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

Ran Ming's words, full of ridicule and humiliation, lashed the hearts of Liu Xiu and every Han soldier like a poisonous whip.

It was not only to undermine their fighting spirit, but also to buy time for the troops ambushed further out to close the encirclement.

Just as Liu Xiu fell into a momentary state of confusion and rage due to the collapse of his faith, a Chu army messenger galloped to Ran Ming's side and whispered a quick report:

"General, the mountain passes on both the east and west sides have been blocked, and all escape routes are cut off!"

Upon hearing this, the cruel and playful smile on Ran Ming's face instantly transformed into pure, undisguised murderous intent.

He stopped talking nonsense and suddenly raised the terrifying giant battle axe high up. The sound was like thunder, exploding throughout the whole place:

"Your Majesty has issued an order! Whoever kills Liu Xiu will be granted the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households and a reward of ten thousand gold! My men, kill—!"

"kill!!!"

Accompanied by thunderous shouts and cries of killing, the 20,000 elite Chu troops who had been ready for battle, like a tiger released from the gate, launched a thunderous general attack from all directions towards the remnants of the Han army who were surrounded in the core, exhausted, and on the verge of morale collapse!

The arrows were like a dense swarm of locusts, covering up the enemy first and instantly turning countless Han soldiers who were caught off guard into hedgehogs!

Immediately afterwards, the Chu army's infantry, holding long spears and wielding swords, advanced steadily like a steel jungle, ruthlessly squeezing the Han army's living space.

The cavalry patrolled the periphery, constantly harassing with bows and arrows, and were ready to kill any enemy who tried to break through.

"Hold on! Hold on! Form a formation! Meet the enemy!"

Liu Xiu came back to his senses from the great shock and humiliation, and was replaced by boundless anger and a kind of madness of a trapped beast fighting to the death.

He brandished his sword, roared at the top of his lungs, and ordered the remaining soldiers around him to resist.

The battle instantly entered its most brutal stage!

The Han soldiers were forced to muster up their last bit of courage and, relying on their instinct for survival, collide with the surging Chu army.

The sounds of swords clashing, bones breaking, dying wails, angry roars...instantly turned this clearing in the forest into a grinding mill.

After all, the Han army was at an absolute disadvantage in terms of numbers, and its physical strength and morale had fallen to the bottom. Although it managed to hold on at the beginning with a desperate outburst, under the Chu army's orderly and layered attack, its defense line was quickly torn apart and fell in large numbers.

The bodies piled up quickly, the blood dyed the fallen leaves and soil on the ground red, and the air was filled with a disgusting strong smell of blood.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! We can't keep fighting!"

The counselor Zhou Yongxin squeezed to Liu Xiu's side in the chaos of the army. His hair was disheveled, his official robe was stained with blood, and his voice was so anxious that it almost broke.

"The enemy is well prepared, their numbers far outnumber ours, and their morale is high! Our army is at the end of its strength. If we continue fighting, we will be annihilated!"

"We must break out immediately! Concentrate all our forces and attack the weak spot in the southwest. There may be a glimmer of hope, Your Majesty!"

However, at this time, Liu Xiu's eyes were red and he looked like a madman.

He refused to listen to a single word of Zhou Yongxin's rational analysis. The successive "miracles" and the ultimately cruel reality had completely distorted his mentality, plunging him into an extreme state of paranoia.

He pushed Zhou Yongxin aside and pointed in the direction where the Chu soldiers were constantly falling down after being shot by arrows. His voice became shrill with fanaticism and roaring:

"Break out? No! I won't leave! I am the true emperor! If God can help me three times, he can help me a fourth time!"

"Look! The Chu bandits are still killing people! Destiny is still on my side! I will not lose! I'm not going anywhere! Kill all these traitors right here!"

As if to prove something to himself and everyone else, he suddenly grabbed a shield and rushed forward a few steps, shouting:

"Soldiers of the Han Dynasty! God bless us! Follow me to kill the enemy! Victory will surely belong to us!"

The emperor's bravery did briefly inspire some of the remaining Han troops, who let out desperate shouts and followed the emperor forward a short distance.

But this last gasp of momentum seemed so pale and powerless in the face of the absolute gap in strength.

Ran Ming was commanding calmly in the rear, and seeing the Han army's futile counterattack, he could only sneer.

He constantly mobilized fresh troops, like a millstone, crushing and consuming the Han army's already limited manpower bit by bit.

The battle turned into a one-sided massacre.

The Chu army's spear formation was like a moving steel forest, advancing steadily and piercing the stubbornly resisting Han soldiers one by one.

The swordsmen followed closely behind, ruthlessly hacking at the fallen wounded and struggling enemies.

The Han army's formation was squeezed smaller and smaller, and its numbers decreased sharply.

Zhou Yongxin watched his comrades falling down one after another, and watched the emperor still immersed in the illusory destiny and refusing to wake up, his heart was filled with endless sadness and despair.

He knew it was all over.

At this moment, a cold arrow suddenly shot from the side towards Liu Xiu who was frantically commanding! Zhou Yongxin caught a glimpse of it and almost instinctively pounced on it!

"Be careful, Your Majesty!"

"puff--!"

The sharp arrow pierced deeply into Zhou Yongxin's back!

His body suddenly stiffened and a mouthful of blood spurted onto Liu Xiu's dragon robe.

"Mr. Zhou!" Liu Xiu was stunned by this sudden change and subconsciously supported the fallen Zhou Yongxin.

Zhou Yongxin looked at Liu Xiu, his eyes filled with final pleading and unwillingness.

His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he couldn't utter a single word. His head tilted and he died.

This strategist, who had been giving Liu Xiu advice all the way and remained sober at the last moment, ultimately used his life to block an arrow for the emperor, to whom he was loyal but who had fallen into despair.

"Mr. Zhou!!!"

Liu Xiu held Zhou Yongxin's still warm body and let out a sad roar.

Zhou Yongxin’s death was like a bucket of cold water that briefly woke him up.

But it's too late to wake up now.

Just as he was stunned, the final fierce attack of the Chu army arrived.

Ran Ming personally led the most elite guards and smashed into the heart of the Han army's already collapsed formation like a sledgehammer!

The last resistance was completely crushed.

The remaining Han soldiers either knelt down and surrendered or were ruthlessly killed.

When Liu Xiu suddenly raised his head, he found that there were only more than two hundred wounded and terrified guards around him. They stood back to back, forming an insignificant circle. Surrounding them were countless Chu troops who were surging like a tide, holding swords and spears, and full of murderous intent!

Ran Ming, holding the huge axe that was still dripping with blood, walked out of the crowd and came to the front of the circular formation. He looked at Liu Xiu, who was protected in the middle by his personal guards and was in a state of disarray, and a cruel smile like a cat playing with a mouse appeared on his face.

"Liu Xiu!"

"My God..."

"I can't help you this time~"