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

Xue Huaide volunteered to give chase again!

Chu Ning slowly shook his head, his gaze once again looking into the distance, his tone filled with an unquestionable determination:

"No need, I have already made arrangements."

Already arranged?

Xue Huaide and Zhao Yu were stunned again and looked at each other, not understanding what His Majesty meant.

Liu Xiu has already escaped, what other arrangements can be made?

Chu Ning didn't explain. He withdrew his gaze and fixed it on Kunyang City, which was so close and whose defenses had been greatly reduced. His eyes suddenly became cold and sharp.

"Although Liu Xiu has left, this city still exists. If you two really want to redeem yourself from your crimes—"

He paused, then raised his voice suddenly, carrying a chilling murderous intent:

"Then take Kunyang City for me! Immediately! Right now! I will plant the battle flag of the Great Chu on top of this city!"

Although Xue Huaide and Zhao Yu still had thousands of doubts in their hearts, such as what exactly was the so-called "arrangement" of His Majesty?

Why not pursue them while the situation is favorable? But the emperor's orders had been clearly issued, and they were given the opportunity to make amends.

A soldier's duty is to obey.

The two suppressed their confusion, clasped their fists together, and spoke in a firm voice:

"I will obey your orders!"

"I will definitely take Kunyang!"

The two men stood up, jumped onto their horses, and the fighting spirit rekindled in their eyes.

Although they failed to kill Liu Xiu, they could at least save some face by taking the city that cost the army a heavy price!

Soon, the horn representing the attack sounded again, and this time, the target was the empty Kunyang!

Xue Huaide and Zhao Yu, like two enraged tigers, led the reorganized army and pounced on the isolated city that had lost its backbone.

Chu Ning was still standing on the slope, looking into the distance at the direction where Liu Xiu was escaping, with a cold and deep arc at the corner of his mouth that no one noticed.

"Liu Xiu, do you really think you can escape?"

At this moment, Liu Xiu was running away.

He ran for more than twenty miles in one breath until he could no longer see the outline of Kunyang City and could no longer hear the heart-pounding shouts and roars of meteorites behind him. Only then did Liu Xiu breathe a long sigh of relief and reined in his warhorse, which was already foaming at the mouth.

"Stop moving forward! Rest where you are!"

He gave the order, his voice filled with a sense of exhaustion from surviving a disaster, but more of an irrepressible excitement and complacency.

The few thousand remaining Han soldiers behind him collapsed to the ground in an instant, as if their bones had been pulled out, gasping for breath. Many of them didn't even have the strength to drink water.

This desperate escape almost exhausted their last bit of vitality.

Surrounded by his personal guards, Liu Xiu turned his horse and looked towards the direction of Kunyang City.

Although the distance was far, one could still vaguely see some smoke and dust remaining in the sky in that direction, as well as the completely disappeared heavenly fire that represented destruction.

Seeing this scene, Liu Xiu's heart was filled with the belief that "it was destiny" and almost exploded!

He could no longer restrain himself, and suddenly opened his arms, looking up to the sky and letting out a triumphant, even somewhat crazy laugh:

"Hahahaha! Hahahaha! Heaven will not destroy me! Heaven will not destroy me!"

His laughter echoed across the empty field, causing the exhausted soldiers around him to look up.

Liu Xiu laughed so hard that tears came out of his eyes. He pointed in the direction of Kunyang and said to the generals and counselors around him, his voice loud and clear due to his excitement:

"Did you all see it? Ah? Did you all see it?! Chu Ning went against the will of heaven. I am the true emperor, and I will be blessed by heaven!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, his tone full of contempt for Chu Ning and a condescending sense of superiority:

"First, the hailstorms stopped their pursuit, and then the meteorites from the sky targeted the Chu army camp! Hahahaha!"

"Even Heaven couldn't bear to see this happen and wanted to help me kill this beast! Even if Chu Ning had thousands of troops, what could he do? Could he possibly stand up to the might of Heaven?"

"I have long said that destiny is in my hands! Now it seems that it is indeed true!"

"This is a clear warning from Heaven, a warning to the world! Those who obey me will prosper, those who defy me will perish! Chu Ning doesn't know the will of Heaven, so he deserves this defeat!"

Liu Xiu was in high spirits, as if it was not him who had just made the embarrassing escape, but he was the one who planned and strategized, and with the help of the power of heaven, defeated the Chu army.

His remarks immediately resonated with the Han soldiers who survived the disaster.

Recalling the incredible hail and the meteorite that accurately struck the Chu army, the eyes of these soldiers who had escaped death also glowed with fanaticism, and they all shouted:

"Destiny is your Majesty's!"

"Long live your Majesty!"

"God bless me, my great man!"

The morale of the army surprisingly recovered a lot in this strange atmosphere.

Seeing this, Liu Xiu felt even more proud.

He felt that he was protected by God and was safe, so he waved his hand and gave the order:

"Pass the order down. All troops should slow down, recuperate, and treat the wounded. There is no need to rush any further."

"Your Majesty, no!"

Although counselor Zhou Yongxin was also shocked by the vision in broad daylight, he always remained rational and vigilant.

He hurried forward to dissuade him, his face solemn: "Your Majesty, this place is only twenty miles away from Kunyang. For the Chu cavalry, it will arrive in a blink of an eye!"

"Although they were hit by the heavenly fire, their main force was not damaged. If Chu Ning sent light cavalry to pursue them regardless of the consequences, our army would be exhausted. How can we resist?"

"The most urgent task is to march quickly and reach the dangerous mountainous area ahead as soon as possible. Only then can we be truly safe!"

However, at this moment, Liu Xiu had already been blinded by "heaven's will" and would not listen to any advice.

He waved his hand impatiently, "Mr. Zhou is overly cautious! After this divine punishment, the Chu army has been terrified and suffered heavy casualties. They are already struggling to take care of themselves, so how could they have the energy to pursue me?"

"I'm afraid Chu Ning is busy cleaning up the mess and licking his wounds right now! Pass on my order, slow down and give the soldiers a break!"

"Your Majesty!" Zhou Yongxin wanted to argue again.

"No need to say more!" Liu Xiu's face darkened, and his tone left no room for doubt: "My mind is made up!"

After the order was passed down, the Han army, which had been marching at a fast pace, slowed down significantly.

The soldiers supported each other and walked unsteadily. Although they were still exhausted, their spirits were much more relaxed because of the emperor's "mandate of heaven".

Some people even began to whisper about the "miracles" that had occurred during the day, as if they were not a defeated army but a victorious one.

Zhou Yongxin watched all this and felt extremely anxious, but he was helpless and could only pray secretly that his judgment was wrong.

The team marched slowly for about another hour.

As the sky gradually darkened, the setting sun stretched their shadows very long.

A dense forest appeared ahead, and the official road passed through the middle of the forest.

The forest looked quite deep, with tall trees and lush branches and leaves, appearing a bit eerie in the evening light.