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

Outside Yuling City in early June, the scorching sun was burning the land that was about to be drenched in blood.

Smoke rose from the Chu army camp. After breakfast, the soldiers put on their armor and took up their weapons, preparing for a new round of siege.

The air was filled with the mixed smell of rust and sweat, and the neighing of war horses and the clashing of weapons intertwined to form a symphony unique to war.

Chu Ning stood in front of the central army tent, squinting at the towering Yuling city wall in the distance.

His face looked particularly resolute in the morning light, but there was a hint of imperceptible worry between his brows.

"Your Majesty, the catapult is ready." Zhao Yu reported with a fist salute.

Chu Ning nodded slightly. "Send the order. Attack the city as planned. We must capture the western wall today."

As the horn sounded, the Chu army's formation began to change.

Thirty catapults were slowly pushed to the front of the formation, each requiring twenty strong men to operate.

The soldiers shouted in unison and put the huge stones into leather bags.

The commander raised the red flag high and waved it down fiercely: "Fire!"

In an instant, the huge rock roared through the sky and smashed into the Yuling city wall like a meteorite.

A stone weighing hundreds of pounds hit the city wall, sending wood chips flying everywhere. Several Wei defenders had no time to dodge and were smashed to pieces.

The defenders on the city wall were thrown into chaos. Someone shouted, "Hide! The Chu army's catapults are coming again!"

Chu Ning watched the battle from a distance, a sneer appearing on the corner of his mouth.

He turned to his advisor and said, "It seems the morale of the Wei army is not as high as it was a few days ago. Order the archers to suppress them and the infantry to prepare to attack the city."

Three thousand archers marched in formation, approaching the city wall under the cover of shields.

With a command, a rain of arrows rose into the sky, as black as a swarm of locusts.

The Wei army on the top of the city wall just wanted to fight back, but they were overwhelmed by the rain of arrows and could not raise their heads.

Screams rang out one after another, and some people were shot by arrows and fell from the top of the city wall, lying like rag dolls below.

"Siege team, charge!"

The Chu army generals brandished their swords, and five thousand elite infantrymen carrying ladders rushed towards the city wall like a tide.

They wore light leather armor, carried short swords and shields, and moved nimbly through the gaps between arrows and stones.

On the city wall, Wei general Le Jing, wearing heavy armor, personally supervised the battle.

He was about forty years old, with a stern face. Seeing the fierce attack of the Chu army, he shouted: "Pour boiling oil! Release the wooden pole!"

The defenders worked together to pour the boiling oil into the pot, and the golden oil drew an arc of death in the air.

The Chu army below let out shrill screams as their skin was burned to pieces.

Immediately afterwards, thick wooden beams rolled down from the top of the city wall, smashing several ladders into pieces, and the soldiers climbing on them fell like fallen leaves.

The battle became stalemate, the Chu army suffered increasing casualties but was unable to break through the city wall.

At this moment, no one noticed that a cavalry was quietly approaching the rear camp of the Chu army.

This elite Tang army was led by the fourth prince Li Ge himself. They traveled day and night from Luoyuepo, bypassed the Yuling Mountains, and finally arrived at this critical moment.

Li Ge was only twenty-five, but already a seasoned general. He rode a pure white warhorse, clad in silver armor, and wielded a painted halberd, gleaming in the morning light.

"Your Highness, the Chu army's rear camp is poorly defended, and most of the troops are attacking the city." Deputy General Pei Xingjian reported in a low voice.

A sharp light flashed in Li Ge's eyes: "God help me, pass the order, the whole army will charge straight to Chu Ning's tent!"

As the attack horn sounded, 5,000 Tang cavalry rushed towards the Chu army's rear camp like a flood.

The sound of horse hooves shook the earth, and the dust raised formed a yellow cloud.

The Chu soldiers guarding the rear camp had just discovered the enemy situation and had no time to sound the alarm when they were shot like hedgehogs by the whistling rain of arrows.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

A centurion of the Chu army had just shouted when Li Ge struck him with his halberd and knocked him off his horse.

The Tang army's cavalry broke through the rear camp's defense line in an instant as if they were in an empty land.

Tents were trampled, food and grass were set on fire, and billowing black smoke rose into the sky.

Inside the central military tent, Chu Ning was discussing siege strategies with his generals when he suddenly heard an unusual commotion outside.

He frowned and was about to send someone to investigate when a messenger covered in blood stumbled into the tent.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty!"

The messenger knelt on the ground, breathing rapidly: "A group of Tang soldiers rushed into our rear camp, the rear camp... the rear camp has been lost!"

The generals in the tent paled at this, and Zhao Yu slammed the table and stood up, "Impossible! Why didn't our scouts give us a warning?"

Chu Ning's face instantly darkened. He raised his hand to signal for silence and calmly analyzed, "It looks like the troops from Luoyue Slope are charging towards us. They must have bypassed our reconnaissance network."

He quickly walked over to the sand table and drew a route on it with his finger. "Order, the entire army, gather up and retreat westward. The terrain there is complex, and we can escape pursuit."

The order was quickly passed down, and the Chu army attacking the city in front retreated like a receding tide.

The soldiers were puzzled as to why they had to retreat suddenly, but military orders were as firm as a mountain, so they had no choice but to give up the victory that was about to be achieved and hurriedly form a formation to retreat.

Siege equipment was abandoned on the battlefield, and some seriously injured soldiers were supported by their companions and moved with difficulty.

On the city wall, Le Jing looked at this abnormal scene with a frown.

He turned to his deputy general and asked, "Why did the Chu army suddenly retreat? Is there a trick?"

The deputy general guessed: "It might be a trick to lure the enemy out of the city and pursue them."

Just as Le Jing was hesitating, there was a commotion behind him.

The Wei Emperor Sima Yi climbed up the city wall surrounded by his personal guards.

The emperor, who was nearly fifty years old, was dressed in golden armor. Although his temples were gray, his eyes were sharp and his aura was imposing.

Le Jing quickly knelt on one knee and said, "Your Majesty! I was wondering about the sudden retreat of the Chu army."

Sima Yi did not respond to his courtesy immediately, but looked excitedly at the thick smoke rising from the Chu army camp in the distance.

A smile appeared on his lips. "General Le, there's no need to be so polite. I've received a pigeon message from Li Ge, the fourth prince of the Tang Dynasty. They will arrive here today and raid the rear camp of the Chu army."

Le Jing suddenly realized: "I see! No wonder Chu Ning withdrew his troops in such a hurry."

Sima Yi's eyes flashed with fighting spirit: "It seems that the Tang army has successfully entered the rear camp of the Chu army."

"Pass on my order. Leave 20,000 men to defend the city. The rest of the troops must leave the city and cooperate with the Tang army to attack the Chu army! Today is the best opportunity to defeat the enemy!"

Following Sima Yi's order, the Yuling city gate slowly opened.

Eighty thousand elite Wei troops poured out of the city gate like a flood, with drums thundering and shouts of killing shaking the sky.

Rushing in the front were the heavy cavalry led by Le Jing himself. Their iron hooves stepped over the temporary pontoon bridge over the moat and attacked the flank of the retreating Chu army.

At the same time, the Tang army led by Li Ge had completely defeated the Chu army's rear camp defenders and was advancing towards the central army.

He raised his Fang Tian Hua Ji high and announced in a resounding voice, "Whoever kills Chu Ning will be rewarded with ten thousand gold coins and be granted the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households!"

This reward greatly boosted the morale of the Tang army, and the soldiers pounced on the defeated Chu army like wolves and tigers.

The sounds of arrows piercing the air, swords clashing, and dying screams intertwined together. The battlefield was littered with corpses and blood flowed like a river.

Chu Ning retreated westward under the protection of his personal guards. He looked back at the chaotic battlefield with a solemn expression.

Zhao Yu rode closer and said, "Your Majesty, the Wei army has left the city in pursuit. Our army is under attack from both sides!"

"Order the cavalry archers to cover the rear, and the main force to continue retreating westward."

Chu Ning gave the order in a deep voice: "As long as we enter the West Mountain Gorge, we can escape the pursuers."

However, the situation was more critical than Chu Ning had expected.

The Tang cavalry, led by Li Ge, was unstoppable and had broken through two lines of defense.

A Tang army lieutenant spotted Chu Ning's dragon flag and shouted excitedly, "Chu Ning is there!"

Upon hearing this, Li Ge immediately turned his horse around and led his elite guards to attack Chu Ning.

The two armies fought fiercely on the battlefield.

Chu Ning's guards fought desperately, but the Tang army had the advantage in numbers and gradually formed a siege.