You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 207 Your Majesty, Great Victory in Xiliang

Luoyang.

News of the foreign tribes breaching the borders of the Great Zhou and invading its territory has gradually spread.

From ordinary peddlers to wealthy and powerful families, everyone who heard the news was shocked.

No one expected that the barbarian tribes from beyond the Great Wall would be able to breach the Great Zhou's border defenses and invade its territory.

It should be noted that the Great Zhou Dynasty had not experienced a situation where its borders were breached by foreign tribes for many years.

But now, not only has the border of the Great Zhou been breached by the foreign tribes outside the pass, but three of the formidable passes have also been breached by them. This has caused unease and panic among many people in the Great Zhou.

The other races are all tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves.

If the foreign races break through the pass and march south, it will definitely be a major disaster for the people of the Great Zhou.

The atmosphere in the central government has been tense these past few days.

The breaching of the border defenses of the Great Zhou by foreign tribes was undoubtedly a major disaster for the central government.

The central government was operating at full speed.

One urgent edict after another was issued from the central government and sent to various regions.

Especially for cities near the frontier, the central government issued an urgent order to prepare for war.

If the border garrison cannot withstand the foreign tribes, then these cities near the border will become the first barrier to stop the foreign tribes from moving south.

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Zhou Chen flipped through the memorials somewhat absentmindedly.

"The three formidable passes have been breached by foreign tribes. I wonder how the war is going on the frontier now."

Zhou Chen flipped through the notes in his hand, but his mind was on the war at the border.

Despite this, Zhou Chen had full confidence in Lü Bu and Jia Xu, and believed in their abilities.

However, this joint invasion by foreign tribes broke through the three formidable passes of the Great Zhou Dynasty, which was crucial to the nation's fate for the next few years.

If any unexpected event occurs, all of Zhou Chen's previous efforts will instantly vanish.

The Great Zhou Dynasty will soon be engulfed in war.

This forced Zhou Chen to absentmindedly think about the war at the border.

"Your Majesty, a great victory has been achieved in Xiliang."

At this moment, Cao Shaoqin hurriedly entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"General Zhang decisively defeated the Western Rong army, and the Western Rong national advisor and the Western Rong commander were all killed by Eunuch Cao."

"This is a message that just came back from Xiliang."

As Cao Shaoqin spoke, he directly presented the message in his hand to Zhou Chen.

Because it concerned the border war, Zhou Chen had already given a strict order that news about the border war should not be reported but sent to the Hall of Mental Cultivation immediately.

Therefore, after receiving the message from Xiliang, Cao Shaoqin entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation without needing to report.

A great victory in Xiliang?

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chen immediately took the message from Xiliang from Cao Shaoqin, opened it, and began to read it.

The text above was short, but its content brought Zhou Chen to a delightful surprise.

"it is good."

"Zhang Liao and Jia Xu have indeed not disappointed me. They have defeated the Western Rong army, and Xiliang is temporarily safe."

Zhou Chen said happily, his previously absent-minded thoughts suddenly becoming much more at ease.

With the invasion of the Western Rong army wiped out and the Yumen Pass recaptured, the Western Liang region was temporarily at peace.

"Cao Shaoqin, pass this message on to the Six Ministries!"

Zhou Chen knew that with the three formidable passes breached by the foreign tribes, the hearts of the people of the Great Zhou, as well as those inside and outside the court, were somewhat unsettled.

Now, the great victory in Xiliang, which wiped out hundreds of thousands of Western Rong troops, serves as a good calming agent, stabilizing the turmoil in people's hearts.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Cao Shaoqin bowed and accepted the order.

……

The Ministry of War.

Minister of War Li Yuan was busy, looking haggard.

These past few days, due to the border war and the breaching of three strategic passes, Li Yuan, the Minister of War, has been extremely busy.

Li Yuan, the Minister of War, had no say in the situation of the border garrison.

However, the defense of the cities near the border was the responsibility of Li Yuan, the Minister of War.

This was the second line of defense set up by the imperial court as a precaution.

Therefore, Li Yuan has been so busy these past few days that he has hardly returned to his residence, and has been eating and sleeping at the Ministry of War's office.

"My lord, good news! A great victory in Xiliang! A great victory in Xiliang!"

An official from the Ministry of War rushed into the hall and shouted.

"What did you say?"

"A great victory in Xiliang?"

Li Yuan thought he had misheard and looked at the Ministry of War official who had rushed in to confirm.

"Yes, my lord."

"The Eastern Depot just sent news that a great victory has been achieved in Xiliang. Hundreds of thousands of Xirong troops have been wiped out by General Zhang, and the Xirong national advisor and the Xirong commander-in-chief have also died at the hands of Cao Zhengchun."

The Ministry of War official immediately relayed the message sent by the Eastern Depot.

"it is good."

"Hahaha, those barbarian thieves dared to invade my Great Zhou, they are truly courting death. General Zhang, you did a good job in eliminating them."

Li Yuan laughed heartily.

I originally thought that the foreign tribes had broken through the pass and the border was in danger.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Liao actually defeated the Western Rong army in the end, which was good news for the central government.

……

Zongren Mansion.

Zhou Xian, the Eighth Prince, also received a message from the Eastern Depot.

Looking at the news of the great victory in Xiliang in his hand, the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian could not hide his joy.

The Great Zhou Dynasty has been in decline for a long time and needs a great victory like this to restore its prestige and usher in a new era of prosperity.

Meanwhile, other departments of the imperial court also received news of the great victory in Xiliang, and they were all overjoyed.

The people's hearts, which were somewhat unsettled both inside and outside the court, gradually calmed down after receiving news of the great victory in Xiliang.

……

While the imperial court was overjoyed to receive news of the great victory in Xiliang, dark clouds loomed over the northern frontier.

Zhenbeicheng.

The General's Residence in Zhenbei.

Lü Bu sat in the main seat.

Including Hao Meng, there were four generals sitting below.

Even after the purge of the 300,000-strong Zhenbei Army, there could still be only three or four generals left.

But after these few days of fierce fighting, apart from the generals stationed outside other cities, there are only three or four generals of the Zhenbei Army who can sit here. The others have all died at the hands of the foreign tribes.

Lu Bu glanced at the four people seated below and said in a deep voice, "You all already knew about the decree that His Majesty sent earlier."

"His Majesty has ordered me to lead the Zhenbei Army to exterminate the Northern Di barbarians. This is both an imperial decree and my own wish."

"Defending Zhenbei City is not our primary objective; our goal is to exterminate the Northern Barbarian tribes."

"Therefore, immediately issue my order to assemble all the Zhenbei Army troops within the city, with their armor on and swords in hand, awaiting my command."

"I intend to take advantage of the situation and annihilate the main force of the Northern Di before the other Northern Di troops arrive at Zhenbei City."

Lu Bu said in a cold voice.

"General, after these few days of fierce battles with the Northern Barbarians, our Zhenbei Army has suffered heavy losses."

"Currently, the city has less than 70,000 troops. If we were to engage the Northern Barbarians in a direct battle, my Zhenbei Army would have absolutely no chance of winning."

"Please think twice, General."

A general spoke up.

"Yes, General."

"The main force of the Northern Di outside the city now has an army of over 100,000, of which 100,000 are the most elite Northern Di cavalry."

"If we engage in direct combat, our chances of winning are almost zero." "Only by relying on the city can we stop the Northern Di army. Please think carefully, General."

The other two generals also hurriedly spoke up.

They did not expect that Lü Bu would actually gather a large army to fight against the Northern Di.

Putting aside the disparity in their troop strength, the 100,000 elite cavalry of the Northern Barbarians alone were something they couldn't withstand in a direct confrontation.

Once they leave the city and lose the protection of the city walls, their defeat in battle against the Northern Di is inevitable.

Only Hao Meng remained silent.

It wasn't that Hao Meng was unaware of the current situation; it was that Hao Meng believed in Lü Bu's strength.

If any other general had given such an order, Hao Meng would certainly have stood up and explained the implications, just like the other three generals.

However, Hao Meng had no objection when Lü Bu gave the order.

With the fighting strength of Lü Bu and the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry, plus tens of thousands of Zhenbei Army, it is not necessarily impossible for them not to break through the main force of the Northern Di outside the city.

"You want to disobey orders?"

Lu Bu looked at the three generals, his expression turning cold and stern.

His orders to Lü Bu were not to be questioned.

This is the majesty that belongs to Lü Bu, and it is also the domineering nature that belongs to Lü Bu.

"The general will not dare."

Faced with Lü Bu's cold gaze, the three generals hurriedly clasped their hands in greeting.

Despite their objections, they dared not utter another word when they saw Lu Bu's cold and stern gaze.

Disobeying orders is no small offense.

They didn't want to survive the Northern Barbarians only to be captured by their own people.

"If you dare not, then do as I say. You don't need to worry about anything else. I will lead you to defeat the Northern Di army."

Lu Bu said sternly.

"As ordered."

The three generals and Hao Meng received their orders and left the Zhenbei General's Mansion.

"Northern Barbarians?"

"Let me, Lü Bu, annihilate you all and establish my reputation as a force to be reckoned with among foreign tribes!"

After Hao Meng and the others left, Lu Bu thought to himself with a flicker in his eyes.

Lü Bu didn't have many schemes or tricks, nor did he have many twists and turns.

They wanted to defeat the Northern Di army and annihilate the Northern Di tribes.

Lu Bu could only rely on his own strength to sweep through.

In Lü Bu's view, with the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry and tens of thousands of Zhenbei Army, breaking through the Northern Di army outside the city should not be a problem.

……

Nighttime, outside the city.

The camp of the Northern Barbarian army.

Inside the main tent.

Maha sat in the main seat.

Below sat more than ten generals of the Northern Di army.

"General, Lu Bu is at the half-step Celestial level. Shouldn't we have the Imperial Advisor intervene when we attack tomorrow?"

"Even if the Grand Preceptor cannot kill Lü Bu in a short time, as long as we can hold him off for a while, we can break through Zhenbei City."

A Northern Di general spoke in a low voice to Maha Ning, who was seated in the main seat.

The strength that Lü Bu has displayed today has had a tremendous impact on the generals of the Northern Di.

A single halberd is virtually unstoppable.

They were able to fight their way through 50,000 iron cavalry.

If they want to break through Zhenbei City, they must stop Lü Bu.

Otherwise, Lü Bu's bravery would affect the morale of the Northern Di army's attack.

"That's right, Commander."

"If it weren't for Lu Bu's appearance today, Zhenbei City would have fallen."

"Now that Lü Bu is guarding Zhenbei City, if we want to break through the city, we must first stop Lü Bu."

"Otherwise, the momentum of both sides will shift, affecting the morale of our army's offensive."

Another general spoke up, addressing Maha, who was seated in the main seat.

After listening to the two generals, Mohe nodded. "The Grand Preceptor will lead the attack tomorrow, and several nearby armies will also arrive at Zhenbei City tomorrow."

"At that time, our army will launch a full-scale attack on the East Gate to draw away the forces of the Zhenbei Army."

"Then, have the arriving troops launch a surprise attack on the south gate of Zhenbei City and try to breach it."

"Once the South Gate is breached, Zhenbei City will also fall."

"Once Zhenbei City falls, no matter how strong Lü Bu and the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry are, they will not be able to withstand the crushing onslaught of my Northern Di Iron Cavalry."

Maha glanced at the Northern Di generals below and said.

The thought of Lü Bu leading three thousand Bingzhou wolf cavalry to break through his encirclement of fifty thousand Northern Di cavalry filled Mohe with gloom.

However, once the city falls tomorrow, Lü Bu and the Bingzhou wolf cavalry will no longer have the opportunity to break through his Northern Di army.

Zhenbei City was their final resting place.

"Oh!"

"The Imperial Advisor will make his move tomorrow."

The eyes of the generals present lit up upon hearing this.

The Imperial Advisor was the most revered figure in the hearts of all the people of the Northern Di.

In the Northern Di, the Grand Preceptor held a very high position, and even the Northern Di King respected him greatly.

Therefore, in the hearts of everyone in the Northern Di, there is no problem that cannot be solved as long as the Grand Preceptor takes action.

"Since the Imperial Advisor will make his move tomorrow, Zhenbei City will surely fall."

“That’s right. Once Zhenbei City is breached, there will be nothing left in the Northern Frontier that can threaten our Northern Di army. The Northern Frontier will be as easy as pie for our Northern Di to conquer.”

The Northern Di generals all spoke with smiles on their faces.

They have already breached Yanmen Pass.

They then breached Zhenbei City.

Then this entire northern frontier will be theirs for the taking, and nothing will be able to stop their iron cavalry from galloping across the land.

They could almost imagine what it would be like to see their Northern Di cavalry galloping across the northern frontier at that time.

Hearing the generals' joyful words, Maha didn't say much.

Instead, he surveyed the crowd with a serious expression; "Tonight, the defense of the military camp must be strengthened, and patrols must be intensified to prevent Lü Bu from leading his troops to attack the camp, or from sneaking in to assassinate our generals."

Previously, Maha had the Grand Preceptor lead a group of experts to assassinate the general guarding the Zhenbei Army, which was how Yanmen Pass was breached.

Therefore, Mohe had to guard against Lü Bu also sneaking in to retaliate and kill their Northern Di generals.

After all, Lü Bu was a powerful figure who was halfway to the Celestial Realm.

If Lü Bu were to actually infiltrate and assassinate his Northern Di generals, those generals would likely have little chance of escaping.

On this point, Maha must remind these generals of the Northern Barbarians.

Of course, Maha had already made all the necessary preparations and arrangements.

If Lü Bu really dares to sneak in and assassinate his Northern Di generals, then there's no need to wait until tomorrow; tonight, this Northern Di camp will be his burial ground.

"Don't worry, Commander, we will strengthen the camp's defenses and deploy heavy troops."

"If Lü Bu really dares to lead his troops to attack the camp, or infiltrate my army's camp."

"Then I guarantee he won't come back."

All the generals of the Northern Barbarians spoke up.

It's unlikely that Lü Bu would lead a large army to attack the camp.

It is highly likely that Lü Bu infiltrated the army to assassinate its generals.

These Northern Di generals were not just reckless fools who only knew how to fight; naturally, they had all taken such precautions.

They wouldn't give the Zhenbei Army a chance to ambush and kill them.

(End of this chapter)