Chapter 1700: Hold the Northern and Northwestern Defense Lines of Hui-3

Xia Qing didn't know, so Qi Zhongye told her directly, "Before you moved into the territory, the old regiment headquarters had more than six hundred garrison troops, with equipment and overall combat strength above average. Last June, I transferred some of them out, reducing the old regiment garrison to just over four hundred. Take a guess—why did I cut the stationed personnel?"

Xia Qing, who didn't want to think about things unrelated to herself, answered expressionlessly, "You must have had your reasons for doing so."

This was military classified information; she was just a farming lord and a minor clerk at the Agriculture Department—she didn't want to guess, much less get involved.

Listening to Xia Qing's tone and watching her expression, Qi Zhongye finally understood why Luo Pei wore that proud-yet-helpless, punchable look whenever he mentioned Xia Qing.

She had already walked into this office on her own, so of course Qi Zhongye wouldn't let her shrink back to the starting point and tend her little plot of land in peace. "Go on, tell me."

The base commander had already asked twice, so Xia Qing had no choice but to speak up. "Because the combat strength of North Zone One Territory has increased."

Qi Zhongye gestured for Xia Qing to continue.

Xia Qing added another sentence. "The combat strength of North Zone One Territory has increased, so it can take on some of the tasks left by the reduced garrison."

That was the same as saying nothing. Qi Zhongye gestured with his eyes for Xia Qing to keep going.

Seeing the base commander's endless posturing, Xia Qing had no choice but to say everything she could think of. "The old regiment garrison used to have two tasks: first, serving as your trump card against Tang Zhengrong and the Sufeng Battle Squad; second, monitoring the evolved forest beasts in the north and northwest of the base, resisting outside enemies, and protecting base security. Last year, Tang Zhengrong was removed from power and imprisoned, Sufeng disbanded, the beasts in the north and northwest of Hui-3 were stable, and North Zone One Territory's defensive strength increased—so that many troops weren't needed anymore."

Qi Zhongye was very satisfied with Xia Qing's answer and began discussing Hui-3 Base's troop deployment with her. "The Mangrove Protection Belt is our base's eastern defense line; the old regiment garrison is our base's northern and northwestern defense line. After Tang Zhengrong was imprisoned, our relations with Hui-1 and Hui-5 grew increasingly tense, and since you've also reached a cooperation with the northern wolf packs, I transferred some personnel to guard the southern defense line."

Xia Qing, who only wanted to leave the base commander's office immediately, go find the deputy base commander to discuss cooperation, and then return to her territory to work, decided to politely end the topic. "It's precisely because of your foresight and preparation that our base can develop stably and our people's living standards can steadily improve."

Qi Zhongye, as if he couldn't understand what Xia Qing meant, continued. "If we want to develop, besides dealing with natural disasters that could strike at any time, we also have to face man-made ones. The explosion at the end of last year, although led by the Blaze Squad, was fueled by spies other bases—Hui-1 Base in particular—had planted in ours. In this case of the evolved tiger being injected with synthetic toxin, all signs already point to Hui-5 to our south and Hui-6 to our east."

Xia Qing furrowed her brow, her expression turning serious. "Is it the Blue Blood Alliance branches in Hui-5 and Hui-6?"

"When the toxin buried in Mountain Zone 31 is taken away, we'll know who's responsible or taking the fall for this incident. It could be Blue Blood, or some other gang wearing Blue Blood's skin, or some other criminal group. It's too early to draw conclusions now. Without intelligence channels, we can only wait until the beneficiary appears to confirm who the real mastermind is."

After answering Xia Qing's question in detail, Qi Zhongye continued his earlier topic. "Our relations with surrounding bases are complicated, and internal management of the Safe Zone is full of holes. If another major incident occurs, both Xuegang and I will be out. I'm in urgent need of manpower, so I plan to transfer another two hundred from the old regiment to carry out other tasks."

After introducing the difficulties the base faced, Qi Zhongye solemnly entrusted her. "The decision back then to open up territory in North Zone One, far from the Safe Zone, was because that area was our main grain and vegetable producing region before the natural disasters. During the disaster years, no ground fissures appeared there, pollution was low, and surface water was abundant—very suitable for growing crops. Xia Qing, while managing the Ninth Planting Center well, you must also do your best to unite the lords of North Zone One, work together with one heart to farm North Zone One well, and make North Zone One Territory a banner for our Hui-3 and a model demonstration zone for territories nationwide."

Farmer Xia Qing stood at attention and answered loudly, "Yes!"

Qi Zhongye nodded with satisfaction. "In the future, if an emergency arises, as long as you and Junjie reach consensus after consulting each other, you can directly mobilize the old regiment garrison without needing to request approval from above, to protect North Zone One Territory and Professor Fu Tianfeng's safety. If an emergency occurs at the old regiment and they need support, you and Junjie should, on the premise of ensuring the territory's safety, provide them with assistance as much as possible, and firmly hold our base's northwestern and northern defense lines."

"……Yes."

Xia Qing's slightly hesitant attitude actually made Qi Zhongye feel more at ease. "Don't mention to Xuegang that you promised away two territories. The appointment rights for the remaining five plots are all with me; I'll be the one to give them out."

At this moment, Xia Qing suspected the base commander had already guessed who she'd promised the territories to. He didn't ask and didn't expose her, and even helped cover it up. Xia Qing didn't say it outright either, and solemnly thanked him. "Thank you, Base Commander."

"You also need to balance work and rest, and stay safe." Seeing that Xia Qing had finally let down her guard, Qi Zhongye asked, "Can Third Brother successfully remove Wu Chengyu's tumor?"

Talking about this, Xia Qing grew even more confident. "Third Brother used a special-effect drug to temporarily control the spread of the tumor in Professor Wu's body, and Professor Wu is using this time to improve the medical instruments. If the improvement succeeds, the surgery success rate is 65%; Professor Wu says his success rate for improving the instruments is 1000%."

When two big shots join forces, they're just that awesome!

After leaving the base commander's office, Xia Qing ducked into the deputy base commander's office, and didn't emerge, dizzy and groggy, until the lunch break. She went to the Inner City supermarket at noon to buy some supplies and food, handled some official business at the Agriculture Department in the afternoon, and only took the helicopter with the giant eagle claws tied to it back to North Zone One Territory near dark.

This day gave Xia Qing a taste of the pain of being an idol—her head hurt. She'd rather turn over ten mu of land with a shovel in her own territory than deal with the sharp minds in the Safe Zone; it was too taxing on brain cells.

No good—she had to go to Territory Eight tonight to recharge her brain and vent.

After distributing the gifts she'd brought back to her companions, Xia Qing took her gifts to Territory Eight to mooch a meal.

Recently, Xin Yu had also been very busy.

On one hand, the organic fertilizer factory was producing formula organic fertilizer according to the optimal ratios calculated by the Soil Management Department, and Xin Yu, as the technical guide, was so busy her feet barely touched the ground.

On the other hand, the criminal case of Yu Dongming's murder hadn't been solved, the position of Chonglian Group's chairman was vacant, and a shareholders' meeting was urgently needed to elect a new director and chairman. For this reason, Hui-2 officials and Chonglian Group people called Zhou Zhaoping's phone every day until they nearly blew it up, while the Yu family kept calling Xin Yu, urging her to come back as soon as possible.

Xin Yu was nearly driven mad by the annoyance. "I already publicly stated that I would support Grandpa's decision and attend the shareholders' meeting with him that day, but these people just won't stop. Today another two groups arrived at Hui-3 Safe Zone, calling to say they want to come interview me. So annoying—I really want to swap two incendiary bombs with Third Brother and blow them into smithereens!"