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

The carriage rocked.

Chen Futu looked Liu Longyue up and down, sneered, "I naturally have ways to improve the current situation of Beiwu, but why should I help you?"

A mocking remark turned Liu Longyue's longing expression into one of dejection.

There's no such thing as a free lunch. Besides, the two of them were enemies to begin with. The fact that they didn't kill her and even tacitly allowed her to accept the title of Crown Princess was already very polite to her.

Liu Longyue thought for a moment and said, "Whatever price the young master needs me to pay, as long as it benefits Beiwu, I can give it to you."

"Okay, then tonight..."

Before Chen Futu could finish speaking, he suddenly noticed Chen Yuling's strange gaze and quickly changed his words, "You think of a way tonight to have Beiwu attack the Daqian pass and tie down Daqian's 200,000 troops. Once I've dealt with the Hu people's threat, I'll give you the answer when I'm free."

Liu Longyue's pretty face stiffened, and she fell silent again.

It was quite late when we returned to the mansion.

When Chen Futu met Zhang Liang and his group, Zhang Liang said seriously, "There's been some activity at Tianyun Pass. It's said that Zhang Shouren has reduced his forces and seems to really intend to let the Hu people into the pass."

"That bastard should have been chopped off back then!" Dian Wei cursed, having long disliked Zhang Shouren.

Chen Futu asked, "What did General Xu say?"

"General Xu has sent people to negotiate with Zhang Shouren. Zhang Shouren's attitude is still unclear. We also need to make preparations. I suggest that we criticize Zhang Shouren in the newspapers to win back the hearts of the people in the northern frontier once again."

Liu Bowen's reply coincided with Zhang Liang's.

Newspapers are a powerful tool for controlling people's minds. Previously, the reputation of Zhang Shouren as the "God of the Gaoliang River" had caused his prestige in the northern frontier to plummet. Now, with newspapers criticizing him for wanting to let the Hu people into the pass, he can't escape a bad reputation.

"Alright, Mr. Qingtian, take the pen and give him a good dressing down! Regardless of whether he lets him go or not, make sure he's convicted!"

"Hehe, leave it to me, and I'll have the results soon."

Liu Bowen accepted the task and went to prepare.

Next, Chen Futu stayed at the royal court and did not go out to search for the money Liu Longyue had mentioned, since at this critical juncture, the money was unlikely to escape.

Liu Bowen's articles were published in newspapers.

Titled "A Letter to Tianyun," he conveyed to the people of the northern frontier the news that the Hu people had invaded the border and that Zhang Shouren, the pacification commissioner of Tianyun, was attempting to open the gates and allow the Hu people to graze their horses in the south.

The news sent shockwaves through northern Xinjiang, and Tianyun Pass quickly became the target of everyone's anger.

In his article, Liu Bowen also vehemently criticized the Daqian imperial family, revealing that Daqian's appointment of Zhang Shouwei as the heir apparent of the Prince of Zhenbei was an attempt to undermine the defenses of the northern frontier, an act he considered utterly heinous. He stated that Daqian wanted to break through the northern frontier and deliberately exposed the world to the iron hooves of the Hu people. Finally, Liu Bowen further denounced Zhang Shouren as a treacherous and wicked man who had no loyalty to the emperor or his father.

The newspaper was not only distributed to the northern frontier, but Liu Bowen also arranged for it to be delivered to the Daqian Dynasty.

The world was shaken in a short period of time.

As the shield of the southern states, the northern frontier cannot be allowed to be opened to the Hu people to graze their horses in the south, no matter how much the Great Qian Dynasty hates it. Otherwise, it will be another catastrophe, and the Great Qian imperial family, like Zhang Shouren, will be pushed to the forefront of the storm.

Scholars and intellectuals began to launch verbal and written attacks.

"Bah! How dare Chen Futu insult my Great Qian! He's a complete scoundrel!"

"I heard that he went on a killing spree on the Tongguan battlefield, slaughtering tens of thousands of Longman soldiers and turning them into a mound of corpses. He's a butcher."

"That's not how it works. The Prince of Zhenbei is defending the northern lands. What if the barbarians really break through the Tianguan Pass and march south? How should we deal with that?"

"The royal family must not provoke the crown prince again. If he also reaches an agreement with the Hu people and allows them to pass through, the Great Qian Dynasty will be in grave danger once the steppe cavalry crosses the northern mountain range!"

The whole city of Beijing is talking about this.

In the golden palace, the old emperor was furious. He smashed a cup and roared, "You scoundrel, you have insulted me too much!"

"Your Majesty, Chen Futu is now deliberately manipulating public opinion. What can I do?"

The officials were all dumbfounded. Chen Futu had no martial virtue and used the newspapers to make a big fuss, belittling the Great Qian Dynasty to the point of being worthless. And that damned Mr. Qingtian, his insults were too sharp, he was almost pointing his finger at the emperor and saying "Damn it!"

The prince said gloomily, "Does Chen Futu know about our plans?"

Joining forces with Zhang Shouren to allow the Hu people to enter the pass and attack the northern frontier was the Daqian imperial family's trump card. Chen Futu exposed this conspiracy in front of the whole world. If the Hu people were allowed to proceed, the Daqian imperial family would lose its prestige and the support of the people.

"Things have come to this point, we don't have time to think too much. At worst, we won't take action."

After much deliberation, the old emperor dispatched Sun Chengzong, the Prince of Kaiping, to Tianyun Pass to meet Zhang Shouren. He instructed Zhang Shouren to unite with the Hu people to crush Longcheng. Once Longcheng was captured, Sun Chengzong would personally lead a large army to join forces with Zhang Shouren to attack the invading Hu people from the north and south. After that, Zhang Shouren would become the new Prince of Zhenbei.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether Zhang Shouren believed this promise.

At the Longcheng military camp, drills were in full swing, and the generals gathered together.

"My lord, I, Guan, am willing to lead a large army to Tianyun, slay the enemy general, and present his head to you!"

Guan Yu volunteered for battle.

Cao Zhen, Gao Shun, and the others exchanged glances and stepped forward.

Chen Futu laughed and said, "There's no need for you all to worry. General Xu is still in charge in the west, so our enemies may not be in Tianyun City."

"What does my lord mean?"

The generals didn't quite understand.

Chen Futu pointed to the passes and defenses on the map, "Zhang Shouren has suffered repeated defeats at my hands. Now everyone knows that he is going to open Tianyun Pass and let the Hu people in, so I expect he will definitely not open Tianyun Pass."

These words caused an uproar among the generals.

Zhang Liang stroked his beard and muttered, "The art of war says, 'When you are strong, make it seem weak; when you are weak, make it seem strong.' Zhang Shouren has no way out. The only way to break the deadlock is to unite with the Hu people. Now the eyes of the world are focused on Tianyun Pass, and with General Xu stationed in this important western town, it will be no easy task for the Hu people to come in."

As he spoke, Zhang Liang pointed to the eastern defense line of Longguan on the map, "If I'm not mistaken, Zhang Shouren will make a move on the four defense lines from Longguan to Kaiyangguan."

Huo Qubing pondered, "Could it be that spies were planted to open the gates wide when the Hu army arrived?"

"This possibility cannot be ruled out."

Zhang Liang's expression suddenly turned serious. "Don't forget, Zhang Shouren was once the adopted son of the Prince of Zhenbei. Do you really think that once the Crown Prince has secured the northern frontier, all seven fierce generals have sincerely pledged their allegiance to His Highness?"

These words sent chills down the spines of the generals.

Qin Liangyu said urgently, "The strategist means that there are some fierce generals who are actually Zhang Shouren's men, but they have not been exposed yet."

“That’s right. The one guarding Fushui Pass is Luo Qingshan, who is Luo Wushuang’s father, so his suspicion can be ruled out. The guards of the other three passes could all have rebelled.”

"My lord, please issue the transfer order immediately so that we can be relieved of our posts."

Guan Yu couldn't wait any longer.

Chen Futu and Zhang Liang looked at each other and burst into laughter. "No need. If the enemy doesn't come, how can we take them by surprise and wipe out their vanguard?"

Next, Chen Futu ordered his army to set up camp outside major western towns, and set up various banners for each unit.

This time, Zhang Shouren will be badly injured, if not killed!