Chapter 429: The Northern Demonic Country’s Conspiracy

As if sensing He Lingchuan's gaze, Zhong Shengguang turned his head and glanced at him, his eyes like lightning.

At this moment, the hall door opened again, and several officials and generals filed in, followed by another magician.

Among them, Wen Daolun, Helian Chen, and General Nan Ke were all familiar faces that He Lingchuan recognized.

"Everyone is here." Zhong Shengguang nodded to the magician, who immediately took out a long-handled mirror and held it high.

The handle and frame of the mirror are all red gold, with passionflower patterns, and two deep red rubies inlaid on the edge. The shape is exaggerated and gorgeous.

But the mirror frame is not an ordinary mirror, but an eyeball!

Yes, a large yellow eyeball with a diameter of two feet, and a vertical pupil like a crocodile or a cat.

To be honest, it is quite creepy that such an eyeball can be separated from the biological body and can glance around up and down, left and right.

Especially its eyes look very evil, especially when it looks at you.

He Lingchuan got goose bumps on his back.

Fortunately, the big eyeball only stared at him for less than a second before checking the next person.

After dozens of breaths, the eyeball did not change, so the magician put it away and bowed to Zhong Shengguang: "The magic eye detection is complete, everything is clean."

He Lingchuan then understood that the big eyeball was used to check whether there were magic tools or magical powers on everyone.

Of course, if his reconnaissance spider was here, it would probably not be able to escape the opponent's magic eye.

After the magician left, He Lingchuan closed the door and blocked it with his body.

Zhong Shengguang pointed to the sand table: "This is the second closed-door meeting on the Xiluo Kingdom's relocation order. The seven people who attended the meeting last time agreed that we should not return to the east. Today we want to listen to more people's opinions."

He Lingchuan was stunned.

It turned out that the news that Xiluo Kingdom issued a relocation order was actually true?

General Nan Ke immediately said, "I just came back from the west. Has the Qian'an Order been sent to Panlong City?"

"No." Zhong Shengguang shook his head, "As far as I know, the imperial edict has not been issued yet, and the king is still wavering."

"That means he is hesitant." General Nan Ke sneered, "Why is this news so popular in Panlong Desert? Who is spreading it? They should be arrested and taught a lesson."

Someone else said, "If it is spread without confirmation, it is a rumor, and it must be charged with spreading rumors and misleading people."

This is a serious crime in Panlong City, and those with serious circumstances must cut out their tongues. The most feared thing in wartime is the shaking of military and civilian morale.

Helian Chen waved his hand, "This news was brought in by merchants, and it was spread four or five days ago. It is not ruled out that someone may have deliberately spread it, but we have not refuted the rumor until now, and there are many speculations among the people."

The Qian'an Order was still in the hands of the king, but the merchants spread the news that the Panlong City army and civilians were about to return to the east. It is hard to say that there was no one behind the scenes to incite. Now Panlong City is in a dilemma:

If the rumor is dispelled, if the king really issues the order to move to An, then the rumor will come true, and the prestige of Zhong Shengguang and others will be damaged;

If the rumor is not dispelled, the rumor will spread and directly shake people's hearts.

Everyone knows that Panlong City's strong combat power comes from unity. Once this foundation is shaken, the consequences will be disastrous.

Zhong Shengguang nodded: "Do you all think that we should not return east?"

Another general stood up, and He Lingchuan vaguely knew his name was Ling Chongshui. He pointed to the sand table and said: "Even if Baling Country opens the Jinxi Corridor to us, the journey back to the country is at least hundreds of miles. Many sections of the Jinxi Corridor are not only rugged and difficult to travel, but also convenient for ambushes. With such a good opportunity, I don't believe that the gang of bastards in Baling Country will not be tempted! By then, we will be carrying the elderly and children, and it will be difficult to take care of both ends, and we will not be able to exert our combat power at all!"

The Panlong City army was invincible in the wilderness, mostly due to its efficient combat ability, coming and going like the wind, attacking the enemy by surprise.

If the whole city moves east, and if multiple cities move together, these millions of people will be exposed in the wilderness and become moving targets. No matter how powerful the Panlong City army is, it will be difficult to protect them.

Baling and Xianyou have fought with Panlong City for more than ten years, and have long forged a blood feud. With this great opportunity, can they resist revenge?

Try to let the rabbit not eat grass.

"If the king really issues a relocation order, what will the residents of the entire wasteland think if we refuse?" Another middle-aged scholar spoke up, "There are at least 800,000 people in the entire Panlong Wasteland who are from the mainland. After 16 years of blocking the enemy, people have long been tired of war. Otherwise, this unissued eastward relocation order would not have caused such a big shock."

He has dark skin and bright eyes. He Lingchuan thinks he looks familiar.

Where have you seen him before?

"Then what do you think, Lord Zhao?"

When he heard the surname Zhao, He Lingchuan was startled and remembered.

There is only one senior official in Panlong City with the surname Zhao, and that is the commander Zhao Xianhe!

He Lingchuan had killed his beloved son Zhao Rong under the God-Descending Pillar not long ago. And this was an order Zhao Xianhe took the initiative to issue.

"The last time Xiluo issued the relocation order to Panlong City, the result was not good, which directly led to our loss of 40,000 elite soldiers, 30,000 civilians, and Lord Jing. But this time the situation is different. The motherland was attacked by rebels and the capital was in danger. The Northern Demon Kingdom is willing to send reinforcements to assist the Xiluo court army in clearing out the rebels in the Heshun area. In exchange, it wants to mediate the conflict between our country and Baling and Xianyou, that is, to relocate the residents of Panlong and hand over this place to the two countries on the opposite side."

"Does Lord Zhao think that the conditions offered by the Demon Country are reasonable? These old monsters are fanning the flames everywhere, hoping that the world will not be in chaos. What good intentions can they have for us?" General Nan Ke said coldly, "Besides, Panlonghuang was originally our territory. Why should we give it to Baling and Xianyou?"

"Who here doesn't know what you said?" Zhao Xianhe had a blank expression, "I just suggested that we make preparations for both situations. What should we do if we have to move?"

Ling Zhongshui crossed his arms in front of him: "If we don't move, what can they do to us?"

"The will of the people cannot be violated. If we don't move, we must analyze the situation and convince the people, otherwise how can we gain a foothold in the future?" Zhao Xianhe shook his head, "Perhaps Baling and Xianyou also hope that we will stay and not move, taking the opportunity to divide people's hearts."

A move against the will of the people is pale even if there is a plausible reason.

"If the other party sees this trick works, what if they use it again after some time?" Zhao Xianhe continued, "The king wants to move to An again, but we don't move. After so many repetitions, do you think the citizens won't flee privately?"

Although the journey home is full of dangers and difficulties, at least there is still hope.

As long as there is a glimmer of hope, some people will take risks.

People want to return home, can you stop them all without missing a single one?

If this sets a precedent and an example for other citizens, fleeing to the east privately will become a trend in the future, and it will be unstoppable.

Wen Daolun sighed: "The way to use troops is to attack the heart."

Once Panlong City cannot be united, its combat power will be immediately weakened.

General Hong remained silent, and Helian Chen asked her: "What do you think, General Hong?"

Her voice was cold: "First of all, the king of Xiluo does not want Zhong Shengguang to go back. Xiluo has not dared to recruit us back for so many years, because he is afraid that the tiger and wolf division of Panlong City can easily point the sword to the capital."

The king is wary of every vassal king. Apart from other things, the main reason for the unrest in Xiluo is the rebellion of the vassal kings. If the king calls back the Panlongcheng army, it will be like driving a tiger to eat a wolf. When the wolf is eaten, what will the tiger do?

The Panlong army is stronger than any army under the vassal king.

Let's make a worse assumption. If Zhong Shengguang takes the opportunity of returning to the country to directly rebel, establish his own regime or force the emperor to abdicate again, the problem of the vassal king will be further aggravated. Wouldn't the king of Xiluo regret it?

So the king of Xiluo would rather consider foreign aid than call Zhong Shengguang back.

After all, foreign aid has no roots in the country, and people are wary of it, so it is naturally impossible to win people's hearts.

All the people present understand these principles.

General Hong looked around at everyone: "Secondly, do you all want to go back?"

As soon as this question came out, everyone was silent.

He Lingchuan secretly raised his thumbs and asked a good question.

Those who can attend the meeting are all high-level officials in Panlongcheng, powerful and influential, and can be said to live at the top of this pyramid. Over the past decade, they have been deeply engaged in Panlong City, set up a large number of industries, and have the deepest interest in this place. Once they leave, they will suffer the greatest loss.

This is human nature, regardless of whether they are honest or not.

What are the benefits of returning to the east for them? Returning to Xiluo is full of uncertainty, and the original industries on hand will immediately shrink and the wealth will be greatly reduced.

Panlong Desert is so large, Chiba Plateau is so rich in resources, and the population is so large. What's wrong with staying?

The third question of the soul: "So, who exactly wants to go back?"

It is the people who moved to Panlong Desert from the inland and now want to return to their roots, and the young people who are deeply curious about their homeland.

General Hong said again: "The Northern Demon Country thinks it has made an open conspiracy, and we have no choice. In fact, we don't have to choose at all."

"No choice?" General Nan Ke was surprised, "Does it mean that we don't move our troops and pretend that we didn't press the Qian'an Order? But this is also a choice."

Inaction itself is a statement.

Wen Daolun frowned all the time, and then he spoke: "I think General Hong's intention is to jump out of the restrictions of the demon country, and we can't simply decide between staying and moving away."

General Nan Ke was dissatisfied: "Old Wen, you are not authentic. These millions of people either leave or stay. You said there is a third choice?"

"We have all been led into a ditch by General Zhao, thinking about how to deal with the relocation order." Wen Daolun turned to Zhong Shengguang and said, "If the king does not issue the relocation order, then nothing will happen?"

Zhong Shengguang asked him: "We are thousands of miles away, how can we influence the king's decision?"

General Hong walked to the edge of the sand table, drew his sword and pointed: "The king of Xiluo is indecisive and has many repetitive actions. We can't wait. Therefore, Panlong City must make a quick decision for him."

Decision?

Her voice was sonorous and powerful, echoing in everyone's ears:

"Announce the whole city, mobilize the whole army, and we will fight back!"