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

The night was as dark as ink, and the flames from the Tang army camp lit up half the sky red.

Advisor Zhang Gongjin hurried through the chaotic military camp and knelt on one knee before Li Shiming:

"Your Majesty, Helian Kuang has been killed in battle. The Scorpion Cavalry has been completely routed. The North Camp is engulfed in flames! I'm afraid the main camp can no longer be defended. Your Majesty, please order a retreat immediately!"

Li Shiming sat upright in the military tent, the candlelight casting flickering shadows on his stern face.

He slowly raised his eyelids, a sneer curled up at the corner of his mouth: "I deliberately did not rescue Helian Kuang, just to let him die in the hands of the Chu army."

Zhang Gongjin was shocked when he heard this, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Li Shiming continued: "Helian Kuang's death can firstly calm Chu Ning down, and secondly..."

A gleam of brilliance flashed in his eyes. "The destruction of these 30,000 Scorpion soldiers will surely enrage the Scorpion Khan. Then, the entire Scorpion tribe will completely fall over to our side!"

There were shouts and cries of killing coming from outside the tent. The firelight shone through the tent onto Li Shiming's face, making his expression look even more sinister.

He stood up suddenly, his black cloak fluttering in the wind. "It's already dark now, it's the perfect time to retreat! Order the entire army to gather and withdraw from the rear camp!"

Zhang Gongjin was about to respond, but hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, if the Chu army pursues us, we will suffer heavy losses. It would be better to leave some troops behind to cover our retreat."

"No need!"

Li Shiming interrupted sharply, "I have already made all the arrangements. The troops in the rear camp that have not moved are setting a trap. If the Chu army dares to pursue, they will suffer heavy losses!"

Zhang Gongjin suddenly realized what was going on and bowed deeply, "Your Majesty is wise!"

Half an hour later, the Tang army had quietly withdrawn and retreated to the rear camp like a tide.

In the direction of the North Camp, Zhao Yu stood in the firelight, looking at the direction of the Tang army's retreat, and immediately sent a fast horse to report to Chu Ning:

"Your Majesty, the Tang army is retreating. I have led the cavalry in pursuit!"

At this time, the North Camp had become a sea of fire. Zhao Yu's White Horse Cavalry could not stay for long and had to turn around to pursue the Tang army.

At the same time, Chu Ning on the western battlefield received a battle report: "Your Majesty, General Zhao Yu has killed Helian Kuang, the Scorpion Tribe has been defeated, and is now pursuing the retreating Tang army!"

A cold light flashed in Chu Ning's eyes, and he pointed the spear in his hand straight at the night sky: "Li Shiming wants to escape? Dream on!"

With his order, three rockets roared into the sky, drawing dazzling trails in the dark night sky.

On the southern battlefield, Chen An saw the signal and laughed loudly: "All troops, listen to my order! Chase and kill the Tang army!"

In an instant, the Chu army in the south and west rushed into the Tang army camp from two directions like two torrents.

Unexpectedly, they encountered only sporadic resistance and some traps, and soon they successfully joined forces and continued to advance towards the rear camp.

However, when Chu Ning led his troops to the rear camp, he found that Zhao Yu's cavalry had stopped pursuing.

Chu Ning rode forward and asked coldly, "Why don't you chase after me?"

Zhao Yu quickly saluted and said, "Your Majesty, the Tang army has set numerous traps here, making it difficult for cavalry to pass. I have ordered an investigation, but it will be difficult to eliminate them in a short time."

As he spoke, he took out a letter from his bosom: "This is sent by the Tang Emperor."

Chu Ning unfolded the letter, and Li Shiming bluntly admitted in the letter that he deliberately did not save Helian Kuang, saying that this was to make Chu Ning calm down.

The letter also mentioned that it was Helian Kuang who attacked Zhao Kuang. Now that he was dead, there was no need for the two sides to fight to the death.

The most crucial thing is the important information revealed at the end of the letter: Emperor Liu Che of Han is gathering the navy and preparing to launch an attack on the navy of Chu!

"What a Li Shiming!" Chu Ning sneered and crumpled the letter into a ball.

He understood that this was just an excuse Li Shiming made for retreat.

However, the movements of the Han army are indeed worthy of vigilance. At present, the main force of the Tang army is still there, and continuing to pursue them may not necessarily achieve greater results.

After much deliberation, Chu Ning decisively issued an order: "Order the entire army to immediately clean up the battlefield, count the casualties, and return to Qingcheng!"

In the darkness of night, the two armies retreated.

The fire in the Tang army camp gradually died down, leaving only devastation.

Although the Chu army won this battle, it failed to completely annihilate the Tang army.

Although the Tang army was defeated, it preserved its main force and successfully tied the Scorpion Tribe to its chariots.

And on the distant banks of the Han River, a new storm is brewing.

At dawn, the Chu army camp was already a busy scene.

After a night of fierce fighting, the soldiers were exhausted but still carried out various post-war work in an orderly manner.

Teams of armored Chu soldiers, holding torches, carefully searched the battlefield for their surviving comrades.

Whenever they found injured Chu soldiers, the medical soldiers would immediately rush forward to rescue them and carry them back to the makeshift medical tent on stretchers.

"There are still survivors here!" a young soldier suddenly shouted.

Several soldiers immediately gathered around and carefully carried out a bloody Chu army centurion from the pile of corpses.

The military doctor quickly checked the injuries and said in a deep voice: "Hurry up and send them to the hospital tent, there is still hope!"

Meanwhile, another team was dealing with the remains of the fallen soldiers.

They gently arranged the remains of each of their fallen comrades, washed the blood off their faces with clean water, and then changed them into clean military uniforms.

The clerk in charge of registration held a bamboo slip and carefully recorded the name, hometown and military rank of each fallen soldier.

These records will be sent back to the hometowns of the fallen soldiers so that their families can know the final resting place of their heroes.

On the east side of the battlefield, hundreds of soldiers were putting out the remaining fires.

They formed a long line, passing buckets of water from a nearby stream, pouring bucket after bucket on the burning tents and baggage.

Thick smoke billowed up, forming a strange column of smoke under the reflection of the morning sun.

In the middle of the battlefield, Zhao Yu personally supervised the counting of the spoils.

The captured weapons and armor were piled up like mountains, and the clerks were busy classifying and registering them.

A team of specialized soldiers is checking the documents, maps and other items left behind by the Tang army and the Scorpion tribe, looking for valuable intelligence.

The next morning, when Chu Ning just woke up, he saw Zhao Yu coming to report with a tired face.

The brave general's eyes were bloodshot, and his armor was stained with blood and dust from last night's fierce battle.

"His Majesty!"

Zhao Yu bowed and saluted, his voice hoarse, "In this battle, our army annihilated 15,000 Scorpion Clan soldiers! The Tang army lost about 20,000 men, and our army also lost over 18,000 soldiers."

Chu Ning was silent for a moment, his eyes fixed on the rising sun outside the tent: "Cream the bodies of the fallen soldiers and bring their ashes back. Let their souls return to their homeland."

He turned to Zhao Yu and said, "Let the soldiers rest for a day and return to Qingcheng tomorrow."

At this point, Chu Ning's eyes suddenly became sharp: "However, the Jinyiwei must closely monitor the movements of the Tang Dynasty and the Scorpion Clan!"

"Especially the reaction of the Scorpion Khan, report it immediately."

"I understand!" Zhao Yu accepted the order solemnly.

Chu Ning nodded and walked out of the tent.

In the morning light, the soldiers were still busy.

Some were packing, some were taking care of the wounded, and others were preparing for the upcoming cremation ceremony.

Although the smoke of this bloody battle has dissipated, Chu Ning knows that the real contest may have just begun.