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

Two days later, the late spring wind, carrying the smell of blood, lingered over Licheng.

Inside the Chu army camp, the flags in front of the central army tent fluttered, and the candlelight inside the tent was bright, casting Chu Ning's figure on the cowhide map, creating a sharp silhouette.

"Your Majesty, the battle results have been counted."

Xun Yu held the bamboo slips in his hand and spoke in a calm yet exciting voice: "In this battle, our army annihilated 53,000 Wei troops and captured over 34,000."

"Our army suffered 18,000 casualties, with another 8,000 slightly wounded and 3,000 seriously wounded."

Upon hearing this, Chu Ning tapped his fingers lightly on the table and suddenly burst into laughter: "Great! After this battle, Sima Yi lost nearly 100,000 soldiers and horses!"

Laughter echoed in the tent, and the candlelight flickered.

He turned to look at Jia Yu standing on his right, his eyes gleaming, "Master Jia, have you found out the movements of the main force of the Wei army?"

Jia Yu stepped forward with a bow, the faint scent of ink wafting from his sleeves.

This scholar, renowned for his wisdom, smiled confidently, "Your Majesty, the Embroidered Uniform Guards have learned that the Wei army has retreated to three cities in Qingzhou—100,000 soldiers guarding Dongping, 100,000 guarding Tugu, and 100,000 guarding Yuling."

He tapped three places on the map with his fingers. Where his fingertips landed, the candlelight cast shadows on the city marks, like three dormant trapped beasts.

"Hahaha!"

Chu Ning slammed his fist and stood up, making the teacups on the table clink. "Sima Yi must be frightened out of his wits! He's dividing his 300,000-man army to defend three cities, forming a tortoise-like formation!"

He walked to the tent door, opened the curtain, looked towards the distant twilight in the direction of Qingzhou, and sneered:

"Next, he will definitely beg for mercy from both the Tang and Han dynasties. Lord Jia, please have the Imperial Guard keep a close eye on the movements of these two countries."

Jia Yu bowed slightly. "Your Majesty is wise. I have ordered people to make preparations in advance. If there is any disturbance in the Tang and Han dynasties, the Jinyiwei will reply immediately!"

The sneer on Chu Ning's lips became more and more obvious.

Then, he suddenly remembered something and turned to ask, "Is there any movement from Li Jing at Luoyue Slope?"

"Calculating the time, he should have received the battle report by now."

A hint of amusement flashed in Jia Yu's eyes: "I'm sure that face, which is always calm and composed, will show a rare and interesting expression."

"What a shame~"

Chu Ning clapped his hands and laughed: "I can't bear to witness the wonderful scene of the Tang Dynasty's military god changing his face!"

The laughter gradually died down, and his expression became serious. He said in a deep voice: "Send the order! Ma Chao leads 70,000 troops to attack Tugu, Han Xing leads 50,000 to attack Dongping, and I personally lead 50,000 elite troops to attack Yuling!"

His fingers dug hard into the map, his nails leaving a white mark on the sheepskin.

All the generals in the tent responded in unison, and the sound of armor colliding was loud and powerful.

Chu Ning added, "Also send a message to Guan Yun: keep a close eye on Li Jing at Luoyue Slope! If the Tang army makes any unusual movements, send a pigeon immediately!"

Although the Tang army at Luoyuepo had only 90,000 soldiers, they were led by the military god Li Jing after all, so he did not dare to underestimate him.

At the same time, at the Tang army camp at Luoyuepo a hundred miles away, Li Jing was standing in front of a sand table, playing with a black jade chess piece in his hand.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps were heard outside the tent. Deputy General Pei Xingjian hurried in, bowed and said:

"General, urgent news! Sima Yi was severely defeated in Licheng, losing 100,000 soldiers. He has retreated to the three cities of Qingzhou!"

"Snapped!"

The black jade chess piece slipped from Li Jing's fingers, bounced twice on the sand table, and finally stopped at the position representing Licheng.

Pei Xingjian took a peek and saw a flash of surprise in the eyes of this usually calm military god of the Tang Dynasty, which then turned into cold sarcasm.

"Seek death."

Li Jing said softly, picking up the chess piece and playing with it, "At first he suspected me of having second thoughts, and now that he's lost so many soldiers and generals, I wonder if he regrets it?"

His tone was calm, but it made the temperature in the tent drop suddenly.

Pei Xingjian's forehead was covered with sweat. "General, Chu Ning has won a great victory. Will he... turn his troops against us?"

With Sima Yi's 400,000 troops blocking the way, Chu Ning certainly didn't dare to turn around and deal with them.

But now that Sima Yi has been defeated, Chu Ning can free up his troops.

In addition, there are already Guan Yu's 60,000-strong army here. Once Chu Ning sends troops here, they will face a siege from an army of over 100,000.

This will be a fatal blow to their early dynasty!

Li Jing narrowed his eyes upon hearing this, the candlelight casting flickering shadows in his eyes.

After a long pause, he suddenly chuckled, "No. Chu Ning's target is Wei. If they divide their forces to attack me now, it will only give Sima Yi a chance to catch his breath."

He pressed the chess piece heavily onto the sand table and said, "However, warfare is a game of deception. Send out orders to gather the troops and send out more scouts to investigate the movements of the Chu army."

"Especially..." His finger moved towards the southeast of Luoyue Slope: "Guan Yun's troops."

When Pei Xingjian received the order to withdraw, he heard the crisp sound of chess pieces falling on the board behind him, and his whole body tensed up - that was Li Jing's unique habit when he was thinking of a killing move.

And at the same time.

Five miles southeast of Luoyuepo is the vanguard camp of the Chu army.

On the high slope outside the gate of Guan Yun’s independent camp, the night wind blew his battle robe.

Deputy General Zhou Cang behind him handed over the warmed wine bag: "General, the night dew is very cold."

Guan Yun took the wine bag but did not drink it. He just stared at the tiny lights of the Tang army camp in the distance.

Suddenly, the flames began to move, like the movement of stars.

Zhou Cang was surprised and said, "The Tang army is mobilizing its forces!"

"Li Jing received the news."

Guan Yun said in a low voice, handing back the wine bag: "Order the entire army to be on alert, send out three times as many scouts, and report any movement of the Tang army immediately."

Zhou Cang laughed and said, "General, your foresight is brilliant! Li Jing can't sit still any longer."

Guan Yun frowned, "Don't be careless. When Li Jing deploys troops, he often hears thunder in silence."

He pointed to the shrinking Tang army defenses and said, "Look, he's trying to show weakness by withdrawing his forces, but he actually has ulterior motives."

Before he could finish his words, he heard a burst of hurried horse hooves sounds coming from afar.

"Report—" the scout dismounted, "The Tang army has dispatched a large number of light cavalry, and they are moving towards our two wings!"

Guan Yun's eyes flashed with brilliance, and he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly at his waist. "As expected! Order the archers on both wings to take their positions. No arrows are allowed to be fired without my order!"

He turned to Zhou Cang and said in a deep voice, "Li Jing is testing me. Pass the order down. All troops should continue their normal work and rest. The campfires should not be reduced but increased."

Zhou Cang suddenly realized: "General, are you trying to... show your strength to the enemy?"

Guan Yun nodded slightly, his gaze towards the Tang army camp becoming increasingly sharp.

He would never let Li Jing's Tang army go, otherwise it would affect His Majesty's plan to destroy the Wei Kingdom.

Facing Li Jing, the military god of the Tang Dynasty, he did not dare to be careless in the slightest.

In particular, the Tang army's gathering of troops attracted his attention even more.

Because he knew that Li Jing was not someone who would give up easily!

The night wind suddenly blew, causing the campfire to flicker and cast changing light and shadows on his resolute face.

In the distance, unknown night birds were crying miserably, as if foreshadowing the coming of a bigger storm.