I, the military god of the Tang Dynasty, have risen since I destroyed the Turks

Chapter 749 Defeat Wu Sangui

The cold wind howled, rolling up the yellow sand, and turning the open space between the two armies into a chaotic world. Li Zheng held the reins with one hand, and the warhorse "Snow Shadow" under his crotch stepped on the hoofs anxiously, exhaling white breath. He was wearing a golden dragon-patterned armor, which shone coldly in the setting sun, and the scarlet cloak behind him fluttered like an unyielding battle flag.

"Your Majesty, we are willing to go with you!" Behind him, Deputy General Liu Sheng knelt on the ground and begged for orders, his voice choked with sobs.

Li Zheng did not look back, but raised his hand slightly: "No need. I am enough."

His eyes penetrated the wind and sand and fell on the dark army formation opposite. The 200,000-man army was like a winding black dragon, stretching across the plain, with swords and spears like a forest and flags covering the sky. And at the front of the army formation, a figure in silver armor was riding out on horseback.

"Wu Sangui" Li Zheng curled up a sneer at the corner of his mouth, lightly clamped his legs around the horse's belly, and Xueying rushed out like an arrow.

The open space between the two armies was only a hundred feet, and it was reached in a flash. When the two horses were only a few feet apart, Li Zheng suddenly pulled the reins, and Xueying raised his front hooves high and let out a long neigh. Wu Sangui on the opposite side also stopped at the same time, and the two of them confronted each other in front of thousands of troops.

"Li Zheng, I advise you to withdraw your troops." Wu Sangui spoke first, his voice loud and confident, "I have 200,000 troops behind me, you can't be my enemy."

As the sandstorm died down, Li Zheng finally saw the face of the traitor. Wu Sangui was about sixty years old, with a resolute face and a heroic look between his brows. He was wearing silver armor and had a sword inlaid with gold and jade on his waist.

"Who gave you the courage to threaten me?" Li Zheng's voice was not loud, but it pierced Wu Sangui's ears like an ice cone.

Wu Sangui laughed three times: "Your Majesty, times have changed. Do you think it is still the peaceful and prosperous era of three years ago? The northern barbarians are eyeing us covetously, the south is hit by floods year after year, and the court is facing internal and external troubles. Can you handle it alone?"

Li Zheng's eyes swept over Wu Sangui's face and noticed a new scar at the corner of his eye. It was left when he put down the rebellion in the southwest last year, when Wu Sangui was still a loyal general.

"I remember that at this time last year, you were kneeling in front of the palace and swore allegiance to me." Li Zheng said slowly, "How come, in just one year, you have forgotten the righteousness between the monarch and his subjects?"

Wu Sangui's face changed slightly, but he quickly recovered: "Your Majesty, I have no choice. The court is corrupt and the people are living in poverty. I am just following the will of heaven and the people."

"What a way to follow the will of heaven and the will of the people!" Li Zheng suddenly raised his voice, "You colluded with the northern barbarians and invited wolves into the house. Is this what you think is the will of heaven and the will of the people?"

This sentence was like a heavy hammer, and Wu Sangui was obviously shocked. He didn't expect that Li Zheng already knew about this.

"Your Majesty, this is wrong." Wu Sangui tried to remain calm, "I am just using someone else's strength to fight against the enemy. Once we have quelled the internal turmoil, we will be able to drive out the foreign invaders."

Li Zheng sneered: "Wu Sangui, I am not here today to listen to your excuses." He slowly drew out the sword from his waist, the sword blade glowing blood-red in the sunset, "I only ask you one question, do you surrender or not?"

There was a commotion in the army behind Wu Sangui, who was obviously shocked by Li Zheng's momentum. Wu Sangui looked back at his army and seemed to have regained his confidence.

"Your Majesty, please look around." Wu Sangui opened his arms. "You are alone, and I have 200,000 soldiers. Even if you are a master of martial arts, what can you do? How about we make a deal - you give up the throne and I will ensure your wealth and prosperity for the rest of your life."

Li Zheng looked past Wu Sangui and looked at the army behind him. Most of the soldiers were pale and thin, with confusion in their eyes. Many of them probably didn't know why they were fighting.

"Wu Sangui, you are wrong." Li Zheng's voice suddenly became calm, "I am not alone."

At this moment, a cloud of dust suddenly rose from the distant horizon. Wu Sangui turned his head sharply and saw two armies approaching quickly from the east and west, with flags flying. It was the dragon flag of the Tang Dynasty!
"This is impossible!" Wu Sangui's face changed drastically. "My scouts clearly reported that there were no imperial troops within a hundred miles!"

Li Zheng raised his lips slightly: "My 100,000 elite troops have been lying in ambush for a long time. Do you think I will come to see you without any preparation?" It turned out that three days ago, Li Zheng secretly mobilized the most elite imperial guards, led by General Li Kan, to take a detour and lie in ambush in the valleys on both sides of the battlefield. In order to confuse Wu Sangui's scouts, they hid during the day and went out at night, and even wrapped the horseshoes with cloth when marching.

Wu Sangui's forehead was covered with cold sweat, and he realized that he had fallen into a trap. But now that things had come to this, there was no turning back.

"All troops, listen up!" Wu Sangui drew his sword fiercely, "Charge! Whoever takes Li Zheng's head will be rewarded with 10,000 taels of gold!"

Two hundred thousand troops surged in like a tide, and the shouts of killing shook the earth. However, Li Zheng was not in a hurry, he turned his horse and rushed towards his own army. The shadow of the snow was like a white lightning, and in the blink of an eye he returned to the safe area.

"Your Majesty!" Liu Sheng stepped forward and handed Li Zheng the golden helmet.

Li Zheng put on his helmet, took the command flag, and stood on a high place overlooking the battlefield. At this time, the 100,000 elite troops led by Li Kan had already surrounded Wu Sangui's rebels from both sides.

"Pass the order down," Li Zheng's voice was steady and powerful, "Whoever kills Wu Sangui will be granted the title of Marquis of Wanhu; whoever surrenders will be spared; whoever resists will be killed without mercy!"

The order spread quickly throughout the army, boosting the morale of the imperial officers and soldiers. On the other hand, many soldiers of the rebel army had begun to waver after hearing that they could be spared death.

On the battlefield, swords flashed and blood flew everywhere. Li Zheng personally went into battle, holding a Fang Tian Hua Ji, and was invincible. Xue Ying shuttled through the chaotic army, and every time the Ji Ji came out, an enemy general would fall.

"Protect His Majesty!" Liu Sheng led his personal guards and followed closely, killing the enemy troops who tried to approach Li Zheng one by one.

The battle situation gradually became clear. Although Wu Sangui's army had the advantage in numbers, their morale was low and their command was chaotic. The imperial army was well-trained and coordinated, and soon gained the upper hand.

"Report--" a scout came on horseback to report, "Wu Sangui led his personal soldiers to break through and flee to the northwest!"

Li Zheng's eyes flashed coldly: "Li Kan continues to wipe out the remaining enemies, Liu Sheng will follow me to pursue!"

Li Zheng led 3,000 elite cavalrymen and chased Wu Sangui in the direction of his escape. The sun set in the west and dusk fell, but Li Zheng could only see the figure of the traitor.

After chasing for more than ten miles, they finally stopped Wu Sangui at the edge of a forest. He was left with less than a hundred personal soldiers, all of whom were covered in wounds.

"Wu Sangui!" Li Zheng shouted, "You have no way to escape!"

Wu Sangui turned around and saw Li Zheng, knowing that the game was over. He laughed bitterly, "Your Majesty is indeed a master of strategy. I am convinced of my defeat."

"Get off your horse and be tied up, and I will spare your life." Li Zheng said in a deep voice.

Wu Sangui shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, the victors are kings and the losers are bandits. This has been the case since ancient times. But I would rather die than be humiliated!" After saying this, he drew his sword and committed suicide!
Li Zheng was quick-witted and quick-handed. He shot an arrow that hit Wu Sangui's wrist, and his sword fell to the ground with a clang.

"Want to die? That's not that easy!" Li Zheng rode forward, "You colluded with foreign enemies and brought disaster to the country and the people. I will judge your crimes in front of the people of the world!"

(End of this chapter)