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

"Your Majesty, General Qin has sent intelligence to the royal court, saying that a group of people being pursued by the Daqian army has been discovered in the Beixing Mountain area. According to the investigation, they are Sun Chengzong's wife and family."

A message suddenly arrived from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, causing Chen Futu to pause in his reading. "Who?"

"Sun Chengzong's family. It is said that the former retainers of the Prince of Kaiping risked their lives to save the family and get them out of the capital. They even kidnapped the prince's offspring who were being exiled to the army. They are heading to the northern frontier, hoping to seek refuge with Your Majesty. According to General Qin, they also brought Your Majesty a special gift as a reward for taking in the family."

"Sun Chengzong's family..."

Chen Futu stood up and fell into deep thought.

Sun Chengzong was torn apart by five horses at Shanhai Pavilion. In a sense, his fate was extremely similar to that of his father. Back in the capital, the old emperor wanted to kill the heir of the Prince of Zhenbei, but failed. Sun Chengzong's family members met the same end, which was truly ironic.

"What is General Qin's attitude?"

"General Qin said that if we save that family, we might gain unexpected benefits. He also said that the Prince of Kaiping has been in business for a long time and has considerable resources."

The Imperial Guard truthfully reported Qin Liangyu's attitude.

After weighing his options carefully, Chen Futu noticed the system remained silent and asked, "Damn system, what do you have to say?"

[Since the host previously refused to rescue Sun Chengzong, the system has assumed the host has abandoned this series of tasks.]

Why didn't you say so sooner?

Chen Futu stared wide-eyed. The reward sounded pretty good, so he was definitely going to accept it. Besides, those people who came to join him must have come with benefits in mind. Why would he turn down meat that was offered to him?

Ding!

[Detection indicates that Sun Chengzong's widow is being hunted. Please make a choice.]

[1. If you choose to send Qin Liangyu's troops out of the bridgehead and across the border to rescue the widow of the Prince of Kaiping, you will be rewarded with fifty red-clothed cannons.]

The Red-Clad Cannon had a maximum range of approximately 5000 meters and was used by the Qing Dynasty.

[2. Choosing to refuse rescue due to the existence of the "Alliance of Xuan Shui" will increase Qin Liangyu's White-Spear Soldiers to 15,000.]

[3. Choose secret rescue, do not break the alliance, and do not break your promise to the world; the title of Benevolent King will be awarded.]

The title of Benevolent King comes with the aura of a royal army. This aura is that of a war god, increasing the combat power of the troops personally commanded by the host by 20%. It is effective for martial arts practitioners and can be stacked with military formations. When two armies are facing each other, there is a 20% chance to directly persuade the enemy to surrender.

"System, this title of Benevolent King is pretty awesome. It even works on martial arts practitioners. Does that mean that the combat power of the grandmasters under my command can also be increased by 20%?"

Yes, but please note that the aura will only take effect if the host leaves the royal court to carry out combat or a system mission, and the title will only affect the host if the host directly leads the troops.

In other words, only the generals and soldiers personally commanded by Chen Futu will be affected when leading troops into battle; other generals leading troops into battle will not be affected.

For example, if we were to attack the Great Qian Dynasty now, and Chen Futu personally led Dian Wei, Gao Shun, and others southward, while Guan Yu led his troops south through Kaiyang Pass into the Great Qian Dynasty, then Guan Yu's army would not receive any buffs; only Dian Wei and Gao Shun, who personally commanded the troops, would get the bonus.

"I choose number three. This aura is too overpowered. In the future, I can personally lead the army and sweep away almost everything."

[Selection successful. The title "Nioh" is now equipped. Please complete the mission promptly. If the mission objective dies, the system will revoke the title.]

"Dian Wei!"

Chen Futu shouted, and Dian Wei, who was outside the door, immediately ran in, "Your Majesty, I'm here!"

"Go and inform the pleasure boat and Zhongnan Mountain to send a group of experts to accompany me to the Northern Mountain."

"Here!"

Dian Wei didn't ask where they were going; as long as the king went east, he would never go west.

After a short wait, Hua Yu arrived in person, bringing with her twenty beautiful women from the pleasure boat, all of whom were highly skilled. Then, Qingyi arranged for A Zi to come, accompanied by a dozen or so disciples from Zhongnan Mountain, all of whom were around the eighth or ninth rank in strength.

Chen Futu briefly explained the purpose of his trip.

Hua Yu was slightly moved. "I have heard about the Sun family's plight. It is said that the Prince of Kaiping suffered a terrible fate. He gave everything for the Great Qian Dynasty, but in the end, he was torn apart by five horses, his family was exiled to the brothel, and his children were sent to the army. Truly, the emperor is ruthless."

"It is the new emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty who is ruthless, not the emperor himself."

Chen Futu said quietly, and Hua Yu realized she had said the wrong thing, so she lowered her head and remained silent.

"This rescue is driven by self-interest. The Sun family must have something that is beneficial to us, so we are setting off now. However, you should also think carefully, as this journey is fraught with danger."

Hua Yu and A Zi exchanged a glance and said solemnly, "We are grateful for the King's kindness. We are willing to go even if it means going through fire and water."

"Okay, get ready, we'll leave this afternoon."

Chen Futu disguised himself as a handsome young man in white robes, who was also a playboy merchant, and called himself Young Master Qin.

Hua Yu and the others all changed into tight-fitting clothes, wore red ghost masks, and disguised themselves as servants.

Chen Futu also brought Dian Wei and Ge Fei with him on this trip, while A Ke remained hidden in the shadows.

The title "Nioh" will be effective during wartime.

As soon as the system notification sounded, Chen Futu waved his hand and shouted, "Let's go!"

Dozens of fast horses marched out of Dragon City and headed towards the Xuan River.

In less than two or three days, the team arrived near the bridgehead.

Qin Liangyu had received the news and was waiting, but she did not expect Chen Futu to go in person.

Seeing her dashing figure in her red robe and golden armor, Chen Futu couldn't stop smiling. "Wife, don't worry, this trip is not dangerous. I'll be right back."

Qin Liangyu smiled helplessly. Sometimes she really couldn't understand why the king, with his precious body, always had to put himself in danger. He could have just sent his men to save him.

"Sister, you should be prepared to meet me at any time. I will be back in no more than half a month." Chen Futu chuckled and squeezed Qin Liangyu's hand. She had no choice but to obey.

A moment later, Chen Futu and his party crossed the bridgehead and officially entered the Northern Mountain Range.

The northern mountain range is different now than it used to be; it is filled with smoke and fire, and there is fighting everywhere.

After Sun Chengzong left, the court sent a general named Liu to guard the northern defense line. Liu Bainian was inferior to Sun Chengzong in every way. Moreover, he dared not confront Qin Liangyu at the bridgehead and was worried about being attacked from behind by the rebel army. So he retreated his army to the surrounding important towns established by Sun Chengzong.

Chen Futu's expedition consisted of only a few dozen riders, roughly the same size as a merchant caravan, so it was not enough to attract his attention.

"System, tell me the location of the Sun family."

The system only issues tasks; it does not provide location services.

"Seriously? The Northern Mountain Range is so vast, where am I supposed to find someone?"

The area is rife with conflict, and reckless wandering could lead to many unnecessary clashes.

Seeing that the system was sparing with its words, Chen Futu could only lead his team to a town and wait for the Imperial Guards to tell him the exact location.