone without being covered by a bandage, and shook his head: "I don't know either...... One thing is certain, though———— he's speaking for us. ”

A tall corporal with a machine gun on his shoulder grinned, revealing a mouthful of very white teeth: "I like this guy." At least he knew that we were alive and did not abandon us at the orders of the generals. Hehe, that feels good. ”

The conversation between Su Hao and the military department spread quickly through the public channel.

Soon, the scene has shifted to the moment when the dispute is at its most intense.

"From now on, Su Hao, you are no longer a colonel, and I will now remove you from the authority of the commander of the Eleventh Independent Force. You think you're brave? You think you're amazing? It's just a stupid and hellish counterattack just to flaunt your personal frivolous propaganda. I don't believe you're going to do that, you're just acting, you're making political capital. I've seen enough of your show, enough ————"

When the chubby vice chairman of the military department stood up from his chair and pointed at Su Hao and scolded, he didn't know that his image in the eyes of the defeated officers and soldiers had plummeted. There is no more majesty, no appeal and no credibility. Just thought, Su Hao's name also blurted out from his mouth, so that everyone who is unfamiliar with him is familiar with it.

"His name is Su Hao."

"I remember, he is the commander of the 11th Independent Army, when I was in Lujiang before, I saw it from afar a few times, no wonder he is so familiar."

That's right, he had long since discovered that there was a problem with the campaign plan and raised objections to the military department. But those damn guys pretended to be deaf and dumb, and only cared about their own promotion and wealth, but they pushed us to the front and sent us to death————"

On the crowded but deserted road, a noisy and chaotic roar suddenly stirred up.

"Those bastards in the military department have the power to remove Colonel Su Hao from his military rank? Who gave them the power? ”

"We fought to the death in the front, and they picked up our people in the back. That's right, I'm talking about Colonel Su Hao. He is on our side, he wants to save us, and the uncles of the military department don't think so. In their eyes, we are worthless, not even. ”

"Lao Tzu is no longer ————"

Suddenly, a soldier with severe scratches on his face angrily tore off his collar badge, threw it on the ground, and crushed it back and forth with his foot.

"I'm not going to listen to any damn orders anymore, I'm going to get out of here and go far. Even to be a civilian, it is much better than leaving your head in the hands of others like now. At least, Lao Tzu is living for himself. ”

"He's right."

A non-commissioned officer who had lost too much blood and had a pale face trembled his lips, his eyes were gloomy, and he struggled and roared: "Those people above always have all kinds of reasons. They're always right. We are their stepping stones, and it doesn't matter if we die in battle, we know that there are loopholes in our plans, and we are still stubborn when we are pointed out to our faces...... What are they when we are? Can you call a dog to drink at will? ”

Next to him, a captain with only his right arm left walked up, grabbed the non-commissioned officer's shoulder, and said in a sonorous tone: "What you said is not entirely right. At least there are people who speak for us, and not all the people in this world are blind and idiots. Listen to me, now and unlike before, it's not a good idea to take off your military uniform and become a civilian. I think you should know what happened to the refugees, you have all seen the civilians outside the city. They are worse off than we are. Trust me, that's not a good choice. ”

The wounded soldier's face turned red. His body trembled with anger, and his shouts were sharp and piercing: "Then what do you say to do?" Stay here and die? Or do you want to leave it to those people in the military department when you go back? In the end, we will still be abandoned by them. ”

Liu Jiangyuan watched all this silently. He turned his head to look to the side and found that Fang Chen's eyes were also full of worry, as well as obvious anger.

"At the very least, we have the power to choose the commander————"

The one-armed captain took a deep breath, tried to hold back the pain, looked up at the makeshift screen erected in the distance, and said through gritted teeth: "I will choose to join the Eleventh Independent Army, under a commander who can speak for us and help us desperately at a critical time." Even if it's just an ordinary soldier, Lao Tzu is gone."

Liu Jiangyuan's face twisted in pain. These words touched him deeply and affected his emotions.

The one-armed captain quickly spotted the two division commanders standing in the crowd.

He struggled to walk over, a slight apology on his face.

"Commander, I definitely don't mean to belittle you."

The captain's words pointed at Liu Jiangyuan: "I'm just talking about things, you are different from those guys in the military department." We just feel angry and want to be treated fairly. I...... I ......"

Fang Chen stretched out his hand and patted him on the shoulder, smiling kindly: "I understand." Colonel Su Hao was an excellent commander. He is sympathetic to his subordinates, and you just want to channel emotions and not let them have more negative thoughts

The captain looked at Fang Chen gratefully and nodded vigorously.

"Well, whatever you think, it's best to save it for later————"

Fang Chen took a few steps forward, stood in a position large enough to ⊥ most people to see, and shouted loudly, his voice clear and loud: "Commander Zhang Shengfei has been killed in battle, and the command system of the 184th Group Army has been paralyzed. In accordance with the orders of the military headquarters, we could only withdraw along the road to the adjacent theater of operations. Everyone knows that the mutated creatures are right behind us, and it won't be long before they catch up. No matter how angry you may be, or how dissatisfied you may be with the decision of the military department, now is not the time to calculate, let alone hold anyone accountable. We have to get out of here alive, and we have to get to the new Nanyang base as soon as possible. Remember———— no one cares about the appeal of the dead. If you want revenge, if you want to vent your anger, if you want to get in trouble with those damned officials above, you must do everything you can to survive"

As soon as the words fell, Liu Jiangyuan had already grabbed a single machine gun placed on the ground and waved his arms vigorously at the crowd.

"Now, let's go and speed up, and strive to get to the new Nanyang base tonight."

At dusk, the blood-red sunset slanted down from the sky. It stained the whole earth red, smeared the same color on the surface of the clouds, and scorched everything with the last residual heat.

A "Xiali" sedan overturned on the roadbed of the highway. It was originally lying on the road, but because of wartime needs, it was lifted high by a wrecker and pushed directly down the roadbed.

Along the way, the slopes of the roadbed on both sides and the adjacent fields are littered with strangely shaped vehicle wreckage. When the virus broke out, they were abandoned by their respective owners, clogging the road. Now, it is dragged away and pushed down. Under the wind and sun, it quickly faded, rusted, and turned into a pile of devastated scrap metal.