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

As night fell, the walls of Yuling City cast mottled shadows in the moonlight.

The night wind, carrying the smell of blood, swirled around the city walls, and in the distance, the faint glow of the embers of war could be seen.

Li Ge, the fourth prince of the Tang Dynasty, was tied up and escorted to the city wall by two burly Chu soldiers.

The purple-gold crown on his head had long disappeared, his long black hair was scattered messily on his shoulders, and his luxurious brocade robe was torn to shreds, revealing the blood-stained white undershirt underneath.

"Let me go! You bunch of despicable villains!" Li Ge struggled, his voice hoarse but still full of royal majesty.

His face was covered in dust and blood, and his left eye was swollen from injury, but he still held his head stubbornly.

"Chu Ning! You shameless bastard! If you give me another chance, I will tear you into pieces!"

The torches on the city wall swayed in the wind, stretching everyone's shadows.

Chu Ning was wearing a black battle robe with dragon pattern, standing with his hands behind his back, with a faint smile on his lips.

His eyes wandered over Li Ge, as if he was admiring a prey caught in a trap.

"Isn't this the Fourth Prince of the Tang Dynasty who always said, 'War is the art of deception'?"

Chu Ning's voice was deep and magnetic: "How come you are now my prisoner?"

Li Ge suddenly looked up, his eyes brimming with rage. "You despicable villain! In the battle at Luoyue Slope, it was clearly you who deliberately let Guan Yun feign defeat to lure me into a trap!"

Chu Ning suddenly burst into laughter, his laughter particularly piercing in the silent night sky: "Not bad, not stupid at all! This is indeed my plan."

He took two steps forward and looked down at Li Ge condescendingly.

"Yuling City was built by Sima Yi to be impregnable, and it was difficult for me to break through at the moment. But when I learned that you, the Fourth Prince of the Tang Dynasty, had come to Luoyue Slope, I decided to set up this trap."

Li Ge's body trembled slightly, not because of fear, but because of anger and regret.

He recalled the high spirits he had felt when he defeated Guan Yun at Luoyuepo a few days ago, his decision to pursue him despite Pei Xingjian's dissuasion, and the ecstasy he felt when he saw the beacon fire in Yuling City and thought victory was in his grasp.

"I had Guan Yun feign defeat in order to lure you, the young prince, into the game."

Chu Ning's voice penetrated into Li Ge's ears like a poisonous snake.

"You are eager to achieve great things and want to defeat me in one fell swoop. Naturally, you will not miss the opportunity to cooperate with the Wei army from within and without."

"This is the true meaning of 'the art of war is all about deception'!"

Li Geru was struck by lightning and his face turned pale instantly.

He finally realized what a fatal mistake he had made - he underestimated Chu Ning and overestimated himself.

The night wind on the city wall suddenly became biting, blowing away his last bit of pride.

Li Jing saw the worried look in his eyes and recalled the scene where Pei Xingjian knelt on the ground and made an earnest appeal.

"Pei... How is General Pei?" Li Ge's voice suddenly became low, with a barely perceptible tremor.

Jia Yu, standing aside, gently waved his feather fan and said calmly, "This man is lucky enough to have escaped with less than a thousand men, but..."

He smiled meaningfully and said, "These few remaining soldiers and defeated generals are no longer a concern."

Li Ge closed his eyes and took a long breath.

At least Pei Xingjian is still alive. He will definitely find Li Jing and bring the remaining Tang army back to the country safely.

This was the only consolation he could have after making such a big mistake.

"If you want to kill or behead me, please do as you please."

Li Ge suddenly opened his eyes and looked directly at Chu Ning: "But I warn you, if you kill me, the Tang Dynasty will never let you go!"

Chu Ning looked at the young prince with interest.

Even in such a situation, Li Ge still maintained the demeanor of a royal family, which made him have to admit that Li Shiming was indeed a good father.

"Of course I will kill you."

Chu Ning said it lightly, as if discussing the moonlight tonight.

"Not only will I kill you, I will also send your head back to Chang'an, so that Li Shimin can see the consequences of being an enemy of the Chu State."

Li Ge's pupils suddenly shrank. He didn't expect Chu Ning to be so resolute.

Two soldiers immediately stepped forward, roughly dragged him to the edge of the city wall, and pressed him against the cold parapet.

The night wind howled, ruffling his long hair and blowing away his last fantasy.

"You can't kill me!"

Li Ge finally revealed a hint of panic: "I am the prince of the Tang Dynasty! My father's favorite son! Kill me, and the million-strong Tang army will surely crush the Chu Kingdom!"

Chu Ning remained indifferent and slowly raised his right hand.

The executioner was already in position, the ghost-head knife in his hand gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

"Chu Ning! Listen!"

Li Ge suddenly shouted, "Release me, and I can persuade my father to form an alliance with the State of Chu! Together we can fight the barbarians in the north! This is much more valuable than killing me!"

Chu Ning's hand paused in the air, and a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes.

Jia Yu thought Chu Ning was hesitating, so he hurried forward and whispered, "Your Majesty, this boy is very scheming. Letting him go will lead to endless trouble."

Chu Ning chuckled and swung his right hand down violently.

A knife flashed, and a head rolled to the ground.

The blood splattered on the ancient bricks and was quickly absorbed by the dry bricks and stones, leaving only a dark red mark.

"Someone is coming."

Chu Ning's voice was emotionless. "Put Li Ge's head in a brocade box and send it to the Tang Dynasty as fast as possible. Tell Li Shimin that this is the fate of being an enemy of the Chu State."

The soldiers sprang into action.

Some people were collecting the heads, some were wiping the blood, everything was in order, as if the person just executed was not a prince, but just an ordinary prisoner of war.

Chu Ning turned and looked into the distance. The land of Wei State was vast in the night.

He suddenly asked, "Lord Jia, in your opinion, should our army march directly to the Wei capital, or should we first deal with Xu Fang's 100,000-man army?"

Jia Yu stroked his long beard and said confidently, "Your Majesty, Xu Fang leads the last elite troops of the Wei Kingdom."

"If we take the capital first, Xu Fang will surely return to rescue us. Our army will then be attacked from both sides. It would be better to encircle and annihilate Xu Fang first, and the Wei capital will naturally fall without a fight."

Chu Ning nodded slightly: "Pass the order down, the entire army will rest for three days, and then march to Dongping to encircle and suppress Xu Fang's troops!"

The Chu army then began to clean up the battlefield.

On the second day, on the official road leading to the Wei capital, Sima Yi led two thousand imperial guards in a hasty retreat.

Suddenly, the sound of hurried horse hooves came from behind.

A blood-soaked messenger stumbled over, knelt down, and cried, "Your Majesty! Yuling... The entire army of Yuling City was annihilated! Even the Fourth Prince of the Tang Dynasty was beheaded by Chu Ning!"

Sima Yi's body swayed and he almost fell off his horse.

He realized that he had fallen into a trap as early as when he saw the ambush of Guan Yun and Ma Chao in Yuling City, but he did not expect to be defeated so completely.

"Immediately send someone to notify General Xu Fang and order him to lead his troops back to the capital at all costs!"

Sima Yi's voice was hoarse and tired: "All troops, speed up! We must return to the capital before the Chu army!"

The capital is his last hope, and Xu Fang's 100,000 troops are his last main force.

He could only place all his hopes on Xu Fang and the 100,000 Wei troops.