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

Inside the council chamber, the candlelight cast long and short shadows on the sand table, seemingly foreshadowing the unpredictable changes in the battle situation.

Chu Ning's seemingly calm question was like two pebbles thrown into a calm lake, and the wrinkles on Feng Anguo's face seemed to deepen at that moment.

He took a deep breath and stepped forward.

Pointing to a range of mountains on the sand table representing the flank of Zhennan Pass, he saw several small flags of different colors representing the Chu army and the enemy, indicating a rather tense situation.

"Reply to Your Majesty,"

Feng Anguo's voice carried a hint of heaviness as he first answered the question about Guan Yun:

"General Guan Yun was hit by several arrows, one of which was coated with wolf venom unique to the Scorpion Clan. Although the army medical officer did his best to treat him, the poison has been neutralized and his life is out of danger."

"But... due to excessive blood loss and severe damage to his vital energy, coupled with the toxins eroding his meridians, the physician stated that he needs at least three months of quiet recuperation before he can regain his fighting strength and return to the battlefield."

His tone was tinged with regret; Guan Yun was a fierce general in the army, and his serious injury was a great loss to morale and combat strength.

Upon hearing this, Chu Ning's eyes turned slightly cold, but he did not say anything more, only gesturing for Feng Anguo to continue.

Feng Anguo's finger then moved to another key location on the sand table marked as Luoxia Mountain, where flags indicated that the two sides were in a standoff.

"As for the situation at Luoxia Mountain,"

He continued, "After General Guan Yun suffered a defeat, I urgently dispatched Generals Xue Huaide and Zhao Yu, leading 100,000 troops to his aid."

"Fortunately, they arrived in time, stabilized the situation, and repelled several probing attacks by Tang general Wang Zhongsi and the Black Wolf Scorpion Clan. The situation has temporarily stabilized, and the two sides are in a stalemate."

Upon hearing that the situation at Luoxia Mountain had stabilized, Chu Ning nodded slightly. Xue Huaide and Zhao Yu were both composed generals; with them around, at least the defeat would not escalate.

However, Feng Anguo's next words made Chu Ning's eyebrows suddenly rise.

"Given the temporary easing of the situation at Luoxia Mountain, while the pressure is increasing towards the Canglang River,"

Feng Anguo's finger slid down to a winding blue mark on the sand table, which represented the Canglang River defense line.

"Your Majesty, I have ordered General Zhao Yu to dispatch 30,000 troops from his command to rush to the Canglang River to reinforce General Ma Chao."

"Something happened over at the Canglang River too?"

Chu Ning's voice suddenly turned cold, carrying a chilling edge.

The Canglang River is an important barrier against the southward advance of the Scorpion Clan from the north. If it is lost, the Scorpion Clan's iron cavalry can drive straight in, threatening the heartland of the Chu Kingdom, and even cutting off the rear of the eastern army!

Feng Anguo nodded repeatedly with a solemn expression: "Your Majesty is wise! Just a few days ago, for some unknown reason, the Scorpion Clan mobilized at least 50,000 elite cavalry again, marching day and night towards the Canglang River, putting tremendous pressure on General Ma Chao's defenses!"

"General Ma's forces were already insufficient, and he could only rely on the natural barrier of the Canglang River to hold on. The situation was extremely precarious!"

"I had no choice but to send troops from Luoxia Mountain to provide relief."

After recounting the two dangerous situations in one breath, Feng Anguo paused, a deeper worry appearing on his face.

He pointed to the location on the sand table that represented the area directly in front of Zhennan Pass and the territory of the Tang Dynasty, where the flags representing the Tang army were noticeably denser than before.

"Not only that, Your Majesty, according to the latest reports from scouts and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the main force of the Tang army outside Zhennan Pass has also suddenly received reinforcements, with its strength increasing by about 50,000!"

"Now, the Tang army under Li Jing's command is extremely powerful!"

He raised his head, looked at Chu Ning, and stated the most crucial intelligence integration and analysis:

"According to intelligence gathered and pieced together by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the fact that the Tang army and the Scorpion Clan reinforced their troops almost simultaneously and on the same scale is no coincidence!"

"This is very likely because Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty reached some kind of secret agreement with the Scorpion Khan to jointly put pressure on our Great Chu!"

Feng Anguo's tone was more serious than ever before: "They must have sensed an unprecedented crisis after Your Majesty seized the Han Dynasty with overwhelming force!"

"We know that if we continue to sit idly by, once our Great Chu has fully assimilated the Han territory and consolidated its strength, one of them will surely be the next to be destroyed!"

"Therefore, we have temporarily put aside our old grudges and each side has increased its troops by 50,000, intending to take advantage of our army's long battle lines and unstable foothold to launch a preemptive strike and disrupt His Majesty's unification of the Central Plains!"

This analysis clearly points to the strategic collaboration between the Tang Dynasty and the Scorpion Clan as the root cause of the current crisis on all three fronts.

Chu Ning listened quietly, her face expressionless, but a storm seemed to be brewing in her deep eyes.

He slowly walked to the sand table, his gaze like a cold blade, sweeping over Luoxia Mountain, Canglang River, and the large area outside Zhennan Pass that represented Li Jing's main force.

"Humph!"

After a long silence, he finally let out a cold, mocking laugh:

"It seems that Li Shimin is not content with being outdone and wants to take this opportunity to fight me on the eastern front!"

His tone was not fearless at all; on the contrary, it was filled with a powerful fighting spirit and arrogance.

"That's fine!"

Chu Ning suddenly flicked his sleeves, creating a gust of wind: "Since he has taken the initiative to increase his troops and put the chips on the gambling table, then that suits my wishes perfectly!"

"I will crush this so-called allied forces right here and now! I will finish the job in one battle and save myself the trouble later!"

He turned around, his gaze fixed intently on Feng Anguo, and revealed one of his trump cards, which he had prepared long ago:

"General Feng need not worry too much about the troop strength issue."

"Before I left Chang'an, I had already foreseen the critical situation on the eastern front, and I issued an order in advance for the 100,000 Vermilion Bird Legion stationed in Youzhou to immediately set off to provide support on the eastern front!"

"Judging by the time, if they travel day and night, this fresh force should arrive at the front line in about seven or eight days!"

"The 100,000-strong Vermilion Bird Legion?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Anguo's eyes instantly lit up with an amazing light, and the gloom on his face was mostly dispelled by this sudden good news!

The Vermilion Bird Legion is one of the most elite legions in the Chu Kingdom, well-equipped, well-trained, and powerful in combat!

The arrival of this legion will undoubtedly greatly change the current predicament of having insufficient troops!

"Your Majesty is wise! You have taken precautions in advance, we are truly impressed!"

Feng Anguo bowed deeply in excitement.

Immediately, he turned his attention back to the sand table. As an experienced veteran, he knew that the direction in which this valuable new force was deployed would directly affect the course of the entire battle.

His fingers moved quickly across the sand table, his brain racing as he weighed the pros and cons of the three directions: Luoxia Mountain, Canglang River, and Zhennan Pass.

Just a few breaths later, a glint flashed in his eyes, and he made a decision, saying decisively:

"Your Majesty! I believe that the 100,000 Vermilion Bird Legion should be positioned in the direction of Mount Luoxia!"