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

When Chu Ning returned to the Licheng camp, it was already dark. The flickering candlelight in the tent illuminated his stern face.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping across the generals in the tent. After a moment's hesitation, he slowly spoke, "Do you know why Sima Yi set the date for the decisive battle for three days from now?"

There was silence in the tent for a moment, and the generals looked at each other in confusion.

Guan Yun and Ma Chao looked at each other. Although they had some guesses in their minds, they did not speak immediately.

Instead, the counselors Xun Yu and Han Xing exchanged glances. Han Xing nodded slightly, motioning Xun Yu to come forward and answer.

Xun Yu was once a counselor of the Wei State. Because his family was massacred by Sima Yi, he fled to the Chu State and always longed for revenge.

At this moment, he took a deep breath, stepped forward, and said with a folded hand: "Your Majesty, if my prediction is correct, in three days, the Tang army of 100,000 will arrive!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the generals in the tent changed.

A cold light flashed in Chu Ning's eyes, and he tapped the table lightly with his fingers: "Oh? Why do you say that?"

Xun Yu said in a deep voice, "Li Jing is a master of military strategy and his army is extremely fast. If the Wei army sends a pigeon to inform them of this battle, the Tang army will be able to reach the east side of Yanzhou within three days."

"By then, the combined forces of the Wei and Tang armies will number 400,000, while our army will only have 300,000, putting us at a disadvantage in terms of manpower."

"Sima Yi's move is precisely to take advantage of the Tang army's momentum and defeat our army in one fell swoop!"

Chu Ning sneered: "What a Sima Yi, he is indeed a shrewd and calculating person."

He glanced at the generals, "What do you think, how should we respond?"

Guan Yun immediately clasped his fists and stepped out, his voice as resounding as a bell: "Your Majesty, I am willing to lead the Tiger Legion to stop the Tang army!"

Ma Chao, unwilling to be outdone, also stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, my Canglang Legion is composed of elite cavalry, perfect for harassing the enemy. I request your command!"

The two generals confronted each other, and the atmosphere in the tent became tense.

Seeing this, Chu Ning raised the corner of his mouth slightly and turned his gaze to Han Xing, who had been silent the whole time: "General Han, who do you think we should send?"

Han Xing smiled slightly and said, "Your Majesty, this interception is of great importance. It is difficult to accomplish it with just one army."

"I suggest that the Tiger and Wolf Legions each dispatch 30,000 elite troops to form a 60,000-man coalition force, led by General Guan Yun. We will set up an ambush at Luoyue Slope, a route the Tang army must take. We will wait for them to tire themselves out and prevent them from sending reinforcements!"

"The Tiger Corps has the Modao troops, and the Wolf Corps has the heavy cavalry. They can attack when advancing and defend when retreating, ensuring that nothing can go wrong."

"If the Tang army wants to break through General Guan Yun's defenses, it will take at least ten days. This period of time is enough for our army to fight a decisive battle with the Wei army!"

As expected of a man known as the "God of War", he didn't give his opponent any chance.

Chu Ning thought for a moment and nodded, "Good!"

He turned his gaze to Ma Chao, and seeing that he looked slightly unhappy, he smiled and said:

"General Ma, don't worry. The decisive battle will take place in three days. I intend to use you as the vanguard to lead the entire army in the charge. The merits of this battle will be no less than stopping the Tang army!"

Ma Chao was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately clasped his fists and said, "I will definitely live up to your Majesty's trust!"

Chu Ning stood up, his eyes sharp as a torch, and said in a deep voice: "Everyone, this battle is of great importance. Please proceed with caution."

"In three days, I will personally witness Sima Yi's Wei army reduced to ashes!"

All the generals responded in unison, then retreated and prepared for battle.

At the same time, in the Wei army camp, Xu Fang looked solemn and walked quickly into the central army tent.

Seeing Sima Yi leisurely sipping tea, he couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, there is something I don't understand!"

Sima Yi raised his eyes and said calmly, "General Xu, please feel free to speak."

Xu Fang frowned and asked, "Your Majesty, why did you agree to a decisive battle in three days? Although our army is large, most of them are new recruits. If we rashly start a battle, I'm afraid we will be unable to defeat the elite Chu army!"

"This battle is of great importance. If we are defeated, the Chu army will be able to advance straight into our territory, leaving us with no defenses."

At the end of his speech, Xu Fang's face showed worry.

The State of Wei used to have eight states, but after being divided up by the Han and Chu states, only four states remain.

Once the battle of Yanzhou fails, the Chu army will be able to directly march into the heart of Qingzhou. At that time, the Wei army will no longer be able to resist the Chu army.

Originally, according to his plan, Sima Yi would come, boost the morale of the army, and continue to confront the Chu army, and the stalemate would consume the Chu army's food.

Once the Chu army runs out of food, it will surely collapse!

But now, Sima Yi actually took the initiative to declare war on the Chu army!

He couldn't understand it, so he went to the tent to ask in person!

Sima Yi put down the teacup, a sneer on his face: "General Xu, you worry too much."

He stood up and paced with his hands behind his back. "I had already anticipated that Chu Ning would force me to fight, so I went along with it and agreed to his three-day appointment."

Xu Fang was stunned: "Your Majesty, what are you doing...?"

Sima Yi's eyes gleamed: "I have ordered Le Jin to send a letter by carrier pigeon, informing Li Jing that he will lead the Tang army to encircle us in three days."

"By then, our army and the Tang army will combine to form a force of 400,000 men, and with the force of thunder, we will crush the Chu army in one fell swoop!"

Xu Fang's expression changed slightly when he heard this: "Your Majesty, do you want to... decide the outcome in one battle?"

Sima Yi said proudly, "That's right! In this battle, I will make sure Chu Ning never returns!"

Xu Fang was still a little worried: "But if the Tang army fails to arrive as scheduled..."

"Absolutely impossible!"

Sima Yi interrupted abruptly: "Li Jing is a famous general of his time, how could he miss the opportunity to fight?"

Seeing the emperor's resoluteness, Xu Fang could only bow and say, "Your Majesty... obeys your command."

Although he was still a little worried, Xu Fang knew Sima Yi's character and he could not change his decision.

Besides, things have come to this point, so he doesn't need to say more and can only act according to the plan.

Now he can do nothing except train the troops as much as possible to prepare for the war in three days.

At this moment, a pigeon was flying towards the Tang army camp.

A day later, a hundred miles east of Yanzhou, the Tang army camp was located.

Inside the tent, Li Jing, who was over sixty years old, sat at the desk, holding a secret letter in his hand and frowning slightly.

Standing beside him was General Pei Xingjian. Noticing his commander's strange expression, he whispered, "General, is this a letter from Wei?"

Li Jing sneered, "Sima Yi has a big appetite. He actually wants to devour the 300,000-strong Chu army in one gulp."

Pei Xingjian said in a deep voice, "Sima Yi has such a big appetite? He wants to decide the outcome in one battle? Are our troops proceeding according to plan?"

Li Jing slowly stood up, put his hands behind his back and looked out at the night outside the tent. He said calmly, "Of course we have to cooperate. After all, Wei and Tang are allies."

"If we don't take action, the Wei army may not be able to defeat the Chu army given its combat effectiveness."

"Once the Wei army is defeated, the Chu army will be free to deal with us."

He paused, a deep look flashing in his eyes, "However, Chu Ning is not a mediocre leader. He will definitely be on guard against our army."

Pei Xingjian nodded. "I'll pass the order immediately. The entire army will have a good meal and move camp in two hours. Send out more scouts to explore the way!"

Li Jing nodded slightly, his eyes stern: "Remember, march with caution. The Chu army will not sit still and wait for death."

The night wind was howling, and outside the tent, the Tang army soldiers had begun to get ready for battle.

And in the distance, at Luoyue Slope, an elite Chu army of 60,000 people was quietly lying in ambush.