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

In the great victory at Longcheng, Guan Yu and Ma Chao were unstoppable, and Zhang Shouren was forced to flee in disarray, losing his armor and weapons.

After much deliberation, Guan Yu decided not to pursue Zhang Shouren any further. There were still many enemies, and a great general was needed to lead the battlefield and subdue the enemy forces.

Ma Chao led the Xiliang army to continue their relentless pursuit of Zhang Shouren.

It is believed that after this battle, Zhang Shouren will gain not only the title of "God of Chariots at Gaoliang River," but also the "honorable name" of "discarding his robe and covering his face."

Ma Chao pursued Zhang Shouren until only a few dozen riders remained, until they reached the city of Tianyun three days later.

Zhang Shouren shouted, "Open the city gates quickly!"

He was in dire straits, like a stray dog, covered in dust, his hair disheveled. He had been chased by Ma Chao for three days and now only had a dozen or so riders left with him, all of them pale, thin, and emaciated, as if they had just passed through the gates of hell.

Just then, a banner was suddenly raised on the top of Tianyun City, bearing the banner of Zhenbei.

Chen Futu, Zhang Liang, and Gao Shun stood smiling on the city wall. "Brother, how have you been?"

"Chen Futu!"

Zhang Shouren suspected he was hallucinating. "How could you possibly have taken Tianyun City!"

Before setting off, they clearly left 20,000 troops to garrison Tianyun. How could Chen Futu and Gao Shun possibly capture the city gate with their meager numbers?

Chen Futu grinned and said, "My good sworn brother, have you forgotten that I let you leave with your wife and children last time?"

"What do you mean! Did you do something?"

“I know you’re not happy about this. Before I let your family leave, I had someone planted among your servants.”

"mean!"

"Hehe, with the inside man taking down your sister-in-law, opening the city will be easy. I'll gladly accept your 20,000 troops."

Chen Futu waved his hand, and a beautiful woman was escorted to the city wall. The woman looked at the disheveled Zhang Shouren with tears in her eyes and said sadly, "Zhang Lang, surrender. The prince has agreed that if you surrender, he can guarantee my whole family a lifetime of peace."

"Shut up!"

Zhang Shouren was consumed by rage and wished he could skin Chen Futu alive.

In front of Zhang Shouren, Chen Futu grabbed the beautiful woman's hand. The woman screamed and struggled, "Zhang Lang, save me—"

"Chen Futu, how dare you do this? She is your sister-in-law!"

“You’re nothing but a nobody on the roadside. My father took pity on you and gave you the opportunity to make a name for yourself. Unfortunately, you’re an ingrate. Does someone like you deserve to be my sworn brother?”

Chen Futu wrapped his arms around the beautiful woman's waist and asked in front of Zhang Shouren, "Madam, would you like to share a bed with me tonight?"

"Chen! Fu! Tu! I will surely kill you—"

Zhang Shouren's eyes widened in horror, and then he screamed and nearly fell off his horse. His attendants quickly supported him, saying, "General, we have no choice but to go to Tianyun Pass!"

"Chen Futu, I will remember this humiliation you have suffered today, and one day I will tear you to pieces!"

Zhang Shouren was about to utter a few more harsh words to vent his anger when suddenly a cavalryman returned, shouting, "General, retreat quickly! Ma Chao is in pursuit!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shouren disregarded his curses against Chen Futu and hurriedly led his remaining troops toward Tianyun Pass.

Chen Futu immediately ordered, "Gao Shun, take the 20,000 soldiers of the Trapped Camp and Tianyun Army to meet up with General Ma, and the main force will march to Tianyun Pass."

"Here!"

The army marched out of the city, heading straight for the North Pass.

Later, Chen Futu led Zhang Shouren's wife down the city gate and rode together in a carriage.

Zhang Liang whispered, "Your Highness, you mustn't go too far."

With this victory, we are just one step away from the throne; we cannot afford to give anyone cause for criticism over trivial matters.

Chen Futu said, "Strategist, there is no need to worry. I will not do anything to her. I will just ask Zhang Shouren to abandon Tianyun Pass and surrender."

At this point in the war, Chen Futu had eliminated all the hidden dangers in the northern frontier and also stopped the Hu people from advancing.

The results of the battle were secondary; the most important thing was prestige.

In the midst of the great war, he protected the Central Plains as a bulwark; in comparison, the dignity of the Great Qian imperial family was trampled underfoot by him.

Soon, Chen Futu's carriage arrived at Tianyun Pass.

Gao Shun and Ma Chao have also joined forces.

At the pass, Zhang Shouren had no time to rest. He only hurriedly washed his face to get rid of the dust and grime, and looked extremely disheveled.

The three thousand soldiers guarding the city stared at the massive, dark army, their faces ashen, utterly bewildered.

Chen Futu ordered his men to bring horses, and then, riding his black horse like a dissolute young master, he led his beautiful wife to the front lines.

Zhang Shouren said angrily, "Chen Futu, you have insulted me too much!"

"General Zhang, why are you so angry? I've only brought your wife to see you off."

"How dare you claim to be an orphan and a widow!"

"I have followed the will of Heaven, driven out the barbarians, and subdued the northern frontier. Since leaving the capital, I have won every battle and conquered every city. If I were not here, who knows how many people would claim to be emperors and kings. Therefore, from this day forward, I am the King of the Northern Frontier."

"Chen Futu, you are far too arrogant!"

Now, Zhang Shouren is nothing but furious anger.

He also used a clever scheme to attack the city, but in the end he failed and lost everything.

Chen Futu not only wanted to inherit the title in front of him, but even went a step further and was crowned king!

This is a direct break with the Great Qian Dynasty, an announcement to the world that he is about to ascend the throne and become emperor.

“Zhang Shouren, considering your minor contributions to the northern frontier, I will give you a chance: either surrender or leave Tianyun, or I will break through the city gates and leave no one alive.”

Chen Futu's words resonated deeply.

The three thousand soldiers guarding the city gate looked at each other, their fear growing stronger.

Because Chen Futu really dared to massacre a city; he had a prior record. On the Tongguan battlefield in the Western Regions, he killed tens of thousands of Longman soldiers and built a Jingguan (a mound of corpses) from their heads.

Seeing that the morale of his troops was wavering, Zhang Shouren knew that the situation was hopeless. He sighed to the heavens, "My defeat in this battle is not due to a lack of skill. Chen Futu, I will grant your wish, but I ask that you hand over my entire family."

"You dare to negotiate with me? Get out of here now, or I'll kill your whole family."

Chen Futu really has no bottom line.

At least at this moment, his reply was seen by many of the garrison commanders as nothing short of devilish, readily killing entire families without a shred of mercy.

Zhang Shouren smiled bitterly and said to the beautiful woman, "A-Ling, I'm sorry. You should stay in the northern frontier for now, and I will definitely come to see you one day."

"You played a winning hand terribly. Even 120,000 pigs or a dog could pose a threat to me. Zhang Shouren, you are too weak."

Chen Futu's words were extremely harsh. Zhang Shouren had been well-versed in military strategy since childhood and had been cultivated by the Prince of Zhenbei. He had never suffered such humiliation before. His hands were trembling. However, he resigned himself to his fate. He took one last deep look at the beautiful woman and said, "A-Ling, I'm leaving. At most three years. After three years, I will definitely kill Chen Futu!"

Chen Futu wanted to laugh, but he waved his hand and ordered the switch to be turned on.

Soon, the gates of Tianyun Pass were wide open, and Zhang Shouren walked alone towards the grassland, his back looking forlorn.

Chen Futu rode out and called out to him loudly.

Zhang Shouren said bitterly, "The victor is king, the loser is villain. What else does the Crown Prince have to say?"

The two looked at each other, and Chen Futu calmly replied, "Three years from now, A-Ling will be in my form. My sworn brother, will you still want her then?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shouren swayed, then laughed maniacally for a long time before finally calming down. "You don't need to provoke me with your words. What you sow today will bear fruit tomorrow. One day, your Qin Liangyu will suffer the same fate as A-Ling."

"Bah, what courage do you have, a stray dog? But I'll wait for your revenge. Get lost."

Chen Futu waved his whip as if driving pigs and dogs.

Zhang Shouren said no more and rode away.

Zhang Liang came up behind him and asked, "Why did Your Majesty release him?"