Tang Dynasty Puppet Doctor

Chapter 160 Beheading Sun Wanrong
Upon seeing the words "Prime Minister Di has perished," Xiao Muchen remained silent for a long time, gazing at the snowflakes already falling from the sky without uttering a word.

"Ah Chen, what's wrong?" Queen Jin Chenxi of Silla asked worriedly.

Murong Huan took the note from his hand and looked at it. He couldn't help but frown and said sadly, "The Book of Rites says: 'When Mount Tai collapses, the beams break, and the wise man withers.' This is exactly what is being said about people like Prime Minister Di!"

"Zicheng, do not grieve too much. Driving out the Northern barbarians is not only our ambition, but also the wish of Prime Minister Di in his lifetime. This time, when we face the Northern barbarians, we will annihilate the enemy army and make them dare not set foot on the border of our Great Zhou for a hundred years!"

Upon hearing Murong Huan's impassioned words, Li Yi, Lu Shiyilang, and the others' eyes lit up, and they shouted, "That's right! This battle will surely be a great victory, ensuring that the Northern barbarians will not dare to set foot on the borders of our Great Zhou for a hundred years!"

"Let's go!"

Xiao Muchen glanced at Murong Huan, a smile creeping onto his lips, and ordered the army to continue its advance.

Before long, the scout who went to spy on the enemy's situation reported: "The Khitan leader Sun Wanrong has 50,000 troops, while the Tubo general Lun Qinling has 100,000 troops, and there are also tens of thousands of Turkic troops, totaling 200,000. They have already occupied Kucha, Shule and Khotan, and are now approaching Dunhuang and Liangzhou along the northern route."

The Tang Dynasty's border troops defended the territory along three lines of defense: the Four Garrisons of Anxi, the Hexi Corridor, and Longyou and Guanzhong.

The gains and losses in the Hexi Corridor directly determined whether the enemy could threaten Chang'an, the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty relied on its garrison in the Hexi Corridor to resist the Tubo for many years.

In short, if the enemy forces capture Hexi, Chang'an will be in grave danger.

Xiao Muchen and Murong Huan couldn't help but tense up. However, after a moment of tension, Murong Huan said, "With the soldiers of Yumen Pass holding the line and the garrison stationed in Hexi, I believe the enemy will not be able to cross Hexi or reach Yumen Pass. Let's rush to their aid!"

"When General Wang Xiaojie was recovering the Four Garrisons of Anxi, he went west out of Yumen Pass and could reach the front line in the Western Regions in two days. As long as we keep moving, we will definitely be able to reach the rescue!"

Encouraged by Murong Huan, morale soared. After the army rested, the two decided on a strategic deployment, with Murong Huan and Xiao Muchen personally leading the army to approach Dunhuang immediately.

Sure enough, within three days, the army had arrived at the front line. At that time, the poplars outside Dunhuang had turned golden red, and the battlefield was filled with fierce fighting.

The defending soldiers were clearly at their limit, yet they desperately held the city gates, preventing the enemy from advancing any further.

The battle cries were deafening, and many of Zhou's soldiers died under the iron hooves of the northern barbarians.

"My lords, even if we die, we must defend the city gates and not let these traitors set foot inside!"

Some soldiers, riddled with arrows, shouted before they died, just to boost the morale of the surviving soldiers.

This was the first time Murong Huan had witnessed the brutal scenes on the battlefield, but it was all too familiar to Li Linghuan, just like the countless battles she had experienced in her previous life. The brutal fighting did not frighten her; instead, it made her blood boil.

For a moment, Murong Huan seemed to sense that Li Linghuan had been completely resurrected within her. The battlefield not only did not frighten the princess, but it also seemed to stimulate the strongest power within her, giving her the will and desire to survive.

On the battlefield, where sandstorms raged and blood stained the ground, Khitan Sun Wanrong, like a wolf who had eaten and drunk his fill, excitedly licked the blood of the Great Zhou soldiers that had splattered on his lips.

"Come on! I want to see how long you remnants of the Scorpion Army can hold out!"

Just as he was feeling extremely smug, a Khitan soldier cried out in fear, "Supreme Khan, listen, what is that sound?"

A scout, who had been lying on the ground listening intently, also paled: "Nearly ten thousand cavalry are approaching this place!"

Almost the instant he finished speaking, Sun Wanrong saw a huge banner held high, gradually coming into view as the army advanced. The words on the banner were:
week!
Almost as soon as this army arrived, the soldiers defending the city erupted in a joyous cheer. "Reinforcements have arrived!"

"Reinforcements have arrived!"

Seeing the banners of the Great Zhou fluttering in the wind, and the leader of the 10,000 cavalrymen being a beautiful and spirited young woman, Sun Wanrong's expression changed, and he let out a shout that was both hateful and disdainful: "It's you again! You little wench, after Wang Xiaojie died, is there no one left in Great Zhou? They actually sent you, a little wench, to your death again!"

At this moment, Li Linghuan, who had already recovered from Murong Huan's body, couldn't help but smile and said, "The former Khitan leader, who is also your brother-in-law, intended to rebel against Zhou, and I have already taken his head. Now, the one who should be coming to die is you, Sun Wanrong!"

"I suppose Li Jinzhong's death was exactly what you wanted, exactly what you planned. In this way, you could succeed as the leader of the Khitan, even at the cost of ceding land and submitting to the Tibetans and Turks. How can you have the face to shout here, acting like a lackey of others and engaging in such traitorous and sycophantic acts?"

Upon hearing Li Linghuan's words, Sun Wanrong's face turned ashen. At that moment, a scout reported: "Supreme Khan, something terrible has happened! The Turkic Khan Mochuo has taken advantage of your war with the Great Zhou to attack our Khitan's new city, capturing countless elderly, weak, women, and children. Seeing that our new city has been lost, the Xi people have also taken the opportunity to betray the Supreme Khan. Khan, what should we do now?"

Should we turn back to retake Xincheng, or continue the war with Da Zhou?
Sun Wanrong was caught in a dilemma.

At this moment, Li Linghuan laughed and said, "You have no choice now but to leave your life here and pay for the life of General Wang of my Great Zhou!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wanrong became even more enraged and cursed, "Damn it, I'll kill you today, you little wench!"

Anger transformed into power in his hands. His horse reared up, and he charged toward Li Linghuan with his spear in hand. Li Linghuan, of course, would not wait in place. She had been waiting for this moment as well, to take the enemy's head amidst tens of thousands of enemy soldiers.

As the two horses galloped past each other, just as Sun Wanrong was about to thrust his spear into Li Linghuan's chest, the woman's figure flashed past like a ghost. In the blink of an eye, she was beside him. At that very moment, he felt a chill on his neck.

Before he could even feel the pain, he stared wide-eyed at the mocking smile on the woman's lips.

At the same time, a terrified cry rang out from among the Khitan army: "Supreme Khan!"

In the blink of an eye, their Khan had his head chopped off. What terrifying speed!

Li Linghuan, who had taken Sun Wanrong's head, did not immediately return. Instead, he shouted to the remaining Khitan soldiers, "Those who surrender, live; those who do not surrender, kill!"

Countless Khitan soldiers fled in terror upon hearing the noise, and the troops of the Great Zhou were about to give chase.

Li Linghuan stopped them, saying, "No need, don't pursue a desperate enemy!"

"The military governor has taken Sun Wanrong's head amidst thousands of enemy troops. This battle will surely make him famous. We are willing to pledge our eternal loyalty to the military governor!"

Originally, most of the soldiers in this army were conscripted by the imperial court, some even from powerful families or the residences of the Crown Prince and the Prince of Xiang. They each had their own assigned tasks, but now, their hearts were gradually united by this inspiring scene.

"Dunhuang is the eye of Hexi. If the eye is not closed, the heart will not perish."

"Everyone, follow me into battle again!" As Li Linghuan said this, her gaze involuntarily turned to the distance. Whether it was a hallucination or not, she seemed to see a mirage there, with a familiar figure appearing and disappearing in the distance.

……

The news of Sun Wanrong's death quickly reached the Empress's ears along with the messenger's report of victory to Luoyang. The court officials were overjoyed, but at the same time, a long-planned palace coup was quietly unfolding.