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

As Chu Ning gave the order, "Open the city gates, attack!", the heavy city gates of Zhennan Pass slowly opened amidst the ear-piercing creaking of the winch, like a giant beast opening its gaping maw to devour life.

The elite Chu army, which had been poised for battle within the pass, surged forth like a black torrent bursting its banks amidst the roars of its generals!

The war drums thundered, and the bugles blared!

Almost at the same time that the Chu army left the pass, Li Jing also waved his command flag without hesitation.

The Tang army infantry formations, standing ready for battle, advanced with heavy but orderly steps, like a moving steel forest.

Instead of charging rashly, they maintained a tight formation, with shields stacked on top of each other and spears pointing forward like a forest, demonstrating a very high level of training.

In an instant, the two strongest armies of the era clashed fiercely on the not-so-wide plain in front of Zhennan Pass!

"boom--!"

Like two enormous waves colliding head-on, producing a deafening roar!

The clanging of weapons clashing, the muffled thud of shields bearing immense force, the slicing sound of blades tearing through flesh, the wails of the dying, and the roars of the charging warriors.

The various sounds instantly intertwined and mixed, forming a cruel yet stirring symphony of war!

On the battlefield, dust billowed into the sky, the yellow dust kicked up by horses' hooves and footsteps like a thick fog, obscuring part of the view, yet reflecting the figures fighting fiercely amidst the flashing swords.

Fueled by a fierce and enraged spirit, the Chu army launched a fierce offensive, attempting to break through the Tang army's defenses with its elite armored soldiers.

The Tang army, relying on its tight formation and unwavering will, held firm like a rock, reaping lives with spears and crossbow bolts.

Although both sides only committed a portion of their forces, the total number approached 40,000! This made the entire battlefield extremely crowded and chaotic.

Every inch of land was fought for, accompanied by bloodshed, and the fallen corpses were quickly overwhelmed or trampled by the surging crowd.

Flags waved, fell, and were raised again in the chaos. The officers' desperate shouts sounded faint and distant amidst the great clamor.

Just as the battle raged fiercely on the main battlefield, drawing everyone's attention, a massive cavalry force appeared silently like a ghost on the outskirts of the battlefield.

It was the 30,000 Golden Scorpion Cavalry personally led by Helian Wujiu!

Unlike typical cavalry, they did not seek out weaknesses in the Chu army's formation to launch a thunderous flanking attack.

Instead, it remained on the fringes of the battlefield, maintaining an eerie silence and distance.

The warhorses pawed restlessly, while the cavalrymen coldly watched the fierce fighting on the core battlefield, like a flock of vultures waiting for their prey to bleed dry.

Helian Wujiu sat upright on his magnificent black warhorse, his rugged face expressionless, only his hawk-like eyes flashing with calculation and ruthlessness.

He would occasionally glance up at the sky, then look at the stalemate on the core battlefield, as if waiting for something.

On the wall, Chu Ning and Feng Anguo naturally noticed this scorpion cavalry that had been roaming outside.

Feng Anguo frowned and warned, "Your Majesty, Helian Wujiu's 30,000 cavalry are holding back, probably waiting for our army to be exhausted from prolonged fighting or for our formation to break down before launching a fatal attack! We must be on guard!"

Chu Ning's gaze was cold and stern. He nodded and said, "Order the flank troops to remain vigilant, strengthen their defensive depth, and guard against cavalry attacks."

He also believed that this cavalry force was a backup plan prepared by Li Jing, a key force to break the balance of power on the battlefield.

However, neither Chu Ning, Feng Anguo, nor the Chu soldiers fighting bloody battles on the battlefield could discern the true intentions of Li Jing and Helian Wujiu.

Time slipped away amidst the bloody battle.

The battle on the main battlefield has entered a fierce stage, with both sides paying a heavy price, but neither side can completely defeat the other.

The shouts of battle, the clash of weapons, the sounds of war drums and horns—all these sounds blended together to form a massive sonic wave that overwhelmed everything, making people's eardrums buzz.

Just as the commotion reached its peak, Helian Wujiu, who had been observing the situation quietly, suddenly grinned with a cruel and satisfied smile.

He suddenly raised his hand, and a standard-bearer behind him immediately waved a strangely shaped black scorpion-tail flag.

There were no earth-shaking shouts, no bugle calls to charge.

The 30,000 Golden Scorpion Cavalry, led by Helian Wujiu, suddenly moved!

However, their charge was not directed at the core battlefield where the fighting was at its stalemate, nor at the flanks where the Chu army was on guard.

Instead, it accelerated southwestward along the outer edge of the battlefield, towards the location of Luoxia Mountain!

The thunderous sound of iron hooves pounding the earth was perfectly drowned out and swallowed up by the deafening battle cries from the core battlefield!

Under the cover of dust and noise, this massive cavalry force, like a tributary flowing into a river, began to quietly leave the main battlefield.

Almost simultaneously, behind the Tang army's lines, a force of about 10,000 Tang infantrymen, led by Vice General Zhang Xun, quietly left their designated positions.

Instead of joining the melee at the front, they quickly moved to the side and rear to join up with the Golden Scorpion cavalry who were "outmaneuvering".

All of this happened in the blink of an eye, at a moment when everyone's attention was focused on the fierce battle.

The deafening battle cries became their best cover, and the swirling dust obscured their departure.

Helian Wujiu took the lead, feeling the gust of wind brought by the galloping warhorse. He glanced back at the Zhennanguan battlefield, where the sounds of battle still shook the heavens and blood and flesh flew everywhere, and a sinister smile of triumph appeared on his face.

Li Jing's plan of "openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang pass" was indeed brilliant!

At this moment, Chu Ning is probably still wondering when Helian Wujiu's cavalry will be deployed to the battlefield.

"Boys!"

Helian Wujiu roared in the Scorpion Clan language, "Speed ​​up! Target—Luoxia Mountain!"

"Let those Chu people taste the iron hooves of our Golden Scorpion Tribe while they're still asleep!"

"Ho!" The 30,000 cavalrymen responded in a low voice, like the howl of wolves in the night.

The 40,000-strong army, with cavalry and infantry working together, took advantage of the massive noise and chaos of the main battlefield to completely break away from contact with the Chu army.

Like an arrow released from a bow, they bypassed mountains and rivers, avoiding sight and hearing, and rushed towards the unsuspecting Chu army's camp at Luoxia Mountain with lightning speed!

Meanwhile, the battle in front of Zhennan Pass continued fiercely, with both Chu Ning and Li Jing tacitly agreeing to continue this bloody "performance."

However, while one side awaited the anticipated cavalry charge, the other side was buying precious time and space for their real killing move.

The turning point of the battle on the eastern front no longer lies at Zhennanguan Pass, but has shifted to Luoxia Mountain, hundreds of miles away.