After being demoted, my 300,000-strong army trampled the imperial city!

"Are you here to guide me, young lady?"

Huo Qubing captured Chen Yuling in public, but he didn't do anything out of line. Instead, he questioned her with a stern face.

Chen Yuling didn't answer, but slid off his horse, picked up the War Dragon Halberd, mounted his black steed, and prepared to fight again.

Chen Futu couldn't stand it any longer and immediately pushed through the crowd to reprimand, "Ling'er, don't be rude."

Chen Yuling froze upon seeing this, then spurred his horse and rode away.

Chen Futu quickly grabbed the horse's reins. She couldn't run away, so she could only lower her head dejectedly and say, "Brother, I was wrong."

"This humble general pays his respects to the Crown Prince."

Huo Qubing dismounted immediately upon seeing Chen Futu.

Chen Futu quickly stepped forward to help him up, exclaiming, "Having Qubing is like having Zhang Liang!"

Zhang Liang, standing behind him, rolled his eyes. "Your Highness, could you please use a different way of saying it next time?"

No matter who the crown prince acquires, he always says it's like acquiring Zhang Liang; it's simply too much.

Huo Qubing looked at Zhang Liang in surprise, "Master Zifang, you're here too?"

Huo Qubing was a man of Emperor Wu of Han, while Zhang Liang was a founding father of Liu Bang, making him Huo Qubing's predecessor. Moreover, the Han Dynasty finally had two such men.

Zhang Liang grinned and said, "Good, good, now that you're here, I can finally have a drink with you."

"Brother, so he really was one of your subordinates."

Chen Yuling removed the ghost mask, revealing her delicate face.

Huo Qubing was startled and immediately clasped his hands in greeting: "I was unaware of your arrival, Miss. I am guilty."

"Hehe, General Huo, you laid a hand on me. I'll remember this debt."

"Ah this..."

Huo Qubing felt a chill run down his spine. He had offended this young lady as soon as he arrived. Who could he complain to?

Chen Futu smiled and pulled Huo Qubing along. He then instructed his guards to inform the military camp that a grand banquet would be held today to welcome Huo Qubing back.

The banquet was held at the Royal Court.

Guan Yu and the others all knew of Huo Qubing's existence and toasted him.

Only Ma Chao was eager to fight Huo Qubing.

Upon hearing the news of the banquet, Liu Longyue was startled. "The young master has gained another general?"

"Yes, he is said to be the Marquis of Champion. The prince's generals all admire him greatly. He must be an extraordinary figure."

The servant from Beiwu reported the facts truthfully.

Liu Longyue frowned deeply. She couldn't understand Chen Futu any better. Where did that young master find so many outstanding people?

Moreover, she had a natural fear of Huo Qubing, as if her soul trembled at the mere mention of his name.

Little did they know that Huo Qubing was the natural enemy of the North. Now that Chen Futu had Huo Qubing, neither the Northern Wu nor the Hu people were worth fearing.

They had a great time during the dinner.

Standing beside Chen Futu, Chen Yuling raised her wine cup to Huo Qubing and said with a smile, "General Huo, if you have time, would you be willing to give me some pointers?"

"If the young lady has given me a command, I dare not disobey."

Huo Qubing could tell that this young lady was the darling of the family, the younger sister of the crown prince, and the future princess of the empire, with an extremely noble status, so he naturally had to agree.

Chen Futu looked at the two of them strangely, and suddenly an idea came to him.

However, he decided to let his sister make her own decisions about matters of the heart. After all, with him as her brother, the person Chen Yuling was to marry in the future had to be a top-notch hero of the time.

"Report——"

After several rounds of drinks, the personal guards suddenly arrived.

The generals all turned their heads to look.

"Your Highness, a large army of Hu people has been spotted on the grasslands, heading towards Tianyun Pass!"

Tianyun Pass, Zhang Shouren's jurisdiction!

Chen Futu's expression darkened, and he went to examine the map. The crowd gathered around him.

Zhang Liang said, "The frost and snow in the north make the weather even worse than in previous years. They can't survive there and can only try to seize the border."

"What do you think Zhang Shouren's attitude is, strategist?"

Chen Futu hasn't made a move against Zhang Shouren yet, so that he can make a big show of it and then General Xu Mao can rally the troops at Tianyun Pass to surrender as much as possible and reduce internal strife in the northern frontier.

Now that the Hu people have arrived, if Zhang Shouren opens the gates to allow them to pass and joins forces with the Hu people to attack the northern frontier, then a decisive battle will be the only option.

Zhang Liang pondered for a moment, but before he could speak, Huo Qubing said, "My lord, why not go out of Longguan to attack the flank of the Hu people and tie down their main force? I will then lightly armed myself and raid their royal court, and we can win in one battle."

Historically, Huo Qubing was known for his lightly armed raids, and his greatest skill was blitzkrieg, making him arguably the originator of the blitzkrieg tactic.

Zhang Liang objected, saying, "We don't know what the Hu people are planning yet. Let's see what Zhang Shouren's attitude is before making a decision."

Next, Chen Futu relayed orders to send more scouts from Longguan into the grasslands to see how many Hu people were in the vanguard, whether they intended to fight a decisive battle or just harass them. He then ordered Longcheng to prepare for battle and sent a message to General Xu, instructing him to command all the western cities and passes to prepare for the decisive battle at Tianyun Pass.

In addition, Yan Sheng, Luo Qingshan, and Lou Wenquan are to conduct reconnaissance of the passes along the Kaiyang Pass, Fushui Pass, and Yanbei Pass, and report any enemy activity immediately.

After the banquet ended, Chen Futu met Liu Longyue.

Liu Longyue's white fox-like face held a mocking smile, "I am the Crown Prince's consort, yet the Crown Prince neither announces the news to the public nor allows me to accompany him. He won't even give me this much face?"

"Our generals are gathered here, so Princess, please don't join in the fun. Now that the barbarians are coming on strong, why don't you write a letter to the Northern Army to attack the barbarians' rear? Then we can attack from the north and south together and eliminate future troubles forever."

"Does Your Highness think I look like a fool?"

Beiwu is currently in a standoff with Daqian. If it were to send troops to attack the Hu people again, and the Northern Frontier were to sit back and watch the two fight, leaving Beiwu to be attacked from both the north and south by Daqian and the Hu people, she would have nowhere to turn for help.

"It seems there is no possibility of cooperation between us."

"Your Highness, the greatest enemy of the Northern Wu is the Great Qian. Before the Great Qian is destroyed, please forgive me for not being able to accompany you in dealing with the Hu people."

Liu Longyue's attitude was very firm.

Both the Northern Wu and the Hu people live on the grasslands, one in the east and the other in the west. Even if the Hu people are dealt with, it will not benefit the Northern Wu at all, as the Northern Wu will also face the torment of bitter cold in the winter.

According to her original plan, she was willing to tarnish her own reputation by colluding with the old emperor in Daqian to stir up trouble, all in order to make the Northern Frontier and Daqian fight a decisive battle. Then, the Northern Wu would take the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on the rear of the Northern Frontier and break through the border. However, Chen Futu suddenly appeared and suppressed the Northern Wu army at Yanbei Pass and Fushui Pass, causing the Northern Wu to suffer a great defeat and retreat. In the end, her plan failed. Therefore, Chen Futu and Daqian were her number one opponents.

At this point, Chen Futu coldly said, "Now that the Hu people have arrived and Zhang Shouren's attitude is unclear, we do not have enough troops to support the eastern battlefield. Therefore, you must start a war to hold back the Daqian, otherwise they may turn around and attack Kaiyang Pass. Today you must give me an explanation."

"Does the Crown Prince believe that the Great Qian Dynasty has allied with Zhang Shouren and the Hu people to launch a three-pronged attack on you?"

"Otherwise, if Zhang Shouren wins this battle, how will you face yourself?"

“Then I will cooperate with Zhang Shouren.”

"Bah! You lowly slave of three surnames!"

Chen Futu couldn't help but curse.

Liu Longyue broke down after being scolded. She gritted her teeth, her beautiful eyes wide with anger. "What do you know! The Northern Frontier is not a bitterly cold place. You are not a Northern Martial person, you don't understand our suffering!"