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

Two days later, in a big city on the border between the Han Dynasty and Wei, Liu Che finally received the news.

It was extremely hot in Hao City in July. In the pavilion in the backyard of the palace, Liu Che and Dugu Jia were playing chess.

The sound of cicadas chirping one after another makes people feel upset.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Liu Che's forehead, and the black piece in his hand was still not dropped.

Dugu Jialuo rolled up her sleeves, revealing half of her snow-white arm, but the white piece at her fingertips was always hanging above the chessboard.

"Your Majesty is absent-minded today." Dugu Jia said softly, with a hint of resentment in his voice.

Ever since she was rescued, her eyes have always been vague, as if covered by a layer of mist.

Liu Che was about to answer when the sound of hurried footsteps broke the tranquility of the courtyard.

Duke Protector Huo Quji strode forward in black armor, his heavy boots making dull sounds as they stepped on the bluestone slabs.

As he bowed, the armor clashed with each other, making a harsh metallic sound.

"Your Majesty, Queen, something terrible has happened!"

Huo Quji's voice was filled with anxiety: "The King of Zhao, Chu Kuang, has been ambushed by the Scorpion Tribe and his life hangs by a thread! Chu Ning is personally leading an army of 100,000 and is about to reach the Tang army!"

The black piece in Liu Che's hand fell onto the chessboard with a "pop".

He stood up suddenly, and his sleeve knocked over the teacup, and the scalding tea spread all over the chessboard.

"Is the information reliable?" His voice suddenly turned cold.

Huo Quji presented a secret letter with both hands: "This is a handwritten letter from Zhang Gongjin, a counselor of the Tang Dynasty."

Liu Che took the letter and found that his palms were sweaty when his fingertips touched the letter paper.

He quickly browsed the contents of the letter, and a sneer gradually appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Chu Kuang was almost killed, and now he is poisoned and dying. No wonder Chu Ning is so angry and wants to fight a decisive battle with the Tang army!"

"This is good news for our dynasty!"

"What a Li Shiming! He's trying to kill someone with a borrowed knife."

Dugu Jia suddenly grabbed Liu Che's sleeve and said, "Your Majesty, this is a godsend opportunity! We can send our troops!"

"Send a message to Gongsun Ao."

Liu Che interrupted her, his voice stern: "Immediately command the navy and eliminate the Chu navy in the territory."

Huo Quji's eyes flashed: "Your Majesty is wise! While the main force of the Chu army is advancing eastward, it is a good time to recover lost territory!"

"Don't be careless." Dugu Jia suddenly interrupted, his voice filled with anxiety: "Han Xing and Guan Yun are still watching covetously."

"I am willing to personally monitor the situation!" Huo Quji said with a fist clasped, and his armor made clanging sounds with his movements.

Liu Che nodded slightly: "Thank you, Duke Protector of the Country."

After Huo Quji left, he turned to Dugu Jia and found that her nails had dug deep into her palms.

"Your Majesty, why don't you take this opportunity to attack Han Xing?" Dugu Jia's voice trembled slightly. "They occupy ten of our border towns!"

"Now that the Chu army in the east has come out in full force to prepare for a decisive battle with the Tang army, our army can take this opportunity to attack Han Xing and Guan Yun in the west!"

"They have now occupied many of our cities. If we seize the opportunity to send troops, we can defeat them one by one!"

Han Xing and Guan Yun's combined troops are indeed large, but now because they have to divide their troops to guard the city, they can just defeat them one by one!

But Liu Che suddenly reached out and grasped her cold wrist: "What do you think, Queen, is the reason why Chu Ning came out in full force?"

"Empress, if you were Chu Ning, would you not have thought that I would send troops at this moment?"

"If my guess is correct, he must have already ordered Han Xing and Guan Yun to prepare. Perhaps he is waiting for our troops to fall into their trap."

Dugu Jia's face suddenly turned pale: "So that's how it is, it was my fault for being reckless."

Liu Che noticed that her lips were trembling slightly, and he couldn't help but sigh: "I will remember your hatred in my heart, but now is not the time!"

Dugu Jia was indifferent.

Seeing this, Liu Che frowned and pulled her downstairs to have dinner.

For some reason, he found out that Dugu Jia had been wanting revenge since he was rescued, and that was why he had been with him all this time!

It seems that I still need to find an opportunity to send Dugu Jia back. The front line is too dangerous.

And on the second day after Liu Che received the news, Chu Ning led the vanguard troops to the outside of the Tang army camp.

While he sent out spies to investigate the situation, he himself led a group of soldiers to look out at the Tang army camp.

The Tang army camp was covered in dust under the scorching sun.

Chu Ning reined in his horse and stood on a high slope, squinting his eyes and looking at the camp in the distance.

The heat wave distorted the air, making the Tang army's flags look like they were swaying in the water.

"Your Majesty, please look." Deputy General Chen An pointed to the distance: "That is the Tang army's Black Armor Army."

Chu Ning looked in the direction his finger was pointing.

Inside the Tang army camp, teams of soldiers in black armor were training, their spears like a forest, flashing coldly in the sunlight.

Their movements were in perfect unison, and their shouts of killing shook the earth.

"They are indeed elite. I witnessed their strength in Leling City."

Chu Ning gently stroked the mane of his mount. The white horse snorted impatiently, obviously also tormented by the hot weather.

At this time, a scout came galloping over, and the sweat on the horse's body sparkled in the sun.

"Report!"

The scout dismounted and said, "The Tang army has set up hidden pits and iron chains three miles away. There seem to be ambushes on the high ground on both sides!"

"Within three miles of the Tang army camp, all the hidden pits were laid, and the surface was covered with dry grass and loose soil."

"And over there, there are iron chains set up to deal with cavalry."

"Also, there seem to be ambushes on the high ground on both sides!"

Chu Ning was not surprised to hear this. He sneered and said, "Li Shiming is indeed cautious. But does he think he can deal with me like this?"

He had never underestimated Li Shiming, so he was not surprised that the other party would make arrangements in advance.

He turned his head to look at the right wing of the Tang camp. The flags there were different from those of the Tang army. Cavalrymen in leather armor could be vaguely seen taking shelter in the shade of trees.

"Where are the Scorpion Cavalry?"

"Your Majesty, they are on the right wing of the Tang army, about 15,000 men."

A cold light flashed in Chu Ning's eyes: "Very good."

He waved his hand violently, "Pass the order down, set up camp, and also..."

His voice suddenly dropped. "Tell the crossbow battalion to prepare the rockets. Tomorrow I'm going to let these scorpions taste the heat of fire."

Chen An was shocked when he heard this: "Your Majesty, it is the height of summer now, the grass and trees are dry, if we use fire, we will probably burn ourselves."

"It is fire that is needed."

Chu Ning interrupted him, a cruel smile on his face: "This July sun is the best fuel for combustion."

"As for whether it will burn us, huh, can't you judge the wind direction yourself?"

In the distance, a horn suddenly sounded in the Tang army camp.

Chu Ning looked up and saw a group of golden-armored cavalry passing by the commander-in-chief's tent. The leading general stood tall and straight, shining brightly under the scorching sun.

"Li Shiming, wait!" Chu Ning whispered the name, his voice filled with cold murderous intent.