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

Three days later, outside Jicheng.

Two hundred thousand Chu troops surged in like a black tide, with heavy armor and flags covering the sky, surrounding the entire Jicheng city tightly.

On the city wall, the Wei defenders gripped their longbows tightly, looking solemnly at the overwhelming enemy troops below the city, despair already rising in their hearts.

Chu Ning rode his horse and stood in front of the formation, looking up at the towering walls of Jicheng with a frown on his face.

As the capital of Wei State, Jicheng has walls that are nearly twice as high as those of ordinary cities. The wall bricks are thick, the battlements are densely covered, and the moat is several feet wide. It is obviously a tough nut to crack.

"If we attack such a tall city wall by force, I'm afraid many soldiers will be killed." Chu Ning said in a deep voice.

Guan Yun behind him heard this, his eyes filled with fighting spirit, and he immediately clasped his fists and asked for orders:

"Your Majesty, I am willing to lead the army as the vanguard to attack the city! No matter how high the city walls are, I will break through them for Your Majesty!"

Zhao Yu, Ma Chao, and Han Xing were also unwilling to fall behind, and they all stepped forward to ask for battle: "We are willing to be the vanguard!"

Chu Ning shook his head, his gaze still fixed on the city wall, and said slowly, "No hurry, let's first figure out the defense of this city. I won't let my soldiers die in vain."

At this moment, Jia Yu rode up hurriedly, his face solemn: "Your Majesty, both the Tang and Han are making big moves!"

"Speak!" Chu Ning's eyes turned cold.

"The Tang Dynasty has mobilized an army of 200,000 and is heading straight for the Wei border, frantically seizing cities!"

Jia Yu reported in a deep voice, "Sima Yi had already withdrawn all Wei's main forces to defend Jicheng, leaving the border cities empty. The Tang army easily captured three cities in just two days!"

"Bastard!"

Guan Yun roared angrily, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "Your Majesty, I demand a fight! The Tang army is taking advantage of the situation, and I am willing to lead my troops to meet them and show them the power of our Chu army!"

Ma Chao was also furious: "The Tang army is shameless. How dare they take advantage of our army when it is about to destroy Wei!"

Zhao Yu narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "It seems they are certain that we will have the final battle with the Wei army here, so they dare to be so presumptuous."

Although Han Xing didn't speak, his clenched fists showed his anger.

Chu Ning's expression remained calm, but the cold light in his eyes grew even stronger. "Where's the big man?"

Jia Yu continued, "The Emperor of the Han Dynasty has ordered the frontline troops to engage in a decisive battle with the Zhou army as soon as possible. He has also ordered Huo Quji to attack our Maple Leaf City garrison. This is obviously an attempt to buy time for the Wei Kingdom and deplete our military strength."

As soon as these words were spoken, the generals immediately calmed down.

The Tang Dynasty alone is already troublesome enough, and if the Han Dynasty is added to the mix, the situation will become even more complicated.

If we divide our forces to deal with the situation at this moment, it may affect our plan to destroy Wei.

Han Xing pondered for a moment, then stepped forward and suggested, "Your Majesty, I believe the most urgent task is to capture Jicheng as soon as possible. After destroying Wei, we can then return and deal with the Tang army."

Dividing the troops at this moment will only weaken their strength here. It is better to gather the troops and take over Jicheng first!

What's more, the walls of Jicheng are high, and a strong attack requires a lot of soldiers and horses, so we can't easily divide our troops now.

Although Guan Yun and others were unwilling, they also understood that this was the safest strategy and nodded in agreement.

However, Chu Ning sneered: "If I allow the two dynasties to act like this, won't the people of the world think that I am weak and can be bullied?"

His gaze was like lightning as he swept over the generals. He then decisively ordered, "Send my message to the Emperor of Han. If he dares to take advantage of this opportunity to engage in a decisive battle with the Zhou army, I will immediately declare war on Han after I have conquered Wei!"

The Empress of the Great Zhou had a close relationship with him, so he naturally would not watch the Zhou army perish.

Although we cannot send troops now, it is still possible to threaten Liu Che and make him hesitate.

After dealing with the Han Dynasty, it was the Tang Dynasty's turn.

"Ma Chao!"

"I'm here!" A burly general responded.

"You will lead 50,000 Canglang cavalry and rush to the border of Wei immediately."

A fierce look flashed in Chu Ning's eyes: "If we encounter a small group of Tang troops, we will directly annihilate them. If we encounter a large army, we will avoid their attack and cut off their food supply."

"In short, we must not let the Tang army have an easy time!"

Ma Chao grinned, revealing his sharp white teeth. "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will make sure the Tang army has trouble sleeping and eating!"

After saying this, he turned and rode away.

Soon, 50,000 elite cavalrymen swept towards the border like a hurricane, raising a cloud of dust.

Chu Ning retracted his gaze and looked towards Jicheng again, with a sneer on his face:

"Sima Yi, do you think you can hold me back by holding on? Little do you know that I will not only destroy your Wei Kingdom, but also let the world know the consequences of taking advantage of others' misfortunes!"

At the same time, in the Jinluan Palace of Jicheng, there was deathly silence.

Sima Yi sat high on the dragon throne, his eyes like a knife sweeping over the ministers in the hall who bowed their heads and remained silent.

The July heat wave poured into the hall through the window lattices, but it could not dispel the frozen chill in the court.

"Now that the Chu army of 200,000 is at the gates of the city, is there really no one in the court who dares to stand up and speak out?"

Sima Yi's voice echoed in the empty hall, filled with suppressed anger.

The ministers lowered their heads even more, and some elderly ministers even began to tremble slightly.

The copper clock in the corner of the hall ticked, as if timing the awkward silence.

A trace of fatigue flashed across Sima Yi's eyes, and he finally turned his gaze to Yang Gu, the Minister of War, who was standing at the head of the military commanders.

"General Yang, come and tell me what is going on now."

Yang Gu took a deep breath, and his armor made a crisp clashing sound as he stepped out of the line.

The veteran, who was nearly fifty years old, had a solemn expression on his face, but his voice was unusually steady: "Your Majesty, currently our army in the city has over 20,000 imperial guards, 15,000 county soldiers transferred back from surrounding counties, and 25,000 newly recruited men.

He hesitated for a moment and said, "Also, the servants of the masters' houses have been organized into three battalions, totaling 30,000 men."

"So, our army has a total of 90,000 people?" Sima Yi frowned slightly.

"Exactly."

Yang Gu clasped his fists and said, "Two hundred thousand Chu troops have besieged the four gates. Our army has completely cut off all routes out of the city. We have no choice but to hold on to the death."

He paused, then continued, "The defense equipment is ready. We have enough rolling logs, rocks, kerosene, and arrows to last two months."

Yang Gu's voice suddenly rose a few degrees: "As for the food and fodder, I have personally counted them. There is enough for the entire city's soldiers and civilians to eat for three months!"

Sima Yi's tense expression finally relaxed a little, and he tapped the armrest of the dragon throne with his fingers: "Very good, as long as we can hold on, our army will surely turn defeat into victory!"

"Report!"

A quick voice came.

A dusty messenger stumbled into the hall and knelt on one knee. "Your Majesty, 50,000 Chu cavalrymen outside the city suddenly broke camp and are galloping towards the border!"

There was an uproar in the hall.

Sima Yi was startled at first, then suddenly burst into laughter, with a hint of madness in his laughter:

"Great! What a great Chu Ning! He's definitely not someone who's willing to suffer a loss!"

He stood up suddenly, his dragon robe rustling behind him. "He can't bear to see the cities of the Great Wei fall into the hands of the Tang army!"

Then, the laughter stopped abruptly, and Sima Yi's face instantly turned gloomy:

"Pass on my decree. The entire city must unite to defend the city. Anyone who dares to surrender will be executed! Anyone who collaborates with the enemy will have their entire clan exterminated!"

His gaze swept across every minister in the hall, and finally stopped at the dark sky outside the hall.

The final decisive battle is coming!