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

The night is as dark as ink and the cold wind is howling.

Xue Huaide, wearing black armor, stood on a high slope, looking down coldly at the Han army camp in the distance.

The night wind lifted his cloak, making a rustling sound.

He slowly raised his hand, and the messenger behind him immediately raised the torch and shook it three times to the left and right - this was the signal to attack.

"Archers, get ready." Xue Huaide's voice was low and cold.

In the darkness, thousands of Zhou army archers lined up silently, with arrows strung and arrowheads wrapped in cloth soaked in kerosene.

The light from the torches shone on their stern faces, filled with murderous intent.

"put!"

"Whoosh-!"

In an instant, rockets streaked across the night sky like meteors and slammed into the Han army camp.

As soon as the first wave of arrows fell, the second and third waves followed.

The fire, driven by the wind, instantly ignited the tent. The raging flames shot up into the sky, illuminating half of the sky red.

The Han camp was surrounded by a sea of fire.

The warhorses were frightened, neighing, breaking free from their reins, and running rampant in the camp.

The food and supplies were engulfed in flames, and the thick smoke made it impossible to open people's eyes.

"Form a formation! Quickly form a formation!"

The Han army general Fan Qiu rushed out of the tent, roaring loudly without even having time to put on his armor.

However, in the chaos, the soldiers were already in disarray.

Some people ran barefoot in the fire, some were crushed by the collapsed tents, and the wailing, the neighing of war horses, and the crackling of flames intertwined together, like hell on earth.

"kill--!"

At this moment, deafening shouts of killing came from all directions.

Xue Huaide took the lead and led the cavalry to rush towards the Han army camp like a tide.

The iron hooves crushed the fences, the long swords flashed coldly, and the Zhou cavalry rushed in like a tiger among a flock of sheep, killing wantonly.

"Stop them! Stop them now!"

Fan Qiu roared and swung his sword to knock down a charging Zhou cavalryman, but more enemies had already broken through the defense line.

He looked around and saw that in the firelight, the Han soldiers were fleeing in all directions like headless flies, unable to organize any effective resistance.

A blood-soaked lieutenant stumbled forward and hoarsely shouted, "General! The left wing has collapsed, and the Zhou cavalry is encircling the rear!"

Fan Qiu gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot.

He knew that the battle was lost.

If the fighting continues, all his 30,000 men will be killed here!

"Pass the message! The third battalion will cover the rear, and the rest of the troops will follow me to break through!"

"General! The third battalion has only 3,000 people and can't stop the Zhou army at all!" the deputy general shouted in despair.

"We must stop them even if we can't!" Fan Que grabbed the deputy general by the collar and roared, "Otherwise, our entire army will be wiped out!"

The deputy general gritted his teeth and finally had to obey the order and leave.

Soon, a broken Han army phalanx was barely assembled and blocked the Zhou army's pursuit.

Fan Qiu led the remaining troops, fought desperately to carve out a bloody path, and fled to the rear.

On the battlefield, the remaining Han soldiers formed a back-to-back formation, with spears like a forest, and resisted the charge of the Zhou army with all their might.

However, they were outnumbered and their defenses were quickly torn into pieces.

A Han soldier was pierced through the chest by a spear, but he still held on to the enemy tightly and used his last bit of strength to stab the dagger into the enemy's throat.

Another soldier had his legs broken by his warhorse, but he still struggled to crawl towards the enemy cavalry, biting the horse's legs with his teeth.

However, their sacrifice only delayed the end for a moment.

The Zhou army's cavalry rolled through like a torrent, and the remaining Han army was eventually wiped out, with no one surviving.

Xue Huaide reined in his horse and stood in the center of the battlefield, looking coldly at the corpses on the ground.

The night wind blew away the smoke, revealing the tattered Han army flag, standing alone in a pool of blood.

"Pass the order down. Rest for a day and continue the march tomorrow!"

"Yes!"

In the distance, the remnants of the defeated army led by Fan Qiu had already fled for dozens of miles.

The soldiers threw away their weapons and armor, many of them were wounded, and their blood dyed the ground beneath their feet red.

Fan Qiu looked back at the burning Han army camp, his fists clenched so hard that they made a creaking sound.

"Wu Zhao...Xue Huaide...this vengeance must be avenged!"

One day later, in the Han Dynasty, Weiyang Palace.

Emperor Liu Che of the Han Dynasty was discussing matters with his ministers in the palace when suddenly a guard rushed in and knelt on one knee:

"Your Majesty, urgent military report!"

Liu Che frowned, reached out to take the secret letter, opened it and took a look. His face instantly became as gloomy as iron.

"Bastard!" He slammed the table and tore the letter into pieces in anger.

Upon seeing this, Prime Minister Chen Pin hurried forward and asked, "Your Majesty, what happened?"

Liu Che gnashed his teeth, his eyes nearly brimming with rage. "How dare that foolish woman Wu Zhao actually send troops to attack our dynasty!"

Chen Pin was shocked: "Has the war already started on the front line?"

"More than just a war!"

Liu Che laughed in anger, "Our army was ambushed by the Zhou army, and we lost over 20,000 men! Fan Qu led the remaining troops in a defeat of a hundred miles, and now 200,000 Zhou troops are marching towards our heartland!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the ministers in the hall were in an uproar.

"What?! How dare the Zhou army be so rampant!"

"The main force of our army is still in Maple Leaf City and the Wei Kingdom battlefield. The domestic manpower is empty. How can we resist the 200,000-strong Zhou army?"

"It's over, it's over, what should I do now?"

In the court, the ministers were talking about it. Some were panicking, some were beating their chests and stamping their feet, and some began to blame each other.

"We shouldn't have let General Li Guang go to support Wei!"

"What's the point of saying this now? We need to find a way to deal with it!"

"Humph, it's too late to mobilize troops now!"

Liu Che listened to the ministers' quarrels and became even more annoyed. He slammed the table and said, "Enough! I called you here to find a solution, not to quarrel!"

The hall fell silent instantly.

Liu Che glanced coldly at the crowd and said, "Now the Zhou army is advancing rapidly, and our army is defeated. What do you think we should do?"

The ministers looked at each other in confusion. Finally, an old minister stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, why not recall the Duke of Protectorate?"

"no!"

Another minister immediately retorted: "The Duke of Protectorate wants to defend Maple Leaf City. If he withdraws his troops, the Chu army will surely take advantage of the situation and attack!"

"Then let General Li Guang come back?" someone else suggested, "He's the only one who can stop the Zhou army now!"

"Yes! Recall General Li Guang. We will not be involved in Wei's affairs!"

However, Prime Minister Chen Pin said in a deep voice at this time: "General Li Guang has already led his troops to Qingzhou. It will take at least ten days to send them back now. It's simply too late!"

Liu Che frowned, pondered for a moment, and finally looked at Chen Pin: "Then according to the Prime Minister, how should we respond?"

Chen Pin took a deep breath and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the only plan now is to have General Fan Que gather troops from the surrounding counties to temporarily hold off the Zhou army. At the same time, we will mobilize troops from all over the country to provide rapid reinforcements!"

Liu Che was silent for a long time, then finally nodded: "Okay, pass on my order and order General Gongsun to immediately mobilize 150,000 troops to support the front line!"

"Yes!"

Just after the ministers received the order and withdrew, a hint of coldness flashed in Liu Che's eyes.

"Wu Zhao... since you dare to send troops, don't blame me for being rude!"