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

The night slowly descended like a huge black velvet curtain, finally temporarily covering up the bloody and cruel fighting.

A low and clear sound of a bugle call rang out in the Chu army camp, like a tired sigh, piercing through the smoke that had not yet dissipated on the battlefield and the wails of the wounded.

Like the receding tide, the Chu army soldiers, who had been clinging to the city of Hongdu like a thorn in their flesh and whose offensives were getting higher and higher, began to retreat in an orderly manner.

They dragged their exhausted bodies, carried broken equipment, supported their injured comrades, and joined the huge military formation in the rear at the shouts of their officers.

Finally, like a black tide, it slowly retreated to the vast camp where lights were gradually turning on in the distance.

On the city wall, defending general Geng Hui watched the Chu army retreating like a tide. His nerves, which had been as tense as a bowstring, finally relaxed a little, and he secretly let out a long sigh of relief.

The high-intensity command and intense pressure throughout the day made him feel a little tired that was hard to conceal.

Although he remained calm on the surface, constantly boosting morale and showing confidence in victory, deep down in his heart, he knew better than anyone the severity of the situation.

The Chu army's assembled strength already surpassed that of the defenders. Although today's reckless attack was successfully repelled, it also brought considerable casualties and tremendous mental pressure to the defenders.

The city walls were damaged in many places, the defense equipment was consumed at an alarming rate, and the soldiers were extremely exhausted.

If the Chu army continued to attack day and night regardless of casualties, he was not absolutely sure whether Hongdu City could hold out.

Fortunately, the Chu army finally retreated, which at least gave the defenders a precious chance to catch their breath.

But he didn't dare to be careless. His face remained stern as he gave orders to the deputy general beside him in a deep voice:

"Pass the order down. The entire army will immediately be divided into three groups. They will take turns resting, eating, and treating the wounded!"

"Double the number of troops on duty, and send more scouts to closely monitor the Chu camp's movements, especially at night, to prevent enemy surprise attacks!"

He paused, looked at the devastated scene on the city wall, and added, "Immediately organize manpower to clear the corpses of the Chu army and the remains of our martyrs on the city wall, and count the casualties."

"Also, restock the remaining arrows, stones, logs, and kerosene as quickly as possible, and repair the damaged battlements and fortifications overnight! Tomorrow, the fighting will likely be even more intense!"

"I obey your command!" The deputy general clasped his fists and immediately turned around to make arrangements.

The Han soldiers on the city wall finally relaxed after hearing the order. Many of them collapsed in a pool of blood, gasping for breath, and medics hurriedly shuttled among them.

But Geng Hui's order was quickly executed. The soldiers endured fatigue and pain and began to clean up the battlefield and move supplies, showing good discipline.

In the Chu army camp below the city, the lights in the central commander's tent were brightly lit.

Ran Ming took off his bloodstained heavy armor and strode into the tent with a smell of gunpowder. He bowed and reported to Chu Ning, who was sitting in the main seat and examining the map:

"Your Majesty, I am back!"

Chu Ning raised his head, his eyes calm: "How is the battle going?"

Ran Ming wiped the sweat and blood from his face and replied in a muffled voice, with a hint of subtle admiration in his tone:

"Your Majesty, the Han army's defense is extremely tenacious! Geng Hui is truly a capable general, commanding the city with impeccable defenses, including rolling logs, rocks, arrows, and kerosene!"

"The brothers fought desperately and nearly reached the top of the city several times, but were beaten back by them! The casualties were not small."

Chu Ning heard this, his face showed no surprise or anger, instead he said calmly:

"This is to be expected. Hongdu City is the eastern barrier of the Han Dynasty. It has been built for many years, with high walls and deep moats. It would be strange if its commander was a mediocre person."

"The 50,000 defenders in the city must be elite. It would be abnormal if they could be captured easily."

He paused, his tone full of composure, as if everything was under control: "Fortunately, our army's goal today is not to capture the city in one fell swoop."

"As long as we can firmly surround them, keep exerting pressure, and create the illusion that our army is launching a fierce attack at all costs, we will have achieved our goal."

Chu Ning's eyes grew deeper, and a calculating arc appeared at the corner of his mouth:

"If my predictions are correct, Geng Hui inside the city must have already written an urgent military report about our army's 'frenzied' siege today and its overwhelming strength, and sent it out of the city by carrier pigeon."

"And the first person he sought help from was Huo Guang's vanguard army, which was rushing towards him!"

When Ran Ming heard this, he suddenly understood. He touched his bald head and laughed. The fatigue on his face was swept away, leaving only excitement:

"Your Majesty is wise! Everything is truly under your control!"

"That boy Huo Guang must have been extremely anxious after receiving the letter for help. He rushed here desperately and just happened to run into General Zhao's pocket!"

Chu Ning nodded slightly, looked at Ran Ming, who was covered in dust, and softened his tone:

"You've worked hard today. Go down and have a good rest. Let the soldiers have a good meal. The real tough battle may still be ahead."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty! I will take my leave!" Ran Ming responded loudly, then turned around and left the tent with satisfaction.

At the same time, in Hongdu City, in a mansion temporarily requisitioned as a command post.

Geng Hui didn't even have time to wash or change his clothes. He quickly walked into the study, spread out paper and pen, frowned, and began to write quickly.

He described in detail how the Chu army's strength had greatly increased, how fierce the offensive was, how hard the defenders had to fight them off, but the current situation was critical and reinforcements were urgently needed. The urgency of the situation was revealed between the lines.

Soon, a letter asking for help was written.

He picked up the letter and carefully blew away the ink, then called out to his personal guard in a deep voice, "Come here!"

"What are your orders, General?"

"Send this letter immediately to General Huo Guang using the fastest carrier pigeon! It's urgent!"

"Yes!"

The personal soldier took the letter with both hands, and without delaying a moment, he immediately turned around and ran away.

About a quarter of an hour later, a gray carrier pigeon flapped its wings and quietly took off from the backyard of the Hongdu City Governor's residence.

It circled in the air for half a circle, then determined the direction and flew towards the northeast like an arrow, quickly disappearing into the dark night.

The next day, around noon.

On an official road about sixty miles away from Hongdu City, smoke and dust were billowing, and a huge army was marching rapidly.

It was none other than the 30,000 reinforcements led by the Han Dynasty's vanguard general Huo Guang. At the front of the column, Huo Guang, clad in armor, had a stern expression, his eyes burning with the fire of revenge and the will to die.

He gripped the reins tightly and kept urging the troops to speed up.

He had already put his own life and death aside for this expedition.

National hatred and family feuds are intertwined - the former emperor was assassinated, his cousin Huo Quji died heroically in battle, and the Chu army is at the gates of the city.

All of this filled him with grief and indignation. He came here with the determination to die. If he could not repel the Chu army and kill Chu Ning to avenge his brother, he would rather die on the battlefield wrapped in his horse's hide!