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

The morning light was dim and a thin mist shrouded the battlefield.

Last night's fire was out, leaving only the charred remains of the camp and wisps of smoke.

Chu Ning stood on the city wall, his hands behind his back, his eyes calmly scanning the scene of corpses strewn all over the ground outside the city.

Chu Kuang strode up the city wall with great strides. There was still blood on his armor, but his face was full of excitement.

His face was filled with excitement. He clasped his fists and said loudly, "Your Majesty! In this battle, our army killed over 8,000 Han soldiers and captured 2,000. We only lost 1,500 of our own soldiers. This is a great victory!"

If the news of this battle loss gets out, I'm afraid no one will believe it.

After all, the Chu army was the attacking side last night and the Han army was the defending side.

Logically speaking, the defending side should suffer less losses, while the attacking side should suffer greater losses.

However, due to the difference in weapons and the burning of the Han army's baggage, the Han army lost interest in fighting, which led to such casualties.

Chu Ning nodded slightly when he heard this, a faint smile appearing on the corner of his mouth:

"I saw it all from the city walls. The soldiers of the Mad Dragon Legion are indeed brave. They should be rewarded according to their merits in this battle."

Chu Kuang grinned, his eyes flashing with fighting spirit: "Your Majesty, when will we fight our way out again?"

"That brat Huo Quji has retreated to Qingshigang. We should seize the opportunity to pursue him and we will surely annihilate him in one fell swoop!"

Chu Ning shook his head: "Although the Han army lost 8,000 people, there are still more than 90,000 people. They should not be underestimated!"

"Don't underestimate Huo Quji. He became famous at a young age and is a rare talent. If we attack now, our army will gain nothing."

After saying this, he turned his gaze to Han Xing who was standing beside him: "General Han, how is the battle situation in the baggage camp?"

Han Xing stepped forward, his expression solemn. "Your Majesty, I led the Black Tortoise Army's vanguard and burned two-thirds of the Han army's food and fodder. However, Huo Quji reacted quickly and led his troops back to reinforce them, so the remaining one-third was not completely destroyed."

Chu Ning didn't show any disappointment when he heard this. Instead, he smiled faintly and said, "It's enough to burn most of their food supplies."

"The Han army has a hundred thousand soldiers and is now short of food and grass. Even if they don't retreat, they are unable to attack Maple Leaf City again."

He paused and looked at Han Xing: "You arrived first with the vanguard, you must be tired, go and rest first."

"We will discuss the battle of Yanzhou after your 100,000-strong Xuanwu Legion arrives."

"Yes!" Han Xing responded with a fist salute, then turned and left.

After Han Xing left, Chu Kuang couldn't help but take a step forward, his eyes full of anticipation:

"Your Majesty, can I go with the Mad Dragon Legion to the battle of Yanzhou this time?"

Chu Ning glanced at him sideways, with a half-smile on his face: "Why, you want to go to Yanzhou?"

Chu Kuang nodded heavily: "The battle of Yanzhou is related to the overall situation. I am willing to charge into the battle for Your Majesty!"

Chu Ning shook his head: "No."

Chu Kuang was stunned: "Why?"

"Although Huo Quji was defeated, he still has 90,000 troops entrenched in Qingshigang. If Maple Leaf City is left empty, he will surely make a comeback."

Chu Ning said calmly, "Your Mad Dragon Legion must stay here and hold them back."

Chu Kuang frowned, still unwilling to give up: "Your Majesty, in the battle of Yanzhou, Wei sent 300,000 troops and the Tang sent 100,000. If they send more troops, I'm afraid that with only 300,000 troops..."

Chu Ning chuckled, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes. "Three hundred thousand troops of Wei? Ha, at least two hundred thousand of them are new recruits who haven't even been on the battlefield. They're nothing to be afraid of."

Chu Kuang wanted to argue again, but Chu Ning raised his hand to stop him: "Alright, there's no need to discuss this matter anymore. I have my own arrangements for the battle in Yanzhou."

Seeing Chu Ning's resolute attitude, Chu Kuang could only clasp his fists helplessly and say: "Yes, I will go clean up the battlefield right away."

And this time.

Thirty miles away at Qingshigang, the remnants of the Han army set up camp.

Huo Quji stood in front of the tent, his expression stern. The deputy general walked over quickly, knelt on one knee, and said in a deep voice:

"Reporting to the Lord Protector, our army has lost over 8,000 men in this battle, with nearly 10,000 wounded. Only 30% of our food and fodder remains."

Huo Quji frowned slightly: "Where are the Chu troops?"

"According to the spies' report, they lost only 1,500 men."

"One thousand five?"

Huo Quji's eyes narrowed. "How did they do it when our army suffered eight times more casualties than the enemy?"

The deputy general whispered, "The Chu army's Crazy Dragon Legion is well-equipped, with sharp spears and sturdy shields. Our infantry is unable to resist them, and their cavalry's sudden attack has disrupted our formation."

Huo Quji was silent for a moment, then suddenly sneered, "What a Chu Ning! His reputation is well-deserved."

He turned and walked into the tent, saying in a deep voice, "Immediately send a battle report back to Chang'an, and send copies to Wei and the Tang Dynasty, letting them know that our army has not failed to do its best."

The deputy general was stunned for a moment, then reacted: "What the Protector of the Country means is..."

Huo Quji's eyes were deep: "The Chu army is at its peak, why should we confront them head-on? Let them deal with the headache."

The deputy general was shocked, and then he understood Huo Quji's intention - to kill with a borrowed knife!

No wonder the Han army was defeated so quickly last night. It turned out that the Protector of the Country did it on purpose, allowing the Chu army to show its strength and forcing Wei and Tang to respond with all their strength!

"I understand!" The deputy general clasped his fists and immediately turned around to arrange for the messenger.

Half a day later.

Inside Maple Leaf City, Chu Ning stood on the city wall, gazing into the distance at the direction of Qingshigang, his eyes flashing with a deep light.

"Your Majesty, the main force of General Han Xing's Xuanwu Legion is ten miles outside the city." Zhao Yu stepped forward to report.

Chu Ning nodded: "Pass the order down, the entire army will rest for three days, and then march to Yanzhou after three days."

"Yes!"

A few days later, Wei and Tang also received the battle report from the Han army.

Inside the Wei Imperial Palace, Sima Yi looked at the military report in his hand, his face dark. "How could Chu Ning defeat the Han army with a casualty ratio of 1 to 8? It seems this guy is more difficult to deal with than I thought."

Cheng Yu stepped forward and whispered, "Your Majesty, the Chu army is at its peak right now. If we let them take Yanzhou, the consequences will be disastrous."

Sima Yi sneered, "Pass the order down! I will personally lead an army to reinforce Yanzhou! I want to see how Chu Ning can withstand my 400,000-man army!"

At the same time, in the imperial study of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shiming put down the battle report, a trace of solemnity flashed in his eyes:

"Chu Ning... is indeed a formidable opponent."

He looked up at the map, pointed his finger at the location of Yanzhou, and muttered to himself: "This battle may change the world!"

"If we can defeat Chu Ning in this battle and eliminate 300,000 people from the three major armies of Chu, the strength of Chu will be greatly reduced."

"But if we cannot defeat Chu in this battle, and are instead defeated by Chu, then Wei will be in danger."

Li Shiming narrowed his eyes, and a cold light flashed across them.

If they were defeated in the upcoming battle of Yanzhou, Chu Ning would definitely take the opportunity to take down Wei in one fell swoop!

After all, in order to deal with Chu Ning this time, the State of Wei has gathered 300,000 people, which is equivalent to the vast majority of the State of Wei's military force.

The current Chu State occupies the land of five dynasties and is very powerful. If it can also obtain the Wei State, the Tang Dynasty will definitely not be its opponent.

Therefore, in this battle he could only help Wei State as much as possible!