strictlysupreme Chapter 2236 All Have a Hidden Plan
Chapter 2236 All Have a Hidden Plan
At the center of the encirclement, Chu Ning's silver armor was covered in blood, with many parts damaged, and even a deep knife wound on his shoulder armor that exposed the bone.
His black cloud-treading snow horse also bore several arrow wounds and was panting heavily.
But his posture remained as upright as a pine tree, and he still held the bright silver spear in his hand steadily, the tip of the spear touching the ground, the bloodstains dried into a dark brown.
Faced with Chu Xuan's malicious attempt to persuade him to surrender, his face showed no despair or anger, but instead slowly curled into a faint smile that was full of endless contempt and mockery.
That smile was like a poisonous flower suddenly blooming on an icy plain, causing Chu Xuan's heart to skip a beat for no reason.
"Chu Xuan!"
Chu Ning spoke, his voice slightly hoarse from the long battle, yet still clear and steady, carrying an all-knowing calmness.
"Do you really think that I would step into this so-called hostage exchange scheme that you and Li Shimin have carefully arranged without any preparation?"
"Do you really think that I would entrust my life entirely to the loyalty of the enemy and the swords and spears of these five hundred personal guards?"
His words contained no self-defense or pleading, but rather a confident and assertive rhetorical question.
Chu Xuan frowned, and the ominous premonition in his heart suddenly magnified: "You're about to die, and you still want to put on a show?"
"Your Jianghuai City is barely able to take care of itself, and Zhao Yu is far away on the north bank. Besides these remnants of your defeated army, who else can save you here?!"
As if in response to his questioning—
"Boom!"
A dull, rhythmic thud of hooves, far more familiar and clearer than any previous sound, suddenly came from the southeast direction of Changtingpo!
The sound was initially like distant thunder, but it quickly became deafening, as if a thousand troops were rushing in with overwhelming force, and even the ground beneath our feet began to tremble slightly!
What was that sound?
The allied soldiers surrounding Chu Ning stirred, looking towards the source of the sound with suspicion and uncertainty.
On the southeastern horizon, a billowing cloud of dust, like a giant yellow dragon, was sweeping toward Changtingpo at an astonishing speed!
At the forefront of the smoke and dust, a tall flag fluttered in the wind; even from a distance, one could clearly discern a powerful, menacing character on the flag—
The character “horse”!
The flag with the character "马" (horse) on it!
The banner of the Xiliang cavalry!
"It's Ma Chao!" a sharp-eyed general from Youzhou exclaimed in shock, his face turning deathly pale.
"The Xiliang Iron Cavalry! What are they doing here?"
A chorus of horrified gasps rang out from the Tang army ranks.
They had long been familiar with the ferocity of Ma Chao and his Xiliang cavalry.
Chu Xuan's sinister smile froze completely, replaced by disbelief, horror, and rage.
"Ma Chao? Shouldn't he be in Jianghuai City? How could he be here?"
He suddenly looked at Chu Ning, only to see that the other party still had a calm expression, but that faint smile was now filled with endless mockery and scheming in his eyes.
Li Shiming's face instantly darkened, as if a storm was about to break.
He stared intently at the approaching "Horse" banner and the forest of spears and gleaming sabers that gradually emerged from the dust, gritting his teeth as he said:
"Good! Well done, Chu Ning! He's indeed cunning and treacherous, harboring ill intentions!"
"They said they were only bringing five hundred men, but they had already secretly deployed Ma Chao's Xiliang cavalry to lie in ambush! What a brilliant scheme of feigning one move while secretly making another!"
He suddenly realized that Chu Ning's agreement to take only five hundred men was not without reason, but it was also a strategy to lull them into a false sense of security.
The real killing move was hidden on the outside, waiting for the moment when they were besieging Chu Ning with all their might, their formation was broken, and their spirits were relaxed!
However, Li Shimin was, after all, a powerful ruler who had weathered many storms. After his initial shock and anger, a ruthless and decisive glint suddenly flashed in his eyes.
He suddenly looked up, gazing towards Jianghuai City to the north, as if confirming something.
Immediately, a cold smile, a mixture of relief and murderous intent, appeared on his face.
"However, Chu Ning, don't be too happy yet!"
Li Shiming's voice suddenly rose, carrying a sharp edge as if he had won a victory.
"Do you think you're the only one with a backup plan? Do you think I'm some unprepared fool?!"
Almost at the same moment he finished speaking—
"Whoa—!!!"
A more ferocious and violent charge, filled with the wildness of the grasslands, and shouts of battle horns, like the roar of a wild beast, suddenly resounded from the northwest of Changtingpo!
At the same time, another plume of dust rose into the sky. Although it was not as large as the Xiliang cavalry in the southeast, it was even faster and more ferocious.
With an aura of utter destructive ruthlessness, it charged straight onto the battlefield!
At the forefront of the smoke and dust, a ferocious banner bearing the head of a scorpion clan wolf was wildly waving.
The leader, shirtless, revealing strong muscles and hideous tattoos, wielding a huge curved sword, was none other than the Scorpion Khan who had returned—Helian Hui!
Unbeknownst to him, he had somehow managed to deceive everyone and lead an elite Scorpion Clan cavalry force, circling around to the other side of the battlefield like a ghost.
At this crucial moment, the most critical and life-threatening time, we fought back!
Helian Hui took the lead, his face contorted with ecstasy and a thirst for revenge.
He gazed at Chu Ning, who was completely surrounded, and let out a deafening laugh, a laugh filled with boundless resentment and pleasure that echoed throughout the entire Changting Slope:
"Chu Ning! Didn't expect that, did you?"
"Today, this place will be your burial ground, Emperor of Chu!!!"
The blood-red setting sun cast its light on the long pavilion slope, where corpses lay strewn across the land.
When Helian Hui led over ten thousand elite Scorpion Clan cavalry to sweep in from the northwest like a tidal wave, the atmosphere on the battlefield suddenly froze, only to be instantly ignited to a new boiling point.
Faced with Helian Hui's extremely arrogant declaration, Ma Chao, who had just arrived with 5,000 Xiliang cavalry, showed no fear whatsoever.
Instead, he grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, his smile filled with undisguised contempt and burning fighting spirit.
He brandished his spear, spurred his horse forward, and roared at Helian Hui with a voice like a booming bell, directly drowning out the roar of the Scorpion Clan cavalry:
"Helian Hui! You defeated and cowardly dog of the grasslands, who only knows how to run away with your tail between your legs, do you even dare to bark before His Majesty the Emperor of Great Chu?"
Ma Chao's sarcasm was like a sharp saber, slicing through the air: "You managed to escape last time, and you dare to come here to die again today! You truly have no shame!"
He spun the steel-tipped spear in his hand, and the tassel exploded like a flower of blood.
The spear tip gleamed with a chilling light, pointing straight at Helian Hui beneath the Scorpion Clan's banner in the distance. His voice suddenly rose, carrying an unwavering resolve:
"I am here today to see which reckless demon dares to lay a finger on His Majesty!"
Helian Hui was publicly exposed by Ma Chao, especially the words "fleeing in panic," which struck at his most painful spot.
His facial muscles twitched, and his eyes instantly filled with bloodshot veins, but this was quickly replaced by a manic confidence based on superior military strength.