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

Late at night, a cold March wind blows.

Inside the tent, Chu Ning frowned as he looked at the terrain in front of him which was covered with flags.

Several generals, including Han Xing, Ma Chao, and Zhao Yu, gathered nearby. Xun Yu, dressed in a long robe, pointed at the topographic map and said solemnly:

"Your Majesty, the formation used by the enemy general Xu Fang today is something I have never heard of before. I can only see that it contains the Eight Trigrams and Nine Palaces."

In today's battle, the Chu army relied on its advantages in weapons and armor to defeat the Wei army.

But when they completely entered the Wei formation, the opponent changed its formation and they fell into a disadvantage.

To this end, Chu Ning asked everyone to gather together and prepare to find a way to break the formation.

"The Eight Trigrams and Nine Palaces?"

Chu Ning raised his eyebrows upon hearing this, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "I don't know where Sima Yi got this formation from, but it was able to trap the Canglang Cavalry."

Ma Chao, who had suffered a defeat in this battle, finally found an opportunity to speak. He said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, within the formation, I feel like there are enemy troops everywhere, and it seems like there are no end to them."

"This feeling of powerlessness makes me very worried about the other soldiers, and it also prevents me from fully exerting my strength."

"After the war, I asked other soldiers, and they had the same idea as me."

This is a formation that can weaken morale!

Chu Ning's heart moved.

If the State of Chu could obtain this formation and use it on the battlefield in the future, it would definitely make the enemy suffer.

However, the most urgent task is to find a way to break the formation.

"I didn't expect this formation to be so powerful!"

A cold expression appeared on Chu Ning's face: "If we can't find a way to break the formation, our army will be trapped here!"

"If the stalemate continues, the Tang army might break through General Guan Yun's defenses and come here to support Wei!"

"Even the Scorpion Tribe will pretend to obey but secretly disobey. By then, the situation will be unfavorable to our army."

"Everyone, do you have any plan to break the formation?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other and shook their heads.

This was the first day they had seen this kind of formation, so how could there be a way to break it?

Chu Ning's face suddenly turned gloomy.

There was no way to break the formation. If he relied solely on charging with troops, even if his men were strong, they would not be able to withstand such losses.

Fortunately, at this moment, Xun Yu took the initiative to suggest: "Your Majesty, Lord Jia Yu is very skilled in the art of military formations. Why not have the Jinyiwei send a pigeon to ask Lord Jia if he has a method to break the formation?"

"That's all it can do."

Chu Ning nodded and said, "It's getting late, you all should go down and rest."

"Your Majesty, please leave!"

After everyone left, Chu Ning stared at the topographic map in front of him with a pensive look on his face.

In the current situation, he is in a stalemate with the Wei army, and the Tang army is being held back by Guan Yun. The Tang Dynasty will not send troops in the short term.

But the problem is, if he cannot break the Wei army in front, time will be on Sima Yi's side.

"Can we only place our hopes on Jia Yu?"

Chu Ning frowned, "What if Jia Yu doesn't have a way to break the formation?"

After saying this, his face looked a little ugly.

Having fought so many battles, he knew that if he couldn't take the initiative into his own hands, he would be halfway to failure.

Moreover, Li Jing was the "God of War" of the Tang Dynasty, and he was very wary of him.

It is said that a person's reputation is like the shadow of a tree. Li Jing can be called the military god of the Tang Dynasty, so he is certainly not a person who gets the reputation in vain.

Thinking of this, Chu Ning took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

"Zhao Yu!"

"The general is here!"

Zhao Yu lifted the curtain and came in.

"Have the Jinyiwei send a message to Guan Yu, telling him to make sure he knows the movements of the Tang army and be careful that they might take a detour."

"Your Majesty, are you worried that Li Jing might cheat?"

"That's right. Li Jing is the military god of the Tang Dynasty after all. He should not be underestimated."

Chu Ning nodded and said, "Si Ma Yi is leading the army personally, so he must be well prepared. We must be more careful this time."

After a pause, he continued, "This battle may drag on for a while. Food and fodder need to be transported from Yanzhou City. This time, you will go there in person and strengthen the defense of Yanzhou City."

"The last general takes command!"

The night was as dark as ink, the cold wind was howling, and a cavalry of a thousand white horses was galloping like ghosts on the official road leading to Yanzhou.

The sound of horse hooves was deliberately suppressed, and only the occasional sound of metal revealed their whereabouts.

Zhao Yu was wearing silver armor and had a stern look in his eyes. He kept urging the troops to speed up.

"Hurry up! We must get to Yanzhou before the hour of Mao!"

His voice was low and rapid. No one from the White Horse Guards behind him responded. They just rode their horses in silence, and only the heavy breathing of their war horses echoed in the darkness.

However, when Zhao Yu led his army to three miles outside Yanzhou City, his brows suddenly furrowed.

"Something's wrong..."

According to common sense, Yanzhou, as an important military town, should have patrolling cavalry even in the middle of the night, but at this moment there was dead silence outside the city.

What's even more strange is that there seems to be a faint fire flickering in the darkness in the distance, like countless human figures moving.

"All troops, stop!"

Zhao Yu suddenly raised his hand, and the cavalry behind him immediately reined in their horses. The war horses stamped their hooves restlessly and spewed out white air.

"Chen An!"

Deputy General Chen An rode forward and whispered, "General, what's wrong?"

"Send a few smart scouts over to check out the situation. Remember, don't alert anyone!"

"Yes!"

A quarter of an hour later, the scout returned hurriedly, his face pale.

"General, something terrible has happened! A large number of Tang troops have surrounded Yanzhou City, and more troops are on their way!"

Zhao Yu's pupils suddenly contracted, and his fingers unconsciously clenched the reins.

"Can you see whose flag it is?"

"It's a banner with the word 'Li' on it. I'm afraid... Li Jing is leading the army himself!"

As soon as these words came out, Zhao Yu's face instantly became as gloomy as iron.

"What a jerk Li Jing is... How dare he make a feint to the east and attack in the west!"

He originally thought that even if Li Jing deceived Guan Yun, he would definitely lead his troops to support the Wei army. However, he did not expect that the other party would make a feint, deceive Guan Yun, and secretly dispatch troops to take Yanzhou directly!

Once Yanzhou falls, the Chu army's retreat will be completely cut off, and the hundreds of thousands of troops on the front line will be in dire straits!

Chen An gritted his teeth and said, "General, we only have a thousand cavalrymen, while the Tang army probably has tens of thousands. What should we do?"

A cold glint flashed in Zhao Yu's eyes, and he said in a cold voice, "If we sit back and do nothing, Yanzhou will be lost! Once our retreat is cut off, the soldiers on the front line will be attacked from all sides and the entire army will be annihilated!"

He suddenly drew the long sword from his waist, and the blade shone coldly in the moonlight.

"Pass the order down, all troops prepare to charge!"

Chen An was shocked: "General, this is too risky!"

"adventure?"

Zhao Yu sneered, "Li Jing thinks our army is defenseless. Now is the perfect time for a surprise attack!"

He looked up at the top of Yanzhou City, and a hint of determination flashed in his eyes.

"Chen An, take a few of your personal soldiers and find a way to sneak into the city. Notify General Wu and have him lead his troops out of the city to provide support!"

"But the city gate has been blocked by the Tang army. How can we get in?"

"Take the secret passage!" Zhao Yu shouted, "There's an abandoned water gate east of Yanzhou City that can accommodate several people. We must have General Wu dispatch his troops as soon as possible!"

"Also, General Wu might send out his troops when he sees our army charging from the city wall. We can only take a gamble now!"

Chen An took a deep breath, clasped his fists and said, "I obey your command!"

After Chen An left, Zhao Yu slowly raised his spear and glanced at the thousand white horse cavalrymen behind him.

"Brothers, this battle is arduous and a life-or-death struggle! But if we retreat, Yanzhou will be lost, and hundreds of thousands of our comrades on the front lines will have nowhere to retreat!"

The cavalrymen remained silent, but their eyes became fierce.

"Today, we will let the Tang army know that the Chu cavalry has no retreat!"

"kill--!"

Thousands of cavalrymen rushed out of the darkness like thunder and headed straight for the Tang army camp!