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

Jia Yu stood behind him, his black robe looking very gloomy in the candlelight. "General Han, there is no guarantee of victory in war, but I can be sure of one thing - if we do not take action, the losses will only be greater."

Han Xing gave a bitter laugh: "Yes, as a general, sometimes you have to jump into a trap even though you know it's a trap."

He turned to face Jia Yu, "Master Jia, how many spies does the Jinyiwei have on the Han side?"

"Not much, but enough to convey key intelligence."

A gleam of light flashed in Jia Yu's eyes. "I have already ordered people to closely monitor Huo Quji's movements. If he makes any unusual moves, we will be informed immediately."

Han Xing nodded and patted Jia Yu on the shoulder. "Thank you for your help. If you can overcome this crisis, I will commend you to His Majesty."

Jia Yu bowed slightly and said, "I dare not take credit for anything. I only wish to be loyal to the State of Chu."

The wind and snow outside were getting stronger. The cold wind came in through the cracks in the window, causing the candlelight to flicker.

Han Xing looked at the dancing flames, his mind full of thoughts.

He knew that a great war concerning the fate of the Chu State was about to begin, and every decision he made at this moment could affect the life and death of thousands of soldiers.

"General Han!"

Jia Yu gently reminded: "Time is pressing. I will arrange the information transmission immediately."

Han Xing came back to his senses and said, "Go ahead. Remember, be quick."

Jia Yu bowed and left, his black robe flashing at the door like a ghost blending into the night.

Han Xing stood alone in the hall, listening to the sounds of troop movements, the generals' orders, and the never-ending sound of the wind.

He took a deep breath, reached out to smooth the map on the table, and began to carefully study the marching route and possible battlefield situation.

An hour later, the west gate of Jicheng was opened, and the four armies set out one after another in the wind and snow, galloping towards their respective destinations.

Han Xing stood on the city wall, watching the army disappear into the vast snowy night, the expression on his face even colder than the wind.

"Send the order!"

He said to his deputy general beside him: "Strengthen the city defenses and prepare for battle. The Tang army is coming with great force this time. We must prepare for the worst."

The deputy general clasped his fists and left.

Han Xing stood alone in the snow, gazing at the dark horizon in the distance, and muttered to himself, "Your Majesty, I will do my utmost to defend every inch of the land of Great Chu!"

The cold wind howled, blowing up the snow on the ground, like the flashing of swords on the battlefield, foreshadowing the coming bloody storm.

The cold wind howled and the snow fell heavily.

Zhou Meng led 5,000 elite soldiers and marched quickly along the rugged mountain road to Qingcheng for support.

The snow particles hit the iron armor, making a crackling sound, and the warhorse's breath condensed into white mist in the cold air.

"Report——!"

A horse was galloping towards them from the front. The scout on the horse was covered in snow and had a solemn expression on his face.

Zhou Meng reined in his horse and raised his hand, and the entire army stopped immediately.

"General, we've discovered Tang army ambushes on both sides of the valley three miles ahead!"

The scout reported breathlessly, "They've cut down trees and set up roadblocks. Archers are hiding on the cliffs on both sides, waiting for our army to enter an ambush!"

Zhou Meng sneered, a fierce look flashing in his eyes. "There really is an ambush! Did the Tang army think we would be defenseless in the snow?"

He turned to his lieutenant and ordered, "Pass the order down. Put the entire army on alert. Shield bearers in front, archers in support. The cavalry will split into two groups and attack both sides of the valley!"

When the Tang army's ambush troops saw the Chu army suddenly stop, they knew their whereabouts were exposed and simply stopped hiding.

A horn sounded, and arrows rained down from the cliffs on both sides!

"Raise your shield!" Zhou Meng roared.

The Chu army's shieldmen quickly formed up, with iron shields stacked up layer by layer, and arrows dinging and dinging on the shields.

At the same time, the Chu army archers drew their longbows and fired a volley of shots in response, and screams were heard from the cliff.

"kill!"

Zhou Meng swung his long sword, and the Chu cavalry ambushed on both wings suddenly rushed out, like two sharp knives piercing the flanks of the Tang army.

The Tang army obviously did not expect that the Chu army was well prepared, and their formation was in chaos.

On the snow, swords flashed and shadows crisscrossed, war horses neighed, and blood dyed the snow red.

Zhou Meng personally rushed into the enemy camp, swept his long sword, and killed several people in a row.

Seeing that the ambush failed and they were surrounded instead, the Tang army generals hurriedly ordered a retreat.

"Chase!"

Zhou Meng shouted, but the deputy general quickly dissuaded him: "General, the road is dangerous in the snow, there might be a second ambush!"

Zhou Meng narrowed his eyes at the fleeing Tang army and snorted coldly: "They run fast!"

At the same time, Liu Yun led the light cavalry to take a shortcut to Baishui City.

His troops were marching very fast, but just as they entered a cedar forest, the scouts ahead suddenly blew a warning horn!

"General, there's movement in the forest!"

Liu Yun's eyes flashed, and he raised his hand to signal the entire army to stop.

He listened carefully, and sure enough, he heard a slight rustling sound in the snow - the sound of ambushes moving in the snow!

"The entire army is on alert!"

Liu Yun shouted softly and made a secret gesture at the same time, asking the archers to quietly aim at the shadows in the forest.

"Fire arrows!"

"Whoosh whoosh—"

A hail of arrows instantly covered the snowy forest, and screams erupted! Dozens of Tang army ambushers leaped out of the snowdrifts, but it was too late; the Chu army's arrows had already locked onto them.

"Kill out!"

Seeing that the ambush had failed, the Tang army generals led their troops out and the two sides engaged in hand-to-hand combat in the snowy forest.

Liu Yun's sword was as fast as lightning, killing three people in a row. The Tang army was defeated step by step and finally fled in panic, leaving behind dozens of corpses.

"keep going!"

Liu Yun sheathed his sword and said coldly, "Since the Tang army has set up an ambush here, it means the battle situation in Mingshui City is urgent. We must speed up!"

Ma Zhuo's troops were ambushed by the Tang army while crossing the river.

The river was frozen, and the Tang cavalry took advantage of the Chu army's halfway point to rush over from the opposite bank!

"Form a line! Spearmen in front!" Ma Zhuo remained calm in the face of danger and quickly commanded the soldiers to form a defensive formation.

The Tang army's cavalry came stepping on the ice, and the ice surface crackled with the vibrations of their horses' hooves.

Seeing the enemy approaching, Ma Zhuo roared, "Shoot!"

Arrows rained down, and the front-row Tang cavalry were thrown to the ground, but the follow-up troops still charged forward frantically.

The two sides fought on the glacier, the flash of swords reflected on the snow, and the blood dyed the ice red.

"We can't let them disrupt the formation!" Ma Zhuo personally took up his sword and went into battle, knocking down a Tang cavalryman with one blow.

The morale of the Chu army was greatly boosted, and they forced the Tang army to retreat.

"Retreat!" Seeing that the attack failed, the Tang army general had no choice but to order a retreat.

Ma Zhuo looked at the fleeing enemy troops and sneered, "Thinking about launching a surprise attack while we're crossing the river? Unfortunately, you've picked the wrong opponent!"

Meanwhile, Wang Jin led his troops on a night march when a scout suddenly reported, "General, there's a fire on the hillside ahead. It looks like a Tang army camp!"

Wang Jin squinted his eyes and saw, as expected, a bonfire flickering faintly on the distant hillside.

He pondered for a moment and sneered, "The Tang army wants to wait for us to pass by and attack us? Then we should strike first!"

He ordered the entire army to extinguish their torches and approach quietly.

Sure enough, hundreds of Tang soldiers were lying in ambush on the hillside, waiting for the Chu army to enter the ambush circle.

"Kill!" Wang Jin suddenly shouted, and the Chu army rushed directly up the hillside like a tiger out of a cage!

The Tang army was caught off guard and responded hastily, but the Chu army attacked fiercely and defeated the enemy in just a quarter of an hour.

The Tang army threw away their weapons and fled in all directions.

"Clear the battlefield and move on!"

Wang Jin sheathed his sword, his eyes flashing coldly. "Since the Tang army has set up ambushes everywhere, it means their forces are scattered. This is a good time for us to counterattack!"

The four armies successively repelled the ambushes and successfully reached their respective target cities.

That night, the four generals sent messengers to report the battle situation to Han Xing.

After reading the battle report, Han Xing smiled slightly. "The Tang army thought they could delay us with an ambush? Unfortunately, they underestimated the vigilance of our Chu army!"

Jia Yu nodded: "It seems that the Tang army is only feinting. The real battle is probably still on the border of Zhou."

Han Xing's eyes darkened. "Pass the order down, prepare the entire army for battle. The real enemy may be here soon!"

The wind and snow are still blowing, but the Chu army's fighting spirit is even more fierce than the cold wind!