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

Three days later, the sky in the east was just beginning to turn pale, and a biting cold wind blew past, carrying the snow that had not melted last night.

Huo Quji reined in his horse and stood in front of the formation, his black iron armor gleaming coldly in the morning light.

He narrowed his eyes and looked at the camp in the distance that had been recaptured by the Zhou army, with a sneer on his face.

At the same time, in the Great Zhou military camp.

"Report——!"

A spy stumbled into the central army tent, knelt on one knee, and said in a hoarse voice: "General, something terrible has happened! Huo Quji is personally leading a large army and is less than five miles away from our camp!"

Xue Huaide, who was studying a military book, slammed the bamboo slips in his hand shut. He stood up suddenly, and his black iron armor made a crisp collision sound.

"Prepare the horses!" he shouted in a deep voice, striding out of the tent.

Outside the tent, a cold wind blew in my face, mixed with fine snow particles.

Xue Huaide squinted his eyes and could see billowing smoke and dust on the distant horizon.

He quickly climbed up to the observation tower and clearly saw the scarlet flag at the forefront of the Han army formation and the spirited young general under his flag.

"It's indeed him." Xue Huaide said coldly, his knuckles turning white from the force.

The deputy general beside him said nervously: "General, the enemy is coming with great force, should we..."

"Why panic!"

Xue Huaide interrupted coldly, "Send the order to all camps: Archers and crossbowmen stand on the walls, heavily armored soldiers guard the camp gates, and cavalry stand by."

His voice was steady and powerful, like a reassurance.

The captain took the order and left, but Xue Huaide still stood on the lookout tower.

He stared at the Han army approaching, and suddenly sneered: "Huo Quji, today I will let you see what the true art of war is."

The cold wind blew his armor, making it rustle.

Behind him, the Zhou army soldiers had already taken their positions, with their swords drawn and arrows strung, ready for battle.

The sound of war drums came from afar, getting louder and louder, like the footsteps of approaching death.

Outside the camp, the Han army arrived two miles away.

"All troops—form!"

With Huo Quji's order, the war drums sounded like thunder.

The Han army's formation unfolded like a tide, with the front row consisting of heavy infantry holding huge shields, followed by densely packed archers, and further back were cavalry phalanxes ready to attack.

"Fire arrows!"

Thousands of strong bows were drawn at the same time, and arrows poured out like a rainstorm.

The sky suddenly darkened, and dense black spots blocked out the morning light.

"Raise your shields! Raise your shields quickly!" Inside the Zhou army camp, the captain roared at the top of his lungs.

The soldiers hurriedly raised their shields, and the rain of arrows hit the wooden shields with a "thump thump" sound, making a teeth-grinding sound. However, many arrows still passed through the gaps, and screams rang out one after another.

"Infantry charge!"

An earth-shaking shout erupted from the Han army formation.

The soldiers in the front row carried huge logs three meters long, while the soldiers in the back row pushed heavy battering rams, rushing towards the camp like a tide.

"Release the rolling log!" Xue Huaide shouted sternly from the lookout tower.

A huge log rolled out of the camp and smashed the Han soldiers at the front into a bloody mess.

But the following soldiers continued to charge, stepping on the corpses of their companions, and soon someone rushed to the front of the camp.

"Up! Up!"

The Han soldiers bit their steel knives and climbed up using their hands and feet.

The Zhou army in the camp desperately stabbed outward with spears in an attempt to repel the Han army's attack.

Soldiers were constantly being killed and falling, letting out shrill screams.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, the battering ram finally broke open the camp gate. Amidst flying wood chips, the Han army's heavy infantry poured in like a tide.

In the open space inside the camp gate, soldiers from both sides instantly engaged in a fight.

Amidst the flashing of swords and the shadow of sabers, blood continuously splattered on the snow, dyeing the white snow into a glaring red.

"Guard the gap!" A centurion of the Zhou army roared and blocked the camp gate with his personal soldiers.

The spear in his hand stabbed out like a poisonous snake, piercing the throats of three Han soldiers in succession.

"court death!"

A strong man of the Han army swung his axe and chopped down the centurion in half with one blow, including his shield.

Blood and internal organs splattered out, scaring the surrounding Zhou army soldiers into retreating.

But soon more Zhou troops came rushing in. The two sides engaged in a brutal tug-of-war at the narrow camp gate. The corpses soon piled up like a mountain, and the following soldiers had to step on the corpses to continue fighting.

"Cavalry charge!"

Huo Quji seized the opportunity and ordered his cavalry to attack.

Two thousand cavalrymen swept across the battlefield like a whirlwind, their horses' hooves sending snow flying.

The cavalrymen drew their bows and arrows on their horses, and the arrows rained down on the Zhou army archers on the wall.

"Ah!" A Zhou army archer was hit in the eye by an arrow and fell to the ground with a scream.

The cavalry rushed to the camp gate and dismounted to join the melee.

They held scimitars in their hands and charged left and right in the crowd, causing waves of blood to surge wherever they passed.

"Shoot! Stop them!" Xue Huaide's eyes turned red with anxiety on the lookout tower.

The Zhou army's archers fired desperately, but the Han cavalry had already infiltrated their own formation, making them hesitant to act rashly.

As more and more Han troops poured in, the battle gradually developed deeper into the camp.

The two sides engaged in brutal street fighting between tents and next to stables.

"Kill one and we'll break even, kill two and we'll make a profit!" An old Zhou soldier roared, and chopped down three Han soldiers in succession with the long sword in his hand.

His armor had long been broken and he was covered in blood, but he still fought to the death.

"Go to hell!" A captain of the Han army attacked from the side and pierced the old soldier's chest with a spear.

The old soldier held the gun tightly, blood foaming from his mouth, and dragged the captain to the ground. The two men wrestled in a pool of blood.

Such scenes were played out throughout the camp.

Fierce fighting was taking place in every tent and on every path, and blood formed streams, meandering across the frozen ground.

Late in the evening, the Zhou army's defense line, which had been fighting fiercely for a day, finally began to collapse.

"General, the East Camp has been lost!"

"West Camp is in danger!"

"The granary is burning!"

Bad news came one after another, and Xue Huaide's face turned pale. He looked at the increasing number of Han troops in the camp and knew that the situation was hopeless.

"Order, retreat, all troops." He gave the order with difficulty: "Retreat to the border."

"Report! The Zhou army has begun to flee!"

Huo Quji was overjoyed upon hearing this and was about to order a pursuit, but his deputy general Zhou Bo hurriedly dissuaded him, "Hold on, Lord Protector! Xue Huaide is cunning and treacherous, I'm afraid there's an ambush."

"ambush?"

Huo Quji sneered, "You saw it during the fight just now. The main force of the Zhou army is here. Even the reserves have been deployed to fight. How could they have the strength to set up an ambush?"

"But……"

"No need to say more!"

Huo Quji interrupted with a wave of his hand: "The opportunity for battle is fleeting. Order the entire army to pursue and kill Xue Huaide!"

Zhou Bo wanted to persuade him again, but he saw that Huo Quji had already mounted his horse, so he could only sigh and follow.

The Han cavalry swept out like a hurricane, chasing and killing the fleeing Zhou army.

The snowfield was filled with fleeing Zhou soldiers, who were constantly being caught up and falling in pools of blood, screaming.

Xue Huaide fought and retreated under the protection of his personal guards.

He looked back at the Han army that was pursuing him relentlessly, and a cold light flashed in his eyes.

"Faster! Faster!" He kept urging his mount, but a barely perceptible smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Huo Quji took the lead, his battle robe stained red with blood.

He looked at Xue Huaide who was fleeing in panic in front of him and laughed loudly: "Xue Huaide! Today is the day you die!"

The cold wind howled, carrying the smell of blood into the distance.

The two armies, one chasing and the other fleeing, left a long bloody trail on the snowfield.