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

Li Jing turned his head to look at Guo Ziyi, his eyes no longer showing any hesitation or doubt, but only a solemn sense of entrusting a heavy responsibility:

"General Guo, the task of cleaning up this mess, ensuring the safety of tens of thousands of soldiers, dealing with the Chu Kingdom, and even communicating with the imperial court if necessary, will now fall to you."

Guo Ziyi was startled; he understood the deeper meaning behind Li Jing's words.

Li Jing was formally handing over command and implying that he would bear the main responsibility for the defeat, thus exiting the stage.

He quickly bowed on his horse, his voice choked with emotion yet firm:

"General Li! This humble general...this humble general will do his utmost to stabilize morale, properly handle the follow-up matters, and will never fail the General's trust! General, you..."

Li Jing waved his hand, stopping him from saying anything more, and a tired but calm smile appeared on his face:

"I'm tired, it's time for me to retire."

“You are more spirited than I am, and you have not directly experienced the shadow of defeat in this battle. Your leadership may be more beneficial to the morale of the troops.”

"Everything will proceed according to the steps we agreed upon earlier, steadily and surely, step by step."

"As for General Yuchi's matter, keep a close eye on the Chu camp's movements. If anything changes, or if Chu Ning's decree arrives, then we'll act accordingly."

"Your humble servant... obeys!" Guo Ziyi clasped his hands tightly, suppressing all his emotions.

He knew that from this moment on, he would face the fog and difficulties ahead alone.

Li Jing fell silent, slowly leaning back against the soft cushions of the carriage, closing his eyes as if he were truly exhausted and wanted to shut out all the disturbances.

The caravan continued its journey through the cold night, accompanied only by the sounds of horses' hooves, wheels, and the wind.

Guo Ziyi straightened his back, looked at the dark road ahead, and his gaze gradually became sharp and firm.

He took over not just command, but a heavy responsibility full of challenges and unknowns.

How will His Majesty, far away in Kyoto, decide this crushing defeat?

Everything is still unknown.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in the Tang Dynasty...

The night is dark and everything is silent.

Deep within the imperial palace of the Tang Dynasty capital, the lights shone brightly, like a tireless heart beating continuously in the cold winter night.

Inside the Xuanzheng Hall, the charcoal fire burned brightly, dispelling the chill outside, but it could not dispel the somber atmosphere brought about by the mountain of memorials piled on the desk.

Emperor Li Shimin sat upright behind his desk, his bright yellow dragon robe gleaming softly in the light of the palace lanterns.

He held a vermilion brush, intently reviewing a memorial concerning river management, his brow slightly furrowed, seemingly dissatisfied with certain wording.

The passage of time and the hardships of governing the country have etched some lines on his still heroic face.

But those eyes remained as sharp as an eagle's, as if they could see through all illusions.

The air inside the hall was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood, creating a solemn atmosphere.

Only the occasional crackling of the candlelight and the rustling of the emperor turning the pages of paper could be heard.

Suddenly, a series of hurried but deliberately low footsteps broke the silence as they approached.

Outside the palace gates, the slightly nervous voice of the chief eunuch on duty drifted in through the heavy doors, trembling almost imperceptibly:

"Your Majesty, Chancellor Changsun Wuji urgently requests an audience outside the palace gates! He says he has a very urgent military report from the front lines!"

Li Shiming paused slightly as he reviewed the memorials, leaving a tiny red dot on the paper from the tip of his vermilion pen.

He didn't look up; his voice was calm, yet carried a menacing pressure like the calm before a storm.

"Let him in."

"Summon—Prime Minister Changsun Wuji to an audience—!"

The palace door was gently pushed open a crack, letting in a chilling blast of air.

Prime Minister Changsun Wuji practically jogged into the hall. Despite his advanced age, he moved with hurried steps, and even his official hat was slightly askew.

His usually composed and dignified face was now filled with unprecedented panic and heaviness.

Before he could even fully catch his breath, he rushed forward several steps and knelt down with a thud on the golden bricks before the imperial desk, his voice hoarse from urgency and immense grief:

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened...something terrible has occurred!"

Li Shiming slowly raised his head, his gaze sharp as lightning, landing on Changsun Wuji's pale face, and an ominous premonition rose in his heart.

But his expression remained calm; he simply put down the vermilion brush in his hand and said in a deep voice:

"Wuji, what's the matter that you're so alarmed? Play slowly."

Changsun Wuji took a deep breath, as if he needed to use all his strength to speak. He held a battle report with three feathers inserted, representing the highest level of emergency, high above his head, his voice trembling with despair:

"Your Majesty! At the Zhennanguan front, our army...our army has suffered a crushing defeat! A disastrous defeat!"

Each word was like a heavy hammer blow, striking the empty hall.

"According to an urgent military report delivered over 800 li, Marshal Li Jing's troops, in alliance with Huyan Ying of the Scorpion Clan and the Tuwu Jin tribe, totaling 250,000 men, encountered an ambush and counterattack by the main force of the Chu army at Zhennan Pass. After three days of bloody fighting, in the end... in the end, almost the entire army was wiped out! Less than one in ten survived!"

"what?!"

Li Shiming's calm expression suddenly changed drastically. He abruptly stood up from the dragon throne, knocking over the chair behind him with a loud crash!

He could hardly believe his ears!

Two hundred and fifty thousand troops! That's nearly half of the Tang Dynasty's elite forces in the south!

Changsun Wuji, tears streaming down his face, continued to weep over those heartbreaking names:

"General Wang Zhongsi fought bravely and died for his country! General Gao Xianzhi was killed in battle! General Liu Hongji died covering the rear of the main force!"

"Generals such as Su Fang and Zhang Liang also... all devoted themselves to serving their country!"

Each name represents a glorious chapter in the history of the Tang Dynasty's military, a pillar of strength!

Now, they have all been destroyed in just three days!

"Marshal Li Jing... Marshal Li is gathering his remaining troops and retreating towards General Guo Ziyi's defense zone. At this moment... at this moment, he may have already joined up with General Guo..."

Changsun Wuji added at the end, his tone filled with despair.

"Report the battle to me!"

Li Shiming's voice suddenly turned icy cold. He stepped over the imperial desk and snatched the urgent battle report, which was dusty and seemed to carry the smell of gunpowder and blood, from Changsun Wuji's hands.

He quickly unfolded it, his eyes sharp, scanning every word on it with lightning speed.

The more he looked, the more ashen his face became, his chest heaving violently, and the knuckles of his fingers gripping the battle report turned white from the excessive force, trembling slightly.

The battle report was cold and cruel, detailing how the Chu army lured, ambushed, and counterattacked the enemy, how the Tang army was caught in a bitter battle, divided and surrounded, and how their generals died one by one on the battlefield.

Ultimately, the shocking casualty figures and the conclusion of "defeat" were like the sharpest dagger, piercing the heart of this emperor who established his country through military might and aspired to conquer all corners of the world!

"Li Jing!"

After a long silence, Li Shiming squeezed out the two words through gritted teeth. His voice was not loud, but it was like a low howl before a blizzard, filled with endless anger and disappointment.