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

The giant axe chopped into Liu Xiu's neck without any hindrance, and the huge force almost cut off his head!

Blood spurted into the sky like a fountain!

The body of Emperor Liu Xiu of the Han Dynasty suddenly stiffened, and then he collapsed limply to the ground, twitched a few times, and then there was no sound.

The eyes that were once full of ambition and desire were now wide open, looking at the gray sky, with the last trace of shock, unwillingness and confusion remaining.

The entire battlefield seemed to be completely silent at this moment.

Even the wind seemed to have stopped.

Ran Ming maintained the chopping posture, with the blade of the giant axe still deeply embedded in Liu Xiu's cervical vertebrae.

He looked at the corpse on the ground, which was quickly soaked in blood, and the head that was about to fall off. The ferocity and murderous intent on his face slowly faded away...

Instead, there was a sense of astonishment and a hint of gradually growing panic?

He blinked his big, copper-bell-like eyes, as if realizing what he had done.

He subconsciously loosened the axe handle, stretched out his blood-stained hand, touched his bald head, and muttered in a muffled voice:

"Uh, this... I think I used too much force?"

He walked around Liu Xiu's body twice, bent down, looked carefully at the horrific wound, then looked up at the Chu soldiers around him who were also dumbfounded, the panic on their faces becoming more and more obvious.

Finally, he slapped his shiny bald head with a sharp "pa" sound, and with a sad face, his voice suddenly rose an octave, full of regret and remorse:

"Oh no! It's bad! It's really bad! His Majesty has repeatedly instructed us to capture him alive! We must capture him alive!"

"How could I...how could I have been chopped off so easily? How...how can I explain this to His Majesty when I get back? His Majesty will definitely tear my head off!"

The clearing in the forest where the battle was completely over now looked more like a huge slaughterhouse.

At the command of their officers, the Chu soldiers silently cleaned up the battlefield, gathering the bodies of their comrades, tending to the remaining Han wounded, and collecting scattered weapons and flags.

The smell of blood in the air was almost suffocating, and mixed with the coolness of the woods in the evening, it created a strange and depressing atmosphere.

Ran Ming sat on a big rock with his head drooped, like an eggplant hit by frost. The huge axe that caused the disaster was thrown casually at his feet, and the dark red bloodstains left on the axe blade were particularly glaring.

From time to time, he would raise his large palm-leaf fan-like hands and slap his bald head in frustration, making a "pa pa" sound, and repeatedly muttering:

"It's over, it's all over now... Your Majesty wanted someone alive, but I killed him. I have a stupid brain! Why can't I control my strength?"

His gloomy and restless appearance formed a sharp contrast with the excitement of the surrounding Chu soldiers after their victory.

Several lieutenant generals wanted to step forward and offer some words of comfort, but they were all glared back at him in anger.

"What are you doing standing still!"

Ran Ming suddenly turned his anger on the surrounding soldiers and shouted, "Hurry up and take... take that guy's body... Yes, Liu Xiu's! Clean it up for me!"

"Wrap it in fine silk cloth and carry it carefully! If it gets bumped again, I'll twist your heads off!"

The soldiers were silent as a mouse, and hurriedly and carefully dealt with the emperor's body, which was almost beheaded.

They also knew in their hearts that General Ran Ming had probably caused a big trouble this time.

Time passed slowly in Ran Ming's anxiety.

The setting sun finally sank completely into the horizon, dusk began to cover the fields, and the soldiers lit torches.

At this moment, the earth once again shook in a familiar and orderly manner, accompanied by an even more majestic and majestic trumpet sound.

"Your Majesty has arrived——!"

The loud communication sound came from far away and got closer.

A long dragon of torches lit up the official road. Chu Ning personally led the main force of the army and arrived at the battlefield that had just experienced the final decisive battle.

The central army had clear flags and excellent armor, which formed a contrast with the soldiers here who had experienced bloody battles.

Chu Ning was dressed in golden armor and a black cloak with dragon patterns. He rode his horse at the front of the team with a calm expression and deep eyes, as if he had everything under control.

The team stopped, and Chu Ning's eyes swept across the battlefield, looking at the Han army corpses all over the ground and the Chu army soldiers who were cleaning the battlefield, and finally fell on Ran Ming who was approaching like an ant on a hot pan.

Before Chu Ning could ask about the results of the battle, Ran Ming rushed to the front of the imperial carriage.

With a "thump", he fell to his knees like a golden mountain being pushed down and a jade pillar being overturned. The big bald head was almost buried in the soil, and he howled in a crying and extremely sad voice:

"Your Majesty! I am guilty! I deserve death! I failed to fulfill your Majesty's instructions!"

"I accidentally killed Liu Xiu! Your Majesty, punish me severely! Chop off my head!"

His apology was in a loud and heartfelt voice, even with a hint of comical despair, which attracted the attention of many generals and soldiers around him, who wanted to laugh but did not dare to.

Chu Ning sat upright on his horse, looking at Ran Ming who was kneeling on the ground, wanting to bang his head on the ground, and was slightly stunned at first.

Then, instead of the thunderous rage that Ran Ming had expected, his face slowly curled up the corners of his mouth, and he couldn't help but burst into a hearty and even playful laugh:

"Hahahaha! General Ran, ah General Ran! I asked you to set an ambush here so that you could capture and kill Liu Xiu, but I didn't ask you to perform such a big show of apologizing with a thorny stick on your back! Hurry up!"

Ran Ming was stunned by the emperor's laughter and raised his head in confusion: "Your Majesty, you... you don't blame me? Your Majesty, you repeatedly said that you wanted to kill him alive."

Chu Ning restrained his smile, but there was still a relaxed smile in his eyes. He waved his hand and said calmly:

"Never mind, leaving them alive would be best, as it would humiliate them more and dampen the remaining morale of the Han army, but dead... well, dead."

He paused, his voice becoming steady and full of authority: "Liu Xiu's death is the ultimate goal. As long as he is confirmed dead, my goal will be achieved."

"As for how he died, whether he died fighting, was captured alive and then executed, or was chopped to pieces by your axe, Ran Ming? The process is just slightly different, but the result is the same."

"Am I the kind of person who would be so petty and harsh on meritorious officials?"

His words were both magnanimous and pointed to the core, which immediately made the huge stone in Ran Ming's heart fall to the ground, and made all the generals and soldiers around who heard it admire His Majesty's demeanor and wisdom.

"Your Majesty is wise! Your Majesty is magnanimous! I... I..."

Ran Ming was so excited that he was incoherent. He kowtowed quickly and then climbed up clumsily.

"Alright," Chu Ning said, his tone turning serious again. "Where is Liu Xiu's body? Have you confirmed it's there?"

"Here, here, here! He has calmed down! It's definitely that guy!" Ran Ming hurriedly led the way.