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

The next day, outside Qingcheng, the sky was low and covered with dark clouds, as if foreshadowing the coming of a bloody battle.

On the distant horizon, the Tang army’s flags were like a forest, their iron armor reflected the cold light, and the mighty army was surging like a tide.

Under the banner of the central army, Emperor Li Shiming of the Tang Dynasty sat upright on his warhorse, gazing grimly in the direction of Qingcheng.

He was wearing golden armor, with the emperor's sword hanging from his waist, and he exuded an aura of majesty without even being angry.

"Your Majesty, the vanguard has arrived at the city. Should we attack it immediately?" A messenger knelt down to report.

Li Shiming nodded slightly and said in a deep voice, "Send a message to Li Ji, tell the vanguard to conduct a test first. If the Chu army comes out of the city to fight, we must tie them up to buy time for the follow-up army."

"Yes!" The messenger took the order and left.

At the same time, in the vanguard army, the commander Li Ji was wearing black armor, holding a long spear, and scanning the Qingcheng ahead with sharp eyes.

He sneered and said to the deputy general beside him: "If the Chu army dares to leave the city, let them taste the power of our Tang Dynasty cavalry!"

The deputy general clasped his fists and replied, "Don't worry, General. I have already ordered the cavalry to be ready and ready to charge at any time!"

On the Qingcheng city wall, Chu Kuang, the King of Zhao of the Chu army, stood with his hands behind his back, looking solemnly at the Tang army approaching outside the city.

He was wearing a crimson battle robe, with a sword at his waist, and there was an unruly and domineering look between his brows.

"Report - the vanguard of the Tang army has arrived at the city and seems to be planning to attack!" A scout came running and knelt on one knee to report.

Chu Kuang snorted coldly and said, "How dare a mere vanguard army act so presumptuously in Qingcheng?"

He turned to the deputy general beside him and said, "Pass the order down, have the brothers outside the city go up to meet them and see how strong the Tang army is!"

The deputy general hesitated and said, "Your Highness, the Tang army is coming with great force. I'm afraid there will be an ambush. How about..."

Chu Kuang waved his hand to interrupt him, sneering, "I, Chu Kuang, have fought on the battlefield for many years. How could I ever be afraid of the Tang army? Send the order, and go to battle!"

As the horn sounded, the gate of Qingcheng slowly opened, and thousands of Chu cavalry rushed out and headed straight for the vanguard of the Tang army.

When the two armies met, the sound of killing shook the sky and the flashes of swords and the shadows of knives intertwined into one.

However, the Chu army soon discovered that the Tang army before them was not an ordinary vanguard force, but an elite cavalry whose combat effectiveness far exceeded expectations.

The Chu cavalry gradually fell into a disadvantage in the confrontation and casualties began to increase.

On the city wall, Chu Kuang frowned, thinking to himself: "Oh no, this is actually the main force of the Tang army!"

He waved his hand fiercely and shouted, "Sound the retreat! All the brothers outside the city must retreat back inside!"

Accompanied by the rapid sound of the bugle, the Chu army outside the city immediately turned their horses around and retreated towards the city gate as if they had been pardoned.

Seeing this, Li Ji raised a cold smile, swung his spear, and shouted, "Chase! Don't let them escape!"

Upon receiving the order, the Tang cavalry immediately rode in pursuit, their iron hooves stamping the ground and raising a cloud of dust.

However, just when the Tang army was within an arrow's reach of the city, the Chu Kuang on the city wall suddenly revealed a sinister smile and swung his right hand fiercely:

"Fire arrows!"

In an instant, thousands of arrows were fired from the city walls, and the dense rain of arrows poured down like locusts. The Tang cavalry at the forefront were immediately thrown to the ground, and screams were heard everywhere.

Li Ji saw this and immediately reined in his horse, saying coldly, "Sure enough, they're prepared! This Chu Kuang doesn't look like a fool!"

He turned to his deputy general and said, "Order the archers to provide cover, the infantry to advance, and the siege warriors to prepare the ladders and siege vehicles!"

The deputy general took the order and left. Soon, the deafening sound of war drums rang out from the Tang army. Archers lined up and rushed forward, shooting a rain of arrows at the city wall to suppress the counterattack of the Chu army.

At the same time, the infantry phalanx carried ladders, pushed siege vehicles, and rushed towards the city wall with shouts.

On the walls of Qingcheng, the Chu army soldiers were on full alert, with rolling logs, stones, hot oil and gold juice already prepared.

Chu Kuang stood on the city wall, staring at the approaching Tang army with cold eyes.

"put!"

With an order, the Chu army's city defense equipment was activated one after another, and rolling logs and stones fell from the city walls. The Tang army infantry who were rushing in the front were immediately smashed into a bloody mess.

Hot oil poured down, and then the lit torches turned the area under the city wall into a sea of fire, and screams resounded through the sky.

However, the Tang army's offensive did not weaken. The subsequent infantry continued to charge forward, stepping on the corpses of their companions.

Ladders were placed on the city walls one after another, and Tang soldiers climbed up like ants, engaging in fierce hand-to-hand combat with the Chu army on the wall.

Amidst the flashing of swords and the shadow of sabers, blood splattered and corpses kept falling from the city walls.

The Tang army's offensive came in wave after wave, as if it would never end.

Although the Chu army fought hard, it gradually showed signs of fatigue in the face of the repeated attacks of the elite Tang army.

On the city wall, the Chu army general Ma Chao narrowed his eyes, looking at the endless Tang army camp outside the city, secretly calculating in his heart.

He quickly walked to Chu Kuang's side, clasped his fists and said, "Your Highness, the King of Zhao, the Tang army is well prepared. They are constantly attacking the city in shifts, and our army is not yet fully prepared. If this continues, there may be accidents."

Chu Kuang raised his eyebrows and asked, "General Ma, what do you think?"

Ma Chao said in a deep voice, "I am willing to lead the Xiliang cavalry out of the city through the north gate, attack the Tang army's flank, and disrupt their formation!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Kuang grinned and said, "I originally wanted to lead the troops out of the city to fight, but His Majesty has ordered that I cannot take risks lightly."

"In that case, this matter will be handed over to General Ma!"

Although he wanted to fight, he understood that his identity was different from before.

In the past, he was just an insignificant prince. At that time, there were eighteen princes in the Chu State, and one less prince would not make a difference.

But now, he has become one of the few princes, and is also the commander-in-chief of a large army.

If he charged into the battlefield as he did before, if an accident happened, not only would he lose his life, but it might also affect the morale of the entire army.

Ma Chao's eyes flashed with excitement when he heard this, and he clasped his fists and said, "I will definitely live up to your trust, Your Highness!"

Three quarters of an hour later, at the north gate of Qingcheng.

On the streets, 10,000 Xiliang cavalrymen have assembled.

This cavalry was divided into heavy armor and light armor. The heavy armor cavalry was covered in iron armor, and their horses were also covered in scale armor. When charging, they were like a torrent of steel; the light armor cavalry was flexible and swift, and good at flanking and encircling.

Ma Chao was wearing black armor, holding a spear, and standing in front of the formation on horseback.

He glanced at his soldiers with a sharp gaze and said loudly: "My fellow soldiers, the time has come to make great achievements!"

"Tang Emperor Li Shiming is just outside the city. If we can break through the Tang army's formation and capture Li Shiming alive, our names will surely go down in history!"

Upon hearing this, the blood of the soldiers boiled. They raised their weapons high and shouted in unison: "Capture Li Shiming alive! Capture Li Shiming alive!"

Ma Chao laughed loudly and pointed his spear towards the outside of the city: "Open the gate! Follow me and kill the enemy!"

The heavy city gate slowly opened, and the Xiliang cavalry rushed out like a hurricane, the sound of horse hooves shook the earth, and the murderous aura soared into the sky!