Catching Monsters

Chapter 634 Li Dongwang

Xu Xiaogang was deeply impressed by Ye Xiuyuan during the battle of Daegu.

Xu Xiaogang then glanced at Shan Tiangang and Fang Zhihong, who had come with Ye Xiuyuan.

He didn't recognize either of them.

Ye Xiuyuan strode to the sand table and looked at it slowly, saying, "General Xu, please give a brief introduction to the situation at the front."

"Okay." Xu Xiaogang nodded, without rambling on or reminiscing.

He quickly spoke up, saying, "The biggest difficulty in attacking the three southwestern provinces lies in these five strategic passes."

"Although some treacherous mountain paths lead into the three southwestern provinces, they are not suitable for large-scale military operations."

Why were these five strategic passes able to hold off Xu Xiaogang's army?
Indeed, the three southwestern provinces are very large, and there are many places that can be sneaked in, but most of them are treacherous mountain roads.

People could barely pass through, but food and supplies could not be moved.

The army cannot pass through this place.

Only by entering through the five major passes could the supply of grain and provisions be guaranteed.

"Of these five passes, Dongliang Pass is the easiest to attack, but it is also the most heavily guarded."

"Of the 100,000 troops the rebels deployed at the front, 40,000 are stationed at the Dongliang Pass."

"The other passes were occupied by the remaining 60,000 troops."

"During this period, we launched major attacks on Dongliang, Sanmen, and Mogao Pass, but all of them ended in failure."

Hearing Xu Xiaogang's words, Ye Xiuyuan calmly asked, "How did you attack?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Xiaogang perked up and explained, "Take Dongliang Pass for example. There are steep mountain peaks on both sides. The enemy has built several brick walls inside, and the mountains on both sides are covered with hot oil, rolling stones, and rolling logs."

"We are leading the Zhenchi Army as our vanguard..."

Ye Xiuyuan raised his hand, interrupting Xu Xiaogang: "What I mean is, is this how you just keep attacking headlong?"

"if not?"

Ye Xiuyuan said, "In the art of war, winning hearts and minds is the best strategy, while attacking cities is the worst. Psychological warfare is superior to physical warfare."

Those present were all generals who had led troops for many years, and they understood Ye Xiuyuan's meaning.

The general standing nearby said, "Mr. Ye, we all understand the principle you're talking about."

“We also tried to persuade them to surrender, but the guards of these five passes are all veteran generals who have followed Wang Longzhi for many years and are extremely loyal to him. They are not so easy to deal with.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Xiuyuan asked, "Who are the leaders of these five passes?"

"Do you have their details?"

"Have."

Are their families still alive?

The general beside him shook his head: "Mr. Ye, these guys followed Wang Longzhi in the rebellion. Their families have probably all been killed long ago. How could we let the families of these traitors still be alive?"

Xu Xiaogang seemed to know something about this, and pointing to one of the generals, he said, "Li Wangdong's family members are still alive..."

"Huh?" Ye Xiuyuan was taken aback and turned to look at Xu Xiaogang.

Xu Xiaogang explained, "Li Wangdong's grandmother was a princess of our Zhou Kingdom. Their family was related to the royal family. His Majesty the late emperor was always kind to the royal family."

"Therefore, after Li Wangdong rebelled, his family in the capital were only temporarily imprisoned and were not killed."

"Is he guarding the Three Gates Pass?" Ye Xiuyuan asked, narrowing his eyes slightly, and said, "I'll go talk to him."

"You're going to talk to him?" Xu Xiaogang was taken aback.

"Don't worry, with Shan Tiangang and Fang Zhihong with me, I'll be fine."

……

Within the city of Chongshan County, in the three southwestern provinces.

Now, most of the ordinary people in the entire county town have already fled.

The entire county town became a military city.

More than 200,000 rebels live here and train every day.

In the very center of the county town, in the former government office, Wang Longzhi sat in the backyard drinking tea, watching the intelligence reports constantly coming in from the front lines.

His temples were already streaked with white hair, and he looked much more haggard than before.

"Master, you've had a hard time, being trapped here with me now." Wang Longzhi sighed slowly after reading the battle report.

Xu Xiaogang now has a large number of troops gathered outside the three southwestern provinces, making it difficult for them to launch another attack.

The only hope is to quickly train these 200,000 rebels into elite troops; perhaps then there is still some hope.

Xie Yifeng slowly said, "It's not necessarily a bad thing, Long Zhi. You have exceptional talent, but you've been spending all your energy on military matters all these years."

"If we are truly defeated, I can follow my master to cultivate the way of the sword and achieve great things in the future."

In Xie Yifeng's view, defeat was not necessarily a bad thing.

I will then take Wang Longzhi away from this place and find a secluded spot to properly teach her cultivation.

Wang Longzhi smiled bitterly, took a deep breath, and replied, "Master, this matter is no longer just my concern. With so many soldiers under my command, if we are defeated, I'm afraid they will all lose their lives."

"Even for the sake of my soldiers, I cannot lose."

Listening to Wang Longzhi's words, Xie Yifeng slowly said, "You didn't hesitate to bring that evil spirit here in order to win."

At this point, Xie Yifeng sighed, knowing that now that the Demon Spirit Sect had left, many things would indeed require the intervention of top experts.

But Xie Yifeng was only responsible for, and only willing to protect, Xie Yifeng's safety.

"How is Min'er doing lately? We haven't seen her for a long time," Xie Yifeng asked. Wang Longzhi gave a bitter smile and slowly said, "Ever since the news of Xiao Yuzheng's death came, Min'er has been very depressed. After all, her goal and dream has always been to kill Xiao Yuzheng with her own hands, but she never expected that Xiao Yuzheng would be killed by Xiao Jingqing instead."

"Back then, Xiao Yuzheng killed Min'er's father in order to ascend the throne. Now he has been killed by his own son. It can be said that retribution is fitting and he deserves his punishment."

At this point, Wang Longzhi stood up and said, "I'll go see Min'er and take this military intelligence to her to see if she has any suggestions."

Soon, Wang Longzhi headed towards the courtyard where Xiao Min'er lived.

After arriving at the gate of the courtyard, he went inside.

Normally, Xiao Min'er would personally tend to the flowers and plants in her courtyard, but now they were overgrown with weeds.

Wang Longzhi quickly walked to the door and knocked. The door opened slowly.

"Longzhi, is something wrong?" Xiao Min'er looked somewhat haggard, but not because of the front lines or the war; it was purely because of the news of Xiao Yuzheng's death.

"This is the situation in recent days." Wang Longzhi handed over the military intelligence report and said, "Although we carried a large amount of food and supplies with us when we retreated into the three southwestern provinces."

"But the amount consumed throughout the winter is not small, and there are not many places in the three southwestern provinces where grain can be grown."

“These three places have been suffering from famine for years. If we are prepared to continue this stalemate, food will probably be a big problem.”

Hearing Wang Longzhi's words, Xiao Min'er took the military intelligence report and began to read it carefully.

Wang Longzhi said in a deep voice, "Min'er, you have to pull yourself together. Although Xiao Yuzheng is dead, the throne is still there. It should be yours, and we still have to take it back."

Xiao Min'er nodded calmly after hearing Wang Longzhi's words, and then said, "Xu Xiaogang's Zhenchi Army is indeed fierce. Their casualties in these attacks on the pass must have been quite high, right?"

"Mm." Wang Longzhi nodded slightly.

Suddenly, Xiao Min'er's gaze fell upon a sentence in the military intelligence report: three people had entered the General's Mansion, one of whom was Shan Tiangang.

"Shan Tiangang?" Xiao Min'er frowned slightly.

It should be noted that the Martial Spirit Prefecture has a large number of their spies stationed within it.

These spies were also highly experienced.

During the time when Shan Tiangang was working with them, quite a few people knew him.

"Why would Shan Tiangang suddenly go to General Xu Xiaogang's mansion?" Xiao Min'er muttered to herself. "Could it be that the Demon Spirit Sect has turned to the imperial court?"

"No, the imperial court is not lacking in experts, let alone employing members of the demonic sect."

"Can……"

Xiao Min'er had a bad feeling.

Although she was intelligent, she couldn't tell fortunes or predict what would happen.

To put it in the worst-case scenario, Shan Tiangang is here to help Xu Xiaogang.

She said to Wang Longzhi, "Longzhi, you go ahead quickly. I have a feeling that something is about to happen."

"to make."

Wang Longzhi nodded.

……

The Sanmen Pass is an extremely strategic location, with numerous defensive fortifications built on both sides.

In the context of cold weapons, this place was a natural barrier, almost impossible to cross.

Li Dongwang led 15,000 troops to garrison this place.

Campsites and tents were set up on many hillsides behind the pass.

The place where Li Dongwang lived was rather unusual; it was a house built of wooden planks.

Given the limited conditions at the front, this is already considered excellent.

Li Dongwang's job was relatively easy. The Sanmen Pass was a strategic location, and if Xu Xiaogang's troops made any moves, they would know and be able to prepare accordingly.

In the afternoon, Li Dongwang sat in the house, looking through the grain and supplies that had been transported from the rear.

The quantity decreased each time.

Of course, Li Dongwang also knew that these grains would not be withheld. They were grains from the rear, and probably not as much as he had imagined. He could only use them sparingly.

Just then, his door was suddenly pushed open, and Li Dongwang frowned and looked towards the doorway.

His men wouldn't be so rude.

But when he saw the person coming in at the door, his expression suddenly changed.

Dan Tiangang.

Dan Tiangang smiled and said, "General Li, it's been a long time."

Back when Shan Tiangang was in the rebel camp, he had met Li Dongwang a few times.

Li Dongwang frowned and looked towards the door.

The two guards at the door had been silently knocked unconscious.

"Master Shan, what do you mean by this?"

After entering the room, Shan Tiangang said to those behind him, "Mr. Ye, please."

Ye Xiuyuan slowly walked in, while Fang Zhihong was responsible for keeping watch at the door.

Li Dongwang's face darkened, and he was about to shout a reprimand, which would attract the attention of the soldiers outside.

Dan Tiangang chuckled and rushed forward, placing his hand on Li Dongwang's shoulder: "General Li, we won't harm you, we just want to chat with you. If you cooperate, nothing will happen."

(End of this chapter)