Catching Monsters

Chapter 499 Daring to Ride Dragons and Tigers
"Why?" Jiang Yun asked, puzzled.

“I’m puzzled too.” Ao Yu shook his head, scratched his head, and mumbled, “Logically speaking, given my father’s personality, he would probably have killed those two people who stole the meteorite long ago.”

"No matter what, they shouldn't be treated so well and kept in captivity for such a long time."

"I also asked my father what he was planning, but my father was very secretive and only said that these two people were very mysterious and would be of great use."

"The others are unwilling to talk to me much either."

Ao Yu, however, was quite loyal and asked, "If you really want to save people, then do this: tie me up and let my father exchange those two for my life."

Jiang Yun's eyes lit up slightly. He stroked his chin, considering the feasibility, and said, "This isn't quite right..."

“There’s nothing wrong with it. This is the best way for you to save them from my father.” Ao Yu paused, then reminded Jiang Yun, “My father loves me very much. Knowing him as I do, he will most likely use those two lives to exchange for me.”

"But he'll definitely kill you later..."

“My father couldn’t stand anyone daring to lay a hand on me. He would kill anyone’s whole family if they dared to touch me.”

"Just think it over carefully, and I'm ready to cooperate with you anytime."

After saying that, Ao Yu even blinked sincerely. Jiang Yun smiled awkwardly and said, "Well, I'll find another way. It's not really in line with my style to make you a hostage."

I chickened out...

When Chang Wuming came knocking, if it weren't for Qu Wushang's presence, Xu Suwen and I probably wouldn't have been able to escape from his clutches.

Jiang Yun didn't want to risk this trouble.

“South.” Ao Yu stroked his chin, then stood up and leaped onto the roof to leave. However, before leaving, as if he had thought of something, he turned back to Jiang Yun and said, “It wasn’t Grandpa Long Sheng who crippled Qu Wushang. Grandpa Long Sheng isn’t that bored.”

After saying this last sentence, she disappeared without a trace.

Watching Ao Yu leave, Jiang Yun's face showed confusion. She then shook her head. Since she couldn't figure it out, she decided to stop thinking about it for now.

……

In a mansion in a city to the south, a huge and detailed map was displayed in the main hall.

This is a fairly detailed map of southwestern Zhou State, showing various important roads, strategic locations, and cities, with many red flags planted on it.

The red flags represent the territory still occupied by the Zhou state, while the black flags represent the rebel forces led by Wang Longzhi.

"General Zhang, the enemy's progress has slowed down considerably recently, and they have stopped launching attacks."

Around the map stood many generals of the Zhenchi Army and the Tianqi Army, reporting the situation in various places to Zhang Yuhu.

One of the generals stood next to the gambler, looking intently at the map: "Their battle lines are too long, and supplies are a major problem. They've occupied so many places, they'll need time to digest them."

"As long as we stick to the original strategy and delay the rebels until reinforcements are sent from the north..."

Zhang Yuhu stood in front of the map with a heavy expression, pacing back and forth. He was naturally a military man and knew that the enemy had stretched the entire battle line to four or five hundred miles, in order to make the Zhenchi Army and Tianqi Army somewhat exhausted and unable to take care of themselves.

But to some extent, it also dispersed their 600,000-strong army.

The best-case scenario right now is a standoff, waiting for reinforcements from the north.

However, according to calculations, it normally takes six months to a year to train an ordinary person into a relatively elite soldier.

Soldiers need to master a wide range of basic skills, including basic drills, the ability to recognize flags and bugle calls on the battlefield, improved physical fitness, battlefield formations, and how to defend against cavalry...

This is a very broad subject, not something that can be accomplished by simply taking an ordinary young person to the battlefield, giving them a sword, shouting a few slogans, getting excited, and daring to fight the enemy.

Such soldiers, when they actually arrive on the battlefield, will be instantly stunned and dumbfounded by the sight of corpses, slaughter, and blood everywhere.

Zhang Yuhu doesn't have that much time to wait!

He came here to atone for his crimes. If he were to follow Xu Xiaogang's example and keep shrinking his defenses, he would probably be withdrawn back to Beijing soon, and that would be the end of him.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yuhu slowly said, "Recently, we have been retreating continuously, which has greatly shaken the morale of the troops. We need a victory to boost morale."

At this point, Zhang Yuhu pointed to a city with a population of 200,000, about 30 miles away from them, and said, "I remember Daqiu City was recently occupied by the rebels, wasn't it?"

"The rebels probably haven't had time to allocate too much food. If we besiege the city, we might be able to fight them."

At this point, Zhang Yuhu said, "Let's give it a try." The generals and soldiers of Zhenchi Army present hurriedly tried to dissuade him, saying, "General Zhang, according to the Duke of Zhenguo's orders, we should hold the line. Even if we take back Daqiu City, it will only be a loss of one place and one city, and it will not have a significant impact on the overall war situation."

Zhang Yuhu was well aware of this principle; it had little impact on the battle situation, but it had a huge impact on him.

Zhang Yuhu raised his hand to stop the man from continuing to persuade him, saying, "I know that there are many casualties in the siege. Your Zhenchi Army are all Zhenguo Gong's men. Don't worry, I won't let the brothers of the Zhenchi Army risk their lives in this dangerous job."

"With this city captured, 50,000 Apocalypse troops will be more than enough."

"General of the Tianqi Army, listen to my command."

Inside the building were five generals of the Apocalypse Army, each commanding more than ten thousand soldiers.

The five of them were all Zhang Yuhu's trusted confidants and trusted generals, and they stepped forward one after another.

"Withdraw the Tianqi Army from the defensive formation and let the Zhenchi Army fill the gap, prepare for the siege, and attack the city in three days."

Upon hearing this, the five generals' expressions changed slightly. Attacking the city was one thing, but why were they in such a hurry?
However, the five of them did not object to the order; instead, they nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, the generals of Zhenchi Army inside the house could no longer object.

Although they were nominally under Zhang Yuhu's command for the time being, Zhang Yuhu really couldn't control them.

Now that Zhang Yuhu wants to use his Tianqi Army to attack the city, how can they possibly object?

Soon, the entire Tianqi Army was mobilized. It must be said that the Tianqi Army was the elite of the Great Zhou. It took only two days for them to gather, mobilize, and march to Daqiu City.

They then rested on the spot, and the next morning, the food was quickly transported to the military camp.

Immediately afterwards, 40,000 men remained to guard the city, and Zhang Yuhu only mobilized 10,000 Tianqi troops to attack the city.

That morning, in an instant, the Tianqi Army soldiers, dressed in white robes and carrying convenient siege equipment, rushed towards the city of Daegu.

The garrison in Daegu was not large, only a little over a thousand at most.

Soon, a fierce siege ensued. Zhang Yuhu remained in his tent, where good news kept arriving from the front.

The siege began in the morning, and by the end of the afternoon, the city gates had been breached. The remaining soldiers in the entire city of Daegu numbered less than two thousand, and were not considered elite troops. Instead, they resembled the ragtag bandits from before, and collapsed almost immediately.

Zhang Yuhu and the five generals sat inside, their faces showing surprise.

The general in charge of the siege said with a smile, "General, it looks like we'll be able to completely capture Daegu before nightfall."

Zhang Yuhu frowned and shook his head, saying, "No, there's a problem. Daqiu City is a frontline city, and it's quite large, with a population of 200,000. If we take it over, the monthly tax revenue will be a significant source of income."

"It is illogical that Wang Longzhi and his men did not send heavy troops to guard the area, but instead left only two thousand men."

Even if we say that the battle lines are too long and the troops are insufficient, it doesn't make sense.

They have a full 600,000 troops.

The area surrounding Daegu is flat and open, making it the only defensible location in the vicinity, and thus of immense strategic value.

Seeing Zhang Yuhu frowning, the general beside him reminded him, "General, no matter what, we've taken back Daegu, haven't we?"

"Hmm." Zhang Yuhu took a deep breath, but there wasn't much joy on his face. He closed his eyes slightly, pondered for a while, and said, "Send someone to scout out the strength of the nearby cities, try to infiltrate them, and see what the situation is with the garrison."

Several generals' faces lit up with joy, and they said, "General, are you planning a large-scale counterattack?"

"No wonder the general didn't bring the Zhenchi Army. If we brothers were to take credit for this, we'd probably all get promoted two ranks."

"Thank you, General Zhang."

Listening to the words of his trusted confidants, Zhang Yuhu was caught in a dilemma: he wanted to achieve some results as soon as possible, but he was also afraid of some traps.

After a moment's thought, his eyes were also incredibly resolute.

Daring enough to ride dragons and tigers.

It's done!

(End of this chapter)