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

Liu Xiu, who was standing under the city, seemed to have heard Chu Ning's words and burst into laughter:

"Chu Ning! You are now trapped in an isolated city, with no reinforcements outside and no food inside. How long can you hold out? If you open the city and surrender now, I may be able to leave you with an intact body!"

His words were full of provocation and contempt, as if he had already secured victory.

Chu Ning remained unmoved. Instead, he raised his voice and responded, "Liu Xiu! Although you have many soldiers and generals, our Hongdu City is impregnable and has sufficient food and fodder. We can hold out for several months!"

"If you have the guts, come and attack the city!"

His voice was full of energy and spread in all directions, boosting the morale of the Chu army on the city.

The two emperors faced each other in the air. In the light of the fire, their figures formed a sharp contrast between the city and the outside.

A great war that will determine the fate of the Han Dynasty seems to be about to begin outside the city of Hongdu.

Liu Xiu's eyes were fixed on the young figure on the city wall like an eagle.

Chu Ning stood behind the battlements, the firelight illuminating his angular profile and his eyes, which were rare on the battlefield and still had a sharp look in them.

He was only in his twenties, younger than Liu Xiu, who had just turned thirty.

This realization suddenly caused a cold murderous intent to rise in Liu Xiu's heart.

He himself ascended the throne at the age of more than 30, but the Chu Ning in front of him was younger than him. He also possessed great talent and strategy, had a strong army under his command, and occupied the prosperous land of Jingchu.

If this lion cub is given time to fully grow up...

Liu Xiu could almost imagine the scene of the other party galloping across the Central Plains and competing with him for the world.

"No, absolutely impossible." Liu Xiu sneered in his heart.

He is the emperor of the Han Dynasty, the chosen one by heaven, and he will never give any potential threat a chance to breathe.

In troubled times, there is no room for mercy or hesitation.

Chu Ning must die, and the State of Chu must be destroyed, tonight, right under the city of Hongdu!

His thoughts were interrupted by Chu Ning's clear and provocative voice: "Liu Xiu! I await your defeat after attacking the city!"

This sentence completely ignited the fire of war in Liu Xiu's heart.

He said no more, and the last trace of amusement in his eyes disappeared, leaving only cold determination.

"Since you are so stubborn, don't blame me!"

Liu Xiu's voice was not loud, but it carried a kind of heart-pounding majesty and was clearly heard all around.

He suddenly raised his right hand and then swung it down fiercely!

"Beat the drums! Attack the city!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

With one order, dozens of huge war drums sounded at the same time in the Han army camp!

The drumbeats were as heavy as thunder, hitting the earth and the hearts of every soldier.

Immediately afterwards, countless torches surged forward like a tide, and earth-shaking shouts of killing tore through the night sky!

"Kill!"

"Capture Hongdu! Capture Chu Ning alive!"

The Han army's offensive was like violent waves, rushing towards the huge reef of Hongdu City from all directions.

Huo Guang immediately stood under the central army flag, his face stern, and kept issuing orders.

Command flags were waving, messengers were running, and the entire Han army's siege formation began to operate efficiently like a sophisticated and brutal war machine.

Outside the east gate, thousands of Han army infantrymen carried crude ladders and rushed forward madly under the cover of shield bearers, braving the arrows pouring down from the top of the city wall.

People kept falling to the ground after being shot by arrows, and their screams were drowned out by the deafening shouts and drums.

The followers stepped over the corpses of their companions without hesitation and continued to move forward.

Dozens of ladders finally reached the city wall, and the brave Han soldiers, holding steel knives in their mouths, began to climb up with all their might.

However, the Chu army's defense was far tighter and sharper than imagined.

The city defense equipment that Geng Hui had painstakingly developed in the past played a huge role.

At the moment the ladders were set up, dozens of huge Yaksha spears were suddenly launched from the top of the city wall!

It was a heavy racket made of thick wood and embedded with iron nails, smashing down along the wall of the city!

The climbing Han soldiers were caught off guard and were smashed to pieces, causing them to fall from mid-air with screams.

"put!"

The Chu army general Ran Ming's voice was like a bell and his command was firm.

Behind the city wall, dozens of catapults were triggered at the same time. Huge stones drew arcs with a shrill sound of breaking through the air and smashed into the archers in the rear of the Han army and the advancing battering rams.

A huge rock hit a battering ram, sending wood chips flying everywhere and killing or injuring the surrounding Han soldiers.

"Rockets! Shoot!" Seeing this, Huo Guang immediately gave the order.

The strong archers in the Han army lit their arrows, and waves of rockets shot towards the top of the city like locusts, trying to set fire to the city tower and the city defense equipment.

But the Chu army was obviously well prepared. They had prepared a large amount of sand and water bags behind the battlements. Once a fire started, it would be extinguished immediately.

At the same time, the crossbowmen of the Chu army took advantage of their high ground position to launch precise counterattacks with powerful crossbows. The crossbow arrows, as thick as spears, could often penetrate several Han soldiers in a row!

The battle lasted from late night until dawn.

The Han army launched wave after wave of fierce attacks, suffering heavy casualties. Several times, elite soldiers even jumped onto the top of the city walls and engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat with the Chu defenders.

Chu general Zhao Yu personally led his personal guards to put out fires everywhere, rushing to wherever there was an emergency. His swordsmanship was sharp, and he killed several Han army officers who climbed up the city wall and fell to the ground.

Chu Ning did not retreat back to the safety of the inner city. He always stood under the commander's flag. Although his face looked a little pale under the firelight, his figure was still upright.

The emperor's personal visit to the front greatly boosted the morale of the Chu army.

The Chu soldiers fought to the death, using spears, swords, rolling logs, battering stones, and even boiling gold juice to stubbornly block all enemies who tried to climb the city walls.

On and outside the city, flames shot up into the sky, arrows flew, stones rolled, and the sound of killing was deafening.

People died every moment, blood dyed the city walls red, and corpses piled up like mountains under the city.

The Han army's offensive was like hitting an invisible and tough wall. Although it shook violently countless times, it was still unable to completely destroy it.

The sky in the east gradually turned pale, and the morning light illuminated the tragic scene on the battlefield.

Under the walls of Hongdu, Han soldiers suffered heavy casualties, and the broken ladders and battering rams were still burning, emitting wisps of black smoke.

Although the tall city wall was covered with arrow marks, it still stood tall, and the flag of the Chu army was still flying on the top of the city wall.

Huo Guang rode his horse to inspect the front line and saw many exhausted and frustrated faces.

After a night of reckless attack, the Han army was exhausted, but had not made any substantial progress. He knew that continuing the attack would only result in more casualties.

He turned his horse around and returned to the center of the army, reporting to Liu Xiu, who had been staring at the city wall, in a deep voice:

"Your Majesty, our army has been attacking fiercely all night. The Chu army, leveraging the city's defenses, has put up an incredibly strong resistance. The soldiers have suffered heavy casualties and are exhausted. Should we retreat and rest before attacking the city?"

Liu Xiu did not look back. His eyes were still fixed on the glaring "Chu" flag above the city wall of Hongdu, and the blurry but extremely hateful figure under the flagpole.

After a moment's silence, he slowly spoke, his voice expressing neither joy nor anger:

"Sound the retreat horn and let the soldiers retreat to rest and eat."

"Ding... ding... ding..."

The sound of the golden gongs, representing retreat, rang out low, forming a sharp contrast with the previous passionate war drums.

The Han soldiers, who had fought hard all night, felt as if they had been pardoned. They supported the wounded and dragged their exhausted bodies as they retreated from the city wall like the receding tide.

Upon seeing this, the Chu army on the city wall let out thunderous cheers, which sounded particularly harsh in the early morning air.

The sky is completely bright.

The sunlight dispelled the darkness of night and clearly illuminated the hellish battlefield outside Hongdu City.

The Han army's first siege ended in failure.