You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Great Yan.

royal palace.

The Yan Emperor sat upright on his dragon throne, his face extremely gloomy.

"waste."

"They're all useless."

"A million-strong army with thousands of capable generals couldn't even handle the hundreds of thousands of troops of the Great Zhou. They not only lost their armor and weapons, but also suffered a crushing defeat, losing cities and territory, allowing the Zhou army to penetrate into the heart of my Great Yan. They are truly useless."

The Yan Emperor was furious.

After receiving news that Zhou's army had breached Dingxi Pass and split into two routes to attack Great Yan, the Yan Emperor mobilized a million-strong army to meet the Zhou army.

Furthermore, the Yan Emperor also dispatched imperial retainers from the Reincarnation Realm to accompany the army and meet the enemy.

At first, the Yan emperor was full of confidence, believing that he could wipe out the invading Zhou army in one fell swoop.

Because, in order to deal with the invading Zhou army, the Yan Emperor mobilized almost the entire strength of the Great Yan.

Whether in terms of the number of soldiers or the number of experts, they are more than twice the size of Zhou's army.

Given such a disparity in strength, as long as that half-saint from the Great Zhou didn't arrive, annihilating the invading Zhou army would be a piece of cake.

however.

Several days have passed.

Instead of receiving any news of victory, the Yan Emperor received a series of reports of his army's defeat.

Moreover, it was not just an ordinary defeat, but a complete rout, a disastrous defeat that swept away thousands of miles of territory.

How could the Emperor of Yan not be furious at such an outcome?
Emperor Yan couldn't understand it. He had sent out twice the strength of the Zhou army, and had a Venerable of the Reincarnation Realm accompanying the army. Even if it was a few against one, it shouldn't have resulted in such a crushing defeat!
Even if they can't win, they should at least be able to stop Zhou's army's advance!
How could they possibly suffer a crushing defeat and collapse?
But the Yan Emperor knew that now was not the time to think about these things; the most important thing now was how to deal with the situation ahead.

Zhou's army has already reached the heart of the Great Yan territory. If it is not stopped, Zhou's army will be able to reach the outskirts of the Yan capital in less than three days.

At that time, the situation that Great Yan will face is predictable.

“My dear ministers, Zhou’s army has already penetrated into the heart of my Great Yan. My Great Yan’s million-strong army has been routed and can no longer stop Zhou’s advance.”

"Within three days, Zhou's army will be at the gates of my Yan capital. Do any of you ministers have a good strategy to repel the enemy?"

Emperor Yan suppressed his anger and looked up at the dozen or so ministers below with a gloomy expression.

More than a dozen ministers had solemn expressions and furrowed brows.

They never expected that the million-strong army they had mobilized to fight against Zhou's army would be defeated, and in such a devastating way, it would be a complete rout.

Zhou Jun's strength exceeded their expectations.

This doesn't even include the fact that the demigod from the Great Zhou Dynasty didn't come.

If that demigod from the Great Zhou Dynasty were to arrive, then the Great Yan Dynasty would likely be suppressed and destroyed in an instant, just like the Great Yue Dynasty...

More than a dozen ministers dared not speak up easily.

To be precise, they didn't have any good strategies to repel the enemy.

Faced with overwhelming power, no matter how many schemes you have, they are meaningless.

In other words, in the face of absolute power, any conspiracy or trickery is just empty talk.

"Your Majesty, why not send an envoy to negotiate peace with the Great Zhou and stabilize the situation first?"

One of the ministers spoke up.

Given the current situation, we cannot win by fighting. The only way is to negotiate, stabilize the Great Zhou, and buy time to have a chance of survival.

otherwise.

Once that demigod from the Great Zhou arrives, the Great Yan will end up like the Great Yue.

Peace talks?

"A native dynasty that has just merged into the Great Wilderness, does it deserve to negotiate with my Great Yan?"

The Yan Emperor's voice turned colder.

As an emperor, the Yan emperor could not tolerate such servile peace talks.

Most importantly, the Yan Emperor knew that with the war having progressed to this point, the Zhou army had already penetrated deep into the heart of Yan, their advance was unstoppable, and victory was in sight. How could the Zhou possibly sit down and negotiate with the Yan?
If it were the Emperor of Yan, he wouldn't have negotiated peace either, but would have pressed on and annihilated the enemy, achieving the great feat of expanding the territory.

"By imperial decree, the Yan Yun Guard is to be mobilized to confront the Zhou army. All powerful families and influential clans must send all their strongest warriors to join the army and resist the Zhou forces..."

"Anyone who dares to disobey will be killed without mercy."

The Yan Emperor no longer expected his ministers to have any good strategies for repelling the enemy, and simply spoke loudly.

Since peace talks are impossible, the only option left is to fight to the bitter end.

The Yan emperor needed to mobilize all his forces to meet the Zhou army, halt their advance, and buy time.

The Yan Emperor has already sought help from outside and has also reported the matter of the Great Zhou conquering the Great Yue to the imperial court.

As long as we can hold off Zhou's army and delay them for a while, once reinforcements arrive, the Great Zhou won't be able to cause any major trouble.

……

Qingfeng Palace.

Steward Yang said to Mu Yuyan, "Miss, Fifth Master Mu has ordered all Mu Clan Chambers within the Great Zhou to withdraw from the Great Zhou and sever all ties with the Great Zhou."

"Furthermore, Master Mu also ordered the abolition of all of Miss's rights within the Chamber of Commerce, strictly forbidding her from having any right to mobilize the Chamber of Commerce in the future."

Steward Yang relayed Master Mu's orders perfectly.

"Oh!"

"is it?"

"It seems that Fifth Uncle and the Mu family really have no regard for kinship at all."

Mu Yuyan's expression remained unchanged after hearing this.

Mu Yuyan had anticipated that Fifth Master Mu would do this.

However, it won't be so easy for Master Mu to abolish her rights so easily.

It is true that the Mu Clan Chamber of Commerce belongs to the Mu family, but the foundation of the Mu Clan Chamber of Commerce is in the Imperial Dynasty. In other major dynasties, the Mu Clan Chamber of Commerce only exists in the imperial city.

Apart from the Mu Clan Chamber of Commerce in the imperial cities of the Dynasty and other major dynasties, the Mu Clan Chamber of Commerce in other cities, such as the Mu Clan Chamber of Commerce in the Hundred Cities of the Great Wilderness, were all managed and expanded by Mu Yuyan.

It can be said that Mu Yuyan deserves a large part of the credit for the Mu Clan Chamber of Commerce's current widespread presence in every corner of the Eastern Region.

If Master Mu wants to abolish Mu Yuyan's rights within the Chamber of Commerce, he can only affect Mu Yuyan's rights within the Mu Clan Chamber of Commerce in the Imperial Dynasty and the capital cities of various dynasties.

As for the Mu Clan Chambers of Commerce in other cities, they are ostensibly managed by the Mu family, but in reality, they are all secretly controlled by Mu Yuyan.

"Uncle Yang, inform all the managers of the Mu Clan Chamber of Commerce within the Great Zhou Dynasty to postpone Fifth Uncle's orders for now!"

Mu Yuyan didn't say much.

All the managers of the Mu Clan Chamber of Commerce within the Great Zhou Dynasty are Mu Yuyan's people.

Master Mu ordered that if the Mu Clan Chamber of Commerce within the Great Zhou Dynasty were to withdraw from the Great Zhou, they would have to see if Mu Yuyan agreed.

However, now is not the time to completely part ways with the Mu family, otherwise, we will face their full force.

Therefore, Mu Yuyan could only tell her subordinates to stall for time.

"Yes, ma'am."

Steward Yang turned and left Qingfeng Palace.

……

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Zhou Chen sat upright on the dragon throne.

Zhou Chen didn't pay much attention to what Master Mu said about withdrawing the Mu Clan Chamber of Commerce from the Great Zhou and ceasing its support for the Great Zhou.

The Great Zhou of today is no longer the Great Zhou of the past; it is the Great Zhou that has annexed the Hundred Cities of the Great Wilderness and wiped out the Great Yue Dynasty.

The Mu Clan Chamber of Commerce's withdrawal from supporting the Great Zhou Dynasty might have some impact, but it wouldn't be too significant. With the resources and technology support from the Hundred Cities of the Great Wilderness and the Great Yue Dynasty, the Great Zhou's rapid development would continue even without the Mu Clan Chamber of Commerce's assistance.

Moreover, Zhou Chen trusted Mu Yuyan.

How could someone who has been struggling to break free from the marriage alliance with the dynasty not have any tricks up their sleeve?

The fifth master of the Mu family wants the Mu Clan Chamber of Commerce in the Great Zhou to withdraw from the Great Zhou and stop supporting it, but that won't be so easy.

Zhou Chen then focused all his energy on state affairs.

At present, for Zhou Chen, everything else is secondary. The most important thing is the war in Great Yan and the post-war situation in Great Yue, and whether Xiao He and the others have stabilized the chaotic situation in Great Yue...

Zhou Chen glanced at Cao Zhengchun and asked, "How is the situation in Da Yue?"

Has Cao Youxiang sent any news back?

After processing several memorials, Zhou Chen asked Cao Zhengchun about news from Dayue.

"Your Majesty, Cao Youxiang reports that the situation in Da Yue has basically stabilized."

"General Lü personally led the troops of Da Yue and suppressed a large number of rebels."

"Now, all the troops and local officials of Dayue have submitted petitions to surrender to Da Zhou. Lord Xiao and his men are accepting the troops from Dayue and handling matters related to the army."

Cao Zhengchun bowed and said.

Cao Zhengchun reported the basic situation of Dayue to Zhou Chen in detail.

"That's good."

Zhou Chen nodded.

Once the problems with the various armies of Dai Viet are resolved, the situation in Dai Viet will basically stabilize.

Without the resistance of a large army, other minor disturbances will not amount to much.

"However, Your Majesty, according to the news sent back by Cao Youxiang, some powerful forces and aristocratic families in Da Yue are stirring up trouble in secret."

"They are working together and are carrying out significant operations."

"Some remnants of the Eastern Depot, whom they hunted down, always managed to escape; someone was secretly ambushing the Eastern Depot's guards..."

Cao Zhengchun then changed the subject and said...

Zhou Chen's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this; "It's perfectly reasonable."

"To those forces in Da Yue, Da Zhou is, after all, an outsider. It would be strange if those forces and powerful families obediently bowed down to Da Zhou."

"Let alone my Great Zhou, even towards the Emperor of Yue, the powerful forces and aristocratic families of Great Yue would probably only pay lip service and not truly submit."

Zhou Chen said slowly.

Zhou Chen knew the true nature of those powerful and wealthy families better than anyone.

They're a bunch of people who won't get up early for nothing.

In their eyes, it doesn't matter who is emperor or who holds power; they only care about their own personal interests.

The destruction of the Great Yue royal family by the Great Zhou Dynasty presented an opportunity for those powerful forces and aristocratic families to expand their strength and prestige, and naturally, none of them would let it pass.

They even hoped that things would become more chaotic.

The more chaotic the situation becomes, the more advantageous it is for those powerful and aristocratic families.

If the Great Zhou cannot stabilize the situation in the Great Yue, that would be even better, as their respective forces and powerful families could then rule as their own.

Perhaps they even have a chance to replace the royal family of Dai Viet and become the new emperor of Dai Viet.

"How is the battle situation in Great Yan?"

"Was Han Xin's attack successful?"

Zhou Chen asked again.

"Your Majesty, General Han and his men have defeated the million-strong army of Great Yan and have penetrated into the heart of Great Yan territory."

"However, both General Zhao Yun and General Pei Yuanqing sustained some injuries..."

Cao Zhengchun recounted the news about the Great Yan.

After hearing this, Zhou Chen pondered for a moment, his eyes flashing. "Send an edict to Han Xin, and tell him that I don't have time for him. Let him slowly conquer Great Yan and end the war against Great Yan as soon as possible, lest things change if he delays."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Cao Zhengchun immediately bowed and said.

"besides."

"Issue an imperial edict to Lü Bu, ordering him to gather all the forces within the Great Yue region, as well as the Reincarnation Realm Venerables from powerful families, and lead them to the Great Yan to assist Han Xin in conquering and destroying it."

Zhou Chen continued.

Since the powerful families and various forces in Dayue are restless, and the Great Zhou has no way to eliminate these problems within Dayue for the time being.

Taking advantage of this favorable wind, Zhou Chen summoned all the Reincarnation Realm Venerables from these forces and aristocratic families to aid Great Yan in the battle.

In this way, without these Reincarnation Realm Venerables in charge, the powerful families and clans of Great Yue will be more obedient, and the situation in Great Yue will be better stabilized.

Furthermore, it can weaken the strength of these powerful families, allowing their Reincarnation Realm Venerables to expand the territory of the Great Zhou and attack the Great Yan.

At the same time, it can also support Han Xin in taking down the Great Yan as soon as possible.

This can be described as killing two birds with one stone.

of course.

Those powerful and influential families at the Reincarnation Realm can also refuse.

But the cost of rejection is something they cannot afford.

With Lu Bu, a semi-saint, present, no matter how foolish the Reincarnation Realm Venerables of those aristocratic families are, they would not refuse.

Unless, they're looking for death.

Cao Zhengchun's eyes flashed, and he immediately understood Zhou Chen's meaning.

"Old slave obeys the order."

"Go!"

Zhou Chen waved his hand.

Cao Zhengchun turned and left the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

After Cao Zhengchun left, Zhou Chen got up and walked out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, gazing at the majestic and towering palace.

When a lion fights a rabbit, he also uses all his strength.

Let alone a war between nations?

Zhou Chen needs to deal with Da Yan as soon as possible to avoid any unexpected incidents.

Most importantly, Zhou Chen needs to act quickly and decisively, then gather his forces to prepare for a potential major enemy.

Master Mu has already arrived in Da Zhou. Although Zhou Chen has warned Master Mu, given the nature of these aristocratic families, they will definitely not let this go.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it won't be long before a powerful member of the Mu family arrives in the Great Zhou.

Zhou Chen needs to be prepared for this.

There is also the Ziyang Sect.

Zhou Chen did not believe that the Ziyang Sect could not find out that one of its three inner disciples, including a fifth-generation true disciple, had died in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Once the Ziyang Sect discovers that it was the Great Zhou that killed their true disciples, given the sect's power, they will not let it go easily.

Therefore, Zhou Chen needs to end the war in Great Yan as soon as possible and deal with the possible revenge from the Mu family and the Ziyang Sect.

Otherwise, given the current defensive strength of Luoyang, Zhou Chen wouldn't be very confident in facing the potential arrival of powerful figures from the Mu family and the Ziyang Sect.

Zhou Chen was confident, but he was by no means arrogant.

Facing the potential arrival of powerful figures from both the Mu family and the Ziyang Sect, Zhou Chen had to ensure absolute safety.