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

Helian Hui laughed wildly, his laughter hoarse and piercing:

"Hahaha! Ma Chao! Stop trying to outwit me with your words! Look carefully!"

He suddenly raised his arm and pointed to the ten thousand cavalrymen spreading out behind him like dark clouds: "This time, I, the Khan, have brought ten thousand of the bravest men of the grasslands!"

"And you, with a mere five thousand cavalry! The disparity in strength is more than double!"

He grinned maliciously, as if he could already see victory: "You think that with the meager abilities of your Xiliang cavalry, you can turn the tide? You think you can save your doomed emperor? Dream on!"

"Today, you and your servant will embark on your journey together, so you won't be lonely on the road to the underworld!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Chao's eyes turned completely cold, devoid of any extra emotion, like two pieces of unyielding, ancient iron.

He stopped engaging in pointless verbal sparring with Helian Hui, and simply gripped the spear in his hand tighter, the shaft rubbing against the nail plate in his palm, producing a subtle yet hard sound.

He turned slightly to face Chu Ning, who was heavily guarded and whose expression was calm and unfathomable, and solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute from his horse. His voice was steady and firm, carrying the resolute determination to request battle:

"Your Majesty! Helian Hui is a scoundrel, arrogant and ignorant, who has repeatedly offended the imperial majesty!"

"This humble general requests permission to lead my men of Xiliang to meet their attack head-on and slay this barbarian to intimidate the rest of the scoundrels!"

All eyes instantly focused on Chu Ning.

The setting sun, like blood, outlined his tall and solitary silhouette.

He slowly raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the arrogant Helian Hui and then over the ready-to-fight Ma Chao.

Finally, it landed in the direction of the distant Jianghuai City, where the fierce battle was still raging, as if it had weighed the overall situation in an instant.

Then, he withdrew his gaze, looked at Ma Chao, parted his lips slightly, and uttered only one word.

The voice wasn't loud, but it was chillingly cold, containing boundless killing intent and the unquestionable will of an emperor. It clearly resounded throughout the entire battlefield, tolling the death knell for Helian Hui's fate:

"kill."

Ma Chao received Chu Ning's cold "Kill," and then uttered no more unnecessary words.

He abruptly turned his horse around, facing the five thousand silent, steel-sculpted Xiliang cavalry behind him, his eyes blazing with fierce battle intent.

He raised his spear high, the tip drawing a blinding arc in the setting sun, his voice booming like rolling thunder:

"Soldiers of Xiliang! His Majesty commands—slay the barbarians and wipe out the vile ones! Follow me—"

"kill--!!!"

"kill!!!"

Five thousand Xiliang cavalrymen roared in unison, their voices rising like a tsunami, instantly drowning out all the noise on the battlefield.

They did not choose to hold their ground or defend. Faced with a number of Scorpion Clan cavalry that outnumbered them, they chose the most valiant, direct, and characteristic tactics of the Xiliang cavalry.

Charge head-on and break through the enemy lines!

"Boom—!"

Five thousand warhorses, partially armored, started moving simultaneously, their iron hooves pounding the ground with a deep and terrifying roar that shook the earth.

They formed a wedge formation, with Ma Chao leading the way, like the sharpest arrowhead.

All the knights crouched low, gripping their lances or spears tightly, the tips pointing diagonally forward, reflecting a chilling metallic gleam in the afterglow of the setting sun.

What is most striking is their armor.

They did not wear the leather armor or simple chainmail commonly seen on Scorpion Clan cavalry, but rather fish-scale heavy armor or lamellar armor forged from fine iron with cleverly connected joints.

Along with helmets, arm guards, and leg guards, the equipment provides comprehensive protection for the vital parts of both the rider and the horse, making it resemble a moving steel wall when viewed in the sunlight.

With an invincible momentum, it crashed fiercely into the scorpion clan's 10,000 riders that surged towards it like a black tide!

Upon seeing this, Helian Hui was first taken aback, then burst into a contemptuous laugh:

"A futile attempt! They're courting death! My comrades, let them see the sharp claws of the eagles of the grasslands! Crush them!"

"Today, I, the Khan, will turn the heads of these five thousand Xiliang cavalrymen into a mound of skulls!"

At a command, ten thousand Scorpion Clan cavalrymen roared and brandished their scimitars, spears, and maces, urging their horses forward to charge.

Their advantage lay in their large numbers and high mobility; when they charged, they were like a raging sandstorm.

The next instant—

"boom!!!"

Two torrents, one black, wild, and carrying the bloody winds of the grasslands.

A silver-gray, silent steel arrowhead exuding a chilling aura of death.

In the open area on the northwest side of Changtingpo, they collided head-on without any fancy moves!

In that instant, time seemed to stretch out.

The deafening clang of metal clashing, the muffled thud of bones shattering, the dying neighs of warhorses, and the agonizing screams of dying humans—a symphony of hellish sounds mingled together.

The scene at the forefront of the charge was extremely tragic.

The heavy horse armor and knightly armor of the Xiliang cavalry gave this collision unparalleled kinetic energy.

Many Scorpion Clan cavalrymen were sent flying by the impact, or had their chests pierced and were thrown from their horses by the longer and sturdier spears of the Xiliang cavalry.

But the real carnage only unfolded in the chaos that followed the collision.

When the scimitars and maces of the Scorpion Clan cavalry struck the heavy armor of the Xiliang knights, they often only produced a trail of sparks and left shallow white marks, rarely causing fatal damage.

Their leather armor and simple iron plate armor were like paper in front of the specially made armor-piercing spears and fine steel sabers of the Xiliang cavalry, and were easily pierced!

Ma Chao charged at the forefront, his spear like a dragon, each thrust precise and ruthless, inevitably bringing down a Scorpion Clan cavalryman.

The Xiliang knights behind him, in groups of three or five, maintained a tight assault formation, covering each other and advancing in shifts.

Their weapons were clearly specially designed and forged; the spears had blood grooves and armor-piercing spikes at the tips, and the sabers were thick and sharp, making them powerful and heavy to wield.

In contrast, the Scorpion Clan cavalry, though brave and skilled in horsemanship, were clearly outmatched in terms of equipment.

Their weapons are difficult to penetrate effectively, and every attack from the enemy could be fatal.

The battlefield quickly descended into the bloodiest and most brutal slaughter.

The Xiliang cavalry, like red-hot iron plows, plunged deep into the black Scorpion Clan's army formation, leaving men and horses in ruins and blood and flesh flying everywhere they went.

Although outnumbered, they gradually gained the upper hand in the melee thanks to their superior equipment, strict discipline, fearless charging spirit, and Ma Chao's excellent command.

The steel torrent continued to advance, disrupting the Scorpion Clan cavalry's formation, cutting them off, surrounding them, and annihilating them.

The setting sun slowly sank in the west amidst the fierce battle, dyeing the sky a poignant orange-red and purplish-black, as if it too had been soaked by the sea of ​​blood on the ground.

The fierce battle lasted for nearly an hour, and the wilderness on the northwest side of Changting Slope was littered with corpses.

Broken weapons, ownerless warhorses, and scattered flags were everywhere, and the strong stench of blood was nauseating.