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

Back then, the Prince of Zhenbei discovered Zhang Shouren, who followed the army in its eastern and western campaigns and made great contributions. Later, he was adopted as a son, and after the Prince of Zhenbei passed away, he took charge of Longcheng.

Chen Futu coughed lightly, "What exactly is Zhang Shouren's reason for not sending troops?"

"General Zhang recently advocated abandoning Fushui Pass, but General Luo disagreed. The two had many arguments, and General Zhang eventually withdrew 10,000 men from Fushui Pass, which almost led to its fall."

"Is he prioritizing personal matters over public duty, or does he want to leave the northern borders wide open, allowing the Northern Wu to march south and attack the Central Plains?"

Faced with Chen Futu's question, Yue Xin and Lou Wenquan remained silent.

"Never mind, I'll ask him myself when I get back to Dragon City."

Now Chen Futu has the Trapped Camp, the White-Spear Soldiers, and the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry under his command, with a combined force of over ten thousand. Such elite troops would make it easy for him to kill Zhang Shouren. If Zhang Shouren does not intend to relinquish his power, then he should find an opportunity to eliminate him.

From today onward, there can only be one voice in northern Xinjiang!

Chen Futu rested for two days at Yanbei Pass and sent a letter to Longcheng, ordering Zhang Shouren to send 20,000 more troops to Fushui Pass and to distribute provisions and supplies. Let's see what Zhang Shouren's attitude will be.

Immediately afterward, news came that the Northern Wu army had retreated outside Longguan. The defeats at Yanbeiguan and Fushuiguan were a significant blow to the Northern Wu.

In the afternoon, Chen Futu received a reply from Longcheng. Zhang Shouren wrote in the letter: "My father died because of Daqian. From the emperor to the ministers, Daqian has no regard for gratitude and has wronged us. I want to abandon Fushui and send Beiwu south to overthrow the Daqian Dynasty. Why does the Crown Prince save the enemy?"

Chen Futu frowned as he looked at the letter.

It turns out that Zhang Shouren was seeking revenge against the Daqian dynasty; I thought he was planning a rebellion.

In that case, there's nothing to worry about.

Chen Futu summoned several generals, leaving Lou Wenquan to guard Yanbei Pass alone. Then, he took Qin Liangyu, Cao Zhen, and Yue Xin, leading his troops and 16,000 defeated soldiers back to Longcheng.

On the way, Chen Futu received a personal letter from Gao Shun, in which he said that several of the ten fierce generals supported Zhang Shouren taking over the northern frontier, and since Zhang Shouren had always had a good reputation, Gao Shun suggested eliminating the other party.

Chen Futu put away the letter without showing any emotion. He then received intelligence from Fushui Pass, in which Luo Qingshan said that Yan Sheng had already led his troops out.

"It's really a piece of dog skin plaster."

Chen Futu did not lead his troops to meet Yan Sheng, but planned to return to Longcheng to gather a large army first.

At the north gate of Longcheng, a group of generals were waiting.

The leader was Zhang Shouren. Contrary to expectations, he was not the kind of general one that I had imagined. Instead, he was a refined and cultured man.

Also present were four formidable generals: Li Huaifeng, Wu Shangde, Zhou Ziyi, and Zhao Xianming, as well as Gao Shun.

"His Royal Highness!"

Before Chen Futu dismounted, the generals stepped forward to pay their respects.

Their faces showed admiration, especially Zhou Ziyi and Zhao Xianming, who were lavish in their praise.

"The Crown Prince has just arrived in the Northern Frontier and has already decisively defeated the Northern Martial Army. He truly deserves to be the heir of the Prince of Zhenbei. After this battle, who would dare to offend the majesty of the Northern Frontier!"

"You flatter me. I was just doing my duty."

Chen Futu chuckled inwardly. It was indeed the right thing to do to make merits first since he had just arrived. It was better than going straight back to Dragon City and being questioned for not being worthy of his position.

"Your Highness has worked hard."

Zhang Shouren came straight over to take the horse, his expression gentle, showing no sign of anything unusual.

This attitude caused a slight change in the expressions of the four generals.

Zhang Shouren is showing weakness.

Chen Futu dismounted, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "It was nothing. Thanks to my sworn brother for managing the overall situation, I have no worries."

"I'm glad the young master doesn't blame me."

Zhang Shouren gave people a very calm and composed feeling, but Chen Futu couldn't quite see through him.

The group returned to Dragon City, a bustling city that rivaled any major town in the Central Plains.

Upon arriving at the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion, they saw a group of people eagerly awaiting their arrival. It was their mother, Madam Zou, and their younger sister, Chen Yuling, who led everyone in the mansion to greet them.

"Mom, I'm back."

Chen Futu felt a lump in his throat and quickly stepped forward. Zou Shi was crying loudly, "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back!"

She had heard rumors that the Emperor of Daqian wanted to kill the Crown Prince, and she, as his mother, had been living in fear for a long time. She was only relieved when she heard that Chen Futu had left the capital safely. If anything had happened to Chen Futu, she would have ordered the generals to go on an expedition to avenge her deceased husband and son.

"Brother, you worried us to death!"

Chen Yuling's eyes were red-rimmed. Chen Futu smiled and patted her head. Then, a servant prepared a brazier.

Only after stepping over the brazier to drive away bad luck can one go home.

The Prince of Zhenbei's mansion was extremely lively tonight, with a welcoming banquet that lasted for quite some time.

In the dead of night.

Gao Shun, Qin Liangyu, and Cao Zhen arrived at the room.

Qin Liangyu also removed her ghost mask, revealing a heroic face.

"My lord, today I observed that Zhang Shouren's behavior was quite restrained, and he doesn't seem like a kind person. Why don't we find an opportunity to eliminate him?"

Cao Zhen spoke first.

Gao Shun deeply agreed, “Two tigers cannot share one mountain, and two masters cannot share one city. Zhang Shouren is the adopted son of the old lord. He has been in charge of military affairs for many years and has a very high prestige in the army. In addition, after the old lord passed away, he handled the affairs of the northern frontier by himself. He has close followers in all aspects. If we do not take action, we may be harmed by him.”

Chen Futu toyed with his wine cup without answering, but instead looked at Qin Liangyu, "What does General Qin think?"

Qin Liangyu pondered and said, "As the two generals have said, Zhang Shouren has a high reputation. Today, he pulled his horse and fell from the stirrup for our lord, which is a sign of weakness. However, our lord is not without advantages. After the series of battles, the three generals of Fushui Pass and Yanbei Pass highly recognize our lord's abilities. In addition, the four generals of Longcheng have been protecting us all the way. This shows that at least seven of the ten fierce generals are willing to support our lord. We should observe for a while longer. If the other party really has bad intentions, I will personally cut off his head."

Whether loyal or treacherous, good or evil, the host must make a decision as soon as possible.

[1. Choose not to have the heart to harm others, but you must have the heart to guard against others. Quickly kill Zhang Shouren and reward the cunning strategist Jia Xu.]

[2. Choose to prepare for action, consolidate your position in the northern frontier, gradually take over military and political power, and reward Zhuge Liang.]

[3. Choose the option of "I would rather betray the world than let the world betray me," cut off Zhang Shouren's supporters, and reward the strategist Zhang Liang.]

The system's choices are always so timely.

Chen Futu had a good impression of Zhang Shouren. At least the northern frontier under his care was very stable. Apart from wanting to abandon Fushui Pass and let Bei Wu go south, he had made almost no mistakes. It would be disheartening to find fault with him on this matter.

After considering this, Chen Futu looked at the names of the strategists and was torn; he wanted all three of them!

"Fine, I'll choose number three."

[The selection is complete. The strategist Zhang Liang will arrive at the Prince's Palace tomorrow morning.]

Chen Futu had no intention of killing Zhang Shouren, but that did not mean he would allow Zhang to maintain his high prestige in Longcheng.

Furthermore, Zhang Liang, as a strategist, would also be capable of governing a region.

At this stage, we still have to face Yan Sheng's large army, so choosing Zhang Liang is the most suitable option.

Chen Futu told Qin Liangyu and the others to go back and rest, and that he would notify them when it was time to take action.

After they left, Chen Futu summoned his thirteen personal guards and ordered them to disperse throughout the city to keep a close watch on key locations in Dragon City.

They kept a close eye on Zhang Shouren, observing what he did on a daily basis, even recording who he slept with at night.