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

In Jicheng under the cover of night, flames shot up into the sky and the sounds of killing were deafening.

The sound of the Chu army's war drums echoed like thunder outside the city, and wave after wave of attacks hit the once impregnable Wei capital like a tide.

The Wei soldiers on the city wall looked haggard, but there was a glint of determination in their eyes. They knew that tonight they either defended the city or died with it.

At the east gate, the Chu army general Han Xing, wearing heavy black iron armor and holding a sharp sword, stood in front of the formation.

Behind him were five thousand elite infantrymen, their armor shining coldly in the light of torches.

Han Xing looked up at the top of the city wall, where the Wei army's archers were standing ready for battle, their arrows flashing like cold stars in the moonlight.

"Beat the drums!" Han Xing shouted, and the sound of the war drums suddenly intensified: "Ladder team, advance!"

Dozens of ladders quickly advanced towards the city wall under the cover of shield bearers.

The Wei generals on the city wall saw this and immediately shouted, "Shoot!"

Arrows rained down, and the Chu army's shields were instantly filled with arrows, but many soldiers were still shot and fell to the ground.

Seeing this, Han Xing personally picked up a huge shield and rushed to the front: "Follow me!"

He led the charge and rushed to the city under a hail of arrows.

A sharp arrow grazed his cheek, leaving a bloody mark, but he was completely unaware.

Han Xing bit the sword in his mouth, grabbed the ladder with both hands, and climbed up as agilely as a monkey.

Seeing this, the Wei army on the city wall hurriedly pushed down rolling logs and rocks.

"General, be careful!" the guards below exclaimed.

Han Xing dodged to the side, and a huge rock brushed past his armor and fell, hitting several Chu soldiers below, turning them into a bloody mess.

A trace of sadness flashed across Han Xing's eyes, but it was immediately replaced by determination.

He quickened his climbing speed, and when he was close to the top of the city wall, he suddenly jumped up, swept his sword across, and knocked two Wei soldiers off the wall.

"The Chu army is coming up to the city!" A terrified shout rang out from the Wei army.

Han Xing stood firm, and the snake spear danced with a silver light, and blood splattered wherever it passed.

More and more Chu soldiers climbed up the city wall using ladders, and the defense line of the east gate began to waver.

Upon seeing this, Wang Meng, the deputy general of the Wei army, personally drew his sword to fight Han Xing.

"Han Xing! Stop being so arrogant!" Wang Huan chopped down with his sword with great force.

Han Xing blocked with his sword, and the sound of metal clashing was deafening.

The two men engaged in a fierce battle on the narrow city wall. Amidst the flashes of swords and sabers, the surrounding soldiers retreated.

After thirty rounds, Wang Meng began to show signs of fatigue. Han Xing seized the opportunity and pierced his throat with one blow.

"General Wang is dead!" The morale of the Wei army collapsed instantly, and the east gate defense line began to collapse completely.

At the same time, the battlefield at Ximen was equally tragic.

The Chu army led by Guan Yun swept in like a hurricane, and the sound of horse hooves shook the earth.

Guan Yun, holding the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, rushed towards the city gate first.

"Fire the rockets! Burn the city gates!" Guan Yun ordered.

Hundreds of rockets streaked across the night sky, hitting the heavy city gates, and the flames spread rapidly.

The Wei army on the city wall hurriedly poured out buckets of water to try to put out the fire.

Seeing this, Guan Yun sneered and said, "Go, the door-crashing car!"

More than ten strong men pushed a huge iron-clad battering ram towards the city gate.

With a loud "bang", the city gate shook violently and cracks appeared on the door latch.

"Come again!" Guan Yun shouted.

After more than a dozen collisions, the city gate finally couldn't bear the weight and collapsed.

Guan Yun kicked his horse's belly and rushed into the city first: "Kill!"

The Qinglong Sword drew a graceful arc in the moonlight, and the three Wei soldiers guarding the gate fell to the ground.

The Chu cavalry poured into the city gate like a torrent and engaged in street fighting with the Wei army who had hastily organized a defense line.

Li Su, the Wei army's general guarding the west gate, saw that the situation was hopeless but still refused to retreat.

He gathered the last three hundred of his personal soldiers and formed a shield wall at the street corner: "My men of the Great Wei, today you will either die or live!"

Guan Yun stopped his horse and looked at the Wei army who were ready to die, with a trace of respect in his eyes.

But war is ruthless. He raised the Qinglong Sword high and said, "Charge!"

The Chu army attacked the shield wall like a tide, and long spears pierced through the gaps between the shields, and Chu soldiers kept falling off their horses.

Guan Yun personally charged into the battle, split a shield with his Qinglong sword, and chopped off the head of the soldier behind him.

During the bloody battle, Li Su was besieged by three Chu cavalrymen. He was shot several times but still fought to the death and eventually died of exhaustion.

The fierce battle at the east and west gates lasted for two full hours. When the first rays of dawn shone on the broken walls of Jicheng, the flags of the Chu army had already been planted on the towers of the east and west gates.

Deep in the palace, Emperor Sima Yi of Wei was standing at the window of the imperial study, listening to the sounds of fighting coming from afar, his face as gloomy as water.

He turned and looked at Prime Minister Cheng Yu who was kneeling on the ground, his eyes devoid of any warmth.

"My dear Minister Cheng, how are the people I asked you to arrange?" Sima Yi's voice was terrifyingly calm.

Cheng Yu raised his head and said sternly, "Your Majesty, I will be waiting in the north of the city, ready to be deployed at any time!"

Sima Yi nodded slightly, walked up to Cheng Yu, and looked down at the old minister who served him:

"Then I'll have to trouble the Prime Minister to personally lead the troops to break out from the north of the city."

As soon as these words came out, Cheng Yu's face changed drastically, and cold sweat instantly seeped out of his forehead:

"Your Majesty...you...you don't want me to go with you?"

His voice trembled and his eyes were full of disbelief.

As the prime minister, Cheng Yu certainly knew that the so-called "breakout in the north of the city" was just a trick to attract the attention of the Chu army, and the emperor's real purpose was to escape in other directions.

And now Sima Yi actually wants him to lead the army, clearly wanting him to be a scapegoat!

Sima Yi sneered and reached out to pat Cheng Yu on the shoulder. His gentle movements made Cheng Yu shiver all over.

"You are the Prime Minister. If you are found in the north of the city, Chu Ning will definitely surround you with a large army."

He leaned close to Cheng Yu's ear and whispered, "This is your time to serve the Great Wei. I believe you will not refuse, right?"

Cheng Yu's face turned pale as paper and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Over the years, he has given Sima Yi advice and eliminated dissidents, even at the cost of bearing the infamy.

And now, the monarch he served so loyally was going to discard him like a rag!

An unprecedented resentment surged in Cheng Yu's chest. He was about to refuse.

Sima Yi suddenly smiled and said, "By the way, in order to allow you, Prime Minister, to break out with peace of mind, I have also sent your family to the north of the city. You can break out with them."

This sentence was like a heavy hammer, completely defeating Cheng Yu.

His eyes widened, his lips trembled but he couldn't utter a word.

Sima Yi not only abandoned him, but also held his family hostage!

This means that even if he knows it is a dead end, he has to jump in!

Cheng Yu's nails dug deep into his palms, and blood dripped onto the carpet along the lines of his palms.

He took a deep breath, suppressed the anger and despair in his heart, and slowly bowed his head: "Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty. I will rush to the north of the city!"

When he stood up, his legs were weak and he could barely stand, but he still maintained the dignity of a prime minister and turned to walk out.

Just as he was about to step out of the imperial study, Sima Yi's calm voice came from behind him: "Zhao Feng, go with Master Cheng."

"Yes!" The commander of the imperial guards, Zhao Feng, responded and quickly followed Cheng Yu.

Cheng Yu didn't look back and didn't say anything.

He knew that Zhao Feng was Sima Yi's most trusted confidant, and was sent to monitor him while he was carrying out this deadly mission.

But at this moment, the loyal prime minister in his heart was dead, replaced by a man full of resentment after being betrayed.