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

Two days later, in the Zhou army tent, Chu Ning sat in the main seat, tapping the table lightly with his slender fingers.

Seven-year-old Wu Xiuning knelt beside the tent, her bright eyes looking outside from time to time.

When generals Xue Huaide, Wang Xiaojie and others lifted the curtain, the little princess immediately smiled sweetly.

"Seeing that all the generals are so happy, I believe this battle will be a great victory." Wu Xiuning's childish voice was filled with a calmness that did not match his age.

Xue Huaide knelt on one knee, the blood still wet on his armor. "In reply to the princess, our army annihilated 50,000 Han troops in this battle. Although we lost over 36,000 soldiers, we burned the enemy's food and supplies, making it impossible for them to attack again within six months."

He turned to Wang Xiaojie and said, "This is all thanks to General Wang who led the special forces to burn down the Han army's granary."

Wang Xiaojie laughed heartily, the scar on his face trembling. "The credit goes to Her Royal Highness. If Her Highness hadn't discovered that secret path, how could I have pulled off this surprise attack?"

Wu Xiuning's eyes curved into crescents, and she tapped the table with her small hand. "All the generals have made contributions. I will report the truth to the Queen Mother after returning to the court."

She suddenly turned to Chu Ning, a hint of reluctance flashing in her eyes: "Now that the Han army has retreated to Yumen Pass, are you going back to Chu?"

Chu Ning raised the corner of his lips slightly, and reached out to rub his daughter's head: "No, this time I want to go back to the Zhou Dynasty with you."

He looked around at the generals and said in a clear voice, "Some things should be made public."

The tent fell silent. The generals looked at each other in bewilderment. Although rumors had long circulated that Wu Xiuning was the daughter of Chu Ning and the Zhou Dynasty Empress, hearing the Emperor of Chu personally admit it was still shocking.

Xue Huaide's helmet almost fell from his hand, and Wang Xiaojie's eyes widened.

Wu Xiuning rolled his eyes and asked, "What exactly is it?"

Chu Ning smiled mysteriously: "It has something to do with you, but I can't tell you now."

Now the only hostile forces in the world are the Han Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty. He only needs to incorporate the Zhou Dynasty into his territory, and it will be easy to deal with the Han Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty in the end.

Of course, incorporating the Great Zhou Dynasty into the territory cannot be achieved overnight, it needs to be done step by step.

The first thing to do is to acknowledge Wu Xiuning as his daughter!

Then, he stood up and walked towards the tent, his dark dragon robe gleaming with dark patterns in the candlelight. "General Xue, we need to leave 50,000 elite troops here to guard against a Han army counterattack."

Xue Huaide clasped his fists and replied, "Your Majesty the Emperor of Chu has been very thoughtful. The Han army will not accept this defeat. I have already prepared to leave 50,000 troops to garrison this place."

Chu Ning nodded slightly, and his back disappeared from everyone's sight.

Wu Xiuning's eyes rolled and he immediately chased after him.

After Chu Ning left, there was a lot of discussion in the tent.

Wang Xiaojie lowered his voice and asked Xue Huaide: "General, is the rumor true? The princess is the daughter of Her Majesty the Empress and the Emperor of Chu..."

Xue Huaide glared at him and said, "Be careful with your words! How can we, like you, rashly discuss matters concerning the imperial family?"

At the same time, inside Yumen Pass, the conference room was filled with a depressing atmosphere.

Gongsun Ao sat upright in the main seat, his originally upright body now slightly hunched.

In the candlelight, the face of this veteran who once dominated the battlefield was covered with tired wrinkles.

"The defeat in this battle is my fault."

Gongsun Ao's voice was hoarse and dry, like sandpaper rubbing against the ground. "Of the three hundred thousand troops, eighty thousand were killed, and all the food and fodder was destroyed."

When he said this, he suddenly started coughing violently. His personal guard quickly handed him a handkerchief, which was stained with blood.

Deputy General Zou Ming knelt down and said, "General! I am willing to return to Chang'an with you to apologize!"

"Marshal, we are all responsible for this defeat. You can't take it all on yourself!"

"Yes, Marshal, this is unfair to you!"

"General, I am willing to go back with you to explain to His Majesty!"

"Yes, I am willing to go back with you."

Gongsun Ao shook his head slowly and glanced at the generals who had followed him for many years.

He saw the bloodshot in every soldier's eyes and the unwillingness in their eyes.

"No need."

He struggled to stand up, his armor making a dull clanging sound. "General Zou will guard Yumen Pass, and the rest of the troops will retreat to Yong'an and Huai'an."

Having said this, he suddenly staggered and had to hold on to the table to steady himself.

The generals then noticed that their commander had a head full of white hair and the hand holding the sword was trembling slightly.

Gongsun Ao, who once could scare thousands of soldiers with a roar in front of the battle line, is now like an old pine tree ravaged by wind and snow.

Yan Liang stepped forward with red eyes: "General, Chu Ning is still in the Zhou army. If we can kill him..."

"enough!"

Gongsun Ao suddenly shouted, then sat down dejectedly: "Chu Ning... is indeed a rare talent that only appears once in a century."

He smiled bitterly and shook his head: "I am not as good as him!"

These words seemed to drain the last of his energy.

When Gongsun Ao dragged his heavy steps out of the conference room, his back was hunched like an ordinary old man.

In the moonlight, his sword fell to the ground with a clang, but he didn't even bend down to pick it up.

As for Chu Ning, he used to think that the rumors were too bizarre.

No matter how powerful a person is, the information on the battlefield is constantly changing, and Chu Ning cannot always be invincible.

He has always been dissatisfied with Chu Ning and even wanted to compete with him.

But after this incident, he realized how wrong he was.

Chu Ning is indeed amazing.

Even beyond his expectations!

Whether it was rushing thousands of miles here to find Wu Xiuning, or using strategies to capture several cities, or destroying the 5,000 Han Dynasty imperial guards who were pursuing them, these were enough to show Chu Ning's strength.

After this battle, he was completely convinced!

At the hour of Mao the next day, before daybreak, three galloping horses rushed out of Yumen Pass.

Gongsun Ao only brought two personal soldiers with him and rushed towards Chang'an City.

He knew that the generals were worried about him, and he didn't want them to feel guilty about his departure, so he chose to leave secretly without notifying anyone.

In the cold wind, Gongsun Ao wrapped his cloak tightly, but couldn't stop coughing.

The defeat in this battle completely drained him of energy and spirit, and he looked as if he had aged by ten years.

"Marshal, do you want to rest for a while?" the personal soldier asked worriedly.

Gongsun Ao looked at the towering city walls in the distance and murmured, "No need. I need to go and apologize to His Majesty."

This time when he returned, he had already thought about his own fate and was afraid that he would never be able to return to the battlefield again.

It is even possible that you will spend your entire life in prison.

On another official road, the triumphant army of the Zhou Dynasty was marching forward in a mighty force.

Chu Ning was riding on his horse when he suddenly turned around to look in the direction of Yumen Pass, a faint smile appearing on the corner of his mouth.

"What is your Majesty thinking about?" Zhao Yu asked cautiously.

Chu Ning stroked the horse's mane gently: "I think Gongsun Ao should set off for Chang'an now."

After saying this, Chu Ning rode his horse forward.

The sunlight shone on the black dragon robe, casting a long shadow on the ground, like a black dragon ready to strike.