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

The cold winter gradually fades away, and the breath of early spring quietly permeates the imperial city of Chu.

Chu Ning returned to the palace from the city gate, walked along the palace road covered with morning dew, and went straight to the imperial study.

It was still early, with the sky just beginning to turn pale in the east, but Liu Shouren, Lu Xiuwen and Deng Hongwen, who had received the summons, had already been waiting outside the study for a long time.

Seeing Chu Ning approaching with the gait of a dragon and a tiger, the three of them hurriedly bowed and saluted: "Your Majesty, we are here to pay our respects!"

Chu Ning nodded slightly and raised his hand to signal them to excuse themselves from the formalities. "My dear ministers, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Please go in and talk."

When I stepped into the imperial study, the charcoal fire was already burning brightly, dispelling the early morning chill.

Chu Ning sat down behind the imperial desk, glanced at the three of them, and said in a deep voice, "I will be going to war tomorrow, and the court is busy with many affairs. I summoned you here today to tell you a few important things."

He paused and continued, "Zhang Xuan has already gone to Zhao to take charge, Feng Anguo and Ran Ming have also departed for Jin to stabilize the situation, and Han Xing has even gone to Qin before me to mobilize troops to support the Yanzhou front. From now on, I will rely on the three of you to take care of the government affairs."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Minister of Revenue, Liu Shouren, took the initiative to step forward and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, I have an important matter to report."

Chu Ning raised his eyes and said, "Speak."

Liu Shouren took a deep breath and said seriously, "We are about to enter February, and spring plowing is imminent."

"However, our eight major corps are still understaffed. If we continue to recruit able-bodied men, I'm afraid it will delay farming."

"But if we don't recruit, we're afraid we won't have enough troops, which will affect the battle on the front lines. I really can't make the decision. Your Majesty, please make the decision."

Upon hearing this, Chu Ning raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a confident smile:

"Don't worry about this. I have already made arrangements. This time, I will only recruit able-bodied men from Chu. As for the spring plowing, the people of Zhao and Yan can take care of it."

Liu Shouren was stunned: "Zhao and Yan?"

Chu Ning nodded: "Indeed, these two places have submitted to our dynasty for four or five years. The resistance forces in the territory have long been eliminated, and the people's sense of belonging to our dynasty is also growing stronger day by day."

"Having them come to our country to farm can not only solve the problem of labor shortage, but also further promote integration."

He paused, then looked at Liu Shouren sharply. "You must discuss this matter with Prime Minister Yang and Lord Zhang. Make sure the spring plowing goes smoothly without any mistakes."

Liu Shouren quickly bowed and said, "I obey your command! I will definitely live up to your Majesty's trust!"

After Liu Shouren returned to his original position, the Minister of Personnel, Lu Xiuwen, stepped forward and said solemnly:

"Your Majesty, I also have something important to report."

Chu Ning raised his chin and said, "Go ahead."

Lu Xiuwen said in a deep voice, "Last year, our dynasty conquered Jin and sent a large number of officials there to govern. Coupled with the purge of the Grand Tutor's followers, the court is now short of officials by 20 to 30 percent."

“If we don’t replenish it, I’m afraid it will affect the operation of government affairs.”

Chu Ning frowned slightly, tapping his fingers lightly on the imperial desk. "It's indeed a problem. Does your Ministry of Personnel have any solutions?"

Lu Xiuwen took a deep breath and said cautiously, "After discussing with my colleagues, I think we can recruit talents from the palaces of several princes."

"For example, the Thirteenth Prince has several scholars in his residence. Although the Fifteenth Prince is far away from Kyoto, he also has many talented people in his residence. And the Seventeenth Prince has more than a dozen unemployed scholars in his residence."

"If we can recruit them into the court, it will surely alleviate the urgent need."

As soon as these words were spoken, the imperial study suddenly became quiet.

Poaching people from the prince's mansion is no small matter.

If it is not handled properly, it may cause dissatisfaction among the royal family.

Chu Ning pondered for a moment, and finally nodded slowly: "Alright, it would be a waste of talent for these people to stay in the palace, so let's recruit them all, but-"

His eyes sternly said, "A one-year probation period is required. Only those with outstanding performance can be officially appointed."

Hearing this, Lu Xiuwen felt relieved and quickly bowed, saying, "Your Majesty is wise! I will do it right away!"

Finally, the Minister of War, Deng Hongwen, stepped forward and reported with a gloomy expression, "Your Majesty, the Scorpion Tribe has sent our previous delegation back, but... a few people are missing."

Chu Ning's eyes turned cold: "What's going on?"

Deng Hongwen gritted his teeth and said, "The Scorpion Tribe claimed that those people were killed by one of their tribal leaders."

"boom!"

Chu Ning slammed his palm on the imperial desk, his eyes flashing with coldness: "How dare you kill my Chu envoy?"

Deng Hongwen hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, calm down! Our dynasty is currently under siege by three dynasties. If we become enemies with the Scorpion Tribe at this time, I'm afraid..."

"Afraid of what?"

Chu Ning sneered, "At times like this, we must not let them think that our Chu State is weak and can be bullied!"

His gaze was like a knife, and he spoke word by word, "Send a message to Gongsun Yi immediately. Tell him to tell the Scorpion Khan—either hand over the head of that tribal leader, or their food will not arrive on time!"

Deng Hongwen's expression changed slightly, but seeing Chu Ning's resolute expression, he could only lower his head and reply, "Your Majesty... obeys your order."

After explaining these important tasks, Chu Ning breathed a sigh of relief and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, if there's nothing else, you can leave."

The three of them bowed and left, and the imperial study returned to peace.

In the early morning, outside the Zhengyang Gate of the imperial city, flags fluttered and armor shone brightly in the sun.

Civil and military officials stood solemnly on either side. Chu Ning, clad in black armor and bearing the Emperor's Sword at his waist, stepped onto the platform with steady steps.

Three thousand white horse cavalrymen lined up at the foot of the city. The snow-white war horses surged like clouds, the cold light of their iron armor reflected the rising sun, and the murderous atmosphere soared into the sky.

Chu Ning's eyes flashed like lightning as he swept across the soldiers below the stage. He said loudly, "Today, I will go to the battlefield with you all!"

His voice was deep and powerful, carrying far away in the morning breeze.

"Wei has repeatedly invaded our territory and massacred our people. This hatred is irreconcilable! You are all the most elite men of our Great Chu. In this battle, we must wash our blades with enemy blood and forge our reputation with victory!"

The three thousand cavalrymen below the stage roared in unison: "We will follow Your Majesty until death!"

The sound shook the sky, and even the flags on the city walls fluttered in the wind at the majestic momentum.

Chu Ning drew out the Emperor's Sword, pointing the tip of the sword towards the sky, its icy light gleaming fiercely: "I don't want you to die, I want you to return victorious! In this battle, wherever the White Horse goes, it will strike fear into the hearts of the Wei army!"

"Great Chu will be victorious!"

The soldiers' blood boiled, their swords were unsheathed, and the bright sword lights formed a sea of silver.

Chu Ning turned around and took a last look at the officials who were seeing him off. His gaze lingered on Liu Shouren and others, and he nodded slightly.

Then he jumped on the horse, and the warhorse neighed loudly and raised its front hooves high.

"set off!"

With a command, three thousand white horse cavalry rushed out of the city gate like a torrent.

The sound of horse hooves was like thunder, and dust was flying. This world-famous elite army galloped towards Yanzhou with the belief that they would win.

On the city wall, officials stood there for a long time until the white torrent disappeared on the horizon.

This time, Chu Ning plans to take a year to completely conquer the State of Wei!