Catching Monsters

Chapter 635 You can abandon darkness and embrace light at any time
Li Dongwang's right hand was now resting on the sword at his waist. Shan Tiangang glanced at it and said, "General Li, do you know my abilities? Don't do such a foolish thing."

Soon, under Shan Tiangang's threat, Li Dongwang had no choice but to sit opposite Ye Xiuyuan.

Ye Xiuyuan looked at him expressionlessly and nodded: "General Li, it's a pleasure to meet you. I am Ye Xiuyuan."

"What exactly do you want by breaking into our military camp?" Li Dongwang asked coldly.

"We are here to offer General Li a way out," Ye Xiuyuan said slowly. "General Li, how long do you think the three southwestern provinces can hold out?"

“The land in the three southwestern provinces is not fertile, and even in peacetime, they still need grain supplies from wealthy provinces outside the region.”

"Not to mention that the harvest had been completely destroyed due to the rebels' insurgency."

"The three southwestern provinces cannot support the logistical supply of an army of 300,000."

"General Li is probably clearer about this than I am."

Li Dongwang understood that the other party had come to persuade him to surrender. Hearing this, he couldn't help but snort coldly and said, "I advise you not to waste your time."

"General Wang Longzhi has been kind to me and his kindness is as heavy as a mountain."

“I could never collude with you. Now that I’m in your hands, you can do whatever you want with me.”

Hearing Li Dongwang's words, Ye Xiuyuan was not surprised by this answer.

He smiled and said, "General Li, in this world, every negotiation has a price. Why don't you listen to what our price is?"

Li Dongwang's expression hardened, and he closed his eyes, as if he had no intention of listening to what Ye Xiuyuan was about to say.

“General Li, you are different from many other generals. Other generals followed Wang Longzhi in the rebellion, and their entire families were killed. They are all alone and have nothing to fear.”

“But you are different. The royal family has treated your Li family well. Even though you followed Wang Longzhi in the rebellion, the late emperor only imprisoned your family members.”

Li Dongwang retorted, "We're not rebelling, we're helping the Sixth Prince start an uprising!"

"Do you and I not know whether the Sixth Prince is still alive?"

“Your Li family was previously a marquis, but now, because of this matter, that title has been revoked.”

"However, His Majesty promised that if you were willing to change your mind, he would bestow upon you the title of Duke."

"Even if you succeed in starting a rebellion with Wang Longzhi, you will probably only end up with the title of Duke."

Li Dongwang fell silent, a rare occurrence. He clenched his fists and said in a deep voice, "You underestimate me, Li Dongwang. You think I'd become a traitorous villain just because I hold the title of Duke?"

“This is called abandoning darkness and turning to the light.” Ye Xiuyuan said slowly, “General Li, those generals and soldiers who surrendered and submitted to Daegu City are now being treated well.”

"Not to mention anything far removed, Shan Tiangang was previously the leader of the Demon Spirit Sect. How many government officials did the Demon Spirit Sect help the rebels kill?"

"Aren't we still doing things for the imperial court?"

Ye Xiuyuan glanced at Shan Tiangang as he spoke. Shan Tiangang coughed lightly, stepped forward, and nodded in agreement: "That's right."

Li Dongwang's expression gradually became complicated.

Ye Xiuyuan calmly said, "I know that the pass will be rotated every seven days. You just need to tell us the rotation time, and when we attack, you can put up a little resistance and pretend to be captured."

“In name only, it doesn’t count as betraying Wang Longzhi.”

Hearing these conditions, Li Dongwang remained silent.

Having said enough, and knowing there was no point in continuing, Ye Xiuyuan slowly stood up: "General Li, I will keep Fang Zhihong in your camp. If you have thought it through within three days, you can tell him at any time."

"Let's go."

After Ye Xiuyuan finished speaking, he led Shan Tiangang away. However, after taking a few steps, he stopped and turned back to remind him: "General Li, you can surrender at any time before Fang Zhihong leaves."

"But once three days have passed, the opportunity will be gone."

Watching Ye Xiuyuan and Shan Tiangang leave, Fang Zhihong chuckled and casually sat down, saying, "General Li, think it over carefully. Once you've made up your mind, just let me know."

Li Dongwang snorted coldly and went outside to inspect the area. Soon, news came that General Wang Longzhi had arrived.

Upon hearing this, Li Dongwang was secretly alarmed. Could it be that some information had been leaked?
Although he was startled, he still quickly came to the gate of the military camp to greet him.

Wang Longzhi, dressed in white armor, came to inspect the situation at the front lines, accompanied only by the Sword God Xie Yifeng.

"General." Li Dongwang, accompanied by several guards, hurriedly came to greet him. Then, Li Dongwang carefully led Wang Longzhi through the entire pass.

He explained the defenses of the entire pass and how to defend against enemy attacks.

After listening to Li Dongwang's introduction, Wang Longzhi nodded, looking somewhat tired, and went to the house where Li Dongwang lived.

As soon as I entered the room, I saw Fang Zhihong sitting inside.

Oh no! Li Dongwang was secretly alarmed. General Wang's sudden arrival had made him forget that this fellow was still around.

"Who is this?" Wang Longzhi asked in confusion.

"Who are you?" Fang Zhihong looked at the other person and asked with a frown.

"Don't be rude, this is our commander, General Wang Longzhi." Li Dongwang quickly reminded Fang Zhihong secretly, afraid that he might say something wrong.

Upon hearing the other party's identity, Fang Zhihong was immediately delighted. He stayed not only because Ye Xiuyuan had said it would make communication easier.

Another objective was to force Li Dongwang to defect to the enemy.

His eyes flashed, and then he said with a smile, "I'm from the capital. I'm a distant relative of General Li. I've come here to seek refuge with him."

Upon hearing this, Li Dongwang was slightly startled. He took a deep breath and noticed that Wang Longzhi's eyebrows furrowed.

Wang Longzhi frowned and asked, "All the major passes have been sealed off long ago. Did your relative come in through a mountain path?"

"Did you come from the capital?"

"Yes." Li Dongwang could only nod reluctantly. He quickly came up with a solution and said, "My relative is struggling to make ends meet in the capital because of my situation, so he has come to seek refuge here."

"You go out first." Li Dongwang glared at Fang Zhihong.

Fang Zhihong could only smile faintly and walk outside.

As he left, passing by Xie Yifeng, Xie Yifeng seemed to sense something and frowned deeply.

Soon, only Wang Longzhi, Xie Yifeng, and Li Dongwang remained in the room.

Xie Yifeng quickly whispered a few words in Wang Longzhi's ear.

After listening, Wang Longzhi sat down in a chair without expression and slowly asked, "Dongwang, how many years have you been following me?"

"Reporting to the general, it has been more than seven years," Li Dongwang said in a deep voice.

Wang Longzhi slowly asked, "Having known you for so many years, how come I've never heard of you having a relative with a cultivation level of at least the third rank, and living in poverty in the capital?"

Upon hearing this, Li Dongwang felt a slight tremor in his heart, realizing that Xie Yifeng had probably noticed something when Fang Zhihong left.

Knowing that Wang Longzhi valued loyalty and righteousness, he quickly knelt on the ground and said in a deep voice, "General, to be honest, this person is from the Zhou Dynasty court and came with a man named Ye Xiuyuan."

“They came to persuade me to surrender, but the general has been incredibly kind to me! I would never betray the general.”

This was also Li Dongwang's true feeling, after all, the conditions offered by the other party were already tempting enough.

He's a Duke!
For a normal person, no matter how hard they try, becoming a duke is already the ceiling.

Seeing Li Dongwang speak so frankly, Wang Longzhi smiled, stepped forward, and patted him on the shoulder: "Look at you, we've been brothers for years, how could I not trust you?"

"Looking eastward, this is a crucial moment. Don't worry, if we can conquer this world, you will get a share."

"You're one of the people I trust the most, understand?"

Wang Longzhi patted Li Dongwang's shoulder heavily and said earnestly.

Hearing Wang Longzhi's words, Li Dongwang was deeply moved. After telling the truth, he was prepared to be punished by Wang Longzhi.

Unexpectedly, Wang Longzhi didn't care at all and instead trusted him so much.

"General." Li Dongwang took a deep breath: "This humble general is willing to serve as your general, even at the cost of his life."

Xie Yifeng, standing to the side, glanced at Wang Longzhi's retreating figure with a flicker in his eyes and couldn't help but smile.

Wang Longzhi has changed these days. You know, she has said "You are the person I trust the most" to countless people in private.

"Okay, I need to go check out other places. You get some rest."

Wang Longzhi patted Li Dongwang on the shoulder before leading Xie Yifeng away.

After Wang Longzhi left, Li Dongwang's face immediately contorted with anger as he watched Fang Zhihong enter: "You're trying to harm me, aren't you?"

"Is it to deliberately say such things in front of the general in order to make him think that I have colluded with the enemy and forced him into a corner?"

Fang Zhihong casually sat down: "There are no stupid people who can lead troops into battle. So what if this is my plan?"

"You can leave now," Li Dongwang angrily rebuked. "The general trusts me so much; I would never betray him!"

“Mr. Ye said I should stay for three days.” Fang Zhihong had no intention of leaving: “Within three days, you can abandon the darkness and embrace the light at any time.”

(End of this chapter)