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

At noon, the scorching sun burned the earth, and the dry hot wind blew up sand and dust, forming a dim barrier between the Tang and Chu armies.

In front of the Chu army, war drums were beating like thunder and trumpets were blaring.

The dark army spread out like a tide and approached the Tang army camp in three directions.

Under the central army flag, Chu Ning, wearing black armor, stared coldly at the Tang army camp in the distance.

"Your Majesty, the gate of the Tang army camp is closed tightly, it seems that they have been prepared for this." Chen An rode his horse closer and reminded in a low voice.

Chu Ning sneered, "If Li Shiming really thinks he can stop me with just a few traps, then he underestimates the Chu army."

He raised his hand and shouted sternly: "Order the three armies - attack!"

The main force of the Chu army advanced slowly, with heavy armored infantry lined up in front, spears like a forest, and shields like a wall.

However, just when the vanguard troops entered the three miles of the Tang army camp.

"Boom!" With a muffled sound, the ground under the feet of several soldiers in the front row suddenly collapsed and they fell into a deep pit!

"There's a trap!"

A captain yelled, but it was too late. Soldiers one after another stepped into the pit, and the sharp wooden spikes at the bottom of the pit instantly pierced their bodies, and screams rang out one after another.

At the Tang army camp, Li Shiming stood with his hands behind his back, a cold smile on his face: "Chu Ning, I want to see how you can break this 'earth trap'!"

However, the Chu army did not panic.

"Stop!" A veteran general in the center of the army shouted, then waved his hand and signaled, "Scouts, move forward!"

Dozens of lightly armed infantrymen quickly stepped out, poking the ground with their poles to detect the location of the hidden pit.

Every time a place is discovered, a small red flag is planted as a mark.

Chu Ning narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "Li Shiming, do you think I would step into your trap without any preparation?"

He suddenly raised his hand: "Crossbow ready - fire!"

"Om-!"

Dozens of crossbow carts fired at the same time, and crossbow arrows as thick as a child's arm whizzed out and pierced into the wooden fence of the Tang army camp.

A rope was tied to the tail of the arrow, and the elite soldiers of the Chu army climbed up the rope and rushed towards the wall of the village like wolves and tigers!

Li Shiming's face changed: "Not good! They want to storm the gate!"

"Archer! Release!"

The Tang army rained down arrows, but the Chu army's shield formation had already been erected, and the arrows were bounced off with a "ding ding dang dang" sound.

"Your Majesty, the Chu army's attack is too fierce. I'm afraid we can't hold the front!" a deputy general said anxiously.

Li Shiming gritted his teeth and said, "Move the rear battalion's reserve troops up! No matter what, the front line must not be lost!"

On the southern battlefield, the Chu cavalry swept in like a hurricane, and the ground was shaken slightly by the sound of their horses' hooves.

However, just as the cavalry charged to two hundred steps in front of the Tang army camp—

"Crash!" Several iron chains as thick as arms suddenly popped up from the ground, spanning the cavalry's charge route!

"Whoa!" The cavalryman who was rushing in the front had no time to rein in his horse. His horse's front hoof was tripped, and both the man and the horse fell heavily to the ground.

The cavalry in the rear were unable to stop in time and collided with them one after another. For a moment, people and horses fell to the ground and screamed in pain.

On the wall of the Tang army camp, Qin Qiong laughed heartily: "The Chu army's cavalry is nothing more than this!"

However, his smile did not last long, as a sharp whistle suddenly sounded from the Chu army.

"Disperse!"

At a command from the cavalry commander, the cavalry that was originally charging densely dispersed instantly, turning into several small teams, and passed through the gaps between the iron chains!

At the same time, the Chu army pushed out several strange chariots from behind, with huge iron plows installed in front of the chariots. They rolled over the ground fiercely and plowed out all the buried iron chains!

"What?" Qin Qiong's eyes widened. "They actually have a rope-breaking car?"

Chen An, the deputy commander of the Chu cavalry, sneered and swung his sword: "My men, charge in!"

Now that the iron chains were broken, the cavalry was no longer hindered and rushed towards the Tang army's southern camp like a torrent!

On the northern battlefield, the Chu army's infantry advanced steadily, seemingly defenseless.

Helian Kuang, the leader of the Scorpion Clan, stood on the high ground and grinned grimly, "The Chu army has fallen into our trap! Prepare the ambush—release the arrows!"

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!" Countless Scorpion archers suddenly appeared on the high ground on both sides, and a rain of arrows poured down like an overwhelming force!

However, the Chu army's infantry was not in disarray at all.

"Raise your shield!"

At the command of Zhao Yu, who was in charge of this side, the soldiers quickly raised their specially made double-layer shields, and the arrows were blocked with a "ding ding dang dang" sound.

"Kerosene can—throw!"

Suddenly, dozens of pottery jars flew out from the Chu army's formation, smashed heavily on the high ground, and exploded with a "bang", splashing kerosene everywhere!

"Rockets—fire!"

"Whoosh!" A rocket streaked across the sky, and the moment it landed - "Boom!" Flames soared into the sky, and the high ground instantly turned into a sea of fire!

"Ah——!" The scorpion ambushers screamed and rolled out of the fire, their formation in chaos.

Helian Kuang's eyes were bloodshot: "How did the Chu army know the location of the ambush?!"

Of course he didn't know that Chu Ning had already sent out scouts last night to find out the Tang army's deployment in the north!

On the three battlefields, all the Tang army's traps were broken!

"Report! The South Camp has been breached by cavalry. General Qin requests support!"

"Report! The Scorpion Tribe in the north has been defeated. Helian Kuang is commanding his troops to resist, but already!"

"Report! The Chu army has breached the first gate!"

As the bad news came one after another, Li Shiming's face turned ashen and his fists clenched so hard that they made crackling sounds.

"Your Majesty, the reserve troops in the rear camp have been transferred to the front, but the Chu army's attack is too fierce, we..." The deputy general's voice trembled.

Li Shiming took a deep breath and finally gritted his teeth and said, "Order... Retreat! Abandon the main camp and retreat to the second line of defense!"

In the distance, Chu Ning stood on the chariot, looking at the retreating Tang army, and said coldly:

"Li Shiming, do you think this is the end? My revenge... has just begun!"

Chu Ning stood on a high slope, coldly watching the retreating Tang army. His deputy general Wang Ben could no longer hold back, clasping his fists and asking for orders:

"Your Majesty, the Tang army is showing signs of defeat. I am willing to lead my cavalry into the enemy camp and defeat Li Shiming in one fell swoop!"

A sneer appeared on Chu Ning's lips, and his black iron wristband gleamed coldly in the setting sun. "Do you think my old rival has really been defeated?"

Wang Ben was stunned when he heard this, and looked at the Tang army camp in the distance where smoke and dust were billowing in confusion.

Chu Ning slowly raised his whip and pointed at the Tang army, which seemed to be in a panic but had not yet dispersed.

"A hundred thousand troops were here, yet they were completely routed after only three hours of fierce fighting? General Wang, when have you ever seen Li Shiming's army so vulnerable?"

Seeing Wang Ben still looking puzzled, Chu Ning snorted coldly: "This is clearly a strategy to lure the enemy! There must be murderous intentions hidden in the Tang army camp. If our army rashly pursues them..."

His eyes flashed, "I'm afraid we're heading into a place of no return."

Wang Ben immediately broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly clasped his fists: "I was reckless. Your Majesty, please correct me!"

Chu Ning narrowed his eyes slightly and gave the order in a deep voice, "Pass on my military order. All troops cease pursuit. Order the scouts to enter the camp first with torches to investigate. The crossbowmen will form a battle formation to provide cover. The heavy infantry will form a battle formation on the periphery and wait for orders. The cavalry will be on guard on both wings."

He paused, his voice growing colder: "Remember, no one is allowed to enter the enemy camp without my order!"

The setting sun stretched Chu Ning's figure into a slender shape.

He stared at the faintly waving banners in the distant Tang camp and muttered to himself, "Li Shiming, do you think such a clumsy trick of luring the enemy could be hidden from my eyes?"