Catching Monsters

Chapter 506 The Flood of the Army (Part 1)

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun frowned slightly. To be honest, Jiang Yun didn't really care much about this so-called merit.

He was young, yet he had already been granted the title of Marquis and held the position of Commander of the Eastern Garrison. However, his seniority was still somewhat limited, and even if he made further contributions, the rewards he could receive would be limited.

The reason for developing this was simply to help Xu Xiaogang return to the front lines.

However, Jiang Yun wouldn't tolerate Xiao Jingqing so blatantly jumping out to steal credit.

Jiang Yun, of course, maintained his smile and said respectfully, "That's right, His Highness the Eighth Prince is right to teach him a lesson. Speaking of which, His Highness the Eighth Prince is indeed loyal and righteous. Back then, when I was ordered to exchange Wang Miao'er for our Zhenfu Division Jinyiwei..."

"The Eighth Prince is even personally escorting you. It seems that you and Miss Wang Miao'er have quite a close relationship."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuzheng, who was standing in front, glanced at Xiao Jingqing with some surprise.

Li Wangxin had naturally reported to Xiao Yuzheng beforehand about exchanging Wang Miao'er for a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard; otherwise, the Embroidered Uniform Guard would not have dared to exchange the sister of a rebel for someone else.

However, details such as Xiao Jingqing personally escorting Wang Miao'er remain unknown.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingqing's pupils contracted slightly, but he quickly recovered and said with a smile to Xiao Yuzheng beside him, "Father, I haven't had a chance to tell you about this yet."

"Speaking of which, back then, before Wang Longzhi rebelled, I was a man of great loyalty and affection, and I had feelings for her. So I bid her farewell as a way of severing ties."

He spoke casually, but in his heart, Xiao Jingqing already harbored resentment towards Jiang Yun, and he gritted his teeth slightly.

This matter could be big or small. Wang Miao'er is now the younger sister of the biggest traitor. How could it be a good thing for me to be involved with her in this way?

Xiao Yuzheng's eyes flickered slightly, but he did not pursue the matter further. Instead, he asked, "Let's go, take me to see what Jingqing mentioned."

Seeing this, Jiang Yun raised his hand and said with a smile, "If Your Majesty wants to see, of course you can, but please, Lord Du, Lord Zhao, and His Highness the Eighth Prince, please stay."

Upon hearing this, Du Huai'an and Zhao Yuming exchanged a glance, already sensing the tension between the Eighth Prince and Jiang Yun.

"You can stay here for now." After saying that, Xiao Yuzheng walked forward with his hands behind his back.

Soon, after arriving at the testing ground at the rear, Jiang Yun and Xu Xiaogang welcomed His Majesty inside.

Xu Xiaogang hurriedly called out, "Old Hu, Old Qi, quick, show His Majesty!"

Qi Hede and Hu Leqi were so excited to see His Majesty arrive that they quickly knelt down to pay their respects and soon prepared the cannons.

The fuse was lit, and a loud bang was heard.

Looking at the huge crater blasted into the hillside in the distance, Xiao Yuzheng suddenly stood up from his chair. He stared at the cannon and asked in a deep voice, "How much did this thing cost?"

"Your Majesty, if we only consider the cost of materials, it would only be forty taels of silver. Of course, this would require skilled craftsmen, which would be a considerable expense," Qi Hede replied respectfully.

Cheap!

It’s too cheap.

Although its power is nowhere near that of a weapon like the God-Slaying Crossbow, its low cost makes it worthwhile if it could be mass-produced.

Xiao Yuzheng frowned slightly.

As an emperor, his vision was naturally beyond that of ordinary people. He knew very well that if this item appeared in the world, it would be of great benefit to the Zhou Kingdom.

But the downsides are the same.

If the enemy also possesses this item.

Xiao Yuzheng closed his eyes slightly, pondered for a moment, and then said, "The method of creating this item is currently only known to the two of you, right?"

"Yes." Qi Hede nodded to Hu Leqi.

“Very good, we must never let anyone know how this thing is made.” Xiao Yuzheng paused. “After secretly producing a batch, destroy all the production tools, and the manufacturing method…”

"If it is needed on the battlefield, destroy it on the spot after use."

"Yes." Cold sweat dripped down their foreheads as they looked at Xiao Yuzheng's reaction, unsure whether creating this thing was a blessing or a curse.

"Jiang Yun, Xu Xiaogang, you two come with me."

This place was originally the Zhenguo Duke's manor used for escaping the summer heat and for leisure, so the environment was quiet.

After Xiao Yuzheng led the two to a pavilion and they sat down, he said, "Jiang Yun, you did a good job. At least you did a good job keeping it a secret."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun nodded respectfully and said, "If His Highness the Eighth Prince hadn't forced his way in today and insisted on seeing it, this item would only have been reported to His Majesty privately after it was fully completed."

“Jingqing is a clever kid, and it’s normal for him to have some tricks up his sleeve,” Xiao Yuzheng said slowly. “You and Xiaogang are both pillars of the nation in the future. If Jingqing were to ascend the throne in the future, you would also have to assist him well.”

"Furthermore," Xiao Yuzheng took a deep breath and said, "this item is only permitted for use by the Zhenchi Army. Xu Xiaogang, arrange for a small number of mid-level officers from the Zhenchi Army to return to the capital and learn how to use these cannons."

"Yes." Xu Xiaogang nodded heavily.

"There's one more thing." Xiao Yuzheng narrowed his eyes slightly: "Xu Xiaogang, please excuse yourself for now."

Jiang Yun was somewhat surprised and subconsciously glanced at Xu Xiaogang.

Xu Xiaogang did as instructed and quickly got up to leave.

After Xu Xiaogang left, Xiao Yuzheng sighed slightly and suddenly said to Jiang Yun, "Commander Jiang, you must have heard of the Holy Tomb, right?"

Upon hearing the words "Holy Tomb," Jiang Yun's heart skipped a beat, then he nodded respectfully: "Yes, I've heard of it."

Jiang Yun didn't know why Xiao Yuzheng would suddenly mention the words "Holy Tomb"...

As Jiang Yun knew, the secret of the Sacred Tomb was in the hands of the royal family, and Xiao Yuzheng suddenly brought it up at this moment.

Xiao Yuzheng closed his eyes slightly and said, "Your sworn brother was detained in the capital back then, and he still had the other half of the map in his possession."

"Later, you sailed out to sea on my behalf to search for medicinal herbs. Li Wangxin should have exchanged the remaining half of the map for it from him."

"But the shaman of the Tuoba tribe secretly came to the capital and rescued him."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun nodded slightly. He had actually heard about this matter after returning, but Li Wangxin had messed it up, and Li Wangxin was his superior.

It's best not to dwell on this matter.

I didn't expect His Majesty to bring it up today.

"Do you have any way to find that other half of the map?"

Hearing Xiao Yuzheng's question, Jiang Yun frowned slightly and asked, "Your Majesty, Tuoba Anyi has returned to the Tuoba tribe. It will be difficult to capture him again, let alone get him to hand over the remaining maps..." "What is this?"

"It's nothing." Xiao Yuzheng smiled, his eyes clearly carrying a hint of something unspeakable.

Jiang Yun also guessed that this matter was probably related to the Holy Tomb.

Could it be that something has changed at the Holy Tomb?
Jiang Yun, however, couldn't quite understand it.

"It's alright now." Xiao Yuzheng stood up, patted his clothes, and said with a smile, "Just keep an eye on this matter."

"Furthermore, do not use the Embroidered Uniform Guard in a high-profile manner to deal with Tuoba Anyi. What I just told you is also top secret, and even Xu Suwen cannot know it, understand?"

"Understood, sir." Jiang Yun was puzzled, but still nodded in agreement.

Soon, Xiao Yuzheng, along with Zhao Yuming, Du Huai'an, and Xiao Jingqing, quickly left the place.

Xu Xiaogang will keep an eye on this place. Anyway, once he returns to the capital, he'll be dragging Jiang Yun to the brothel every day to drink and have fun.

After returning to the capital, Jiang Yun went back to the Jiang residence and pondered why Xiao Yuzheng had suddenly mentioned the Sacred Tomb to him.

Thinking of this, Jiang Yun quickly went to the study, picked up paper and pen, and wrote a letter. After finishing the letter, he went outside and found Yun Pingchuan.

"Uncle Yun, arrange for someone to deliver this letter to the Tuoba tribe of the northern nomads and give it to Tuoba Anyi."

"Send a letter to the Northern Hu?" Yun Pingchuan was slightly taken aback. Sending a letter was not a problem, although the Northern Hu and the Zhou Kingdom did not have a post station system like the one in China.

However, as long as one is willing to spend a lot of money, there are still ways to send letters to the Northern Hu within the capital.

Yun Pingchuan was somewhat surprised that his master actually knew a northern barbarian.
"Go do it."

"Yes."

Yun Pingchuan respectfully accepted the letter, then hurriedly turned and left.

……

evening.

Twenty miles outside Guangli County, on the plains, 150,000 troops were stationed.

Among them were 50,000 Tianqi Army soldiers, plus 100,000 Zhenchi Army soldiers.

Inside a tent, Zhang Yuhu sat with a ruddy complexion and a hint of smugness on his face.

Everything is going smooth.

Previously, the 50,000 Tianqi Army had not suffered significant losses in attacking Shanglin County, and the crucial Huangguan Pass had not encountered any problems. As a precaution, the grain transport route from the rear would not be cut off.

Five thousand men were left behind to guard the Huangguan Pass.

Huangguan Pass is inherently easy to defend and difficult to attack.

"Reporting to the general, Wang Longzhi, Xiao Min'er, and the main leaders of the rebel army are all in Guangli County. Furthermore, due to our army's surprise attack, many rebel troops in the surrounding area are being urgently mobilized."

"But their battle lines are too widely spread out. Even at the fastest pace, it will take three days before a large army can arrive to provide reinforcements."

"There are currently only 50,000 elite troops from Wang Longzhi's former army in the city."

"Very good." Zhang Yuhu nodded, narrowed his eyes, and slowly said, "Attack the city first thing tomorrow morning. Three days is enough!"

"As long as we kill Wang Longzhi and other bandit leaders, the rebel army will naturally be defeated without a fight."

Needless to say, the 200,000 ragtag bandits were hardly worthy of mention.

The real 400,000 elite troops relied entirely on Wang Longzhi's prestige, and the fact that the middle and high-ranking officers within the 400,000 troops were all Wang Longzhi's old subordinates and confidants.

With Wang Longzhi dead, everything will fall apart.

Zhang Yuhu turned to look at Feng Yu and said, "Eunuch Feng, we hope the court will send experts to assist Xie Yifeng, the swordsman beside Wang Longzhi."

With Xie Yifeng around, taking Wang Longzhi's life won't be easy for them.

The only option is for the imperial court to send a top-tier expert of equal rank, who can at least delay Xie Yifeng.

Feng Yu nodded slightly and said calmly, "I have already sent a letter to the imperial court, and I should be able to arrive tomorrow."

Upon hearing Feng Yu's reply, Zhang Yuhu smiled, slowly stood up, and looked at the sand table in front of him, feeling as if everything was ready except for the final push.

Meanwhile, in the city of Guangli County, the 50,000 garrison troops were on high alert, awaiting the arrival of Zhang Yuhu's army.

Xiao Min'er no longer had the relaxed look she had always had. She was also sitting on a sand table, with Wang Longzhi and other high-ranking rebel generals accompanying her.

And Elder Bai Xuanang of the Demon Spirit Cult.

"Elder Bai, once the location for the breach in the dam has been chosen, we will prepare to take action tonight."

"Flood the Zhou army!"

“Alright.” Bai Xuanang smiled. As a member of the demonic path, he would not care about the lives of ordinary people after the flood as long as he could achieve his goal.

"Will Zhang Yuhu be on guard?" A general inside the room frowned slightly.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Min'er explained, "Being on guard is useless. If he wants to attack us, he can only cross this plain."

"Moreover, in his opinion, we shouldn't use such methods."

The general who asked the question couldn't understand it and slowly said, "General Wang, even if we face the enemy head-on, we are not afraid of Zhang Yuhu. Why use this method?"

"If we can't defeat him, we'll mobilize a large army and fight him to the death."

Most of the generals in the room were somewhat dissatisfied with this decision.

Most generals were quite traditional and believed that using such methods was somewhat dishonorable, and they disdained to use such means.

Wang Longzhi felt the same way, but he trusted Xiao Min'er's judgment even more.

Xiao Min'er did not respond to the generals' words, but calmly continued to make arrangements, saying: "After the flood, have the Demon Spirit Cult cultivators restore the waterways the next morning, then switch from defense to offense and kill all the remaining soldiers under Zhang Yuhu."

"In this way, we can secure the victory."

(End of this chapter)