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

Under the city of Hongdu, the flames of war have reached their most intense peak!

The bald warrior Ran Ming, like a madman, stood in the front line where arrows and bullets flew everywhere. His thunderous roar even drowned out all the noise of the battlefield: "Crash! Crash it for me! Aim for that crack! Crash it hard!"

"Ladder Team! Don't be afraid of death! Charge up for me! The first one to reach the top of the city will be rewarded with ten thousand gold coins and promoted three levels!"

"Crossbowmen! Suppress them! Shoot all your arrows! Don't leave a single stone behind!"

Under his crazy drive, the Chu army burst out with amazing fighting power.

The catapults were like tireless beasts, raining down the last of their stock of stones on the city walls. Every impact caused the walls to tremble slightly, the battlements to shatter, and bricks and stones to fly everywhere.

The giant crossbow fired with a shrill scream, easily piercing through shields and human bodies, nailing the defenders and their equipment to the city wall.

Countless Chu soldiers, braving the rolling logs, rocks and hot oil poured down by the defenders, stepped on the corpses of their comrades, climbed the ladders frantically, and swarmed towards the top of the city like ants.

Above the city walls, it has become a hell on earth.

The defending general Geng Hui's eyes were bloodshot, and his voice had long since become hoarse like a broken gong, but he was still running around frantically shouting, organizing the shaky defense line: "Hold on! Hold on! Spearmen, stab! Push the ladder away!"

"Quick! Kerosene! Over there! Pour the kerosene! Burn the Chu dog down there!"

"Drag the wounded away! Everyone who can move, bring them up here! Reinforcements will be here soon! His Majesty will be here soon!"

He personally swung his sword and knocked down a fierce Chu soldier who had just appeared. Warm blood splashed on his face, but he was completely unaware.

The bricks and stones of the city wall beneath my feet had long been soaked in blood and had become extremely slippery. Every step I took could result in stepping on broken limbs.

Under his leadership, the defending soldiers put up a desperate and tenacious resistance relying on their last bit of willpower and hope for reinforcements.

Every time the Chu army's attack was repelled, a heavy price was paid.

Both the attackers and defenders were blood-thirsty, and life became the cheapest consumable here.

Ran Ming wanted to crush all obstacles within one day, while Geng Hui was using his flesh and blood to buy the last time for distant reinforcements.

At the same time, in the vast plains about a hundred miles away from Hongdu City, an extremely large army was marching eastward in a mighty manner.

This is the main force of the Han Emperor Liu Xiu's army, which is said to have 170,000 troops!

The team stretched for dozens of miles, with flags covering the sky and swords and spears like a forest. The heavy footsteps and horse hooves sounded like a dull thunder, shaking the earth slightly.

At the front of the team were elite cavalrymen, wearing distinctive armor and riding majestic warhorses.

In the middle was the largest infantry phalanx. The soldiers marched in step, their faces weary but their eyes determined, their spears like a forest and their shields like a wall.

Behind them was an endless winding supply train carrying food and siege equipment.

In the central army, the dragon flag with the character "Han" and the general flag with the character "Liu" fluttered in the wind, looking magnificent.

Liu Xiu, dressed in golden armor, sat upright on a majestic warhorse, surrounded by a group of elite generals and imperial guards, gazing calmly ahead.

Although the army marched at a fast speed, its overall appearance was neat and tidy, showing extremely high discipline and strong combat effectiveness.

This army carries the last destiny and hope of the Han Dynasty.

However, the solemn marching atmosphere was soon broken by the sound of rapid horse hooves.

Lieutenant General Wang Tai rode his horse anxiously from the rear of the central army. Without even stopping, he dismounted and knelt on one knee in front of Liu Xiu's horse, holding a small bamboo tube high in his hand.

"Your Majesty! Urgent military information! General Huo Guang has sent a pigeon message from the direction of Luoyingjian!"

Liu Xiu frowned slightly, and a bad premonition arose in his heart.

He reined in his warhorse, signaling the army to continue advancing, while he himself stopped by the side of the road and reached out to take the bamboo tube.

He skillfully crushed the sealing wax, took out the silk inside, and unfolded it to read.

Liu Xiu's originally calm expression suddenly changed as he quickly scanned the words on the silk!

First, he was shocked by disbelief, which then turned into uncontrollable anger. He clenched the silk tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force, and squeezed out a hateful growl from between his teeth: "Chu Ning! You are so despicable! How dare you pull such a vicious trick!"

The accompanying generals were all horrified upon seeing this. They gathered around him and asked anxiously, "Your Majesty! What on earth has happened?"

"How's the situation with General Huo Guang?"

"How's Hongdu City?"

"Could it be that the Chu army has another trick up its sleeve?"

Liu Xiu suddenly raised his head, a cold glint in his eyes. He slammed the silk in his hand to the ground. His voice was as cold as the wind in December as he revealed the cruel truth to the generals: "Chu Ning is extremely cunning! He secretly mobilized nearly 100,000 troops!"

"And 30,000 elite troops, led by Zhao Yu, set up an ambush at Luoying Gorge and surrounded Huo Guang's 30,000 vanguard troops. After a hard night of fighting, they suffered heavy losses and could hardly protect themselves!"

He paused, each word hitting the hearts of the generals like a hammer: "And Chu Ning himself will personally lead the remaining 60,000 troops, working day and night, to attack Hongdu City with all his might!"

"General Geng Hui has sent a request for assistance. Hongdu City is in imminent danger!"

"Now, Huo Guang is unable to break through the siege to rescue Hongdu, and is instead trapped in deep danger. He has requested in a letter that we immediately send cavalry to rescue them, otherwise the vanguard army is in danger of being wiped out!"

These words were like a bomb dropped among the generals!

"What? Chu Ning is so vicious!"

"A siege from both sides! They are trying to defeat my army piece by piece!"

"General Huo is in danger! Hongdu City is also in danger!"

"Your Majesty! We must send troops to rescue you immediately! There is no time to lose!"

The generals first denounced Chu Ning's meanness, but then they all realized how critical the situation was and rescue was urgent!

Liu Xiu's face was as gloomy as water. He swept his sharp eyes over the generals. Without any hesitation, he immediately made a decision and ordered his general: "General Shen Lian, listen to my orders!"

A sturdy general with a stern face immediately stepped out and clasped his fists: "I am here!"

"I command you to immediately lead all of our cavalry, a total of 12,000 light cavalry, to separate from the main force and rush at full speed to support Luoyingjian!"

"No matter the cost, you must break through Zhao Yu's encirclement for me and help General Huo Guang break out! If you can defeat Zhao Yu's army, that would be even better!"

"I obey your order!" Shen Lian responded without any nonsense.

"Remember! Be quick! The lives of General Huo Guang and tens of thousands of soldiers are entrusted to you!" Liu Xiu warned solemnly.

"Your Majesty, rest assured! I will definitely fulfill your orders!"

Shen Lian clasped his fists again, then turned abruptly and shouted to the messenger behind him:

"Messengers to the cavalry battalion! Everyone mount! Target Falling Eagle Gorge! Full speed!"

The order was quickly passed down, and soon, the sound of dense horse hooves was heard on the flanks of the army.

Twelve thousand elite cavalrymen broke away from the main force like arrows from a bow, stirring up a cloud of dust, and rushed towards the northeast at lightning speed, quickly disappearing on the horizon.

Liu Xiu looked in the direction where the cavalry was going away, his brows still furrowed.

He knew that Shen Lian's help might be able to save Huo Guang from danger, but the crisis in Hongdu City still required him to lead the main force to solve it.

He waved his hand fiercely: "Order to the entire army! Speed ​​up! Target Hongdu! March day and night!"

Under his command, the main force of 170,000 Han people, like a giant dragon awakening, once again accelerated their pace of march, and rushed to the battlefield that would determine the fate of the country with heavy pressure and resolute belief.