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

Torches were lit one after another.

At first, there were only a few scattered spots, then they spread out in lines and patches, eventually forming a huge ring of fire that surrounded the remnants of the Scorpion Clan.

The flickering firelight illuminated the golden armor of the Chu army and the black battle robes of the Youzhou army, and also revealed the bewildered faces of the Scorpion Clan soldiers covered in blood within the circle.

"What's going on?" a young soldier murmured. "Why aren't they attacking anymore?"

Yes, why aren't we attacking anymore?

Bald-headed Hun struggled to stand upright. Given the current situation, Chu Xuan and Su Tingmei only needed to launch two or three more charges to completely crush them.

However, the other side chose to surround them without attacking.

The night wind swept across the battlefield, carrying the distant sound of bugles—not the bugle call for a charge, but a long, steady melody that carried far across the midnight wasteland.

Accompanied by the horn, the rhythmic clattering of shields echoed through the Chu army ranks, initially chaotic, then becoming unified.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

This is not a war drum, but more like some kind of ritual.

More torches were lit in the Chu army formation, and the soldiers began to sit down, take out their water bags and rations, and some even took off their helmets.

But this was by no means a slackening of vigilance—every soldier who sat down had his hands on his weapon and his eyes fixed on the circle.

"What are they waiting for?" Tuoba Lie spat out a mouthful of blood.

The bald man looked up at the night sky.

It was midnight, the sky was full of stars, and a crescent moon hung in the middle of the sky.

He suddenly remembered an ancient legend from the grasslands: at midnight, the boundary between life and death, some hunters would not kill their prey at this time, because their souls were easily lost...

No, Chu Xuan and Su Tingmei are by no means superstitious.

His gaze swept across the encirclement and he finally noticed something amiss.

The fire rings were not uniform, with the northeast corner being noticeably weaker, guarded by only a single rank of infantry, and the dust kicked up by moving chariots and horses could be faintly seen behind them.

Bait?

Be immediately alert if you experience baldness.

Just like the royal flag at Eagle's Sorrow Gorge, just like being driven here all the way, every seemingly hopeful moment is the beginning of a deeper trap.

"General, look over there!" The guard pointed northwest.

There, several torches were moving, circling around from behind the Chu army formation towards the Youzhou army.

In the firelight, several riders could be seen, the leader's golden armor gleaming in the firelight—it was Chu Xuan.

As he headed towards the direction of the Youzhou army, a figure in black robes rode up to meet him.

Su Tingmei.

The two commanders-in-chief met on the battlefield at midnight, in front of their respective armies.

His bald head gripped the knife handle tightly, his knuckles white.

He couldn't hear what the two were saying, but he saw Chu Xuan gesturing and Su Tingmei gently waving her feather fan, occasionally nodding.

Then, the two looked at the surrounded remnants of the Scorpion Clan, seemingly discussing something.

A chill colder than death crept up his bald, muscular back.

They didn't intend to massacre, or at least not entirely.

They were discussing how to deal with the prisoners—or rather, how to make use of them.

A meat shield during the attack on Blackrock Fortress?

A bargaining chip in an exchange of benefits? Or...?

"Reorganize the formation."

The bald man gave a low, hoarse but firm order: "Take inventory of all those who can still fight, and collect any usable weapons."

"General, should we break out?" Tuoba Lie asked.

Bald-headed Hun looked towards the weak gap in the northeast corner, then towards the two commanders-in-chief who were having a secret meeting in the northwest.

Beyond the circle of fire, the night stretches endlessly, but within that darkness may lie a path to survival, or a trap deeper than what lies ahead.

"Wait."

He felt an unprecedented sense of humiliation when he uttered those words: "But we did not wait to die. We gathered all the embers of fire, tore the clothes off the corpses into strips, and tied them to the still usable spear shafts."

He wanted to make more torches, not for illumination, but to burn them all if necessary.

As midnight passed, the cold dew gradually intensified.

Outside the encirclement, the Chu army and the Youzhou army took turns resting, while the fire ring remained motionless.

Inside the circle, three thousand surviving soldiers gathered their last bit of fighting strength from the pile of corpses. There were no sounds of battle, only suppressed panting, the groans of the wounded, and the crackling of torches.

Meanwhile, in the northwest, Chu Xuan and Su Tingmei's secret conversation continued.

Occasionally, messengers would rush back and forth between the two armies, carrying some kind of intention that was about to be revealed.

Bald Man looked up and saw a shooting star streak across the northern sky, heading towards Blackstone Castle.

He suddenly remembered that when he left home, his daughter had hung a wolf's tooth around his neck: "It will bring Father home."

He gripped the wolf fang, which was stained with blood.

The journey home may end tonight.

But even in the end, he must see the final move of the game clearly before it ends.

What are Chu Xuan and Su Tingmei, the two people who drove him to the brink of despair, plotting something more important than killing?

The stalemate continued until midnight, with no clear outcome.

And dawn is quietly brewing beneath the eastern horizon.

The torches flickered in the night wind, casting long shadows of the two figures across the blood-soaked wasteland.

Chu Xuan dismounted, his golden armor reflecting shimmering light in the firelight.

He casually handed the blood-stained longsword to his personal guard, strode towards Su Tingmei, and laughed loudly like a bell:

"Mr. Su! Brilliant plan! Absolutely brilliant plan!"

Su Tingmei also dismounted and bowed slightly: "Your Highness is too kind."

"Overpraise?"

Chu Xuan walked to the front of the horse, looked up at the black-robed strategist, and his eyes flashed with a sharp light:

“We feigned defeat at Jicheng to lure the enemy deep into our territory, then set up an ambush at Yingchou Gorge to drive them here. We will then use our army as an anvil and your army as a hammer to trap and kill the remnants of this bald-haired Hun here.”

"The steps are intricately linked and exquisitely crafted; how can it be considered an overstatement?"

He turned and pointed at the surrounded remnants of the Scorpion Clan, his voice full of smugness:

"What's even more remarkable is that before his breakout, Bald Hun indeed released a distress hawk, and the main force of the Scorpion Clan of Black Stone Fortress is now coming out in full force!"

Su Tingmei gently waved his feather fan, the firelight reflecting on his calm face: "How many have come?"

"The latest report from the scouts: 40,000 iron cavalry, led by Gongsun Yi's deputy general Ashina, are less than a hundred miles away."

A ruthless glint flashed in Chu Xuan's eyes: "That old fox Gongsun Yi is ultimately unwilling to part with General Su Danhun, and has drawn most of the Black Stone Fortress garrison to come to its aid."

"Sir, are you aware that there are only 30,000 people left in Blackrock Fortress?"

"As expected."

Su Tingmei's voice remained calm: "Gongsun Yi is strong-willed, but he values ​​loyalty and righteousness very much."

"This subordinate was trained by him personally, he won't abandon him, 40,000... that's about the limit."

Chu Xuan clapped his hands and laughed: "Just as I expected!"

"Sir, do you know that once these 40,000 iron cavalry leave Blackstone Fortress, the fortified city is like an egg with its shell removed? I have already ordered the eastern flank to take advantage of the situation and they are probably already at the foot of the fortress!"

Su Tingmei finally turned her head and looked at Chu Xuan: "Prince Xuan's use of troops is indeed swift and decisive."

"His plans are not as far-reaching as yours."

Chu Xuan suppressed his smile and said seriously, "But there is one thing I must ask—these 40,000 Scorpion Clan Iron Cavalry are, after all, formidable enemies of my Northern Frontier."

"Even if we wait in comfort and attack their reinforcements, we will likely have to pay a considerable price to annihilate them."