Nine dragons fight for the throne, I don't want to sit on this throne

When Wu Zhao brought Chu Ning back to Lizheng Hall, it was already late at night and the candlelight in the hall reflected on Chu Ning's slightly pale face.

His brows knitted slightly, and it was obvious that the toxins in his body had not been completely eliminated. Wu Zhao gently helped him sit down, ordered someone to bring hot tea, and asked the imperial physician to carefully check Chu Ning's injuries.

Imperial physician Shen Mingyuan felt the pulse for a moment and reported in a low voice: "Although the toxins in the body of the Crown Prince of Chu have been controlled, he still needs to rest for a few days and must not work too hard."

Wu Zhao nodded, signaled Shen Mingyuan to leave, and then sat next to Chu Ning, her eyes full of concern.

At this moment, there was a sound of brisk footsteps outside the palace, accompanied by a childish voice: "Mother, Mother! How is the bad guy?"

Before he finished speaking, a little girl in a pink skirt came running in, skipping.

She was none other than Wu Xiuning, the youngest daughter of Wu Zhao. She was only three years old, but already had a delicate and pretty face, with a pair of big, twinkling eyes that showed her cleverness and playfulness.

Her arrival seemed to inject a breath of fresh vitality into the dull Lizheng Hall.

Wu Xiuning ran to Chu Ning, raised her little face, and asked with concern: "Big bad guy, does it hurt? Xiuning will blow on you, and it will stop hurting!"

As she spoke, she stood on tiptoe, moved closer to Chu Ning's arm, and blew a few breaths in a pretentious manner.

Chu Ning couldn't help laughing because of her. He reached out and gently rubbed her hair, saying softly:

"Thank you, Xiuning. I don't feel any pain anymore."

Wu Xiuning saw Chu Ning smile, and a hint of pride flashed in her eyes. Then she pretended to be mysterious and took out a small doll from her sleeve and handed it to Chu Ning:

"You bad boy, this is Xiuning's favorite doll. I'm giving it to you! If you hold it while sleeping, you won't have nightmares!"

Chu Ning took the doll and felt warm in his heart.

Although he knew that Wu Xiuning was still young, she already knew how to comfort people in this way. He couldn't help but feel more pity for this smart and strong little girl.

When Wu Xiuning saw Chu Ning accept the doll, she took his hand and chattered about interesting things in the palace.

Sometimes she imitated the behavior of palace maids, and sometimes she imitated the sounds of kittens and puppies, which made Chu Ning laugh.

Wu Zhao watched from the side, her eyes full of love.

She knew that although her daughter was naughty, she had a kind heart. Especially at times like this, she tried to make Chu Ning forget the pain in her own unique way.

When Wu Xiuning was tired of talking, Wu Zhao coaxed her softly, "Xiuning, the Crown Prince of Chu needs to rest. You go back first and come to see him tomorrow, okay?"

Wu Xiuning nodded obediently, then leaned close to Chu Ning's ear and whispered, "Uncle Chu, you have to get better soon! Xiuning will come to see you tomorrow!"

After saying that, she reluctantly let go of Chu Ning's hand and skipped away from Lizheng Hall.

After seeing Wu Xiuning off, Chu Ning's expression gradually became serious. He looked at Wu Zhao and whispered:

"Your Majesty, although Qin has temporarily withdrawn its troops this time, given Ying Zheng's personality, he will never give up. We must prepare early."

Wu Zhao nodded, motioning for him to continue.

Chu Ning pondered for a moment and said, "I suggest that the Zhou Dynasty can dispatch some elite soldiers to Liangzhou of Chu State to train with the Chu army. This way, we can enhance the tacit understanding between the two armies and jointly deal with the retaliation of Qin State."

When Wu Zhao heard this, she frowned slightly, obviously hesitant.

She said slowly: "This matter is of great importance. The ministers in the court will probably not easily agree to withdraw troops to other countries, let alone cooperate with the State of Chu. They may think that this move will damage the interests of the Zhou Dynasty."

Chu Ning smiled slightly, and said firmly: "Your Majesty, although the Zhou Dynasty is strong, it has little chance of winning if it faces Qin alone. Qin has strong soldiers and horses, and Ying Zheng is ambitious. If it does not unite with Chu, the Zhou Dynasty may not be able to protect itself.

The Chu State and the Zhou Dynasty have always had a good relationship. This cooperation will not only enhance the strength of both sides, but also deter the Qin State from making any rash moves."

Wu Zhao pondered for a long time, and finally nodded and said: "You are right, but this matter still needs to be handled with caution. I need to discuss it with the important officials in the court before making a decision."

Seeing this, Chu Ning felt relieved and said, "The Queen is wise. In addition, we need to strengthen the border defense to prevent the Qin State from launching a sudden attack."

Wu Zhao nodded, and immediately ordered people to gather all the ministers to discuss the matter.

A few days later, the news that Li Xing's 50,000 troops were annihilated and Zhang Yi was executed in the street reached the Qin capital Xianyang.

Inside the Xianyang Palace, Emperor Ying was sitting on the dragon throne with a terribly gloomy expression on his face.

He held a battle report in his hand, his knuckles turned white from the force. All the ministers in the hall were silent and no one dared to speak.

"Trash! It's all trash!"

Ying Zheng threw the battle report to the ground and shouted angrily, "Fifty thousand soldiers and horses were completely wiped out! Li Xing, this idiot, deserves no death!"

His voice echoed in the hall, causing pain in everyone's eardrums.

Prime Minister Baili Xi stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, calm down. Although Li Xing was defeated, the foundation of Qin is still intact. The most urgent task is to adjust the strategy as soon as possible to deal with the joint efforts of Chu and Zhou."

Ying Zheng snorted coldly and said, "The Chu State and the Zhou Dynasty are just ants. How dare they go against me! I will make them pay the price!"

Baili Xi groaned for a moment and whispered, “Your Majesty, the combined strength of Chu and Zhou should not be underestimated.

If we start a war rashly, it may be disadvantageous to our army. It is better to negotiate peace with the barbarians first and use food to exchange for their silence for half a year. In this way, we can withdraw troops from the border and focus on dealing with Chu and Zhou. "

When Ying Zheng heard this, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes.

He nodded slowly and said, "What the Prime Minister said is very true. Although the barbarians are fierce, they are just a mob after all. Giving them some food can temporarily stabilize them. After I have dealt with the Chu State and the Zhou Dynasty, I will come back to deal with these barbarians!"

Baili Xi bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise. I will go and arrange the peace talks right away."

Ying Zheng waved his hand, signaling the ministers to leave.

When he was the only one left in the hall, his eyes became even colder.

He whispered to himself: "Chu State, Zhou Dynasty, do you think you can fight against me by joining forces? Humph, I will let you know what true despair is!"

His eyes flashed with ambition and murderous intent, as if he had seen the fall of the Chu State and the Zhou Dynasty. He sneered:

"Chu Ning, Wu Zhao, you two, you two really think you are my opponent?"

"Humph, when I transfer the troops back to the front to resist the barbarians, I will definitely let you see what war is and what crushing is!"

"However, this battle is of great importance. The Tang Dynasty, Han Dynasty, Jin State, and Sima Yi may all intervene."

"Especially since Jin and Chu are on good terms, if Chu Ning asks Jin for troops, the outcome of this battle will be hard to predict."

"In that case..."

Ying Zheng's eyes flickered, and a ruthless look appeared on his face: "Then let Jin State become chaotic first, and then let the Han Dynasty take action against Sima Yi."

"The rest of the Tang Dynasty is quite far away, but we won't worry about it for now."

"Hmph, Chu Ning, just clean your neck and wait!"