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

Chen Futu waited at the East Gate for a while, and then Guan Yu and Ma Chao arrived, riding Red Hare and Jade Lion respectively.

Guan Yu stroked his long beard and asked suspiciously, "Young Master, why did you call me?"

"Yun Chang, there's no need to rush. Sit down and have a cup of tea. You'll find out soon enough."

Chen Futu ordered the innkeeper to serve him fine wine and food, waiting for Zhuge Liang to arrive.

At this moment, the entire East Gate was crowded with people. Because of the Dragon City Guards protecting it, they couldn't get through. They were all talking about it. It had been a long time since they had seen such a big scene. Even the two generals had arrived. Could it be that they were going to welcome someone?

Among the crowd, some scholars looked at each other in bewilderment.

They were Confucian scholars from all over the country, who came solely to punish Chen Futu, but Chen Futu paid them no heed.

The great sage that the Crown Prince is about to welcome, could he be a great Confucian scholar from some place?

“I’m not mistaken. He’s afraid of leaving a bad name and being condemned by everyone, so he deliberately chose a great Confucian scholar to show his tolerance for scholars and hope that the other party will give him a break.”

"That's right, he's nothing special."

The scholars were overthinking things. In their view, someone who could be treated so solemnly by the Crown Prince must be a great Confucian scholar of the time. Therefore, the scholars were even more confident, because great Confucian scholars were all of noble character and integrity and would not forget their purpose in coming to Longcheng for a small favor.

Time slowly slips away.

After a long while, a commotion finally came from outside the East Gate. A carriage slowly approached, driven by a fair-skinned boy who was exceptionally handsome.

Upon seeing this, Chen Futu immediately stood up. Liu Longyue, Guan Yu, and Ma Chao also stood up and looked at the simple carriage frame with suspicion.

The restless crowd nearby quieted down, and the scholars all stared wide-eyed, eager to see who this person was.

After the carriage stopped, the boy lifted the curtain, followed by a young laugh, "I never expected that the young master would deign to come and see me."

A young man in white appeared. He was eight feet tall, with a handsome face, wearing a turban, and had a free and unrestrained demeanor, with an air of otherworldly grace.

Chen Futu stared in astonishment at this Mr. Zhuge, and blurted out instinctively, "Teacher Tang..."

No doubt about it, this is Zhuge Liang from Romance of the Three Kingdoms, or rather, the legendary Zhuge Liang.

Zhuge Liang smiled slightly, got off the carriage, stepped forward and bowed, "I am a lazy man from Nanyang, and I am honored by the personal visit of the Crown Prince."

"Mr. Zhuge?"

Guan Yu finally realized what was happening, and his face turned even redder with excitement.

Ma Chao also looked as if he had seen a ghost, "The Prime Minister has actually come too."

Liu Longyue secretly tugged at Chen Futu's sleeve and whispered, "Young Master, is this a deity?"

Chen Futu couldn't help but laugh. Without explaining, he stepped forward, grabbed Zhuge Liang's wrist, and said with a smile, "Having Zhuge Liang is like the Han Dynasty having Zhang Liang, or the Zhou Dynasty having Lü Wang. It's truly like a fish finding water."

Guan Yu looked strange upon hearing this; the words sounded so familiar.

Zhuge Liang looked Guan Yu and Ma Chao up and down and joked, "General Guan and General Ma have arrived early. In the future, when I am in Longcheng, I will have to rely on the two generals for help."

The two men exchanged glances and quickly replied, "We will obey the strategist's orders."

The attitudes of the two peerless generals toward Zhuge Liang shocked Liu Longyue even more.

Everyone knows that Guan Yu is extremely arrogant, but no one expected him to be so humble when he met this pale-faced scholar. Even Ma Chao was the same way. It is truly strange.

As they were talking, a woman wearing a veil got off the carriage, and Chen Futu knew that she was Huang Yueying.

He doesn't look as ugly as the legends say; it's probably just a false rumor spread by Lao Zhu's father-in-law, Huang Chengyan, to test him.

Yueying stepped forward to greet him, and Chen Futu said to Liu Longyue, "You are here to receive the lady. Please enter Pingkang Ward and do not neglect her."

Liu Longyue knew perfectly well that although this lady was veiled, her temperament was extraordinary, and she must be an extraordinary person.

So she summoned a carriage to escort Yueying along, while Chen Futu took Guan Yu and Ma Chao and led Zhuge Liang back to the royal court.

Along the way, Chen Futu saw scholars hidden among the crowd. They all looked at Zhuge Liang with curious eyes, as if wondering which gentleman he was and why they did not know him.

Chen Futu didn't bother with these little karami. After a couple of days, once everyone had arrived, he stewed them all together in one pot.

The royal court hosted a banquet, which was extremely lively.

Zhang Liang, Liu Bowen, and the generals from Longcheng all arrived.

Liu Bowen certainly knew Zhuge Liang. As a descendant, he greatly admired Zhuge Liang, referring to him as the Crouching Dragon.

Zhuge Liang sat beside Chen Futu, waving his feather fan and saying with a smile, "Liu Bowen, who unified the world, is indeed extraordinary after meeting you today. I have heard that Mr. Qingtian assisted Emperor Mingzu in his successful northern expedition, and I admire him greatly."

"I don't deserve such praise, it was just luck."

Liu Bowen became modest at this moment.

Zhuge Liang dedicated his entire life to the Northern Expeditions, working tirelessly until his death.

Unfortunately, the roads to Shu were treacherous, making each expedition extremely difficult. Coupled with the scarcity of talent in Shu, Zhuge Liang poured his heart and soul into every battle, eventually dying of illness at Wuzhang Plains, leaving behind only a historical regret.

Zhang Liang also looked at Zhuge Liang with curiosity, and Zhuge Liang replied, "With Master Zifang here, my lord's hegemony can be achieved."

Zhang Liang smiled and asked, "Recently, scholars have been issuing proclamations throughout the land, rallying various factions to gather in Dragon City. Their purposes are twofold: first, to punish the disloyal, and second, to seek justice for the common people. What is your opinion, Master Wolong?"

Zhuge Liang replied, "The mandate of heaven changes and the imperial power changes. It will naturally be the virtuous who will possess it. I am not talented, but I am willing to use my eloquent tongue to invite you gentlemen to a hunt at Pingyuan to ease your worries, my lord."

"That's enough from Mr. Wolong. I'll watch the show then."

Zhang Liang raised his cup, his interest in Zhuge Liang growing even stronger.

A great reputation is never undeserved, and he wanted to see what was so special about this Mr. Zhuge who could verbally abuse people to death.

The banquet was very lively.

Looking at the hall full of famous ministers and generals from history, Zhuge Liang whispered to Chen Futu, "With such a lineup, Your Highness will be able to sweep across the world in a few years."

"The Great Qian Dynasty has a large army and many generals, and abundant resources. The northern frontier is a wild and untamed land, and it will take some time to develop before it can compete with it."

Chen Futu also wanted to fight, but war is all about logistics. No matter how many fierce generals you have, it's useless. You can't rely on An Jingsi and his men to kill millions of soldiers; that's unrealistic. You can only develop first, accumulate national strength, and then gradually nibble away at the territory of Daqian.

When this was mentioned, Chen Futu asked Zhuge Liang, "Could the lady perhaps take charge of the Armory and help the northern frontier reform its weaponry and improve its combat capabilities?"

"I'll talk to Madam about it later, and she should agree."

Zhuge Liang was a good husband; he didn't just take on the job at the Bureau of Military Affairs without consulting Huang Yueying first.

Chen Futu gladly accepted.

As they were speaking, a guard arrived and said, "Your Highness, a group of scholars have gathered and are demanding to see you. They are making quite a fuss and are saying they won't leave until they see you."