WebNovels

Chapter 750 - Chapter 750: The Battle of the Flying Horse Ranch (Conclusion)

"I'm sorry, but although the Li Clan is impressive, I must decline." Shen Luoyan sighed softly as she looked at Li Xiuning, her expression complex as she glanced at Li Tianfan's corpse on the ground. She then firmly shook her head at Li Xiuning.

At this moment, Shen Luoyan was deeply disappointed in Li Mi. Such a critical matter had excluded both her and Xu Shiji, which explained why even Xu Shiji had begun making contact with the Li Clan.

The fact that Li Xiuning had spared her indicated that Xu Shiji had already decided to defect to the Li Clan. If he hadn't made up his mind, Li Xiuning would never have revealed this.

Daniel Davis and Yang Guang's exposure of the Temple of Compassion's "Choosing the Emperor" plan had indeed damaged the Temple's reputation, but it had also significantly boosted the Li Clan's standing. As a result, many who had been on the fence were now considering joining the Li Clan.

People of this era didn't share Daniel Davis's lofty ideals. For them, bringing glory to their ancestors and achieving high-ranking positions were the most important goals. Joining the Li Clan now could earn them the merit of supporting the future emperor.

The Li Clan wasn't foolish. They seized this opportunity to recruit renowned individuals, with the Wagang Army being a key target.

The divided Wagang Army had seen its power greatly diminished. Those with any foresight could see that the Wagang Army had missed its best opportunity for growth. Under these circumstances, some who had previously joined the Wagang Army began to reconsider their loyalty. These people had no deep allegiance to the Wagang Army.

For example, Qin Shubao, who had been recruited by Shen Luoyan, as well as Cheng Yaojin, Shan Xiongxin, and Wei Zheng, were all notable figures. It had to be said that the Wagang Army was indeed full of talent, but unfortunately, they were plagued by bad timing.

Of course, not all of these individuals wanted to join the Li Clan. Some admired the aristocratic families, while others despised them.

"In that case, I must apologize, Military Advisor Shen. When we reach Chang'an, I will make amends." As Li Xiuning spoke, the Li Clan's experts, including Chai Shao, prepared to attack.

Having encountered Shen Luoyan, Li Xiuning naturally wouldn't let her leave. Xu Shiji was a key recruitment target for the Li Clan. Although he had shown interest, he hadn't yet made a move. However, if he learned that Shen Luoyan was a guest of the Li Clan, the situation would change.

Within the Li Clan, recruitment targets were categorized. Among the entire Wagang Army, only Xu Shiji was considered a top-tier recruit. Others like Qin Shubao, Wei Zheng, and Cheng Yaojin were second-tier.

Strictly speaking, Li Mi was also a talented individual. Unfortunately, due to his status as the leader of the Wagang Army and his ambitions for the throne, even the most open-minded individuals would view him with suspicion.

Shen Luoyan, seeing the group surrounding her, instinctively reached for the talisman at her waist. With so many experts from the Li Clan present, she stood no chance alone. To escape, she would have to use the talisman Daniel Davis had given her.

But just then, a crisp sound rang out at Shen Luoyan's feet, followed by a thick black smoke that quickly enveloped an area of about ten meters.

"Be careful, it might be poisonous!"

The sudden black smoke caused the Li Clan experts to immediately retreat, shouting warnings to their comrades. Chai Shao, in particular, quickly pulled Li Xiuning back.

"Room, Shambles."

As the Li Clan members retreated, Daniel Davis waved his right hand, and in the next moment, Shen Luoyan appeared beside him. Although the talisman he had given her would have allowed her to escape without the Li Clan being able to stop her, since he was here, there was no need to waste it.

"What's this?" Shen Luoyan, suddenly appearing in front of Daniel Davis, looked around in surprise. Only when she saw Daniel Davis did her expression calm down.

"Li Xiuning and Chai Shao are here. Aren't you going to take the opportunity to do something about them?" Shen Luoyan asked calmly once she had composed herself.

In war, there was no such thing as underhanded tactics. When competing for the throne, there was no room for notions of fairness or unfairness. Just look at Li Shimin—the Xuanwu Gate Incident was essentially an ambush, yet no one called him underhanded. Instead, they praised his decisiveness.

For Daniel Davis, capturing Li Xiuning and Chai Shao, given their status, would have allowed him to negotiate a favorable deal with the Li Clan.

"That's unnecessary. I don't need to resort to such methods." Daniel Davis immediately rejected Shen Luoyan's suggestion. Capturing Li Xiuning here would bring him no real benefit. While he might have been able to extract a significant amount of wealth from Chai Shao, given his affection for Li Xiuning and the Chai family's riches, Daniel Davis had no shortage of resources or wealth.

For Daniel Davis, conquering the world required a good reputation. There was no need to engage in such actions unless absolutely necessary.

Reputation was crucial. Just look at Du Fuwei's Jianghuai Army—their terrible reputation caused commoners to flee at the mere mention of them. In contrast, the Li Clan was often welcomed with open arms.

Among the four great clans, the Song and Li Clans had the best reputations, a fact even Daniel Davis couldn't deny.

Just as Daniel Davis and Yang Guang's collaboration had damaged the Temple of Compassion's reputation, it had only been a reduction in prestige. No faction had openly sided with Daniel Davis and Yang Guang to oppose the Temple of Compassion.

If the Demon Sect had done something like this, they would have been hunted down, and someone might have even proposed forming an alliance to exterminate them. That was the difference.

"Li Mi's situation is hopeless. Have you made your decision?"

With even Xu Shiji preparing to defect, it was likely that many others under Li Mi were considering jumping ship. Even his close confidants, like Zu Junyan, Wang Bodang, and Pei Renji, were probably having second thoughts.

In this era of competing warlords, subordinates had an advantage over their leaders: they could freely choose whom to serve, while leaders, even if accepted, would only be sidelined.

This was the fate of Li Mi and Du Fuwei after they submitted to the Li Clan.

"I will make one last attempt to persuade Lord Mi to give up his ambitions for the throne." After a long silence, Shen Luoyan finally spoke.

"Given your intelligence, you should know that Li Mi will never agree. He might even try to kill you." Although Shen Luoyan's intentions were good, her advice would be seen as a grave insult by Li Mi.

"I know. That's why it will be the last time. After that, I will seek your protection." Shen Luoyan seemed to have finally made her decision, her expression lighter than before.

"Then I will await you in Luoyang." Shen Luoyan's decision to join him filled Daniel Davis with joy. He finally had a capable subordinate he could rely on. Managing Luoyang would now be much easier.

"Young Master, are you so confident about securing control of Luoyang? Neither Wang Shichong nor the Dugu Clan will be easily swayed by a mere edict. And what about the Li Clan? How will you deal with them?" After agreeing to join Daniel Davis, Shen Luoyan immediately changed her address and began analyzing the current situation from his perspective.

"Don't worry about that. There will be no issues in Luoyang. As for the Li Clan, you'll understand once you arrive in Luoyang. Alright, I have other matters to attend to. I'll see you in Luoyang."

Daniel Davis had wanted to talk more with Shen Luoyan, but sensing the battlefield's movements with his Observation Haki, he nodded to her and left.

"Damn it, what's going on? Why haven't the gates opened yet?"

At the rear of the Four Great Bandits' army, Xiang Batian, Fang Jianding, Yu Maozao, and Cao Yinglong watched as their men fell one after another. They were growing anxious. According to the plan, the gates should have been opened by now.

"Something must have gone wrong. What should we do? Retreat?" One of the Four Great Bandits scanned the surroundings and spoke up.

"Are you kidding? After coming this far, retreat? What about our losses?" Another bandit roared in frustration.

"Keep attacking! I refuse to believe that with so many of us, we can't take down a mere Flying Horse Ranch."

"But—"

Just as another bandit was about to speak, a series of death screams erupted from behind them. The four bandits were startled. Looking back, they realized that Flying Horse Ranch forces had somehow appeared behind them.

If it hadn't been for the screams alerting them, they might have been surrounded without even realizing it.

"How is this possible?" Yu Maozao bellowed in rage.

"It seems we've been surrounded. Let's go."

Cao Yinglong, who had been about to speak, suddenly saw flames erupt on both sides, as if thousands of troops had appeared out of nowhere. This sight immediately panicked the bandits.

After a moment of silence, Cao Yinglong made a decision. He led his men in a desperate escape, with the other three bandits following closely behind.

Among the Four Great Bandits, Cao Yinglong was far superior to the others in terms of strength, intelligence, and influence. In most situations, the bandits followed his lead. Seeing him flee, the others weren't foolish enough to stay.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Cao Yinglong and the other three bandits, relying on their numerous followers, managed to escape the Flying Horse Ranch's encirclement with a dozen or so men. However, before they could catch their breath, a series of sharp whistling sounds filled the air, and the bandits surrounding the four leaders fell one by one.

"Who dares ambush us?" one of the bandits roared.

"Do you four rats really need an ambush?" Daniel Davis and Shi Qingxuan stepped out from the shadows. In Daniel Davis's left hand was a handful of pebbles, which he had used to kill the bandits with a technique similar to the Finger Flick Skill. Now, only the Four Great Bandits remained.

"It seems my luck has turned today. To encounter such a beauty here." Yu Maozao's expression changed as he saw Shi Qingxuan, his eyes greedily scanning her. He raised his horsetail whisk, preparing to attack her.

But then he let out a bloodcurdling scream as a steel spear pierced through his chest. Yu Maozao looked down at the spear, then turned to see Cao Yinglong behind him, his face filled with confusion. He had never expected Cao Yinglong to attack him.

"Brother Cao, what are you doing?" Cao Yinglong's sudden attack caused Fang Jianding and Xiang Batian to retreat, distancing themselves from him while also eyeing each other warily.

The Four Great Bandits had never been close. Their alliance was purely based on mutual benefit.

"Miss Shi." Cao Yinglong pulled the spear from Yu Maozao's body, ignoring Fang Jianding and Xiang Batian. Instead, he bowed respectfully to Shi Qingxuan.

"Uncle Cao, it's been a long time." Shi Qingxuan's expression was complex as she looked at Cao Yinglong. Originally, dealing with the Four Great Bandits had nothing to do with her, but upon learning that one of them was Cao Yinglong, she had insisted on coming.

Shi Qingxuan had known Cao Yinglong since she was a child. Strictly speaking, they had met when she was young, and they had been on good terms. After all, Cao Yinglong had been Shi Zhixuan's only disciple at the time and had known both Bi Xiuxin and Shi Qingxuan.

Despite being a bandit, Cao Yinglong's background was anything but lowly. He was a disciple of the Evil King Shi Zhixuan and a member of the Demon Sect. The Four Great Bandits' attack on the Flying Horse Ranch had relied heavily on his coordination. Without him, the other three might not have been willing to act.

If not for the incident that led to Bi Xiuxin's death, Cao Yinglong might have remained Shi Zhixuan's only disciple, and there would have been no Yang Xuyan or Hou Xibai.

Yang Xuyan and Hou Xibai had become Shi Zhixuan's disciples after Bi Xiuxin's death, during Shi Zhixuan's mental breakdown. The two disciples turned out to be completely different in personality.

Screams!

As Cao Yinglong remained silent, two screams rang out. Fang Jianding and Xiang Batian had tried to escape while Cao Yinglong and Shi Qingxuan were talking, only to be struck down by Daniel Davis's pebbles.

"Since you know each other, have a good talk." Daniel Davis walked away, leaving Shi Qingxuan and Cao Yinglong to their conversation. Cao Yinglong was fortunate to have Shi Qingxuan here, ensuring he wouldn't meet the same fate as in the original story, where he was spared by Xu Ziling but ultimately died.

"Alright, let's go. The battle over there should be ending soon." Seeing Cao Yinglong's retreating figure, Daniel Davis didn't ask Shi Qingxuan what they had discussed. Instead, he led her toward Lu Miaozi's location.

In this battle at the Flying Horse Ranch, three of the Four Great Bandits had been killed. Although Cao Yinglong survived, he was unlikely to continue as a bandit. Most of their forces had been annihilated, making it difficult for such a large bandit group to form again.

"Alright, everyone, that's enough."

When Daniel Davis arrived at the battlefield where Lu Miaozi and the Twin Dragons were fighting, the situation was dire. Only Shang Xiuxun's side had the upper hand.

Although Dan Mei and Wen Caiting were skilled, their techniques relied heavily on seduction and illusions, which were useless against Shang Xiuxun. Shang Peng and Shang He, due to their advanced age, were also less effective.

The battle was nearing its end.

(End of Chapter)

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