Chapter 165 Cannon Fodder

After those who had surrendered left, Duan Lei began to take out weapons to distribute to the people in the stronghold. When they swept through the city, they had also collected a lot of weapons, but they hadn't used them before because Li Chenzhou had provided them.

Although they felt they wouldn't need them, they were still weapons after all, so they had been kept in the war chariot's warehouse, and now they were finally coming in handy!

After distributing the weapons, Duan Lei directed everyone to rearrange the defensive formation. The combat personnel all wore serious expressions, ready to face the upcoming battle of life and death!

However, just as Duan Lei finished arranging things on the stronghold side and looked up at the opposite side, he couldn't help but frown!

The opposite side was truly in chaos at this moment. After all, tens of thousands of people had just passed by, and ten thousand people was already a vast number, let alone tens of thousands.

Moreover, the people on the opposite side did not let these tens of thousands of people pass through their defense line. Instead, they stopped them within the defense line, that is, between Lin Qiang's defense line and the stronghold base.

"Damn it!"

Duan Lei immediately thought of something, and his expression suddenly changed.

"What's wrong?"

Qing Luan couldn't help but look at Duan Lei.

"Those bastards want to use the surrendered people as cannon fodder!"

Duan Lei gritted his teeth and said.

"Cannon fodder?"

Qing Luan was taken aback, and then she understood what Duan Lei meant, and her face immediately turned horrified:

"No... surely not? They surrendered, so they're their people now! How can they treat their own people like this?"

"Their own people? Hmph! I'm afraid that in those people's hearts, apart from themselves, no one else is even considered a person, let alone their own people?"

Duan Lei's face also became somewhat ferocious:

"If they really wanted to take in those who surrendered, then they should have let those people pass and stand behind their defense line. But now, they've stopped all those people, and they're definitely going to use them to attack our base!!!"

"Then... then what do we do?"

Even though she hadn't truly experienced war, Qing Luan could imagine the consequences if these tens of thousands of people were used as cannon fodder and charged towards them.

"What can we do? Kill!"

Duan Lei seemed to have already made a decision. He suddenly took a deep breath, then his expression became calm, and he turned to look at Qing Luan and said.

"Kill... kill who?"

Qing Luan stammered.

"Whoever dares to charge towards us, we'll kill them!!!"

Duan Lei replied.

"...But they... they were our people before!"

Qing Luan suddenly felt a chill rise in her body, and looking at Duan Lei, it was as if she was looking at a stranger!

"You said it yourself, *before*. They were our people *before*, but not anymore!"

Duan Lei looked at Qing Luan and said:

"This is their own choice, right?"

As he spoke, Duan Lei pointed to the survivors hiding in the residential area:

"These people are our people now. Even when facing powerful enemies, they still don't abandon us, risking their lives to support you! So, they are your responsibility now, and you must protect them!

If you are soft-hearted and dare not shoot at those who have already surrendered and are being used as cannon fodder by the enemy, then you know what the result will be, right?

Our stronghold will be breached, and all of us will be slaughtered. They won't let any of us go. Everyone here will die!"

Duan Lei stared into Qing Luan's eyes:

"Being soft-hearted towards some people who abandoned you and defected to the enemy, leading to the death of those who trust you and entrust their lives to you, do you think that's fair to those who stayed behind?"

"I..."

Qing Luan's eyes became blank! She looked at this side, then at the other side, and her mind went blank.

"I said long ago that the battlefield is not suitable for you! So, just leave everything to me. You... go to the residential area and comfort those people, and by the way... tell them to stay away from the windows and try not to watch the battle here!"

Duan Lei went over and patted Qing Luan on the shoulder, and said softly:

"As for the battlefield, leave it to us. I can't guarantee that we will be able to repel them, but we will try our best!!!"

Duan Lei said "try our best" instead of "fight to the death." After all, they still had the war chariot, so Duan Lei would fight with Lin Qiang and the others, doing his best, but if in the end he saw that things were impossible, he would still take the team, Qing Luan, and some others and leave.

Relying on the war chariot, Duan Lei believed that those people couldn't stop him. Losing the stronghold didn't matter. Duan Lei believed that as long as they were still alive, when Li Chenzhou returned, he would definitely be able to regain the stronghold base!

As for the survivors in the stronghold, if he could save them, Duan Lei would naturally not give up. But if he couldn't do it, Duan Lei wouldn't choose to die with them!

Just like what Li Chenzhou said: I can save people, but the prerequisite is that I won't die because of it!

Meanwhile, on the other side, Zhao Dahai had finally arrived in front of those who had surrendered.

Earlier, because Lin Qiang had already given the order, after these surrendered people rushed over frantically, Lin Qiang's soldiers stopped them all, not allowing them to pass.

The people who surrendered were just afraid of death, they weren't stupid. Seeing that they were being stopped and not allowed to pass, they felt uneasy in their hearts!

Although they couldn't imagine that Lin Qiang would let them attack the stronghold base, the position they were in now was between the two armies, that is, the battlefield. Who would want to stay in such a place?

As far as they were concerned, since the other side had persuaded them to surrender before, then they should definitely arrange for them properly now, either let them go to the other side's base, or let them go to the back first, and after the war was over, they would take the stronghold base, and then let them return!

But now, they were actually being stopped here and not allowed to pass at all. What exactly was this... accepting their surrender or not?

"Jian Yong, Xiao Lu, Lin Qiang wants us to organize these people and prepare... to let them go to the front to attack the stronghold base, and our people will be mixed in the middle! Taking the opportunity to kill people!"

Zhao Dahai called Guo Jianyong and Xiao Lu over and told them Lin Qiang's decision in a low voice.

"Ah? So... so many people, all going to rush over?"

Guo Jianyong was stunned:

"They are all ordinary people. If they rush over like this, once the guns fire, how many people will die?"

"This is Lin Qiang's decision, I can't do anything about it!"

Zhao Dahai sighed:

"I will convey Lin Qiang's order to those soldiers later. Take this opportunity, you two go find our people and tell them not to mix in with these surrendered people, just follow far behind!"

"Okay! I understand!"

Guo Jianyong and Xiao Lu looked at each other, and then left together!

"Brothers, come here!"

Seeing Guo Jianyong and Xiao Lu leave, Zhao Dahai looked at the surrendered people who were still begging the soldiers, waved his hand, and called over several leaders of the soldiers...