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

“I plan to go to Ning County. Those who want to go home can return with me. Those who don’t want to can come back to northern Xinjiang with me. I will arrange a livelihood for you and help you start a new life.”

"I'm willing!"

"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Highness."

Most of the women nodded in agreement. They had lost their virginity, and going back would only lead to a worse fate. It was better to start over under assumed names.

Of course, some women also wanted to go home.

Du Hongxue suddenly said, "This young lady wishes to join the army, and hopes that Your Highness will grant her permission."

"Nonsense!"

Wu Shangde reprimanded him with a dark face.

Chen Futu found it interesting, because this woman had a ruthless streak, and her father was a constable, so she seemed suited to join the army.

Du Hongxue said sadly, "Although I am a woman, I have practiced martial arts since I was a child. I am willing to go into battle to kill the enemy and repay the kindness of His Highness."

"Alright, you can stay with me for now."

Qin Liangyu is also a woman, and there is a place to settle Du Hongxue. If she performs well, it would be fine for her to become Qin Liangyu's deputy general.

The large group descended Dawang Mountain.

It is worth mentioning that 150 warhorses were captured on this trip. Du Hongxue changed into a leather armor and took a gun. She and the remaining five guards followed behind Chen Futu as guards, while the other women rode their horses between the personal guard and the elite troops.

Ning County is located at the foot of the Beixing Mountains, about 80 li away, which is a day's journey away.

The following day, Chen Futu met Qin Liangyu in the mountains about ten miles west of Ning County.

She arrived alone, riding a white dragon steed, clad in dark red armor, with a bow at her waist, a battle robe, her hair tied up and her face adorned, and a long spear in her hand, exuding an imposing aura.

Even though they were several feet apart, Chen Futu could feel the chilling aura emanating from them.

He truly deserves to be called a hero of the late Ming Dynasty!

The Qin Liangyu before me was very young; even with the ghost mask on, one could tell she was only in her early twenties, her heroic spirit and sharp aura captivating.

The two generals looked at her in surprise and asked, "Your Highness, who is this?"

"Of course they're mine."

Chen Futu smiled smugly, and Qin Liangyu dismounted and clasped her hands in greeting, "This humble general greets Your Highness."

"General Qin, please rise."

The more Chen Futu looked at her, the happier he became. He straightened his back considerably and felt more confident.

Li Huaifeng and Wu Shangde couldn't understand when the Prince of Zhenbei had left so many generals and soldiers for his heir, and all of them were fierce generals and elites!

They could sense that Qin Liangyu was very strong, even somewhat unfathomable, and that General Gao Shun was also extremely strong, a fierce general unlike any they had ever heard of.

"General Qin, I need to go to Ning County. Will you accompany me?" Chen Futu gave the order.

Qin Liangyu did not hesitate. She waved her hand, and fifty elite cavalrymen appeared in the distance through the woods.

They all wore demon masks and carried long white-handled spears.

Du Hongxue looked on with envy; she also wanted to join General Qin's ranks!

Li Huaifeng and his companion were speechless. These female soldiers all had a long and deep breath, and they were clearly fierce women who had been tempered by iron and blood. If a fight broke out, their personal guards would probably not be able to handle them.

Now that he had the White-Spear Soldiers and the Trapped Camp, Chen Futu had just gained power and was full of ambition. So he ordered Gao Shun and Wu Shangde to lead the troops outside, while he, Qin Liangyu, and Li Huaifeng, with fifty White-Spear Soldiers and fifty personal guards, escorted several women who wanted to go home to Ning County, and also met with Zhou Zhinian and robbed a bunch of people before leaving.

The procession of a hundred riders into the city caused the people to flee in panic.

Ningcheng was far from the capital and not wealthy. The people wore coarse linen clothes and looked malnourished. Women were rarely seen on the streets, which showed how deeply the bandits of Dawang Mountain had ravaged the area.

The large group went straight to the government office. The constables were so frightened by the sight that they ran into the back room to find the magistrate.

Before long, a portly, fair-skinned county magistrate rushed out. Seeing Chen Futu and his group's menacing aura, he immediately became trembling with fear, "This humble official is Zhou Zhinian, may I ask who the general is..."

"The Crown Prince of Zhenbei, Chen Futu!"

The short sentence sent a chill down Zhou Zhinian's spine.

He had just received an imperial edict saying that Chen Futu had rebelled, killed the garrison commander, and fled the capital. So he was planning to post notices throughout the city and announce it to the entire county, but unexpectedly, the person in charge came to his door.

"Your Highness, what brings you to Ning County?" Zhou Zhinian asked tremblingly.

Chen Futu gripped his riding whip tightly and smiled coldly, "Don't you know why I've come?"

"I don't know. If you have any needs, I will do my best to fulfill them."

Zhou Zhinian, as expected of someone who colluded with bandits, was very good at changing his stance depending on the wind.

Chen Futu waved his hand, and Du Hongxue threw a head at Zhou Zhinian's feet. When Zhou Zhinian saw the head of the chief, he was horrified and sat down on the ground, trembling.

"This is your old flame, don't you recognize her?"

"Your Highness, how could I possibly know this thief?"

"When did I say he was a thief?"

"I……"

Zhou Zhinian realized he had said the wrong thing and quickly knelt down to beg for mercy, "This humble official is quite wealthy. If you spare my life, I will give you all of it."

"I can still get it if I kill you."

After Chen Futu finished speaking, his guards stepped forward and grabbed Zhou Zhinian.

Seeing no way out, Zhou Zhinian turned and ran, shouting as he ran, "Men! Kill them quickly!"

Immediately, hundreds of county soldiers rushed out of the government office.

Chen Futu looked at Qin Liangyu beside him, who nodded and personally led fifty elite soldiers to charge into battle, leaving corpses strewn everywhere their spears struck.

Such combat prowess left Li Huaifeng speechless.

The battle came quickly and ended quickly.

Zhou Zhinian was tied up, and a large number of people gradually gathered around. Seeing the evil official arrested and his henchmen slaughtered, they all clapped and cheered.

Du Hongxue seized the opportunity to speak: "Fellow villagers, this corrupt official has colluded with the bandits of Dawang Mountain, indulging in violence and harming people at will. Now that His Highness has arrived in Ning County, this scoundrel should be killed to redress the grievances of the people!"

"kill him!"

"That's right, kill the corrupt official!"

The people raised their arms and shouted, their curses shaking the heavens.

Seeing this, Zhou Zhinian's face turned ashen. He wailed to Chen Futu, "Your Highness, you must not trust these fools! If you kill me, it will be tantamount to treason. The court will not let you go, and there will be no place for you in the world!"

"You fat, bloated fellow? I can kill Sun Jingming, why can't I kill you?"

Chen Futu, too lazy to waste any more words, immediately ordered the execution.

With a single stroke of the Imperial Guard's blade, the fat man with the large ears rolled off, blood splattering everywhere.

Li Huaifeng opened his mouth as if to say something, but Qin Liangyu asked quietly, "General, are you perhaps going to protect this wicked official?"

"General Qin, His Highness's actions are perhaps a bit too radical..."

"Since we have already turned against each other, why should we fear a tyrannical ruler? If there are pursuing troops, we can simply kill them."

"Ok."

Seeing the people cheering and jumping for joy, Li Huaifeng couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Afterwards, some villagers brought firewood and set Zhou Zhinian's body on fire. His fat body sizzled, which was quite shocking.

Chen Futu ordered an inventory of the granaries, finding 80,000 taels of silver and 500 taels of gold. The granaries were then opened and the grain distributed. The people applauded, and the benevolent decree of the Prince of Zhenbei quickly spread throughout Ning County.

The common people are just that simple. They don't care about rebellion or anything like that. Whoever stands up for them, they will love and respect!

Chen Futu stayed in Ning County for a day, and then spread the word that those who wished to go to the northern frontier could choose a day to depart. In an instant, countless people responded.

After leaving the city, the money was properly disposed of, and manpower was left to transport it back to northern Xinjiang with the later caravans.

Outside the city, by the woods, Qin Liangyu led three thousand White-Spear Soldiers to join forces with the Trapped Camp.

Looking at the imposing and awe-inspiring military formation and the two generals at the head, Li Huaifeng and Wu Shangde were so shocked that their scalps tingled.

They dared not imagine how many tricks His Highness the Crown Prince still had up his sleeve. Even if he couldn't establish a foothold in the Northern Frontier, he could probably use these methods to quickly carve out a territory!