Qian Zihao was shocked, his eyes filled with disbelief. He never expected that the person in front of him was Chen Zhennan, the legendary figure who was famous far and wide.

The soldiers around him were already dead, and the battlefield was filled with a thick stench of blood. Blood stained the earth, making it nauseating.

However, when faced with Chen Zhennan's challenge to a one-on-one duel, Qian Zihao's fighting spirit was ignited, and the blood of battle surged through his veins.

“Alright, since you want a one-on-one fight, then let’s have a one-on-one fight.” Qian Zihao nodded slightly, his tone revealing a hint of unyielding determination.

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhennan smiled faintly, "As expected of the Prince of Ning's son, you have some backbone. But I must tell you, there will be a price to pay for a one-on-one fight."

Qian Zihao frowned slightly, a vague unease creeping into his heart: "The price, what price?"

Chen Zhennan pointed down the mountain and slowly said, "If you lose, all five thousand men will die. So, I'll give you another option: you can surrender, and I'll let the five thousand soldiers you brought with you go."

Qian Zihao's heart skipped a beat, his expression changed slightly, and he asked in return, "What if you lose?"

“If I lose, my guards will kill you and then use these five thousand soldiers to pay for my death.”

Upon hearing this, Qian Zihao scoffed indifferently, "I don't care about the lives of these five thousand soldiers at all!"

Seeing this, Chen Zhennan couldn't help but sigh, his eyes revealing a hint of regret and helplessness.

He slowly reached out and pulled out his pistol from his pocket, pointing the muzzle directly at Qian Zihao's thigh.

"Bang!"

A crisp gunshot rang out, and the bullet sliced ​​through the air like lightning, striking Qian Zihao precisely in the thigh.

Blood gushed out instantly, staining his battle robe red. A look of pain flashed across his face, and he immediately knelt on one knee.

Qian Zihao gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with fury, and demanded angrily, "Chen Zhennan, didn't you say you wanted a one-on-one fight? Why are you doing this to me?"

Chen Zhennan smiled coldly, a hint of disdain in his eyes. He scoffed and said slowly, "It's better to be alive than dead. Qian Zihao, you'll be of great use in the future."

After saying that, Chen Zhennan waved towards the woods, and two team members with ropes came swiftly like cheetahs, quickly tying Qian Zihao up.

Qian Zihao harbored resentment in his heart, his eyes revealing a mixture of helplessness and anger, as if he were trapped in an invisible cage, unable to break free.

"Take him down the back of the mountain, and make sure no one sees him."

"Understood, Commander."

...

At this moment, at the foot of Dongliu Mountain, Wang Dejun held a torch, his eyes flashing with a sinister light, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

Seeing that Qian Zihao's thousand men, who were covering the rear, had already made it up the mountain path, Wang Dejun hurriedly ordered, "Light the fire!"

At a single command, a raging fire instantly erupted at the foot of Dongliu Mountain. The flames, like a ferocious dragon, devoured everything around them and rapidly burned up the mountain along the mountain path.

The firelight illuminated Wang Dejun's face, as if etching sinister lines into it.

Standing beside Wang Dejun, Luo Heng felt a surge of unease and asked in a low voice, "Brother, Dongliushan is our foundation. It's burned down like this. What should we do next?"

Wang Dejun snorted and said with a smirk, "It doesn't matter if Dongliushan is burned down. From now on, the brothers of Heilongzhai will no longer be bandits, but the government troops of Pengyang County!"

Luo Heng was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized something and asked in surprise, "Brother, do you mean... Pengyang County has fallen to our Black Dragon Village?"

His eyes gleamed with disbelief, and a surge of ecstasy welled up within him.

"That's exactly right!"

Wang Dejun nodded slightly, a confident smile playing on his lips. He turned around and commanded, "Brothers, prepare to enter Pengyang County! Let us become the new overlords of Pengyang County with our new identities!"

The fire grew larger and larger, like a series of menacing mouths, greedily devouring everything around it.

Standing atop the mountain, Chen Zhennan gazed at the towering flames and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

These government troops will not suffer many casualties. Although the mountain road on Dongliu Mountain is not wide, it is not difficult to avoid the fire. However, these people will have to wait on the mountain for the fire to pass.

"Come on, burn these corpses, then everyone retreat!"

At Chen Zhennan's command, people hurriedly grabbed dry firewood and threw it next to the corpse on the ground, setting it ablaze.

With so many corpses, finding Qian Zihao among them is simply wishful thinking. As long as the news of Qian Zihao's burning to death reaches Qian Kun's ears, whether he believes it or not, he will send troops.

After descending the mountain, Chen Zhennan led Yan Shiyu straight to Pengyang County.

The garrison in the county town had been replaced by the troops of Black Dragon Village, and the flags flying over the city gates were no longer those of the government troops, but rather the Black Dragon Flag of Black Dragon Village.

Wang Dejun had firmly taken control of the entire county. The streets were filled with men wielding knives and guns, their roars deafening and chilling.

The two exchanged a glance and both gave a wry smile, having already anticipated this outcome.

The two arrived at the county government office. At Chen Zhennan's suggestion, Wang Dejun became the trusted magistrate of Pengyang County, while Chen Zhennan took charge of the overall situation as his advisor.

However, Wang Dejun was somewhat disdainful of the county magistrate's status. He currently had 3,500 men under his command, while a county magistrate did not have that many troops.

Chen Zhennan advised Wang Dejun not to be so impatient. Being a county magistrate was not the final outcome. As long as Chen Zhennan conquered Ningzhou, even if Wang Dejun couldn't become the Prince of Ning, he could at least become a prefect.

Wang Dejun was filled with longing for the grand blueprint drawn up by Chen Zhennan. All he had to do now was wait for Chen Zhennan to attack Ningzhou.

What Wang Dejun didn't know was that Chen Zhennan, the Great Martial God of War, was right beside him, acting as his advisor, and that his words were just empty promises.

The fire on Dongliu Mountain was finally extinguished the following night, and more than 800 of the 5,000 troops brought by Qian Zihao were killed or wounded.

No one was burned to death in the fire; only about a hundred people were injured.

After the fire was extinguished, the vanguard led the army down the mountain in a hurry. As for Qian Zihao, everyone thought he had been burned to death.

After descending the mountain, the vanguard led the army back to Pengyang County, but upon seeing the bandits guarding the city, they immediately changed direction and headed towards the nearest county.

Two days later, in the garden of Prince Ning's mansion, Qiankun looked at the report, filled with grief and indignation.

"Wang Dejun! A mere bandit dared to kill my son, Qiankun! Zijing, immediately mobilize 30,000 troops to Pengyang County to avenge Zihao!"

Qian Zijing, standing to the side, was also filled with grief and indignation, but he was much calmer than Qiankun.

"Father, if I take 30,000 troops with me, I'm afraid you won't be able to withstand Chen Zhennan's attack."

Qian Kun frowned slightly and said coldly, "What are you afraid of? Ningzhou is easy to defend and difficult to attack. We'll just wait for you to come back!"