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

The news of the Tang army's defeat was like a gust of cold wind, sweeping across the entire Tang Dynasty in just a few days.

Inside the throne room, the flickering candlelight illuminated Li Shiming's gloomy face.

The battle report in his hand was already crumpled. Finally, anger rushed to his head and he tore the report into pieces. The scraps of paper fell like snowflakes.

"Over 100,000 people were defeated by the Chu army's internal and external forces, losing more than 8,000 people in vain!"

Li Shiming's voice was like a muffled thunder, exploding in the hall and shocking all the ministers into silence.

Such a great defeat was unprecedented for the Tang army.

Even those generals who were good at fighting were silent at this moment.

Upon seeing this, Prime Minister Changsun Wuji hurriedly stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, this matter cannot be entirely blamed on General Li Ji."

"It's really that Chu Ning is too cunning. He didn't mobilize the troops from Maple Leaf City, but instead chose the garrison in Ji City."

"The Chu army in Jicheng had just fought a major battle, and our army had always thought they were recuperating. Who could have imagined that Guan Yun would personally lead the army, cooperate with Ma Chao in the city, and catch our army off guard."

He paused, stole a glance at the emperor's expression, and when he saw that it had improved slightly, he continued:

"Fortunately, General Li Ji reacted promptly and quickly organized a retreat, otherwise our army's losses would have been even more severe."

Zhang Sun Wuji's words really worked. Li Shiming's frown relaxed slightly, but the anger in his eyes remained.

Upon seeing this, the ministers in the hall began to offer their suggestions.

The Minister of War stepped forward first and said, "Your Majesty, the most urgent matter now is how to deal with the subsequent matters."

"If we allow the Chu army to recuperate, once they gain a foothold in Wei, it will be extremely difficult for our army to recover the lost territory in the future."

"Master Hou is absolutely right!"

The Minister of Revenue echoed, "We can't delay any longer. Once the Chu army gains a foothold in Wei, it will definitely be detrimental to our Tang Dynasty."

"Your Majesty, why not seize the other cities of Wei State first?"

The Minister of Works suggested: "We should take as much as we can, but at least we can't let the Chu army take all the benefits."

There was a sudden buzz of discussion in the hall, with ministers expressing their opinions and arguing endlessly.

Some advocated immediately increasing troops and fighting again, some suggested joining forces with other forces, and others proposed a temporary truce to accumulate strength.

Li Shiming raised his hand to signal for silence. After a moment's silence, he suddenly said, "I have decided to unite with the Scorpion Tribe and have them dispatch troops to continue attacking the Chu army!"

The moment these words came out, the whole court was in uproar. The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment, as no one had expected the emperor to make such a decision.

Cooperating with the Scorpion Tribe is like trying to get the skin of a tiger.

The Scorpion Tribe has always been brutal and tyrannical, so forming an alliance with them might not be a good idea.

However, Changsun Wuji's eyes lit up, and he immediately echoed, "Your Majesty is wise! We really can't allow the Chu army to continue to grow stronger."

"This time, the Scorpion Tribe aided the State of Wei by sending 30,000 troops, but they were completely annihilated by the Chu army. I'm sure they're holding a grudge."

"If they cooperate with the Tang Dynasty, they will surely agree."

He knew his emperor well, and his decision would not be changed.

What’s more, the Fourth Prince died at the hands of Chu Emperor Chu Ning, and this blood debt must be repaid.

A cold light flashed in Li Shiming's eyes: "Very good, immediately draft a letter to send to the Scorpion Tribe!"

After the ministers left, Li Shiming stood alone in the hall, looking at the map of the territory hanging on the wall, muttering to himself:

"Chu Ning, the blood feud between you and me will be settled one day!"

At the same time, on a remote road leading to the Han-Zhou front, a seemingly ordinary caravan was moving slowly forward.

This team consisted of about a hundred people, each of them was tall and strong with sharp eyes. They were the White Horse Cavalry in disguise.

In the middle of the team, a young man dressed in luxurious businessman's clothes was particularly eye-catching. He was Chu Ning, who was doing business under an alias.

In order to go to the Han-Zhou frontier to find Wu Xiuning, Chu Ning had to take the risk of crossing the heartland of the Han Dynasty.

If he led his troops directly, it would certainly arouse the vigilance of the Han army, so he could only disguise himself as a merchant caravan and move secretly.

Suddenly, a carrier pigeon fell from the sky and landed on the shoulder of guard commander Zhao Yu.

Zhao Yu took the secret letter off the pigeon's leg, glanced at it quickly, and then rode his horse to Chu Ning's side.

"Your Majesty, General Ma Chao has sent a good news." Zhao Yu said in a low voice.

Chu Ning took the secret letter and read it carefully, a satisfied smile gradually rising from the corner of his mouth:

"As I expected, the Tang army launched an attack. Unfortunately, I had already predicted their actions."

He put the letter away and continued, "General Guan Yun and Ma Chao worked together from within and without, defeating the Tang army. If it weren't for Li Ji's quick response, the outcome of this battle would have been even more brilliant."

"Send a message to Ma Chao, telling him to continue to closely monitor the Tang army's movements."

Zhao Yu took the order and immediately started to write a reply.

Although this victory did not kill too many Tang soldiers, it did dampen the enemy's morale and made the Tang army afraid to take action for a short time.

This is the result he wanted!

As long as the Tang army doesn't dare to take action, he can focus on finding Wu Xiuning!

Thinking of his daughter, Chu Ning's face suddenly turned gloomy.

Although Wu Xiuning was smart, he was less than eight years old. He disappeared on the battlefield and no one knew where he had gone.

No, we must find her as soon as possible!

With this in mind, Chu Ning ordered someone to bring a map of the Han Dynasty and carefully study the marching route.

The guard leader stepped forward to report: "Your Majesty, we have now arrived at the outskirts of Huai'an. After passing through this city and passing through two more passes, we will continue marching for about a hundred miles and will reach the border between Han and Zhou."

Chu Ning nodded slightly: "Order the entire army to speed up and pass through Huai'an City as soon as possible."

At this moment, a burst of rapid horse hoof sounds came from far away.

Everyone looked alertly and saw a horse galloping towards them. The man on the horse was wearing the official uniform of the Han Dynasty and holding two flags. It was obviously a messenger from the Han Dynasty.

The messenger ignored this "caravan" and rushed straight towards Huai'an City, raising a cloud of dust along the way.

Chu Ning narrowed his eyes and looked at the messenger's receding back thoughtfully.

Does the sudden appearance of this Han Dynasty messenger indicate that something unexpected is about to happen?

Can this disguised team successfully pass the next level?

At this time, Zhao Yu stepped forward and reported: "Your Majesty, that man seems to be a messenger from the Han Dynasty. He hurried to Huai'an City. I wonder if he has any relationship with us."

Chu Ning raised his eyebrows. "The news of our departure must have spread. Emperor Liu Che of the Han Dynasty must have guessed that I was going to the front. He will deploy troops along the way to wait for us and will also increase the vigilance of each city."

After a pause, he suddenly sneered: "But, does he think I have no other options?"

"The entire army will be divided into ten teams, each with about 300 men. This way, the numbers will be reduced, which will surely not arouse the enemy's suspicion."

"When we pass through the city, if the enemy asks us, we should say that we escaped from the State of Wei and give them silver as a reward."