"What other choice is there?" Song Guangming asked bitterly, his eyes hollow. "Brother Li, could it be that you have a brilliant strategy to repel the enemy?"
Li Xiu stood up, paced the bedroom twice with his hands behind his back, and stopped. "A brilliant strategy would be an overstatement, but sitting here waiting for death is not my style. Xiaoshan Prefecture has a precarious and strategic terrain. If we can integrate the strength of the entire prefecture and hold the vital passes, it is not impossible to keep the enemy at bay."
Song Guangming shook his head, a more desolate smile appearing on his face. "Brother Li, you are simplifying things too much. The Prefect is an official appointed by the imperial court, and furthermore, all the land under heaven belongs to the King. My colleagues in the other counties naturally follow the court's orders; who would listen to the commands of a lowly county magistrate like me? Integrate the entire prefecture? You are dreaming!"
Chapter 117