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

The news of the Dragon Riders' surrender to the royal court spread quickly throughout Dongchuan Prefecture, and the people cheered with joy. This was undoubtedly the best outcome.

The Great King is different from the Marquis of Dongchuan. He has an iron-fisted approach and is a powerful ruler who has fought his way up. Others may fear the Tartars, but he is not. In other words, the King of the Northern Frontier is the only wise and virtuous ruler who can drive out the Tartars. He is much more reliable than the new Emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty.

During this period, in particular, the Dongchuan Prefecture under the rule of the royal court opened its granaries to provide relief to the disaster victims, gradually helping them to restore their livelihoods. Merchants and officials were transferred from the northern frontier to take over the prefecture's affairs. In a short time, the prefecture, which had been in turmoil due to the war, stabilized. The people were busy with basic construction, and there was a great sense of peace and prosperity.

The young talents watched all this with amazement, saying, "As expected of the King of the Northern Frontier, it is said that the country is peaceful and prosperous under his rule. It seems that the rumors are true. He has quelled the chaos so quickly, and the territory his army has reached has not been violated in any way. I think that within a year, all the land abandoned by the Great Qian will belong to the King of the Northern Frontier."

"Is the King of Northern Frontier about to ascend the throne and become emperor?"

"If I take over the capital region, I can become emperor. I'm actually looking forward to that day."

A few more days passed, and some talented individuals volunteered their services.

Chen Futu personally tested them, and they were indeed capable of governing the local area.

Since we are in need of personnel, we might as well let them serve as county officials under the jurisdiction of the prefecture. When the country is at peace in the future, we can promote them according to their merits.

"Your Majesty, King Ping of Zhou has surrendered to the allied forces of the Western Regions!"

A message arrived quite abruptly, and Chen Futu frowned deeply upon receiving the intelligence.

Intelligence reports that King Zhou Ping, fearing the defeat of Dongchuan Prefecture and the surrender of his 50,000 dragon cavalry, turned to the Western Regions coalition, intending to become an enemy of the Northern Frontier.

"As a vassal king, to submit to a foreign tribe is a disgrace."

Chen Futu had originally planned to persuade the vassal king to surrender, but since that was the case, he might as well kill this spineless coward along with the Tartars.

"Report! Your Majesty, King Zhou Ping and the Western Regions allied forces have amassed 150,000 troops in Heyang Prefecture, intending to attack De'an. If De'an falls, they will be just one step away from the capital."

The new battle report was shocking. I didn't expect them to move so fast. They still wanted to take the capital even though they knew that the armies from all over the northern frontier were heading south. Did they really think the northern frontier was just a decoration?

Chen Futu summoned all the generals.

Dongchuan is two or three hundred miles away from De'an. Even if they travel day and night, it would be too late to get there. The new emperor moved the capital south and withdrew most of the troops from the Central Plains. As an important town in the west of the capital, De'an now probably has less than 10,000 troops. Even if they fight desperately, they can't hold out for more than a few days.

Zhang Liang said, "Our army is mostly composed of cavalry. We might as well march to the capital overnight and perhaps seize the time to fight them in a field battle."

The capital must not be captured. Even if the Emperor of the Great Qian flees, it will still be a matter of face for the Central Plains. If the capital is taken, it will be a devastating blow to the morale of the various forces in the Central Plains.

"What is the rebel king's attitude?" Chen Futu asked the Imperial Guard.

The Imperial Guard replied, "It is said that several rebel kings have gathered a large army, about 200,000 men, and are heading towards the capital, seemingly wanting to take it before the Western Regions coalition forces."

"Zhang Liang, Qin Liangyu, An Jingsi, prepare the army and march to the capital. You must arrive before they capture the capital region!"

The fall of the capital sent shockwaves through eastern Sichuan.

King Ping of Zhou's rebellion was beyond everyone's expectations. Unfortunately, it's no use cursing him now, and there's no time to attack his territories.

The following morning, Luo Wushuang arrived in Dongchuan. Chen Futu appointed her as the prefect and governor of the prefecture, tasking her with ensuring the defense and livelihood of Dongchuan. As for the Marquis of Dongchuan, she could deal with him later.

Chen Futu's army consisted entirely of cavalry, plus the White-Spear Soldiers and the Jingyue Army, totaling about 70,000 troops. Each soldier carried sufficient provisions and marched day and night.

It would take at least ten days to half a month to travel from Dongchuan to the capital. If they were attacked by small groups during that time, it would delay them further. Therefore, Chen Futu ordered the Jingyue Army to lead the way to minimize unnecessary time wastage.

In the capital, Liang Xuan'er changed into military attire. She gathered approximately 50,000 troops to guard the capital, and also brought the people of the surrounding area into the city.

The capital region is a prosperous area. The new emperor left in a hurry, leaving behind some money and grain, which is enough for the time being.

Aside from the elderly, the weak, the sick, and the disabled, the majority of her 50,000 men were new recruits who had come spontaneously to protect the central command. Their combat strength was limited, and whether they could hold out was still an unknown.

Chen Futu secretly assigned some officials and shadow guards to assist her in governing and defending the capital. Without their help, she, a commander without any troops, would not have been able to protect the capital at all.

Chen Futu did this with ulterior motives. He wanted to use her ambition to temporarily protect the capital and then go about his business when the northern army pressed in. But who could have imagined that the Western Regions coalition would advance so quickly?

"Report! The rebel king's 200,000-strong allied army has entered Luye!"

"Report! De'an has fallen! The Western Regions Allied Forces are attacking, with a force of approximately 150,000."

"Report! A few days ago, 100,000 cavalry from the Northern Wu entered Yangzhou, seemingly planning to attack the capital."

One message after another reached Liang Xuan'er, giving her a real headache.

By this calculation, the total number of troops gathered in the capital was nearly 500,000.

"Where is the King of the Northern Frontier? Is he still in Dongchuan?"

"Your Majesty, the Northern Frontier King's army has already set off, but they departed late and are unlikely to make it in time."

"Damn it!"

Standing atop the city wall of the capital, Liang Xuan'er felt her hands and feet grow icy cold.

She thought she could take advantage of the new emperor's southward escape to make her move, but it turned out to be a joke. Even without the new emperor, the capital was still a hot commodity, and everyone wanted to take advantage of it.

The capital city held immense significance; occupying it meant having the power to declare oneself emperor!

The streets and alleys of the capital were filled with ordinary people, and they were all filled with anxiety upon hearing the news.

Whoever breaches the city will likely die, especially the Western Regions allied forces, who will massacre the city's inhabitants.

Liang Xuan'er ordered a scorched earth policy and prepared supplies to begin preparations for the decisive battle.

After several days of waiting, Liang Xuan'er received new information: the Western Regions Allied Forces and the rebels had reached a short-term alliance called the "White Deer Alliance." The alliance stated that whoever could capture the capital would become the ruler of the world, and the other side would unconditionally respect the other side as their master. They even staggered their attacks, taking turns attacking the city each day.

"These traitors actually made an alliance with the barbarians!"

Liang Xuan'er was extremely angry. Her 50,000 troops were weak and easily bullied. The rebels even sent messengers to tell her to surrender and go drink and make merry with the rebel kings in exchange for her life.

"Kill the messenger!"

Liang Xuan'er killed the messenger in a fit of rage; expecting her to surrender was a pipe dream.

On the other side, Chen Futu received a system notification.

Ding!

[Nearly 500,000 troops have been detected surrounding the capital. Please prepare accordingly.]

"Wait a minute, where did this army of 500,000 come from?"

The Northern Wu Army, the rebel army, and the Western Regions allied forces totaled approximately 500,000.

"Bei Wu is here too? What is Liu Longyue up to? And even if you give me a choice now, I can't get past it."