We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

The lobby of the government office was brightly lit.

The defending generals who received the emergency summons gathered together, but they all looked solemn and the atmosphere was so depressing that it made people breathless.

The generals looked panicked, their eyes flickering, and they even whispered to each other.

Obviously, Li Che's strategy of attacking the hearts and minds of soldiers was not only effective on low-level officers and soldiers, but also had a serious impact on senior generals.

About a quarter of an hour later, Dugu Hong appeared in the government office.

When the generals saw that he was pale and even needed the support of his personal soldiers to stand steadily, their hearts sank even more.

In today's Luoyang City, Dugu Hong is the backbone. If he falls, the Fengtian Army will not need to attack the city, and Luoyang City will fall into civil strife.

Dugu Hong pushed aside his personal guards and walked to the main seat with all his might, resting his hands on the table.

He didn't waste any words and directly made a shocking decision in public:

"This general has decided to open the city gates at dawn tomorrow. I will personally lead the army to attack the Fengtian Army camp!"

When these words were spoken, everyone in the hall was shocked, and the generals could hardly believe their ears.

When they came to their senses, they all began to advise:

"General, no!"

"Our army is trapped in an isolated city. We are already at a disadvantage in terms of manpower. We can still hold on by relying on the city's defenses. Fighting outside the city would be like throwing an egg against a rock."

"The Fengtian Army's firearms are sharp and their camps are strong. If we attack rashly, we may never return!"

"General, please take back your order!"

"Acting like this is no different from committing suicide. I beg your pardon!"

There was a chorus of objections in the hall, but Dugu Hong had anticipated this. He coughed violently a few times, and his face flushed abnormally.

He suppressed the sweet taste in his throat and said in a hoarse and resolute voice, "Shut up!"

Although the situation was not good, Dugu Hong's influence was still there, and the generals immediately calmed down.

"Defend? If you open your eyes and speak, can you still defend?!" Dugu Hong slammed the table, making the teacups rattle. "Now the army's morale is low and the people have no desire to fight!"

"The Fengtian Army's mere pieces of paper and a few bags of grain have already put Luoyang City in a difficult situation, both internally and externally, and destroyed its morale."

"If we delay any longer, there will be no need for the Fengtian Army to attack the city. We will all be trapped in a jar, and Luoyang City will fall without a fight!"

When the generals heard Dugu Hong's words, they all lowered their heads and remained silent. No one dared to look him in the eye.

Dugu Hong looked around at everyone, his eyes like shooting knives, trying to dig out the most secret thoughts in everyone's heart.

How could he not know that even his own son was thinking of retreating? How could the generals standing here be so eager to die?

After everyone quieted down, Dugu Hong continued, "Our only option now is to risk our lives. While our army still has some strength left to fight, and while the Fengtian army thinks we're just going to retreat and defend, we must use all our might and launch a desperate attack!"

"If our army is lucky, we might be able to burn their food supplies, disrupt their formation, and gain a glimmer of hope."

"Otherwise, we will just sit there and wait for death, which will lead to our own death!"

After hearing Dugu Hong's words, the generals looked at each other in confusion. How could they not know that the situation was critical?

But if they went out of the city to fight in the field, they would have to face the Fengtian Army, which was armed to the teeth, and the terrifying artillery. How slim would the hope of survival be?

It was written on that small "life-saving talisman" that it would only be effective when the city was broken, but it did not include those who rushed out of the city.

Dugu Hong saw everyone's reactions and felt a chill in his heart.

He became even more certain that many people had already seen the way out and were no longer willing to fight to the death.

But Dugu Hong did not scold them, because he had just pointed out that path to his family.

Even ants try to survive, he understands.

Others can think so, but you can't!

He is the General Zhendong of Daqing. As the saying goes, he has the responsibility to defend the territory and loyalty is above all else.

Providing a way out for one's family is a father's personal preference, while leading the army in battle to the death is the duty of a subject.

"This general knows." Dugu Hong's voice deepened. "This journey is a life-or-death struggle, so this general will not force anyone."

He took a deep breath and looked at the generals: "Now, those who do not wish to follow me out of the city for a decisive battle, please leave your military tokens behind."

"This general allows you to stay and defend the city, but your soldiers cannot. They are soldiers from Daqing!"

The lobby was dead silent, and at this moment, the air seemed to be frozen.

Dugu Hong's move could be considered merciful. Although he made them surrender their military power, at least their lives were saved.

If the Fengtian Army could keep its promise, when the city was broken, they would only need to take out that life-saving talisman, and perhaps they could even get a position based on their status.

After a while, three generals finally stood up with a guilty conscience.

They didn't dare to look into Dugu Hong's eyes, but just lowered their heads and placed their military tokens on the table in front of them.

"General, I have elderly and young children at home..."

"This humble general...is incompetent and ashamed of the great general!"

"General, I am not good at field combat."

The three men knelt down and kowtowed heavily, with blood on their foreheads.

Dugu Hong looked at them, his face expressionless: "Are you sure?"

The three of them nodded heavily, tears in their eyes.

Dugu Hong just waved his hand, his voice tired: "Leave the military token, and you can go."

The three men, as if pardoned, crawled to their feet and hurriedly walked out of the hall.

Everyone's eyes were focused on their backs, with mixed emotions.

Seeing this, a general was also determined. Just as he was about to step out, he was grabbed tightly by his colleagues beside him.

The general looked up and saw a colleague who usually had a good relationship with him, shaking his head at him with a serious look on his face.

At this moment, the three generals were about to step out of the lobby.

Several of Dugu Hong's personal soldiers, who had been standing silently at the door, suddenly had a cold glint in their eyes and suddenly drew their swords.

The flash of the knife instantly burst out from the necks of the three people!

puff!

puff!

puff!

Three heads with faces full of astonishment shot up into the sky, and warm blood splashed on the face of the general who was just about to step out.

Three headless corpses staggered and fell to the ground.

The whole lobby exploded instantly!

The generals were horrified and looked at the personal soldiers standing at the door with swords in horror, and then looked at Dugu Hong who was still sitting in the main seat with an unchanged expression.

The general who almost took a step forward looked pale and looked at his colleagues beside him with gratitude in his eyes.

Just a little bit.

If there hadn't been someone around to help him, there would have been four heads on the ground.

Dugu Hong slowly stood up. Although he was weak, the murderous aura on his body instantly enveloped the entire hall.

He swept his cold gaze over the frightened generals and said, "Deserting in battle and shaking the morale of the army deserves execution!"

"It takes a thousand days to raise an army, but only a moment to deploy it. When the country is in danger, how can we tolerate those who are afraid of death?!"

"Now!"

All the generals trembled with fear.

Dugu Hong said word by word: "Who else wants to leave the military token?!"