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

Chu Ning had no expression on his face and suddenly pulled back the spear.

Huo Quji's body shook, then fell heavily from the horse's back, splashing a cloud of dust, and fell on the land for which he fought to his death.

The last pillar of the Han Dynasty collapsed.

"Duke!!!"

"General!!!"

The last one hundred or so remaining Han soldiers witnessed with their own eyes the scene of their commander falling off his horse and dying in battle. They were immediately furious and let out heartbreaking howls!

The immense grief and despair instantly devoured all their sanity!

"Revenge for the Duke! Kill!"

Like madmen, their eyes red, they brandished their broken weapons and launched a desperate, suicidal final charge towards Chu Ning and the countless Chu troops surrounding them! Knowing they would die, they pressed forward fearlessly!

A trace of cold murderous intent flashed in Zhao Yu's eyes, and he snorted coldly: "You are so stubborn! You are courting destruction! All troops, listen to my order, kill! Don't spare a single one!"

Suddenly, the black wave of Chu army surged again, and instantly submerged the more than one hundred Han soldiers who were like moths to a flame.

The dull sound of knives and guns cutting into the body and the screams before death rang out briefly, and then quickly returned to silence.

On the battlefield, all that was left were the Chu army's flags fluttering in the wind and the thick and indelible smell of blood.

Chu Ning stopped his horse and looked down at Huo Quji's fallen body. He was silent for a moment. No one could see his expression at the moment.

In the end, he simply said, "Give Huo Quji a respectful burial, and the rest of you, clean up the battlefield."

The setting sun stretched his shadow very long, as if it were also stained with a layer of blood.

A shocking battle finally ended with the complete victory of the Chu army and the heroic sacrifice of Huo Quji.

Half an hour later, the noisy battlefield had gradually died down, leaving only the sporadic footsteps of the Chu soldiers cleaning the battlefield and the calls of carrying corpses.

The strong smell of blood mixed with the cool breeze of late autumn filled the air, telling of the brutality of the battle just now.

On a relatively clean high ground at the edge of the battlefield, a new grave quietly rose.

The soil is still new and has a moist smell.

In front of the grave stood a simple wooden tombstone hastily made by military craftsmen, on which were carved a few powerful characters:

"The tomb of Huo Quji, the Duke of Protector of the Han Dynasty!"

Chu Ning stood alone in front of the grave, his silver armor reflecting a cold and hard luster in the setting sun.

His expression was indifferent, his eyes fixed on the name. After a long moment, he slowly spoke, his voice calm and composed, as if he was simply stating a fact that had nothing to do with him:

"I will bury you with state honors, preserve your body intact, and erect a monument with inscriptions... This is my final respect and dignity for you, the supremely capable and loyal Protector of an enemy nation."

He paused slightly, and a trace of extremely complex emotions flashed across his eyes, so fast that it was almost impossible to grasp, and then it was covered by absolute rationality and indifference.

His tone remained calm, but it carried a hint of indescribable meaning, like a sigh, and also like a mockery:

"However, Huo Quji, do you know that the Han Dynasty, to which you served, has reached its end. The mandate of heaven no longer belongs to the Liu family."

"No matter how you struggle, no matter how loyal you are, in the end, this vast land and billions of people are destined to fall into my hands."

"Your unwavering loyalty is but a mantis trying to stop a chariot in the face of the relentless tide of history. It is... a pathetic act of blind loyalty."

An autumn wind blew by, blowing up a few dead leaves in front of the grave, adding a bit of desolation.

Chu Ning stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes becoming somewhat distant.

To be fair, aren't there similarities between him and the person in the grave?

They are of similar age and both were successful at a young age. They held great power at a young age and commanded thousands of troops. They were hailed as rare military geniuses.

They should have appreciated each other and might even have become close friends.

But fate plays tricks on us.

He is Huo Quji, born as a minister of the Han Dynasty, deeply favored by the late emperor. His beliefs, his glory, and everything he has are tied to the dynasty called "Han". Loyalty to the emperor and serving the country is engraved in his bones.

And he is Chu Ning, the emperor of Chu, shouldering the destiny of leading the Chu to expand its territory and unify the world.

His ambition and aspirations are destined to crush all enemies that stand in his way.

From the moment they were born, the two stood at opposite ends of the spectrum.

Huo Quji's existence, his outstanding military talent and absolute loyalty to the Han Dynasty were like a towering mountain, blocking Chu Ning's path to sweep across the Central Plains and annex the Han Dynasty. It was the hardest boulder that had to be removed in his grand ambitions.

There has never been any personal grudge between them, but there are irreconcilable conflicts of national interests and positions.

This meant that they were destined to be unable to stand side by side or coexist peacefully. From the moment they met, they had to decide who was stronger, and the final outcome had to be a life-and-death struggle.

Now, this long-lasting contest finally came to an end with Huo Quji's defeat.

The last and most powerful mountain that stood in his way was moved and destroyed by his own hands. The road ahead seemed to be smooth.

At this moment, steady and slightly tired footsteps were heard behind him, and the armor blades gently collided with each step.

Chu Ning didn't look back, he knew who was coming.

Zhao Yu came to a point three steps behind Chu Ning, stopped, bowed, clasped his fists, and said in a voice that was hoarse after the battle: "Your Majesty, the battlefield has been preliminarily cleared, and the damage statistics... are out."

Chu Ning nodded slightly, his gaze still fixed on the new grave, and said calmly, "Speak."

Zhao Yu took a deep breath and reported seriously, each number sounding extremely heavy:

"In this battle, the enemy reinforcements led by Cheng Bu, numbering 30,000, were completely annihilated by our army. Commander Cheng Bu was killed in action, and his head is here."

He paused, his voice deepening. "Our army...our army suffered over 12,000 casualties, including approximately 8,000 killed in action and over 4,000 severely wounded and unable to fight."

Chu Ning raised his eyebrows slightly when he heard this, and a subtle surprise flashed across his face:

"Oh? So many casualties?"

This number far exceeded his previous estimate.

The tenacity of Huo Quji and the Han army under his command once again surprised him.

Zhao Yu smiled bitterly and explained, "The heaviest casualties were suffered by my troops."

"When Huo Quji broke out, his personal soldiers and the remaining troops fought with great courage, preferring death to retreat, causing great trouble to our army."

"And in the end... before his final confrontation with Your Majesty, he led the Han army in a desperate counterattack. It was... was extremely brutal. Our army was caught off guard and suffered a sharp increase in casualties."

"The Han army, under the leadership of Huo Quji, is far superior to before. Fortunately, he is dead!"