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

The news of the crown prince's return to the northern frontier spread quickly.

The people in the city also heard that Chen Futu had won a series of victories on his way back to the northern frontier, defeating the Daqian army and causing them to flee in disarray. In particular, his three battles in which he decisively defeated the Beiwu army were truly astonishing.

To put it bluntly, Chen Futu's reputation reached an extremely high level as soon as he returned.

"The imperial court wants to kill the crown prince; they are truly heartless and ruthless."

"The main concern is Daqian's next move. Will they join forces with Beiwuli to coordinate an attack? That would be disastrous."

The people's concerns were precisely what troubled the generals.

The palace meeting room.

Zhang Shouren and his five generals had already arrived, along with Chen Futu's three trusted confidants. Today, they must devise a plan to deal with Yan Sheng.

Chen Futu immediately looked at the taciturn Zhang Shouren, "Brother, Yan Sheng is coming with great force. Do you have a way to repel the enemy?"

"Your Highness, the 100,000 troops from Kaiyang Pass are less than 50 li from Longcheng. Judging from their marching speed, they probably don't want to fight."

Zhang Shouren, as expected of a talented general who had followed the Prince of Zhenbei in many battles, saw through the truth at a glance.

This is also why Chen Futu dared to leave Fushui Pass with ease.

If it were another commander, the enemy would have made their move when they encountered each other at Fushui Pass.

Yue Xin said in a deep voice, "Yan Sheng is a man of great courage and strategy. Since he has received the imperial decree, he will not leave easily. According to my suggestion, we should fight quickly."

"We agree."

Li Huaifeng and the other three had no objections, so now it's time to consider who should lead the troops to defeat the enemy.

Zhang Shouren suddenly stepped forward: "Your Highness is too tired from your constant battles. I will take charge of this battle."

"Why should General Zhang need to intervene in the matter of Yan Sheng? I, Cao Zidan, am willing to lead the army there."

Cao Zhen stepped forward, his eyes revealing undisguised hostility towards Zhang Shouren.

Qin Liangyu and Gao Shun exchanged glances and stepped forward together, saying, "This humble general is also willing to go."

joke!

I made it very clear last night that we must not allow Zhang Shouren to expand his influence in the army. This time, Yan Sheng is coming with great force as the heir apparent. If Zhang Shouren leads the army, outsiders will see him as protecting his sworn brother. As long as he wins, he will gain both merit and fame!

At this moment, the atmosphere in the council chamber became strange.

Li Huaifeng and the other five generals, including Yue Xin, looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

Chen Futu's three generals are undoubtedly strong, and Zhang Shouren is also quite capable. So, should they choose sides or remain on the sidelines?

"Your Highness, Mr. Zhang requests an audience."

Someone suddenly brought back a message, and Chen Futu was overjoyed upon hearing it, "They've finally arrived! Quickly, invite them in!"

Soon, a young man entered the council hall; it was none other than Zhang Liang, who had just arrived.

Chen Futu personally greeted Zhang Liang, grabbed his hand, and laughed loudly, "Zifang, you've kept me waiting for so long!"

Zhang Liang addressed him as "Your Highness" and then greeted everyone present.

He was composed and refined, possessing an indescribable air of elegance, clearly not an ordinary person.

Li Huaifeng and the others knew very well that anyone who appeared around Chen Futu was no ordinary person, so they treated Zhang Liang very well.

Zhang Shouren scrutinized Zhang Liang with suspicion, "And who are you, sir?"

“Zhang Zifang, Your Highness’s old friend, came to help you after hearing that Your Highness had broken with the Great Qian.”

"In that case, you are a great talent of our time."

"I dare not accept such praise. Now that Yan Sheng is leading an army of 100,000 to besiege Longcheng, I can help the young master defeat the enemy."

Zhang Liang's nonchalant words left everyone bewildered and uncertain.

This man is so arrogant. He just arrived at the Prince's mansion and immediately claimed that he could defeat Yan Sheng's 100,000-strong army.

Zhang Liang smiled and said, "Have you not heard the saying, 'Planning strategies within the tent, winning battles a thousand miles away'?"

"Very well, then we'll have to trouble you, Mr. Zifang, to devise a plan."

The generals were eager to see what gave this man the right to be so arrogant. Those were 100,000 elite Kaiyang troops, not 100,000 pigs!

Zhang Liang cupped his hands to Chen Futu and said, "I dare to ask for the military seal and insignia, and invite the three generals to join me in defeating the enemy."

Chen Futu naturally had no objections, but Zhang Shouren hesitated slightly before asking, "There is no room for child's play in the army. The enemy is coming on strong. May I ask you, sir, how you will defeat them?"

"The great cause is not yet accomplished; how can the plans be passed on to six ears?"

Zhang Liang reached out and asked for the military tally, a half-smile playing on his lips.

Zhang Shouren was somewhat unwilling, but he eventually handed over the military tally slowly.

After receiving the military tally, Zhang Liang gestured to Chen Futu.

How could Chen Futu not understand?

That guy's pretty cunning; he snatched the Dragon City military tally right away. He knows how to seize opportunities.

Next, Qin Liangyu, Gao Shun, and Cao Zhen followed Zhang Liang.

As they reached the door, Zhang Liang turned back and smiled at the crowd, saying, "You are all welcome to rest in the city. Good news will arrive soon."

As expected of a renowned strategist in history, his nonchalant and confident demeanor gives people a great sense of security.

Zhang Shouren frowned and said, "Does the young master truly trust this man? He has just arrived in Longcheng, what if..."

“Brother, there’s no need to worry. I trust Zifang’s abilities. Now that we have time, let’s talk about how to settle the people I brought back.”

"It is entirely up to Your Highness to make the arrangements."

Zhang Shouren was speechless, and his worried expression betrayed his true thoughts.

"In that case, let's wait a little longer."

Chen Futu had long planned for the resettlement of the people. Once this great victory was achieved and the people were convinced of his authority, he could then implement some special measures in the northern frontier.

For the next two days, Chen Futu did not handle any government affairs, but instead pushed them all to Zhang Shouren, claiming that his younger brother had just arrived and was not yet familiar with the city, so he needed to walk around and observe the people's conditions.

While Chen Futu was wandering in the city, his personal guards brought news that six of Zhang Shouren's trusted generals had come to visit him. The two sides had a long private talk, and it was unknown what they discussed, but it was assumed that they were extremely dissatisfied with the Crown Prince allowing outsiders to lead the troops.

Chen Futu neither confirmed nor denied this, pretending not to know.

The battle report arrived the following evening.

"Report——"

"Great victory! Mr. Zhang's ingenious strategy repelled the enemy, and he decisively defeated Yan Sheng's 20,000-strong vanguard at Bashang. In the chaos of battle, Yan Sheng was wounded by an arrow shot by General Qin."

"Report! General Cao used the waterway to launch a surprise attack on the enemy's supply camp behind enemy lines, burning countless enemy supplies."

"The Kaiyang army retreated thirty li and set up camp at Xuankou."

The series of good news caused an uproar in Longcheng, and the people cheered with joy.

"Your Highness is mighty!"

"I knew His Highness had a way to deal with the Great Qian army, and I was right."

"Indeed, His Highness has the talent of the Prince of Zhenbei in choosing his subordinates!"

The people in the city were overjoyed, but some generals gathered at Zhang Shouren's residence.

The guards overheard their conversation.

The generals were full of resentment towards Chen Futu, saying that the one in control of Longcheng should be General Zhang, not the prince who disliked them.

They also said that Chen Futu's behavior was biased, only sending his trusted generals into battle. If this continued, they feared that Longcheng would have nowhere to go.

The waterside pavilion is bathed in the rich colors of autumn.

Chen Futu poured himself a cup of tea, savoring its aroma, and asked, "What did my sworn brother say?"

"General Zhang said that they were all doing this to share the burden of Longcheng. He told the generals to go home and wait, and that he would inform the Crown Prince to give them important positions."

"only these?"

"Yes."

"Keep staring."

Chen Futu became increasingly curious about Zhang Shouren. Did he really have no interest in the position of Prince of Zhenbei and was simply biding his time?

As for giving important positions to his generals, forget it. Chen Futu knew the risks involved. The most important thing now was to keep Longcheng firmly in his own hands.

Rumors began to circulate in the city, saying that Chen Futu was bad at judging people and would ruin tens of thousands of troops.

The situation has become increasingly unpredictable.

"Your Highness, intelligence reports from the important towns in the Northern Frontier have arrived."

Suddenly, someone delivered a confidential letter.