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

On the official road from Qingzhou to Yanzhou, the cold wind of early spring blew up gusts of yellow sand.

The Wei army, clad in iron armor, marched like a winding black dragon on the official road compacted with loess.

The flags fluttered, the swords and spears were like a forest, and the orderly footsteps made the raindrops on the dead trees beside the road fall down.

In the center of the team, a gilded carriage pulled by eight pure white horses was particularly eye-catching.

Bronze bells were hung on the four corners of the carriage, making crisp sounds as it moved.

The interior of the car was covered with a thick mink blanket, and gilded heaters were fixed at the four corners, emitting a faint sandalwood scent.

Wei Emperor Sima Yi leaned on the couch, his eyes slightly closed, his slender fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrests.

Suddenly, the sound of hurried horse hooves came from far away.

The commander of the Imperial Guards, Le Jin, clad in black armor, rode up to the carriage and saluted:

"Your Majesty, the scouts ahead have received a call of war from the Chu envoy."

Sima Yi frowned slightly and slowly opened his eyes that were as sharp as an eagle.

He was forty-eight years old, his temples already showing white, but the majesty between his brows grew deeper and deeper. "Present it."

His voice was low and full of unquestionable authority.

Le Jin respectfully handed over a gilded letter of challenge.

Sima Yi took it and saw the words "The Emperor of Great Chu to the Lord of Wei" written in cinnabar in large strokes with strong force and sharpness.

Upon closer inspection, the content was nothing more than an invitation to meet him on the battlefield to discuss "major issues of the world."

"Humph!"

Sima Yi sneered, a cold glint flashing in his eyes: "Chu Ning, this fellow, is the best talker in the world. How could I fall for his tricks?"

Outside the carriage, Le Jin looked troubled: "Your Majesty, if I avoid meeting you, I am afraid it will damage your reputation."

"Fame?"

Sima Yi scoffed, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. "If I were to go and be provoked by a few words from him into a state of uncertainty, or even be forced to fight a general, that would be a true loss of face!"

His eyes flashed like lightning as he swept across Le Jin's flushed face. "Remember, a ruler should prioritize state affairs. I would rather bear the infamy of a while than let the State of Wei fall into an irretrievable ruin!"

Le Jin was shocked and bowed quickly: "Your Majesty is wise! I was stupid and almost fell into the treacherous scheme of the Chu bandits."

Sima Yi casually threw the battle certificate out of the window. The gilded silk fluttered in the cold wind and finally fell into the mud beside the road.

"No need to reply, just pretend you never received it."

He closed his eyes again and said, "Order the entire army to speed up and reach the Yanzhou camp before sunset."

"Yes!" Le Jin clasped his fists and accepted the order, then turned his horse around and galloped away.

Soon, the Wei army's marching speed increased significantly, and the sound of armor colliding became more and more frequent, startling the crows living in the dead woods beside the road.

Three days later, the Wei army camp was thirty miles outside Yanzhou city.

It was mid-February, and a light rain had just fallen in early spring, so dried rainwater still remained in the trenches surrounding the camp.

In front of the central army tent, Wei general Xu Fang and his generals had already lined up and were waiting.

When Sima Yi's imperial carriage appeared outside the gate, the deafening sound of trumpets suddenly resounded through the sky.

"Your Majesty, your servant Xu Fang, respectfully welcomes you!"

The general, who was over forty years old, bowed and saluted, and his armor made a clanging sound.

The three thousand elite soldiers behind him knelt down in unison, their movements were uniform and showed strict military discipline.

Sima Yi slowly got out of the car, his eyes swept over the spirited soldiers, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly:

"General Xu is a master at commanding the army. He was able to train such a powerful army in just six months. I am very pleased."

Xu Fang quickly bowed and said, "It's all thanks to your Majesty's great blessing, and the soldiers' hard training."

He stepped aside to lead the way: "Your Majesty, please enter the tent and rest. I have prepared a banquet to welcome you."

Inside the central army tent, the charcoal fire dispelled the early spring chill.

After three rounds of drinks, Sima Yi suddenly put down his glass and asked, "Has the Chu army made any unusual moves recently?"

Xu Fang's expression froze. "Your Majesty, Chu Ning has assembled an army of 300,000 and stationed them in Licheng across the way. But strangely..."

He hesitated for a moment and said, "Since I sent you the challenge a few days ago, there has been no action."

Sima Yi's eyes flashed: "As expected, this fellow must have set a trap for me to fall into."

He twirled his beard and sneered, "Order all camps to strengthen their vigilance, especially to guard against night attacks. Chu Ning will find another way when he sees that I have failed to fall for his plan."

At the same time, in the Licheng Chu army camp.

Chu Ning was discussing matters with Han Xing, Guan Yun and others in the general's tent.

Looking at the layout of the terrain in front of him, Chu Ning's eyes flashed coldly.

At this time, hurried footsteps were heard outside the tent.

"Your Majesty, scouts report that Sima Yi has arrived at the Yanzhou camp, but there has been no response to the battle post."

Zhao Yu opened the tent and stepped forward to report.

Chu Ning played with the bronze wine jar in his hand and suddenly chuckled: "This old fox!"

He stood up and paced back and forth, his figure lengthened by the candlelight in the tent. "He's trying to cope with all changes by remaining constant."

Zhao Yu was puzzled: "Your Majesty, how should we respond?"

"Since he doesn't dare to come out."

Chu Ning turned around abruptly, a fierce look flashing in his eyes: "Then I will force him out!"

He waved his sleeves and said, "Orders are sent. Tomorrow at noon, the three armies of Canglang, Menghu, and Xuanwu will each send 3,000 elite soldiers to form a battle array in front of the Wei army camp."

"Raise my dragon banner again. I want to personally meet this cowardly emperor!"

"Think twice, Your Majesty!"

Han Xing suddenly tried to dissuade him: "If you come forward, Sima Yi may not come out."

Chu Ning raised his hand to interrupt: "I know my limits."

He walked out of the tent, looked at the twinkling lights of the Wei army camp in the distance, and a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"Sima Yi thought he could stabilize the army's morale by avoiding me? I must let him know that the world's situation is no longer under his control!"

The night wind suddenly blew, making Chu Ning's clothes rustle.

Under the starry sky of February, the game between the two emperors has already begun.

The next morning, at the Wei army camp.

Sima Yi went up to the city to inspect it accompanied by Xu Fang.

Suddenly, dust and smoke rolled in the distance, and countless black spots appeared on the horizon, slowly approaching the city.

"Report——"

The scouts came running back with the report: "The three major armies of the Chu army have each sent out several thousand men, and they have already formed up three miles away!"

Sima Yi narrowed his eyes and saw a forest of flags in the distance. The most eye-catching one was the bright yellow banner embroidered with a nine-clawed golden dragon - that was Chu Ning's personal banner.

Xu Fang gripped the hilt of his sword tightly: "Your Majesty, what is Chu Ning doing..."

"Force me to fight."

Sima Yi sneered, but a hint of solemnity flashed in his eyes.

He noticed that a high platform had been erected in front of the Chu army's formation, obviously intending to humiliate him in public.

Sure enough, a moment later, a deafening roar suddenly erupted from the Chu army:

"Lord Wei is afraid of fighting!"

"Coward!"

The insults were carried into the Wei army camp by the cold wind, and all the Wei soldiers looked indignant.

Sima Yi was surprisingly calm.

He turned and whispered a few words to Le Jin, who took his orders and left.

Soon, more than ten big drums were erected at the camp gate, and a hundred strong men with bare upper bodies beat them at the same time.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The deafening sound of drums instantly drowned out the shouting and cursing of the Chu army.

Sima Yi then slowly walked to the front of the camp, gathering all his inner strength, and his voice spread far and wide: "Chu Ning! If you want to fight, I will fight you! But not with words!"

He suddenly drew his sword and pointed it at the sky: "In three days, we will fight to the death!"

When these words were spoken, everyone in both armies was shocked.

Chu Ning narrowed his eyes on the high platform. He didn't expect Sima Yi to suddenly accept the challenge.

But the arrow was already on the string and had to be released. He also used his internal energy to respond: "Okay! In three days, the fight will continue until one of us dies!"

A strong wind suddenly blew up, blowing up yellow sand all over the sky.

The two emperors' gazes met in the void, as if invisible sparks were splashing out.

Behind them, their respective armies seemed to have smelled the bloody scent and were ready to move.