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

A few days later, at the border of Wei State, the Tang army camp.

The autumn wind blew dust across the military camp, and the battle flags fluttered.

Commander Li Ji stood in the military tent, holding a gold-plated secret letter in his hand. His face flickered in the candlelight.

The generals in the tent stood solemnly on both sides, wearing armor and staring at him with burning eyes.

"Generals!"

Li Ji spoke slowly, his voice low and steady: "Your Majesty has ordered that Princess Wu Xiuning of the Great Zhou Dynasty has disappeared on the front lines. Emperor Chu Ning of the State of Chu is personally leading 3,000 cavalrymen to search for her. Our army must seize this opportunity to seize the cities of the State of Wei, and even take over the capital!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the generals in the tent were immediately excited!

"Hahaha! God help me too!"

A burly general slammed the table and stood up, his voice as loud as a bell: "Chu Ning is not in the army. The Chu army is leaderless. This is a great opportunity for our army to attack!"

"Not bad!"

Another general sneered, "Although the Chu army is strong, it is now divided into two, one in Qingcheng and the other in Weidu. The forces are scattered. We have 200,000 elite troops, so why should we be afraid?"

"The last general invites you to fight!"

"The last general is willing to be a pioneer!"

The generals pleaded for orders one after another, greed and fighting spirit flashing in their eyes.

Although the State of Wei was destroyed, the city was still there. If we could seize it while the Chu army was still unstable, we could not only expand our territory by thousands of miles, but also severely damage the morale of the Chu army!

However, just as everyone was excited, a calm voice suddenly sounded:

"General, I believe that this matter requires caution."

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw the counselor Zhang Gongjin with a frown and a serious expression.

Zhang Gongjin stepped forward slowly, bowed, and said, "General, we shall obey your Majesty's orders, but first, we must thoroughly investigate the entire military movement."

"Humph!"

A hot-tempered general snorted coldly: "There are clearly only two Chu armies now, one in Qingcheng and one in Weidu. What else is there to investigate?"

"Master Zhang is being too cautious!"

Another person sneered: "The opportunity for battle is fleeting. If we wait for Chu Ning to come back, it will be difficult for our army to take action!"

"Yes, Lord Zhang, you are not afraid, are you?" someone asked sarcastically.

No one wants to miss such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but now that Zhang Gongjin openly opposes it, they are naturally unwilling to do so.

For a moment, the angry shouts of the generals were heard in the tent.

Li Ji frowned and slammed the table: "Silence!"

The tent suddenly became quiet.

Li Ji glanced at everyone coldly: "Master Zhang is also doing this for the good of our dynasty, so he should be cautious!"

"Besides, this battle is of great importance and cannot afford to fail. Naturally, we should be more careful."

After saying this, he turned to look at Zhang Gongjin, "Master Zhang, please continue."

Zhang Gongjin took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Generals, have you ever thought about where the 100,000 Chu troops in Maple Leaf City are now?"

"Maple Leaf City?" Everyone was stunned.

"Maple Leaf City is less than three hundred miles away from here. If the Chu army secretly mobilizes troops, it will arrive in just a few days!"

Zhang Gongjin's eyes were sharp: "Chu Ning has always been cunning and is very good at setting ambushes. If our army attacks rashly, it is very likely that we will fall into an ambush!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of the generals in the tent changed suddenly.

They indeed ignored the Chu army in Maple Leaf City!

If the 100,000-strong army arrives quietly and forms a siege with the Chu army in Qingcheng and Weidu, the Tang army will be attacked from both sides!

For a moment, the tent was completely silent, with only the flickering candlelight illuminating everyone's uncertain expressions.

Li Ji was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly: "Master Zhang is absolutely right."

He stood up, his eyes sharp as a knife: "Pass the order - all troops prepare for battle, and send more scouts to investigate the movements of the Maple Leaf City Chu army!"

"Yes!"

"I will obey your orders!"

All the generals responded in unison, no longer showing their previous disrespect.

After the generals left, Li Ji stood alone in the tent, staring at the hanging military map. He tapped the location of Maple Leaf City with his finger, and a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

"Chu Ning...what are you planning?"

Although he was also worried that Chu Ning had a backup plan, he had to follow the orders of his emperor.

What's more, he also felt that this was an opportunity. While the Chu army needed to rest after the battle, he could take advantage of the opportunity to conquer the Wei State!

The current Chu State is really too powerful. It has conquered five dynasties in succession in recent years. It is so powerful that no one can stop it.

If this continues, the Chu army will sooner or later reach the territory of the Tang Dynasty.

Instead of waiting until that day, it is better to take the initiative now.

But he still couldn't figure out why Chu Ning dared to leave Jicheng.

He didn't quite believe that it was just to find Wu Xiuning.

He felt that this might be a trick played by Chu Ning to attract the Tang army to attack.

The most likely possibility is that Chu Ning secretly mobilized the troops from Maple Leaf City to rush here!

But that's not right. There are troops from the Han Dynasty in Maple Leaf City. If the troops from Maple Leaf City leave, the Han army cannot be unaware of it.

Either the Chu army did not mobilize, or the Han army deliberately concealed it!

But no matter which point it was, he understood that he must not be careless in this battle, otherwise he would lose everything.

At the same time, Qingcheng.

The night was dark, and the torches on the city walls were like stars, reflecting the eerie iron armor.

Ma Chao, the chief general of the Chu army, stood in the conference room, holding a secret letter in his hand, with a sneer on his face.

The generals in the hall stood in silence, the candlelight shining on their solemn faces.

"Generals!"

Ma Chao spoke slowly, "His Majesty has personally led three thousand elite troops to search for Princess Xiuning, but before leaving, he left a secret order."

The generals held their breath.

"Your Majesty has predicted that the Tang army will seize the opportunity to attack!"

"what?"

Deputy General Ma Ji's face changed: "Our army now only has more than 47,000 people. If the Tang army of 200,000 troops approaches, how can we resist?"

"Yes, our army is mostly cavalry, which makes it difficult to defend the city!"

The generals were worried and talked about it.

However, Ma Chao suddenly laughed.

"Don't worry, everyone." A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes: "Your Majesty has already made arrangements."

"If the Tang army dares to come..." He clenched his fists fiercely, "I will make sure they never return!"

The generals looked at each other, then suddenly realized and the desire to fight was lit in their eyes.

"Send the order!"

Ma Chao shouted sternly, "All troops, prepare for battle! Strengthen the city defenses and prepare to meet the enemy!"

"Yes!"

The generals took orders and left, their footsteps echoing on the bluestone slabs.

Ma Chao stood alone in front of the window, looking at the dark night in the distance, and the smile on his lips became colder.

"Li Ji... please don't let me down."

The night was darker.

Inside the Tang army camp, scouts rode their horses at full speed, shuttling between the camps.

Inside Qingcheng, the Chu army quietly mobilized, with bows and crossbows strung and swords unsheathed, and their momentum was as high as a rainbow.

The mountains in the distance were like giant beasts crawling, silently watching the battle that was about to break out.

The autumn wind howled, picked up a dead leaf, and let it fall on the wilderness between the two armies.

War is imminent.