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

Gongsun Ao's answer was within Chu Ning's expectations.

At the foot of the city, after Gongsun Ao finished speaking, Chu Ning narrowed his eyes slightly, and a barely perceptible cold light flashed in his narrow eyes, but his face remained calm.

He gently pulled the reins, and the black horse stood up and let out a loud neigh.

"Since you, Gongsun Ao, are so stubborn and determined to try to stop a chariot with a mantis arm..."

Chu Ning's voice turned cold, like the chill of October: "Then I will let you and your Xunyang City see the sharp edge of our Great Chu warriors!"

He said no more, and suddenly waved his hand and ordered: "General Zhao Yu!"

"I am here!" Zhao Yu, wearing silver armor and a white robe, rode his horse out.

"I order you to lead 20,000 elite troops and storm the East Gate! Open a gap for me at all costs!"

"Order!"

"General Ran Ming!"

"I'm here!"

A burly man as strong as a giant bear with a shiny bald head urged his horse out of the line with a sound like a bell. He was a famous general in the Chu army.

"I order you to lead 20,000 soldiers and storm the west gate! The bigger the commotion, the better!"

"Alright! Your Majesty, just leave it to me!"

Ran Ming licked his lips excitedly, but then he touched his bald head and asked in a muffled voice:

"Your Majesty, why don't you let me surround the north gate as well? Wouldn't it be faster to attack from all four sides at once?"

Chu Ning glanced at him and said calmly, "A besieged city must have gaps. If we surround it from all sides, the Han army will know there is no way out and will fight desperately, which will only increase our casualties."

"Leave the north gate open. If the battle goes against us, the enemy's morale will be disrupted, and those who are still hoping for a chance will flee through this gate. Then their formation will collapse, and our army may be able to attack them halfway or easily enter the city."

Ran Ming suddenly realized something, and slapped his forehead with his palm-leaf fan-like hand, laughing: "Great! Your Majesty is really great! I, Old Ran, have learned another trick!"

"Go!"

"Brothers! Follow me, Old Ran, to the west gate and smash the shells of those Han soldiers!"

Ran Ming roared like thunder, waving the spear in his hand, taking the lead, leading 20,000 wolf-like and tiger-like Chu troops, stirring up a sky full of dust, and rushing towards the west gate.

On the other side, Zhao Yu also calmly waved his spear and pointed it at the east gate: "Target the east gate, attack!"

Following his orders, 20,000 elite Chu troops, including infantry and cavalry, attacked the east gate silently and efficiently like a floodgate.

Chu Ning slowly drew out the sword at his waist. The sunlight fell on the cold blade, reflecting a dazzling light.

He pointed his sword towards the South Gate, and his voice spread throughout the central army: "Three armies, listen to my orders! Follow me—conquer Xunyang!"

"Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!"

Tens of thousands of soldiers in the central army let out earth-shaking war cries, and the sound of huge war drums suddenly became rapid and violent!

Rumble!

The catapult roared, and huge stones cut through the sky and slammed into the city wall; buzz!

The huge arrows from the crossbows screamed sharply and shot directly at the city wall; arrows like rain rose into the air from the Chu army formation and fell on the top of the city wall like covering the sky and the sun!

The real bloody battle broke out in an instant!

Xunyang City was like a lone boat tossed in the stormy waves, facing the most brutal test.

The cold October wind howled, blowing up the tattered battle flags on the top of Xunyang City, and also spreading the strong smell of blood and gunpowder to every corner of the battlefield.

The Chu army's general attack lasted from early morning to dusk, and the ferocity of the attack far exceeded the defenders' expectations.

The battle became intense from the very beginning.

The dozens of huge crossbows in the Chu army's formation became the most terrifying killing weapons on the battlefield today.

These gigantic war machines were operated by skilled gunners, who used capstans and pulleys to exert terrifying force on the giant bow arms. What they fired were not ordinary arrows, but giant crossbows that were almost as long as spears!

"Om-Ga-!"

Every time the teeth-grinding sound of the strings was heard, it foreshadowed the coming of death.

Along with the dull sound of the mechanism being released, giant crossbow arrows, as thick as a child's arm and with iron feathers as feathers, tore through the air at a speed that was difficult to capture with the naked eye, and slammed heavily into the top of Xunyang City with an extremely shrill scream!

These giant crossbows have an extremely long range, high accuracy, and terrifying power.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, a giant crossbow was nailed into the wooden pillar of the city wall. The huge impact force made the entire arrow tower tremble, and wood chips flew everywhere. The crossbow arrow was almost halfway into the wood, and the tail feathers were still shaking violently!

"Be careful! Disperse quickly!" A Han army captain's warning just fell.

"Puchi!" Another giant crossbow shot out like a poisonous snake, instantly piercing through a Han army swordsman who was unable to dodge, along with his shield!

The huge kinetic energy carried his body backwards and nailed it to the parapet behind him!

Blood flowed down the wall. The soldier died without even being able to scream. The scene was extremely tragic.

There were also giant crossbows that directly bombarded the parapet of the parapet. With a "boom", the bricks and stones exploded. Several archers hiding in the back were immediately hit by the flying rubble, with their heads broken and bleeding. They fell to the ground with screams, and a section of the fortifications was destroyed in an instant.

The long-range suppression of the bed crossbows caused tremendous psychological pressure and substantial casualties to the Han army.

The defending soldiers had to stay on their toes at all times to avoid fatal attacks from afar, which often made it difficult for them to cope with the overwhelming offensive of the Chu army under the city and they were unable to focus on one thing at a time.

And outside the city, the Chu army's offensive was getting more and more fierce.

At the east gate, Zhao Yu commanded with great confidence. The Chu army infantry carried dense ladders and climbed up one after another, braving the rolling logs, rocks and rain of arrows pouring down from the top of the city.

From time to time, someone would be hit by an arrow or knocked down, falling down with screams, but the people behind would immediately fill the position without hesitation.

On the city wall, soldiers from both sides engaged in a brutal tug-of-war around the top of the ladders, with swords clashing and screams and howls ringing in the air.

At the west gate, the bald general Ran Ming personally supervised the battle and even rushed to the foot of the city wall with a spear.

The Chu army under his command was also infected by his bravery and their offensive was particularly fierce. Several brave soldiers successfully jumped onto the top of the city wall. Although they were quickly surrounded and killed by the desperate Han army, their attack greatly shook the defenders' position.

At the south gate, Chu Ning was in charge of the central army. Although he did not personally charge into battle, his presence itself was a great boost to the morale of the Chu army.

The central army's attack was well-organized, with infantry charging, arrows providing cover, and engineers even trying to use battering rams to attack the city gates, putting tremendous pressure on Gongsun Ao.

Gongsun Ao ran around the city walls like a firefighter, giving orders at the top of his lungs, his throat already hoarse.

He led the charge and personally struck down a newly emerged centurion of the Chu army, sending him flying from the city walls. Warm blood splashed all over his face.

But his heart grew heavier.

If we continue fighting like this, we won’t be able to hold out for three days, let alone five.