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

The night is dark and the river wind is howling.

Ran Ming, the chief general of the Chu army, had already been awakened by the sound of the horn on the river. At this moment, he was wearing heavy armor and holding a 10-foot-long iron spear, striding out of the tent.

He was as tall and strong as an iron tower, his bald head shone coldly in the light of the torch, and his tiger eyes glared angrily at the shadowy warships of the Han army on the river.

"What the hell is Liu Che doing again?"

He spat, his strong arms flexed with muscles, and he slammed the iron spear heavily into the ground, causing the wooden planks under his feet to creak.

At this moment, Deputy General Zhou Tai came hurriedly, holding an arrow in his hand with a blood-stained white cloth tied to the tail of the arrow.

"General Ran Ming, something big has happened!" Zhou Tai lowered his voice, his face solemn.

Ran Ming frowned, grabbed the cloth, and with his rough fingers, he flipped through the cloth for a few times. Then he touched his bald head and said with a pout:

"General Zhou, you know I can't read, so just read it directly."

Zhou Tai was startled for a moment before he realized what was happening. He quickly took the piece of cloth and whispered, "It says on it that His Royal Highness Prince Zhao died in Qingcheng."

"what?"

Ran Ming was stunned at first, then he suddenly laughed out loud, his voice like thunder: "Bullshit! This is a fucking trick of the Han army!"

He ripped the cloth to shreds. "What a man is His Highness the Prince of Zhao? He was able to charge into an army of thousands alone. What could a mere scorpion venom do to him?"

Zhou Tai looked troubled and whispered, "General, this matter is of great importance. Why don't we ask the Jinyiwei?"

"What the hell!"

Ran Ming waved his hand, his eyes widening like copper bells. "If this were true, the Jinyiwei would have sent a pigeon long ago. Why would they need the Han army to shoot arrows to tell me?"

He snorted coldly, "Liu Che's tentative attacks these past few days have yielded nothing. Now he's resorting to such despicable tactics, hoping to disrupt our army's morale? No way!"

Zhou Tai's mouth twitched, and he seemed to be hesitant to speak.

Although the commander in front of him was extremely brave, he had a bad temper and hated others questioning his judgment the most.

If I say anything more now, I'm afraid I'll get scolded.

However, at this moment...

"Report!"

A Jinyiwei in a Feiyu uniform came quickly, knelt on one knee, and presented a sealed letter with both hands:

"General Ran Ming, Lord Jia sent an urgent military report from Qingcheng!"

Ran Ming frowned and said impatiently, "What's going on tonight? You all know I can't read, but you still ask me to read?"

The Imperial Guards finally reacted, quickly opening the letter and reading in a deep voice, "His Royal Highness Prince Zhao's poison spread throughout his body. Divine Doctor Sun was unable to save him, and he passed away three days ago. His Majesty personally escorted his coffin back to the capital and ordered General Ran Ming to prevent the Han army from taking advantage of the opportunity to attack!"

"boom!"

A violent internal force suddenly erupted from Ran Ming's body, the wooden board under his feet exploded instantly, and the air wave knocked over several guards.

His eyes were red, his muscles were tense as iron, and a beast-like growl came from his throat:

"No! Impossible! His Royal Highness Prince Zhao is a top-notch expert. How could he possibly…"

Seeing this, Zhou Tai hurried forward and advised, "General, this is Lord Jia's handwriting, it cannot be fake! The Han army is eyeing us covetously, and we must adjust our defenses immediately, just in case!"

"Shut up!"

Ran Ming turned his head suddenly, murderous intent boiling in his eyes. "It's all because of these bastards! If they hadn't been blocking my way, I would have led my army north and fought alongside King Zhao! How could he... How could he be in this state now!"

He clenched his iron spear tightly, his knuckles turning white, and roared, "Order! All troops, attack! I'm going to kill all these bastards tonight!"

Zhou Tai was horrified: "General, this is impossible! The army is already in disarray. If we rush into battle rashly, we will surely be defeated!"

"Defeat?" Ran Ming sneered: "Even if I die, I will take the Han army with me!"

"General!"

Zhou Tai gritted his teeth and stood in front of him: "If the King of Zhao were here, he would never let you act so recklessly! If you insist on going to war, it will only bring pain to your loved ones and joy to your enemies!"

The words "King of Zhao" struck Ran Ming's heart like a bolt of thunder.

His whole body trembled, and the iron spear hit the ground with a "clang", and his burly body shook slightly.

After a long while, he finally squeezed out a few words from between his teeth: "Order the entire army to withdraw and defend!"

Director Zhou breathed a sigh of relief and was about to turn around to pass on the order when he heard Ran Ming growl again: "But remember this—"

He suddenly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot. "As soon as your majesty gives the order, I will personally chop off Liu Che's head and offer it as a sacrifice to King Zhao!"

Zhou Tai walked quickly out of the main tent. The river breeze blew towards him, bringing with it a damp chill.

In the distance, the torches on the Chu army's warships flickered, and the soldiers' whispers mixed with the sound of waves, revealing a sense of unease.

He took a deep breath, climbed onto the watchtower, and shouted, "All troops, listen! All battalions must withdraw to their defense lines in an orderly manner. Crossbowmen must be on alert, and warships must not attack without authorization!"

The order quickly spread throughout the water fort, but some soldiers still stood there, looking dazed.

Some people clutched blood-stained strips of cloth, some sobbed softly, and more people stared blankly in the direction of Qingcheng, as if they were still unwilling to believe the news that King Zhao had passed away.

Zhou Tai frowned and strode towards the nearest warship.

When the soldiers on the deck saw him coming, they all bowed their heads in salute, but their eyes were wandering.

"Cheer up, everyone!"

Zhou Tai said sternly, "If His Royal Highness the Prince of Zhao were here, and saw you all like this, he would give each of you a beating with a military stick!"

The soldiers were shocked and subconsciously straightened their backs.

Zhou Tai slowed his tone and continued, "Your Highness hates those who are afraid of fighting the most. The Han army is eyeing you covetously. If you lose your composure, wouldn't that be playing into the enemy's hands?"

A young sailor looked up with red eyes: "General Zhou, His Highness really..."

"shut up!"

Zhou Tai interrupted coldly, "Your Highness's life or death is decided by His Majesty! We soldiers only need to do our duty - guarding the Yangtze River is the greatest loyalty to His Highness!"

He looked around at everyone and said in a steady voice, "Order each ship to check the arrows, repair the hulls, and take turns to watch. If anyone is slacking off—"

He suddenly drew out his sword, and with a flash of cold light, he said, "Martial law!"

The soldiers looked stern and responded in unison: "Yes!"

Soon, commands and footsteps were heard again on the warships, and the navy gradually restored order.

Zhou Tai inspected several warships in succession. Wherever he went, he would sternly rebuke those who were lax, and then kindly encourage the veterans to take the lead in stabilizing the situation.

When they reached the flagship, the deputy general hurriedly reported: "General, the Han warships on the north bank are still cruising, seemingly waiting and watching."

Zhou Tai sneered, "Don't worry about it. Order all ships to light more torches and prepare for battle."

He narrowed his eyes and looked at the dark river: "If Liu Che thinks he can take advantage of the chaos to launch a surprise attack, let him taste the power of our army!"

By the time the last patrol was in place, the sky in the east was already turning pale.

Zhou Tai stood at the bow of the boat, looking at the gradually calming river surface, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

That night, the army's morale remained intact and the defense line remained intact.

The rage for revenge was silently burning in the hearts of every Chu soldier.