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

Huo Quji's target was extremely clear - directly at Zhao Yu who was still charging left and right in the Han army formation!

As the saying goes, to catch a thief, you must first catch the leader. As long as this biggest variable is resolved, the morale of the Chu army will surely fall!

"Protect General Zhao!"

The Chu army soldiers also discovered Huo Quji's intention and desperately moved closer to Zhao Yu, trying to stop him.

The two sides engaged in an even more brutal fight around Zhao Yu.

The Han soldiers surged forward like a tide, using their lives to consume the Chu army's physical strength and will.

Although the Chu army was well-equipped and had stronger individual combat capabilities, their space for movement was constantly compressed under the crazy squeeze of the Han army's absolute superiority in strength. Their formation inevitably began to shrink again, and casualties began to increase sharply.

Although Zhao Yu was brave, he was surrounded and had to face the entanglement of ordinary soldiers. It was difficult for him to expand his victory for a while, and he was at risk of being gradually isolated.

Seeing that the morale of the Chu army, which had just been boosted, was gradually being consumed by the Han army's relentless human wave offensive, and the front line was in danger and about to collapse again -

"Da da da... da da da..."

An unusually dull yet penetrating sound of horse hooves, like drumbeats from hell, came faintly from the darkness in the distance, and quickly became clear and loud!

This sound is definitely not something that a small group of troops can make, but rather a heart-pounding roar that can only be produced by a large-scale cavalry group galloping!

A Han army scout, covered in blood, rode his horse desperately through the chaotic battlefield.

With an extremely terrified look on his face, he rushed to the vicinity of Huo Quji who was fighting fiercely, and shouted in a distorted voice:

"Your Excellency! Something bad has happened! Northwest! A large number of unidentified cavalry have appeared in the northwest!"

"Torches are like dragons, there are so many of them, and they are rushing towards our flank at full speed!"

"Judging from the noise... they're definitely not reinforcements from our army! I'm afraid... it's the Chu army's reinforcements that have arrived!"

"what?"

When Huo Quji heard this, his heart skipped a beat and his face changed instantly!

He fired a powerful shot, forcing back several Chu soldiers in front of him, then reined in his horse and looked into the distance in the direction indicated by the scout.

Sure enough! On the northwest horizon, a long, swiftly moving dragon of fire had appeared without anyone noticing!

The flames were dense and continuous, spreading towards the bloody battlefield at an extremely fast speed!

The sound of horse hooves was like thunder, getting closer and louder, as if striking heavily on the hearts of every Han army soldier!

In an instant, the offensive and defensive positions changed!

The roles of hunter and prey switch instantly!

Huo Quji's heart suddenly sank. All his anger and fighting spirit were now extinguished by this sudden bad news.

He instantly realized that his plan to encircle and annihilate Zhao Yu's troops had failed, and he was very likely to be trapped in a desperate situation of being attacked from both inside and outside by the Chu army!

Continue to fight? Or retreat immediately?

Every choice means huge risks and sacrifices.

Is it a gamble to defeat Zhao Yu before the Chu army reinforcements surround him?

Or should we act decisively, preserve our strength, and make a difficult breakthrough?

For the first time, cold sweat slid down the forehead of the proud Duke Protector of the Country.

The knuckles of his fingers, which were tightly gripping the spear, turned white from the force. His eyes were fixed on the flames that were getting closer and closer, and on the Chu army in front of him, which was still struggling but seemed to have seen hope and burst out with its last strength.

At this moment, the initiative on the battlefield has changed hands.

It was Huo Quji's turn to make the most difficult and critical decision.

Huo Quji's gaze was fixed on Zhao Yu, who was still fighting hard in the distance and was like the spiritual pillar of the Chu army. Struggle and murderous intent were intertwined in his eyes.

Killing this beast would not only deal a heavy blow to the morale of the Chu army, but would also avenge the previous humiliation and prove Huo Quji's strength!

This temptation is too great for him who is so proud and arrogant!

Finally, he gritted his teeth, a fierce and resolute look flashed across his face, and he was about to give the order to attack Zhao Yu regardless of the consequences!

"Your Excellency the Duke! No! Absolutely not!"

At this moment, Gongsun Ao, who had just been supported by his personal soldiers to a later position due to injury, suddenly broke free from the support with strength he didn't know where he got from.

He staggered to Huo Qu's horse, his voice hoarse and distorted due to anxiety and injury, but filled with immense anxiety:

"Duke! Wake up! We can't continue fighting! Listen to the sound of horse hooves! The Chu army's reinforcements will be here soon!"

"If we continue to fight Zhao Yu here, once we are surrounded by the enemy reinforcements and attacked from both inside and outside, our army will be doomed!"

"Then it won't be a question of whether to kill Zhao Yu or not, but whether we can survive and whether the army will collapse!"

He pointed at the Han soldiers around him who were still fighting but were already exhausted and whose morale was shaken by the news of reinforcements, and said with deep sorrow:

"The most urgent thing is to break contact immediately and retreat quickly towards Hongdu City before the enemy can encircle us. We must conserve our strength and wait for the enemy to come!"

Huo Quji was so enraged by Gongsun Ao's obstruction that he shouted, "Gongsun Ao! Stop encouraging others and destroying your own prestige!"

"Zhao Yu is a pillar of the Chu State, a top-notch expert! If we can kill him here today, it will surely intimidate the Chu army and greatly boost our morale!"

"Such a golden opportunity, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, how can we give it up so easily just because the enemy's reinforcements are just bluffing?"

"If I retreat now, how can I, Huo Quji, still have the dignity to call myself the Duke of Protector of the Han Dynasty?!"

He was practically roaring, his pride and fighting spirit making him unwilling to accept the reality of failure.

Seeing that Huo Quji was still obsessed with killing Zhao Yu, Gongsun Ao was so anxious that he almost vomited blood. He rushed forward and grabbed Huo Quji's horse reins, his voice filled with tears and the last of his rationality:

"Duke! Zhao Yu can be killed later! There will always be another chance!"

"But if you—if you were to make a mistake here tonight, get caught in a siege, or suffer an accident, it would be a devastating disaster for our Han people, an unbearable blow!"

"Your Majesty has only just ascended the throne. The court can no longer afford to lose its pillar of support! Duke, think twice!"

Just as the two were arguing fiercely and Huo Quji was about to push Gongsun Ao away and forcefully give an order—

The battlefield situation changes rapidly!

In the Chu army, whose offensive had slowed down due to the news of reinforcements, Zhao Yu keenly sensed the hesitation and wavering morale of the Han army's top leaders.

How could he miss this perfect opportunity to boost his own forces and strike the enemy?

He suddenly raised his bright silver spear, gathering all his inner strength. The sound was like the roar of a tiger or a dragon, clearly spreading across the entire battlefield, even drowning out all the sounds of fighting.

"Soldiers of the Great Chu! Your Majesty has arrived with reinforcements! Victory is at hand! Follow me and charge forward!"

"Destroy the Han army and capture Huo Quji alive! Your Majesty will reward you handsomely! Kill him!"

"Long live your Majesty!"

"Kill! Capture Huo Quji alive!"