You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 120 The Emperor's Secret Edict
Xi'an Prefecture, the prefectural government office.

Fang Xuanling sat in the main hall, his face full of worry.

This time, the crackdown on corruption in the four northern prefectures resulted in the removal of so many officials that some areas in the four northern prefectures suddenly experienced a period of inactivity.

This was because Fang Xuanling held back, avoiding a large-scale repercussions, and only taking down some officials who had no other choice.

Fang Xuanling basically didn't touch any small fry or unimportant people who were capable but not seriously guilty.

Otherwise, there would be even more gaps in the northern four states.

As a result, there are not enough reserve officials to fill the vacancies left by the officials who were removed from their posts in this area.

"If all else fails, we will have no choice but to petition the Emperor."

Fang Xuanling frowned, thinking to himself.

Fang Xuanling knew that if these gaps in these areas were not filled in time, things would be alright in the short term, but problems would definitely arise in the long run.

This is also detrimental to the stability that has just been restored.

Without officials, how can local areas be governed, public morale stabilized, and disaster relief provided?

Therefore, it is imperative to fill the positions of these removed officials as soon as possible.

Otherwise, there will really be problems.

Just as Fang Xuanling was looking worried about these matters, a sharp, whispering voice came from outside into the main hall of the government office.

"Lord Fang, it's a secret decree from the Emperor."

As the voice came, Cao Shaoqin walked in with a feminine expression.

The faint scent of blood emanating from Cao Shaoqin was detectable even from afar by Fang Xuanling, who was sitting in the main hall of the government office.

A secret imperial edict?

Fang Xuanling was taken aback.

The Yellow Heaven Sect rebels have been wiped out, and the rebellion in the four northern states has been quelled.

What else might the Emperor issue secret decrees for?
Fang Xuanling raised an eyebrow and looked at Cao Shaoqin.

Cao Shaoqin did not hesitate and directly handed the secret edict to Fang Xuanling; "Lord Fang, take a look!"

After handing the secret edict to Fang Xuanling, Cao Shaoqin sat down in the seat next to him.

Fang Xuanling took the secret edict from Cao Shaoqin, glanced at it, and his expression immediately turned serious.

"I will immediately send someone to summon General Lü back at top speed."

The contents of the secret edict forced Fang Xuanling to adopt a serious expression.

To be honest, Fang Xuanling did not expect that Zhou Chen would target the 'Boling Cui Family', one of the seven great families, at this time.

This is somewhat risky.

After all, Fang Xuanling had just been ordered to take action against the powerful and wealthy families in the four northern prefectures, which had already aroused the vigilance and attention of other powerful families.

If Lü Bu were to wipe out the 'Boling Cui Family,' one of the seven great families, then the other powerful families of the Great Zhou would definitely feel threatened.

If other powerful and wealthy families secretly unite to launch a counterattack, it could become very troublesome.

However, now that the imperial edict has been issued, Fang Xuanling has no choice but to obey.

He devoted himself to devising strategies for the annihilation of the Cui family of Boling, one of the seven great families of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

This is also why Zhou Chen gave Fang Xuanling a secret decree.

Fang Xuanling's strategy, as demonstrated by Du Fu's, proved invaluable at this moment.

After sitting down, Cao Shaoqin shook his head upon hearing Fang Xuanling's words and said, "No need. When I received the secret order to return to Xi'an Prefecture, I already sent someone to inform General Lü."

"I believe General Lü should be arriving soon."

Cao Shaoqin, along with the Imperial Guards, was still in Youzhou investigating and arresting some officials and powerful families.

But upon receiving a secret imperial edict, Cao Shaoqin dropped everything and rushed to Xi'an Prefecture without stopping.

Furthermore, Cao Shaoqin also sent someone to inform Lü Bu, who was also leading the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry to clean up the powerful and wealthy families.

If Lü Bu receives the message, he should be arriving soon.

Sure enough, as soon as Cao Shaoqin finished speaking, Lü Bu walked into the main hall of the government office looking travel-worn.

"I heard that a secret edict has been sent by the Emperor. What is the edict?"

As soon as Lü Bu walked in, he glanced at Fang Xuanling and Cao Shaoqin and asked.

Cao Shaoqin glanced at Lü Bu, and without saying a word, took out another secret edict and handed it directly to Lü Bu; "This is a secret edict from the Emperor to General Lü."

"General Lü, please take a look first!"

Cao Shaoqin handed the secret decree to Lü Bu and said in a sinister tone.

Fang Xuanling and Lü Bu each received a secret edict, the contents of which were the same, but their duties were different.

Similarly, Cao Shaoqin, as the second supervisor of the Eastern Depot, also had a secret decree from above.

Lu Bu took the secret edict from Cao Shaoqin, glanced at it, and then looked directly at Fang Xuanling, who was sitting in the main seat in the hall.

"Lord Fang, His Majesty has ordered me to wipe out the Cui family of Boling this time. I would like to hear your opinion."

"To avoid any unexpected events that could cause unnecessary turmoil."

"What does Mr. Fang think?"

"If you have any good suggestions, Lord Fang, please just say them, and I, Lü Bu, will certainly follow them."

The secret edict contained little information, but Lü Bu had already grasped its profound meaning.

That is to let Fang Xuanling be in charge of devising strategies for the annihilation of the "Boling Cui Family", while Lü Bu only needs to carry out the actions.

Therefore, Lü Bu looked at Fang Xuanling, who was sitting in the main seat, and said with a serious expression.

"Our Eastern Depot will also assist. If you have any good plans, please speak up. Our Eastern Depot will fully cooperate."

Cao Shaoqin also looked at Fang Xuanling, who was sitting in the main seat, just like Lü Bu.

It can be said that Fang Xuanling, the strategist, played a crucial role in this operation against the Cui family of Boling, one of the seven great families of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Lü Bu and Cao Shaoqin should be the first two to be considered.

Faced with the gazes of Lü Bu and Cao Shaoqin, Fang Xuanling's expression also became serious.

The secret order Fang Xuanling received also instructed him to devise strategies for Lü Bu, assisting him in wiping out the "Cui family of Boling" and preventing any unrest.

Fang Xuanling glanced at Lü Bu and Cao Shaoqin; "The most important thing about this matter is to keep it a secret. We can't let the Cui family get any word of it beforehand."

"Then, when you take action, you must simultaneously eliminate the Cui family's most important forces and influence."

"We can't give the Cui family any chance to react; the specific details still need to be discussed carefully."

Fang Xuanling said with a solemn expression.

The Cui family of Boling is one of the seven great families of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and its influence is extraordinary.

If the Cui family of Boling gets wind of this in advance and makes preparations, it won't be so easy to wipe them out.

The turmoil caused by powerful and wealthy families is far more serious than that caused by people like the Yellow Heaven Cult.

Especially for a powerful family like the Cui family of Boling, one of the seven great families of the Great Zhou Dynasty, if they were to become turbulent, it would cause considerable trouble for the Great Zhou court.

After listening to Fang Xuanling's words, Lü Bu nodded; "Then let's discuss the details immediately. The sooner the better."

"Once the agreement is reached, we will immediately take action to wipe out the Cui family of Boling."

"To prevent any more trouble at night."

Cao Shaoqin nodded without objection. Then, the three of them began to discuss it.

……

Half a day later.

Fang Xuanling, Lü Bu, and Cao Shaoqin finished discussing the matter of annihilating the 'Boling Cui Family,' one of the seven great families of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

After discussing the matter, Lü Bu glanced at Fang Xuanling and said, "Lord Fang, these past few days some remnants of powerful and influential families have been stirring up trouble."

"If we leave, will there be any problems here?"

Lu Bu looked at Fang Xuanling with some concern and said.

Despite Fang Xuanling and his team's efforts in reforming the administration of the four northern prefectures, removing many officials, and purging a large number of powerful and influential families, they still achieved remarkable results.

However, the consequences of doing so are only now beginning to emerge.

A prestigious family is a prestigious family after all. If they could be so easily wiped out without any aftereffects, they wouldn't be a prestigious family.

Therefore, in the past few days, Fang Xuanling has been assassinated no less than seven or eight times, and even Cao Shaoqin was no exception, having been assassinated three times.

Only Lü Bu escaped assassination.

This was all done by the remnants of powerful and wealthy families.

Although Lü Bu and Cao Shaoqin were thorough in their crackdown on those powerful and influential families, it was still difficult to prevent some from slipping through the net.

These escaped criminals are now emerging to retaliate.

Lu Bu was worried that Fang Xuanling would not be able to handle the situation alone after he and Cao Shaoqin left.

Upon hearing Lü Bu's words, Fang Xuanling smiled dismissively; "Don't worry! The officials and powerful families in Yongzhou and Youzhou have been mostly dealt with, so there won't be any problems."

"As for those petty scoundrels who can only hide in the shadows, they can't cause any big trouble."

“I, the imperial envoy, am not some weak scholar who can't even kill a chicken.”

Fang Xuanling said with a smile.

indeed.

Despite being a civil official, Fang Xuanling possessed considerable strength after signing out of this world.

While not as powerful as Lü Bu or Cao Shaoqin, he was more than capable of dealing with ordinary petty villains.

"In that case, I won't say much."

"I'm going to reorganize the troops first. I'll leave Wei Xu behind to assist Lord Fang."

After Lu Bu finished speaking, he stood up and left the main hall of the government office.

In this campaign to annihilate the 'Boling Cui Family,' one of the seven great families of the Great Zhou, Lü Bu will take away most of the Southern Camp Divine Martial Guard's army to quell the rebellion, leaving only a small force to help Fang Xuanling deter the two provinces of Yongzhou and Youzhou.

After all, the Cui family of Boling is one of the seven great families of the Great Zhou Dynasty, with numerous clans and considerable strength.

If you bring too few troops, it won't be easy to wipe out the Cui family in one fell swoop.

Therefore, since Lü Bu was taking away most of the troops from the Southern Camp Shenwu Guard's pacification army, he could leave Fang Xuanling with only a few troops.

However, Lü Bu would leave Wei Xu behind to assist Fang Xuanling.

Speaking of Wei Xu, after leaving the Hall of Mental Cultivation that day, he went directly to the four northern provinces to serve under Lü Bu.

In the past few days, he has led the Divine Martial Guard to wipe out many powerful families in Yongzhou, and can be considered a person who can stand alone.

When Lü Bu led a large army to wipe out the Cui family of Boling, Wei Xu could not play a significant role, so Lü Bu kept him around to assist Fang Xuanling.

After Lü Bu left, Cao Shaoqin stood up and said to Fang Xuanling, "Lord Fang, I will be leaving now. I will leave some of the Imperial Guards behind."

"If there's anything that Master Fang finds inconvenient to do, you can let them do it."

After saying that, Cao Shaoqin also left the main hall of the government office.

In addition to summoning the Eastern Depot and its guards and arranging their next actions, Cao Shaoqin also had to immediately send a message back to Cao Zhengchun, the Grand Supervisor of the Eastern Depot, in Luoyang.

It should be noted that Cao Zhengchun was also waiting for Lü Bu to make his move.

After Lü Bu and Cao Shaoqin left, Fang Xuanling went through the details of their discussion in his mind again.

After feeling that nothing had been overlooked, Fang Xuanling turned his attention back to the predicament he was currently facing.

"Sigh, I'd better submit a memorial to the Emperor!"

"The vacancy in these four northern states must be filled as soon as possible."

Fang Xuanling thought to himself, then immediately picked up his pen and wrote a memorial, which he then handed to a messenger to be sent to Luoyang, the capital.

……

"General Lü, urgent message."

Daizhou, Shangyang Prefecture.

Outside the city, a messenger from the Divine Martial Guard rode a fast horse into the military camp.

Inside the military camp tent.

The messenger from the Divine Martial Guard addressed a young general seated in the commander's position, saying, "General Zhang, this is an urgent message from General Lü to you."

As he spoke, the guard knelt on one knee and held up a letter in his hand.

General Lü's urgent message?

Could something have happened in Yongzhou and Youzhou?
Zhang Liao raised an eyebrow.

Indeed, the young general sitting in the commander's seat is none other than Zhang Liao, who is temporarily in charge of the Northern Camp Shenwu Guard's army for suppressing the rebellion.

Zhang Liao immediately stood up, walked to the Shenwu Guard messenger, took the letter the messenger was holding up, opened it, and began to read.

After Zhang Liao finished reading the contents of the letter, a glint of light immediately flashed in his eyes.

Then, Zhang Liao shouted directly outside, "Someone come here!"

"Beat the drums to gather the generals."

"Assemble a large army."

After shouting outside, Zhang Liao looked at the messenger from the Divine Martial Guard who was kneeling on one knee and said, "Go back and tell General Lü that I know."

"We will act in accordance with what is stated in the letter."

Zhang Liao originally thought that Lü Bu's urgent message meant that something had happened in Yongzhou and Youzhou and that he needed to send troops to support them!
Unexpectedly, while it was true that Zhang Liao sent troops to provide support, it was not because something had happened in Yongzhou and Youzhou.

Instead, it was because Lü Bu was leaving with the Northern Camp Divine Martial Guard's army to quell the rebellion, and Zhang Liao needed to send a portion of his army to assist Fang Xuanling in his mission across the two provinces.

Just when Zhang Liao was feeling quite idle, Lü Bu's urgent message arrived at the perfect time, allowing Zhang Liao to lead troops to suppress the bandits.

"Yes, General Zhang."

The messenger from the Divine Martial Guard responded and withdrew from the military tent.

After the messenger from the Divine Martial Guard left, Zhang Liao paced back and forth in deep thought.

The reason why Zhang Liao's Southern Camp Shenwu Guard army was still stationed in Shangyang Prefecture, Daizhou, was to deter Daizhou and Yanzhou and to ensure that the two places, which had just experienced a rebellion, would be completely stabilized.

Now, after these days, Yanzhou and Daizhou have settled down and are back on track.

It's unnecessary for the Southern Camp Shenwu Guard's pacification army to leave so many troops in Shangyang Prefecture. It would be more appropriate to transfer some of them to Yongzhou and Youzhou.

Furthermore, besides this matter, there was another, more important, thing mentioned in Lü Bu's letter.

That is because Lü Bu ordered Zhang Liao to lead troops to wipe out several branches of the Cui family in Boling, which is why Zhang Liao is now deep in thought.

The annihilation of several branches of the Cui family in Boling needs to be carefully planned to avoid any mishaps.

(End of this chapter)