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

The Empress Dowager Cixi's decree, Dugu Jia, quickly spread throughout Chang'an City: block the imperial city and all major roads, and strictly prohibit anyone from entering or leaving at will.

Control the central confidential department and take over the paperwork.

In the name of protecting the emperor, the commander of the imperial guards was temporarily detained, and the deputy commander Bai Xuewen took full charge of the imperial palace garrison and the defense of Chang'an City.

She summoned some court officials who had already been won over by her or intimidated by the military might, and announced that His Majesty was in danger. In order to protect the country, she immediately welcomed the former crown prince, her biological son Liu Xiang, who was far away in his fiefdom, back to the capital to take charge of the situation and prepare to ascend the throne to become emperor!

For a time, the entire Han capital was peaceful and orderly on the surface, but in fact it had completely fallen into the control of Dugu Jia.

The news of the coup was strictly blocked, but invisible panic still quietly spread among the bureaucracy.

Dugu Jia stood on the high platform of Yongshou Palace, looking at the palace buildings under her control, with a smile of victory on her face.

The batches of trusted messengers she sent out, carrying the most urgent secret orders, rushed out of Chang'an and headed towards the fiefdom of her son Liu Xiang.

"Soon... soon..."

She murmured to herself, her eyes flashing with extreme desire: "Liu Xiu, you and Chu Ning will fight to the death under the city of Hongdu."

"This Chang'an, the throne of the Han Dynasty will eventually belong to my son! And you are destined to die without a burial place!"

at the same time.

The shocking war in Hongdu City and the cold coup in Chang'an City, thousands of miles apart, echoed each other and jointly pushed the Han Dynasty into a precarious abyss.

Hongdu City welcomed the third dawn amid the deafening sound of fighting.

The city walls were already covered in blood and charred black. Broken ladders, fragments of burning battering rams, and the bodies of soldiers from both sides were piled up at the foot of the walls, forming a tragic hell on earth.

The Han army's offensive never stopped, like a tireless tide, wave after wave violently hitting Hongdu, a reef that seemed to be crumbling but always stood firm.

The sounds of war drums, trumpets, shouts and screams mixed together, forming the most brutal symphony of war.

"Kill! Charge forward!"

"Release the log! Quick!"

"Crossbow! Aim at that battering ram over there! Fire!"

From the city walls and outside the city, orders and roars could be heard continuously.

Driven by the supervising team, the Han soldiers climbed the ever-increasing ladders frantically under the dense arrows and battering rams.

They even used the bodies of their companions as cover and advanced upwards bit by bit with difficulty.

The Chu army on the city wall was exhausted, but they still put up a stubborn resistance under the officers' shouting commands.

Rolling logs and rocks fell like raindrops, and boiling gold liquid with a disgusting smell splashed down, each time clearing out a small area of ​​the climbing Han army.

However, after three days of reckless attacks, the effects began to show.

The Chu army's stockpile of city defense equipment was severely depleted.

Most of the Yaksha spears and wolf-fang clubs that were originally densely arranged behind the battlements have been damaged and are difficult to replace.

The supply of crossbow arrows and catapult stone bullets gradually became insufficient, and the frequency of firing dropped significantly.

There were even cases where Han soldiers successfully jumped onto the top of the city walls several times and engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat with the Chu army. Although they were eventually driven back by the Chu army, they were still in danger.

Liu Xiu immediately stood on the high platform of the central army, watching all this with an expressionless face.

The Han army's casualties kept being reported to him, and each number weighed heavily on his heart.

He saw the bravery of his own soldiers, as well as the tenacity of the Chu army's resistance and... a certain strange resilience.

"His Majesty!"

Huo Guang's voice rang out from the side, tinged with a subtle worry: "Our army's offensive is fierce, and the Chu army's defense equipment has been greatly depleted. The city may fall at any moment."

"But I always feel something is amiss. The Chu army seems to be fighting in an overly methodical manner. Even with insufficient equipment, their resistance is still well-organized. They don't seem like an army on the verge of collapse."

Liu Xiu did not look back, but just nodded slightly. The uneasiness in his heart gradually accumulated and spread like dark clouds.

This uneasiness did not come entirely from the fierce fighting on the city wall, but was more like an intuition of unknown danger.

Chu Ning was too calm, and the Chu army's resistance was too standard, as if they were strictly following a plan rather than fighting a desperate battle.

He didn't dare to think about it any further, but the ominous premonition became stronger and stronger, making him feel uneasy.

At the same time, on the city wall of Hongdu, Chu Ning, dressed in military uniform but still looking calm, was in a relatively safe arrow tower.

A captain of the Jinyiwei, dressed in Feiyu uniform and looking exhausted, was kneeling on one knee and reporting to him in a low voice.

"Your Majesty, urgent news from Chang'an City! The Western Empress Dowager Dugu Jia launched a coup two days ago, placing the Eastern Empress Dowager under house arrest. She then seized control of the Imperial Palace and Chang'an City's defenses, citing the threat of Liu Xiu's siege and the uncertainty of his fate."

"She has already dispatched her confidants to rush to her son Liu Xiang's fiefdom to welcome him back to the capital to ascend the throne!"

The Jinyiwei spoke quickly but clearly, "However, most of the ministers in the court are afraid and dissatisfied with this sudden change. Many veteran ministers and generals in the army are still loyal to Liu Xiu and secretly criticize him."

"To stabilize the situation, Dugu Jia has been arresting dissidents in Chang'an City. At noon today, he even beat to death three imperial censors who openly questioned his decree!"

"People in Chang'an City are in a state of panic, rumors are spreading, and the situation is on the verge of breaking out!"

Chu Ning listened quietly, without any expression of surprise on her face, as if everything had been expected.

It was not until he heard the words "go on a killing spree" that the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise up, revealing a cold and complacent smile.

"good very good!"

Chu Ning clapped his hands and chuckled: "This move of mine is like cutting off the firewood from under the cauldron, going straight to the dragon's lair. Let's see how Liu Xiu responds!"

"While he was fighting on the front lines, a fire had already broken out in his backyard. And it was his own people, whom he had personally promoted and pretended to appease, who had started this fire! Brilliant!"

He walked to the peephole in the arrow tower and looked at the dark mass of Han troops outside the city, his eyes flashing with calculation:

"News takes time to spread. Even if Liu Xiu's spies in Chang'an were as quick as possible, they wouldn't receive this devastating news until tonight, right?"

He turned abruptly and spoke solemnly to the messenger standing beside him, "Pass on my command! Order General Zhao Yu to immediately assemble ten thousand elite cavalrymen, feed their horses, and conserve their energy!"

"Wait until midnight tonight, when the Han army is exhausted and morale is low, open the city gates and attack!"

"Your Majesty, this..."

The herald was slightly startled. The pressure of defending the city was huge now, and taking the initiative to attack was extremely risky.

Chu Ning's eyes were sharp as he explained, "Tomorrow! By noon tomorrow at the latest, Xue Huaide's 100,000-man army will arrive! Then, it will be time for us to join forces inside and outside to completely annihilate Liu Xiu!"

"The purpose of tonight's attack isn't to crush the Han army, but to tie them down! We want to throw them into disarray, causing them to panic and unable to deploy their forces calmly. Furthermore, we can't let them realize reinforcements are coming and retreat prematurely!"

"What I want is for Liu Xiu and his army of over 100,000 men to be trapped under the city of Hongdu, unable to escape even with wings!"

"I understand!" The messenger suddenly realized and immediately took the order and left.

Chu Ning looked outside the city again, his eyes seemed to penetrate the night, and he saw the shocked, angry, and even desperate expression on Liu Xiu's face when he received the news of the shocking changes in Chang'an.

"Liu Xiu, Liu Xiu..."

He whispered to himself, his voice filled with confidence that he was in control of everything: "This time next year will be the anniversary of your death."

"Outside Hongdu City is where you will be buried!"