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

The people cried out in grief.

A large group of people knelt down with a clatter. Their emaciated appearance was truly heartbreaking to see and to hear.

Chen Futu dismounted and personally helped the old man up. He then addressed the crowd, saying, "If you all believe in this young master, you may return home to prepare for your journey to the northern frontier. At that time, I will distribute land to the people for cultivation."

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

"His Highness is a kind person."

"However, we have run out of food. How can we continue our journey?"

The old man sighed repeatedly, his expression growing increasingly bitter.

Chen Futu looked at the troops behind him. The two generals understood his thoughts, but if they handed over the soldiers' food, how could they return to the northern frontier?

Chen Futu asked the old man, "Are there any bandits ahead?"

"Yes, yes!"

The old man pointed northwest and said, “Thirty li away, there is a mountain called Dawang Mountain. More than a thousand bandits roam the mountain and often come down to plunder. They also collude with local officials to prey on the people. We common folk are suffering terribly.”

"In that case, let's take advantage of the opportunity to suppress the bandits and capture Dawang Mountain. Then we won't have to worry about food."

Chen Futu's attitude was decisive, even exuding an air of unquestionable authority.

The two generals' hearts stirred, and their resistance lessened considerably.

Li Huaifeng pondered and said, "We are in a hurry to get back to the northern frontier. Suppressing bandits along the way might create a stir, which is probably not a good idea."

“Uncle Li, if you have any concerns, when we arrive at the foot of Dawang Mountain, you and Uncle Wu can set up camp with your personal guards, while General Gao Shun and I will lead the Vanguard Camp to attack cities and fortresses, replenish our supplies, and then continue our journey. We will not trouble your personal guards and soldiers.”

Upon hearing this, Li and Wu were both surprised.

Gao Shun immediately replied, "This subordinate obeys!"

His voice was booming, and the soldiers of the Trapped Camp shouted in unison, their morale soaring.

The guards, not to be outdone, straightened their backs!

They fought their way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood; when have they ever been afraid of petty bandits and thieves?

Li Huaifeng sighed, "Very well, since His Highness the Crown Prince has such a benevolent heart, how could General Wu and I dare to obstruct him?"

Wu Shangde immediately ordered his soldiers to hand over most of the grain to the people, keeping only a small amount for themselves. After resting at the foot of Dawang Mountain, they attacked the city, seized the stronghold, and plundered resources.

"Thank you, Your Highness, thank you, General!"

The people received the food with great gratitude, and some even knelt at the feet of Chen Futu and others with tears in their eyes, kowtowing repeatedly.

This scene is truly heartbreaking.

Li Huaifeng and Wu Shangde began to acknowledge this prince who had no reputation for virtue.

After the people left, the group continued on their way.

As evening fell, the troops arrived at the foot of Dawang Mountain.

Dawang Mountain is shaped like a bull's horn, with high and low peaks. There are sentry posts at the entrance to the mountain, and a guard post every fifty steps extends into the mountain. With such a coordinated layout, it would be quite difficult to sneak in silently.

Chen Futu asked Gao Shun, "Are you confident that you can destroy his stronghold in one battle?"

Gao Shun replied, "The entire Trapped Camp is heavily armored. They use low ground to climb high ground and attack enemy positions to seize territory. They must fight a quick battle."

The terrain of Dawang Mountain is unclear. As the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows. If we cannot break through the mountain stronghold in a short time, it is not impossible for the bandits to escape by side paths. The worst fear is that they will run out of resources and set fire to the mountain, leaving nothing behind.

“They couldn’t have set fire to it. After all, we’re just taking advantage of their situation. Why would they destroy their own stronghold?”

Chen Futu dispatched the last seven of his thirteen riders to scout the path to Dawang Mountain. They were to bring back intelligence before dawn, at which point the remaining seven would be divided to block the bandits' retreat and ensure their complete annihilation in one battle.

The seven men accepted the order and left.

Li Huaifeng sighed sincerely, "Your Highness's plan is well-versed in the principles of military strategy and can be successful in one battle."

"At that time, two more people will be needed to block Dawang Mountain's retreat route."

"Your Highness, rest assured, we are willing to follow your orders."

Wu Shangde wanted to take this opportunity to take a closer look at Chen Futu's ability to command troops in battle.

Time passed by minute by minute.

At midnight, around 1-3 AM, the seven returned. There were cliffs and precipices on the south side of Dawang Mountain. Besides the main mountain path, there was also a narrow, secluded path leading down the mountain.

Chen Futu looked at the topographical map of Dawang Mountain, made a plan in his mind, and then ordered three generals to be summoned to explain the situation.

Li Huaifeng and Wu Shangde did not express their opinions; their attitudes were the same, and they would only observe the Crown Prince's methods.

Upon seeing this, Chen Futu decisively ordered preparations for battle.

The Seven Guards can go ahead and eliminate the sentry posts at the mountain pass before attacking the mountain.

"General Gao Shun will lead the Vanguard Camp to fight alongside this young master."

"Here."

Gao Shun left the tent and began preparations.

When they were young, Chen Futu and Li Wu separated and each led their troops to their respective destinations.

The sentries at Dawang Mountain were nothing but bandits, and in the dead of night, they were in a daze and were silently executed by the seven men.

Chen Futu and Gao Shun abandoned their warhorses and led their troops up the mountain on foot.

As the Trapped Camp advanced, seven figures, like ghosts, reaped the lives of the sleeping bandit sentries along the way. When they arrived at the main gate of the stronghold and launched their attack, the bandit henchmen on the gate tower were suddenly awakened.

"Enemy! Enemy attack!"

A piercing scream echoed throughout Dawang Mountain, and then the mountain village was thrown into chaos.

"attack!"

Gao Shun drew his bow and instantly killed one man; the roar of the Trapped Camp echoed through the mountains and forests.

Meanwhile, the three leaders of Dawang Mountain were still fast asleep, embracing innocent women they had plundered from who-knows-where, when they were awakened by the war cries. They stumbled out to check and found the village in complete chaos. The mountain gate had been breached, and soldiers from the Trapped Camp had stormed into the village like tigers entering the mountains, leaving rivers of blood in their wake.

"Damn it! What's going on?!"

"Boss, something terrible has happened! The government troops have come up the mountain!"

"Damn Zhou Zhinian, I've given him plenty of tributes, and this is how he repays me?"

The bandit leader was furious. He grabbed his greatsword and shouted, "Don't panic! Block them! Block them!"

As Chen Futu predicted, people die for wealth and birds die for food.

These bandits, who have been so arrogant and domineering, have stockpiled a lot of supplies; they won't just leave for nothing.

Unfortunately, they lost the initiative and were slaughtered when facing the elite heavy armor of the Trapped Camp.

Chen Futu, wielding a long spear, charged into the fray with Gao Shun. In the chaos, the third leader was pinned to the door wall by Chen Futu's spear. Even in his dying moments, the man cursed, "You brat, you've ruined me!"

"You filthy thing, you deserve to die."

Chen Futu was kind and compassionate to the common people, but he showed no mercy to this group of bandits. Moreover, there were more than a dozen corpses hanging from the big tree in front of the stronghold, including men and women, which showed how cruel these bandits were.

"kill!"

The vanguard quickly captured the mountain stronghold.

Chen Futu ran into the leader, who was extremely strong. In a fit of madness, the leader slashed down with his sword, almost knocking Chen Futu's spear over.

Judging from their strength, the opponent is at least at the fourth rank.

Now that Chen Futu has lost his trial card, even with the support of the Martial God Body and the Eight-Part Halberd, he cannot defeat his opponent for the time being.

Seeing this, Gao Shun stepped forward to help. He thrust down with his spear, knocking the leader's ghost-headed broadsword away. He then kicked the leader seven or eight meters away, who rolled on the ground spitting blood. Before he could get up, he was captured by the soldiers of the Trapped Camp.

Chen Futu was speechless for a moment.

Their combat strength is still far inferior. Gao Shun would be considered a formidable general in the original world, and he could easily take down a bandit leader.

With the leader captured, the battle is drawing to a close.

Just then, a commotion suddenly arose in the distance, "Your Highness, something terrible has happened! The second-in-command has escaped with gold, silver, valuables, and some hostages!"

The only hostages in the mountain stronghold were those poor girls who had been captured.

If the second-in-command escapes, how can he live up to the expectations of the people?