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

"Killing!"

"Run!"

Chaos erupted at the city gates.

Guan Yu held the blood-soaked Green Dragon Crescent Blade in one hand, stroked his long beard with the other, and narrowed his eyes with an extremely arrogant expression.

Only then did Zhang Shouren and the others realize what was happening.

Upon seeing Chu Sanqiu's death, his three subordinate generals felt a sense of shared grief and shouted, drawing their swords and cursing, "You villain, how dare you!"

Guan Yu sneered, "He asked for his own death, so don't blame me. Why aren't you moving aside?"

"Kill General Chu! You cannot be spared! Attack us all!"

The three generals, enraged, joined forces to kill him.

"Those who sell their wares with cheap prices dare to speak so arrogantly."

Guan Yu, too lazy to urge his horse on, swung his Green Dragon Crescent Blade.

With a whoosh, three streaks of blood flashed, and Zhang Shouren's three generals were instantly decapitated, each cleanly cleaved in two.

Zhang Shouren broke out in a cold sweat, his eyes filled with deep fear and awe as he looked at Guan Yu. "You are the Crown Prince's man!"

"It's good to know."

Guan Yu tossed the Green Dragon Crescent Blade to Zhou Cang, then led his men into the city.

The onlookers were terrified, and even the city guards who rushed to the scene dared not make a move, and could only watch helplessly as the large group left.

On the other side, Chen Futu received the message around noon.

"Your Highness! This madman has committed murder in the street, killing four of General Zhang's generals. He has absolutely no respect for the law."

"Yes, the other party completely disregarded the laws of Dragon City. I hope Your Highness will punish them severely."

A group of officials cried and complained in front of Chen Futu.

Zhang Liang and the others looked strange. From Chen Futu's expression, they could tell that the red-faced giant was very likely one of the prince's men.

As they were talking, Guan Yu returned, his heroic aura overwhelming everyone present, and they were all terrified.

The generals present were all valiant warriors who had fought their way through the battlefield. They could sense the man's formidable strength, which explained why he could instantly kill four of Zhang Shouren's trusted men.

"Guan pays his respects to the Crown Prince."

"Yun Chang, please dispense with the formalities."

Chen Futu personally went forward to greet him, and the more he looked at Guan Yu, the happier he became.

As expected of the Second Master, his aura is invincible. With such an aura on the battlefield, let alone fighting, just standing there would make the enemy tremble with fear.

In fact, my personal guards have already explained in detail what happened outside the city gate.

Ultimately, it was those people who were unreasonable first; if they didn't make a move, Guan Yu wouldn't have either.

"Your Highness, so this general is one of your men..."

The officials who had been making a ruckus just moments before suddenly became intimidated when they saw Chen Futu chatting and laughing with Guan Yu.

Chen Futu said, "I already know the cause and effect of the matter. This matter is not General Guan's fault. Zhang Liang will go to the treasury to get some money later and go to see my sworn brother in person to explain the situation and make proper arrangements for the families of the generals."

"Here."

Zhang Liang chuckled to himself.

The Crown Prince has many fierce generals under his command, so there's no need to care what Zhang Shouren thinks. The best course of action now is to get rid of him as soon as possible and send him away from Longcheng.

Next, Guan Yu joined the ranks, standing at the head of the military generals.

Chen Futu brought Yan Sheng with him.

Bound like a dumpling, Yan Sheng arrived at the hall with disheveled hair and a dirty face. Looking at the assembled heroes, he gritted his teeth and said, "Traitors! Kill me if you want! If I even flinch, I'm no hero!"

Chen Futu looked at him calmly, "General Yan, the fact that you didn't send troops to pursue last time shows that you still have a sense of righteousness in your heart. I admire you quite a bit. Why don't you come and work under my command? I guarantee that I will never waste your talents."

"A mere child like him, yet he knows how to use such underhanded tricks. If Zhang Liang hadn't betrayed me, how could I have been defeated!"

"Hehe, all's fair in war. General Yan, please don't say any more, lest you become a laughing stock."

Zhang Liang couldn't stop smiling.

He is a strategist. If a strategist doesn't use tricks, why would he need to deploy troops and engage in attrition warfare?

"You want me to surrender? Dream on!"

Yan Sheng was exceptionally tough.

Guan Yu said unhappily, "What do you have to be proud of? I wasn't in Longcheng that day. If I had been there, Zhang Junshi wouldn't have needed to waste his time on you. I could have cut off your head by myself with just one horse."

All the generals present, including Qin Liangyu, showed surprise.

Yan Sheng was, after all, the commander of Kaiyang Pass. Even if he was weak, he was still a ninth-rank master. How could he be killed so easily?

As expected, Yan Sheng was provoked and almost ground his teeth to powder.

Guan Yu sneered, "You madman! All the heroes under heaven tremble at the mere mention of my name. If you are not convinced, then fight me!"

Chen Futu seized the opportunity to speak, "General Yan, what do you think? If you fight General Guan to a draw within fifty rounds, what harm is there in me letting you leave?"

"Really?" Yan Sheng's eyes lit up.

Chen Futu said strangely, "I keep my word, but if you lose..."

"Then I will surrender to the Crown Prince."

"Good! Someone, take General Yan down to rest and prepare some food so he can recharge. This afternoon, let him fight General Guan."

Chen Futu was actually giving Yan Sheng a way out; he couldn't really kill him.

Yan Sheng's prestige in the Kaiyang region is irreplaceable, and he will be needed sooner or later.

As soon as Yan Sheng left, Zhang Liang went to the storeroom to get money, and then wanted to talk to Zhang Shouren.

Chen Futu ordered Qin Liangyu to follow, fearing that Zhang Shouren's impulsiveness might harm Zhang Liang. With Qin Liangyu around, Zhang Shouren couldn't do anything he wanted. He hoped that Zhang Shouren wouldn't act rashly.

Next, Chen Futu issued a document that spread throughout Longcheng, proposing to establish a Ministry of Agriculture, remeasure the land acreage, and reform the agricultural tax system by merging the poll tax into the land tax.

Of course, this decree will certainly be opposed by powerful and influential families.

Cao Zhen advised, "Your Highness, those generals and military officers also own a lot of land. Should we move it all at once?"

"No rush, let's see which powerful families will jump out first."

Chen Futu had already made his plans.

Throughout history, when land annexation becomes too severe, the dynasty will change course and head towards its demise.

The northern frontier is a relatively easy place to govern. If we do not start making changes now, it will be extremely difficult to carry out reforms after the country is settled. Only by making decisions at the source can we make it easier to expand and implement them later.

Meanwhile, Zhang Liang met Zhang Shouren, who looked grim, at the general's mansion.

Zhang Shouren asked expressionlessly, "Where does the strategist come from?"

Zhang Liang smiled and had a large box of gold and silver treasures brought out. "His Highness heard that your troops had a conflict with General Guan, so he specially sent me to see you."

"conflict?"

Zhang Shouren almost vomited blood.

The red-faced giant killed four of his generals in succession.

Damn it, the young master calls this a conflict? That's just too much!

Zhang Liang said solemnly, "It is said that it was your troops who provoked us first. If this really comes to the Crown Prince, I'm afraid you will have a hard time defending yourself. It would be better to accept the money and let it go."

"Is this the Crown Prince's idea, or the strategist's idea?" Zhang Shouren asked coldly.

Zhang Liang smiled and said, "Of course, it's the Crown Prince's idea."

"Alright, I'll accept this money on behalf of their families. Strategist, you can go back and report."

"No rush. I've heard that the Hu people are planning to invade the border, and His Highness intends to wage war against them. I wonder if the general would be willing to lead troops there?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shouren subconsciously tightened his grip on his wine glass.

Chen Futu is trying to drive him out of Dragon City!