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

Outside Yumen Pass in September, the biting northwest wind carried fine sand and gravel, whistling across the barren Gobi Desert.

As night falls, the waning moon casts a pale silver glow over the desolate border.

Chu Ning reined in his warhorse and raised his hand to signal the 2,200 cavalrymen dressed in Han army uniforms behind him to stop.

The iron armor made a tiny clash of sounds in the cold wind, the warhorses snorted uneasily, and the white mist they emitted was quickly blown away by the strong wind.

"Your Majesty, Yumen Pass is just ahead."

Zhao Yu lowered his voice and said, his face was red from the cold and a thin layer of frost formed on his eyebrows.

"Is it going according to plan?"

Chu Ning narrowed his eyes and looked at the towering city wall in the distance.

Yumen Pass is built on the mountainside, with a city wall as high as five meters, and arrow towers everywhere. The light of torches shines like stars in the night.

The figures of soldiers patrolling on the city walls were clearly visible, and the archers were on full alert.

This majestic pass is like a dormant beast, ready to devour any enemy that tries to pass through.

"Ah."

Chu Ning nodded, his voice low and firm: "Remember, we are soldiers from the Third Battalion of the Imperial Guard. We are ordered by General Li Li to break out and seek help. General Wang Xiuqi is still fighting hard in the valley."

He looked around: "Everyone check your weapons to make sure there are no flaws."

The cavalrymen quickly adjusted their imperial guard uniforms, which were stripped from the captives, some of which were still stained with dried blood.

Chu Ning deliberately made the soldiers look disheveled, and even deliberately created damages on their armor to make it look like they had experienced a fierce battle.

The cold wind grew stronger, blowing up the dust on the ground and hitting my face painfully.

Chu Ning raised his hand to block the wind and sand, thinking to himself: This bad weather is a great help, making it more difficult for the defenders to see their true faces.

"Let's start." Chu Ning nodded to a capable soldier beside him.

The soldier urged his horse forward and stopped a hundred paces from the city gate, shouting at the top of his voice, "Brothers on the city wall! We are from the Third Battalion of the Imperial Guard! Open the city gate!"

There was a commotion on the city wall, and the light of torches gathered together.

After a moment, a rough voice responded: "Do you have a token?"

The soldier who shouted was well prepared, holding up a blood-stained bronze plaque: "Here is the token! General Li Li and General Wang Xiuqi are trapped by the Chu army in Black Wind Valley. We are risking our lives to break through and seek help!"

There was silence for a moment on the city wall, and then a low conversation could be heard.

Chu Ning's hands unconsciously tightened around the reins; he could feel the tension among the soldiers behind him.

Success or failure depends on this one move. If they are discovered, they will be doomed.

Finally, that rough voice sounded again: "Wait! I'll report to General Fan!"

About a quarter of an hour later, flames blazed brightly on the city walls.

A general wearing heavy armor and with a rough face appeared on the top of the city wall. He was Fan Zhong, the commander of Yumen Pass.

He squinted his eyes and looked at the "Imperial Guards" under the city, his gaze as sharp as an eagle.

"You said General Li Li was trapped?" Fan Zhong's voice was filled with suspicion. "Why did so many people break through?"

Chu Ning's heart tightened, but he didn't show it on his face.

He urged his horse forward and replied, imitating the tone of a Forbidden Army soldier: "General, we broke through in multiple directions. The others may have already... Only our group made it out."

As he spoke, he coughed a few times on purpose, appearing extremely weak.

Fan Zhong's gaze lingered on Chu Ning for a moment, then glanced at the cavalry behind him.

In the darkness of the night, these "imperial guards" were indeed in a state of disarray, some even clutching their bleeding wounds. But Fan Zhong's brows were furrowed ever tighter.

"Who is the commander of your third battalion?" he suddenly asked.

Chu Ning was prepared: "General, it was Captain Zhang Hu, he has been killed in battle."

He lowered his head and his voice choked with sobs.

A strange look flashed across Fan Zhong's eyes, but he quickly returned to normal.

He turned around and whispered a few words to the deputy general beside him. The deputy general looked surprised, but nodded and left.

"Open the city gate!" Fan Zhong suddenly shouted, "Let the brothers in to rest!"

The heavy city gate slowly opened with the turning of the winch, and the drawbridge was slowly lowered.

Chu Ning was secretly happy, but his years of battlefield experience made him vigilant.

He noticed that Fan Zhong's expression was a little strange and the soldiers on the city wall were too nervous.

"Zhao Yu!" Chu Ning whispered, "Have the brothers at the back control the city gates to prevent any changes."

Zhao Yu understood, quietly stepped back a few steps, and made a few gestures to the cavalry behind him.

The cavalrymen understood and adjusted their formation calmly.

When Chu Ning led his army into the city gate, a biting draft blew towards them, carrying with it a strong smell of rust and blood.

The torches on the city wall flickered, casting swaying shadows on the stone walls.

Chu Ning's intuition told him that something was wrong - the defenders were too quiet, and he noticed that there were a large number of archers lying in ambush inside the city gate.

At this moment, Fan Zhong's wild laughter suddenly came from the city wall: "Hahahaha! Close the city gate!"

Chu Ning's heart was shocked and he thought to himself that this was not good.

Sure enough, Fan Zhong continued to shout, "Shoot! Kill these Chu bandits!"

Almost at the same time, Zhao Yu shouted, "Protect His Majesty!"

The spear in his hand was like a dragon emerging from the sea, stabbing fiercely at the soldiers who were closing the city gate.

The soldier was caught off guard and was shot through the chest, blood splattering on the heavy city gate.

"Charge!" Chu Ning pointed his spear, the tip of the spear gleaming coldly in the firelight: "Seize the city gate!"

More than 2,000 cavalrymen instantly burst into earth-shaking shouts of killing.

They were well prepared and immediately divided into two teams: one team rushed into the city, and the other team defended the city gate.

Arrows rained down from the city walls, and dozens of cavalrymen fell off their horses, but more had already rushed through the death zone.

Fan Zhong was so angry that his face turned blue on the city wall: "Just as I expected! These people are not the imperial guards at all!"

He yelled to his lieutenant, "Release the rolling logs! Pour hot oil! We can't let them get in!"

It turned out that Fan Zhong had been suspicious from the very beginning.

The commander of the third battalion of the imperial guards was not Zhang Hu at all, but his cousin Zhao Qian.

When Chu Ning said the wrong name, Fan Zhong confirmed their identities.

But he deliberately took advantage of the enemy's situation and let them into the city, preparing to catch them in a trap.

Chu Ning also realized his mistake at this moment, but it was too late.

Rolling logs and hot oil had already fallen from the city walls, and screams were heard one after another.

The narrow city gate became a death trap, with the cavalry crowded together, unable to advance or retreat.

"Your Majesty! This won't work!"

Zhao Yu rushed to Chu Ning's side and said in a deep voice: "We've fallen into a trap!"

Chu Ning looked around and the situation was indeed critical.

But he was a battle-hardened man after all, so he remained calm in the face of danger: "Pass the order down, abandon the attack, and everyone retreat! Use shields to cover and exit the city gate!"

The order was conveyed quickly and the well-trained cavalry immediately changed their tactics.

The front row soldiers raised their shields to form a tortoise shell formation, blocking the rain of arrows and slowly retreating out of the city.

Seeing this, Fan Zhong was furious: "Thinking about running? Not so easy! Cavalry attack! Cut off their retreat!"

The side gate of Yumen Pass suddenly opened, and a team of elite cavalry rushed out, trying to encircle Chu Ning's retreat.

The situation was extremely critical, and Chu Ning's army was caught in a dilemma of being attacked from both front and back.

At this critical moment, deafening shouts of killing suddenly came from afar.

A cavalry unit emerged from the darkness and attacked the reinforcements at Yumen Pass.

The leading general holds a long spear and looks majestic!