You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 193 The Death of the Marquis of Zhenbei

Zhenbeihou Mansion.

Just as Xue Shaowen was about to leave the council hall, a terrifying aura emanated from the underground chamber where they had just been.

"Heavenly Gang Boy Skill".

"boom."

A loud bang exploded from the floor.

The floorboards that had just been joined together from the bottom up were blown to pieces.

A figure soared into the sky.

Who else could it be but Cao Zhengchun?

The cage that had bound Cao Zhengchun was broken open by Cao Zhengchun, and his official robes as a supervisor were in disarray.

Cao Zhengchun rushed out and instantly appeared in front of Xue Shaowen. Before Xue Shaowen could recover from his daze, Cao Zhengchun grabbed Xue Shaowen by the neck.

"Marquis of Zhenbei, how dare you!"

"You defy the imperial decree and dare to ambush me?"

"Do you think you can deal with this mediocre person with just some trash and scrap metal?"

Cao Zhengchun looked at Xue Shaowen and said in a sinister tone.

"you……"

Xue Shaowen then came to his senses and looked at Cao Zhengchun with a look of horror.

Xue Shaowen never expected that his secret prison, made of black iron, would be unable to subdue Cao Zhengchun.

And, in the blink of an eye, Cao Zhengchun rushed out.

It was still completely unharmed.

This left Xue Shaowen somewhat incredulous.

It should be noted that Xue Shaowen put a lot of thought into designing this prison cell's secret mechanism, with the aim of dealing with powerful individuals who were at the half-step Celestial Realm.

“Cao Zhengchun, I am the Marquis of Zhenbei.”

"If you dare to touch me, do you know what the consequences will be?"

“If anything happens to me, the 300,000-strong Zhenbei Army will be in chaos in an instant.”

"When the time comes, if the northern frontier falls into chaos, foreign tribes from beyond the pass will seize the opportunity to enter the pass and move south, and the Great Zhou will be engulfed in flames of war."

"Can you bear the consequences?"

Xue Shaowen's difficulty breathing threatened Cao Zhengchun.

Even in such a perilous situation, with Cao Zhengchun grabbing his neck, Xue Shaowen, the Marquis of Zhenbei, showed no sign of panic in his eyes.

"Cao Zhengchun, release the Marquis."

The generals and several grandmasters who had been blasted away by Cao Zhengchun earlier saw that Cao Zhengchun had grabbed Xue Shaowen by the neck, and despite their injuries, they attacked Cao Zhengchun from behind again.

"Humph."

Cao Zhengchun snorted coldly and struck casually.

The generals and several grandmasters who attacked Cao Zhengchun from behind were once again blasted away.

This time, after these generals and several grandmasters fell to the ground, they struggled a few times and then fell silent.

Without turning his head, Cao Zhengchun looked at Xue Shaowen, whom he was holding in his hand, and sneered in a sinister way; "Three hundred thousand Zhenbei Army soldiers suddenly in disarray?"

"Marquis of Zhenbei, do you think that without you, the imperial court cannot suppress the Zhenbei Army?"

"Do you think His Majesty would dare to touch you without considering these things?"

Cao Zhengchun wore a cold smile.

"You're probably still hoping that the arrangements outside will save you, aren't you?"

"You can listen to what's going on outside now."

Cao Zhengchun said in a feminine tone.

"kill……."

The sounds of clashing weapons echoed into the council hall.

Upon hearing this, Xue Shaowen's expression changed immediately.

To prepare for the arrival of officials from the imperial court, Xue Shaowen made arrangements that went beyond just the council hall.

The entire Marquis's mansion mobilized its most elite forces.

Even the guards of Zhenbei City have been fully deployed.

Xue Shaowen was initially puzzled. Although the sudden change in the council hall only lasted a few minutes, the guards inside the manor should have gathered immediately upon hearing the commotion.

But so far, no forces from within the manor have arrived; instead, deafening sounds of battle have been heard.

This made Xue Shaowen realize that, in addition to Cao Zhengchun and his group, the imperial court also had forces that had secretly entered the city.

But how could that be?

The checks inside the city were very strict, and the guards inside were all Xue Shaowen's personal troops, so it was impossible for them to let a large-scale force of the imperial court into the city.

Just when Xue Shaowen was racking his brains trying to figure out the answer to this problem...

Three figures entered the council hall.

Upon seeing these three figures, Xue Shaowen's expression immediately changed.

To be precise, Xue Shaowen's expression turned extremely ugly upon seeing one of the three figures.

"Hezhou, so it was you who betrayed me."

In an instant, Xue Shaowen understood everything.

It turned out that one of his own generals had become a traitor.

No wonder there were deafening sounds of fighting outside.

This explains everything.

Xue Shaowen stared intently at the rightmost of the three figures who walked in, gritting his teeth.

Xue Shaowen truly never expected that one of his subordinates would betray him.

Moreover, the person who betrayed him was one of the people he trusted most, and he also had considerable power and prestige in the Zhenbei Army.

Besides the Marquis of Zhenbei, the Zhenbei Army has four main generals.

These four main generals held significant positions in the Zhenbei Army, wielding considerable power and prestige.

He Zhou was one of the four main generals of the Zhenbei Army, and also one of the few people whom Xue Shaowen, the Marquis of Zhenbei, trusted.

Otherwise, Xue Shaowen wouldn't have had Hezhou stationed at the military camp today.

This Hezhou is the same middle-aged general that Jia Xu secretly met yesterday.

Looking at Xue Shaowen's angry expression, He Zhou sighed. "My lord, it's not that I betrayed you, it's that you betrayed the Great Zhou, betrayed the Zhenbei Army, and betrayed the thousands upon thousands of soldiers of the Zhenbei Army who died at the hands of foreign tribes."

"To cooperate with a foreign race is like asking a tiger for its skin."

"I cannot disregard the greater good for the sake of the Marquis's personal gain."

He Zhou said quietly.

"The greater good?"

"Cough cough cough, you actually dare to talk to me about righteousness."

"What right do you, a traitor who sold out his master for personal gain, have to talk to me about righteousness?"

"Hezhou, just you wait! Your fate won't be much better than mine."

"The imperial court will not allow someone like you to live."

Xue Shaowen, struggling to breathe, sneered loudly.

From the moment he saw Hezhou, Xue Shaowen knew that he, the Marquis of Zhenbei, was finished and had lost.

With the defection of the five main generals of the Zhenbei Army in Hezhou, who acted as inside agents for the imperial court, it would not have been difficult for the court's forces to enter the city.

All the decorations outside became mere illusions.

All the preparations made over many days crumbled in an instant because of a traitor.

It has to be said, this is ironic.

Upon hearing Xue Shaowen's words, He Zhou's eyes flickered, and he said nothing more.

Hezhou knew the meaning behind Xue Shaowen's last words.

After the imperial court takes over the Zhenbei Army, it will definitely purge the entire Zhenbei Army.

As Hezhou was one of the five main generals of the Zhenbei Army, the imperial court probably wouldn't trust him.

As soon as Xue Shaowen finished speaking...

"Click."

There was a crisp sound.

Cao Zhengchun snapped Xue Shaowen's neck.

Xue Shaowen, the Marquis of Zhenbei, who commanded 300,000 troops and held absolute power in the northern frontier, died at the hands of Cao Zhengchun.

The powerful Marquis of Zhenbei, who held considerable military influence, thus came to an end. Cao Zhengchun casually tossed Xue Shaowen to the ground and looked up at Jia Xu and Lü Bu; "How's the situation outside? Nothing unexpected has happened, has it?"

That's right.

The three figures that walked in were, besides Hezhou, Jia Xu and Lü Bu.

Jia Xu shook his head and said, "Nothing unexpected has happened so far, everything is going smoothly."

"The Divine Martial Guards have entered the city, and Prince Kaoshan is leading the Divine Martial Guards to suppress the city's garrison and take over the city's defenses."

"General Lü and I led our men directly to the Marquis of Zhenbei's residence."

Jia Xu said
With the assistance of the four main generals of the Zhenbei Army in Hezhou, Lü Bu and the Prince of Kaoshan led the Shenwu Guard into the city and then split into two groups.

All the way, King Kao Shan led the Divine Martial Guard to suppress the garrison in the city and take over the defense of Zhenbei City.

Meanwhile, Lü Bu led a group of men straight to the Zhenbei Marquis's residence, cooperating with Cao Zhengchun to capture it.

Now that the Marquis of Zhenbei is dead, the forces of the Marquis of Zhenbei's mansion are still resisting.

But taking over the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion is only a matter of time.

Everything is progressing as expected.

Cao Zhengchun nodded; "That's good. The biggest problem now is the Zhenbei Army."

The Zhenbei Marquis's mansion has been captured, and the garrison of Zhenbei City has been dealt with, but the 300,000 Zhenbei troops are still not a problem.

Jia Xu's plan was to first take over Zhenbei City and the Zhenbei Marquis's residence.

After all, Marquis Xue Shaowen of Zhenbei was the leader and the head of the Zhenbei Army.

As the saying goes, to catch a thief, catch the leader first; to shoot a man, shoot the horse first.

Only by capturing Xue Shaowen, the Marquis of Zhenbei, can we begin the next plan and take over the Zhenbei Army.

Now, taking over the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion and Zhenbei City is a foregone conclusion, without any suspense whatsoever.

So the most important problem is what we'll face next.

Killing the Marquis of Zhenbei was easy, but cleaning up the mess that followed was not as simple as killing someone.

If the 300,000-strong Zhenbei Army cannot be suppressed or subdued, then it is impossible to control them.

If even the slightest mistake were to occur, it could cause chaos among the 300,000-strong Zhenbei Army.

At that time, the entire northern border region will be in turmoil.

Jia Xu nodded solemnly; "Once the Prince of Kaoshan has suppressed the garrison in the city and taken over the city's defenses, he will immediately go to the military camp to take over the Zhenbei Army."

"With the Prince of Kao Shan, the pillar of the Great Zhou, and General He taking over the Zhenbei Army, there shouldn't be too much of a commotion."

"Furthermore, more than ten high-ranking generals of the Zhenbei Army have died here, including three of the four main generals."

"Without these dozen or so generals, the resistance to taking over the Zhenbei Army has been reduced by at least half."

Jia Xu glanced at the corpses of the dozen or so generals on the ground and said.

indeed.

These dozen or so generals were all high-ranking officers in the Zhenbei Army, and all were confidants of Xue Shaowen, the Marquis of Zhenbei.

Three of them were among the four main generals of the Zhenbei Army.

In other words, by wiping out these dozen or so generals, it was equivalent to eliminating as many as 80% of the high-ranking generals of Zhenbei Marquis Xue Shaowen in the Zhenbei Army.

Now, the Marquis of Zhenbei is dead, and three of the four main generals are also dead, leaving only Hezhou.

With the assistance of Hezhou, the resistance to taking over the Zhenbei Army will be much smaller.

Seeing that Cao Zhengchun had dealt with Zhenbei Marquis Xue Shaowen and his men, Lü Bu, who was standing nearby, said, "Now that Zhenbei Marquis has been captured, I will go outside and clean up the people in Zhenbei Marquis's mansion."

After saying this, Lü Bu turned and walked out of the council hall.

After all, time is of the essence.

To avoid any unforeseen complications, the resistance forces within the Marquis's residence and the city must be dealt with as soon as possible.

……

With Lü Bu's intervention.

soon.

The sounds of fighting at the Marquis of Zhenbei's mansion gradually came to an end.

The sounds of war ceased.

All resistance within the Marquis's residence was suppressed.

After suppressing the Marquis of Zhenbei's mansion, Lü Bu led his men to cooperate with the Prince of Kaoshan in suppressing the garrison in Zhenbei City.

An hour later.

In the council hall of the Marquis of Zhenbei's residence, Jia Xu, Cao Zhengchun, Lü Bu, the Prince of Kaoshan, Hezhou, Zhang Liao, and Gao Shun sat separately.

The bodies in the hall have been removed.

However, bloodstains and scattered traces remain.

This indicates that a considerable struggle had just taken place in the council hall.

Jia Xu glanced at everyone and said, "Now that the Marquis of Zhenbei is dead, we have taken over his mansion and Zhenbei City."

"Then the next step is to immediately leave the city and take over the 300,000-strong Zhenbei Army."

"This will require the help of General He, Prince Kao Shan, and General Lü."

Jia Xu looked at Hezhou, the King of Kaoshan, and Lü Bu and spoke.

In Hezhou, Zhou Zhan, the Prince of Kaoshan, and Lü Bu nodded, got up, and left the council hall.

time does not wait.

The fierce fighting that had just taken place in Zhenbei City couldn't be kept secret for long.

Therefore, Hezhou and Prince Zhou Zhan of Kaoshan had to immediately set off for the military camp outside the city to take over the power of the Zhenbei Army.

To avoid any unexpected situations.

Zhang Liao also left with the three from Hezhou.

As for Gao Shun, he was to stay and oversee Zhenbei City, while also eliminating the remaining forces of the Marquis of Zhenbei within the city.

It should be noted that the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion has been operating here for generations, and its influence, both overt and covert, is immense.

It's impossible to get rid of it completely in one go.

Similarly, Cao Zhengchun did not leave.

To take over the Zhenbei Army, Hezhou, the Prince of Kaoshan, and Lü Bu are enough.

Cao Zhengchun stayed in the city to lead the Eastern Depot's forces to eliminate the remaining forces of the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion.

Furthermore, Cao Zhengchun was adept at using medicine to prevent the news from spreading and leaking out of the city.

……

outside the city.

The Zhenbei Army Camp.

Lu Bu and his men rode up to Hezhou.

Behind him followed three thousand Bingzhou wolf cavalry and five thousand Divine Martial Guards.

"who?"

Upon seeing the approaching troops, the guards of the military camp immediately went on high alert.

"It is I, the general."

Hezhou immediately reined in his horse and stepped forward.

"General."

Upon seeing Hezhou, the guards at the military camp immediately bowed and made way for them.

Today, Xue Shaowen had originally arranged for the troops stationed in Hezhou to guard the camp.

Therefore, Hezhou had previously replaced the guards of this military camp with his own people.

"I hope nothing happened in the camp after I left!"

Hezhou asked the guards at the military camp.

"Reporting to the general, everything is normal in the camp, nothing has happened."

The guards at the military camp bowed and replied.

Upon hearing this, Hezhou breathed a sigh of relief and said nothing more, then reined in his horse and entered the military camp.

King Zhou Zhan and Lü Bu followed closely behind, and thus easily entered the Zhenbei Army's camp.

"Beat the drums to gather the generals."

Upon entering the military camp, Hezhou immediately ordered the drums to be beaten to summon the generals of the Zhenbei Army.

At the same time, all the guards in the military camp were withdrawn by Hezhou and replaced by the Shenwu Guards who came with Lü Bu and his men.

The atmosphere in the entire military camp gradually began to change drastically.

(End of this chapter)