Zhang Zi quickly returned to the city and handed over the letter in her hand. Not long after, she found that the rest of her teammates who had set out to gather information together had also returned, and they all held letters in their hands. The signatory of all the letters was the Corpse King Ma Jingshuang.
To ensure the letters were delivered smoothly to Yanjing, the Corpse King prepared more than one letter. The intelligence gatherers all found the letters and brought them back. No one dared to open the letters to read them, because such important matters could only be handled by superiors. This was a matter of great importance, and they could not act on their own.
Numerous intelligence personnel were placed under a gag order, and they were not to speak carelessly after leaving, but to keep their mouths shut. Afterward, everyone was dismissed.
The Yanjing Command Center urgently assembled command personnel. When the person presiding over the meeting announced the news that the zombies had hidden underground, everyone fell silent. Who would have thought that the Corpse King had already anticipated the problem of snow and had dug caves in advance? Now, hundreds of millions of zombies were all hiding underground, and the battle situation instantly became tense. Because both sides had defensive measures, humans hid behind the city walls, while zombies hid underground, and neither could easily break through the defenses!
Now, the battle situation had become tense. The people who were still cheerful and jubilant fell silent. It wasn't that they couldn't accept this matter, but they were considering the consequences of the war continuing. To support the Yanjing battlefield, a large number of troops were gathered. Other areas could only adopt a defensive posture against the zombies. If this continued, the losses would be huge, and the mission to retake the country would be delayed indefinitely!
The host continued, "Here, we have found some letters. These letters were all written by a Corpse King, and now we have decided to announce the contents of the letters to all high-ranking officials."
As he spoke, the host looked at Marshal He, who was sitting beside him. Marshal He nodded solemnly at this time, agreeing with the host's decision.
At this moment, the host, with a heavy expression, took out the letters and began to read them. Everyone listened attentively. This was the first time everyone had communicated with the Corpse King. Before this, no one had ever seen the Corpse King, let alone discussed matters with him.
"To everyone in Yanjing, allow me to introduce myself. I am Ma Jingshuang. Of course, this was also my name when I was human. Now, I am the Corpse King you speak of! One who commits all evils, one who is full of wickedness! But in reality, I have never eaten a person, nor have I ever harmed anyone!
It's strange, isn't it? A Corpse King like me, who is harmless to humans and animals, is considered to be full of wickedness! But what I want to say is this: why do you think I must be evil just because I have become a Corpse King? Is it because our identities and positions have changed? Or is it that I can no longer exist in this world as a human?
I have human memories. At least in my opinion, I am still a human. A human whose appearance has changed, a human infected by the virus! Until a month ago, I felt the disappearance of a companion. He was killed by you. If I am not mistaken, it was in Rongcheng. This companion often communicated with me. He believed he was also human, and he also wanted to live. But this dream was shattered.
I don't want to avenge him, because I know that he was the one who initiated the war. He led the zombies to attack Rongcheng, which ultimately caused huge casualties. He deserved to die. But his death served as a reminder to me. His death told me that I am no longer human. I am now the Corpse King, the king of many zombies!"
At this point, the host paused. Sweat was already covering his forehead. He knew that the following content was the most explosive. No one expected the Corpse King to have such a request.
At this point, the host could not stop halfway. He needed to continue reading, so he said, "After I discovered the change in my identity, I was eager to know what species I was. So I ordered my subordinates, the zombies, to capture a couple. When I asked them, all I received were curses, the most vicious language in the world. Only then did I realize that it was no longer important whether I considered myself human or not, because in the eyes of humans who were not infected, I was a complete alien!
I did not kill the couple. I let the zombies send them away. And they left without looking back. I knew they were terrified of my power.
Therefore, I know that zombies and humans cannot coexist harmoniously, because there is a deep-seated hatred between the two, which is irreconcilable. However, as a zombie, I also need to survive. This is the instinct of a living being. I also need to lead my subordinate zombies to survive together. For this, I need bargaining chips, I need enough strength!
It was I who led the many Corpse Kings in the north to participate in the siege of Yanjing, and the final result was very gratifying. I achieved my goal, and you could only passively be exhausted by our actions. The continuation of the war is also meaningless. I suggest that both sides negotiate peace! The Corpse Kings represented by me will restrain their subordinate zombies and no longer attack human residential areas. Similarly, humans should also designate residential areas for zombies, and we will live in the designated areas!
It is strange that all sorts of strange animals can get protection, but as long as humans are slightly strange, they will be ostracized. I don't understand! Now, I only hope that humans and zombies can coexist. As long as the two sides do not meet and live in their respective residential areas, that is enough. Thus, my intention is very clear: designate respective residential areas for both sides, non-interference, and peaceful coexistence.
If you disagree, I will lead my subordinate zombies to break through Yanjing in the spring. I will use my strength to seize our own residential areas!"
The host finished reading the letter, and he was already covered in sweat. This was not a letter of peace, but a naked threat. If the Corpse King's demands were not met, a great war would break out again. Moreover, if residential areas were indeed designated, would humans not coexist with zombies? Could this really be achieved?
At this moment, fierce and stern words erupted in the meeting: "How dare a mere Corpse King threaten us like this? He even wants residential areas. What a pipe dream! Isn't it just continuing the war? Then let's fight! I want to see who wins in the end!"
"Exactly! Zombies also want residential areas. What a wishful thinking! These zombies have killed so many relatives of humans. If such deep-seated hatred can still lead to peace, it would be a great joke. In short, the Corpse King's demands must not be agreed to!"
"Since this Corpse King has human memories and considers himself human, he should not continue to help the zombies! He is helping the zombies besiege us, and at the same time, he pretends to consider himself human. How can there be such a good thing!"
"It's completely like wanting to engage in service industries while also building landmark buildings. Shameless scoundrels."
Most people were cursing the Corpse King's shamelessness and all disagreed with the Corpse King's conditions. Was it not just continuing the war? Who was afraid of whom? Then let's keep fighting. He even dared to boast, saying that he would break through Yanjing in the spring. It was simply a pipe dream. In the face of modern weapons, the zombies would not even be able to get close to the city walls!
However, a minority of people were also hesitating. They considered the overall situation and said, "The zombies' demands are not impossible to agree to. Don't they just want residential areas? Drive them to the north and let them live abroad. This can also avoid the expansion of the war."
"Everyone, our original mission was to retake the country as soon as possible. For this, the headquarters set the time limit at three to five years. But if we continue to stalemate, the war will continue indefinitely, and the plan will be affected. We cannot be tied down in Yanjing for a long time!"
"Why don't we pretend to agree to the Corpse King's demands and first concentrate our forces to deal with the zombies in the Central China and Southern China regions, and then turn against the Corpse King Ma Jingshuang. Deception in war is acceptable."
These few people also considered themselves to have a grand perspective, so they began to persuade. Negotiating peace was not impossible, but it was only temporary. It was just a temporary measure, and it was for the sake of the overall situation. This needed to be seen clearly. As long as the numerous troops in Yanjing could be liberated, the overall situation would be revitalized.
However, such remarks were like throwing a stone into a calm lake, immediately causing a stir like a thousand waves. Countless people began to accuse these people of being surrenderists, and that one could not compromise with zombies. Moreover, this was just an excuse for their own fear of death, not a true consideration of the overall situation.
Now, because of a letter, people in the meeting began to argue. Unknowingly, almost everyone was following the Corpse King's train of thought, being led by the nose by the enemy, yet they did not realize it at all.
At this moment, fortunately, Marshal He stepped forward and said, "Everyone, calm down and listen to me!"
The arguing parties then stopped their disputes. Nowadays, only the highly respected Marshal could command obedience, and everyone had to listen to his words.
Marshal He frowned and said, "You are all too impulsive. Just because of a letter from the Corpse King, you are all in disarray. Is your opposition justified now? The most important thing now is to work together and resolve the main contradiction. If you cannot even see this clearly, then get out of the meeting room immediately!"
Seeing that the Marshal was angry, everyone could only fall silent. No one dared to contradict the Marshal at this time. It was most appropriate to listen to the scolding obediently.
Fortunately, the Marshal did not say much more about this matter. He slowly stood up and said seriously, "Everyone listen to me. Regarding the zombies' demands, we will definitely not agree. Because according to laboratory research, zombies cannot turn back into humans. From the moment they were infected with the virus, they were already dead. They are no longer human. As for the Corpse King, what if he has human memories? The fact is that he led the zombies to attack human cities. We cannot show mercy out of sympathy."
At this point, the Marshal paused and continued, "As for peace talks, it is impossible. How can the deep-seated hatred not be avenged? The most important point is that we must also be ruthless. Now, facing the threat from North China, if we compromise, then what about the battles in Central China and Southern China? If the zombies band together and put pressure on us, will we agree to peace talks? Is this still considered retaking the country?"
"Therefore, we have no choice. For the sake of the fallen soldiers, for the sake of the sacrificed compatriots, and for the hope of the remaining humans, we cannot retreat. Please be aware of this. Although it is winter now, we must continue to fight! Zombies have no logistical support, but we do! We must take the initiative to attack, end the battle as soon as possible, and then restart the plan to retake the country!" Marshal He said in a deep voice.
This speech immediately pointed the way for everyone. Everyone understood what they should do now. It was not to negotiate peace under pressure, nor to belittle the zombies as worthless. Instead, it was to face the enemy squarely, defeat the enemy honorably, and shatter the zombies' dream of coexistence.
Finally, a long banner was sent out of the city walls and placed outside the cave about ten kilometers away from the city, planted straight in the ground. The banner fluttered in the wind, and the writing on it was extremely clear, stating: "The earth is not vast enough to accommodate two intelligent species."
Afterward, the headquarters also urgently mobilized, and everyone was discussing how to defeat such a large number of zombies. Was it to wait until spring when the weather warmed up and the zombies emerged from underground for a decisive battle? This was clearly impossible. Time waits for no one, and Yanjing needed to take the initiative.