You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 308 Inform Lü Bu: Take Tianshan City for me.

night.

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Zhou Chen tidied up and prepared to go to bed.

Since the establishment of the cabinet, Emperor Zhou Chen has had a much easier time, no longer having to review memorials until late at night.

Zhou Chen usually handed over non-critical government memorials to the cabinet for processing.

This was also Zhou Chen's original purpose in establishing the cabinet: to help the emperor share the burden of government affairs, so that the emperor could relax and not be so tired.

As for Xiao He and Fang Xuanling's ability to make decisions and strategize, Zhou Chen had no doubt about it.

As outstanding figures throughout history, they were absolutely adept at handling ordinary court affairs.

In fact, Xiao He and his colleagues handled some government memorials far better than Emperor Zhou Chen did.

After all, when it comes to real talent and skill, Xiao He and his colleagues were far superior to Emperor Zhou Chen.

Zhou Chen's only advantage is that he has lived two lives, and his vision is not limited to feudal dynasties like Xiao He and others.

This is the only point in which Zhou Chen can compare to Xiao He and the others.

Just as Zhou Chen was preparing to retire for the night, a palace eunuch came in and reported, "Your Majesty, Eunuch Cao Youxiang is requesting an audience outside the palace."

"Oh!"

"Has Cao Youxiang returned?!"

Zhou Chen's spirits lifted.

Zhou Chen knew that Cao Youxiang had gone to the area outside the Great Wall to investigate the exact location of Tianshan City.

Now that Cao Youxiang is back, the exact location of Tianshan City should be clearer.

"Summon Cao Youxiang in."

Zhou Chen spoke to the eunuchs and guards.

"According to the order."

The eunuchs and guards bowed and withdrew.

moment.

Cao Youxiang then entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"This old servant pays his respects to Your Majesty."

After entering the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Cao Youxiang bowed respectfully to Zhou Chen.

"Get up!"

Zhou Chen waved his hand.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Cao Youxiang stood up.

"I heard from Cao Zhengchun that you and Cao Shaoqin went to the area beyond the Great Wall in person."

"How about it?"

"Have you found the exact location of Tianshan City?"

Zhou Chen looked at Cao Youxiang and asked.

Cao Youxiang immediately bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, this old servant has located Tianshan City in the area beyond the Great Wall. Tianshan City is less than a thousand miles from Beidu City, and this old servant has even infiltrated Tianshan City..."

Cao Youxiang recounted the situation in Tianshan City.

Zhou Chen nodded upon hearing this.

Zhou Chen had already learned quite a bit about the situation in Tianshan City from the three men in brocade robes from the Zhou family, as Cao Youxiang had described.

Therefore, Zhou Chen was not surprised.

"When I returned, I encountered forces from various factions in Tianshan City attacking Beidu City. I wiped them all out."

Cao Youxiang then recounted the events in Beidu City.

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this news, Zhou Chen sneered, "These people from Tianshan City are really quick! I thought they wouldn't arrive so soon!"

Zhou Chen murmured.

Some were surprised by the actions of the various forces in Tianshan City, who had sent people so quickly.

They also dispatched quite a few experts at the Celestial Realm.

Fortunately, Cao Youxiang encountered them and wiped them all out.

Otherwise, if these people were scattered and entered the Great Zhou, it would really take some effort to capture them.

Zhou Chen looked at Cao Youxiang and said, "Now that we have found the location of Tianshan City, let us inform Lü Bu and have him take Tianshan City for me and bring it under the rule of my Great Zhou."

"You will also go to the northern frontier to assist Lü Bu and help me capture Tianshan City."

Zhou Chen said authoritatively.

Waiting for the enemy to come to him is not Zhou Chen's style.

Now that we've found the exact location of Tianshan City, taking the initiative and capturing it is the best course of action.

"Old slave obeys the order."

Cao Youxiang bowed and accepted the imperial decree.

……

Tianshan City.

Song family.

Inside the council chamber.

At this moment, the lights were on.

The head of the Song family sat in the main seat, his face tense.

Below sat the four elders of the Song family.

These five people are the core high-ranking members of the Song family, and also the core fighting force of the entire Song family in Tianshan City.

It is precisely because of the existence of the Song family patriarch and the four elders that the Song family's position in Tianshan City is unshakeable.

It can be said that, apart from the Song family's patriarch, these five people are the ones who can influence the situation of the Song family, and even the situation of the entire Tianshan City.

"Master, it's so late, why have you summoned us here? Is something wrong?"

The Third Elder looked at the Song family head in the main seat with a puzzled expression.

The same applies to the other three elders.

They had no idea why the head of the family had summoned them so late at night.

However, the four elders noticed that the Song family patriarch's expression was off.

The head of the Song family glanced at the four elders and said in a deep voice, "The person guarding the life lamp just reported that the life lamp of the person our Song family sent to the Great Zhou has gone out."

"what?"

Upon hearing the Song family patriarch's words, the expressions of the four elders all changed.

The life lamp has gone out?

The four elders, of course, knew what this meant.

The life lamp is a special thing that represents the life force of a person.

All important figures in a family, after achieving the status of a celestial being, will leave their own life lamp within the family.

This is to prevent the family from being kept in the dark and knowing nothing about what might happen to someone outside.

Once the life lamp goes out, it means that the person who left the life lamp has passed away.

Now, the people the Song family sent to Da Zhou have had their life lamps extinguished.

This means that the people the Song family sent to Da Zhou are dead.

"Patriarch, are you sure?"

"We sent two groups of people to the Great Zhou, one openly and one secretly, both led by seventh-rank Celestials. Their life lamps have all been extinguished?"

All four elders stared intently at the Song family patriarch in the main seat.

The head of the Song family nodded; "I went to see for myself, and the life lamps of both groups have been extinguished."

The Song family patriarch's voice was somewhat heavy.

The two groups of people that the Song family sent to Da Zhou this time were all elites of the Song family.

Although not all of these people are qualified to have their life lamp left in the family, some of them do have their life lamp.

Since the life lamps of those few people have been extinguished, there's no need to say anything more about the others; they will all meet the same fate.

The four elders' faces darkened upon hearing the Song family patriarch's words. In order to secure greater benefits for the Great Zhou Dynasty in the secular world, the Song family had dispatched two groups of people, one openly and one covertly.

Especially the leaders, all of them are seventh-rank celestial beings.

It should be noted that a seventh-grade Celestial Being is considered a formidable expert in Tianshan City. Within the entire Song family, a seventh-grade Celestial Being is considered to be among the highest-level combatants.

Now, both groups have run into trouble.

Even the life lamps of the two leading seventh-rank celestial beings were extinguished.

This is a considerable loss for the Song family.

"Could it be that the other factions, like our Song family, have secretly sent troops to the Great Zhou in addition to their open forces?"

The Third Elder's eyes flickered, and he said in a deep voice.

"It is estimated that the leaders that everyone has sent out on the surface are all seventh-grade celestial beings. There is no way that the Great Zhou in the mortal world could kill a seventh-grade celestial being."

"Then there is only one possible outcome: the other forces, like our Song family, have also secretly sent other people to the Great Zhou."

"Furthermore, the people they secretly sent out were definitely experts of the seventh rank or above."

The Fourth Elder nodded.

Aside from a few other forces, they couldn't think of anyone else who could kill a seventh-rank Celestial Being from the Song family.

It should be noted that although a seventh-grade celestial being is not a top-tier expert, they are not an ordinary expert either.

Annihilating a seventh-rank celestial being is not something anyone can do easily.

In the entire Tianshan City, only a handful of forces possess such strength.

As for the Great Zhou Dynasty in the secular world, it can be completely ignored and is not even within the scope of consideration of the Third Elder and the Fourth Elder.

The First Elder and the Second Elder frowned slightly.

They all naturally understood the meaning behind the Third Elder and the Fourth Elder's words.

After all, although everyone in Tianshan City seems to be at peace on the surface, the competition behind the scenes has never stopped.

Everyone was just being polite on the surface.

The elder frowned and said in a deep voice, "Although our Song family has conflicts with several other forces behind the scenes, we have always restrained each other, and no one would dare to fight and kill the other's important members."

"Our Song family won't do that, and neither will the other powerful families."

"This has always been the rule."

"Once everyone has killed each other's key members, it means that everyone will have to fight back fiercely."

"Such consequences are not something anyone can bear. The other forces cannot be unaware of the consequences of doing so."

The elder said, his eyes gleaming.

Hearing the First Elder's words, the other three elders also felt that he made sense.

Although the Song family and several other forces have been secretly vying for power, they have always kept their rivalry within certain limits and have not crossed the rules that they have mutually agreed upon.

Especially when it comes to directly killing a seventh-rank Celestial Being, no one would do that unless there was a major grudge.

Because doing so could potentially lead to a major confrontation between them.

Ultimately, it will definitely result in the enemy suffering a thousand losses while you yourself suffer eight hundred.

The Song family understood this, and the other factions were also aware of it.

However, the life lamp of the seventh-rank celestial being sent by the Song family to the Great Zhou has indeed been extinguished.

How to explain this?

Surely it's not that the Great Zhou Dynasty in the mortal realm has experts above the seventh rank of Celestial Being, and that the experts of the Great Zhou Dynasty in the mortal realm killed the seventh rank Celestial Being of the Song family?
All four elders had their brows furrowed.

It's not that they look down on the Great Zhou in the secular world, but rather that the highest level of strength in the Great Zhou in the secular world was only half a step into the Celestial Realm.

Even with the opportunity brought by this extraordinary celestial phenomenon, at most it would only allow the half-step Celestial Being of the Great Zhou to break through the barrier between Celestial Beings and achieve the status of a Celestial Being.

It was a stroke of luck that brought a master of the seventh rank or higher to the Great Zhou Dynasty in the mortal realm.

Nobody would believe that.

The Song family patriarch, sitting in the main seat, said in a gloomy tone, "I will go to the city lord's mansion tomorrow to investigate this matter thoroughly."

"From now on, our Song family will maintain a relaxed exterior but a tight interior. Disseminate this to everyone..."

……

at the same time.

Song family.

Meeting hall.

The head of the Song family and the elders of the Song family also gathered together.

Everyone's face was tense.

"It's definitely the work of those other forces, that they brewed the thieves."

"Although a seventh-grade Celestial Being isn't considered top-tier in terms of power, to eliminate one, one would need at least the strength of a fellow seventh-grade Celestial Being, or even greater..."

"It's impossible for the Great Zhou, a mere secular state, to have such a master. It must be that one of the other forces secretly sent someone to the Great Zhou."

"If I find out who dared to kill a seventh-rank Celestial being from my Song family, I will definitely not let him off the hook."

An elder from the Song family said angrily.

The Zhou family possessed a life-giving lamp, which revealed that the people they sent to the Great Zhou had died.

The Song family was no exception; they too had a life lamp and knew that the people they had sent to the Great Zhou had died.

It can be said that not only the Song and Zhou families, but all the major powers in Tianshan City have the existence of the Life Lamp.

The expressions of the Song family patriarch and the other elders of the Song family also changed constantly.

The fact that the life lamps of the Song family's men sent to Da Zhou went out means that something bad had happened to all of them.

Even a seventh-rank celestial being died.

This means someone doesn't take the Song family seriously and wants to start a war with them!

……

City Lord's Mansion.

The city lord of Tianshan City sat in a chair, and the steward beside him reported: "Master, news has just come from below that those families have discovered that the troops they sent to Da Zhou have encountered trouble."

"Oh!"

A hint of surprise flashed across the face of the city lord of Tianshan City.

"Which family members had these accidents?"

The city lord of Tianshan City asked curiously.

The city lord of Tianshan City is aware that these people are secretly fighting each other in Tianshan City.

Now that the forces these powers sent to the Great Zhou have run into trouble, it goes without saying that someone must have secretly sent a master to take action.

As the city lord of Tianshan City, nothing in Tianshan City can be kept from him, not even the Zhou family and the Song family.

"Master, it's not just one or two families, it's all the people they sent to the Great Zhou that have run into trouble."

"The life lamps of the Zhou family, the Song family, and other forces sent to the Great Zhou have all been extinguished."

The butler said solemnly.

what?
Upon hearing this news, the city lord of Tianshan City was also shocked.

All the forces sent to the Great Zhou have met with misfortune.

How can this be?

The city lord of Tianshan City frowned.

The city lord of Tianshan City initially thought that someone from these forces had secretly sent an expert to carry out the attack.

But now it seems that things are not as simple as they appear.

If these forces had their own secret agents who secretly sent experts to kill all the people sent to the Great Zhou, it would have been impossible.

Because no one dares to provoke so many forces at the same time, not even the city lord's mansion.

After all, it's difficult to defy public anger.

"This matter seems rather suspicious!"

The city lord of Tianshan City murmured, his eyes flickering uncertainly.

Although the city lord of Tianshan City was eager for these forces to suffer heavy losses so that his city lord's mansion could become the only dominant force.

However, things like this, which are beyond the control of the City Lord of Tianshan City, are something the City Lord of Tianshan City is unwilling to see.

All the forces sent to the Great Zhou have encountered misfortune, which was completely beyond the expectations, control, and imagination of the City Lord of Tianshan City.

(End of this chapter)