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

The night was as dark as ink, the waning moon was obscured by dark clouds, leaving only a few dim stars shining on the earth.

Inside the Han army camp, flickering torches illuminated tense faces.

The soldiers gripped their weapons tightly, their eyes fixed on the darkness in the distance, as if a ferocious beast might burst out from there at any moment.

Liu Che was surrounded by his personal guards and guarded in the center. His face was as gloomy as water, and his eyes flashed with cold murderous intent.

Dugu Jia stood beside him, his slender fingers pressing on the hilt of the sword, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

"Rumble--"

The sound of horse hooves was getting closer and closer, like muffled thunder rolling over the earth, making people tremble.

At this moment, a spy came crawling over, kneeling down and reporting urgently: "Your Majesty, it's bad! A troop has appeared ahead!"

Liu Che's pupils shrank, and he asked sternly, "How many people are there? Whose banner are they flying?"

The spy's voice trembled, "About 10,000 men, all cavalry, fighting...flying the banner of the Chu Army!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Liu Che felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave, and the blood in his body seemed to solidify instantly.

"I understand..."

He muttered to himself, his voice low and hoarse: "Chu Ning deliberately didn't chase me because he had already arranged troops here!"

He clenched his fists so hard that his nails dug deep into his palms, but he felt no pain at all.

"It turns out that this meeting was Chu Ning's plan from the very beginning!"

Liu Che gnashed his teeth, his eyes blazing with rage: "He knew I would definitely join forces with the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty to deal with him, so he used himself as bait to deliberately lure Li Shiming and me here!"

"Chu Ning... so cunning!"

Seeing this, Dugu Jia hurriedly stepped forward and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, the enemy army has only 10,000 people, and our army has 18,000. They are no match for us!"

Liu Che shook his head, a solemn look flashing in his eyes. "The Chu army is composed of cavalry. The most famous cavalry in Chu are either the White Horse Cavalry or the Western Liang Iron Cavalry! We cannot deal with either of these two armies right now."

He suddenly raised his head and shouted, "Pass the order! Leave half of the men behind to cover the rear, and the others turn south!"

However, before he finished speaking——

"Fire arrows!"

In the distance, a cold voice suddenly sounded.

"Whoosh whoosh—"

In an instant, countless sharp arrows tore through the night sky and poured down like a rainstorm!

"Protect His Majesty!" Dugu Jia's face changed drastically and he shouted loudly.

The personal guards immediately raised their shields and surrounded Liu Che.

The arrows hit the shield, making a dense "ding-dong" sound and sparks flying everywhere.

Dugu Jia took the opportunity to draw his sword and looked at Liu Che with a determined gaze: "Your Majesty, please leave! I will stay behind to cover your retreat!"

Liu Che suddenly grabbed her wrist, a trace of pain flashed in his eyes: "Jia'er, you——"

"His Majesty!"

Dugu Jia interrupted him, her voice firm: "Without a commander, the Chu cavalry will break through the defense line in an instant! For your safety, I must stay!"

Liu Che wanted to say something else, but the sound of horse hooves in the distance was approaching, and he knew that he could not hesitate at this moment.

"Take care!" He shook Dugu Jia's hand vigorously, and then quickly evacuated under the escort of his personal soldiers.

Dugu Jia watched Liu Che go away until his figure disappeared into the night. Then she slowly turned around and looked forward with a sharp gaze.

"Form a formation! Archers, get ready!"

Under her command, the Han soldiers quickly assembled, with shieldmen in front, spearmen in the back, and archers ready to go.

"Fire arrows!"

"Whoosh whoosh—"

The Han army's arrows were also as dense as rain, shooting towards the charging Chu cavalry.

However, what was shocking was that the arrows bounced off the armor of the Chu cavalry, leaving only shallow scratches!

"It's heavy cavalry!" a Han army captain exclaimed in surprise.

Dugu Jia's expression suddenly changed. Heavy cavalry charges were always a nightmare on the battlefield; ordinary arrows couldn't penetrate their armor at all!

"Lancer! Hold on!" she shouted.

"boom--"

The next moment, the Chu army's cavalry rushed into the Han army camp like a torrent!

War horses neighed, swords flashed, and blood instantly dyed the earth red.

The Han soldiers fought desperately, and their spears thrust out, but they could only leave a harsh friction sound on the heavy cavalry's armor.

The Chu army's cavalry rushed forward like a crushing force, and the Han soldiers fell to the ground wherever they passed.

At the back of the battlefield, a middle-aged man in a black robe and holding a feather fan stood quietly on a high slope.

He had a thin face, deep eyes, and a faint smile on the corner of his mouth.

This person is Su Tingmei!

In the past few years, he has been cooperating with Feng Anguo to build navy and warships.

But this battle was of great importance, so Chu Ning wrote to him in advance, asking him to lead the assembled Youzhou cavalry to wait for Liu Che here!

"Your Majesty is indeed as good as a god."

He gently waved his feather fan and said calmly, "Orders, kill them all. Anyone who captures the Han Emperor alive will be rewarded with ten thousand gold and be granted the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households!"

At the command, the Chu cavalry suddenly became more motivated and attacked more fiercely.

The Han army's defense line was compressed step by step, and the soldiers fell one after another, but their resistance never stopped.

Dugu Jia rushed into the battle formation personally, holding a long sword. Her sword skills were sharp, and each sword strike accurately hit the weak points of the Chu cavalry.

"Protect the queen!" The Han soldiers roared and fought desperately to protect her.

The battle lasted from late night to dawn, and the Han army held out for five hours!

However, as the sky grew brighter, their forces became fewer and fewer.

In the end, the Han army's defense line was completely defeated, and Dugu Jia was surrounded by the Chu army.

"Mr. Su, a woman was found. She is being protected by the Han army!" A lieutenant walked quickly to Su Tingmei and reported in a low voice.

Su Tingmei frowned and slowly walked towards the surrounded Dugu Jia.

He looked her up and down, his gaze lingering for a moment on her blood-stained armor and cold face, then asked in a deep voice:

"Say who you are."

As soon as Su Tingmei's voice fell, the Chu soldiers around him immediately stepped forward, pointing their swords at Dugu Jia.

She glanced at everyone coldly, still holding the blood-stained sword in her hand, even though her knuckles had already cracked and her knuckles had turned white from clenching her fist.

"The victor will be the king and the loser will be the bandit. You can kill me or chop me up. It's all at your discretion." She stood with her head held high, her voice as cold as ice, and there was no fear in her eyes.

Upon hearing this, Su Tingmei curled up the corner of her mouth in a sneer, gently waved the feather fan in her hand, and slowly walked forward.

His eyes were as sharp as knives as he sized up the woman in front of him. Even though her armor was stained with blood and her hair was disheveled, it couldn't conceal the nobility and stubbornness between her brows.

"Such a beautiful woman, who can command an army in chaos, must be someone extraordinary."

He narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a playful tone: "Even if you don't tell me now, the Jinyiwei will be able to find out who you are."

Dugu Jia sneered, his eyes full of disdain: "Then go check it out."

Su Tingmei's smile deepened, yet it was filled with a chilling sternness: "Come here, arrest her and bring her to Leling to await His Majesty's decision!"

As soon as she finished speaking, several elite soldiers of the Chu army stepped forward, snatched the sword from her hand, tied her arms behind her back, and tied her up with ropes.

Dugu Jia did not struggle, but just stared at Su Tingmei coldly, with fire burning in his eyes.

"Take him away!" Su Tingmei waved her feather fan and turned to leave.

The soldiers escorted her to the prison cart that had been prepared long ago. The surviving Han prisoners around her looked up one after another. Some of them recognized her identity and their eyes suddenly showed grief and anger, but they were severely suppressed by the Chu army.

Dugu Jia was pushed into a prison van and his hands and feet were locked with iron chains.

She sat quietly, looking far to the south - that was the direction Liu Che evacuated.