You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 406 The Dynasty Sends Out Troops
The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Zhou Chen sat upright on the dragon throne.

Several ministers, including Li Si, Xun Yu, Liu Ye, Du Ruhui, Li Yuan (Minister of War), and Wang Yangming (Minister of Justice), stood separately.

Now, with Li Si as the Right Chancellor and Xiao He, the Left Chancellor, absent, Li Si commands all the civil and military officials of the court.

Fortunately, Li Si was there, presiding over the operation of the cabinet and sharing most of the political affairs.

Otherwise, Emperor Zhou Chen would probably be busy until late at night every day, working himself to the bone.

Zhou Chen glanced at Li Si and the others, and said, "My dear ministers, I intend to launch a preemptive strike against the Azure Dragon Dynasty. What do you think?"

Zhou Chen didn't waste any words and directly asked these important officials.

Upon hearing this, Li Si, Xun Yu, and the others all frowned slightly.

"Your Majesty, the purpose of striking first is to catch the enemy off guard."

"However, as the overlord of the Eastern Region, the recent actions of our Great Zhou against other dynasties are unlikely to escape the notice of the Azure Dragon Dynasty."

"This preemptive strike is no longer of much significance to the Azure Dragon Dynasty. It would be better to take advantage of this time to consolidate the power of these dynasties so that we can control them more easily later."

Li Si pondered for a moment, then stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said...

"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Li is right. The Imperial Court cannot be unaware of the actions of our Great Zhou. Strike first, and we will lose the initiative. It would be more advantageous to consolidate and strengthen the power of our Great Zhou."

"Moreover, the outcome of the great battle today is not determined by the size of the army, but by the strength of the strong."

"Compared to the Azure Dragon Dynasty, our Great Zhou Dynasty is still somewhat lacking in foundation. Taking the initiative will not be of any advantage to our Great Zhou Dynasty."

As soon as Li Si finished speaking, Du Ruhui also spoke up.

Xun Yu and Li Yuan, the Minister of War, and the others remained silent, but their expressions were somewhat solemn.

The Azure Dragon Dynasty is the overlord of the Eastern Region, an uncrowned king in the entire region.

The Great Zhou could easily conquer any dynasty, and even wipe out all the dynasties in the Eastern Region.

However, this does not mean that the Great Zhou Dynasty can deal with the Imperial Dynasty.

The Azure Dragon Dynasty is incomparable to any other dynasty. Even if all the dynasties were combined, they wouldn't amount to more than a fraction of the Azure Dragon Dynasty's power.

Facing such an uncrowned king, the Great Zhou was definitely at a disadvantage.

Such a conflict demands our utmost caution.

……

at this time.

A eunuch from the Imperial Guard quietly entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation, approached Cao Zhengchun, and handed him a note.

Furthermore, the eunuch and guards whispered a few words in Cao Zhengchun's ear.

Cao Zhengchun's expression changed slightly.

After dismissing the eunuchs and guards, Cao Zhengchun immediately bent down and whispered to Zhou Chen on the dragon throne, "Your Majesty, news has come from the imperial guards that the imperial army has been dispatched."

Cao Zhengchun handed the note in his hand to Zhou Chen.

"Oh!"

Zhou Chen raised an eyebrow, his expression clearly showing surprise.

Zhou Chen immediately took the note from Cao Zhengchun's hand, opened it, and glanced at it.

Upon seeing the contents of the note, a glint of light flashed in Zhou Chen's eyes.

"My dear ministers, it seems we no longer need to discuss taking a preemptive strike against the Azure Dragon Dynasty."

After putting down the message in his hand, Zhou Chen looked up at Li Si and the others.

"The Imperial Guard just sent word that the Azure Dragon Dynasty has ordered the mobilization of a million-strong army to annihilate our Great Zhou."

Zhou Chen's words were like a thunderclap in the ears of Li Si, Xun Yu, and the other ministers.

what?
Li Si and Xun Yu's expressions changed slightly. They hadn't expected the imperial court to react so quickly, already ordering an attack on the Great Zhou.

Not only were ministers like Li Si and Xun Yu caught off guard, but Zhou Chen also didn't expect the imperial court to act so quickly.

"I didn't expect the dynasty to act so quickly. A million-strong army, what a grand gesture!"

Zhou Chen said, letting out a cold laugh.

A million-strong army—that's no small number.

Especially the imperial army, its strength is definitely much greater than that of the dynasty's army.

The soldiers of the dynasty's army had basically reached the late stage of the mortal realm, or even the peak. It is estimated that the soldiers of the imperial army would have to start from the celestial realm.

Imagine the power that an army of millions of people at the Celestial Realm or above would unleash when such a force is gathered together.
"Your Majesty, who will the imperial court appoint to lead the army?"

"Besides the million-strong army, how many powerful figures did the dynasty send to accompany the army?"

Li Si asked with a solemn expression.

A million-strong army is formidable, but it is not the greatest threat to the Great Zhou, nor is it the key to victory or defeat.

The real threat to the Great Zhou Dynasty comes from semi-saints, and even more powerful beings like saints.

This is the real key to determining victory or defeat.

"The imperial dynasty's leading general is the Divine Martial King; as for the others, it is still unclear."

Upon hearing Zhou Chen's words, Li Si, Xun Yu, and the other ministers all frowned deeply.

The Divine Warrior King.

This is a top-tier prince of the Azure Dragon Dynasty, a member of the royal family, possessing formidable strength and holding a pivotal position within the dynasty…

The Great Zhou Dynasty had collected information on these important figures.

Therefore, Zhou Chen, Li Si, and Xun Yu all knew of the existence of the Divine Martial King.

However, apart from the Divine Martial King, they knew nothing about the other powerful figures sent by the dynasty, which made people uneasy.

As the saying goes, if you know yourself and your enemy, you will never be imperiled in a hundred battles.

Knowing everything about the enemy can be a disadvantage.

Zhou Chen glanced at Cao Zhengchun, who was standing beside him; "Immediately issue an edict to Han Xin and Lü Bu, telling them to mobilize all the forces of the major dynasties and stop the imperial army at all costs."

Zhou Chen's purpose in conquering the other major dynasties was to control their armies and powerful experts in order to deal with the imperial dynasty.

Now that the imperial dynasty has ordered the mobilization of a million-strong army to annihilate his Great Zhou, Zhou Chen naturally has to gather the strength of these dynasties to resist the imperial army.

In any case, the power of these dynasties did not truly belong to the Great Zhou. They were merely forced to obey the Great Zhou due to their incompetence.

It doesn't matter how many die.

This would further weaken the power of the various dynasties, making it easier for the Great Zhou to annex them later.

It's important to understand that while Lü Bu and Han Xin claimed to have conquered these dynasties, they actually only forcibly controlled the rulers and powerful figures of these dynasties, forcing them to obey their orders.

They did not actually invade and occupy these dynasties.

To occupy these dynasties and truly incorporate them into the territory of the Great Zhou, a sufficient number of troops would be needed to settle in and completely occupy them.

Unfortunately, given the current overall strength of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it does not have enough troops to occupy these dynasties and incorporate them into the Great Zhou territory.

"According to the order."

Cao Zhengchun immediately accepted the order and left.

Zhou Chen then looked at Li Si and the other ministers and began to talk about the preparations for the upcoming battle.

……

(End of this chapter)