When the Female Lead Becomes Obsessive – Chapter 98

Volume Five: Those Years When I Was the Prime Minister

Victory Report

Menggui City was a strategic location for the Minqiu Kingdom, similar in function to Songge City. If Menggui City were to be captured, the gates of the Minqiu Kingdom would be thrown open, leaving it unable to withstand a single blow.

And Fenggui Gorge was Menggui City’s natural barrier. Li Panxuan had been unable to breach it. Every time she fought a major battle in Fenggui Gorge, she would be suppressed by the Minqiu soldiers. They were intimately familiar with the gorge’s geographical features and skilled at using the terrain, often catching the Tianyang Kingdom’s army off guard. Furthermore, Li Panxuan had an impetuous temper and was often provoked by the Minqiu Kingdom into losing her senses, which was what had led to the successive occupation of Wulang City and Raoshui City.

Li Panxuan had plenty of martial strength, but her mind was not sharp. In contrast, Chang Ziqing was a master of both civil and military strategy, possessing both wisdom and courage, but her one flaw was that she could not restrain Li Panxuan.

Regarding Songge City, Chang Ziqing had proposed to Li Panxuan that they increase the number of troops stationed there for defense. Unfortunately, Li Panxuan was stubborn and insisted on her own way, believing that as long as the front line held, Songge City would certainly be safe.

Unable to persuade her, Chang Ziqing could only send her capable subordinate, Zhao Yan, to garrison Songge City. After all, Zhao Yan was intelligent and fiercely loyal, and never did anything rash or reckless. Entrusting Songge City to Zhao Yan gave Chang Ziqing some peace of mind.

Wen Nuan lowered her gaze and looked at the people kneeling on the ground. “All of you, rise. Zhao Yan, go out and see, Shi Zuo¹ should be back by now?”

“Yes.” Zhao Yan acknowledged and walked out of the command tent.

Wen Nuan looked at Chang Ziqing and the only man in the tent, Military Doctor Fang Minghe.

This man came from the Imperial Medical Academy in the capital. He was proficient in the art of Qihuang², his medical skills were superb, and his hands could bring back the dying.

Wen Nuan thought that the “her” of this world probably also suffered from a cold constitution³, and Fang Minghe’s medical skills were far superior to those old women at the Imperial Medical Academy.

“Fang Minghe?”

Fang Minghe stepped forward and bowed. “What are Prime Minister Ling’s orders?”

“Cold constitution syndrome, do you know how to treat it?”

Fang Minghe looked up. “Is Prime Minister Ling’s body… unwell?”

“Not me,” Wen Nuan shook her head. “It’s for someone important to me. She has a cold constitution.”

“If one wishes to cure a cold constitution, this subordinate official has not yet found a method. However, I do have ways to manage and control it,” Fang Minghe said truthfully.

When the others heard Fang Minghe say he couldn’t cure it, their hearts trembled with fear.

How could he dare to casually say he couldn’t do something in front of Ling Wen Nuan? If he displeased Ling Wen Nuan, he would probably be killed on the spot.

Wen Nuan said thoughtfully, “…Alright, then you…”

He was the only skilled military doctor in the army. If Ling Wen Nuan killed him, Li Panxuan would probably cry herself to death.

She immediately pleaded, “Prime Minister, Fang Minghe’s medical skills are superb. Please spare his life. He will surely be able to find a cure for the cold constitution in the future. I beg the Prime Minister to show mercy.”

Deputy General Wang, Deputy General Cheng, and Military Advisor Chang all pleaded in unison, “Prime Minister, please spare Fang Minghe’s life.”

“…..” Wen Nuan was so exasperated she laughed. “Do I look like… a ruthless killer?”

It’s over, it’s over. Ling Wen Nuan is smiling.

Fang Minghe is a goner.

Li Panxuan swallowed hard. “No… not at all. Prime Minister Ling has always been a kind-hearted and selfless person. How could you be a ruthless killer?”

Wen Nuan rolled her eyes at her and looked at the kneeling Fang Minghe. “I won’t kill you. Develop a cure for the cold constitution as soon as possible.”

Fang Minghe secretly sighed in relief. “This subordinate official accepts the order.”

The others also let out a long sigh of relief, feeling as if they had just taken a trip to the gates of hell and back.

Zhao Yan’s voice came from outside the tent. Li Panxuan called out, “Come in.”

Zhao Yan entered with Shi Zuo. Shi Zuo had been told by Zhao Yan that Ling Zhixia’s true identity was actually Prime Minister Ling. As soon as she entered the tent, she immediately knelt before Wen Nuan. “Shi Zuo pays her respects to Prime Minister Ling.”

Wen Nuan asked, “How is Fenggui Gorge?”

Shi Zuo was a scout by trade. She had surveyed Fenggui Gorge and said in a low voice, “Soldiers from the Minqiu Kingdom and the Pingzhou Kingdom are lying in ambush in Fenggui Gorge. This subordinate official observed them for a while; they plan to surround our army.”

In recent days, the two kingdoms had often sent troops to provoke the Tianyang army. Each time Li Panxuan led the two “armies” in pursuit, they would immediately withdraw back to Menggui City. Li Panxuan currently had no plan to capture Menggui City, so she would call her troops back to camp every time she reached Fenggui Gorge.

The enemy was well aware of Li Panxuan’s temperament. They provoked her repeatedly, enraging her. At that time, Songge City had already been taken by a surprise attack from Minqiu. Li Panxuan, enraged by the repeated harassment and provocations, led her grand army in pursuit, only to fall into a long-planned trap. The Tianyang Kingdom’s 200,000-strong army was trapped in Fenggui Gorge, caught like a turtle in a jar⁴ by the Minqiu and Pingzhou kingdoms, and annihilated without a single survivor, their bodies littering the wilds.

Now, the enemy forces that had launched the sneak attack on Songge City had been executed, and this news had not yet reached the enemy kingdoms. Therefore, the ambush in Fenggui Gorge was still in place. When Shi Zuo went to investigate, the sight of the vast enemy army hidden beneath the yellow earth had left her shocked and chilled to the bone.

Wen Nuan pinched the bridge of her nose and looked at the rigid Li Panxuan. “General Li, I believe the Pingzhou and Minqiu kingdoms will send soldiers to harass our army again today. When that happens, is General Li planning to lead the Tianyang Kingdom’s 200,000 soldiers to charge straight over?”

Li Panxuan’s hands trembled uncontrollably. When Shi Zuo said there was an ambush in Fenggui Gorge, she felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

“Why don’t you guess, if you lead 200,000 soldiers to charge into Fenggui Gorge, can even a single soldier make it out alive?”

As soon as her words fell, everyone trembled.

A sharp glint appeared in Wen Nuan’s eyes. “Why don’t you guess why Her Majesty the Empress Regnant appointed Chang Ziqing as your military advisor back then?”

Li Panxuan clenched her fists, not daring to speak.

“It’s because you have martial strength but no brains! Someone provokes you and you fall right into their trap. Even a three-year-old knows not to listen to strangers. But you? The enemy taunts you a few times, and you take the bait. Truly a worthy descendant of a general’s family. If your mother knew you were so formidable, do you think she’d rush to Xizhou overnight just to praise you a little?”

Hearing Wen Nuan mention her mother, Li Dian, a vein pulsed on Li Panxuan’s temple. She said in a low voice, “Prime Minister Ling, this general… was wrong.”

Wen Nuan rolled her eyes at her, rising to her feet with a sense of exasperation. She walked over to the sand table and planted a red flag on Fenggui Gorge. “Since they want to catch a turtle in a jar, we’ll play a game of the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind⁵ with them.”

“Military Advisor Chang, you are familiar with Fenggui Gorge. Do you still remember its geographical features?” Wen Nuan looked at Chang Ziqing, who was beside her.

Chang Ziqing looked at the sand table. “Because the gorge is in a dry and desolate area, it has been eroded by strong winds over many years. The gorges are mostly smaller at the bottom and larger at the top, resembling giant mushrooms. Their shapes are peculiar and colorful. Their surface is sometimes golden-yellow, sometimes purplish-red. When the wind blows through, it often emits a terrifying hiss. Also, at sunset, strange sparks often appear.”

Wen Nuan looked at Li Panxuan. “When will they come to provoke you?”

“….” Li Panxuan pouted. “At sunset.”

“There’s still half a day,” Wen Nuan looked at Zhao Yan. “Zhao Yan, before sunset, prepare a large quantity of red-hot wood shavings and realgar⁶, as well as bows and arrows. More is better than less. Then take these things and 50,000 soldiers to Gaoling Hill⁷ for drills.”

Go to Gaoling Hill to drill the soldiers?!

The others were puzzled but did not dare to ask why.

Zhao Yan immediately replied, “Yes.”

The others followed Zhao Yan out to handle their tasks, leaving only Li Panxuan, Chang Ziqing, and Fang Minghe behind.

Wen Nuan looked at Li Panxuan. “What are you doing here?”

Li Panxuan: “…This general will go help.”

Chang Ziqing didn’t understand the reason for Wen Nuan’s actions, so she asked, “Prime Minister, Gaoling Hill is less than a hundred meters from Fenggui Gorge. If 50,000 soldiers suddenly appear on Gaoling Hill, they will be seen by the ambushing enemy forces. They will surely suspect that our drills have an ulterior motive. Won’t we be exposed then?”

“Didn’t you all used to train on Gaoling Hill often? Why are you suddenly afraid today that the enemy will think we have an ulterior motive?” Wen Nuan retorted.

Chang Ziqing paused, then understood. “It was this subordinate official who was overthinking things. Thank you, Prime Minister, for your guidance.”

Wen Nuan walked out of the tent and raised a hand to feel the wind. “Winter is coming soon.”

“Yes, winter seems to be arriving earlier than usual this year,” Fang Minghe said.

“Xiling Hill is to the southeast of Fenggui Gorge, correct?” Wen Nuan asked.

Chang Ziqing nodded. “That is correct.”

Wen Nuan rubbed her fingers together and chuckled softly. “This northwesterly wind has been blowing quite fiercely these past few days.”

Chang Ziqing and Fang Minghe exchanged a glance, not understanding the meaning behind Wen Nuan’s words.

Zhao Yan was highly efficient. Now that she had been promoted to Army Commander by Li Panxuan, in charge of two “armies,” all the soldiers in the encampment worked together. Before sunset, they had already prepared everything Wen Nuan had requested.

Wen Nuan, Zhao Yan, and Chang Ziqing led 50,000 soldiers to Gaoling Hill, while Wen Nuan sent Wang Zhao and Cheng Nanfang with 100,000 troops towards Menggui City to await the signal.

Li Panxuan remained in the camp to draw the enemy’s attention.

The appearance of 50,000 soldiers on Gaoling Hill instantly caught the attention of the enemy forces ambushing in Fenggui Gorge. But when they saw that they were merely drilling soldiers and burning charcoal for cooking, the enemy relaxed their guard and continued their ambush, waiting for the soldiers sent to the Tianyang camp to lure Li Panxuan over.

Wen Nuan had changed into a black uniform and was hidden among the 50,000 soldiers, watching Fenggui Gorge.

Shi Zuo came to Wen Nuan’s side and pointed to the enemy’s ambush spots. “They are lying in wait in those few places. This subordinate official has made a rough estimate; there are at least 50,000 of them.”

If they were to fight head-on, the Tianyang Kingdom’s 50,000 soldiers would likely not gain an advantage in Fenggui Gorge. After all, the Minqiu Kingdom was familiar with the gorge’s geographical features and exploited them to the fullest.

They had often suffered great losses in Fenggui Gorge.

Wen Nuan looked at the positions Shi Zuo pointed to. Fenggui Gorge was vast with complex terrain, more than enough to conceal 50,000 people.

And the enemy’s ambush positions just happened to be in several locations where the terrain was purplish-red.

Truly effortless.

“How is the charcoal burning?” Wen Nuan asked.

Zhao Yan replied, “The burning is complete.”

“Is all the realgar ready?” Wen Nuan looked at Chang Ziqing.

Chang Ziqing cupped her hands. “It has all been tied to the arrows. The cloth bags holding the realgar are easy to tear, so the realgar will spill out easily.”

The main ingredients of gunpowder⁸ are sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal. When ignited, they can produce a violent reaction.

However, in this world, Wen Nuan had not found saltpeter. Instead, she had found something very similar: the Litu Stone⁹ on the walls of Fenggui Gorge.

Litu Stone was a specialty of Xizhou. From a distance, it just looked like a uniquely colored rock. Litu stone was more volatile than saltpeter, reacted more easily, changed color as the temperature rose, and would even burst into sparks at sunset, leading people to mistakenly believe there were demons and ghosts haunting Fenggui Gorge.

This caused many people to not dare enter Fenggui Gorge, fearing they would be harmed by demons and ghosts.

Of course, this was all a deception spread by the Minqiu Kingdom, a lie to frighten people. The Minqiu Kingdom often led its soldiers to drill in Fenggui Gorge precisely to use its geographical advantages to attack the Tianyang Kingdom.

Normally, a detailed mixture would be required to produce high-quality gunpowder, but time was tight, so Wen Nuan had to improvise. When these three substances piled up in one place, they were bound to cause a reaction.

Moreover, a few days prior, Wen Nuan had already arranged for some people to bury barrels of fuel oil all over Fenggui Gorge. Even if the three substances couldn’t react quickly, the oil barrels would speed up the reaction.

Wen Nuan felt the wind growing stronger. She watched the afterglow of the sunset sprinkle across the gorge’s earthen walls, making the purplish-red rock even more vivid.

The system chimed in: 【In five minutes, the temperature will reach the explosive point for the violent reaction of Litu Stone, realgar, and charcoal.】

“Good,” Wen Nuan looked at Zhao Yan. “Have the soldiers prepare. On my command, shoot all the prepared arrows at those purplish-red earthen walls.”

Zhao Yan was still confused, but she had a strong sense of trust in Wen Nuan and immediately obeyed, going down to make the arrangements.

Chang Ziqing glanced at Wen Nuan but didn’t ask anything. Asking more questions was not as good as seeing the result directly.

Besides, Ling Wen Nuan never needed a reason or an explanation for her actions.

The enemy troops ambushing in Fenggui Gorge saw the soldiers on Gaoling Hill suddenly form a line, holding bows and arrows aimed at their position, and they were all alarmed.

“Deputy General Jin, we haven’t been discovered, have we?” a commander asked worriedly.

Jin Min’s brow furrowed as she looked at the soldiers on Gaoling Hill. “Have the soldiers on high alert and await my command.” She looked toward the gorge entrance. “Where’s the scout? Has Li Panxuan arrived?”

The deputy general looked at the entrance and saw a scout rushing over. “Deputy General Jin, the scout is here.”

The scout immediately ran to Jin Min’s side and reported, “Deputy General Jin, General Ge Mi has already lured Li Panxuan and her army here. They are about to enter Fenggui Gorge.”

Jin Min glanced at the soldiers on Gaoling Hill. “How many people did Li Panxuan bring?”

The scout replied, “About 50,000.”

“That’s not right. There are about 50,000 on Gaoling Hill, and Li Panxuan brought 50,000. Where are the remaining 100,000 soldiers?” Jin Min’s brow furrowed. “Why haven’t we heard back from the men sent to attack Songge City last night?”

The scout shook his head. “This subordinate has already sent people to investigate. Songge City is littered with corpses. It is believed that Commander¹⁰ Long Zhan fought bravely and sacrificed herself.”

When the enemy scouts investigated Songge City, they found it filled with corpses and blood. All the bodies were mangled beyond recognition, like a living hell.

Jin Min watched the gorge entrance. She saw General Ge Mi run into Fenggui Gorge, but Li Panxuan had actually stopped at the entrance and refused to enter, remaining as steadfast as a mountain no matter how Ge Mi cursed her for being a coward.

Songge City has been massacred, but Commander Long Zhan is nowhere to be found.

The soldiers on Gaoling Hill suddenly started archery practice, yet they are aimed precisely at our ambush positions.

Of the Tianyang Kingdom’s 200,000 troops, 50,000 are led by Li Panxuan at the gorge entrance, and 50,000 are on Gaoling Hill. So where are the remaining 100,000?

She sensed something was deeply wrong. Looking at the soldiers on Gaoling Hill drawing their bows, a vein jumped on her temple. She immediately stood up and shouted, “Retreat! Back to Menggui City at once! It’s a trap!”

Upon hearing Jin Min’s shout, the ambushing soldiers, though confused, obeyed the military order and immediately got up.

Wen Nuan saw the exposed enemy forces and a corner of her lips curled up. “Fire—”

In an instant, tens of thousands of sharp arrows shot toward the purplish-red walls of Fenggui Gorge.

The enemy soldiers instantly drew their blades and raised their shields to defend, only to find that the arrows were all aimed at the cliff walls.

Jin Min didn’t understand why the Tianyang soldiers were shooting their arrows like this. Her nose twitched as she smelled a pungent odor. The air was filled with scattering hot wood shavings and a pale yellow powder.

The enemy soldiers were baffled by this maneuver, but Jin Min kept shouting “retreat.” They immediately huddled together, fending off the flying arrows while quickly withdrawing.

One of the soldiers saw a glowing piece of charcoal and some realgar touch the purplish-red wall, creating a bright spark. He was shocked and shouted, “Deputy General Jin, there’s… there’s fire…”

Jin Min didn’t hear what the soldier shouted. She was too anxious to retreat to bother with his call.

However, in the next second, Jin Min watched in horror as Fenggui Gorge descended into a living hell.

BOOM—

The flaming arrows ignited the fuses of the fuel oil barrels buried under the soil. A dozen heaven-shaking explosions rang out one after another.

A scorching wave and thick, rolling smoke erupted from Fenggui Gorge like an overwhelming sandstorm, instantly soaring into the air, accompanied by crimson flames driven by the fierce northwesterly wind.

Under the sunset’s glow, the Tianyang soldiers on Gaoling Hill watched in shock as the enemy below was blasted into a screaming, wailing mess. Fenggui Gorge became a fiery inferno, the massive explosions causing the very earth to tremble.

The violent explosions echoed in their ears. The walls of Fenggui Gorge continuously collapsed, and fragmented rocks wrapped in fire rained down everywhere like a torrential downpour, mercilessly smashing into the fleeing enemy troops. Shrill cries and crimson blood splattered everywhere.

The fire burned ferociously, turning Fenggui Gorge into a giant furnace, trapping all the enemy soldiers inside to be burned to ashes.

Chang Ziqing, Shi Zuo, and Zhao Yan watched everything before them in horror, their mouths agape.

Li Panxuan’s eyes widened as she stared at the hellish scene in Fenggui Gorge. She looked up at Wen Nuan on Gaoling Hill, her heart pounding in terror.

Wang Zhao and Cheng Nanfang, who were lying in wait at Menggui City, saw the great fire light up Fenggui Gorge. They exchanged a look, gathered the 100,000-strong army, and charged straight into Menggui City.

“Alright.” Wen Nuan clapped her hands and turned to leave.

Everyone watched Wen Nuan’s slender back, and for a moment, they felt a chill in their hearts and souls.

This person was truly terrifying, at once like an elegant, exiled immortal, and a bloodthirsty Rakshasa. She was indeed a woman whom none of the four kingdoms dared to provoke.

The victory report of the Tianyang army’s capture of Menggui City and Fenggui Gorge quickly reached the capital.

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The Imperial Study.

Sheng Tingwan¹¹ frowned as she read the victory report that had been presented. “Li Panxuan actually took Menggui City without losing a single soldier? Who is this expert who helped Li Panxuan?”

Female Official Lu Yan glanced at Sheng Tingwan and said, “This servant made a special inquiry. This expert’s name is… Ling Zhixia.”

Ling Zhixia!?

Sheng Tingwan’s pupils constricted. “Zhixia…?”

To take Menggui City without losing a single soldier… besides that person, who else in the world could achieve such a feat?

Ling Wen Nuan!

She shot to her feet and said in a deep voice, “Issue the order. Zhen¹² will personally lead the expedition¹³ to Xizhou!”

Lu Yan paused for a moment, then replied, “Yes.”

Sheng Tingwan closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her fingertips clenching. “…Bring Shen Zhijin¹⁴.”

“Yes.”

“Send a message back. Tell Li Panxuan to keep a close watch on this expert for Zhen. If the expert goes missing, she will bring her head to see me!” Sheng Tingwan said through gritted teeth.

“Yes.”

Sheng Tingwan stared at the victory report, gnashing her teeth in anger. “Ling Wen Nuan, you finally deigned to come out.”

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The author has something to say:

Wen Nuan: Uh, let me explain.

Female Lead: Since you’re out, don’t even think about going back.

Army Unit Organization and Strength:

Du: 100 men (composed of 2 Dui/squads)

Ying: 500 men (composed of 5 Du/companies)

Jun: 2,500 men (composed of 5 Ying/battalions)

Xiang: 25,000 men (composed of 10 Jun/armies)

—Adapted from and referencing《History of Song, Treatise on Military Affairs 9》

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