You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 86 Cao Zhengchun, read out my decree.

"Your Majesty, this old minister believes that Marquis Weiwu is suitable."

"Marquis Weiwu fought countless battles throughout his life and was a renowned veteran general. His prestige in the army was second only to that of the Grand Tutor."

"It is most appropriate and proper for Marquis Weiwu to lead the troops to the four northern provinces to quell the rebellion."

Chancellor Yuan Bo recommended Marquis Weiwu as the general to lead the expedition to quell the rebellion in the four northern provinces.

After the deaths of General Wu Jin and Grand Tutor Wen Zhong, Marquis Wei Wu is now the most powerful figure in the court in terms of prestige and military command.

The other generals were somewhat lacking.

Therefore, whether it was the officials or the Prime Minister Yuan Bo, the first general they thought of to lead the expedition to quell the rebellion was Marquis Weiwu.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chen nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and looked at the other officials.

"Your Majesty, I also agree with Marquis Weiwu leading the army into battle."

"However, there are many rebels in the surrounding northern regions. I think that Marquis Weiwu alone may not be able to hold them off."

"Therefore, I believe that General Lü Bu should lead the army together with Marquis Weiwu, with each of them commanding an army and quelling the rebellion in two separate routes."

"In this way, if something goes wrong on one side, the other side can provide support, which is more reliable."

The Minister of War stepped forward and spoke.

In fact, when it comes to commanding troops in battle, the Minister of War is in no way inferior to the Marquis of Weiwu.

Otherwise, the Minister of War would not have been able to sit in the position of Minister of War and lead the entire Ministry of War.

This seat isn't for just anyone.

If you don't know anything about military affairs, don't understand how to command troops, and don't have a certain amount of military merit, you can't sit in this position.

It's just that the Marquis of Might is more famous than the Minister of War.

Following the advice of the Minister of War, the Eighth Prince also stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, I agree with the Minister of War's opinion."

"The situation in the four northern states is indeed not optimistic. It is unlikely that Marquis Weiwu alone can wipe out all the rebels."

"If General Lü Bu could lead the troops together, we could more quickly quell the rebels and suppress the rebellion in the four northern provinces."

Zhou Xian, the Eighth Prince, knew Lu Bu's fighting prowess; he was someone who could send Zhou Rushan, a half-step Celestial, flying with a single halberd strike.

In addition, Lü Bu was a military general.

If Lü Bu were to lead his army into battle, the chaos in the four northern provinces could be brought under control.

As for Marquis Weiwu, his prestige and ability to lead troops in battle are indeed the strongest in the court at present, but can he be stronger than Grand Tutor Wen Zhong?
Even Grand Tutor Wen Zhong died in battle at the hands of the Yellow Heaven Sect sorcerers. How could Marquis Weiwu lead an army to quell the rebellion alone? Wasn't that just handing them food?
Therefore, this is why the Minister of War and the Eighth Prince advised Lü Bu to join the expedition.

"What about the troops?"

"How many should be transferred?"

Zhou Chen asked again.

"Your Majesty, of the Twelve Divine Martial Guards, one guard with 30,000 men has died fighting alongside the Grand Tutor in the four northwestern prefectures, leaving only the eleventh guard with over 300,000 soldiers."

"The Divine Martial Guard is the foundation for guarding the capital Luoyang and deterring the world, and the safety of Luoyang is of paramount importance."

"Therefore, I believe that the Shenwu Guard should leave at least 100,000 troops to guard Luoyang."

The Minister of War was in charge of military affairs, so he had the most say in this matter.

The Minister of War immediately stepped forward and spoke.

The Eighth Prince and the Marquis of Weiwu, along with other ministers, echoed his sentiments.

As the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Luoyang's importance goes without saying.

Without a large enough army to guard the area, any unexpected situation could lead to serious problems.

Therefore, the consensus among the officials was that at least 100,000 troops of the Divine Martial Guard should remain to guard Emperor Luoyang. Seeing that Fang Xuanling hadn't spoken, Zhou Chen looked at him and asked, "Fang Xuanling, what's your suggestion?"

All the officials looked at Fang Xuanling.

The officials knew perfectly well that Fang Xuanling was the true confidant of the man on the dragon throne.

They all wanted to see what good advice Fang Xuanling had to offer.

"Your Majesty, the ministers have all spoken very comprehensively, so I will not say anything more."

"However, what I want to say is that there are many rebels in the four northern states, and they have gradually gained momentum. Therefore, the imperial army must sweep away the rebels in the four states with lightning speed."

"We must not give them any chance, otherwise the court will be dragged into a quagmire by the situation on all sides in the north."

"Besides the soldiers left to guard Luoyang, the Shenwu Guard is still somewhat short of a large army to mobilize."

"Therefore, I suggest that Your Majesty issue an imperial edict to the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang, ordering them to each send their own troops south to quell the rebellion."

Fang Xuanling spoke slowly and deliberately.

Fang Xuanling's words caused the expressions of all the officials to change slightly.

Prime Minister Yuan Bo immediately stood up and objected, saying, "Your Majesty, this is absolutely not allowed."

"The Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang are stationed on the frontier to defend against the Northern Di and Western Rong tribes."

"If an imperial edict is issued ordering the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang to mobilize troops to the south to quell the rebellion, the defenses of that frontier will be left vulnerable."

"At that time, if the Northern Di and Western Rong tribes make any moves, the border defense line will be in danger."

"At that time, the Great Zhou will no longer face a mob that has just put down its farming tools, but a brutal barbarian cavalry."

"Therefore, Your Majesty, please reconsider."

Prime Minister Yuan Bo explained the implications.

"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister is right. The Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang both bear important responsibilities for the border regions of the Great Wall."

"We cannot easily mobilize their border troops to go south and quell the rebellion."

"If the border is lost, then the Great Zhou's years of efforts in border defense will be destroyed in an instant."

"The Great Zhou Dynasty cannot afford the consequences."

The Minister of Revenue also stood up to oppose Fang Xuanling's proposal.

Following this, seven or eight ministers stood up in succession to oppose the mobilization of the border troops to the south.

After all, in the eyes of these ministers in the court, the rebels in the four northern provinces were just a bunch of rioters, and could not be compared with the foreign tribes outside the pass.

If the border troops were mobilized to the south, and something went wrong at the border, the Great Zhou would face far more than just a few mobs.

Instead, they were a ferocious and powerful alien race.

If that time really comes, then it will be troublesome.

After hearing Fang Xuanling's words and the ministers' objections, Zhou Chen's expression remained largely unchanged. He simply glanced at Cao Zhengchun beside him and said, "Cao Zhengchun, read out my decree!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Zhengchun immediately produced the imperial edict he had prepared beforehand: "By imperial decree, Marquis Weiwu is hereby appointed as General of the Central Army, and ordered to lead 100,000 Northern Camp Divine Martial Guards to the four northern prefectures to quell the Yellow Heaven Sect rebels."

"By imperial decree, Lü Bu is appointed as a General of the Central Army, leading 100,000 Southern Camp Divine Martial Guards to the four northern provinces to quell the rebellion of the carefree king Zhou Qian."

"By imperial decree, Fang Xuanling and Zhou Xian, the Eighth Prince, are appointed as imperial envoys to be in full charge of disaster relief and saving the people in the four northern prefectures."

"The Emperor has decreed that the Ministry of War must immediately issue an edict to the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang, ordering them to mobilize a portion of the border troops to march south and quell the rebellion."

After Cao Zhengchun finished reading the imperial edict, he stepped aside.

The officials all looked puzzled after hearing Cao Zhengchun read out these edicts.

It turned out that Emperor Zhou Chen had already made up his mind, and his decision was not much different from the advice they had just given him.

(End of this chapter)