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

The army arrived at a section of the river with a relatively slow current. Zhang Liang pointed to the map and said, "The two sides should be facing each other across the Xuanshui Bridge, unable to defeat each other. I suggest sending troops across the river, with a surprise force flanking from the rear, to break through the enemy's vanguard first."

Chen Futu immediately summoned Guan Yu and Gao Shun, instructing them to arrange for men to build wooden rafts and forcefully cross the Xuan River.

Zhang Liang instructed, "Generals, I suspect that the enemy's reckless advance must be due to their ambush in the mountains. If you go, do not rush to achieve victory. Wait until the ambush troops have retreated at night before launching a surprise attack on the vanguard camp."

"Here!"

Guan Yu and Gao Shun had long ago seen that the forests around Shanhaiyi were dense and fraught with danger.

Chen Futu asked Zhang Liang, "Strategist, do you have a plan?"

"The area around Xuanshui Bridge is limited, making it unfavorable for a large-scale attack. Your Highness, you may first send a message to General Qin..."

Zhang Liang whispered his next plan, and Chen Futu's eyes lit up.

What a cunning strategist! No wonder Yan Sheng was so devastated after being beaten.

In this battle, the Vanguard Camp and five hundred elite swordsmen, working in conjunction with Qin Liangyu's army, will surely be able to break through the enemy's vanguard camp. If they can seize Shanhai Post Station, the subsequent battles will be much simpler.

The army continued its advance, and Guan Yu and Gao Shun crossed the Xuan River in half a day.

Two nights later, Chen Futu's army arrived ten miles outside Kaiyang Pass by moonlight.

Upon arriving at the destination, Chen Futu received news from Qin Liangyu. He then ordered the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry to stand by and instructed Yue Xin, Li Huaifeng, and Wu Shangde to lead 5,000 elite troops to ambush on the north bank of the Xuan River, waiting for the opportune moment.

Subsequently, Chen Futu and Zhang Liang, accompanied by several guards, arrived at the banks of the Xuan River.

"kill!"

A great battle has begun in the distance, with flames flashing across the bridgehead.

Qin Liangyu led her men in a fierce battle with Xue Lei. Arrows rained down on the bridge, causing heavy casualties on both sides.

Xue Lei was quite fierce, wielding a large sword and fighting Qin Liangyu head-on to a standstill.

Luo Wushuang and Du Hongxue joined Qin Liangyu's cavalry guards at 0:5, and they were ruthless in battle, proving that women are just as capable as men.

The bridge is only two zhang wide, with a limited span.

The two sides clashed, the river was filled with corpses, and plumes of blood mist rose from the bridgehead.

Suddenly, Qin Liangyu's hand slipped, and the spear almost slipped from her grasp. Xue Lei grabbed it and immediately slashed.

Chen Futu's heart nearly jumped out of his throat.

Fortunately, Qin Liangyu reacted extremely quickly, dodging the blade with a sidestep, and then rode away on horseback, almost losing her ghost mask in the process.

Seeing her retreat, Du Hongxue and Luo Wushuang also quickly retreated, and their army collapsed like a house of cards.

Seeing this, Xue Lei laughed loudly, "Little wench, you're no match for me! Soldiers, follow me and kill!"

"kill--"

The densely packed Daqian army crossed the bridge and charged toward the north bank, with flames soaring into the sky as far as the eye could see.

Chen Futu gripped his riding whip tightly and watched this scene coldly.

Qin Liangyu's acting was quite good; she lay sprawled on the horse's back, seemingly exhausted.

The more disheveled she looked, the more excited Xue Lei became, and the more enthusiastically he chased after her.

"Moved."

Zhang Liang suddenly pointed to the south bank, and following the direction of his finger, one could see a dense swarm of ambushers rushing out of the forest and charging toward the south bank.

Chen Futu smiled wryly: "It's time to close the net. Strategist, please do as you please. I'm going to go and wreak havoc."

"Your Highness, you mustn't! You are of noble birth, how can you risk your life? Besides, the enemy general is a ninth-rank official, and he has several valiant generals under his command."

Zhang Liang grabbed Chen Futu's reins and wouldn't let go.

As a personality formed by the system, he knew his master's weak strength. If his master had a ninth rank, he would never stop him. Unfortunately, his combat power was at most a seventh rank, so what was the point?

Chen Futu was somewhat embarrassed. It seemed he had to improve his strength as soon as possible, otherwise Zhang Liang would not allow him to go to the battlefield.

As the two were talking, Qin Liangyu was caught up by Xue Lei, and the two started fighting again.

Once the enemy's ambush troops crossed the north bank, Qin Liangyu launched a counterattack, unexpectedly repelling Xue Lei with a single spear thrust, and shouted, "Why aren't you making a move yet? What are you waiting for!"

"kill!"

From the woods on the north bank, three generals led their men out and cut off the enemy's retreat.

Then the White-Clad Soldiers turned back and fired arrows to reap the rewards, followed by the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, led by Cao Zhen, charging into the enemy lines and dividing the battlefield.

Xue Lei was shocked. "That Qin Liangyu! She actually feigned defeat!"

"You're just being stupid! Take this!"

Qin Liangyu stopped pretending and laid her cards on the table.

A gun burst forth like pear blossoms, its attack relentless and relentless, forcing Xue Lei into a desperate retreat. He shouted, "Ambush! Retreat!"

His shout only made things worse; it sent the morale of the Daqian troops plummeting to rock bottom, with countless people fleeing towards the bridge.

Two generals spurred their horses forward to intercept Qin Liangyu, but Xue Lei seized the opportunity to rein in his horse and flee. When he reached the bridge, he found his path blocked by his own defeated troops, so he drew his sword and began to hack and slash his own men. In an instant, heads rolled, and the brutality was appalling.

Qin Liangyu fought against a seventh-rank and an eighth-rank official, which took her some time to resolve. By the time she led her troops to launch a surprise attack, Xue Lei had already disappeared.

Chen Futu knew that Xue Lei was going to die, so he and Zhang Liang rode their horses across the Xuan River with the army.

Flames soared into the sky in the distance, and figures filled the vanguard camp, their screams echoing through the heavens.

Looking at Xue Lei again, he discovered that his vanguard camp had been breached. He was so angry that he slapped his thigh and howled, "I've fallen for a treacherous trap!"

As they were speaking, Guan Yu charged forward, carrying his blood-stained Green Dragon Crescent Blade. His Red Hare horse stood majestically behind him, flanked by five hundred imposing and valiant swordsmen, their blades dripping with blood. His deputy, Zhou Cang, even had the head of a garrison commander tucked into his belt.

"State your name, for my blade does not kill nameless men!" Guan Yu rebuked.

Xue Lei roared, "Red-faced thief, how dare you kill my nephew! Prepare to die!"

It turned out that the head hanging on Zhou Cang's waist belonged to a young general of the Xue family, Xue Lei's nephew.

Guan Yu looked at Xue Lei, who was charging forward like a pig, and smiled coldly, holding his knife in one hand, "Kill him if you want, what can you do to me?"

"Red-faced thief, pay with your life for my nephew!"

"You scoundrel, how dare you boast so arrogantly!"

With a clang, Guan Yu knocked the broadsword out of Xue Lei's hand with a single stroke. Xue Lei was so enraged that it was too late for him to react.

Guan Yu opened his eyes and with a single slash, Xue Lei was cleaved in two from his crotch to his head, dying instantly.

Chen Futu and Zhang Liang witnessed this scene and suddenly felt a chill in their groin.

It's said that Guan Yu killed people with his eyes open, and it's certainly true.

That's too strong. You have to understand that although Xue Lei was suspected of losing his composure due to the shock of his nephew's death, how could he be defeated in one move?

Zhang Liang sighed, "General Guan's bravery is no less than that of Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu."

The next step was to gather the remaining troops and clean up the battlefield.

It's estimated that the Daqian side never dreamed that Chen Futu would kill their vanguard general as soon as he arrived.

The defeated army was then sent to Kaiyang Pass. Yan Sheng personally came out to receive them, and when he heard the inside story of the battle, he was completely stunned.

Looking back now, he was lucky compared to Xue Lei.

If he had encountered a red-faced giant that day, he probably wouldn't have even had a chance to surrender.