On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

The 27th day of the 2nd month of the 2nd year of Shenghui.

The main force of Daqian's eastern expedition has penetrated deep into the heart of Goguryeo and is only a hundred miles away from the royal capital Pyongyang.

However, a city called "Anzhou" stands like a roadblock, blocking the only way to Pyongyang.

Although Anzhou City is not as strategic as Haizhou, its defenses are strong and the garrison has nearly 10,000 soldiers. They have obviously received the death order from Pyongyang and are determined to resist stubbornly.

The imperial phoenix chariot stopped on a high slope five miles away from Anzhou City, from where one could overlook the entire city.

Elite imperial guards surrounded Che Luan, and the atmosphere was grim.

Inside the car, however, it remains relatively quiet and warm.

Murong Yan did not get out of the car.

She leaned lazily on the couch, with the soft white tiger skin under her.

She was still wearing the black and gold Su Jin cotton nightgown made of birds paying homage to the phoenix - the dress that made the phoenix descend to the world.

Even in the army, her divine phoenix dress still maintained its ultimate beauty.

The extremely dark black Su Jin base material is as deep as night under the light inside the car, and the golden cotton wool and real gold thread woven into it exude a restrained glow.

On the nightgown, the pattern of the giant phoenix holding up the sky, while waiting for the military report, became less aggressive and more calm, as if she was in control of the situation.

One of the wide and light bell sleeves fell over the edge of the couch, while the other rested on her bent knee.

The black jade ring on her left thumb was warm in the light.

The five-meter-long Su Jin train still maintained a lazy and messy state in the carriage, with most of it piled under the couch and part of it winding around the carpet, forming a unique tension with the atmosphere of this temporary military tent.

Lin Zhen sat beside her, a map of the area near Anzhou spread out before him. He pointed at the markings and analyzed in a low voice, "Yan'er, look, Anzhou City is surrounded by mountains on three sides. Only the west side is relatively flat, and it's the main attack direction. The walls are high and thick, and the morale of the defenders seems to be quite high."

His tone was calm and contained professional judgment.

Murong Yan listened inattentively, supporting her chin with one hand and reaching out with the other hand to gently play with a red pen on the pen holder next to Lin Zhen's map.

"Oh? Then how long do you think it will take to conquer it?" Her tone seemed as if she was asking about the weather today rather than an impending siege.

At this moment, the guard's deep voice came from outside the carriage curtain: "Your Majesty, Prince, General Li of the Vanguard Battalion requests an audience."

"Exclaim." Murong Yan responded lazily without changing her posture.

The carriage curtain opened, and a dusty general in light armor entered and knelt on one knee: "I, General Li Chong, pay my respects to Your Majesty, Your Highness!"

"Stand up. What's happening in Anzhou City?" Lin Zhen asked on his behalf, his eyes sharp.

Li Chong stood up, his face solemn. "Your Highness! I have sent scouts to conduct reconnaissance and to shoot a letter of surrender into the city. However, the defenders are extremely stubborn, tearing up the letter and firing arrows in response. The defenders are densely packed on the city walls, with flags everywhere. It seems they intend to hold out to the bitter end and perish with us!"

He said this at the end, his voice tinged with indignation.

Murong Yan stopped playing with the red brush.

She raised her eyelids slightly and glanced at Li Chong. Her eyes were calm, but they made the battle-hardened Li Chong feel a chill involuntarily.

"Don't surrender?" Murong Yan repeated softly, with a very faint, cold arc at the corner of her mouth.

She put the red brush back into the pen holder, sat up straighter, and casually brushed away the non-existent dust on her robe sleeve with the hand that was originally resting on her knee.

"Since they wish to hold out," her voice remained languid, yet carried an unquestionable resolve, "then I will grant their wish, General Li."

"The general is here!"

"Pass on my order. The vanguard battalion is to prepare immediately. The siege will begin in one hour. The artillery battalion must concentrate their firepower and blast open the west gate for me. Tell them that after the city is captured."

She paused, then turned her gaze toward the car window, as if she could see through the car wall to the city. "Same old rules."

The three words "old rules" came out of her red lips lightly, but the temperature in the car seemed to drop several degrees suddenly.

Li Chong naturally understood what this "old rule" meant - the tragedy in Haizhou City was about to be repeated in Anzhou.

His heart trembled, but he did not dare to hesitate for a moment and immediately bowed: "I obey your order!"

Then he quickly retreated.

Silence returned to the car. Lin Zhen looked at Murong Yan, his brows slightly furrowed. "Yan'er, it seems the Anzhou defenders have received a death warrant. They must live and die together. If we force an attack, I'm afraid our army will suffer heavy casualties."

Murong Yan turned her head and looked at Lin Zhen. The coldness in her eyes melted away instantly, replaced by a kind of helplessness with a hint of coquettishness.

She reached out and gently tugged at Lin Zhen's sleeve: "Husband, I don't want the soldiers to bleed any more, but you see they won't surrender."

Her tone was soft, like a little girl troubled by a problem.

"They insisted on blocking our way to Pyongyang, so we had to clear it piece by piece."

As she spoke, she leaned forward slightly, closer to Lin Zhen, looking up at him, her eyes full of water. "Besides, we must let them know the consequences of disobeying me in Haizhou. Otherwise, won't we have to spend the effort to fight every city on the way to Pyongyang? Wouldn't the casualties be even greater in that case? Don't you agree, husband?"

As she spoke, she gently poked Lin Zhen's chest with her finger, with a little complaint and complete dependence, as if seeking his recognition and support.

Lin Zhen looked at her sudden change and felt both amused and helpless.

Doesn't he know that this is the most effective and cruel means of deterrence?

He just held her rebellious little hand and sighed: "I am just worried about your reputation. Also, the soldiers need to rest after fighting for days."

"Reputation?" Murong Yan sneered, leaning into his arms and playing with the buttons on his collar. "My husband, at this point, what do you still need a reputation for being gentle, kind, respectful, frugal and modest? What I want is to make the Goguryeo people tremble at the mere mention of my name, to crush Pyongyang as quickly as possible and then..."

Her voice lowered, with a hint of longing, "Then we can return to Chang'an earlier. I'm still waiting for my husband to accompany me to see the apricot blossoms in Shanglin Garden."

She tilted her head back and kissed him lightly on the chin, her eyes sly. "So, in order to get home earlier to see the flowers, these stones blocking the way must be moved away quickly, right? My husband is the smartest, he must understand."

Lin Zhen was speechless after hearing her twisted logic. He could only hug her tightly and kiss the top of her head. "You always have a point. Okay, whatever you say. But next time, don't go to the front line in person. It's too dangerous."

"I know." Murong Yan responded obediently in his arms, but a triumphant smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.

She leaned quietly for a while, listening to the faint sound of military mobilization trumpets coming from outside the car.

Suddenly, she raised her head from Lin Zhen's arms, her eyes becoming sharp and cold again. She directed an order outside the carriage, "Pass the order down. I want to watch from this carriage while we attack the city."

"Yes!" The guards outside the car received the order.

Murong Yan leaned back into Lin Zhen's arms, but her eyes looked through the gap in the car window, coldly towards the distant Anzhou City that was about to fall into blood and fire.

She whispered to herself, as if speaking to Lin Zhen: "It's better to kill them off bit by bit, so that those people in Pyongyang can listen and think more."

As she spoke, she seemed to feel a little stuffy and wanted to adjust her posture, so she turned around slightly and faced the car window.

The moment she turned around——

The five-meter-long dark-golden tail that was scattered and scattered on the carpet in the carriage was carried along by the momentum, and with a swish sound, it slid across the soft carpet like an undercurrent!

As the tail of the car quietly floated up, the "gold woven all over the floor" lining inside was revealed, which was densely woven with gold threads and shimmered with a cold luster under the light from inside the car!

The pattern of a hundred phoenixes facing the sun flashed in an instant, and golden light flowed, but that light had no warmth at this moment, only a metallic coldness and determination, which perfectly matched her mood at the moment of issuing the order to massacre the city!

This fleeting glimpse is a death notice.

The hem of her skirt fell, covering the cold golden light.

Murong Yan looked out the window quietly.

Lin Zhen hugged her from behind, silent.

Inside Che Luan, tenderness and murderous intent coexist strangely.