On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

The first day of March, the second year of Shenghui.

The battle under Anzhou City did not end as quickly as expected, but instead fell into a tense stalemate.

The Goguryeo defenders had obviously learned the lesson from Haizhou City and put up an extremely tenacious resistance. In addition, Anzhou City was built on a mountain with a dangerous terrain. The Daqian army attacked fiercely for two consecutive days. Although they climbed to the top of the city several times, they were fought back desperately by the fearless defenders and suffered heavy casualties.

The city walls were in ruins and piled with corpses, but the city still stood like a rock, firmly guarding the road to Pyongyang.

At dusk, the siege paused.

The atmosphere in the central army tent was solemn. Murong Yan did not sit lazily as usual, but stood in front of the huge sand table of Anzhou City.

On the sand table, small flags representing the enemy and our side are intertwined, clearly indicating the current stalemate.

In her hand was an exquisite, scaled-down replica of a gilded phoenix-head spear, the tip of which unconsciously tapped the wooden block in the sand table representing the Anzhou city wall.

She was still wearing the black and gold Su brocade cotton nightgown with the pattern of "Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" - the dress in which the divine phoenix descended to the world.

Two consecutive days of supervising the battle had left her with a barely perceptible fatigue between her brows, but more of it was a kind of coldness aroused by the stubborn resistance.

Under the dancing candlelight in the tent, the Phoenix Dress presented a deeper and more restrained glow, different from the one on the battlefield during the day.

The extremely dark black Su Jin base material absorbed the candlelight, and its color became deeper and deeper, as if it could absorb all the anxiety and uneasiness.

The woven golden cotton wool and real gold thread exude a dark and warm ripple, forming a contrast with the solemnity of the sand table.

On the nightgown, the pattern of the giant phoenix holding up the sky, when still, is less ostentatious and more contemplative and majestic.

One of her wide and light trumpet sleeves hung softly at her side, while the other cuff's gold tassel swayed slightly as she moved with her gun and pointed at the sand table.

The black jade ring on her left thumb shone with a subtle luster in the candlelight.

And the five-meter-long Su Jin tail appeared unconsciously messy on the ground covered with animal skins when she was deep in thought - it was not deliberately spread out, but naturally meandered and circled as she walked, part of it piled up next to the base of the sand table, part of it swept the fur on the ground, and even rolled up near the stakes that fixed the tent.

This messiness more truly reflects the owner's uneasy mood at the moment.

The softness of the cotton and the comfort of the nightgown could not completely relieve the irritability caused by the unfavorable war situation at this moment.

Lin Zhen stood on the other side of the sand table, his expression also solemn.

He had taken off his armor and was wearing a dark suit, which made his shoulders and waist look even broader.

His eyes followed the movement of the spear in Murong Yan's hand closely, and his brows were slightly furrowed.

"Husband," Murong Yan finally stopped nodding and raised her eyes to look at Lin Zhen. Her phoenix eyes were less sharp than usual, and more dependent and questioning.

"This Anzhou City is like a hard bone that is impossible to chew. I've been gnawing on it for two days and even broke my teeth, but there's still no sign of any change. What do you think we should do next?" There was a hint of imperceptible irritation in her voice, but more of it was the trust she trusted in seeking his advice.

Lin Zhen walked to her side and his eyes fell on the continuous mountains on the east side of Anzhou City on the sand table.

He pointed at the area and said in a deep voice, "Yan'er, a forced attack would cause too many casualties. This city is built on the mountain, and the geographical advantage is obvious. A head-on attack is not the best strategy."

Murong Yan followed his finger, her red lips pouting slightly as she complained, "What should we do? Are we just going to surround them like this? Pyongyang is still waiting for us. The longer we wait, the more variables there are."

As she spoke, she subconsciously poked Lin Zhen's arm with the handle of the miniature spear in her hand.

"Husband, you must have a way, right? You are the smartest."

Lin Zhen's heart softened at her childish action. He reached out and grasped the handle of the gun she was prodding at, and pulled her closer.

He pointed at the mountains and whispered, "There is a solution. It's just a bit cruel."

"Oh?" Murong Yan's eyes lit up slightly. She moved closer to the sand table, almost leaning half of her body on Lin Zhen's arm. "Tell me quickly, tell me what's the solution? As long as we can quickly take over this broken city, what's there to be afraid of if we're a little ruthless?"

There was a kind of innocent cruelty in her tone, as if she were discussing an interesting game.

Lin Zhen felt the warmth and dependence on his arm, took a deep breath, and pointed to the border between the mountains and the city: "Yan'er, look, it's the end of winter and the beginning of spring, the weather is dry, and the mountain winds are mostly southeasterly. What if we send a team of elite soldiers to go around to the eastern foothills at night and set fire to multiple places..."

Upon hearing this, Murong Yan's phoenix eyes suddenly narrowed, and a sharp light flashed across them.

She didn't interrupt, but just listened quietly, but her body involuntarily tensed up.

Lin Zhen continued, "The fire, fueled by the wind, will surely spread like wildfire, quickly reaching the mountaintops and even the city walls. Most of the houses in the city are made of wood. If sparks are carried by the wind and enter, chaos will break out! The defenders won't be able to put out the fire, let alone take care of the city defenses. If our army takes advantage of the chaos and launches a fierce attack, attacking from both inside and outside, the city will surely fall!"

After he finished speaking, the tent fell into silence, with only the crackling of the candlelight as the sound.

Fire attack, especially with the help of wildfire, is an extremely cruel method. It will not only burn down the city, but also affect the creatures in the mountains. It may even get out of control and cause unpredictable consequences.

Murong Yan was silent.

Her eyes were fixed on the area representing the mountains on the sand table, and her fingers unconsciously stroked the barrel of the miniature spear.

After a while, she slowly raised her head and looked at Lin Zhen with a complicated look in her eyes: "My husband, is your anger too great? What if you can't control it..."

Lin Zhen held her hand and felt the slight coolness of her fingertips.

He said in a deep voice, "There are risks, but this is the fastest and cheapest way to break the deadlock. As for containment, we can clear a buffer zone in advance and have the army on high alert to prevent the fire from spreading too far. The key is to bring the fire into the city."

Murong Yan was silent for a moment.

She turned around, with her back to the sand table, and looked at the flickering candlelight projection on the tent wall.

The messy dark golden tail on the ground drew an arc as she turned around.

"They called me a witch and said I was going to take off my skirt," she said softly, her tone unable to discern any emotion. "Since they think so, I'll do it more thoroughly."

Her voice gradually turned cold, "I will use this fire to teach them the consequences of angering me."

She turned around suddenly!

The action carries a kind of determination after making a difficult decision!

The five-meter-long dark-gold tail that was lying on the ground in a mess was suddenly lifted up by the swift turn!

The luxurious brocade seemed to be infused with cold will, and with a swish, it swept across the animal skins on the ground!

As the tail suddenly floated up, the "gold woven all over the ground" lining was revealed, which was densely woven with gold threads and seemed to be burning with dark flames under the candlelight!

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 kind of coldness and cruelty like the fire of hell!

This glimpse is a cold judgment on the final fate of Anzhou City!

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

Murong Yan's gaze had returned to its icy calmness.

She looked at Lin Zhen and said firmly, "Let's follow my husband's plan! Pass the order down, prepare kerosene and rockets immediately, and select warriors skilled in mountain climbing! Tonight at midnight, when the east wind rises, set fire!"

"Yes!" Lin Zhen responded sternly.

Murong Yan walked up to him and straightened his collar, which didn't need any adjustment. Her voice slowed down a bit, with a hint of barely perceptible fatigue: "Husband, I leave this matter entirely to you. I'm a little tired, so I'll go rest for a while."

"Okay, Yan'er, don't worry, your husband will take care of everything." Lin Zhen held her hand and assured her in a low voice.

Murong Yan nodded, took one last look at the city model on the sand table that was about to be engulfed by flames, and then, dragging her gorgeous yet heavy Phoenix dress, walked towards the resting compartment behind the tent.