Catching Monsters

Chapter 515 How should I reward you?
The next morning, in the Imperial Study of the palace, Xiao Yuzheng had already woken up early. The battle on the front lines was intense, and he hadn't been able to get a good night's sleep during this period.

After waking up, he asked the eunuch serving in the imperial study if any battle reports had come from the front.

There was no other way; this great battle concerned the safety of the southern Zhou kingdom.

If we lose this battle, it will be difficult to retake so many rich and prosperous lands in a short period of time.

If the rebels gain power...

"Hey."

Xiao Yuzheng sighed softly. The sky outside was still dark. He was about to practice his calligraphy, but he couldn't calm down. His mind was in turmoil, and his writing was naturally messy as well.

Just then, there was a sudden, urgent knocking on the door.

"Enter."

A young eunuch rushed in, holding a secret letter in his hand, and knelt respectfully before Xiao Yuzheng: "Your Majesty, a message has arrived from the front lines by carrier pigeon. Please take a look at it as soon as possible."

"Give it to me." After reading the letter, Xiao Yuzheng's face lit up with joy.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

"Xu Xiaogang, oh Xu Xiaogang!"

"How should I reward you?"

"More than 200,000 rebel troops surrendered!"

Upon reading the contents of the letter, Xiao Yuzheng was overjoyed. More than 200,000 rebel troops were willing to surrender, and the only price was that Lu Yuanyu wanted a marquisate.

It's too simple.

At this moment, his level of joy was comparable only to when he ascended the throne.

He took a deep breath to calm himself down, but soon he noticed a detail in the letter.

The sixth prince, Xiao Jingqi, had died long ago.

He frowned slightly as he sat on the dragon throne. Xiao Yuzheng was a man of great loyalty and affection, especially towards his sons.

Even though Xiao Jingqi had previously colluded with the Hu people in secret, Xiao Yuzheng had only placed him under house arrest.

However, this sadness only lasted for about a second.

Immediately afterward, Xiao Yuzheng thought about the battle reports from the front lines, and a smile crept onto his face again.

Soon, Xiao Yuzheng stood up and said to the eunuch beside him, "I will announce this good news at the morning court session today."

……

Within Guangli County.

Early in the morning, Wang Longzhi had already woken up in a living room, where Xiao Min'er and Bai Xuanang were.

Upon hearing this news, Bai Xuanang couldn't help but curse, "That bastard, Lu Yuanyu! Does he really think our Demon Spirit Sect is a pushover? I'll send someone to kill his whole family!"

Wang Longzhi merely frowned, sighed slowly, and said, "These troops are the elite forces of the imperial court. It is already quite an achievement that they have followed me in this rebellion. Now that they have surrendered, it is not bad that they can have a good ending."

Wang Longzhi was indeed a talented general, but not a great commander.

Xiao Min'er's concern was: "Right now, all we have left are 100,000 elite troops and 200,000 bandits."

"It's probably impossible for these 300,000 people to stop Xu Xiaogang anymore."

"We must immediately withdraw these 300,000 troops back to the three southwestern provinces. The three southwestern provinces are easy to defend and difficult to attack, and we still have the opportunity to maneuver around them."

Bai Xuanang was stunned for a moment, then said, "Are we just going to give up all these provinces we own? Just throw them away like that?"

“Of course.” Xiao Min’er nodded and said in a deep voice, “Including your Demon Spirit Sect, I’m afraid you’ll have to relocate immediately to the three southwestern provinces.”

Bai Xuanang's lips moved slightly, and he gritted his teeth. He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Such a good situation, and we've just lost it like this."

"If we hadn't left yesterday, and had stayed..."

Xiao Min'er looked up at Bai Xuanang and said, "If we don't withdraw, and Wang Longzhi dies on the battlefield, not only will the more than 200,000 people surrender, but we won't even be able to hold onto the remaining 100,000 elite troops."

These elite troops rebelled only because of Wang Longzhi's prestige. Xiao Min'er, being the kind of person she was, wouldn't complain about these things; her first thought was to devise a countermeasure.

Bai Xuanang couldn't help but look at Xiao Min'er. This girl didn't show the slightest anger on her face; she was too calm.

“Let’s proceed as planned,” Xiao Min’er said, taking a deep breath.

Just then, footsteps suddenly came from outside.

The group immediately looked outside and saw Xie Yifeng, severely injured, staggering in.

"Master." Wang Longzhi's expression changed drastically, and she hurriedly stepped forward to help Xie Yifeng up: "What's wrong?"

“That old eunuch is indeed quite powerful.” Xie Yifeng panted heavily, took a deep breath, and said slowly with a gloomy look in his eyes, “Of course, his situation isn’t much better than mine.”

After saying that, Xie Yifeng suddenly fainted.

……

Around the city of Daegu in the early morning, of the 300,000 troops from yesterday, after the rout, escape, and fighting, only a little over 200,000 remained.

Now all the soldiers have laid down their weapons and set up camp around Daegu, awaiting further instructions.

Of course, it was also conveyed from above that their rebellion was forced upon them and would not be investigated.

The casualties on Zhenchi Army's side were also heavy. Of the 100,000 troops, only about 70,000 remained after yesterday's fierce fighting.

Even Zidane's Imperial Guards were reduced to only about three hundred men.

In a living room inside the city, Xu Xiaogang had already washed up briefly, but he hadn't gone to sleep since last night.

Inside the living room, besides Lu Yuanyu, there were more than ten high-ranking generals from the rebel army. They all had grim faces, and their expressions were complicated when they looked at Lu Yuanyu.

Some naturally blamed Lu Yuanyu for surrendering, arguing that it was unjust to General Wang Longzhi.

Of course, while I might think that way, I would never say such a thing now.

Besides Xu Xiaogang, Ye Xiuyuan was also in the room.

Ye Xiuyuan was somewhat surprised that this large army would suddenly surrender.

"Don't worry, everyone. Not only General Lu, but all of you will be rewarded according to your merits after you return to the capital," Xu Xiaogang said with a smile. "In fact, we were all serving the court, but we went astray for a while. The court will not hold us accountable."

The generals sitting in the living room exchanged glances, each with their own thoughts.

Some people were secretly unhappy, after all, Xu Xiaogang had only promised Lu Yuanyu a noble title.

Lu Yuanyu's qualifications and status were not much different from those of the others present.

Xu Xiaogang could only promise Lu Yuanyu a noble title.

After all, the decision to confer titles still rests with His Majesty.

As everyone was discussing, suddenly, a figure walked in from outside with his hands behind his back and a gloomy face.

"Eunuch Qin." Upon seeing this, Xu Xiaogang quickly stepped forward: "Are you alright?"

"That Sword God Xie Yifeng is all talk and no action," Qin Hong said coldly. "Arrange a room for me to rest; I'm tired."

"Yes."

Soon, Xu Xiaogang arranged a room for Qin Hong to rest.

Upon entering the room and closing the door, Qin Hong coughed up a mouthful of blood. He tore open his clothes, revealing numerous bloody sword wounds on both his front and back. Weakly, he took out some ointment and applied it to himself. His face was grim as he gritted his teeth and said, "Damn it, how can Xie Yifeng's swordsmanship be so fast! Damn it."

After applying the ointment, Qin Hong lay down and fell into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile, in the capital, a joyous atmosphere prevailed, with fireworks lighting up the city throughout the day to celebrate the great victory at the front.

The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion attracted numerous high-ranking officials and nobles who, upon hearing the news, flocked to its door to present gifts.

Besides offering gifts, many high-ranking officials and nobles also sought to arrange marriages with their children...

(End of this chapter)