Zhang Shi's face could not help but surge with waves of wild ecstasy.
Surrender! A surrender!
Finally, he, Zhang Shi, had finally waited for this day!
This good fortune of receiving a surrender and smoothly taking a city gate was no longer exclusive to Wang Ming. He, Zhang Shi, now had this opportunity too.
However, Zhang Shi, having tempered himself on the grasslands for a long time, was not blinded by joy. He quickly calmed down to verify her identity and the sincerity of her defection.
He asked coldly, You say you are surrendering, just like that?
How can you make this general believe you?
It cannot just be empty words. You cannot just spout nonsense and expect this general to believe it, right?
The woman immediately dropped to one knee and said sincerely, General, my name is Yun Wanyi. My late father was once the garrison commander of Huaian City.
Saying this, the kneeling Yun Wanyi took out the token of the Huaian City garrison commander and handed it to Zhang Shi. After Zhang Shi examined it, he believed her for the most part, though he felt a bit of regret.
The token Yun Wanyi produced was a personal item. To him, it did not hold much practical value; it would have been much better if it were a military token capable of mobilizing the troops of Huaian City.
Nevertheless, his facial expression softened somewhat.
He said, I can believe you a little.
However, as far as I know, the former garrison commander of Huaian City was single-handedly promoted by the Yunjing imperial court and was fiercely loyal to Yunjing. Although he has passed away, would his descendant come to defect to the Duke so easily?
Hmph, if you do not give me a proper explanation.
The blade in this general's hand has never lacked sharpness!
Not daring to hide anything, Yun Wanyi replied, General, as a daughter of a military family, I originally did intend to defend Huaian City alongside its City Lord.
But...
As she spoke, Yun Wanyi clearly recalled something heartbreaking. Her exceptionally beautiful face, which carried a hint of valiant grace, suddenly revealed an expression of absolute anguish.
But the newly appointed City Lord of Huaian City, he... to me...
She stammered for a few words but could not bring herself to say it. She paused, gathered her emotions, and slowly continued, The old City Lord of Huaian City gradually stepped down years ago due to health reasons, planning to pass the position of City Lord to his eldest son, Xu Shang. And I am Xu Shang's fiancee.
Originally, Xu Shang prepared a grand wedding to marry me in these next two days.
After all, I represent my father. Tying the knot with me meant that the two major factions of Huaian City would be twisted into a single rope, allowing them to better resist the Duke.
But...
But...
But...
Yun Wanyi said the word but three times in a row, yet she could not continue for a long while. It was obvious that she had been triggered by her sorrow again, and small teardrops even began to fall from the corners of her eyes.
This made Zhang Shi incredibly anxious.
Feeling utterly exasperated, he immediately asked, Did that Xu Shang go back on his word and refuse to marry you, so you came to seek refuge with the Duke?
Seeing Yun Wanyi merely shake her head, Zhang Shi anxiously pressed on, Could it be that he does not plan to hold the wedding anymore? He slighted you, so you are unwilling?
Yun Wanyi shook her head again.
Just as Zhang Shi was so anxious he was about to jump up, Yun Wanyi bit her lip, tried hard to calm down, and said, Xu Shang will still marry me and take me as his official wife.
But on the day of our grand wedding, Xu Shang will not appear as the groom. Instead, he will sit among the guests and congratulate me in the capacity of a guest.
Zhang Shi: ???
He understood every single word Yun Wanyi said, but when put together, it left Zhang Shi completely baffled.
What did she mean by the groom not being present on the day of the wedding?
And appearing as a guest?
What the hell... why did his head feel like it was buzzing? He could not understand it at all!
He could not help but ask, If the groom does not show up, then who are you marrying? He cannot possibly find someone to take his place, right?
Yun Wanyi nodded heavily.
Zhang Shi: ???
Immediately, just as Yun Wanyi was about to explain, Zhang Shi raised his hand. Wait a moment. Let me sort this out.
On the day of your wedding, there is no groom.
The groom is a guest.
And the groom found someone else to be the groom!
Damn it, you better explain it yourself.
Her face full of sorrow, Yun Wanyi said, Xu Shang has a twin brother who looks exactly like him, named Xu Sha. On the day of my wedding, Xu Sha will take Xu Shang's place and be my groom!
Sniffling, Yun Wanyi looked up, her gaze resolute. Xu Shang has always been the man I loved, but now I know that what I loved was trash.
But my love is not trash!
Since Xu Shang treats me like this, I will not defend the city with him. All grievances and ties between him and me are settled and severed.
We children of the Yun family have our own strength of character. I am willing to surrender to the Duke, and I beg the Duke to accept us.
Once the city is breached in the future, I, Yun Wanyi, am willing to rally the soldiers of Huaian City for the Duke and help him quickly stabilize the city.
Yun Wanyi finished speaking, and Zhang Shi finished listening.
However, Zhang Shi did not actually fully understand the situation, but he keenly caught the tactical opportunity within it.
That was...
Huaian City was going to be in chaos!
Once Huaian City falls into chaos, it is the perfect opportunity! If I just use blitz tactics, will I not easily charge right into Huaian City?
Wang Ming can take down one stronghold a day. I, Zhang Shi... can absolutely take down a massive city in a single day!
After all, Huaian City is much larger than small strongholds like Qingfeng Relay Station, Luoyan Crossing, and Pingling Market.
Zhang Shi became excited.
Was this merit not delivering itself right to his doorstep?
He immediately said, Since you are surrendering sincerely, I promise you that as long as you do not pull any tricks, the Duke will definitely accept your Yun clan.
However, for now, you will have to compromise a little and stay in my designated military camp for a while.
By the way, I am Zhang Shi. In case you know...
Before he could finish, Yun Wanyi cried out in surprise, The General Zhang Shi who swept across the grasslands and decimated the enemy camps?
So you are General Zhang Shi.
This humble girl pays her respects to General Zhang Shi.
Zhang Shi was even more pleasantly surprised.
Sure enough, when a person reaches the absolute depths of bad luck, they will eventually be met with monumental good fortune.
He immediately took Yun Wanyi back with him. However, he did not report to Ren Tianye right away. Instead, he made arrangements for Yun Wanyi. At this moment, his complexion had undergone an earth-shattering change.
From being so depressed that he wanted to shed tears, to bearing a face full of smiles which, paired with the scars on his face, looked rather terrifying.
When he saw Wang Ming again, he held no grudges whatsoever. Instead, he went up to him with a beaming smile. Old Wang, I have to say, you fought beautifully at those three strongholds: Qingfeng Relay Station, Luoyan Crossing, and Pingling Market.
Wang Ming hurriedly replied with modesty, You flatter me, you flatter me. Compared to your conquests sweeping across the grasslands, it falls short by more than just a little bit.
Old Wang, you are just too modest. Zhang Shi grabbed Wang Ming's hand and said, The Duke is about to hold a military council; it seems he is preparing to attack Huaian City. This time, this general will still have to compete with you.
Huaian City will definitely be in the bag for me, Zhang Shi!
...
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
