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

Just as Chen Futu was caught in a dilemma, Qin Liangyu turned and left. She saw the prince's predicament and did not want to argue with Wu Shangde.

Chen Futu finally breathed a sigh of relief, but there were still some things he needed to talk to Wu Shangde about, whether he looked down on female generals.

After quickly taking stock of the battle losses, the remaining troops numbered over 9,500.

With 10,000 against 20,000, only 500 were killed, making it a great victory.

As for the 10,000 surrendered soldiers, it is unlikely that they will quickly win over the people. Letting them go is also not an option, and massacring them would lose the support of the people, since this place is not far from the northern border, which would be detrimental to future development.

Li Huaifeng saw Chen Futu's dilemma and suggested, "In my opinion, we should confiscate their weapons and advance, let them be cannon fodder, and then plunder them just like we did when we attacked Ning County."

Ding!

Are you a bloodthirsty butcher, a benevolent commander, or a cunning schemer?

[1. Choose fearlessness and release the surrendered soldiers to receive the Benevolent King Sword as a reward]

[2. Choose the option "God of Slaughter Reborn," massacre surrendered soldiers, and you will be rewarded with the Witch-Slaying Sword]

[3. Choose "A Mind Full of Wisdom and a Masterful Strategy to Conquer Cities" to be rewarded with a War Dragon Halberd]

The system does keep track of time, and when Chen Futu was in a dilemma, it "thoughtfully" provided a choice.

Chen Futu pondered for a moment, then said, "I choose three."

[The War Dragon Halberd has been issued to the system space; the host can retrieve it at any time.]

Chen Futu pretended to return to his tent, took out the dark gold War Dragon Halberd, then mounted his horse and walked towards a group of surrendered soldiers.

Several generals, unaware of the situation, followed.

The surrendered soldiers looked anxiously at the imposing Prince Zhenbei, wondering what fate awaited them, and whether they should resist.

They had completely lost the courage to resist.

This group of people are devils, especially those female warriors wearing ghost masks and wielding strange spears, they are all monsters!

Chen Futu said loudly, "I know that you went to the battlefield not voluntarily. Those officials sit in the rear eating, drinking and having fun. Why should you risk your lives for them?"

A soldier asked tremblingly, "Your Highness, will you kill us?"

"Why would I kill you? Not only will I not kill you, but I will also give you a chance to live. I will arrange for a group of people to join your ranks. You will then pretend to be defeated and retreat back to Linbei County. Once those corrupt officials are executed, you will all be rewarded."

"really?"

"We do!"

"That's right, we'll do anything to survive."

Just as Chen Futu predicted, who would want to die if they could live?

Next, Chen Futu instructed Gao Shun to lead the remaining two hundred personal guards to infiltrate the ranks, concealing their weapons within their robes. The other defeated soldiers, however, were not required to carry weapons.

"General Gao, seize the city gate immediately after entering the city."

"Here!"

Gao Shun is a man of few words, but he has an extremely strong ability to execute.

He removed his armor, and together with two hundred guards, stripped clothes off the corpses and put them on. Then, they mingled with a force of ten thousand men and retreated northward.

Chen Futu led his army and pursued them at a leisurely pace.

Half a day later, the defeated army arrived at the foot of Linbei City, where several officials on the city wall frowned frequently.

They had just received a battle report saying that the army had been defeated, but they didn't expect so many to escape back.

"Open the city gates immediately!" Gao Shun shouted from the ranks.

Magistrate Zhao Qi noticed something amiss, "Where are your weapons?"

Gao Shun said, "This defeat was not due to a lack of skill, but rather to a miscalculation of the enemy's military strength. Now that the enemy's army is pressing in, please open the city gates immediately and begin defense!"

"Ah this..."

Zhao Qi didn't know much about military affairs; he only knew about people's livelihood and government affairs. The generals who knew about military affairs had just died in battle, and now the only ones standing with him on the city gate tower were a few other county officials.

"Open the gates quickly!"

Gao Shun gave a signal, and the two hundred guards pretending to be defeated soldiers began to grumble in dissatisfaction, while the other defeated soldiers joined in the commotion.

Seeing the ranks becoming increasingly chaotic, and with a massive army pressing in from the distant horizon, the officers panicked and immediately ordered the city gates to be opened.

The city gate slowly opened, and Gao Shun smiled slightly. He led his men into the city gate, killing more than a dozen guards on the spot and taking control of the gate.

The defeated army didn't meddle in other people's business. They knew that Linbei County couldn't be defended, so they just kept rushing into the city.

"What happened?"

"Where did that scream come from?!"

The officers sensed something was wrong once again.

Gao Shun climbed the city wall and replied, "It's nothing. It's just that the rebel army rushed into the city too quickly and trampled each other. Please rest assured, officers. The city gates have been closed. Once the army gets its weapons from the government office, they will be able to defend the city."

"Hurry up, the rebels are closing in."

As they were talking, Chen Futu led his army to the city gates, where they found the gates wide open and guarded by a dozen or so personal guards disguised as rebel soldiers.

On the city wall, Gao Shun, along with his other personal guards, was already eyeing the group of officers with predatory intent.

The officials were unaware that the city gates were open. Zhao Qi pointed at Chen Futu's nose and cursed, "Traitor, how dare you invade my territory!"

Chen Futu pointed his whip at the city wall and sneered, "You can gather an army to kill me, but I can't kill you. What's the logic behind that?"

“Traitor, you are unworthy of being the heir of the Prince of Zhenbei. If you still have any sense of shame, you should immediately dismount and surrender.”

"Heh heh, my father fought for the country and made outstanding contributions. He never thought of betraying the country. But that dog emperor was intolerant and did not want me to take over military power. He deliberately framed me with false charges. You have wasted your time studying the classics and could not distinguish between loyalty and treachery, good and evil. You really deserve to die!"

"Chen Futu, no matter how eloquent you are, you're dreaming if you think you can take over Linbei County. We still have ten thousand brave warriors in the county, enough to stop you rebels!"

Zhao Qi, however, was a man of principle, and he shouted angrily.

"A brave warrior?"

Chen Futu laughed heartily, then led his army straight into the city.

The officers were all dumbfounded when they saw this.

"what's the situation?"

"The city gates weren't closed?"

"Where are the other soldiers? Haven't they brought their weapons yet?"

With a whoosh, several steel knives were placed against their necks, the chilling coldness sending shivers down their spines.

"What are you doing!"

"What are you doing? A bunch of fools, you've fallen for my young master's trap."

Gao Shun grabbed Zhao Qi and dragged him off the city wall like a chick.

When Chen Futu entered the city, his army was in perfect formation, extremely majestic, and he did not harm the people in the slightest.

The people hid in their homes, and only dared to go out timidly after seeing that the army did not harm them.

Chen Futu clasped his hands and said, "Fellow villagers, I am the heir of the Prince of Zhenbei."

"So it's His Highness the Crown Prince."

"Didn't the court say that the heir apparent is a traitor?"

"Shut up! If it weren't for the protection of the Prince of Zhenbei and the peace of the north, how would we have survived? We would have been slaughtered by the Hu horses long ago, our families destroyed and our lives wiped out."

"Yes, with such an imposing military bearing, how could they be rebels?"

The people were talking amongst themselves.

Chen Futu said in a deep voice, "Today, I originally intended to use this route to return to the northern frontier, but unexpectedly, the armies of various counties in Linbei have joined forces to take my life. I came here today only to kill the traitors, and it has nothing to do with the common people."

As they were talking, Gao Shun arrived with Zhao Qi and a group of officials. Zhao Qi was kicked off Chen Futu's horse.

Suddenly, he broke two of his front teeth, his mouth full of blood, and cursed resentfully, "Traitor, you'll die a horrible death!"

Chen Futu coldly looked down at him and sneered, "Am I a rebel? If I were a rebel, how could I have left so many survivors? If I were a rebel, why would my father protect this region? How could you be so arrogant and domineering!"

"you--"

"Hehe, you are old and senile, just like that tyrannical emperor. You wrong others without distinguishing right from wrong. My family has been loyal for generations, but we have not lost our spirit. We cannot let loyal ministers bleed and weep."

Chen Futu was not deliberately arguing with Zhao Qi to waste time, but rather wanted to express his true feelings in front of the people of Linbei County.

A born rebel is different from a rebel forced into rebellion.

Since the emperor has crossed the river and then discarded the bridge, then don't blame the Chen family for pulling him down from that position!