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

"Good! Good! Good!"

He said "good" three times in a hoarse voice, his body trembling with excitement, and then let out a suppressed and chilling laugh.

"Hehe... God bless our great Han! Truly, God bless our great Han!"

He abruptly stopped laughing, his tone turning ruthless and resolute: "Then let's set the date for three days from now, at midnight!"

"By then, according to the calculation of their route, that villain Chu Ning's army should already be more than 800 li away from Chang'an!"

"Even if he had wings, he would never be able to get back!"

The young man in black robes slammed his fist heavily on the wooden table, causing the oil lamp flame to flicker violently. His voice was filled with a resolute determination:

"As soon as the city gates open, our troops lying in ambush outside the city will immediately storm in!"

"Our primary objective is to eliminate these traitors: Li Bi, Wang Yu, Zhang Tao, and Zhao Ming!"

"At the same time, concentrate our forces to annihilate the main force of the 10,000 Chu troops inside the city!"

A hoarse voice replied, filled with an almost fanatical longing: "As long as we eliminate these obstacles and reclaim Chang'an City, we can proclaim to the world that the Han Dynasty is not dead!"

"At that time, loyal and righteous people from all directions will surely gather to respond! This beautiful land will ultimately return to the hands of our Liu family!"

In the dimly lit secret room, two dark figures stared at each other, their eyes burning with the flames of revenge and the madness of a desperate gamble.

The light from the oil lamp cast their shadows onto the mottled wall, distorting and magnifying them like menacing ghosts.

A bloody storm targeting Chang'an City is quietly brewing in the darkness deep underground.

Three days later, this capital city, which has just undergone dramatic changes, will once again be pushed into the center of a vortex of swords and bloodshed.

Three days passed quickly amidst the ever-increasing hustle and bustle on the surface of Chang'an City and the undercurrents of tension beneath.

In these three days, the initial implementation of the equal-field system and the booming recruitment of soldiers did indeed calm the bewildered people to a great extent.

This also gave Li Bi and others unprecedented confidence and a false sense of security.

The newly recruited more than 5,000 soldiers, under Zhang Tao's strict supervision, have completed the initial formation and begun the most basic drill and command training.

Although it is still far from forming a true combat force, the orderly drills and the increasing number of black-clad figures undoubtedly gave Chang'an City a seemingly stable appearance.

Li Bi even began to plan how to steadily promote the equal-field system to several surrounding counties, in order to create the "example" that Wang Yu mentioned.

He seemed to have gradually put the shadow cast by that anonymous threatening letter behind him, believing that in the face of absolute power, those cowardly remnants would ultimately be no match for him.

However, he underestimated the power of hatred and the patience of his adversaries.

The third day, at night.

As midnight approached, all was quiet.

Chang'an City strictly enforced the curfew. Apart from the regular footsteps of the night patrol and the long, drawn-out sound of the watchman's clapper, the entire city seemed to be asleep.

The hustle and bustle of the daytime was completely swallowed up by the heavy darkness of night.

Zhengyang Gate, one of the main gates of Chang'an City, stands like a silent giant in the night.

On the city wall, the banners of the Chu army fluttered gently in the cool night breeze.

The soldiers on duty were divided into two shifts: one shift consisted of experienced and vigilant veterans of the Chu army, while the other shift consisted of newly recruited soldiers wearing brand-new uniforms.

According to the arrangement, the new recruits are mainly responsible for assistance and observation, while the core positions are still controlled by the veterans.

Everything seems to be business as usual.

But shortly after the midnight bell rang, something unexpected happened!

Several new recruits, assigned to guard the side gate of Zhengyangmen, stood seemingly casually, but their eyes met unexpectedly, flashing a resolute, cold light.

One of them casually adjusted his helmet, a very subtle signal.

The next moment, these people suddenly sprang up almost simultaneously!

They moved with the speed and agility of leopards, their target clear—not rushing into the darkness outside the city, but pouncing on the unsuspecting veterans of the Chu army and the other new recruits who had not yet reacted!

"Pfft!"

"what!"

The muffled sound of a sharp blade slicing through a throat and a short, agonizing scream rang out almost simultaneously!

Blood splattered in the dim torchlight!

The change came too quickly and too suddenly; the veteran on duty never expected that the danger would come from "his own people"!

Before they could even raise an alarm, they clutched their bleeding necks, stared incredulously at their rebellious comrades, and collapsed to the ground.

The other recruits rushed toward the heavy bolt and winch!

They were clearly already familiar with the operating procedures, worked in perfect coordination, and used all their strength to turn the winch and lift the latch!

"Creak—squeak—"

The heavy city gate, in the silent night, made a teeth-grinding scraping sound, and was slowly but irresistibly pushed open from the inside, and then the gap grew wider and wider!

At the same time, a traitorous recruit quickly snatched a torch from beside him, rushed to the battlements, and vigorously waved it towards the darkness outside the city with a specific rhythm!

The flickering fire ripped through the night sky, like a call from hell.

Outside the city, less than a mile from Zhengyang Gate, in the shadows of a dense forest, the remnants of the Han dynasty, who had been lying in ambush for a long time like a pack of bloodthirsty wolves, saw the long-awaited signal!

"The city gates are open! Charge in! Slay the traitors and restore the Han Dynasty!"

A suppressed yet frenzied roar acted as a fuse, instantly igniting the long-suppressed madness!

"kill--!"

Like a flood bursting its banks, or like hungry wolves pouncing on their prey, a dark mass of people roared and surged out of the darkness!

Most of them were dressed in haphazard clothes, but they held gleaming swords and even some armor. Their eyes burned with the flames of revenge and the madness of a desperate gamble as they rushed toward the open side gate of Zhengyang Gate as if their lives depended on it!

Only then did the Chu soldiers on the city wall, whose positions had not yet been affected, finally react!

"Enemy attack—!!" The piercing sound of drums tore through the night sky!

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The warning drums were beaten with all their might, and the dull and rapid drumbeats instantly spread throughout the vicinity of Zhengyang Gate and then throughout the entire city!

"There's a spy! Close the city gates! Close the city gates now!"

A Chu soldier was shouting at the top of his lungs, leading the surviving soldiers in an attempt to rush toward the city gate and close that damned gap again.

However, it was too late!

The traitorous recruits who had opened the city gates blocked the entrance like madmen, fighting fiercely with the Chu soldiers who rushed in, using their bodies to buy precious time for their comrades outside the city.

Outside the city, the first wave of crazed remnants of the Han army surged through the gate like a tidal wave and rushed into Chang'an City!

Swords clashed fiercely inside the city gate, and shouts of battle, screams of agony, and the clash of weapons instantly filled the air!