Catching Monsters

Chapter 636 A Coincidence

After returning from his inspection tour of the front lines, Wang Longzhi returned to Chongshan County with a heavy heart.

However, while the defenses at the front were not in any major concern, what worried him was that the enemy had approached Li Dongwang to persuade them to surrender.

Although he absolutely trusts Li Dongwang, what if something goes wrong with Li Dongwang?

He quickly found Xiao Min'er and told her what had happened.

After speaking, Wang Longzhi took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Min'er, I trust Li Dongwang, but I'm afraid this kind of thing can't withstand being repeated again and again."

After hearing Wang Longzhi's description, Xiao Min'er frowned and said, "There's nothing we can do about this."

After speaking, Xiao Min'er led him and Xie Yifeng, who had followed her, into the house, and then took out a detailed plan: "Take a look."

"This is?"

After reading the plan, Wang Longzhi's expression changed slightly. He looked at Xiao Min'er with some surprise and said, "What are you going to do?"

"Now Xu Xiaogang's Zhenchi Army, the Border Army, and the 300,000 newly trained troops, together have a total of 600,000 men."

"We are trapped in the three southwestern provinces. If this continues, we will not be able to sustain ourselves in terms of food and supplies."

"If this plan goes smoothly, it could severely damage Xu Xiaogang's 600,000-strong army."

"When the situation changes and the balance of power shifts, we can break out of the three southwestern provinces, occupy the provinces with abundant food supplies, recruit soldiers, and still have a chance."

This plan is extremely audacious.

Wang Longzhi also seemed hesitant. He took a deep breath and said, "Min'er..."

“It’s not necessarily a bad thing that Li Dongwang was persuaded to surrender,” Xiao Min’er said slowly. “Perfect timing, my plan also needs such a problem to occur at one stage.”

"I was originally going to deliberately let Xu Xiaogang's army enter the three southwestern provinces, and I was worried that the other side would notice something."

"If that's the case, then it makes sense."

"However, Li Dongwang is extremely loyal to you. It seems we have to force him to defect to the other side."

After saying that, Xiao Min'er said, "Spread the word that you suspect him because of this matter and are preparing to capture him and imprison him in Chongshan County."

Wang Longzhi's old habit of indecisiveness resurfaced. Looking at the plan, he said, "If it fails, I'm afraid our men will..."

"Longzhi, this is our last chance. It's all or nothing." Xiao Min'er stepped forward, grasped Wang Longzhi's hand tightly, and said, "Even if we are defeated, I'll die with you on the battlefield."

Xie Yifeng, who was standing next to him, frowned and coughed to remind him, "I'm here, nothing will happen to you."

……

The next day at noon, Li Dongwang kept patrolling the various parts of the pass, but his mind was not on it.

Early in the morning, a close friend of Wang Longzhi from Chongshan County wrote to him privately, claiming that he did not know what had happened.

After returning home yesterday, Wang Longzhi flew into a rage and even planned to have Li Dongwang replaced so that he could return to Chongshan County for interrogation.

Because of their long-standing brotherhood, the other party secretly informed Li Dongwang, urging him to quickly come up with a solution.

At this moment, Li Dongwang was also feeling heavy-hearted.

On the one hand, he and Wang Longzhi had indeed known each other for many years and had a deep friendship.

On the other hand, for a general leading troops in battle on the front lines, defecting to the enemy is a shameful thing.

His upbringing made it difficult for him to do such a thing.

However, just because of some suspicions, Wang Longzhi was prepared to remove him from his position and even take him back for interrogation?

Why did I have to come to this?

Even though Ye Xiuyuan came to persuade him to surrender, he was still hesitant; he hadn't agreed yet...

With his mind preoccupied, he returned to his room and saw Fang Zhihong sitting inside, eating and drinking heartily.

"Still haven't figured it out?"

Fang Zhihong, his mouth greasy from eating, took a sip of strong liquor and waved his hand: "I don't understand why you're so difficult to deal with. At a time like this, you're still talking about so-called brotherhood."

"Mr. Ye's offer is too good. It's the position of Duke. You will be the Duke from now on, and your descendants will be respected for generations to come."

"If this place is breached, you, as a rebel, will be captured and killed, and your family will at best be exiled."

"Do you expect your descendants to be shivering in the freezing cold of exile, wearing only thin clothes and starving, to shout that their ancestor was a man of great loyalty and righteousness?"

"You are loyal and righteous, but what about your family? Aren't you extremely heartless towards them?"

In the eyes of Fang Zhihong, this so-called "friendship" was utter nonsense, devoid of any real benefit.

Li Dongwang was slightly taken aback by Fang Zhihong's words. He sighed and said, "I have indeed let my family down."

Speaking of this, and thinking about the news that had come in, General Wang had some doubts about himself. He clenched his fist, took a deep breath, and then said, "The guards at the pass will be rotated tomorrow evening."

He stood up, took out a map, and handed it over: "This is a defensive map of the Sanmen Pass."

"I have received news that Chongshan County is preparing to replace me. I don't know if I will be replaced by tomorrow evening."

"If I were still here, I would have deployed the main force to the rear, and withdrawn many soldiers from the city walls at the front pass."

Hearing these words, Fang Zhihong immediately smiled: "Such a simple question, you've been thinking about it for so long before you could figure it out."

After he had eaten and drunk his fill, he picked up the topographical map and prepared to leave.

Before leaving, Li Dongwang took a deep breath and said, "You must send me an imperial edict or a substantial letter of commitment by tomorrow evening."

"Do not worry."

After speaking, Fang Zhihong quickly left the area.

Inside the Martial Spirit Mansion, Fang Zhihong brought back this good news as soon as possible.

Inside the hall, Xu Xiaogang, Ye Xiuyuan, Shan Tiangang, and many other generals were present, having heard that Li Dongwang of Sanmen Pass was willing to surrender.

Many of the generals present showed surprise on their faces.

Looking at Ye Xiuyuan in disbelief, how could Mr. Ye have managed to persuade Li Dongwang to surrender in just a day or two?
After Xu Xiaogang obtained the defense map of the Three Gates Pass, his eyes lit up. Just by having this defense map, even if the enemy didn't hold back, their chances of winning would increase significantly.

He asked, "Mr. Ye, what did you promise him that made him agree to surrender so easily?"

Ye Xiuyuan calmly said, "I have granted him the title of Duke."

"what?"

The generals present were all stunned.

He promised her a dukedom?
Xu Xiaogang frowned and asked in a low voice, "Has His Majesty agreed to this?"

"His Majesty is unaware of this." Ye Xiuyuan shook his head.

hiss.

Xu Xiaogang suddenly felt a headache coming on, so he pulled Ye Xiuyuan aside, leaving just the two of them.

He asked in a low voice, "Mr. Ye, such an important matter cannot be promised casually. Moreover, Li Dongwang now requires an imperial edict or a letter of commitment."

“As the Duke of Zhenguo, I am qualified to write such a letter of commitment, but if His Majesty investigates and pursues the matter thoroughly afterward, I will not fare well.”

The title of Duke in the State of Zhou is already a position of great power and influence. Once a Duke is established, as long as he does not participate in a rebellion, he will be able to live a life of comfort and security for generations to come. He is the top noble in the State of Zhou.

Many of the dukes in the capital today were granted the title by the founding emperor, Taizu, at the time of the founding of the nation.

It's simply impossible for someone to be given a duke just for surrendering.

Ye Xiuyuan calmly said, "General Xu, after we capture the Sanmen Pass, why don't we just kill Li Dongwang? Even if we promise him great benefits, he won't get them."

Xu Xiaogang was taken aback: "How can you so easily break your promise to someone in this kind of situation?"

"The matter of killing him must never be mentioned again."

After Xu Xiaogang finished speaking, he took a deep breath: "No matter what, I will first capture the Sanmen Pass, and then I will write this letter."

After saying that, Xu Xiaogang's understanding of Ye Xiuyuan was refreshed. This guy seemed to be someone who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals and had no regard for morality.

Back in the council hall, Xu Xiaogang quickly made arrangements for the next attack.

Ye Xiuyuan then asked, "After capturing the Three Gates Pass, what are the plans for the subsequent battles?"

"Of course, we should send a large army in and wipe out the rebels in one fell swoop," a general said without hesitation.

Ye Xiuyuan did not refute, but his eyebrows furrowed slightly. He glanced at Fang Zhihong and asked, "You just said that Li Dongwang finally made up his mind because there were people in Chongshan County who wanted to take action against him?"

"Yes." Fang Zhihong nodded. "That's not surprising."

"It was quite a coincidence. I was still in Li Dongwang's room when Wang Longzhi arrived. I deliberately said that I was from the capital, and when I passed by Xie Yifeng, I deliberately revealed my magical powers."

"That's rather strange," Ye Xiuyuan muttered to himself before falling silent.

The subsequent battles were no longer his concern; he had only promised to help Xu Xiaogang's army break through the pass.

After doing this, you can go back to Jiang Yun to get the meteorite.

Soon, the army began preparations, and before they knew it, the next day arrived. At dawn, Xu Xiaogang personally wrote a letter and sent it to Li Dongwang at the Sanmen Pass.

The letter naturally promised what Ye Xiuyuan had said before.

They then dispatched 30,000 elite soldiers of the Zhenchi Army, preparing to capture the pass by evening.

Xu Xiaogang held considerable prestige among the border troops and the new army, and as such, he personally led the elite Zhenchi troops into tough battles.

They would never allow other troops to be used as cannon fodder.

Of course, another factor is that the opportunity is hard-won, so naturally the Zhenchi Army should attack and take the Sanmen Pass in one fell swoop.

As evening fell, fiery clouds slowly hung in the sky.

Many of the garrison troops at Sanmen Pass have been reduced in number, as they have been relieved of their duties by troops stationed in the rear.

Conditions at the front line of the pass are harsh, and the soldiers are usually rotated every half month to allow them to return to Chongshan County for a proper rest.

Many soldiers had just arrived at various locations on the front lines and hadn't even had time to familiarize themselves with their surroundings.

Suddenly, the sound of drums rang out from a sentry post on the mountain peak.

The sound resounded throughout all directions of the Sanmen Pass.

Enemy attack!

In an instant, many people present rushed to their assigned positions in a tense manner. However, due to the rotation of guards, many people did not even know where they were supposed to be stationed.

In a short period of time, things became quite chaotic.

Many people subconsciously went to look for the centurions and commanders in the army.

"Where are the commanders of the thousand and hundred? Where have they gone?"

"What a coincidence! All of you gentlemen were just at the rear camp when General Li had important matters to discuss with them. Damn it, we didn't expect the enemy to arrive at this time!"

(End of this chapter)