You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 99 came quite quickly.

Daizhou.

Shangyang Prefecture.

Prince Zhou Qian stood on the city wall, his eyes gleaming as he watched the imperial army approaching from afar.

"It came quite quickly."

The carefree King Zhou Qian never expected that after Lü Bu quelled the rebels in Yan Province and pacified the province, he would not rest for a moment and would directly lead 100,000 Divine Martial Guards to Dai Province.

It seems that Lü Bu intends to press his advantage and immediately pacify Daizhou, thus eliminating this carefree king.

As Zhou Qian, the carefree king, pondered, he watched the imperial army gradually approaching the city of Shangyang.

His gaze settled on the three thousand black-armored cavalrymen galloping closely behind Lü Bu; "These must be the three thousand Bingzhou wolf riders that Lü Bu led to quell the rebels in Yanzhou and pacify the region!"

Beside him, the steward of Xiaoyao Tower who was standing next to Prince Zhou Qian nodded; "That's right, Your Highness."

"Those are the three thousand Bingzhou wolf cavalry under Lü Bu's command,"

"That's what the manager of Xiaoyao Tower said definitively."

Now, the reputation of Lu Bu's three thousand Bingzhou wolf cavalry has spread because they wiped out the rebels in Yanzhou and pacified Yanzhou in just three days.

Black wolf armor and black wolf horses are the most distinctive features of the Bingzhou wolf cavalry.

Therefore, it is easy to identify.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qian, the carefree prince, couldn't help but praise, "Truly elite."

As a prince of the Great Zhou royal family, the carefree King Zhou Qian had seen many of the Great Zhou's cavalry.

Whether it's the cavalry of the Divine Martial Guard or the cavalry of the frontier, it's rare to find one with the imposing presence of the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry.

"I really don't know how many hidden trump cards my fifth brother is hiding," Prince Zhou Qian sighed unconsciously.

First it was Lü Bu, this half-step celestial being, then Cao Zhengchun and the Eastern Depot.

Now it's the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry again.

The repeated appearances of these powerful and elite individuals left Zhou Qian, the carefree king, feeling quite uneasy.

The carefree King Zhou Qian had always considered himself far superior to Zhou Chen, and felt that Zhou Chen was not worthy of sitting on that dragon throne at all.

But now it seems that Zhou Qian, the carefree prince, is a bit arrogant.

King Zhou Qian looked at Lu Bu and his 100,000 Divine Martial Guards, who were neatly arranged and stopped not far from the city, and his expression was solemn.

"Have all our troops been deployed?"

"Is the defense setup complete?"

One hundred thousand Divine Martial Guards—this is no ordinary army for suppressing rebellions.

As the Prince of Xiaoyao of the Great Zhou royal family and the fourth son of the late emperor, Zhou Qian, the Prince of Xiaoyao, naturally knew best about the elite of the Twelve Divine Martial Guards.

This is the foundation upon which the Great Zhou Dynasty suppresses the world and intimidates all directions. Even the border troops guarding the four frontiers are still slightly inferior to the Twelve Divine Martial Guards.

Faced with such an elite Divine Martial Guard, even the carefree King Zhou Qian, who now commands 200,000 troops, has to be cautious.

After all, Zhou Qian, the carefree king, knew that the 200,000 troops under his command were basically composed of commoners who had just put down their farming tools, local military forces, and private soldiers from some aristocratic families.

Such a force of 200,000 is far inferior to even the regular troops of a prefecture or county, let alone the Divine Martial Guard.

Therefore, in order to prevent Lu Bu from defeating and annihilating his troops one by one with his 100,000 Divine Martial Guards, thus weakening his forces, the carefree King Zhou Qian had long ago ordered the abandonment of the prefectures he had previously captured and the gathering of his 200,000 troops in Shangyang Prefecture.

The carefree King Zhou Qian is going to have a showdown with Lü Bu's army in Shangyang Prefecture.

After their victory, they swept through Daizhou, annexed Yanzhou, and set their sights on the world.

If you lose, everything will naturally vanish.

Upon hearing Zhou Qian's words, the general beside him immediately replied, "Please rest assured, Your Highness, the defenses have been arranged and the troops have been mobilized."

"This city is like an iron barrel. Even if the 100,000 Divine Martial Guards are the most elite, they won't be able to break through it."

The general looked confident. Upon hearing this, Prince Zhou Qian nodded.

The carefree Prince Zhou Qian knew the elite strength of the Divine Martial Guard; if he were to fight them outside the city, he would undoubtedly be defeated.

Therefore, King Zhou Qian of Xiaoyao decided to defend the city.

With his 200,000 troops, even the most elite Divine Martial Guard wouldn't find it easy to breach the city.

Perhaps, this could even wear down these 100,000 Divine Martial Guards.

This was Zhou Qian's plan.

After asking the general, Prince Zhou Qian turned to the steward of Xiaoyao Tower beside him and said, "Go out of the city later and deliver the remains of Prince Kang to the imperial army that is suppressing the rebellion."

"King Kang's only wish before his death was to return to Luoyang."

"He couldn't go back while he was alive, but now that he's dead, I'll send him back to Luoyang."

"As his fourth elder brother, this is the last thing I can do for him."

"The carefree king Zhou Qian said quietly."

Being in the royal family can sometimes be incredibly ruthless and leave you feeling helpless.

Perhaps there was some helplessness involved, but what lay more often than not was the deepest, most untamed desire within one's heart.

"Yes, Your Highness." The manager of Xiaoyao Tower nodded.

……

outside the city.

Lü Bu, leading three thousand Bingzhou wolf cavalry and one hundred thousand Shenwu Guards, marched for three or four days without any obstacles and arrived at the outskirts of Shangyang Prefecture.

Lu Bu originally thought that Zhou Qian, the Prince of Xiaoyao, would set up defensive lines between the prefectures of Daizhou to block the advance of his army to quell the rebellion.

Unexpectedly, Prince Zhou Qian not only failed to set up defensive lines for his army along the way, but also withdrew the army that had captured various prefectures back to Shangyang Prefecture.

This allowed Lü Bu to lead his army to the outskirts of Shangyang Prefecture without any obstacles.

Lu Bu understood Zhou Qian's purpose in doing this.

This was probably because the Prince of Xiaoyao was afraid that his large army, which was scattered in various prefectures, would be wiped out one by one by Lü Bu, so he withdrew them all back to Shangyang Prefecture, wanting to concentrate all his strength to fight against the army he led to quell the rebellion.

This is exactly what Lü Bu wanted.

It would save him the trouble of leading troops to suppress these rebels, which would be time-consuming and laborious.

A single battle would be the best outcome.

Before the army, Lü Bu glanced at the densely packed heads on the city wall and expressionlessly gave the order: "Left Army to the South Gate, Right Army to the North Gate, Rear Army to prepare siege machinery."

"Catapults forward, crossbowmen and archers prepare, attack the city in half an hour."

Lu Bu was determined to take down Shangyang Prefecture in one fell swoop and destroy the carefree King Zhou Qian.

Once, twice, and three times, until exhaustion.

Lu Bu understood this principle.

Although the 100,000 Divine Warriors had marched for three or four days, Lü Bu had slowed down after entering the territory of Shangyang Prefecture, allowing his soldiers to rest once.

As a general who spent most of his time on horseback, Lü Bu naturally knew how to maintain the morale and fighting strength of his army.

They also understood the key elements of a siege: surround three sides and leave one side open.

Of the four city gates of Shangyang Prefecture, Lü Bu left the west gate as an escape route for the rebels inside the city.

Otherwise, surrounding all four city gates would put the rebels inside the city in a desperate situation, giving them a chance to survive.

In that case, even if the Divine Martial Guard is the most elite, it will be very difficult for them to break through the city.

It is not conducive to breaking through the city.

(End of this chapter)