Linyang City was captured by Gao Yanping.
He exploited the unyielding commander of Langping Pass.
After a failed attempt to feign surrender, Gao Yanping lashed Gou Heyu with a whip, then, in a fit of rage, hung him from a flagpole.
Later that night, he arranged for some soldiers to "rescue" Gou Heyu under the pretense of wanting to return home and not wishing to die with the rebels. They broke through Yutang Pass and headed towards Linyang City.
Gao Yanping then led his troops in pursuit. When the prefect of Linyang City, Shi Ruxing, opened the gates to welcome him, Gao Yanping's forces stormed in, capturing the city in one swift move.
It must be said.
Though Gao Yanping was spineless, he did have some talent in military strategy.
...
After capturing Linyang City, Du Ge finally had a foothold of his own.
As the largest city closest to the border, Linyang City always had enough provisions to feed tens of thousands of soldiers for half a year. It was the true logistical base for the three passes.
In a city of over a hundred thousand people, a forced conscription could easily gather at least ten thousand soldiers.
After taking Linyang City, Du Ge didn't rush to expand. Instead, he leveraged Dragon Fang's advantage to quickly publicize the Fourth Princess's victories.
Naturally, this included his strategic brilliance, the Fourth Princess's heroic prowess, and the wise decisions of Huangfu father and daughter, Gao Yanping, Gou Heyu, and others who recognized the true leader and defected.
Indeed.
Du Ge didn't forget the stubborn Gou Heyu. He was in dire need of talented people, and he couldn't afford to lose any potential allies.
Du Ge fabricated a story that the plan to capture Linyang City was a joint effort between Gao Yanping and Gou Heyu, even using some Earth idioms to help with the propaganda.
Yanping hits Heyu—one willing to hit, the other willing to take it.
Poor loyalist Gou Heyu was smeared by Du Ge, turning into a traitor with no chance of clearing his name.
Despite this.
Gou Heyu still refused to surrender, cursing Du Ge and his men.
But Du Ge crushed his spirit with a single sentence: "General Gou, calm down. We have plenty of battles ahead. Your banner will always fly in our army.
Win a few more battles, and your name will spread throughout Chongming Kingdom. Even if you aren't officially under the Fourth Princess, you will be seen as her man. Even if you seek death, you'll die on the battlefield, loyal to the Fourth Princess..."
After saying this, Du Ge signaled to Huangfu Xing and left with his men.
Huangfu Xing then earnestly explained the Fourth Prince Gu Shiming's plot to divide the nation and Du Ge's plans for them. After a night of contemplation, Gou Heyu chose to surrender.
Du Ge gained another great general.
...
Of course.
Along with the victory, the policy of gender equality under the Fourth Princess's rule was also publicized.
In the propaganda, cities captured by the Fourth Princess willingly accepted the idea of gender equality, eagerly sending their daughters to school.
Moreover, people were grateful for the happiness the Fourth Princess brought them, voluntarily donating money and food to her army...
Moreover, with the Fourth Prince's resources, his martial arts skills were probably not low.
Therefore.
Prime Minister Shi Pingchuan and Pei Ma'er were formidable opponents who needed to be eliminated quickly.
As for the others, they posed no immediate threat and could be set aside for now.
However.
With the top ten list revealed, Du Ge's life would likely become more challenging, as his martial prowess was not yet top-tier in this world.
And he lacked skilled bodyguards.
...
Not only Du Ge, but all surviving warriors on the Alien Star Battlefield were also paying attention to the top ten list.
Wu Chang, serving under Huangfu Yue, trembled and nearly spat blood when he saw Leng Shi's name at the top.
Terrified, Wu Chang almost deserted on the spot.
First place?
The demonic imperial teacher he trusted so much was actually an Alien Star warrior, and ranked first in attributes...
How could he have been so foolish, deceived by He Xu from the beginning without noticing any flaws?
Heavens!
If He Xu had harbored any killing intent, Wu Chang wouldn't even know how he died!
Thinking back to how he had earnestly spun tales of celestial beings to an Alien Star warrior, Wu Chang wanted to find a hole to crawl into and die of embarrassment.
For over twenty days, He Xu must have viewed him as a clown!
And to this day, Wu Chang still didn't know He Xu's keyword.
The most infuriating part was that He Xu had even used him as a shield, truly despicable...
But ultimately, Wu Chang didn't leave. Instead, he mustered his courage and sought out Du Ge to pledge his loyalty.
It wasn't that he trusted Du Ge, but his keyword wouldn't allow him to leave.
Leaving would mean fear, cowardice, behaviors contrary to his keyword, bravery.
If he fled, his attributes would drop to nothing, and where could he escape to on Du Ge's turf?
Rather than fleeing miserably, it was better to face Du Ge bravely, hoping for a chance at survival.
...
Qinglan Sword Sect.
Three swords floated in front of Yunyao.
But her gaze was fixed on the top ten list, her brows furrowed: "Leng Shi, Shi Pingchuan, Pei Ma'er... Du Ge, which one are you? I've already sent a signal, come find me! Together, we can dominate! Don't tell me you didn't even make the top ten..."