The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 1060 - 1060 515 Jiaojiao (Two Updates)

Chapter 1060: 515 Jiaojiao (Two Updates) Chapter 1060: 515 Jiaojiao (Two Updates) The battle at Lingguan City had finished. The attack began as the snow stopped at the hour of Xu and ended completely by the time of Hai, lasting no more than two hours.

The Gu Family army gathered all its superior forces, utterly decimating the thirty thousand troops of the former dynasty with absolute advantage in numbers and combat strength, leaving them in utter disarray.

The Prince was injured by an arrow, and the son-in-law led an army of five thousand to escort him as they escaped from another side of Lingguan City.

Of the remaining twenty-five thousand, five thousand died on the battlefield, and the rest, twenty thousand, became prisoners.

The vast majority of these twenty thousand prisoners were strong men from the borders and various regions, either followers of the Living Buddha or enticed and coerced by the Prince to join the rebel army.

Of course, there were also some descendants of noble families and scholars from the former dynasty. They had held important positions under the Prince, and it was laughable that when the Prince abandoned the city to flee, he didn’t take them along.

Gu Changqing, clad in a silver armor cloak, rode atop a tall horse in matching silver armor, followed by the neatly arrayed Gu Family cavalry.

The infantry were left at the city gate to clean up the battlefield and form patrols to catch any remaining enemies of the former dynasty.

Lingguan City was no stranger to war. The most terrifying time had been when a massive army from Chen Country captured it not long ago. On that day, just like today, the overwhelming Chen cavalry had breached the defenses of Lingguan City, taking the defending army prisoner.

They, too, had ridden majestically down the main streets.

When they saw women, they abducted them; when they saw sturdy men, they captured them. They burned, killed, looted, and committed all manner of atrocities.

With war breaking out once more, Lingguan City lived in fear. Every household bolted their doors and windows and didn’t even bother to see who had won upon hearing the sound of horse hooves. Everyone hid in their homes, trembling with fright.

However, the sound of horse hooves drew near, then faded into the distance, and no screams from women or roars of anger from men could be heard in the streets, nor was there any noise from soldiers storming houses and looting.

Finally, a brave young man quietly opened a crack in a door to take a look outside.

He saw the banners of Zhan Country fluttering in the chill of the night wind, and behind them, the military standard of the Gu Family army.

“It’s the Gu Family army!” he shouted loudly.

Upon hearing that it was the Gu Family army, the residents began to harbor some hope, though they didn’t dare immediately venture out to the streets. They opened just a crack in the doors to glance outside.

The Gu Family army moved from the west end of the main street to the east, heading in the direction of the Governor’s Mansion.

They didn’t disturb any of the citizens of the city, nor did they take any sheep or chickens from the roadside as they passed.

They maintained strict military discipline, an aura of awe-inspiring righteousness about them!

Gradually, residents began to emerge from their homes. At first, it was just one, but then slowly a large crowd gathered, curiously following the direction of the Gu Family army toward the Governor’s Mansion.

By then, the Governor’s Mansion was completely surrounded by the Gu Family army.

Zhang, the military officer, searched the Governor’s Mansion inside and out, capturing dozens of the Prince’s aides and annihilating thousands of the Chen army that hadn’t managed to retreat from the city in time.

As Gu Changqing led the iron cavalry to the front of the Governor’s Mansion, the residents had also come along.

Zhang suddenly dragged out a bald monk draped in monk’s robes from a nearby Courtyard.

The monk appeared to be in his fifties, with a kind and fat-faced look of benevolence.

Quite a few of the residents recognized him. A woman exclaimed, “It’s the Living Buddha! They’ve captured the Living Buddha!”

Hearing the exclamations of the residents, the frightened bald monk’s eyes flashed; he straightened his back and said fearlessly, “Amitabha, indeed, why have you benefactors created such bloodshed in the city?”

“Screw your benefactors!” Zhang kicked the monk hard in the buttocks, sending him crashing to the ground face-first, “Impostor monk! Deceiving and bluffing!”

The Living Buddha had a high reputation in Lingguan City, and Zhang’s action undoubtedly angered a portion of the residents.

Zhang didn’t believe it was the residents’ fault; after all, the residents were innocent. It was all because of that shameless impostor monk colluding with the Prince, deceiving the soldiers and residents of the borderlands.

Zhang wished he could vent all his fury on the impostor monk but was stopped by Gu Changqing raising his hand.

Gu Changqing said indifferently, “Stop.”

Zhang bowed and stepped aside, “Yes, General!”

The impostor monk, who had fallen hard, cursed inwardly three times, however, he didn’t dare show the slightest bit on his face.

He simply sat down cross-legged on the ground, holding the Buddha Bead in one hand, making a Buddhist salute and speaking as if liberating all beings, “Amitabha, benefactors have committed far too much killing. Buddha is merciful; I hope you benefactors will cease adding to the killings.”