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

A few days later, the news that the Jin navy was completely annihilated reached the Tang Dynasty.

At three quarters past three in the morning, the lights in Ganlu Hall were brightly lit, and Li Shiming's fingers unconsciously stroked the condensed wax tears on the bronze candlesticks.

Most of the ambergris on the table had burned out, and the smoke swirled in front of the map of the Jin border, blurring the "Chu" logo on the military flag.

He suddenly slapped heavily on the cinnabar mark that read "Fifty Thousand Black Armored Soldiers", causing the teacups on the rosewood table to clink.

"Your Majesty, the envoy from Jin is still waiting in the side hall."

The eunuch Sun Dequan reminded him in a low voice, and caught a glimpse of a few dead leaves sticking to the hem of the emperor's black dragon robe - this was the third time tonight that the emperor had trampled on the fallen leaves on the path of the imperial garden.

The palace door was suddenly blown open by the night wind, and dozens of important officials came out from behind twelve mica screens.

The great general Zhang Shijie, who was walking in the front, had not yet taken off his armor, and his shoulders were still stained with night dew. His tiger eyes flashed a sharp light as he scanned the map:

"Your Majesty, according to information obtained by our spies, the Chu army has breached Wuyang Pass, and the western border defense line of Jin State is useless."

"This is exactly what I am worried about."

Li Shiming threw the secret letter on the table, causing the gilded candlestick to shake continuously.

"Ji Yingjie wants my Black Armor Army to confront Chu Ning's Central Army head-on, but the Chu Army just destroyed the Jin State Taxation Bureau and is now in high spirits!"

A look of worry appeared on Li Shiming's face.

"I think we should fight!"

Zhang Shijie took a step forward, and the armor on his waist rattled.

"If we allow the Chu army to annex Jin, their warships will be able to reach the Wei River by next spring!"

He pointed his scarred finger at the Nine Bends of the Yellow River: "By then, the people of the Tang Dynasty will also be in the flames of war!"

"General Zhang is so arrogant!"

Wang Yuanli, the Minister of Finance, twirled his gray beard and sneered, "Where will the food and grass for 50,000 soldiers come from? The Emperor of Jin has 30,000 new troops but he is not taking any action. It is obvious that he wants to use the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty as a shield!"

Li Deyu, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, suddenly interrupted with a sarcastic tone: "I heard that Yunzhong in Jin had a good harvest this year..."

Before he finished speaking, the imperial study suddenly fell into silence.

Li Shiming's pupils shrank slightly, and his eyes swept across the faces of the ministers, each of whom was thinking about something, and finally stopped at the purple-robed figure who had been standing still in the shadows.

"Prime Minister Changsun, what do you think?"

Prime Minister Changsun Wuji walked out slowly from behind the screen, and the sound of his moon-white brocade boots stepping on the blue bricks could be clearly heard.

The old minister of the dynasty said with a serious face: "Our army must fight this battle, but we cannot so easily obey the orders of the Jin emperor!"

"We can ask Jin to cede ten cities in exchange for the food and military pay we need to send out our troops."

"In addition, our army needs to use wits to win this battle. If we want to defeat the Chu army, we must first cut off its food supplies."

After saying this, he took out a yellowed silk book from his sleeve.

Everyone was startled when they heard this.

Li Shiming took the silk book and stroked the densely packed dark patterns on it with his fingertips - it turned out to be a blueprint of the Jin State that had been marked long ago.

"The Chu army's central army may seem mighty, but in fact, its food supply route must pass through the Mangshan Gorge."

Changsun Wuji's skinny finger traced a certain spot on the map: "If we send the black armored light cavalry to intercept this place, and then order the new army of Jin to stop their left army, our army will feint a frontal attack and will definitely be able to rob the Chu army of its food and grass."

At this point, he suddenly turned around and looked directly at Li Shimin: "But this plan requires the Jin emperor to open the Mangshan Fortress."

Zhang Shijie asked anxiously, "How can Ji Yingjie hand over his life to an outsider?"

"So your majesty must let Jin know that the Tang cavalry was not borrowed for nothing."

Changsun Wuji sneered and said, "If the Emperor of Jin agrees, our army can march with peace of mind."

"If he doesn't agree, our army will retreat. Once Jin is destroyed, our army can capture its cities."

"Also, if our army goes to war, the Han Dynasty and Wei Kingdom cannot stand idly by. They must attack the Chu army as soon as possible!"

The candlelight flickered in the hall, illuminating Li Shiming's gloomy face.

After a moment, Li Shiming stood up suddenly, and his black cloak brought up a gust of wind.

He stared at the Maple Leaf City symbol on the map and suddenly said, "Pass on my instructions."

His voice was like the sound of metal clashing: "Let Sima Yi of Wei seize the granary of Yanzhou within three days, and the Red Flame Army of Emperor Liu Che of Han must launch a direct attack on Maple Leaf City."

When he turned around, the jade pendant on his waist hit the scabbard, making a clear dragon roar.

"As for the State of Jin...tell Ji Yingjie that I want the ten cities of Yunzhong and Heshuo, and the food and military pay for the 50,000-man army must be delivered to General Yuchi immediately."

When Changsun Wuji bowed to receive the order, he caught a glimpse of cold sweat oozing from Li Shiming's clenched palms - there were five deep finger marks on the edge of the secret letter.

For the first time in his life, the Tang emperor, who had always been high and mighty, felt the pressure from his opponent.

It was shocking that the invincible Jin navy was destroyed by the Chu army in just one battle.

I thought that with the natural barrier of Cangjiang River, Jin State would be able to stop the Chu Army for about half a year.

I never thought that I would lose everything in one battle.

The Chu army was so powerful that he had to send the Tang army to fight in advance.

Otherwise, once the Jin State was destroyed, the Chu Army would be able to directly attack the Tang Dynasty.

Thinking of this, Li Shiming suddenly waved his hand and said, "Minister of War Li Jing stays, and the others leave first."

"We, the ministers, take your leave!" All the ministers withdrew one after another.

Li Shiming glanced at the chief eunuch Sun Dequan standing beside him, and the other party tactfully bowed and left.

Only Li Shiming and Li Jing were left in the hall.

The quiet atmosphere made no one speak.

Li Jing didn't know why the emperor wanted to keep him alone, and Li Shiming didn't know how to start the conversation.

After a long while, Li Jing took the initiative to ask, "I wonder what important matter has your Highness left me alone for?"

Li Shiming narrowed his eyes, stared at Li Jing, and asked in a deep voice: "Do you think General Yuchi can defeat Chu?"

"This……"

Such a straightforward question actually made Li Jing feel a little embarrassed, and he didn't give an answer immediately.

"Why, is this question difficult to answer?"

Li Shiming raised his eyebrows, and a cold look flashed across his tiger eyes: "I just want to know the answer so that I can make plans in advance."

Seeing that Li Shiming was asking sincerely, Li Jing said seriously: "Chu Ning is always cunning. Although General Yuchi has experienced many battles, he may not be able to win."

"I believe that our army should repair relations with the barbarians as soon as possible, and at the same time mobilize troops to the southern front and make arrangements in advance."

"In addition, our navy on the Wei River also needs to be trained more, and more navy should be recruited."

"If General Yuchi is defeated and Chu conquers Jin, the next target will definitely be Wei, the Han Dynasty, and finally our dynasty."

"During this period of time, our troops must make arrangements in advance just in case."

"Also, the Chu State is now recruiting soldiers. It is said that the number of soldiers will reach 800,000. This is clearly aimed at unifying the world!"

"Therefore, our army must also expand its strength."

As expected of the Minister of War, his vision is different from others.

Li Shiming nodded slightly when he heard this: "I will leave the matter of recruiting and training soldiers to you!"

"I will definitely live up to your Majesty's trust!" Li Jing responded, bowed and left.

Li Shiming looked at Li Jing's departing back and murmured to himself, "General Yuchi, will he really lose?"

He was not sure, but he knew he had to urge Wei and the Han Dynasty to fight the Chu army immediately!