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

Chu Ning stood in front of the corpse, staring at the imprisoned Dugu Jia with sharp eyes.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on her slightly disheveled clothes, but it could not conceal her innate noble temperament.

Chu Ning's lips curled up slightly, a hint of amusement on his face: "I can't believe that Emperor Liu Che of the Han Dynasty would bring his empress with him to the front lines. What a surprising habit."

His voice was neither loud nor soft, but the soldiers around him could hear it clearly.

Upon hearing this, several deputy generals also showed meaningful smiles on their faces.

Upon hearing this, Dugu Jia's pale face became even uglier. She tried to straighten her back, trying to maintain her last bit of dignity.

"However," Chu Ning approached slowly, looking down at the enemy queen, "Now that you have fallen into my hands, I should make the best use of you."

He deliberately emphasized the words "make the best use of everything", which caused the surrounding soldiers to laugh again.

A trace of fear flashed across Dugu Jia's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by stubbornness.

She pursed her lips and said nothing.

"Somebody come!"

Chu Ning suddenly turned around and ordered the guards around him, "Send a few maids to take this Han queen away and serve her well."

He deliberately emphasized the words "serve well", with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Dugu Jia was slightly stunned. She didn't expect Chu Ning to let her go.

But then, her eyes swept over the hundred captured Han soldiers, and she suddenly realized:

"These prisoners..."

"killed!"

Before she could finish, Chu Ning had already uttered two words coldly, as if he was just talking about today's weather.

At the command, the Chu army immediately brandished the sharp blades in their hands.

In an instant, screams rang out one after another, and hundreds of Han soldiers were beheaded in the yard in front of Dugu Jia.

Blood splattered on the bluestone slabs, forming a shocking red.

"No!"

Dugu Jia was furious and struggled to rush forward, but was held down firmly by the guards.

Her voice trembled with anger. "Why? Why did you kill them?"

The falling corpses and splattering blood before her eyes repeatedly stimulated her vision.

Those were soldiers she was familiar with, some of them were even palace guards of the Han Dynasty Palace.

At this moment, their lives were disappearing before her eyes.

Chu Ning's eyes turned cold, and he suddenly came to Dugu Jia's face, pinched her chin, and forced her to look directly into his eyes:

"When Liu Che and the Tang Dynasty joined forces to attack our dynasty, they should have considered the consequences of defeat!"

His voice was low and dangerous, and every word was like a sharp knife: "The deaths of these people will be blamed on your husband."

After saying this, without waiting for Dugu Jia's response, he waved his hand and said, "Take him away!"

Two maids immediately stepped forward and pulled the bound Dugu Jia away from the bloody execution ground.

After Dugu Jia was taken away, Chu Ning turned and looked at Su Tingmei who had been standing quietly beside him.

The strategist still had a calm smile on his face, and gently waved the feather fan in his hand, as if the bloody scene just now had nothing to do with him.

"Lord Su has caught a big fish this time." Chu Ning's face showed a smile again: "With this fish, perhaps I should change my plan."

Su Tingmei paused slightly as she waved her feather fan, a gleam in her eyes: "Oh? I wonder what brilliant plan Your Majesty has?"

Chu Ning stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze cast into the distance: "First, let the Jinyiwei spread the news that Dugu Jia fell into my hands."

His voice gradually deepened: "Remember, this must not only reach the ears of Liu Che, but also the ears of Li Shiming, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty."

Su Tingmei nodded thoughtfully: "Your Majesty wants to..."

"That's right!"

Chu Ning interrupted him, his eyes flashing with calculation: "Liu Che's deep affection for this queen is a well-known fact. Now that she is in our hands, Liu Che will surely be in great disarray."

Su Tingmei gently waved her feather fan: "Your Majesty, do you mean to launch the attack as soon as possible?"

"The entire army will rest for a day," Chu Ning nodded and ordered, "and then immediately march towards Suiyang! I will prepare a great gift for Liu Che there."

Su Tingmei's eyes flashed: "Your Majesty is wise. If this plan succeeds, we might be able to invade the Han Dynasty in one fell swoop!"

Chu Ning chuckled and said nothing more.

But in the tacit eye contact between the two, a plan that could change the situation of the battle was taking shape.

At the same time, Dugu Jia, who was imprisoned in the house, was curled up in the corner.

The maids followed Chu Ning's instructions and "served her well" - they didn't treat her harshly, but they also didn't let her go.

She listened to the faint sounds of soldiers talking and laughing outside, and felt angry and desperate.

She remembered Liu Che's instructions before leaving: "Jia'er, when you go to the front, you only need to comfort the soldiers' families in the rear, and you must not go to the front line."

But she insisted on joining the army, wanting to witness her husband's victory with her own eyes. Looking back now, this decision was so stupid.

"Your Majesty!" She silently repeated her husband's name in her heart, tears silently sliding down her cheeks.

Two days later, the news that the Queen of the Han Dynasty had been captured spread quickly throughout the battlefield.

A carrier pigeon flew through the morning mist and landed among the Tang army that was rushing back to the eastern battlefield.

The team led by Li Shiming himself now has only more than 10,000 remnants left, and is moving rapidly towards the battlefield in the east.

General Li Ji took the secret letter off the pigeon's foot, unfolded it, and his face suddenly changed.

"His Majesty!"

He hurriedly rode his horse to Li Shiming's side and said, "Something terrible has happened. The Queen of the Han Dynasty has fallen into Chu Ning's hands!"

Li Shiming's originally tired face suddenly tensed.

He took the letter and quickly glanced through it, then his face darkened. "I never thought Dugu Jia would be captured by Chu Ning. Liu Che must be worried now."

He turned to look at his advisor Li Shen beside him and asked, "What do you think Liu Che will do when he learns of this?"

Li Shen stroked his beard and pondered for a moment. "Your Majesty, I believe there are two possibilities. One is to immediately dispatch troops to engage the Chu army in a decisive battle. Once the Han army gains the upper hand, he can use this opportunity to negotiate with Chu Ning and exchange the queen for him."

Li Shiming nodded: "What about the second one?"

"The second option is for Liu Che to negotiate with Chu Ning immediately and pay a certain price."

Li Shen frowned as he spoke. "If the former is the case, it will be advantageous for our army. We can take advantage of the battle between the Han and Chu armies to attack the Chu army as well, creating a pincer attack."

A gleam of light flashed in Li Shiming's eyes: "Go on."

"But if it's the latter," Li Shen sighed, "it will be extremely disadvantageous to our army. Once Han and Chu reach a ceasefire, the Chu army will be able to concentrate all its efforts on our army. Your Majesty, please prepare as soon as possible!"

Li Shiming pondered for a moment after hearing this, then snorted coldly: "No matter what, I must be prepared for both situations!"

He turned to Li Ji and said, "Send a message to Zhang Gongjin, tell him to gather all the troops and await deployment!"

"Also," he added, his eyes gleaming sharply, "tell them to keep an eye on opportunities on the eastern battlefield! If the Han and Chu armies engage in battle, report to me immediately!"

"Yes!" Li Ji responded and immediately went down to pass on the message.

Li Shiming stood alone on the hillside, looking out at the eastern skyline.

He knew that the game between the three countries had reached the most critical moment.

The capture of Dugu Jia is like a stone thrown into a calm lake, which will inevitably cause ripples.

"Liu Che, Liu Che~"

He whispered to himself: "Let me see, in your heart, which is more important, the country or the beauty."