“`

Damn!

He’s subdued another one!

And his reasoning is flawless. Isn’t he afraid of being exposed?

No, he’s not.

None of the three groups would reveal the truth to others. Terrifying!

Wu Chang’s heart was pounding.

At this moment.

He suddenly doubted if he could ever surpass He Xu, even if he reached his peak!

This guy is too cunning, truly deserving of the name Demon Star. If his intelligence is used well, he might be able to clear out a large number of Alien Star warriors!

…

Du Ge released Huangfu Xing from his restraints and leisurely walked back with him. He said to Luo Shuang, “Fourth Princess, I have not failed you. I have persuaded General Huangfu.”

Having made up his mind, Huangfu Xing no longer hesitated. He stepped forward and knelt before Luo Shuang, “Surrendered General Huangfu Xing, at your service, Princess.”

“General Huangfu, please rise.”

Luo Shuang extended her hand to help Huangfu Xing up, a different kind of light flashing in her eyes as she looked at Du Ge.

He had persuaded another one. Her master was indeed extraordinary.

In just a few days, she already had soldiers and generals under her command. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before she could lead her army back to her homeland.

Huangfu Yue looked at her father in astonishment, “Father, you…”

Huangfu Xing recalled his recent actions, his face inexplicably flushing. He said in a deep voice, “Yue’er, since we’ve surrendered to the Fourth Princess, serve her well.”

At the same time, he kept reminding himself in his heart: endure humiliation for the greater good, endure humiliation for the greater good. One day, the Huangfu family’s honor will be restored.

“Understood, Father.”

Huangfu Yue gave Huangfu Xing a strange look and nodded.

Du Ge surveyed the elite soldiers around him, then smiled at Luo Shuang, “Princess, with General Huangfu’s allegiance, we now have our own troops. We can’t issue orders as haphazardly as before. I suggest we reassign official positions for all the generals.”

Luo Shuang glanced at everyone and said, “Then I’ll trouble you, Master, to draft a plan tonight and present it to me tomorrow morning. I’ll make a decision after reviewing it.”

“Yes, Princess.”

Du Ge agreed readily, without any hesitation.

Loyalty is loyalty.

The power to appoint personnel must remain in his hands.

…

That night.

Everyone stayed at Yutang Pass.

Du Ge took inventory of the resources and population at Yutang Pass.

Yutang Pass was a combat fortress, with no civilians inside. The soldiers themselves handled the farming.

However.

The grain harvested from the farming was only enough for daily consumption. The salaries still needed to be allocated by the court. When merchants passed through Yutang Pass, some soldiers would extort a toll from them.

The commander of Yutang Pass was not Huangfu Yue.

The plan to capture Luo Shuang was a real act disguised as a fake one.

To make it convincing, Huangfu Yue used Huangfu Xing’s military orders to open the gates, captured the commander of Yutang Pass, and occupied it, leading to the subsequent events.

Yutang Pass had a permanent garrison of five thousand soldiers. The commander was named Gao Yanping. Huangfu Yue had brought not three thousand but five thousand soldiers.

Outside the city.

Huangfu Xing’s pursuing troops, though appearing formidable, were also just five thousand strong.

Huangfu Xing had absolute control over his army.

The soldiers of this era were not highly educated; they only knew to follow orders and were not very sensitive to external changes.

However, the soldiers’ families were all from the Chongming Kingdom. They joined the army for the pay and naturally didn’t want to follow Huangfu Xing in rebellion.

On Du Ge’s suggestion, Huangfu Xing didn’t explain anything about Luo Shuang to the soldiers and directly led them into Yutang Pass.

The soldiers had no idea about the changes at the top and didn’t cause any trouble.

Du Ge’s plan was to wait until they had committed acts of rebellion, then offer them heavy rewards, making them naturally loyal.

This method was despicable, but Huangfu Xing, burdened with the mission of eliminating traitors for the country, eventually agreed to Du Ge’s terms.

Kindness has no place in commanding troops.

In Huangfu Xing’s mind, his soldiers were just numbers, meant to serve the country as loyally as he did.

Thus.

Du Ge now had fifteen thousand elite soldiers under his command, along with three generals: Gao Yanping, Huangfu Xing, and Huangfu Yue.

Gao Yanping was weak-willed and had been imprisoned for two days.

After the Huangfu father and daughter surrendered, Du Ge had little trouble convincing Gao Yanping to surrender as well.

The Huangfu father and daughter’s act meant they didn’t bring much military grain, only enough to last three days. Combined with Yutang Pass’s reserves, they could hold out for at most half a month before running out of supplies.

It must be said.

Leading an army is a skilled job, not something you can do by just clicking a mouse in a computer game.

Professional tasks should be left to professionals. Du Ge delegated the management of the army to the Huangfu father and daughter.

He saw himself as a prime minister or imperial teacher, second only to one, above all others, guiding the overall strategy.

As for Wu Chang, Du Ge assigned him to Huangfu Xing’s command as a vanguard.

The innate experts sent by Liu Yi’an and the assassins from Dragon Fang were organized by Du Ge into a special assault team, responsible for Luo Shuang’s security and carrying out special missions.

That night.

Du Ge sent the special assault team on a mission to bring the wives and children of the Huangfu family and Gao Yanping to Yutang Pass.

This was to prevent their families from being persecuted once news of the Huangfu family’s betrayal spread.

For this.

The Huangfu father and daughter were deeply grateful.

Luo Shuang had no objections to Du Ge’s arrangements.

Du Ge conducted a thorough inspection of everyone at Yutang Pass but found no traces of Alien Star warriors.

It was unclear whether these guys were too cautious, hadn’t reacted yet, or had already fled the harsh conditions of the Chongming Kingdom.

…

When resources are insufficient, you have to fight for them yourself.

The more cards you hold, the more leverage you have in future negotiations. Du Ge wouldn’t passively wait for Liu Yi’an to return.

The next day.

Du Ge used the time difference.

In Gao Yanping’s name, he sent a letter to the commander of Langping Pass, asking for help and requesting him to send troops to cooperate with Huangfu Xing in a pincer attack on Yutang Pass to defeat Huangfu Yue inside.

Luring the commander of Langping Pass out.

Internally.

He instructed Huangfu Yue to lead three thousand elite soldiers and march back towards the Chongming Kingdom.

That day, they easily captured three counties.

The three counties were right behind Yutang Pass. If Yutang Pass fell to an external enemy, they would be the first to be attacked and had solid defenses.

But first, there was no news of any battle at Yutang Pass. Second, Huangfu Yue launched a surprise attack under the name of Huangfu Xing.

The counties were completely unprepared and were easily taken.

That night.

The flag with the character “Luo” of the Fourth Princess was raised on the city walls.

At the same time.

Du Ge launched another propaganda campaign.

He issued a proclamation informing everyone that the Fourth Princess Luo Shuang had successfully joined forces with Huangfu Yue and occupied Yutang Pass. General Huangfu had turned to the righteous side and was willing to fight for the cause of gender equality.

He called on all women, merchants, and craftsmen with dreams in the city to take the first brave step and give the Fourth Princess their most practical support.

“`