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Chapter 187 Do you think I would cooperate with you?
Northern Xinjiang.

Zhenbeihou Mansion.

Xue Shaowen stared at Fan Shaohe for a long time without saying a word.

The person behind Fan Shaohe was both unexpected and reasonable.

Xue Shaowen never expected that Fan Shao and these stray dogs from the Fan family who had fled beyond the Great Wall would not fall into poverty, but instead find a new master.

These powerful and influential families are indeed not to be underestimated.

"Fan Shaohe, let's put aside whether what you're saying is even possible."

"Even if what you say is possible, I am stationed in the northern frontier, commanding hundreds of thousands of Zhenbei Army soldiers. Do you think the imperial court would disregard the consequences and move against me?"

Xue Shaowen looked calmly at Fan Shaohe.

"Furthermore, you say you've come to save me, but what can you offer to save me?"

"Just because of the people behind you?"

A hint of sarcasm appeared on Xue Shaowen's face.

Do you really think Xue Shaowen, the Marquis of Zhenbei, is just a figurehead?
Fan Shaohe's words sounded nice; he claimed that he came to the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion to save him. But anyone who wasn't a fool could tell that his true purpose wasn't so simple.

That's right.

Xue Shaowen admitted that what Fan Shaohe said was mostly true. They had twice evaded the emperor's wishes, and the emperor in the palace would indeed not let them continue.

If nothing unexpected happens, the emperor's next targets will indeed be the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang.

However, Xue Shaowen, as the Marquis of Zhenbei, commanded hundreds of thousands of Zhenbei troops and was not so easily subdued.

Furthermore, Xue Shaowen had already secretly allied with the Marquis of Xiliang, so it wouldn't be so easy for the imperial court to take action against them.

Xue Shaowen wouldn't believe Fan Shaohe just because of one sentence.

What saved him, the Marquis of Zhenbei?

It's nothing more than the person behind it trying to take advantage of this excuse to achieve some other goal.

"Master Hou."

“I know that the Marquis is quite powerful, commanding hundreds of thousands of troops in the Zhenbei Army, and his word is law in the northern frontier.”

"But my lord, don't forget that the Zhenbei Army is, in the end, still the army of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Once the emperor issues an edict, how many soldiers in the Zhenbei Army do you think will follow you to fight against the court?"

"Furthermore, that person in the palace has eliminated even important court officials like General Wu Jin and the Prime Minister one by one. Does the Marquis think he can compare to the General and the Prime Minister?"

"You should know that the Southern Camp of the Divine Martial Guard, which the General commands, is in no way inferior to the Northern Army under the Marquis's command, but in the end, it was still wiped out by that person in the palace."

Fan Shaohe did not pay attention to Xue Shaowen's sarcastic expression.

He knew that empty words alone wouldn't do any good.

To reach an agreement with Xue Shaowen, the Marquis of Zhenbei, one must demonstrate the corresponding strength.

However, before that, it is necessary to make Xue Shaowen, the Marquis of Zhenbei, understand just how dangerous the situation he is facing is.

"My lord should understand that what I'm saying is true, and there's no need for us to beat around the bush."

"Unless the Marquis is willing to surrender or relinquish all power and be at the mercy of others."

"Otherwise, without external intervention, I don't think the Marquis can withstand the methods of that person in the palace."

Fan Shaohe spoke very directly, showing no respect for Xue Shaowen, the Marquis of Zhenbei.

The Marquis of Zhenbei's mansion is not weak, but it is still a bit of a pipe dream to think that it can go against the imperial court and the person in the palace.

It should be noted that even the long-established and powerful families like the Yuan family of Runan, the Zheng family of Rongyang, and the Fan family of Jiexiu could not withstand the methods of that person in the palace.

Not to mention the mere Zhenbei Marquis's residence.

Xue Shaowen's eyes flickered when he heard Fan Shaohe's words.

Although Xue Shaowen didn't want to admit that what Fan Shaohe said was true, he knew in his heart that it was true.

As the Marquis of Zhenbei, Xue Shaowen was no ordinary person. He had already seen through what Fan Shaohe was saying.

Especially since Fan Shaohe said that the Zhenbei Army was the army of the Great Zhou, Xue Shaowen knew this better than anyone else.

If an imperial decree were to be issued, it's uncertain how many members of the Zhenbei Army would risk the extermination of their entire clan to oppose the imperial court.

However, Xue Shaowen's face did not change in the slightest because of Fan Shaohe's words; it remained as calm as still water.

Xue Shaowen raised his eyes and glanced at Fan Shaohe indifferently; "I know better than you what you're saying, but I'm sure I have my own ways to save my life."

"Stop spouting nonsense like 'Save me, Marquis.'"

"Let's talk about your real purpose in coming to the Marquis's residence after entering the pass!"

Xue Shaowen didn't want to hear Fan Shaohe spout any more nonsense.

Fan Shaohe's attempt to appease the Marquis of Zhenbei with these meager methods is still somewhat lacking.

Fan Shaohe didn't say anything else and directly stated his purpose: "I came to see you, Lord Marquis, on behalf of the people behind me to cooperate with you."

Cooperation?

A glint of light flashed in Xue Shaowen's eyes.

Do you think I would cooperate with you?

Fan Shaohe had anticipated Xue Shaowen's attitude.

"My lord, there are no permanent enemies in the world, only permanent interests."

"Now, the Marquis is in a precarious situation; it would not be an exaggeration to say that he is on the verge of death."

"Only by cooperating with us and relying on external forces can the Marquis overcome the current crisis."

"A partnership would be mutually beneficial, and I think the Marquis would not refuse us."

Fan Shaohe said.

Xue Shaowen's face remained expressionless; "Tell me how you intend to cooperate. I want to hear what your backers are up to."

Fan Shaohe nodded and began to explain his true purpose for entering the pass.

……

Half an hour later.

Fan Shaohe left the Zhenbei Marquis's residence.

Xue Shaowen watched Fan Shaohe's departing figure, his eyes filled with uncertainty.

Fan Shaohe's so-called cooperation was not much of a surprise to Xue Shaowen.

Xue Shaowen knew that Fan Shaohe did this to avenge the deaths of those in the Fan family.

At the same time, Xue Shaowen also knew that cooperating with Fan Shaohe's backers was basically like asking a tiger for its skin.

The current situation makes it really difficult to make a decision.

Xue Shaowen sighed softly to himself.

"I hope the court won't push me too hard. If the court does push me too hard, then don't blame me."

Xue Shaowen thought to himself, his eyes gleaming.

……

Xiliang.

Xijing.

Inside the secret hideouts of the Eastern Depot.

Jia Xu sat in the main seat.

Standing below were Song Xian and Cheng Lian.

"Mr. Jia, what's the matter that you urgently summoned us?"

“The people from Xiliang have been keeping an eye on us, so we can’t stay out for too long.”

Song Xian and Cheng Lian looked at Jia Xu, who was in the main seat, and gave him a reminder.

Jia Xu nodded; "I know. I summoned you here to tell you that I will be leaving Xijing today for Zhenbei City."

"Before I leave, there are a few things I need to tell you two."

After Jia Xu finished speaking, he quietly began to instruct Song Xian and Cheng Lian.

After giving instructions to Song Xian and Cheng Lian, Jia Xu had them leave secretly.

Jia Xu is now aware of the situation in Xiliang and has made some arrangements.

Next, Jia Xu must quickly return to Zhenbei City and begin his plans for Zhenbei City.

Just moments after Song Xian and Cheng Lian left, a guard from the Imperial Guard entered.

"Mr. Jia, this is an urgent message that just came from my subordinates."

The imperial guard handed a slip of paper to Jia Xu.

Upon hearing this, Jia Xu immediately took the note from the guard. Currently, the Eastern Depot's personnel in Xijing are primarily monitoring the Marquis of Xiliang's residence.

Therefore, this urgent news must also concern the Marquis of Xiliang's residence.

Jia Xu opened the note and glanced at it.

The note contained little information, but it caused Jia Xu to frown slightly.

The remnants of the Zheng family who escaped from Xiliang and went to the Xiliang Marquis's mansion.
Indeed, the message on the note was that Zheng Wangzhi, a remnant of the Zheng family who had escaped beyond the pass, had entered the pass and even went to the Western Liang Marquis's residence.

Previously, Zheng Wangzhi, from the Rongyang Zheng family, led some of the family's younger members to escape from Xiliang to the area beyond the Great Wall.

Families like the Yuan and Zheng families, which are powerful and influential, secretly sent away their young scions in several batches.

Just like the Fan family of Jiexiu, Fan Shaohe led a part of his family members to escape from the northern frontier beyond the Great Wall, while another part of the Fan family members escaped from the western Liang region beyond the Great Wall.

The same was true for the Yuan and Zheng families. In addition to Yuan Ziming and Zheng Wangzhi leading some of their family members to escape from the Southern Frontier and Western Liang respectively, some members of both families also escaped from other places to the area outside the Great Wall.

This is the principle upheld by wealthy and powerful families: don't put all your eggs in one basket.

"What are the remnants of the Zheng family doing in the Marquis of Xiliang's residence?"

Jia Xu frowned as he thought.

Sudden.

A glint of light flashed in Jia Xu's eyes.

Jia Xu immediately picked up a pen and wrote a few words in the empty space on the paper, then handed the paper to the guard next to him; "Send this message back to Luoyang immediately."

"Yes, Mr. Jia."

The guard took the note and turned to leave.

"I hope it's not what I'm guessing, otherwise we must resolve the Xiliang army problem as soon as possible."

After the imperial guards left, Jia Xu muttered to himself, his eyes gleaming.

……

royal palace.

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Zhou Chen watched the departing figure of the Mountain King and sighed softly.

After listening to the report from King Zhou Zhan, Zhou Chen realized that the border was not as secure as he had imagined.

The foreign tribes beyond the Great Wall are growing stronger day by day, while the defenses of the border are gradually weakening.

Most importantly, the Great Zhou Dynasty was on a downward spiral, and its overall national strength was declining.

As loyal veteran generals gradually passed away, few of the new generation of generals in the Great Zhou Dynasty were capable of making a difference.

There are very few generals who can command a region.

It can be said that the generals of the Great Zhou Dynasty have suffered a shortage of talent.

It's quite remarkable that King Zhou Zhan of Kao Shan was able to support the Great Zhou for so many years, guarding the southern border and resisting the barbarians.

Zhou Chen glanced at Cao Zhengchun, who was standing beside him; "From now on, be more respectful to the Prince of Kaoshan. The Prince of Kaoshan has been guarding the southern border for our Great Zhou for so many years, supporting the Great Zhou which is now in decline. He has made great contributions."

Zhou Chen held King Kaoshan in the highest esteem.

If it weren't for the support of these loyal veterans, the Great Zhou Dynasty would probably have fallen apart long ago.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Cao Zhengchun nodded in understanding.

Zhou Chen didn't say anything more.

Zhou Chen was not worried at all about the fact that the Great Zhou Dynasty had a shortage of generals.

With the existence of the system, the situation of a shortage of generals in the Great Zhou Dynasty will soon be resolved.

At that time, the Zhou Dynasty will have no shortage of generals.

Zhou Chen continued dealing with the pile of memorials that had accumulated beside him.

the next day.

Zhou Chen had just finished the morning court session and returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation when he saw Cao Zhengchun rushing into the hall.

"Your Majesty, urgent messages have arrived from the Imperial Guards in the Northern Frontier and Western Liang."

As Cao Zhengchun spoke, he handed the two slips of paper in his hand to Zhou Chen.

"Oh!"

Zhou Chen was startled and immediately took the note from Cao Zhengchun's hand.

Zhou Chen opened it and glanced at it.

The note contained very little, just a few words.

Fan Shaohe went to the Zhenbei Marquis's residence after entering the pass.

Zheng Wangzhi went to the residence of the Marquis of Xiliang after entering the pass.

Upon seeing these two messages, Zhou Chen frowned.

Zhou Chen knew perfectly well who Fan Shaohe and Zheng Wangzhi were.

These are the remnants of the Fan family of Jiexiu and the Zheng family of Rongyang who fled to the area beyond the Great Wall.

Zhou Chen was surprised that Fan Shaohe and Zheng Wangzhi dared to enter the pass and even went to the Zhenbei Marquis's residence and the Xiliang Marquis's residence.

That's right.

The news that Fan Shaohe and Zheng Wangzhi had secretly entered the pass to visit the Zhenbei Marquis's residence and the Xiliang Marquis's residence could not be kept from the Eastern Depot.

Upon receiving this news, the imperial guards immediately relayed it back to Luoyang.

Zhou Chen frowned even more as he looked at the words next to a piece of paper.

These words were written by Jia Xu.

"Could it be that the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang would dare to defy the world and collude with foreign tribes?"

Zhou Chen's eyes flickered.

The words Jia Xu wrote were a reminder to Zhou Chen that Zheng Wangzhi and Fan Shaohe's entry into the two marquises' residences might be related to foreign tribes.

If that's the case, then Marquis Zhenbei and Marquis Xiliang are definitely digging their own graves.

For many years, the Zhenbei Army and the Xiliang Army fought against foreign tribes, and countless comrades and soldiers died tragically at the hands of these tribesmen.

If the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang were truly colluding with foreign tribes, the soldiers below would absolutely not allow it.

However, this is also a considerable problem for Zhou Chen.

Once the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang collude with foreign tribes and allow them to move south.

Zhou Chen could only mobilize the Divine Martial Guards outside the city.

The military force is stretched thin.

At that time, the defenses of Luoyang's central hub will be weakened.

"It seems we need to resolve the issues in the northern border region and the western Liang region as soon as possible."

Zhou Chen thought for a moment, then looked up at Cao Zhengchun; "Cao Zhengchun, notify the Imperial Guards in the Northern Frontier and Western Liang to keep a close eye on the Marquis of Zhenbei's residence and the Marquis of Western Liang's residence for me."

"At the same time, we must also pay attention to the movements of the foreign tribes outside the Great Wall."

"Report any suspicious activity immediately."

Zhou Chen said sternly.

Upon hearing this, Cao Zhengchun immediately bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"besides."

"Inform Jia Xu to speed up his pace."

"Don't wait until the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang actually reach a consensus with the foreign tribes, or things will get complicated."

Zhou Chen spoke again.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Cao Zhengchun bowed again to accept the order.

"Go!"

Zhou Chen waved his hand.

Cao Zhengchun turned and left the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

After Cao Zhengchun left, Zhou Chen's eyes darted around.

Now, King Zhou Zhan has also returned to Luoyang, and they are just waiting for Jia Xu's arrival.

Once Jia Xu has made all the necessary plans, then we can take action.

Having captured the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang, and resolved the issues in the Northern Frontier and Xiliang, the Great Zhou's territory was finally stabilized.

(End of this chapter)