I only reached the Foundation Establishment stage at eighty years old, and then the system appeared.

Finally, one day, the Prince of Zhenbei could no longer bear the pressure. He decided to personally lead his troops to the mountain stronghold to fight Yang Hongbo to the death.

Upon learning this, the Sixth Prince also felt that this was a good opportunity to get rid of Yang Hongbo completely, so he led his men there.

When the army of the Prince of Zhenbei and the Sixth Prince arrived in front of the mountain stronghold, Yang Hongbo had already led his men to prepare for battle.

The Prince of Zhenbei looked at Yang Hongbo, his eyes filled with complex emotions: "You unfilial son, if you are willing to stop today, I may spare your life."

Yang Hongbo sneered: "Prince Zhenbei, do you think I'd believe your nonsense? Today, it's either you or me who dies."

The Sixth Prince said impatiently from the side, "Prince Zhenbei, why waste your breath on him? With his small force, what trouble can he cause? Our 300,000 troops can easily crush this mountain stronghold."

The Prince of Zhenbei nodded slightly: "The Sixth Prince is absolutely right. You unfilial son, you brought this upon yourself, so don't blame me for being ruthless."

After that, the two sides engaged in a fierce battle. Yang Hongbo only deployed 30,000 men to confront them, and these 30,000 men were all highly skilled in martial arts. For a time, they were evenly matched with the army of the Prince of Zhenbei and the Sixth Prince.

Looking at the battle, the Prince of Zhenbei laughed triumphantly: "You unfilial son, do you think this small force can stop us? Today is your death day."

The Sixth Prince also mocked, "Yang Hongbo, you're nothing but a clown, yet you dare to try and fight against us. You're simply overestimating yourself."

Yang Hongbo remained completely calm. He looked at the Prince of Zhenbei and the Sixth Prince and said loudly, "Do you think you've already won? Why don't you take a look behind you?"

The Prince of Zhenbei and the Sixth Prince were startled and quickly turned around. They saw that, without them noticing, an army of 70,000 had suddenly appeared from behind, completely surrounding them. These men were all at least commanders of ten thousand, possessing formidable strength.

The Prince of Zhenbei stared wide-eyed, saying incredulously, "This...how is this possible? Where did you get so many men?"

The sixth prince also cried out in panic, "Oh no, we've fallen into a trap! Quick, organize the troops to counterattack!"

However, it was too late. Yang Hongbo's 70,000 troops charged into the enemy ranks like tigers descending a mountain, catching the Prince of Zhenbei and the Sixth Prince's forces completely off guard. In an instant, shouts of battle and screams of agony echoed through the sky.

As the Prince of Zhenbei watched his soldiers fall one by one, his heart was filled with anger and despair: "You unfilial son, how dare you scheme against me like this!"

Yang Hongbo said coldly, "Prince Zhenbei, you brought all this upon yourself. What you did to my mother and me back then, I will make you pay double today."

The Sixth Prince knew he was in dire straits, but he still shouted defiantly, "Yang Hongbo, don't be so smug. Even if we die in battle today, we won't let you get away with it."

Yang Hongbo said disdainfully, "Sixth Prince, you should worry about yourself first. Today, none of you will escape."

The battle grew increasingly fierce, and the forces of the Prince of Zhenbei and the Sixth Prince dwindled. Although they fought valiantly, they appeared so insignificant before Yang Hongbo's powerful army.

As the number of soldiers around him dwindled, the Prince of Zhenbei was filled with fear. He said to the Sixth Prince, "Sixth Prince, we can't go on like this. We must find a way to break through."

The Sixth Prince gritted his teeth and said, "Prince Zhenbei, it's all your fault. If you hadn't been so indecisive and dealt with Yang Hongbo sooner, we wouldn't be in this situation today."

The Prince of Zhenbei was also angry, but this was not the time to argue. He said, "What's the use of saying all this now? Let's break out of the encirclement first, and settle accounts with Yang Hongbo later."

So, the Prince of Zhenbei and the Sixth Prince led the remaining guards in a desperate attempt to break through in one direction. Yang Hongbo discovered their intention and immediately ordered an interception.

But the Prince of Zhenbei and the Sixth Prince were seasoned veterans; they fought with all their might and finally carved a bloody path through the enemy lines. However, they also paid a heavy price, their forces dwindling in number.

Under the desperate protection of their guards, the Prince of Zhenbei and the Sixth Prince finally escaped Yang Hongbo's encirclement. But when they looked back, they realized that fewer than ten thousand people had returned alive.

Looking at the scene of this crushing defeat, the Sixth Prince was filled with resentment: "Yang Hongbo, if I don't avenge this, I swear I will not be a man."

The Prince of Zhenbei gritted his teeth and said, "You unfilial son, I will never let you go. One day, I will make you pay the price."

However, they all knew that after this battle, they were severely weakened, and it would not be an easy task to deal with Yang Hongbo again.

Yang Hongbo stood atop the mountain stronghold, watching the departing figures of the Prince of Zhenbei and the Sixth Prince, his heart filled with the joy of victory. He knew that his path to revenge had taken another significant step forward.

The sixth prince returned to the capital in a sorry state, his resentment towards Yang Hongbo growing even stronger.

Ignoring his exhaustion, he rushed into the palace, knelt before the emperor, and cried out in tears, "Father, Yang Hongbo led a rebellion! Your son and the Prince of Zhenbei went to suppress it, but he was prepared and laid an ambush, annihilating almost all of my 300,000 troops! Father, you must do justice for me!"

Upon hearing this, the emperor frowned, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes: "Sixth Brother, is this true? Yang Hongbo is just a lowly bandit leader, how could he have such great abilities?"

The sixth prince hurriedly said, "Father, everything I said is true. Yang Hongbo has recruited many highly skilled martial artists from who knows where, and he also has ingenious schemes. I was caught off guard and fell into his trap."

The emperor pondered for a moment and said, "This matter is of utmost importance. I need to send someone to investigate it thoroughly before making a decision."

Soon, the emperor dispatched the imperial guards to investigate. Upon receiving the order, the imperial guards swiftly set off for Yang Hongbo's location.

After a thorough investigation, they discovered that Yang Hongbo was actually a five or six-year-old child, and also the illegitimate son of the Prince of Zhennan.

Although he was accompanied by many martial artists, those martial artists were only used to suppress bandits and maintain peace in the area, and never harassed the poor and common people.

The imperial guards returned to the capital and reported their findings to the emperor: "Your Majesty, Yang Hongbo is still young and is not the rebel the Sixth Prince claimed."

"The warriors he led were all there to quell bandits and protect the people, and wherever they went, the people praised them highly."

The emperor understood immediately. He looked at the sixth prince and said coldly, "Sixth Prince, do you know your crime?"

The sixth prince was startled and quickly said, "Father, I... I was just blinded by anger at Yang Hongbo, which is why I slandered him like this. Please forgive me, Father."

The emperor snorted coldly: "Hmph, as a prince, instead of thinking about how to share my burdens and seek the well-being of the people, you slandered others for your own selfish reasons, causing the near annihilation of an army of 300,000. Do you know how much loss this has brought to the court?"

The sixth prince trembled with fear and immediately kowtowed, begging for mercy: "Father, I know I was wrong. I am willing to accept any punishment. Please have mercy, Father."

The emperor pondered for a moment and said, "Considering this is your first offense, and that the Prince of Zhenbei also bears responsibility for the decision-making error, I will spare your life for now. However, while you may be spared the death penalty, you cannot escape punishment. Starting today, you shall remain secluded at home for three months to reflect on your mistakes, and without my decree, you shall not step out of your residence even half a step."

The sixth prince, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, quickly said, "Your subject accepts the decree and thanks Your Majesty for sparing my life."

After the Sixth Prince withdrew, the Emperor said to the ministers beside him, "Although Yang Hongbo is still young, he has such ability that he almost annihilated the Sixth Prince's army of 300,000 with only 100,000 men. He is not to be underestimated."

The minister said, "Your Majesty is absolutely right. Yang Hongbo is surrounded by highly skilled martial artists, and he is also very intelligent. If we want to deal with him, it would be difficult to destroy him without a million-strong army."

The emperor nodded slightly: "That's right. Although I am muddle-headed, I understand the implications of this."

"If I were to send a million-strong army to annihilate Yang Hongbo, and we were to perish together with his army, wouldn't my empire be in grave danger? I would never do such a losing proposition."

The minister said, "Your Majesty is wise. At this juncture, it would be better to observe Yang Hongbo's movements first. If he is law-abiding and only wants to eliminate bandits and protect the people, then Your Majesty can show leniency. If he truly intends to rebel, then it is not too late to send a large army to suppress him."

The Emperor said, "What you say makes sense. We will do as you suggest. First, send someone to secretly observe Yang Hongbo's every move. If anything happens, report to me immediately."

At this time, Yang Hongbo was unaware of what was happening in the capital. He was busy reassuring the people in the mountain stronghold and arranging plans to eliminate the bandits.

A martial artist walked up to Yang Hongbo and said, "Young Master, although we have now defeated the armies of the Prince of Zhenbei and the Sixth Prince, I'm afraid they won't let this go. We need to make preparations as soon as possible."

Yang Hongbo smiled slightly and said, "It's alright. They have suffered heavy losses in this battle and will certainly not dare to invade again for a while."

"We just need to continue to strengthen our power and do more good deeds to win the support of the people. Then, even if they dare to come again, we will not be afraid."

The warrior nodded and said, "Young master is wise. However, we are currently facing a shortage of food and supplies. Does the young master have a solution?"

Yang Hongbo pondered for a moment and said, "That's not a problem."

Yang Hongbo obtained another batch of grain and supplies from the system's online store.

During the suppression of the bandits, Yang Hongbo also ordered that the recovered wealth and provisions be distributed to the local people. The people were extremely grateful to Yang Hongbo and praised him as a great hero.

As time went on, Yang Hongbo's reputation grew, and more and more people came to join his team. His strength also increased, making him an undeniable force in the local area.

Meanwhile, in the capital, the people the emperor had sent to secretly observe Yang Hongbo reported his every move to the emperor truthfully. After hearing about Yang Hongbo's deeds in suppressing bandits and protecting the people, the emperor felt a great weight lifted from his heart.

The emperor said to his ministers, "It seems that Yang Hongbo is not a person with ulterior motives. Everything he has done is for the benefit of the people. I think we can offer him amnesty and have him serve the court."

The minister said, "Your Majesty's words are very wise. Yang Hongbo is brave and resourceful, and he cares deeply for the people. If we can use him, he will surely make great contributions to the court."

The emperor nodded slightly: "In that case, let us issue an edict to recruit Yang Hongbo, appoint him as a general, and let him lead his troops to suppress the mountain bandits and protect the peace of the region for the court."

Soon, the imperial decree granting Yang Hongbo amnesty reached him. Looking at the decree, Yang Hongbo was filled with mixed emotions. He knew that although his path of revenge was not yet completely over, gaining the court's recognition and being able to do more for the people was a good thing.

Therefore, Yang Hongbo led everyone to kneel down and receive the imperial decree: "Your subject Yang Hongbo receives the decree and expresses his gratitude. Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

From then on, Yang Hongbo became a five- or six-year-old general in the imperial court, leading his troops to continue their efforts to suppress bandits and protect the people.