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

In the darkness, the Tang cavalry could not see the ground clearly at all, and men and horses fell one after another, causing their formation to fall into chaos.

"Archers—Triple Shot!"

hum!hum!hum!

The three echelons of Chu archers took turns firing, and the rain of arrows fell like locusts into the chaotic Tang cavalry formation.

In the darkness, the sounds of arrows piercing the air, warhorses neighing, and soldiers screaming filled the air.

In just the first round of fighting, the Tang army's vanguard cavalry lost at least three thousand riders!

From behind, Li Shiming could see everything clearly from his imperial carriage, his face turning ashen.

"The Dragon Gate Formation... That old scoundrel Xue Huaide is indeed troublesome!"

He gritted his teeth: "Send the order! Cavalry retreat, infantry phalanx advance! Use heavy infantry to break through the formation!"

Upon receiving the order, the Tang cavalry retreated like a receding tide, clearing the way.

In the rear, 40,000 Tang heavy infantry began their advance.

These soldiers, clad in double-layered heavy armor and wielding massive shields and spears, moved in perfect unison, like a moving steel wall.

This is the true offensive force of the Tang army.

Upon seeing this from within the formation, Xue Huaide not only remained calm but also showed a glint of shrewdness in his eyes.

"It's finally here," he murmured, then waved the command flag again: "Dragon Gate—Close!"

The twelve circular formations suddenly contracted backward simultaneously!

Instead of a rout, they moved backward in an orderly fashion, reducing the distance between each circular formation from fifty paces to thirty paces. The entire defensive line, which had been in an arc, caved inward, becoming a huge "pocket"!

The Tang heavy infantry, unaware of the situation, saw the Chu army "retreating" and assumed their formation was weakening. They immediately accelerated their advance, attempting to break through the defenses in one fell swoop.

But just as they plunged into the deepest part of the pocket—

"Dragon Fang—Appear!"

Xue Huaide waved his command flag fiercely!

The retreating circular formations suddenly stopped, and then—rotated in the opposite direction!

At the same time, hundreds of ballistae that had been prepared beforehand were fired simultaneously from the gaps between the circular formations!

Those weren't ordinary crossbow bolts, but massive armor-piercing crossbows as thick as an arm!

The crossbow bolts, whistling mournfully, pierced the Tang army's heavy infantry formation.

Even with heavy armor and massive shields, at this distance, the giant crossbow could still pierce through several people!

The first rank of heavy infantry fell like wheat being harvested.

Immediately afterwards, countless lightly armed swordsmen and axemen suddenly emerged from those rotating circular formations!

They don't wear heavy armor, move swiftly, and specialize in cutting down the legs, ankles, and gaps in the armor of heavy infantry!

Heavy infantry are slow to move and have difficulty turning around, making them easy targets in close-quarters combat!

"Put out the kerosene!"

An even more insidious trick is about to unfold.

Suddenly, dozens of strange vehicles were pushed out from behind the circular formation, each carrying a huge leather bag.

As the mechanism was activated, the leather bag burst open, and black oil poured into the Tang army's formation like a torrential rain!

"Rocket—fire!"

Rockets rained down from the sky, and the fuel ignited upon contact with the fire.

Instantly, flames soared into the sky within the Tang army's heavy infantry formation!

The heavy armor became an oven in the flames, and the soldiers screamed and rolled around in the sea of ​​fire, their formation completely collapsing.

"Retreat! Retreat now!" The Tang general's eyes were bloodshot.

But it's too late.

Those rotating circular formations, like millstones, gradually crushed the Tang army, which was engulfed in flames and chaos.

The light infantry squares flanked from both sides, cutting off their retreat.

The crossbowmen continued to fire from the perimeter to block reinforcements.

In just half an hour, nearly 10,000 of the 40,000 Tang heavy infantrymen were killed!

The rest fled in haste, utterly disheveled.

On the high platform, Chu Ning clapped his hands and laughed: "Excellent! What a brilliant story! General Xue is truly a national hero!"

He knew that the most powerful aspect of Xue Huaide's formation was not its lethality, but rather its ability to wear down the enemy.

With ingenious formation shifts, layered traps, and limited forces, the enemy's manpower was depleted to the maximum extent, their morale was dampened, and the battle dragged on for a long time.

Time is now on the side of the Chu army.

Because inside the city, Feng Mulan and others were still holding their ground.

Because on the north bank, Ma Chao's Xiliang cavalry had already crossed the river.

Because... Chu Ning still has one last trump card up his sleeve.

"Send word to General Xue."

Chu Ning said to his personal guards, "Tell him that there is no need to seek victory, just to stall. The longer it is stalled, the more advantageous it will be for our army."

"According to the order!"

The command flag is waved, and the message is conveyed.

In the midst of the battle, Xue Huaide received the order and nodded slightly.

He gazed at the Tang army regrouping opposite him, at the unyielding "Tang" banner still proudly displayed in the torchlight, and a profound look appeared on his aged face.

“Li Shimin, Li Shimin…” he murmured to himself, “You personally led the expedition here, risking the fate of the nation; you truly had the courage.”

"But war cannot be won with just courage."

"It also depends on who has more cards to play, who has more patience, and who calculates more precisely."

He slowly raised the command flag, preparing to meet the next wave of attacks from the Tang army.

The night was deep, and the flames of war raged.

The Dragon Gate Formation stood like an insurmountable chasm between the Tang army and Jianghuai City.

This natural barrier will hold off the Tang army for at least three days.

Three days later...

Chu Ning gazed at the dark east, a deep, unfathomable light flashing in his eyes.

Three days later, this bloody battle that lasted a full day may finally be decided.

Only those who survived will have the right to write history.

Under the central banner of the Tang army, torches flickered violently in the night wind, casting intermittent light and shadow on Li Shimin's gloomy face.

Xue Che knelt on one knee in front of the horse, his armor covered in soot and fire marks, and his left arm wrapped in a blood-soaked bandage.

This Tang army vanguard general, renowned for his bravery, now spoke with barely concealed anxiety and frustration:

"Your Majesty, this humble general is incompetent... that Dragon Gate Formation is simply too bizarre."

"Our army suffered 7,243 casualties in three rounds of attacks, with over 3,000 seriously wounded and rendered incapacitated. The heavy infantry phalanx was almost completely wiped out, and the cavalry also..."

He paused, then gritted his teeth and said, "That old scoundrel Xue Huaide is a devil in warfare."

"The circular formation rotates and changes without any pattern, sometimes contracting like an iron barrel, sometimes spreading out like a crane's wings. It also hides oil, ballistae, and tripwires in the middle. Every step our soldiers take forward comes at a heavy price!"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding generals all turned extremely pale.

Within two hours of the start of the battle, they had lost tens of thousands of elite troops—and this was even with roughly equal numbers of soldiers!

If the fighting continues at this pace, the 70,000-strong army will be wiped out before they can even break through the Dragon Gate Formation.

Li Shiming remained silent.

He gazed at the steel array slowly rotating in the night in the distance, at the crimson "Xue" banner behind the array, and at the beacon fires still burning over Jianghuai City in the distance.

Everything was proceeding as the worst had predicted—Guo Ziyi had used himself as bait to lure out the main force of the Chu army, creating an excellent opportunity for a surprise attack. He could have won the battle in one fell swoop by personally leading 100,000 fresh troops.

But by sheer chance, they ran into Xue Huaide, this monster.

We've stumbled upon this damned trap.

"Xue Huaide!"

Li Shimin squeezed out the name through gritted teeth: "I remember him. He was the Grand General of the former Great Zhou Dynasty. I never expected that Chu Ning would still give him military power!"

Li Shiming sneered, his laughter full of sarcasm, "Chu Ning really... will stop at nothing for this battle."