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

In early September in Chang'an, the glazed tiles of the Weiyang Palace shone with a dazzling golden light under the scorching sun.

Although it was already autumn, the afterglow of summer still raged. The icy mist spewed out from the mouths of the bronze beasts surrounding the hall had long since melted away, leaving only puddles of water silently evaporating in the scorching air.

Liu Che sat upright on the dragon throne, his bright yellow dragon robe soaked with sweat on his back, but he was completely unaware.

His fingers tapped lightly on the armrest, his eyes swept over the ministers in the hall with a burning look, and there was a hint of excitement at the corner of his mouth that was hard to conceal.

"My dear ministers!"

His voice echoed through the hall: "News has arrived from the front lines: Princess Wu Xiuning of the Great Zhou has gone missing! Our soldiers are searching with all their might. What are your thoughts on this?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Minister of Rites stood up impatiently.

He was nearly sixty years old, with gray hair and beard, but he was in good spirits, and at this moment his face was filled with a flattering smile:

"Your Majesty, this is a God-given opportunity! Wu Xiuning is the illegitimate offspring of the Empress of the Great Zhou and the Emperor of the Chu State, Chu Ning. Now her life or death is uncertain, and those two must be the most anxious."

The Minister of Revenue followed suit, rubbing his fat palms together, a shrewd glint in his small eyes:

"Lord Zhao is absolutely right. In my humble opinion, Chu Ning might go to the front lines himself to look for his daughter. If that's the case... hehe..."

"Hahaha!"

A burly general suddenly burst into laughter, his voice as loud as a bell.

He was rubbing his hands together, unable to conceal his excitement. "If Chu Ning really dares to come, I will personally twist his head off! Your Majesty, please allow me to lead my troops to set up an ambush along the way!"

"The general is also willing to go!"

"I invite you to fight!"

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If Chu Ning really gives up the occupation of Wei State and goes to the Han Zhou front, it will give them the opportunity to defeat the opponent.

Capturing an emperor alive is a great achievement.

As military generals, they all want to achieve great things, let alone such unparalleled achievements!

The hall was immediately in an uproar, with the generals vying for orders.

The civil officials were whispering to each other, their faces filled with excitement.

Liu Che looked at this scene and felt secretly proud.

He seemed to have seen Chu Ning falling into the trap and the Great Chu falling apart as a result.

In this heated atmosphere, a guard rushed into the hall in a panic and knelt on one knee:

"Your Majesty! Urgent military report from eight hundred miles away!"

Liu Che frowned and said, "Speak."

"Spies report urgently that the Chu army has breached the Wei capital. Emperor Sima Yi of Wei and his son Sima Zhao have been beheaded!"

"what?"

Liu Che stood up suddenly, and the cuff of his dragon robe overturned the teacup on the table.

The scalding tea splashed on his hands, but he was completely unaware.

The hall suddenly fell silent.

The ministers who had been so elated just now now looked pale, and some old ministers even staggered back and nearly fell.

"This is impossible!"

The Minister of Revenue was the first to recover. He shouted, "The walls of the Wei capital are high and the moats are deep. How could it fall in just one month?"

The soldier rested his forehead on the ground, his voice trembling, "My lord, the Chu army has cut off the city's water supply, and the people are in chaos. The Emperor of Wei... the Emperor of Wei..."

"Speak!" Liu Che said sternly.

"The Emperor of Wei intended to use Cheng Yu as a scapegoat, but Cheng Yu saw through his plan. Cheng Yu defected and surrendered to the Chu army, revealing the Emperor's whereabouts."

"madness!"

Liu Che punched the armrest of the dragon throne, his knuckles turning white.

He was thinking rapidly in his mind: With the fall of Wei, Chu would no longer have any worries and would definitely give its full support to Zhou.

The original plan of being the fisherman who benefits turned into a situation where he was attacked from all sides.

There was deathly silence in the hall.

The ministers who were so excited just now were now as sad as if they had lost their parents, and their excitement was gone.

If the State of Wei had not been destroyed yet, Chu Ning would take his men to find Wu Xiuning, and they could attack the State of Wei from both sides.

But now that the Wei State has been destroyed, the Chu Army has freed up its hands, and the next target to be dealt with is their Han Dynasty!

Sweat dripped down the ministers' temples, but no one dared to raise their hands to wipe it off.

Liu Che's sinister gaze swept over everyone, finally settling on the soldier: "What are the current movements of the Chu army?"

"Your Majesty, the main force is still resting in the Wei capital, but..."

The soldier swallowed hard. "An elite cavalry unit has been moving towards our border. The spies tried to follow them, but were discovered and have now lost their trace."

"What?" The Minister of Revenue jumped up again. "How many troops are there?"

"About 3,000 light cavalry, operating in an extremely covert manner."

This sentence was like a piece of red-hot iron thrown into cold water.

The hall suddenly exploded.

"Chu Ning must have learned of his daughter's disappearance and personally led his troops to look for her!"

"Three thousand people? Humph, they're simply walking into a trap!"

"Your Majesty, this opportunity cannot be missed!"

"Now that Wei has been destroyed, the Chu army must be in need of rest and recuperation. Why not take this opportunity to capture this 3,000-man Chu army?"

Liu Che raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet.

He narrowed his eyes, his thoughts racing.

Chu Ning is a master of military strategy and would never be so reckless.

But if Chu Ning really came in person, the temptation would be too great.

Once Chu Ning is captured, the Chu army will surely be thrown into disarray. Then he can join forces with the Tang Dynasty and annihilate the Chu army.

Moreover, although the Chu army has captured the capital of Wei, they have suffered casualties during the siege and need to recuperate after the battle.

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!

If you miss this opportunity, it will be difficult to win over Chu Ning in the future.

What's more, this Chu army of 3,000 people came to the territory of the Han Dynasty. Regardless of whether Chu Ning was among them or not, he could not sit idly by.

"General Li Li." Liu Che suddenly spoke.

A burly general stepped forward and said, "I am here!"

"I order you to lead five thousand imperial guards and immediately set up an ambush on the official roads and all the smaller roads leading to the border."

Liu Che's voice was icy cold: "Remember, it's better to kill someone by mistake than to let him go!"

"I obey your command!" Li Li clasped his fists and accepted the order, then turned around and strode away, his armor clanging.

Liu Che's gaze turned to Prime Minister Chen Pin, who had remained silent.

This veteran of three dynasties was currently twisting his beard with a frown on his face.

"Chen Aiqing."

Chen Pin slowly raised his head, a trace of worry flashing in his cloudy eyes: "The old minister is here."

"Convey my decree, ordering all prefectures and counties along the way to strictly investigate the movements of this Chu army. In addition..."

Liu Che paused, a cold light flashing in his eyes: "Send more scouts to search for Wu Xiuning, and make sure to capture him alive!"

"I obey your order." Chen Pin bowed deeply and sighed imperceptibly as he turned around.

After all the ministers left, Liu Che stood alone in the empty hall.

The setting sun shone through the window lattice, stretching his shadow very long.

He looked at the map of the territory hanging on the wall, and the location of Wei State had been crossed out with a red pen.

"Chun Ning!"

He muttered to himself, his fingers unconsciously stroking the jade pendant at his waist: "This time, I will make you pay with blood."

How could he forget the blood feud of the 50,000-strong army of the Han Dynasty?

If Chu Ning really came, he would keep him at all costs!

Even if it means going to war with the State of Chu!