Catching Monsters

Chapter 337 Xiao Min'er

Upon seeing someone tear down the notice seeking a miracle doctor, soldiers guarding the city gate quickly arrived.

After the soldiers sized up Jiang Yun, they all frowned, since the man and woman in front of them looked far too young.

No matter how you look at it, it's far from the divine physician the general is looking for. However, the soldiers didn't dare to be negligent. They first came up and asked Jiang Yun's name.

Upon learning that the young, miraculous doctor before them was named Jiang Yu, they invited the two of them to the General's Mansion.

Along the way, more than ten soldiers protected Jiang Yun.

The leading soldier was in his thirties, and his face also showed a hint of joy.

Jiang Yun was also curious and asked, "I wonder what illness General Wang has contracted by spending so much money to hire a renowned doctor?"

Upon hearing this, the soldier did not directly answer Jiang Yun's question, but simply said with a smile, "That's not something we can know for sure. But Mr. Jiang Yu, rest assured, as long as you are truly capable and help the general solve his troubles, you can have whatever you want, including wealth, gold, and silver."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun subconsciously exchanged a glance with Linglong beside him.

Soon the two were invited to the main gate of the general's mansion, and not long after, a deputy general arrived upon hearing the news.

This lieutenant was a burly, rugged man, dressed in fine armor, with a beard and a rugged appearance.

The soldiers saluted respectfully.

He then introduced Jiang Yun, saying, "This is General He Zhenhong, General Wang's deputy."

"Is this the miracle doctor you've been talking about?" He Zhenhong glanced at Jiang Yun and Linglong, his brows furrowing slightly.

Jiang Yun looks too young.

The soldiers chuckled awkwardly. One of them stepped forward and whispered in He Zhenhong's ear, "General Wang has already killed two swindlers, and for almost half a month now no one has dared to come and cheat. Since this person dared to come, it means he might have some confidence."

He Zhenhong nodded slightly and beckoned to Jiang Yun and Linglong: "Come in with me first."

"Yes."

Soon He Zhenhong led the two to a side hall of the general's mansion to sit down and rest.

"General Wang is dealing with some matters. You two wait here for a moment while I go and inform him," He Zhenhong said, then turned and left.

Once only the two of them remained in the side hall, Linglong whispered, "Jiang Yun, do you know medicine...? What should we do if we get caught?"

Jiang Yun smiled and said in a low voice, "Don't worry, Master, we wouldn't really be here to treat his illness, would we?"

"Besides, our Taoist sect has quite a few Taoist techniques that can cure diseases and save lives."

At this point, Jiang Yun paused, lowered his voice, and asked, "When we meet Wang Longzhi later, should we just take him down? With our combined strength..."

Upon hearing this, Linglong nodded without hesitation, glared at Jiang Yun, and said, "Wang Longzhi cultivates martial arts, and his strength is not bad, although I don't know if he has reached the third rank..."

"Besides, regardless of what Wang Longzhi is thinking now, he is now the legitimate Duke of Jingguo of the imperial court, a general commanding an army of 400,000. What grounds can we use to take him down?"

"I don't care, but if you dare lay a hand on him, tomorrow Father will declare you a traitor..."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun's smile froze for a moment. After thinking about it carefully, she realized that Linglong's words were indeed true.

This significantly increases the difficulty of obtaining the Imperial Seal of the State from Wang Longzhi.

Not long after, footsteps sounded outside the door, and Wang Longzhi, dressed in a white robe, strode in.

Jiang Yun couldn't help but take a few more glances. This man was indeed imposing and had an extraordinary air about him, having led troops for a long time.

Once inside, Wang Longzhi smiled and said, "I'm sorry, I've been busy with military affairs and have kept you both waiting. Who is the miracle doctor?"

Jiang Yun coughed, slowly stood up, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed and said, "My name is Jiang Yu. I would not call myself a divine doctor. I only know some small tricks for treating illnesses and saving lives. I heard that General Wang is looking for a doctor, so I dared to give it a try."

After Wang Longzhi took his seat, he first had a servant serve tea and then casually asked, "Mr. Jiang Yu, is that right? May I ask where you practiced medicine before?"

"I just wander around, without a fixed place to live."

"I wonder what kind of illness Mr. Wang is suffering from, and whether I can help him."

Wang Longzhi chuckled and said, "Sir, there's no rush. Here's what I'll do: I'll have someone arrange for you two to stay temporarily at the inn next to the General's Mansion. When you need anything, I'll have someone come and invite you back."

"Someone, give Mr. Jiang Yu a hundred taels of silver as a gift for his expenses."

Just then, a soldier walked in and whispered a few words in Wang Longzhi's ear.

Upon hearing this, Wang Longzhi frowned slightly, nodded, and then looked at Jiang Yun and the other man: "Mr. Jiang Yu, I'll have someone take you to an inn to rest first."

After saying that, he turned and walked out of the side hall. After leaving the side hall, Wang Longzhi whispered to his subordinates, "First, investigate the identity and background of this Jiang Yu."

"Yes."

In the backyard of the general's mansion, the beautiful Xiao Min'er held a military book in her hands, sitting in the courtyard, basking in the sun, and reading its contents.

"Min'er, did you send someone to call me?" Wang Longzhi walked quickly in from outside the courtyard.

Xiao Min'er put down the military treatise in her hand, her brows furrowing slightly. She said with some displeasure, "I heard that you've hired another so-called miracle doctor?" "My lower body has been paralyzed for many years. If there were a miracle doctor who could cure me, you would have found one for me long ago. Why would we have to wait until now?"

"You've gone to such lengths to find a doctor for me, do you perhaps despise me?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Longzhi quickly squatted down beside Xiao Min'er's wooden wheelchair, held her hand tightly, and said, "Min'er, how could I despise you?"

“I know you also want to be like ordinary people, able to take walks in nature and ride horses with me.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Min'er reached out and touched Wang Longzhi's forehead, saying, "I'm just afraid you've fallen for the tricks of those charlatans. Hemiplegia is not something that can be cured with ordinary ointments."

Wang Longzhi nodded slightly: "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

"By the way," Xiao Min'er said, handing a piece of intelligence to Wang Longzhi, "the rebels in the three southwestern provinces are showing signs of emerging."

Upon hearing this, Wang Longzhi took the intelligence report, examined it carefully, and discovered that these guys were actually starting to mobilize supplies.

"Are they crazy? If I don't hit them, they'll want to get beaten up instead?" Wang Longzhi said with a stern face.

Xiao Min'er: "Map."

Upon hearing this, Wang Longzhi quickly went inside and retrieved a very detailed map.

Sitting in her wooden wheelchair, Xiao Min'er unfolded the map and pointed to several locations: "Pingyi Pass, Hukou Pass, and Luoshan Ferry, along with Wuling Prefecture, are heavily guarded."

"Open up all other passes and let them out of the three southwestern provinces."

Wang Longzhi glanced at the map and instantly understood Xiao Min'er's meaning: this was an opening that would allow the rebel army to enter the prosperous coastal areas.

"Min'er, once these rebel troops are released, they will be impossible to bring back." Wang Longzhi took a deep breath.

The three southwestern provinces are mostly steep mountains and forests. As long as the key passes are held, they can be like sacks, trapping and killing any rebel troops inside.

Once they reached the prosperous coastal areas, where the surroundings were open, it would not be easy to trap them again.

"Now that we've seized the Imperial Seal, do you think the people in the capital don't understand our intentions?" Xiao Min'er said calmly, without changing her expression. "After these rebels leave, we can take advantage of the situation to bring the three southwestern provinces under our control."

"The government officials in the three provinces have all been slaughtered."

"You wrote to Xiao Yuzheng, saying that you wanted to take over the military and political power of the three provinces."

Wang Longzhi asked in a deep voice, "Will Xiao Yuzheng agree to that?"

"Whether he agrees or not, he has to nod." Xiao Min'er pointed to a large map with her finger: "South of the capital, the elite troops are all in your hands. If he wants to quell the rebellion, he has to agree."

"At that time, in addition to Beihu Province, your troops will also be deployed in Xishu Province."

"The five provinces are now in our hands."

Wang Longzhi's expression changed slightly. Xiao Min'er smiled and said, "There's also this rebel army that was released."

"This group of rebels, though called an army, has absolutely no military discipline."

“They slaughtered their way through the rich coastal areas, and we followed behind to reclaim the lost territory.”

"Most of the officials in the recovered territories have also been slaughtered."

"If we follow behind, we'll gain more and more territory."

Wang Longzhi nodded, not objecting to Xiao Min'er's plan. In fact, Xiao Min'er had been advising him from the very beginning.

It was Xiao Min'er's advice that enabled Wang Longzhi to achieve fame at a young age and become the young hero he is today.

Wang Longzhi was not a master strategist.

It was Xiao Min'er.

……

"Ah."

Jiang Yun sneezed, sat in the inn, looked out the window at the General's Mansion in the distance, and frowned slightly.

"What are you thinking about?" Linglong, who was standing next to Jiang Yun with a string of candied hawthorns in her hand, asked in a low voice as they leaned against the window. "What's wrong? Are you worried that Wang Longzhi will find out your identity?"

She said with a smile, "You can't hide your identity for long. Wang Longzhi has an army of 400,000 and an exceptionally powerful intelligence network. You can just make up a name and claim to travel all over the place. Do you think he won't be able to find out?"

Jiang Yun shook his head and said, "I'm not worried about that. Whether my identity as a divine doctor is real or not, I do have the means to cure diseases. If all else fails, I'll go back to the capital and bring Xiao Hei with me. What disease can't I handle?"

"In my opinion, Wang Longzhi looks fine; he's probably not the one who's sick."

"His willingness to seek out a miracle doctor shows that the sick person must be very important to him."

"Tell me, if we cure this person in exchange for him handing over the Imperial Seal of the State, would he be willing to do so?"

Hearing this, Linglong shook her head slightly, rolled her eyes, and said, "What do you think? If you were an ambitious person, would you do this?"

(End of this chapter)