You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 396 Send someone to investigate who killed the third brother.
The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Zhou Chen sat upright on the dragon throne, deep in thought.

The third prince of the dynasty has died.

This is both a good thing and a bad thing for the Great Zhou.

The good thing is that with the death of the Third Prince, Zhou Chen's previous deal with Mu Yuyan is now complete.

Furthermore, the dynasty also lost a powerful figure who had the potential to achieve great things in the future, thus weakening the dynasty's strength.

The bad thing is that with the death of the Third Prince, the imperial court will inevitably be enraged.

No matter who killed the third prince of the dynasty, the Great Zhou could not remain uninvolved.

The Great Zhou Dynasty was designated as the first target of the imperial court.

Because the third prince of the dynasty was killed in the Great Zhou, the Great Zhou is the most likely suspect.

Given the tyranny of the Eastern Region, regardless of whether the Great Zhou was the real culprit in killing the Third Prince, the Dynasty would never let anyone off the hook if they were suspected.

of course.

For various reasons, the Great Zhou and the Imperial Dynasty could not coexist and would inevitably go to war sooner or later.

only.

This battle might come sooner than expected because of the death of the third prince of the dynasty.

Zhou Chen tapped his fingers on the dragon table, his eyes burning with intensity.

First, seven half-saint elders from the Qingyun Sect and Ziyang Sect died, and now the third prince of the dynasty has died.

Zhou Chen could imagine what kind of situation the Great Zhou would face next.

"It's truly a storm brewing!"

Zhou Chen murmured something.

He looked up at Cao Zhengchun, who was standing beside him, and said, "Cao Zhengchun, immediately summon Li Si and Du Ruhui, the six ministers, to the palace for a meeting."

Zhou Chen was not afraid of the storm that was about to break.

But this doesn't mean Zhou Chen isn't making preparations or taking the impending storm lightly.

"Old slave obeys the order."

Cao Zhengchun bowed and accepted the order, then stepped out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

……

Half an hour later.

Li Si and Du Ruhui, along with several other ministers, entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"I have met His Majesty."

After Li Si and Du Ruhui, along with several other ministers, entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation, they bowed respectfully to Zhou Chen on the dragon throne.

"No gift."

Zhou Chen looked up at Li Si and the other ministers and said, "I have summoned you here because there is something I want to discuss with you."

"Someone just delivered a New Year's gift to me. The gift box contains the head of the Third Prince of the Dynasty."

what?
Upon hearing this, Li Si, Du Ruhui, and the others all changed their expressions slightly.

Previously, Li Si and other court officials were aware of the great battle in the sky.

They knew that nine elders from the Qingyun Sect and Ziyang Sect had arrived, but two of them escaped, and the remaining seven were killed by Lü Bu and his men.

They also knew that the Third Prince of the Azure Dragon Dynasty had arrived.

However, the third prince of the Azure Dragon Dynasty eventually left.

How come the third prince of the Azure Dragon Dynasty is dead now?
Someone even sent a severed head?
Li Si and his companions knew all too well the consequences that the death of the third prince of the dynasty would bring.

"My dear ministers should know what kind of situation our Great Zhou will face after the death of the third prince of this dynasty."

"Therefore, I plan to form alliances with the other nine dynasties to counter the Azure Dragon Dynasty. What do you think, my esteemed ministers?"

Zhou Chen looked at Li Si and Du Ruhui and asked them.

Zhou Chen knew the gap between the Great Zhou and the Imperial Dynasty.

Whether in terms of top-tier combat power, mid-to-high-level combat power, or overall national strength, the Great Zhou and the Imperial Dynasty are not on the same level.

In terms of top-tier combat power, with Lu Bu and a few others, it's still manageable.

However, in terms of mid-to-high-level combat power and overall national strength, let alone compared with imperial dynasties, even compared with ordinary dynasties, the Great Zhou was still somewhat inferior.

Once Lu Bu and his top-tier combatants are tied up, and the imperial court deploys its mid-to-high-level combat forces and large army to deal with the Great Zhou, the Great Zhou will simply be unable to withstand it.

Therefore, Zhou Chen needs to form alliances with the other nine dynasties to resist the imperial dynasty.

In the entire Eastern Region, besides the Azure Dragon Dynasty, there are nine other dynasties. Among them, the Great Yue and Great Yan dynasties are two of them.

Now, the Great Yue and Great Yan have been destroyed by the Great Zhou, and only seven of the nine dynasties remain.

As long as Zhou Chen can integrate and utilize the power of these dynasties, he can make up for some of the shortcomings and gaps between the Great Zhou and the Imperial Dynasty, and better resist the Azure Dragon Dynasty.

"Your Majesty, who killed the Third Prince of the Dynasty and sent his head to you?"

Li Si looked at Zhou Chen on the dragon throne and asked.

Du Ruhui and the other ministers all pricked up their ears and looked at Zhou Chen.

This person killed the third prince of the dynasty and even sent his head to the Great Zhou. He clearly had ill intentions.

Zhou Chen shook his head; "After handing over the head of the Third Prince of the Dynasty to the palace gate guards, the other party disappeared without a trace. The Eastern Depot could not find any trace of the other party, and I do not know who the other party is."

Upon hearing Zhou Chen's words, Li Si, Du Ruhui, and several other ministers frowned slightly.

Hide your head and show your tail.

If you said there was no scheming involved, nobody would believe it.

"His Majesty."

"The Azure Dragon Dynasty is the overlord of the Eastern Region. Your Majesty wants to form alliances with the other nine dynasties to deal with the Azure Dragon Dynasty, but I estimate that the other nine dynasties will not agree."

Minister of War Li Yuan said tactfully.

The Azure Dragon Dynasty is the ruler of the entire Eastern Region, and all nine other dynasties follow its lead and obey its commands.

Your Majesty's attempt to form alliances with them to deal with the Azure Dragon Dynasty is nothing short of wishful thinking.

It's already quite remarkable that the nine dynasties didn't obey the imperial court's orders to besiege the Great Zhou; expecting them to help the Great Zhou deal with the Azure Dragon Dynasty is simply impossible.

of course.

The Minister of War did not state these things directly, but rather conveyed the meaning implicitly.

Wang Yangming, the Minister of Justice, and Xun Yu, the Minister of Revenue, who were standing nearby, all nodded.

They agreed with the Minister of War, stating that His Majesty's attempt to form alliances with the other nine dynasties to deal with the Azure Dragon Dynasty was simply impossible, as the nine dynasties would never agree to it.

Only Li Si's eyes flickered, as if he understood the deeper meaning behind Zhou Chen's words.

"Your Majesty, I think this method is feasible. We can send Generals Lü Bu, Yang Zaixing, and Long Ju on a trip."

"If we can form alliances with the other nine dynasties, we can strike first..."

……

Just as Zhou Chen and Li Si were discussing the death of the third prince of the dynasty.

Azure Dragon Dynasty.

royal palace.

A handsome and extraordinary middle-aged man sat on the dragon throne, his face extremely gloomy.

Below, a trembling old eunuch knelt.

"What did you say?"

"The third son's memorial tablet is broken?"

The middle-aged man on the dragon throne stared intently at the old eunuch, his imposing presence making it difficult for the old eunuch to breathe.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"The Third Prince's life tablet has been shattered."

The old eunuch bowed to the ground, his voice trembling slightly.

"boom."

As soon as the old eunuch finished speaking, a terrifying aura erupted from the middle-aged man, causing all the powerful figures of the Azure Dragon Dynasty to turn their heads slightly.

These powerful figures from the Azure Dragon Dynasty were all wondering who had offended the emperor and provoked his anger.

"Send people to investigate immediately. The third brother must have gone to a dynasty in the Great Wilderness!"

"Send someone to find out for me who dared to kill the third brother."

The middle-aged man's voice was as cold and sharp as a demonic sound from the deepest hell, and his terrifying aura flashed by in an instant.

"According to the order."

The old eunuch's heart nearly jumped out of his chest; he quickly got up, not daring to delay for a moment.

Because this is the emperor's decree, and no one in the world dares to disobey it.

(End of this chapter)