Catching Monsters

Chapter 508 Bai Shuiqing

Before the palace at dusk, Xu Xiaogang stood solemnly beside Feng Yu.

He was wearing armor, with a sword at his waist, and his steps were slightly hurried.

They soon arrived outside the Imperial Study.

The door to the Imperial Study slowly opened, and Xiao Yuzheng opened it himself.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects." Xu Xiaogang took a deep breath, then knelt on the ground and bowed to Xiao Yuzheng in the Imperial Study.

"No need for formalities." Xiao Yuzheng's face was serious as he slowly raised his hand, gesturing for people to rise.

"Yes." Xu Xiaogang nodded emphatically and quickly stood up.

"Xu Xiaogang, Feng Yu has probably already told you about the situation at the front." Xiao Yuzheng took a deep breath and said slowly, "If I were to send you to the front now, would you be able to stabilize the battle situation?"

"I will also send the 300,000 troops trained in the north to drill day and night, and strive to march south as soon as possible within two months."

"Now in the south, the only force capable of fighting the rebels is an army of 100,000."

Hearing this, Xu Xiaogang felt a pang of heartache and couldn't help but clench his fists. The 100,000 Zhenchi troops were the elite of his own forces. Even if they were defeated head-on on the battlefield, they would never be completely annihilated like this.

He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, it is extremely difficult for 100,000 troops to hold a front line of four or five hundred miles. If the rebels advance simultaneously along a front line of four or five hundred miles, the 100,000 troops will be divided and will probably be slowly eroded."

Xiao Yuzheng thought of cannons, which could come in handy in this critical moment, and asked eagerly, "What if you were asked to use cannons to fight the enemy?"

“If we gather 100,000 troops and use artillery, we will certainly have a chance of winning…” Xu Xiaogang frowned: “But the enemy is currently strong. If they avoid fighting our main force, their defenses will be weak in other directions, and we can take advantage of the situation.”

“Large territories will be rapidly devoured. At the speed of the rebels, they will probably reach the capital in less than two months.”

Xu Xiaogang was well aware of the power of artillery. Although it was already able to fire shells smoothly, the power was limited, and it would not be easy to mass-produce them in a short period of time.

Feng Yu's gaze slowly fell on Xiao Yuzheng, and he said, "Your Majesty, it is obvious that Zhang Yuhu has fallen into the rebels' trap. There are probably clever and cunning people among the rebels."

"In that case, why don't you ask Mr. Ye Xiuyuan to intervene?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuzheng shook his head slightly and said, "Mr. Ye Xiuyuan once said that he was unwilling to give me too much advice on military matters."

Feng Yu seized the key point and reminded him, "Mr. Ye only said he was unwilling, not that he didn't understand. If Mr. Ye has a good plan..."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuzheng slowly said, "I remember that Jiang Yun often visited Mr. Ye Xiuyuan, didn't he?"

"Xu Xiaogang, go and call Jiang Yun, and let's visit Mr. Ye Xiuyuan together."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xiaogang was slightly puzzled, but he still nodded and said, "Yes!"

He knew that Mr. Ye Xiuyuan was knowledgeable in astronomy and geography, but perhaps he also had some knowledge of military affairs?
……

Outside Ye Xiuyuan's courtyard in the outer city, Xu Xiaogang and Jiang Yun, dressed in fine clothes, walked down the street. Seeing that Jiang Yun's hands were empty, Xu Xiaogang asked, "Brother-in-law, since we are going to visit, are you sure you don't want to prepare any gifts?"

“Mr. Ye Xiuyuan is no ordinary person.” Jiang Yun shook his head and led Xu Xiaogang to the small courtyard.

He looked up and glanced around before knocking on the door. Soon, Ye Xiuyuan's voice came through: "Come in, the door isn't locked."

Jiang Yun pushed the door open and walked in. In the secluded courtyard, Ye Xiuyuan was sitting next to a vegetable garden, smoking a pipe. He looked simple and unassuming, like an old farmer in the countryside.

"Commander Jiang, Duke Xu." Ye Xiuyuan frowned slightly. Upon seeing the two, he stood up and patted his clothes. "What brings you two here to visit me?"

Jiang Yun said with a smile, "I just happened to be passing by while taking a walk, so I came in to sit down."

Upon hearing this, Ye Xiuyuan smiled faintly and said, "Commander Jiang, what are you saying? You live in the inner city, so it's quite a distance to get here. Why are you taking such a long walk? Just state your purpose directly."

"Mr. Ye, we've come here to see if you can offer some advice or suggestions."

Upon hearing this, Ye Xiuyuan led the two to the pavilion in the courtyard, invited them to sit down, and brewed a pot of tea.

Immediately afterwards, Xu Xiaogang did not hide anything, but instead recounted in detail what had happened on the front lines.

Upon hearing that the rebel army at the front had used water as a weapon and flooded an army of 150,000, his expression remained unchanged. Instead, he calmly said, "That's quite a tactic."

Hearing this, Xu Xiaogang frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Mr. Ye, such methods are despicable on the battlefield."

"On the contrary, in my opinion, as long as the goal is achieved, that's all that matters. Once the result is achieved, whatever means are used are acceptable." Ye Xiuyuan calmly sipped his tea and commented, "However, the rebel strategist is still lacking in experience."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun smiled and asked, "If it were Mr. Ye, what would he do to repel an army of 150,000?"

Ye Xiuyuan pondered for a moment and said, "If it were me, I would never personally break open the flood control dike to divert water."

"I will find a way to get Zhang Yuhu to break through the flood control dike and divert water himself."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xiaogang shook his head: "How could that be? Zhang Yuhu isn't stupid. Why would he destroy the flood control dike? That's a serious crime."

Ye Xiuyuan's voice remained calm as he said indifferently, "What if we look at it from another angle? As long as Zhang Yuhu receives the message and breaks through the flood control dike, we can flood the southern regions."

"It can make the rebels' march difficult and cause a large number of crops to fail and be lost, plunging the rebels into a food shortage crisis."

"Of course, Zhang Yuhu will definitely withdraw his troops from the flat land."

"Once the flood control dike is breached, the floodwaters will pour out, and many areas in the south will suffer disaster as a result."

"Furthermore, the floodwaters formed a natural barrier, and even after the water receded, many swamps would form in various places, making marching difficult and transporting supplies challenging."

"With Zhang Yuhu's destruction of the flood control dike, the hearts of the people in the south will all turn to the rebels."

"What's the use of winning the hearts of the people? It's more worthwhile to eliminate 150,000 elite troops." Xu Xiaogang shook his head, puzzled.

"The world is vast, and everything depends on the hearts of the people. Small matters are accomplished through strategy, while great matters depend on the overall situation." Ye Xiuyuan shook his head and retorted, "A mere 150,000 troops are insignificant in the face of the grand scheme of things." "The South is rich and prosperous. If the rebels had the patience to manage it properly, they could easily amass more than 600,000 troops."

Xu Xiaogang couldn't quite understand what Ye Xiuyuan was saying.

Jiang Yun seemed to understand but not quite, while Ye Xiuyuan didn't continue to explain. He simply said, "I have no interest in helping you fight. The meteorite that Commander Jiang promised me hasn't been delivered yet."

It's this again...

Jiang Yun could only force a wry smile and said in a deep voice to Ye Xiuyuan, "Mr. Ye, you know how difficult it is to find this meteorite. I can only owe it to you for now, and wait until later..."

"However, I still hope you can help me come up with some ideas for this matter."

Upon hearing this, Ye Xiuyuan closed his eyes and slowly said, "Does Commander Jiang know why I don't serve as an official in the imperial court?"

Jiang Yun flattered him, saying, "Of course, it's because Mr. Ye Xiuyuan is indifferent to fame and fortune, has seen too much of the corrupt practices in the court, and is unwilling to go along with them."

"No." Ye Xiuyuan opened his eyes: "If I show my talent, the people who are hunting me will appear and want to kill me."

Jiang Yun quickly reassured him, saying, "Mr. Ye, there's no need to worry. Not only are you highly valued by His Majesty, but if you are truly concerned, I can also send the Embroidered Uniform Guard to protect you personally. What enemy would dare to come to the capital to cause you trouble?"

"The Demon-Catching Bureau," Ye Xiuyuan suddenly said, "Can you stop them?"

Upon hearing these three words, Jiang Yun frowned slightly, but still assured him without hesitation: "No matter what kind of scheme he is or what kind of power he has, as long as he dares to come to the capital to deal with you, he will be doomed."

"What else do you have to worry about?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Xiuyuan laughed heartily, then his expression turned serious. He glanced at Xu Xiaogang and slowly said, "If Duke Xu is willing to trust this old man, I am willing to offer you some good advice."

"However, what is the current state of the front lines? I hope Duke Xu will tell me the truth."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xiaogang, of course, did not hide anything and told the story of the 100,000 Zhenchi troops remaining at the front line, and said with great confidence: "The 100,000 Zhenchi troops under my command are all the elite of the elite."

"In the battle against the northern nomads, they were in no way at a disadvantage."

Comparable to the soldiers of the northern nomadic tribes is a very high compliment, because the nomadic tribes were known for their martial prowess, and in truth, their individual soldiers were several times more formidable than the soldiers within the Zhou state.

However, the Hu people were not united, and the number of soldiers that a single tribe could train was limited, which is why their repeated invasions of the Zhou state failed.

"These 100,000 garrison troops, if you were to say, could hold off 150,000 to 200,000 rebel troops, and they shouldn't be defeated."

Ye Xiuyuan glanced at Jiang Yun and Xu Xiaogang, and then decisively asked, "Is there anything else you two haven't told me?"

"Otherwise, with only 100,000 Zhenchi troops left, it's a sure defeat no matter how you look at it, and there's no need for you to come see me."

"They will likely withdraw the 100,000 garrison troops to the vicinity of the capital, focusing on protecting the city."

Upon hearing Ye Xiuyuan's guess, Xu Xiaogang glanced at Jiang Yun, as if asking whether he should say it or not.

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Yun took a deep breath and said, "Mr. Ye, in fact, we also possess a very secret weapon called artillery."

"Cannons?" Upon hearing these two words, Ye Xiuyuan showed some interest: "Could you take me to see them?"

Jiang Yun said, "Xu Xiaogang, send a carriage to invite Mr. Ye out of the city."

Xu Xiaogang nodded: "Yes, brother-in-law."

Xu Xiaogang quickly went out to make arrangements, leaving only Ye Xiuyuan and Jiang Yun in the courtyard.

For some reason, when Jiang Yun looked at Ye Xiuyuan quietly drinking tea across from him, he felt that there was someone whose temperament and demeanor were quite similar to his.

Jiang Yun frowned, thinking seriously, and suddenly thought of someone.

The old man named Liu Boqing.

Although the two do not look alike, the feeling they give off and their temperament are extremely similar.

“Mr. Ye, your extraordinary demeanor reminds me of someone,” Jiang Yun said. “I wonder if you know Liu Boqing.”

Upon hearing these three words, Ye Xiuyuan's expression remained unchanged. He simply replied, "Never heard of it."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun smiled, got up and stretched in the yard. He glanced at the house and asked, "Mr. Ye, I've been here many times, but I've never been inside. Would it be convenient for me to come in and take a look?"

After pondering for a moment, Ye Xiuyuan nodded, stood up, and pushed open the door: "Since Commander Jiang is interested and wants to see my humble abode, please come in."

Upon entering the house, it was quite simple, with a wooden bed, a wooden table, many farm tools, and a bookcase.

There are also many calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls.

"Mr. Ye has quite the leisure and refined taste. The walls are covered with calligraphy and paintings. Although I, Jiang Yun, am a rough man and don't know much about calligraphy and painting, I can still tell that Mr. Ye's calligraphy is quite skillful."

"I'm just a country farmer, doodling whatever I want. Lord Jiang, please don't take it seriously," Ye Xiuyuan quickly waved his hand.

"Huh." Jiang Yun noticed something strange at this moment. He looked at the calligraphy and paintings hanging on the wall, but the signature was not Ye Xiuyuan.

“This poem is truly excellent, but why isn’t the signature Mr. Ye?” Jiang Yun turned around and asked, “Why is it Bai Shuiqing?”

"It's just a pen name." Ye Xiuyuan chuckled. "These are just random scribbles, not worthy of serious consideration. How could I possibly use my real name to paint? If a master saw them, wouldn't I make a fool of myself?"

"Mr. Ye, you're too kind."

"Oh, the carriage has arrived outside."

"Mr. Ye, please."

(End of this chapter)