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

In the autumn outside the Great Wall, the sky is filled with yellow sand.

The biting north wind blew up sand and gravel, which hit the armor and made a crackling sound.

At noon that day, Xue Huaide left 20,000 elite soldiers to guard Yumen Pass, and personally led 30,000 soldiers and horses, galloping towards the northwest with Chu Ning.

The cavalry was like a dragon, raising a cloud of dust.

During the march, Chu Ning always rode in front.

The figure of Wu Xiuning kept appearing in his mind - the quirky little girl, her first child.

They had agreed to go to Da Zhou to see her after the battle.

"Hurry up, faster!" Chu Ning kept urging the troops.

He knew that in this vast desert, every moment of delay could put Wu Xiuning in a more dangerous situation.

At the same time, far away in Chang'an City, the capital of the Han Dynasty, the atmosphere in the Weiyang Palace was solemn.

"Waste, all of you are a bunch of waste!" Liu Che's angry roar shook the hall.

He gripped the military report tightly in his hand, his knuckles turning white from the strain. "Not only were Li Li and his five thousand imperial guards completely annihilated, but Chu Ning also impersonated them, opened the city gate, and joined forces with Xue Huaide to capture Yumen Pass!"

When the ministers in the hall heard this, their faces changed.

Yumen Pass is a military stronghold. Once it is lost, the supply lines of the 200,000 troops on the front line will be cut off.

"Your Majesty," the Minister of War said in a trembling voice, "Once Yumen Pass is lost, the morale of our frontline soldiers may be unstable!"

"Yes, Your Majesty," the Grand Marshal hastily agreed, "We must send troops to retake Yumen Pass immediately!"

"That's right. Yumen Pass is related to our army's logistics supply. Nothing can go wrong."

"Damn Zhou Jun, I didn't expect them to collaborate with Chu Ning from the inside. How cunning!"

For a moment, all the ministers in the hall were talking at once, making a lot of noise.

Liu Che looked at the chaotic crowd of ministers in front of him, his anger growing even stronger: "Shut up, everyone!"

He kicked over the stove in the hall, sending charcoal flames flying. "Back when I wanted to transfer troops from the front lines to reinforce the defense of Yumen Pass, you all said the situation was tight at the front and Yumen Pass was impregnable! Now that something's happened, you're really worried?"

All the ministers were silent, and no one dared to look up at the emperor.

After all, when the emperor wanted to transfer troops from the front line, they strongly opposed it.

Now that something has happened, the responsibility lies with them.

For a moment, all the ministers in the hall were silent.

At this time, Prime Minister Chen Pin slowly stepped out and bowed. "Your Majesty, the most urgent task is to stabilize the situation. I believe that we can respond in three steps."

Liu Che suppressed his anger and said, "Speak!"

Chen Pin remained calm and composed: "First, immediately send a message to General Gongsun to dispatch elite troops to retake Yumen Pass."

"Secondly, notify General Huo Guang to strengthen the defenses of the Windy Plains to prevent a surprise attack by Chu Ning and the Zhou army."

Third, make every effort to search for Wu Xiuning's whereabouts. If I have this woman, she will definitely be able to contain Chu Ning."

A gleam of light flashed in Liu Che's eyes: "Just as the Prime Minister said! Send the order immediately!"

Yumen Pass must be recaptured, otherwise the food and supplies for the soldiers on the front line will not last long.

The Windy Plain must also be defended. It is not only the flank of the army, but also related to Wu Xiuning's whereabouts.

As for Wu Xiuning, he must be under control!

Two days later, at the Han-Zhou border, at the Han army camp.

Inside the central army tent, Commander Gongsun Ao unfolded an urgent military report and his expression suddenly changed.

The candlelight in the tent flickered, illuminating his ashen face.

"Someone come!" Gongsun Ao shouted in a deep voice, "Send General Jia Fu!"

A moment later, a powerful general opened the tent and entered: "This humble general greets the commander!"

General Gongsun Ao handed him a report: "Yumen Pass has been lost. His Majesty has ordered you to lead 50,000 elite troops to recapture the pass immediately!"

Jia Fu took the military report, glanced through it quickly, and then clasped his fists: "I obey your command!"

After leaving the tent, Jia Fu immediately ordered the drums to be beaten to gather the generals.

The dull sound of drums echoed over the military camp, and generals from various units quickly gathered.

"The whole army obeys the order!"

Jia Fu stood on the platform, and said in a voice as loud as a bell: "Travel lightly, bring only three days' worth of dry food, and set off in an hour!"

The military camp suddenly became lively.

The soldiers hurriedly packed their luggage and checked their weapons. The cooks worked hard to make pancakes and cook meat and prepare dry food. The grooms fed the war horses the last bit of fine feed and tightened the horseshoes.

When Jia Fu returned to his tent, the deputy general had already laid out the map.

"General," the deputy general pointed at the map and said, "There are two routes from the main camp to Yumen Pass. One is the official road, which is flat but takes a long detour, and the other is a smaller road, which is steep but saves half a day."

Jia Fu pondered for a moment and said, "Let's take the small road! Yumen Pass is a vital point, we must recapture it as soon as possible!"

At the same time, the Han army camp on the Wind Plain also received an urgent military order.

Commander Huo Guang summoned all his generals to discuss matters overnight. Inside the tent, the oil lamps flickered, illuminating the generals' solemn faces.

"Generals!" Huo Guang said in a deep voice, "We have just received a secret order from His Majesty that Chu Ning may lead his army to attack. We must be fully prepared."

A lieutenant of General Huo stepped forward and said, "There's no strategic location to defend on the plains. Why not take the initiative and attack?"

Huo Guang shook his head: "Chu Ning is a man of many tricks. A head-on confrontation might lead to him falling into his trap."

"Pass the order down. All troops, dig three trenches around the perimeter of the camp and lay out caltrops."

"The archers lay in ambush on the high ground on both sides; the cavalry hides in the woods behind, waiting for the enemy to penetrate deep before outflanking them."

The generals took the order and left. Soon, the entire military camp became busy like a hornet's nest that had been poked.

Soldiers sweated profusely as they dug trenches, craftsmen rushed to make more chevaux de frise and traps, and scout teams were sent to conduct reconnaissance further afield.

Huo Guang personally inspected the camp and checked every defensive fortification.

He knew that Chu Ning was no ordinary person, and Wu Xiuning's disappearance would make that man extremely dangerous.

"Report!"

A scout came running over and said, "General, we've spotted a large group of troops raising a cloud of dust in the southeast!"

Huo Guang's eyes flashed: "Finally they are here. Order the entire army to prepare to meet the enemy as planned!"

The night was as dark as ink. In a hidden valley on the edge of the Windy Plain, a group of men in black moved silently.

"Sir," a man in black whispered, "the place ahead is where the battle took place that day."

The leader lifted his hood, revealing a stern face - it was Mo Wushang, the commander of the Han Dynasty's secret guards.

He received secret orders from Liu Che to search for Wu Xiuning's whereabouts.

"Search thoroughly," Mo Wushang ordered. "Don't leave any inch of land untouched. If you find them alive, you must find them dead."

The men in black dispersed and searched the battlefield carefully with torches.

Under the moonlight, broken weapons and dried bloodstains can be seen everywhere, indicating that a fierce battle had taken place here.

Although some time has passed, this place is still sparsely populated and many traces still remain.

In addition, because of Wu Xiuning, Huo Guang also specifically ordered people not to come here and trample on it, so this place was preserved.

"His Majesty has decreed that whoever finds Wu Xiuning will be promoted three ranks and rewarded with a thousand gold coins!"

Mo Wushang's words excited the secret guards and they began to take action.

At this time, Chu Ning also brought Xue Huaide and the Great Zhou army to the Windy Plain.