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

The cold wind was like a knife, carrying fine snow particles and whipping the soldiers' armor, making a "ding-dang-dang" sound.

At the border in late January, the sky and the earth were vast and the mountains in the distance were like dormant beasts, looming in the gray sky.

Chu Ning reined in his horse and stood on a high slope, his black cloak fluttering in the wind.

His twenty-six-year-old face was slightly red from the cold, but it couldn't hide his eyes as sharp as an eagle.

Behind him, the Great Zhou cavalry surged like a tide, and the sound of horse hooves made the ground tremble slightly.

"Report!"

A scout galloped over and pulled the reins in front of Chu Ning. "Your Majesty, the remnants of the Han army have fled to the border between the two countries. There is a large group of Han troops ahead to support them, and archers have already formed up at the mountain pass!"

Chu Ning raised the corners of his mouth slightly, and the white air he exhaled quickly dissipated in the cold wind.

He raised his hand to signal the scouts to retreat, and glanced at the army behind him.

Although these soldiers, who originally belonged to the Great Zhou, followed him to pursue the Han army here, the expressions in their eyes were complicated and difficult to understand.

"Pass the order down, the entire army stops attacking!" Chu Ning's voice was not loud, but it was clearly heard by every general.

However, what intrigued him was that the army did not stop immediately.

The Zhou cavalry at the forefront continued to gallop, as if they had not heard his orders.

Chu Ning narrowed his eyes slightly, tapped the saddle lightly with his slender fingers, and waited quietly.

"What's going on? His Majesty has already ordered the pursuit to stop!"

Seeing this, Zhao Yu looked anxiously at his colleagues, but saw that everyone had different expressions. Some pretended not to hear, while others looked hesitant.

"Although the Zhou Dynasty was incorporated into the Chu State, why should we listen to the Chu Emperor?"

A bearded lieutenant muttered, "If the general hadn't given the order, who would be willing to follow him in pursuit?"

"That's right, we men of the Great Zhou have our own backbone!" another soldier echoed, but he couldn't help but grip the spear tighter in his hand.

Chu Ning took in all these subtle reactions.

He had anticipated this situation long ago - although these Zhou army soldiers surrendered on the surface, they were still dissatisfied in their hearts.

Today's pursuit is not only to annihilate the Han army, but also to completely subdue this powerful force.

"His Majesty said to stop the pursuit. Are you deaf?"

A thunderous roar suddenly exploded, causing pain in everyone's eardrums.

General Xue Huaide was seen riding his horse and galloping from behind, his iron-blue face full of anger.

This former number one general of the Great Zhou Dynasty was tall and strong, and his black iron armor made him stand out in the snow.

Xue Huaide's roar was like a basin of cold water poured on the heads of the restless soldiers.

The charging cavalrymen then reined in their horses and the team gradually stopped, but the air was still filled with an atmosphere of defiance.

Chu Ning chuckled and slowly rode his horse to the front of the formation.

He deliberately wore a white suit today, with a cloak embroidered with gold and black dragons on his shoulders, which made him stand out against the snowy background.

The cold wind blew up a few strands of black hair in front of his forehead, revealing a pair of eyes as unfathomable as deep pools.

"This is the first and last time."

Chu Ning's voice was low, but every word struck the soldiers' hearts like a hammer: "From now on, if anyone hesitates to obey my orders again, they will be killed without mercy!"

When the last word fell, his right hand was already on the sword at his waist.

It was a pitch-black longsword with a dark golden dragon pattern wrapped around its scabbard, emitting a cold glow under the reflection of the snow.

An invisible pressure emanated from the young emperor, and the generals closest to him shuddered involuntarily.

Only then did they realize that the emperor before them was not some kind-hearted one, but a king who really dared to attack them!

"We are rude, Your Majesty, please forgive us!" A lieutenant general was the first to kneel on one knee, with cold sweat oozing from his forehead.

Immediately afterwards, like waves, more and more soldiers knelt on the ground, and the sound of armor colliding could be heard one after another.

Even the bearded captain lowered his head, not daring to look Chu Ning in the eye.

Chu Ning nodded in satisfaction, but did not ask everyone to stand up immediately.

He needs to make this deterrent deeply imprinted in the hearts of these soldiers.

The cold wind whistled past, blowing up the snow on the ground and hitting the armor of the kneeling soldiers, making a crackling sound.

After a full half-minute, Chu Ning raised his hand and signaled everyone to stand up.

He turned and looked at the Han army camp in the distance, a gleam in his eyes.

Now that the internal problems have been temporarily resolved, it is time to deal with the external enemies.

At the mountain pass two miles away, the Han army had already formed a defensive formation.

Thousands of archers stood on makeshift wooden platforms, their arrows flashing coldly.

At the front of the formation, a silver-armored general was staring at this side coldly.

"Huo Quji is indeed not dead."

Xue Huaide whispered, with a hint of regret in his tone: "In the melee just now, he escaped."

Chu Ning smiled and said, "It's alright. I didn't expect to capture this great Han Protector of the Country in one chase."

He gently squeezed the horse's belly and slowly moved forward.

Xue Huaide hurriedly followed, and at the same time signaled a team of elite cavalry guards to his side.

As Chu Ning approached, there was an obvious commotion in the Han army.

The archers tightened their bowstrings, ready to shoot arrows at the command.

"Chun Ning!"

Huo Quji rode out, his handsome face twisted with anger: "How dare you chase me in person!"

Chu Ning reined in his horse at a safe distance, his cloak fluttering in the wind.

He looked at his old enemy, Huo Quji, whose silver armor was covered in blood and dirt. It was obvious that he had suffered a lot in the previous defeat.

"General Huo, how are you?"

Chu Ning spoke in a relaxed tone, as if chatting with an old friend: "Why, are you surprised to see me?"

Huo Quji gripped the reins tightly, his knuckles turning white. "All of this was your plan, right?"

His voice trembled slightly with anger: "Ever since the Great Zhou was incorporated into the Chu State, it was all your plan!"

Chu Ning laughed loudly, and his laughter echoed across the empty snowfield.

He raised his hand to signal the soldiers behind him to be quiet, and then he replied slowly: "The Protector of the Han Dynasty is not stupid. He actually saw that this was my plan!"

He looked around, his eyes sweeping over the faces of every soldier, his voice suddenly rising: "Yes! This has been my plan from the beginning!"

The cold wind blew the snowflakes between the two of them, forming a hazy barrier.

Huo Quji's face turned extremely ugly, and the Han soldiers behind him also became agitated, with whispers rising one after another.

"The Great Zhou was annexed by my Chu State. How could you, the Han and Tang, sit idly by and watch?"

Chu Ning continued, his voice clearly reaching everyone's ears: "You will definitely send troops to intervene, and the Tang Dynasty is too far away. At most, it can only tie down my troops in Wei. The most likely to send troops is naturally your Han Dynasty."

Huo Quji's pupils suddenly contracted as he suddenly understood something: "So you deliberately spread the rumor that you were going back to the capital of Chu?"