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

Five years have passed, and Yang Hongbo is now ten years old. He has completed his first mission in this world: to take revenge on everyone in the Prince's Mansion who treated him badly.

Most of the people in the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion have been sent to meet the King of Hell by Yang Hongbo's men. These are the people who bullied him back then. The Prince of Zhenbei has also gone mad from the shock.

Since all of Zhenbei King's children "disappeared" and Zhenbei King went mad, Yang Hongbo naturally became Zhenbei King's heir, and he could officially take over the title of Zhenbei King once he came of age.

Now that Yang Hongbo has become the heir of the Prince of Zhenbei, he naturally has to move back to the Prince's Mansion and bring Wu Mei back with him.

Yang Hongbo had already recognized Wu Mei as his godmother. After returning to the Prince's Mansion, Wu Mei became the old lady of the mansion.

"Godmother, I'm entrusting this palace to you from now on. I'm often away on business and don't have time to manage it."

Wu Mei held Yang Hongbo's hand and chuckled, "Hongbo, don't worry, your godmother will definitely help you manage this household."

Wu Mei thought of her eight-year-old niece and wondered if she could invite her over. Her niece was quite pretty and would definitely grow up to be a great beauty.

Over the past five years, Yang Hongbo's system has also been upgraded, allowing him to earn more than 170,000 points every day. According to the initial plan, one-third of the points were used to exchange for characters, one-third for resources, and one-third were kept as reserves.

Yang Hongbo now commands a direct force of 500,000 men, with an additional 100,000 who have come to join him out of admiration.

Yang Hongbo settled these 600,000-plus people in the mountains and forests surrounding the capital. Apart from his own people, no one else knew that he had so many subordinates.

His ultimate goal in this world is to become emperor before he turns twenty, which shouldn't be too difficult, right?

He's only just starting out now. Although years of martial arts training have made him as tall as an adult man, standing at 1.7 meters, it doesn't change the fact that he's still a child.

Yang Hongbo's army was divided into 10,000-strong units, training in the mountains, all in the hope of one day bringing glory to their master.

The army was not short of supplies. Yang Hongbo organized 100,000 men into a legion and established six supply depots, replenishing large quantities of food and supplies at these depots every month.

On this day, Yang Hongbo sat in his study in the Prince's mansion, with his trusted strategist Lin Yu standing before him. Lin Yu was a tall, thin man with sharp eyes and exceptional intelligence; he was a capable assistant that Yang Hongbo had obtained through a system exchange.

"Lin Yu, the imperial court now trusts my Zhenbei Prince's Mansion quite a bit, which is the perfect opportunity for us to lay out our plans for the world." Yang Hongbo tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his eyes flashing with ambition.

Lin Yu smiled slightly and bowed, saying, "What the young master says is absolutely right. The court is currently rife with internal conflicts, and the regional princes each have their own agendas. We can take this opportunity to expand our power and lay the foundation for unifying the world in the future."

Yang Hongbo nodded and continued, "The 500,000 troops under my command were all redeemed from the system, and their loyalty is 100%. This is our biggest advantage."

"However, those more than 100,000 people who have sought refuge, although not a large number, cannot be ignored. Do you have any suggestions?"

Lin Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Your Highness, we can adopt a strategy of divide and conquer for those who have defected. We can disperse them into various legions and appoint our own people as generals at each level. This way, we can both control them and make them fight effectively."

"At the same time, we can also exchange for some high-ranking generals through the system to strengthen the army's command system."

Yang Hongbo nodded in satisfaction: "That's a good idea. In addition, we need to strengthen our ties with the imperial court and strive for more trust and support. In this way, we will have more opportunities and resources to expand our influence."

Lin Yu agreed, saying, "Your Highness is wise. We can take advantage of the court's trust to request more military pay and supplies. At the same time, under the pretext of suppressing bandits and quelling rebellions, we can send our troops to various places and gradually control more territory."

Yang Hongbo stood up, walked to the window, looked at the distant sky, and after a moment of contemplation, said, "Alright, let's do it your way. Lin Yu, you immediately begin the arrangements, starting with those who have defected, dispersing them into various legions."

"At the same time, you select some highly loyal generals to take command of these legions."

Lin Yu bowed and accepted the order: "Yes, Your Highness. I will make the arrangements immediately."

A few days later, Lin Yu had completed the task of distributing the defectors into various legions. Yang Hongbo personally went to each legion to inspect the situation and ensure that everything was under his control.

In a mountain forest where a legion was stationed, Yang Hongbo looked at the soldiers standing in neat rows, his heart filled with pride. These soldiers were all redeemed from the system, and each one was extremely loyal to him and possessed formidable combat power.

"Your Highness, this legion is ready and can set out at any time," the legion commander Zhao Hu reported. Zhao Hu was also a general obtained from the system, with 100% loyalty, and he obeyed Yang Hongbo's every word.

Yang Hongbo nodded and said with satisfaction, "Zhao Hu, you've done a great job. This legion is now in your hands. I want you to lead them to achieve great things for my Zhenbei Prince's Mansion."

Zhao Hu knelt on one knee and said loudly, "Yes, Your Highness! Zhao Hu will certainly live up to Your Highness's expectations!"

Yang Hongbo then inspected several other legions to ensure everything was proceeding smoothly before returning to the palace.

Upon returning to the Prince's residence, Yang Hongbo immediately summoned Lin Yu to discuss the next steps in the plan.

"Lin Yu, now that all the legions are ready, what should we do next?" Yang Hongbo asked.

After pondering for a moment, Lin Yu said, "Your Highness, we can first send our troops to various places under the pretext of suppressing bandits. This will not only train the troops' combat effectiveness but also expand our influence."

"At the same time, we can also use this opportunity to establish connections with powerful figures in various regions, laying the foundation for future expansion."

Yang Hongbo's eyes lit up, and he agreed, "That's a good idea. Lin Yu, you should immediately draft a memorial to the court requesting permission to suppress the bandits. At the same time, you should select a few capable generals and prepare to lead the army on the expedition."

Lin Yu bowed and accepted the order: "Yes, Your Highness. I will make the arrangements immediately."

A few days later, the imperial court approved Yang Hongbo's memorial, agreeing to let him lead the army to suppress the bandits. Yang Hongbo immediately ordered all the army corps to prepare for the expedition, and at the same time personally selected several capable generals to lead them to various places to suppress the bandits.

On the eve of the expedition, Yang Hongbo summoned all the generals and soldiers and delivered a passionate speech: "Soldiers! The imperial court has now entrusted us with the important task of suppressing the bandits."

"This is a golden opportunity for our Zhenbei Prince's Mansion to make a name for itself! I want you to lead the army, fight bravely against the enemy, bring glory to our Zhenbei Prince's Mansion, and achieve merit for the imperial court!"

The soldiers shouted in unison, "Bring glory to the Prince of Zhenbei's Mansion! Serve the imperial court!"

Yang Hongbo nodded in satisfaction and waved, "Let's go!"

At Yang Hongbo's command, the various legions set off to suppress bandits in various locations. Yang Hongbo remained in the palace, using the system to monitor the battle situation of each legion and providing guidance and support as needed.

Months later, reports of victories came from various legions. They not only successfully wiped out several bandit groups, but also expanded the influence of the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion.

Many powerful figures from various regions came to Yang Hongbo to pledge their allegiance and express their willingness to serve him.

Yang Hongbo looked at the reports of successes, his heart filled with joy. He knew that his strategy was beginning to take effect.

He took advantage of the court's trust to send troops to various places to suppress bandits, which not only strengthened the army's combat effectiveness but also expanded his own influence.

At the same time, he also used the system to exchange for some high-ranking generals and soldiers, further strengthening the army's power.

"Lin Yu, you did a great job," Yang Hongbo said to Lin Yu, who was standing to the side. "Now that our power has gradually grown, we need to consider how to expand further."

Lin Yu smiled slightly and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, I think we can start with those powerful families who have pledged allegiance to us. They control certain resources and territories, and we can use them to expand our influence."

"At the same time, we can continue to request more military funds and supplies from the imperial court to prepare for future expansion."

Yang Hongbo nodded in agreement, saying, "That's a good idea. Lin Yu, you should immediately start making arrangements to establish closer ties with those powerful figures who have come to our aid."

"At the same time, prepare a memorial to the court requesting more military pay and supplies."

Lin Yu bowed and accepted the order: "Yes, Your Highness. I will make the arrangements immediately."

Thus, Yang Hongbo, leveraging the court's trust, began his plan to seize control of the entire realm. Most of his troops were acquired through the system, and their loyalty to him was absolute.

Although there were outsiders who came to join him, they were only a minority. Through strategies of division, bandit suppression, and connections with powerful clans, he gradually expanded his sphere of influence, laying a solid foundation for his future unification of the country.