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

The cold murderous intent spread like a substance, and the temperature of the entire Golden Palace seemed to drop a few degrees.

All the ministers, especially those former Han ministers who might still have a little nostalgia for the old order or who had close ties with local tyrants, were trembling and their faces turned pale at this moment.

They clearly felt the undisguised death threat in those words.

Ten thousand elite Chu troops are not only a guarantee, but also a sword hanging over everyone's head!

No one doubted that the young emperor would not hesitate to raise the butcher knife again.

"Your Majesty's command!"

Led by Li Bi, all officials, no matter what they thought in their hearts, bowed in unison and responded, their voices filled with unconcealable fear and obedience.

No one dared to express the slightest objection anymore.

Looking at His Highness's group of completely subdued ministers, a hint of satisfaction finally flashed across Chu Ning's eyes.

This was exactly the effect he wanted: to clear away obstacles with lightning speed, and then to ensure the implementation of his will with an iron fist and a sword hanging high above.

"If there is nothing else, let's adjourn the court." Chu Ning waved his hand.

"Your Majesty, please leave!"

All the officials, as if they had been pardoned, bowed respectfully, lowered their heads, and took cautious steps as they left the suffocating Golden Palace one by one.

Chu Ning sat alone on the throne, his eyes looking across the empty hall, as if towards the distant East.

Chang'an has been settled, the Han area has initially surrendered, and the internal nails have been bloodily removed.

Next, he needed to concentrate all his energy to deal with the Tang Dynasty, which dominated the East, had a strong national strength, and would be his last and most powerful opponent in unifying the Central Plains.

The awestruck gazes and cheers of the ministers in the Golden Palace were still ringing in his ears, but Chu Ning had already returned to the imperial study, which symbolized the core of imperial power.

The hustle and bustle in the hall contrasts sharply with the tranquility here. Only the occasional bird calls and ticking of the clepsydra outside the window remind us of the passage of time.

He needed to use this brief period of peace to sort out domestic affairs and turn his attention to the broader chessboard - the Eastern Front that would determine the ultimate fate of the world.

However, this peace did not last long.

A light and hurried sound of footsteps was heard outside the door, accompanied by the eunuch's low voice:

"Your Majesty, Jinyiwei Commander-in-Chief Shen Lian has urgent military information to report!"

Chu Ning's brows moved slightly.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard was an intelligence and supervisory agency he personally created, directly under him. Unless it was extremely urgent and important military intelligence, a captain would never directly break into the palace and report to him as soon as he left court.

"Xuan."

He put down the memorial he had just picked up and was about to review regarding the preliminary statistics of land in Han areas, and spoke in a steady voice.

The study door was gently pushed open, and a young military officer wearing a Feiyu uniform and an embroidered spring sword on his waist, with a capable face and sharp eyes, walked in quickly. It was Shen Lian, a captain of the Jinyiwei.

With dust from a long journey and an expression of solemnity that was difficult to conceal on his face, he came to the imperial desk, knelt on one knee, and held high in both hands a secret letter with three red feathers inserted on it, which represented "extremely urgent".

"Your Majesty, urgent military report from the eastern front, eight hundred miles away!"

Chu Ning reached out and took the heavy letter. His touch seemed to feel the wind, thunder and urgency brought by the messenger's speeding journey.

He broke the wax seal, unfolded the letter, and quickly scanned the slightly sloppy but weighty handwriting of Jia Yu, the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Front.

At first, his expression was relatively calm, but as he read further, his brows gradually furrowed and his eyes became as sharp as a hawk.

When he saw the key point, his fingers holding the letter paper suddenly tightened, his knuckles turned slightly white due to the force, and his face instantly became gloomy, like the sky before a storm!

"Three armies launched simultaneously, and surprisingly... Guan Yun's route was the first to be breached?"

He almost gritted his teeth and whispered the key information from the intelligence, with a hint of disbelief and chill in his voice.

Guan Yun was one of the most valiant and capable vanguard generals under his command. Although he had a somewhat rebellious character, he was extremely brave in battle, and the soldiers under his command were also the elite of the Chu State.

Chu Ning originally thought that even if the war on the eastern front was not going well, the other two routes would be the first to suffer setbacks.

But no one expected that this sharp army, famous for its ability to break through enemy lines, would be the first to suffer such a heavy blow!

He continued reading, and the letter gave a general description of the battle.

Li Jing, the military god of the Tang Dynasty, made use of the terrain and the strategy of confusing the enemy with an attack, and made a clever layout. He pretended that the main force attacked another group of Chu troops, but actually set up many ambushes to lure Guan Yun's troops, who were eager to make a contribution, to advance recklessly.

Guan Yun was not careful and plunged into the pocket formation carefully arranged by Li Jing.

"Humph!"

Chu Ning snorted coldly and slammed the information heavily on the imperial desk, shaking the red pen on the pen holder.

"What a Li Jing! He's truly the military god of the Tang Dynasty. His tactics are truly unpredictable! Even the usually cautious and calculating Jia Yu was tricked by him this time!"

His voice was cold, filled with suppressed anger and solemnity towards his opponent.

Jia Yu was a counselor he relied on and was extremely intelligent. Even he could not see through Li Jing's tricks, which shows how powerful his opponent was.

"In this battle, Guan Yun fell into Li Jing's treacherous scheme and was trapped in a tight siege. He fought bloody battles. Although he was eventually rescued by his deputy at the risk of his life, he was... seriously injured and fell into a coma!"

Chu Ning repeated the information, and every word seemed to be fished out from an ice cellar.

"Nearly 70% of his 30,000 elite vanguard troops were killed! The rest were scattered, and countless weapons and supplies were lost!"

Thirty thousand elite troops!

This was not only a loss of manpower, but also a heavy blow to the morale of the Chu army.

It was also the most devastating defeat Chu Ning had ever suffered on the Eastern Front since he sent out his troops!

The air in the imperial study seemed to freeze.

The eunuch standing by was so frightened that he turned pale and even held his breath.

Shen Lian, a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, who was kneeling on the ground, buried his head even lower, not daring to breathe. Cold sweat oozed from his forehead, for fear that the emperor's wrath would fall upon him.

Chu Ning stopped roaring. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His chest rose and fell violently for a few times, then slowly calmed down.

When he opened his eyes again, the anger in them had been replaced by an extreme calmness.

The more critical the moment, the more he needs absolute rationality.

He pondered for a moment, his mind rapidly weighing the situation.

The gap on the eastern front has been opened, and Li Jing will definitely take advantage of the victory to pursue and expand the results of the battle.

Although Jia Yu is wise, the army is unstable after the recent defeat and needs strong support and a backbone.

"Shen Lian."

Chu Ning spoke, his voice returning to its usual calmness, but with an unquestionable determination.

"I am here!" Shen Lian responded quickly.

"Convey my order immediately!"

Chu Ning spoke faster, uttering each command clearly.