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

Gongsun Yi's shoulders finally relaxed slightly—it was the first time his tense nerves had been relieved for a moment.

But then his expression turned serious again.

"Huyan Eagle".

"The end will be here."

"Pass on my orders."

Gongsun Yi turned around, his gaze sharp as a knife: "From this day forward, Blackstone Fortress will be on high alert."

"All city gates shall be permanently closed, drawbridges raised, and no one shall be allowed to leave the city—whoever disobeys, for whatever reason, shall be executed."

Huyan Ying was taken aback: "General, what about our scouts..."

"All scouts, withdraw to the city."

Gongsun Yi interrupted him: "The encirclement by the Chu army and the Youzhou army is complete. Sending out scouts again would only be suicide, and besides..."

He walked to the map and tapped his finger heavily on the location of Blackrock Fortress: "Our current mission is not to scout out the enemy, but to defend this city."

"We must hold out until the Khan's reinforcements arrive, or until the Khan makes his decision."

Huyan Ying understood.

This is to completely sever all connections with the outside world, turning Blackrock Fortress into a completely isolated island.

In this way, news from outside the city can't get in, and news from inside the city can't get out—except for the three carrier pigeons that have already flown out.

"Is the General worried..." Hu Yanying's voice was hoarse, "that morale in the army has wavered?"

"It's not a worry, it's inevitable."

Gongsun Yi's voice was unusually calm: "Supplies are running low, reinforcements are nowhere in sight, and enemy forces outside the city are watching us like hawks."

"Under these circumstances, it would not be surprising if someone harbored ulterior motives, wanted to secretly collude with the Chu army, or wanted to escape alone."

He walked to the desk, picked up a pen, and wrote quickly on a blank military order: "Therefore, we must close all the doors and block all the roads."

"Make everyone understand—Black Rock Fortress, there is only one path: to live and die together."

After writing the military order, he stamped it with the seal of the Grand General and handed it to Huyan Ying: "Post it at the four gates immediately and spread the word to the entire army."

"In addition, three hundred elite soldiers were drawn from the Imperial Guard to form a supervisory team to patrol day and night."

"Anyone who approaches the city wall without permission, discusses surrendering the city, or spreads pessimistic opinions will be arrested and severely punished."

Huyan Ying accepted the military order with both hands, feeling as if this thin piece of paper weighed a ton.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he only bowed deeply: "This humble general obeys."

"Go ahead." Gongsun Yi waved his hand.

After Huyan Ying left, the study returned to silence.

Gongsun Yi stood alone by the window, gazing in the direction of the Chu army camp to the south.

They must be discussing military matters there right now, right?

Chu Xuan, Su Tingmei, what tricks will you two pull next?

He suddenly remembered what the old Khan had told him many years ago: "For a general, the most difficult thing is often not how to defeat the enemy, but how to keep his men fighting in despair."

He was young then and didn't understand the weight of those words.

Now, he understands.

With his eyes closed, Gongsun Yi seemed to see the three carrier pigeons flapping their wings in the night sky again.

They carried the last hope of Blackrock Fortress, flying north, flying towards the royal court, flying towards the person who could decide the fate of 40,000 soldiers and civilians.

"Khan..." he murmured to himself, "This time, what will you choose?"

Outside the window, the sun blazes overhead.

Meanwhile, the newly posted military orders at the four gates of Blackrock Fortress have already attracted the attention of the garrison and the local people.

Some remained silent, some sighed, some had shifty eyes, but most simply stared numbly at those cold words:

"From this day forward, the entire city is under martial law. No one may enter or leave. Anyone who disobeys will be executed."

The characters are strong and vigorous, and the ink is still wet.

The strokes of the character "斩" (zhǎn, meaning to cut off or sever) were written with particular force, as if they could truly cut off all escape routes and extinguish all illusions.

The isolated city had become a complete prison.

Those trapped in the cages could only wait—wait for reinforcements, wait for food, wait for the final verdict of fate.

Or, wait for a miracle.

Several days later, thousands of miles away.

On the Jianghuai Plain, the Chu army's camp stretched for twenty miles, with banners like a forest.

Inside the central command tent, Chu Ning sat upright behind the commander's desk.

This emperor of the Great Chu was only twenty-five years old, yet he had already been ruling in his own right for several years.

He wore bright yellow soft armor, covered by a black dragon-patterned cloak. His face was handsome, and his phoenix eyes flashed with a sharp light as they opened and closed, exuding an imposing aura without anger.

The topographical map of the Jianghuai region spread out on the table was densely marked with the enemy's and our own positions, and dozens of small red and blue flags were planted on the sand table, indicating that a decisive battle was about to break out on this land.

The tent flap moved slightly, and a commander of the Imperial Guards bowed and entered, his armor clattering softly as he knelt on one knee.

"Your Majesty, an urgent military report from the northern frontier, 800 li away."

"speak."

Chu Ning's gaze never left the sand table, his finger pointing precisely at the position of the banner representing the famous Tang Dynasty general Guo Ziyi.

"Prince Xuan and Su Tingmei jointly reported: The siege of Black Stone Fortress has lasted for twelve days. Our army of 70,000 has surrounded Gongsun Yi's 40,000 elite Scorpion Clan troops in the city."

The Imperial Guard's voice was clear and steady: "Black Stone Fortress is now an isolated city, its supply lines are cut off, and its food reserves are less than a month's worth."

Chu Ning's fingers stopped on the sand table, and a slow smile appeared on her lips: "Okay."

The Imperial Guard continued: "Furthermore, three days ago, Blackstone Fortress released three carrier pigeons seeking help, which flew to the Scorpion Clan's royal court."

"As per His Majesty's previous secret decree, no sentries were placed along the way to intercept them, and they were allowed to pass through."

"A request for help..."

Chu Ning finally raised his head, a sharp glint in his eyes: "Do you have any new information about your Embroidered Uniform Guard's spies in the Scorpion Clan's royal court?"

"Have."

The Imperial Guard lowered his voice: "A message was sent by carrier pigeon yesterday, indicating unusual activity in the Scorpion Clan's royal court."

"The Scorpion Khan summoned the leaders of various tribes for a meeting overnight, and the meeting has not yet ended. My spy risked his life to spread the news: the two factions in the royal court, those who advocate war and those who advocate peace, are fiercely arguing, but the Khan himself seems to intend to personally lead the expedition."

"Personally leading the army?" Chu Ning clapped his hands and laughed: "Excellent! What a wonderful idea to personally lead the army!"

He rose and paced back and forth, his dragon-patterned cloak fluttering behind him: "If the Scorpion Khan really leads the royal court's elite troops south to rescue Blackstone Fortress, then the northern frontier battlefield will turn from a siege into a larger-scale decisive battle."

"With 70,000 troops, Brother Xuan and Su Tingmei can restrain the entire Scorpion Clan!"

Beside her, the female general Feng Mulan, dressed in red armor, also smiled.

She stood with her arms crossed, exuding a commanding presence: "In this way, all worries about the future are completely resolved, and Your Majesty can now focus on dealing with Guo Ziyi!"

"Exactly this!"

Chu Ning walked back to the command table and pointed heavily at the location of the main camp of the Tang Dynasty on the sand table.

"General Guo Ziyi is a master strategist. Two hundred thousand Tang troops held the city firmly, and my three hundred thousand troops attacked for several days without being able to budge it an inch. But now..."

His eyes gleamed: "The war in the northern frontier is over. The Scorpion Clan is too busy to defend themselves and has no chance of sending troops south to attack our rear."

"I have no more worries!"

Feng Mulan continued, "Not only that, if the Scorpion Khan truly intends to personally lead the expedition as the spy claims, then the royal court will inevitably be vulnerable."

"Your Majesty can secretly order Prince Xuan to launch a surprise attack on the royal court if the opportunity arises—even if it fails, it can force the Scorpion Khan to return to defend the capital and further disrupt the situation in the northern border."