You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 98 The Mountain King

Southern Xinjiang.

The Prince's Mansion.

in the hall.

The Prince of Kao Shan, with his white hair, sat in the main seat, looking at the letter in his hand with a solemn expression, his whole body trembling slightly.

More than twenty generals in full armor sat on the chairs on the left and right sides below, each with an indescribable solemn expression on their faces.

Seeing the trembling expression on the Prince of Kao Shan's face, the generals couldn't help but feel worried.

"Snapped."

After reading the contents of the letter, the Prince of Kao Shan slammed it on the armrest, stood up, and shouted, "Bring me my Golden Stream and prepare a fast horse. I am going back to Luoyang."

"I want to ask that young emperor on the dragon throne, how did that old scoundrel Wen Zhong die in battle in the four northwestern prefectures?"

"How could 30,000 brave warriors have been wiped out by that rabble of the Yellow Heaven Sect?"

"Why were Yan Hua and Wu Jin's families wiped out and more than twenty ministers in the court arrested as well?"

"Furthermore, the four northern prefectures are suffering from severe drought, with countless people starving to death. Why hasn't the imperial court provided comprehensive disaster relief?"

"I want to ask him how he became emperor?"

"In just one month, three of the four ministers who were assisting the state died, twenty or thirty civil and military officials in the court had their homes confiscated and their families exterminated, and even the Divine Martial Guard, which was responsible for suppressing the world, lost 30,000 men."

"Does this emperor intend to destroy the vast empire that has been built up over hundreds of years in my Great Zhou Dynasty?"

The King of the Mountain spoke in a booming voice, his imposing aura like a lion about to explode, his voice dark and menacing.

Prince Kao Shan truly hadn't expected that such a drastic change would occur in the imperial court in just one month.

Two key ministers and dozens of court officials were executed, their families wiped out, and a severe drought struck four northern prefectures. The court's inadequate disaster relief efforts sparked a popular uprising.

Taking advantage of the situation, the Yellow Heaven Sect raised its flag in rebellion, and even the carefree prince of the royal family openly raised the flag of rebellion.

What the Prince of Kao Shan found most unacceptable was that Grand Tutor Wen Zhong, a veteran of three dynasties and the pillar who supported half of the Zhou Dynasty, had actually died in battle.

While the Prince of Kao Shan was filled with anger, he could not hide the sorrow in his eyes.

The loss of such a veteran of three dynasties is a great loss to the Great Zhou Dynasty, a pillar of strength.

He also grieved that King Kao Shan had lost a close friend.

If we were to talk about the person in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty who had the best relationship with Grand Tutor Wen Zhong, it would undoubtedly be his patron, Prince Zhou Zhan.

Because they were people of the same era, and also the only two pillars of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

These two were the pillars of the Great Zhou Dynasty, one holding the reins of the court and the other guarding the frontier; their cooperation was truly seamless.

But now, one of the two pillars supporting the heavens of the Great Zhou has died, which is equivalent to the collapse of half of the Great Zhou's sky.

This made King Zhou Zhan, who was in charge of the mountain, furious, just like a raging lion.

Upon hearing that the Prince of Kao Shan intended to take the Golden Stream back to Luoyang, the generals on both sides immediately changed their expressions.

The general sitting on the right immediately stood up and said, "Your Highness, you mustn't! So many important events have happened in the court. I know Your Highness is anxious."

"But Your Highness is the backbone of the 300,000-strong Zhennan Army, guarding against the southern barbarians, a great responsibility."

"If the prince leaves, the 300,000 Zhennan Army will lose its backbone."

“If the barbarians seize the opportunity to attack the pass, then the southern border will be in grave danger.”

Immediately afterward, another general stood up and said, "Yes! Your Highness, the barbarians are now stationed outside the pass. If they find out that Your Highness has returned to Luoyang, they will definitely do everything in their power to breach the pass."

"At that time, without Your Highness as our pillar of support, the 300,000 Zhennan Army will be like a body without a soul."

"How can we stop the hundreds of thousands of barbarians from beyond the pass? Your Highness, please think carefully."

Next, the generals on both sides of the hall said to the Prince of Kaoshan in unison, "Please reconsider, Your Highness." These generals did not want the Prince of Kaoshan to return to Luoyang, not only because the danger from the barbarian tribes on the border was ever-present, but also because of the Prince of Kaoshan's fiery temper.

In particular, the Prince of Kao Shan said he would take the Golden Stream back to Luoyang.

It should be noted that the Golden Stream of the Prince of Kao Shan, like the Golden Whip of Grand Tutor Wen Zhong, both had the power to strike down a tyrannical emperor or a rebellious minister.

During the reign of the late emperor, he neglected state affairs due to his philandering. This Prince Kao Shan even broke into the Hall of Mental Cultivation with a golden dagger.

Therefore, these generals were afraid that if the Prince of Kao Shan took the Golden Stream and lost his temper, he might anger the person on the dragon throne in the palace, which would be difficult to resolve.

"Think twice my ass."

"Are you all just doing it for a living?"

"Without me, could you not have led the 300,000 Zhennan Army to defend the southern border?"

“The court has undergone tremendous changes. That old scoundrel Wen Zhong has died in battle. If I do not return to the court, the court will be in turmoil.”

"Especially since a great upheaval has occurred in the four northern states, without my presence in court to oversee the situation, who knows if the court can quell it quickly."

“You are all generals who have served for many years, and you should be well aware of the consequences of these disturbances. If the unrest is not quelled in time, it will spread and cause a great disaster.”

"I am a king of the mountains," said the king with a solemn expression.

As one of only two pillars of the Great Zhou Dynasty, now that Grand Tutor Wen Zhong is dead, he is the only pillar left.

Naturally, he needed to return to the imperial court as soon as possible to take charge and prevent any unrest.

"Your Highness, hasn't the Emperor already dispatched Marquis Weiwu and a general named Lü Bu to quell the rebellion in the four northern provinces?"

"I heard that Lu Bu's general is a half-step Celestial Realm expert. The Emperor also sent Old Ancestor Zhou to accompany the army on the expedition."

"With two half-step Celestial Realm experts accompanying the army to quell the rebellion, suppressing those rebels in the four northern states should not be a problem."

The general on the left spoke up.

"Yes, Your Highness, the court should be able to quell the unrest in the four northern prefectures very soon."

"As for the imperial court, judging from the news that came through, the emperor executed the Grand Tutor, the Grand General, and more than twenty other court officials, which is clearly a move to consolidate power."

"The Emperor is no longer the same Emperor he used to be. He has taken back all power, so he will surely be able to stabilize the court."

"Your Highness has no need to return to Luoyang."

"At this time, Your Highness should help the court guard the border and stabilize the border, which is the most important thing."

The general on the right also stepped forward and spoke.

“That’s right, Your Highness. The two generals are right. At this time, Your Highness should stabilize the border and prevent any problems from arising there. That is the most important thing.”

Other generals also spoke up.

Upon hearing these generals' words, the Prince of Kaoshan frowned.

Although these generals had some merit, he, as the Prince of Luoyang, was still uneasy without personally returning to Luoyang to see for himself.

Just then, a bugle sounded.

A soldier rushed into the main hall of the Prince's mansion with a look of urgency.

"Report..."

"Your Highness, the barbarians have made a move. They have dispatched several small teams to harass the border."

what?
Upon hearing this, the King of Kao Shan's face immediately darkened.

I was originally planning to return to Luoyang, but I didn't expect the barbarians to make a move at this time.

Damn it.

(End of this chapter)