"Wait," the soldier was about to convey the order, but was called back by Yuan Zongdi, "Send someone to deliver a message to Li Chengdong's subordinates, telling them that anyone who is willing to surrender to us will be accepted!"

"As long as I am still alive, I can protect their lives and property! If they lie, I, Yuan Zongdi, will die without a burial place!"

Logically speaking, Li Chengdong had not surrendered yet, and Yuan Zongde's direct act of poaching would not only affect internal unity, but also give others an advantage.

but...

Yuan Zongde no longer cared about many things.

His mission was to defend Yizhou. As long as Yizhou was not lost, he would be able to make up for his mistakes.

The news that Yuan Zongde accepted everyone who came to him quickly spread throughout Yizhou Wei.

The first to surrender were Li Benshen's personal soldiers.

They knew they were doomed to die, so they joined Yuan Zongde's team without hesitation to seek refuge.

At that time, the first thing soldiers thought of after committing a capital crime was to change their allegiance.

For other generals, as long as they can fight, they will not care about their previous mistakes.

These people rolled up their bedding, mounted their horses, and entered Yuan Zongde's military camp carrying weapons and armor.

Under their influence, more and more people joined Yuan Zongde.

At this time, Li Chengdong was still plotting.

"Sir, Li Benshen is dead. What should we do?" a general asked Li Chengdong.

"Since it has already happened, let's write a letter to the Lord (referring to Gao Jie) and confess the truth." Another general suggested.

"Bullshit," Li Chengdong yelled, "If you do that, you will definitely die! Don't you know his (referring to Gao Jie) temper? Not only will I die, you won't live either."

The generals were silent, not knowing what to do.

"How about changing sides?" Another general suggested, "We can join Governor Wang, Li Xingzhong or Liu Zhaoji."

"It's useless!" Li Chengdong shook his head. "First of all, we are in high positions and have great power. We can't just be transferred if we want to. Secondly, even if the people you mentioned want to protect us, His Majesty will not agree."

"What does this have to do with Your Majesty?" Others were very surprised.

"Where do we come from?" Li Chengdong asked back.

"Jizhou!" someone answered.

"Jizhou is the gateway to the capital, and Gao Jie is guarding there now. If we join Wang Yongji's camp, Gao Jie only needs to plead with His Majesty, and Wang Yongji will have to release us! So... we will still die!" Li Chengdong began to call Gao Jie's name directly.

No one present was a fool, and they quickly realized Li Chengdong's thoughts from this change.

"We're going to die anyway, so why not join the Jian Nu?" Li Chengdong's confidant suggested in front of everyone, "As the saying goes, it's better to live a miserable life than to die a good death! What's more, the Jian Nu is weak now, so joining them is like helping them in their time of need!"

Opinions vary.

Some agreed, some remained silent, and some opposed.

Li Chengdong is a cruel and ruthless person.

He first killed all the generals who opposed him, and then used threats and bribes to lure the centrists.

After killing a few more generals, everyone reached a consensus: surrender to the Jiannu!

"Since you are planning to surrender to the Jiannu, why not capture Yizhou as a token of your allegiance!" Li Chengdong narrowed his eyes with a grim expression.

"We will follow your instructions, sir!" the generals responded in unison.

"The Jiannu outside the city have not retreated yet. We must act now without delay!" Li Chengdong began to arrange a battle plan.

After the discussion, he was the first to leave the military tent. When he was about to issue an order, the guard next to him suddenly told him: "Yuan Zongdi is aggressively recruiting our people, and many soldiers have left the army."

"What?" Li Chengdong's eyes widened in disbelief. "He... who gave him the courage to recruit me as his subordinate?"

The guards lowered their heads and dared not speak.

"When did it happen?" Li Chengdong asked.

"Sir, as soon as you walked into the military tent to discuss, someone came to recruit you." The personal soldier replied.

"Why didn't you tell me right away?"

The guard looked aggrieved and said, "You said in person that we cannot disturb you in any way, so I have been guarding nearby."

"How can one thing be the same as another?" Li Chengdong became even angrier. He pointed at the man's head and yelled, "Useless, stupid and idiotic piece of shit! Come on, drag him down and chop him up."

The nearby bodyguards rushed forward, dragged the man down and chopped off his head.

After chopping it, Li Chengdong felt a little regretful.

Because he found a reason to go to war with Yuan Zongde.

But it was no use regretting it. Li Chengdong took a deep breath and ordered: "Send the order to assemble!"

After the soldiers gathered, Li Chengdong began to explain the reasons for starting the war.

Of course, he couldn't just surrender to the Qing army, as that would cause resistance among the lower-level soldiers.

He first had to find a reason to go to war with Yuan Zongde, and then directly invite the Jiannu into the city after the war was accomplished.

When the matter is done, the lower-level soldiers will be forced to accept it.

After all...surrender is a fact.

After a quick inventory, Li Chengdong felt a little discouraged.

While he was in the meeting, more than a thousand of his five thousand cavalrymen ran away.

Li Benshen’s personal soldiers played an indispensable role in attracting so many people to join Yuan Zongde.

After all, the personal soldiers are responsible for the fighting force, and many people follow their lead.

Li Chengdong said in front of everyone: "Yuan Zongdi took advantage of our absence from the city to launch a surprise attack and killed General Li Benshen. This is an unforgivable crime. Now... General Li's body is still warm, and Yuan Zongdi has started to win over our people and poach our talents."

"It's really hateful! So I want revenge!"

"revenge!"

"revenge!"

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It’s even more exciting later!