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

Zhao Yu looked at Zhang Shijie with a look of entrustment in his eyes: "I'll leave the matter of the Imperial Concubine's side to General Zhang."

"The key to this battle lies in whether our two surprise forces can arrive in time and play their role!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shijie's face immediately blazed with intense fighting spirit and rage.

He clasped his hands tightly in a fist salute, his voice resounding: "General Zhao, rest assured! This humble general has been holding back his anger for a long time!"

"Seeing the traitors and barbarians besieging His Majesty and the Jianghuai region, I wish I could sprout wings and fly there to fight them!"

"Now the opportunity has finally arrived! This humble general will lead his men to thoroughly attack that old scoundrel Gongsun Yi's ass! We'll make him unable to attend to both ends, and with the help of the Imperial Concubine, we'll slaughter him!"

Zhao Yu nodded and said no more.

He suddenly pulled on the reins, and the white horse beneath him reared up, letting out a clear, long neigh.

Zhao Yu drew his sword from his waist, its blade gleaming coldly in the afternoon sun. Facing the twenty thousand white-horse cavalrymen who had assembled and stood silently, he roared as he prepared for battle:

"My valiant warriors on white horses! His Majesty is fighting a bloody battle at the front! Traitors, Tang invaders, and barbarian barbarians are plotting to assassinate our king and destroy our Great Chu!"

"We've raised our troops for a thousand days, to use them for one! Follow me—mount your white horses, wield your silver spears, break through the enemy lines, rescue the Emperor, and slay the enemy! Target—Changting Slope! All troops—charge!"

"Save the Emperor! Kill the enemy!"

"May Great Chu be victorious!"

Twenty thousand white horse cavalrymen responded in unison, their shouts shaking the heavens and startling countless birds into flight.

Immediately, under Zhao Yu's leadership, this elite cavalry, which had been resting and recuperating for a long time, surged forward like a white torrent bursting its banks, or like a moving snowfield, towards Changtingpo!

The sound of horses' hooves was initially muffled, but it quickly turned into a deafening thunderclap, shaking the earth and sending dust billowing into the sky!

Zhang Shijie watched the white horse ride away into the distance, his eyes filled with resolute determination.

He turned to his naval commanders and shouted, "Did you all hear that? General Zhao is going to rescue His Majesty, and our mission is to help the Imperial Concubine deal with that old dog Gongsun Yi!"

"Order each ship to leave behind only the necessary personnel to guard the ship, and all other capable soldiers to follow me ashore!"

"Carry bows, crossbows, and firearms; travel light and swiftly. Target—the Scorpion Clan and the Youzhou Army's rear ends! Give them a good beating!"

"As ordered!"

Chu Ning's last two trump cards, which he had been holding back for a long time, were the elite White Horse Cavalry led by Zhao Yu and the mobile navy capable of both land and water operations, commanded by Zhang Shijie.

Finally, at this moment, from the enemy's unexpected side and rear, it revealed its sharp fangs!

With the addition of these two new forces, the overall landscape of the Jianghuai battlefield is about to undergo a dramatic transformation.

A full-scale counterattack and final battle against the Tang army, the Scorpion Clan, and the rebel Chu Xuan has officially begun!

Chu Ning's valiant perseverance at Changtingpo finally brought a glimmer of hope for a comeback.

The night, like thick, unyielding ink, completely engulfed the Jianghuai region.

The traces of the fierce battles fought during the day were covered by darkness, with only the still-burning flames of war, the campfires lit in the camps, and the torches flickering on the city walls remaining.

Like will-o'-the-wisps drifting in hell, they outlined the battlefield's ferocious yet indistinct contours.

Shouts of battle, the clash of weapons, and the dying cries rose and fell in the darkness, adding to the terror and the unknown.

The battle had been raging for an entire afternoon and half a night in the open fields outside the west gate of Jianghuai City.

Feng Mulan led more than 20,000 Chu troops in a protracted and fierce battle against the Scorpion Clan and the Youzhou allied forces commanded by Gongsun Yi.

Despite being surrounded and divided by a superior enemy force, the Chu army, relying on long-range fire support from the city walls and the tenacious command of Feng Mulan, was never completely defeated.

Like a tenacious reef, it withstands wave after wave of crashing waves.

Both sides were exhausted and suffered heavy casualties, and the battle was deadlocked, making each attack and counterattack more difficult and bloodier.

At this stalemate, when both sides were almost exhausted—

"kill--!!!"

A sudden, furious roar, filled with violent killing intent, exploded like a thunderclap from the rear of the Allied forces—near the banks of the Jianghuai River!

The roar didn't come from the front of the battlefield, but from their supposedly safe backs!

Immediately afterwards, countless torches were lit, illuminating countless agile and fierce figures.

They wore light leather or chainmail, which were suitable for naval warfare and close combat, and carried short-handled battle axes, broadswords, and powerful crossbows, which were advantageous for fighting in confined spaces.

Many people even carried grappling hooks and grappling hooks for boarding and docking!

It was the 20,000 elite Chu naval troops, led by General Zhang Shijie, who had just landed!

They moved silently, like phantoms lurking in the darkness or a flood bursting its banks, to the most vulnerable and least defended flanks and rear areas where the Allied forces' battle lines met.

At that moment, at Zhang Shijie's command, it suddenly bared its fangs and stabbed in fiercely!

The allied forces—especially the Youzhou infantry and some Scorpion Clan auxiliary troops who were rotating and resting or focused on besieging Feng Mulan from the front—had no idea that such a fresh force would suddenly appear from behind!

Their attention was completely drawn to Feng Mulan's troops and the city wall defenders in front, and the scouts and guards in the rear were severely weakened by the long battle and the darkness.

"Enemy attack! Behind us! Enemies are behind us!"

"It's the Chu army! The Chu army is coming from the river!"

"what--!"

Exclamations, screams, and curses erupted instantly behind the Allied forces.

Zhang Shijie's naval troops trained on water year-round and were extremely brave in foot combat, especially skilled in chaotic battles and close-quarters combat.

They operated in units of a hundred men, like countless sharp knives, piercing the weak points of the Allied forces' formation.

Crossbow bolts rained down at extremely close range, instantly felling a large group; grappling hooks were thrown, tearing down fences and demolishing makeshift fortifications.

The fierce soldiers, wielding battle axes and broadswords, charged into the enemy ranks, which were thrown into chaos by the sudden attack, and slaughtered them.

In an instant, chaos erupted in the rear of the allied forces! Under the firelight, figures moved about, and the sounds of clashing weapons and dying screams filled the air.

Many Youzhou soldiers were cut down by blades attacking from behind before they even figured out which direction the enemy was coming from.

Supply wagons were set on fire, tents were overturned, and the previously orderly rotation and rest system was completely disrupted, with panic spreading rapidly like a plague.

"What's going on? Where did these enemies come from?"

Gongsun Yi, who was directing the central army and trying to find a weak point in Feng Mulan's defenses to launch a fatal attack, was startled by the sudden commotion and chaos behind him and turned around abruptly.

When he saw the sudden burst of firelight raging behind his lines and heard the familiar battle cries of the Chu army, his face turned ashen, and then an uncontrollable rage surged within him!

"Zhang Shijie? Is he from the Chu navy? How dare they... how did they sneak in here?"

Gongsun Yi was both shocked and furious, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.