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

The next day.

The morning mist in late spring has not yet dissipated, and the weeping willows outside the Vermillion Bird Gate are shrouded in a thin layer of smoke.

Shen Wanying stood in front of the bluestone steps, her golden hair swaying gently in the morning breeze, her fingertips just stroking the cloud and goose pattern embroidered on her cuffs.

The corners of the officials' black robes fluttered like waves at the steps, but they all held their breath and looked at the silver armor.

"It's three thousand miles to Jin State. Take care, Your Highness."

Shen Wanying placed the jade pendant with lotus pattern into Chu Ning's palm, and the chalcedony glowed with a warm amber light in the morning sun.

Feng Mulan suddenly took a half step forward, the sword at her waist clanging against the jade belt buckle, and her brows and eyes became more fierce under her dark blue riding uniform:

"You must take care of yourself and don't go to the battlefield to kill the enemy."

Chu Ning chuckled and took the red tasseled spear. The cinnabar tassel hanging from the tip of the spear swept across the tassel attached to the light sword at Feng Mulan's waist.

"Don't worry, I know what's going on."

The old ministers below the steps looked respectful and waited quietly for the auspicious time to come.

The bell at three quarters past the hour of Mao broke through the morning mist, and the silhouette of the man on the white horse with silver armor gradually melted into the peach-colored haze at the end of the official road. Only Shen Wanying and Feng Mulandao were still standing there, gazing at the view.

The moat reflected the remaining shadows of the flags, and a red carp suddenly jumped out of the water, shattering the towering palace in the water.

The team was moving further and further away, but Chu Ning on horseback was already thinking about how to defeat the enemy.

He had ordered Su Tingmei to build ships half a year ago, and he was confident in his ships, but the newly built ships had never been on the battlefield after all.

In addition, the newly recruited navy had never fought a war, and they felt somewhat pressured as they had to go into battle with the Jin Army, the best navy in the world.

But then, thinking of his own trump card, Chu Ning's face showed a hint of amusement again.

"Master Jia!"

"Your Highness!" Jia Yu, who was behind him, immediately rode forward.

In his majestic manner, Chu Ning looked into the distance and said calmly: "This naval battle is the first time for our army. What do you think of our victory or defeat?"

Jia Yu raised his eyebrows and said with a wry smile, "I wonder if Your Highness wants to hear the truth or a lie?"

"Of course it's the truth!"

"Since it is the truth, I hope Your Highness the Crown Prince does not mind."

Jia Yu said solemnly: "The navy of Jin is the best in the world, and this is something everyone knows."

"Our navy is newly built and has not yet been tested in actual combat. I am afraid we will not be able to defeat the enemy in the short term."

"I suggest that we conduct a small-scale battle first, which will train our soldiers and help us understand the naval tactics of Jin."

"Wait until the time is right, and then annihilate them with one sentence."

This method is gradual and steady, and it is indeed a feasible strategy.

But Chu Ning shook his head and chuckled: "Although this method is good, it takes too much time!"

"If we fight like this, we may not be able to win even if we fight until the end of the year. We will also need to continue to consume our military's food and grass."

"If it were normal times, our dynasty would naturally make plans for consumption, but now I need to recruit soldiers, so the more food and fodder we can save, the better."

"I have decided to fight to the death and destroy the Jin navy in Cangjiang River!"

"You must ask the Jinyiwei to spread the news immediately, saying that I want to fight to decide the outcome, and ask the Jin State to send all their navy."

As soon as these words were spoken, not only Jia Yu's face changed drastically, but even Zhao Yu's expression beside him also changed slightly.

"Your Highness, this... does this matter need to be discussed with the general after we arrive in Cangjiang?"

Jia Yu tried to persuade him: "The general has been there for some time and is familiar with the Jin navy. Perhaps he has a plan to defeat the enemy."

Although he didn't say it explicitly, his words and deeds revealed that he did not support Chu Ning's plan.

Deciding the outcome in one battle can save time, but it is extremely risky.

But Chu Ning chuckled when he heard this: "Don't worry, since I dare to do this, I am sure I will win."

"The Jin navy is too powerful. If we can't destroy it all at once, it will be a big problem in the future."

Jia Yu knew Chu Ning's character, and knew that once something was decided, it would never be changed. He could only respond, bow, and go down to make the arrangements.

Soon, a carrier pigeon flew towards the State of Jin.

A few days later, at the Jin Palace.

The morning light at three quarters past the hour of Yin pierced through the mica window screens, leaving tiny golden marks on the lapis lazuli floor of the Xuanlong Hall.

The figures of the Jin courtiers in purple robes and jade belts were dimly seen between the twelve coiled dragon pillars, and the bronze wind chimes on the eaves jingled in the wind.

Ji Yingjie's knuckles turned white as he held the 800-mile urgent intelligence.

"Bastard!"

The moment the gilded imperial desk was overturned, the celadon teacups exploded into thousands of green stars on the dragon-patterned floor tiles.

The official hat of Cui Mingyuan, the Minister of Revenue who was kneeling in the front, trembled, and the black gauze hanging in front of his forehead almost got stained by the splattered tea.

"Seven days ago, they said the Chu army was repairing the docks, but today they want to mobilize the entire nation's navy for a decisive battle? Are all the spies in your Ministry of War sea turtles that grew up eating coral reefs?"

The tablet of Minister of War Wang Chonghuan fell to the ground with a clang, startling the spring swallows outside the hall, which fluttered over the gilded brackets.

The back of his official robe had long been soaked with cold sweat, and at this moment he lay on the ground like a dried sea cucumber:

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, please understand clearly that the Chu State was still conducting warship exercises in Yunzhou last month. The newly built five-tooth warships clearly..."

"Five-toothed warship?"

Ji Yingjie stood up suddenly, and the wide sleeves of his black dragon robe swept across the luminous pearls inlaid on the armrests of the throne, and the twelve-tasseled jade moss swayed in front of his eyes.

"General Wang said last year that he wanted to improve the batting pole, and the Ministry of Works allocated 800,000 taels of silver! Now the masts of the Chu army's warships are taller than the walls of Jinyang. Where are your batting poles? Are you swatting mosquitoes in the Taiye Lake?"

The Minister of Works Zheng Yu suddenly started coughing violently, as if he was going to cough his lung into the ivory tablet in his hand.

The thirty-seven purple-robed ministers at the steps were uniformly transformed into stone sculptures. Ji Yingjie grabbed the white jade paperweight beside the dragon-patterned column and was about to get angry, but stopped abruptly when he caught a glimpse of the silver-white eyebrows of the Grand Tutor.

"say!"

The young emperor's voice, wrapped in the smell of blood, hovered in the dome: "When fighting for grain transport money on weekdays, aren't you all eloquent? Now that Chu Ning's warships are about to enter Jinjiang, you have learned to be dumb?"

He suddenly grabbed Cui Mingyuan's collar, and the gold Diao Chan ornaments on the Minister of Revenue's official hat scraped against the cloud and thunder pattern on the cuffs of his dragon robe.

"What are your calculations? How nice were your words last year when the autumn tax was 30% less than expected?"

"Your Majesty..." Cui

The sound of Mingyuan's Adam's apple rolling could be heard clearly, and the crane patch on the front of his official robe rose and fell violently with his chest.

"If the Chu army engages our army in a naval battle, our army will surely win."

"Victory in battle?"

Ji Yingjie laughed in anger and pulled off the jade pendant from Cui Mingyuan's waist as he pushed him away.

"If we don't have a countermeasure, how can we win the battle? When the Chu army attacks us, will you teach me to hold the jade and the coffin in my mouth?"

The broken jade pieces bounced on the floor tiles, startling the eunuch standing beside the Panlong Pillar and making him shrink his neck.

At this moment, an old cough broke the silence.

The veteran Grand Tutor of three dynasties stepped out on the messy ground. The tortoise-shaped seal on the goldfish bag in his purple robe was casting dark patterns in the morning light.

The jade hairpin in the old man's silver hair reflected the morning glow of the East China Sea. His skinny fingers stroked the worn cloud patterns on the tablet:

"I think Chu Ning is trying to win the heart of the enemy."

Ji Yingjie's hand holding the jade ring suddenly tightened: "What do you mean, Master?"

"Your Majesty, please take a look."

Zhou Yanhe took out a yellowed sea chart from his sleeve and slowly unfolded it: "The Jin State's tower ships have been the best in the world since the previous emperor conquered foreign tribes. The newly built five-tooth warships of the Chu Army are just bluffing."

His dry branch-like fingers slid across the densely packed cinnabar markings on the nautical chart.

"If Chu Ning really had a chance of winning, why did he publicize the decisive battle with such fanfare? It's obvious that he knew he couldn't win in a naval battle, and he wanted to confuse our army."

Wang Chonghuan, the Minister of War, suddenly looked up as if alive: "Grandmaster, what you said is absolutely right! The Chu navy has been training for less than half a year, how can it compete with my battle-hardened army?"

"Then according to your opinion, Master, how should our army respond?" Ji Yingjie released his ring and asked in a deep voice.

Zhou Yanhe's cloudy eyes suddenly sparkled: "Since he wants to fight, then let's fight. Order all the twelve naval forces of the East China Sea to assemble, and replace all the tower ships' poles with fine iron rams."

The old minister's voice suddenly rose: "Let Chu Ning see who is the real overlord of the water."

"very good!"

Ji Yingjie sneered and said, "Just do as the Grand Tutor said. Also, send someone to inform the Tang, Han, and Wei of this matter!"