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

In the mighty military formation.

Xue Huaide solemnly ordered the deputy general beside him, "Send out more scouts! Thoroughly scout the front, back, left, and right, especially the flanks, mountains, forests, and valleys!"

"Within a twenty-li radius, there must be no trace of Han scouts or ambushes!"

"Yes, sir!" The deputy general took the order and immediately arranged for the elite scouts to scatter.

Xue Huaide paused for a moment before continuing his order: "Pass another order! Order General Li Zhi to lead 10,000 light cavalry as the vanguard of the entire army!"

"If you encounter a small group of enemies, destroy them immediately. If you encounter a large group, do not hesitate to fight and report immediately! Make sure to clear the way for the main army and investigate the enemy's situation!"

"Yes!"

The order was passed down quickly.

Soon, a cavalry team of 10,000 people broke away from the main force like a wild horse and accelerated forward. The sound of horse hooves rolled across the earth like thunder, raising higher dust.

Xue Huaide looked at the direction where the vanguard was going away, then turned back to look at his own army that was winding like a long dragon behind him, and a sharp light flashed in his eyes.

He knew that the arrival time of his army would be directly related to the outcome of the Battle of Hongdu and even the fate of the entire world.

"Speed ​​up! We must reach Hongdu within five days!" He issued an urgent order again.

The 100,000-strong army, like an efficient and sophisticated war machine, under the command of Xue Huaide, rolled towards the battlefield that would decide their fate.

At the same time, hundreds of miles away outside the Luoyingjian Valley, the scene was in disarray and desolate.

The Han Emperor Liu Xiu personally led 170,000 main forces and finally arrived at the battlefield which had just experienced a brutal blocking battle.

However, what he saw was not the expected scene of two armies facing each other in a fierce battle, but the aftermath of a great battle that needed to be cleaned up.

At the entrance of the valley, Han soldiers were silently clearing the battlefield.

There was an endless stream of teams carrying corpses. The bodies of the fallen soldiers from both sides were placed separately, stacked up layer by layer, almost covering the entire open space at the entrance of the valley. The smell of blood was so strong that it was nauseating.

The camp for the wounded was huge, with groans of pain heard everywhere. Medical officers and auxiliary soldiers were busy moving around, and the atmosphere was depressing and heavy.

Destroyed siege equipment, broken weapons, and scattered arrows were everywhere, and the charred earth and the lingering flames told of the fierceness of yesterday's battle.

Although the Chu army had retreated, there was no trace of victory, but instead a sense of sadness after defeat.

Upon learning that the emperor was coming in person, the main general Huo Guang, the deputy general Yang Yongjun and other generals who stayed behind in the camp hurriedly put on their armor and rushed to welcome him.

Everyone's face was filled with fatigue, shame and anxiety.

"Your Majesty, we are here to pay our respects!" Led by Huo Guang, all the generals bowed in unison in low voices.

Liu Xiu sat upright on his horse, his cold eyes sweeping over the blood-stained and torn armor generals in front of him, and finally fixed on Huo Guang.

He suppressed the anger in his heart, and his voice was so gloomy that it could almost drip water: "How is the battle going?"

In fact, the scene before us has already explained it all.

The Chu army retreated, and his vanguard general Huo Guang obviously failed to complete the task of blocking or even severely damaging the enemy, which completely shattered his plan to encircle and destroy Zhao Yu's Chu army here.

Upon hearing this, Huo Guang lowered his head even lower, his face full of pain and self-blame.

He sighed deeply and reported in a hoarse voice, each word carrying a heavy weight:

"Your Majesty, I am incompetent and have failed to live up to your trust! Not only have I failed to defeat Zhao Yu's forces, but... I have received confirmed news that Hongdu City fell last night!"

He paused, then added with difficulty, "General Geng Hui, the defending commander, died fighting for his country. Of the fifty thousand defenders in the city, only... only about five thousand managed to break out. The rest either died or surrendered."

As soon as the words fell, a middle-aged general behind Liu Xiu, General Wang Tai, who was as hot-tempered as a fire, could not help but snort coldly, his tone full of doubt and dissatisfaction:

"Hongdu City is high and deep, with a 50,000-man defense force. How could it fall in one night?"

"General Huo, you commanded 30,000 elite vanguards, yet you watched helplessly as Zhao Yu came and went freely, unable to stop him even for a moment, leading to the fall of Hongdu?"

Upon seeing this, Deputy General Yang Yongjun hurriedly explained, his tone urgent, "General Wang, calm down! It's not that General Huo is unwilling to stop us! Zhao Yu is incredibly cunning. He's relying on the advantageous terrain of Luoying Gorge to hold his ground. Our army has been attacking fiercely for a whole day and night, suffering heavy casualties. It's truly difficult to break through!"

"After learning that Hongdu had fallen and Zhao Yu had been ordered to retreat, General Huo also ordered me to lead the troops in pursuit."

"But the Chu army retreated in an orderly manner. They had been well prepared, with archers deployed to cover their rear. Not only did our army fail to pursue them, but... we also lost quite a few men!"

However, at this moment Liu Xiu no longer wanted to listen to these explanations.

The news that Hongdu City had fallen and the 50,000-strong army had been almost annihilated was like the heaviest blow that hit him hard in the heart!

His carefully designed strategy was to use Hongdu City as bait to attract the main force of Chu Ning to attack, and then he would personally lead the army to attack, and with the help of the internal and external forces, he would annihilate the main force of the Chu army in one fell swoop at the gates of Hongdu City.

It has completely vanished into thin air at this moment!

The enemy swallowed the bait in one gulp, but he himself missed!

"Geng Hui! Geng Hui! You've ruined my great cause! You've ruined my kingdom!!"

Liu Xiu slammed his fist on the saddle, letting out an uncontrollable roar, his face turning ashen with extreme anger and disappointment.

He was not only mourning the fall of Hongdu and the loss of 50,000 soldiers, but was also angry that his perfect plan had ended in such a way.

The whole scene was in dead silence. All the generals were silent as a mouse, and even Wang Tai didn't dare to say anything more.

At this moment, Huo Guang suddenly raised his head. Although his face was pale, there was a hint of unwillingness and a rekindled fighting spirit in his eyes.

He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty! Please calm your wrath! Now is not the time to pursue culpability!"

He took a step forward, his tone becoming urgent and persuasive: "Your Majesty, according to my estimation and investigation, although Chu Ning has captured Hongdu, his troops have been depleted in these two battles, and they need to be divided to defend the city. The mobile forces he can use for field operations will definitely not exceed 100,000!"

"And our army, though we've suffered losses, still has 185,000 men! That's nearly twice their strength!"

Huo Guang's voice rose, with a determination to burn his boats and cross the river: "Previously, Chu Ning was cunning and often engaged in field battles with our army. His whereabouts were erratic, making it difficult to capture his main force."

"But now it's different! He actually dared to occupy the isolated city of Hongdu! This is tantamount to his own death! Your Majesty, this is a heaven-sent opportunity!"

He looked at Liu Xiu with stern eyes: "Our army only needs to march eastward, surround Hongdu City on all sides, and attack it relentlessly! Chu Ning will be like a turtle in a jar, unable to escape even with wings!"

"As long as we capture Hongdu and kill Chu Ning, the Chu State will be leaderless and the overall situation will be stable! All previous losses can be recovered!"