You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 172 As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn.
City defense.

Inside the garrison headquarters.

A young figure paced back and forth, looking somewhat anxious and uneasy.

This young figure was none other than Zhou Zhi, the King of Shu.

"Your Majesty."

At this moment, Ji Wusheng walked in with a solemn expression.

"How is it?"

Upon seeing Ji Wusheng enter, Zhou Zhi asked impatiently.

"It must have failed."

"Those who entered the palace have probably all been wiped out."

"The Imperial Guards and the Eastern Depot are now arresting people everywhere and wiping out the influence of the three great families in Luoyang."

Ji Wusheng shook his head and said with a solemn expression.

what?
Failed?
Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhi's expression immediately changed.

"How could it possibly fail?"

"With so many experts from the three great families, plus my own men, and that patriarch from the Yuan family, how could we possibly fail?"

"Even if Ancestor Zhou Rushan and some members of the royal family were to intervene, there's absolutely no way they could stop so many experts from the three great families!"

"Could it be that Lü Bu or Cao Zhengchun secretly returned to Luoyang?"

Zhou Zhi looked extremely uncomfortable.

He had been preparing for this plan for a long time.

Whether it was the experts from the Shu Prince's Mansion or the resources of the three great families, they basically came out in full force.

The purpose is to ensure absolute success and to decide the fate of the world in one battle.

But unexpectedly, instead of the outcome being decided, we've heard such news of failure.

This was something Zhou Zhi found hard to accept for a while.

Ji Wusheng shook his head and said, "I don't know the specifics yet."

"The imperial guards have been mobilized, and Cao Shaoqin has also left the palace."

"Therefore, I guess that San De and his men have failed, and may have been completely wiped out."

"Otherwise, the Imperial Guards and Cao Shaoqin would not have been able to leave the palace."

Ji Wusheng guessed.

They didn't know the specifics of what happened inside the palace.

However, they can infer the outcome within the palace based on the information they receive from the outside.

If San De and his group succeed, then the Imperial Guards will no longer be able to leave the palace to wipe out the forces of the three great families.

Cao Shaoqin could not possibly be alive.

Now, Cao Shaoqin is not only alive, but he has also swaggered out of the palace, and the Imperial Guards have also left the palace to wipe out the forces of the three great families.

This clearly shows that San De and his team failed and did not succeed.

Upon hearing Ji Wusheng's words, Zhou Zhi sat down in the chair with a blank expression.

Heavy heart.

Fortunately, Ji Wusheng gave him a plan, which changed the previous opportunity, allowing San De to impersonate him, the King of Shu, and enter the palace.

Otherwise, he, the King of Shu, wouldn't be sitting here safe and sound right now.

"How is the situation at the Prince of Shu's residence?"

"Is Mother alright?"

Zhou Zhi asked again.

"Your Highness, the Empress Dowager has returned to the palace."

"His Majesty sent the Eighth Prince with the Imperial Guards to the Prince of Shu's residence. The Prime Minister and his men were unable to resist and were all captured by the Eighth Prince."

Ji Wusheng recounted what had happened at the Shu Prince's residence.

After listening to Ji Wusheng's report, Zhou Zhi fell silent.

After a while.

"Ji Wusheng, you've planned all of this. Luckily, you're here."

"Otherwise, according to the previous plan, I might already be a ghost under the sword."

Zhou Zhi looked at Ji Wusheng and said.

Honestly, if it weren't for Ji Wusheng's scheme, Zhou Zhi would have lost everything by now.

But even if San De and his group fail, Zhou Zhi still has a backup plan.

Zhou Zhi had been operating in the Shu region for many years; his title of kingship was not merely a title bestowed in vain.

Zhou Zhi maintained hundreds of thousands of elite troops in Shu.

Now, Zhou Zhi is waiting for the arrival of these hundreds of thousands of elite troops from Shu.

As long as these hundreds of thousands of elite troops from Shu arrive, Zhou Zhi can still lead his troops into the palace and usurp the throne.

This was also a backup plan devised by Ji Wusheng for Zhou Zhi.

No sooner had Zhou Zhi finished speaking than a dark figure appeared silently in front of him.

"Your Highness, an urgent message has arrived from Shu."

As soon as the dark figure appeared, it handed a letter to Zhou Zhi.

"Oh!"

Zhou Zhi was startled and immediately took the message from the dark figure, opened it, and glanced at it.

That one glance turned Zhou Zhi's face pale and weak.

"My lord, what's wrong?"

"Has something happened in Shu?"

Ji Wusheng saw that Zhou Zhi looked pale and weak after reading the news from Shu.

Ji Wusheng's heart tightened, and he asked directly.

He wondered what urgent message had come from Shu that made Zhou Zhi look so pale and powerless.

"See for yourself!"

Zhou Zhi handed the message to Ji Wusheng, a look of dejection appearing on his face.

Ji Wusheng also realized that something might have happened in Shu, and quickly took the message from Zhou Zhi and glanced at it.

what?
Did Lü Bu lead three thousand Bingzhou wolf cavalry to Shu?
They even intercepted the hundreds of thousands of elite troops from Shu who were secretly heading to Luoyang.
Upon seeing the contents of the urgent message from Shu, Ji Wusheng's pupils constricted.

Ji Wusheng never expected that the urgent message from Shu would be such a terrible piece of news.

They were originally hoping that the hundreds of thousands of elite troops from Shu would turn the tide.

Unexpectedly, the hundreds of thousands of elite troops in Shu had already been intercepted by Lü Bu halfway.

Furthermore, Lü Bu, leading three thousand Bingzhou wolf cavalry, directly defeated the hundreds of thousands of elite troops in Shu, driving them all back to Shu.

Meanwhile, the Shu region was undergoing a massive purge by the imperial court.

"Ji Wusheng, you've seen the urgent message from Shu."

"Tell me, what should we do next?"

Zhou Zhi's mind is in a bit of a mess right now.

The Shu region was his stronghold, which he had cultivated for many years, and his hundreds of thousands of elite troops were his greatest asset.

Originally, Zhou Zhi was waiting for the arrival of these 100,000 elite troops from Shu to turn the tide!
But now, his stronghold has been purged, and his hundreds of thousands of elite troops have been suppressed.

It can be said that Zhou Zhi now has nothing left.

What should we do next?

Zhou Zhi looked at Ji Wusheng.

Ji Wusheng's expression was also extremely solemn. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Your Highness, as long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn."

"Now, the elite troops from Shu can no longer come to Luoyang, and our reserve plan has become a pipe dream."

"We can only get out of the city first and save our lives."

"The situation regarding the city's defenses cannot be concealed for long. Even if San De impersonates the prince, he probably won't be able to hide it from His Majesty."

"If we don't leave the city quickly, it will be too late to leave once the city's defenses are discovered."

Ji Wusheng looked at Zhou Zhi with a solemn expression.

Zhou Zhi understood Ji Wusheng's meaning, but he had finally gained temporary control of the city's defenses, and he was unwilling to simply flee.

Besides, even if he escaped Luoyang, where could he go?

His old stronghold in Sichuan has been cleared out by the imperial court.

It can be said that in this vast world, there is nowhere for him to find refuge.

"Your Highness, do not hesitate."

"We have only used some methods to temporarily control a part of the city's defenses, but we have not completely controlled it."

"The imperial guards will soon discover that something is wrong with the city's defenses."

"By then, it will be too late for us to leave."

Ji Wusheng said with a solemn expression.

At this point, it was no longer realistic to try to usurp the throne.

Their plan has essentially failed completely. Preserving their lives is the priority.

"Walk."

Zhou Zhi's expression changed, and he stood up and walked outside.

Zhou Zhi agreed with Ji Wusheng; preserving their lives was the priority.

Keeping the green hills, you don’t have to worry about having no firewood.

As long as you're alive, anything is possible.

Ji Wusheng and the dark figure followed Zhou Zhi and left the city defense area.

……

Not long after Zhou Zhi left the city defense garrison, Cao Shaoqin arrived at the city defense garrison office with the imperial guards.

"Halt! What do you Eastern Depot want?"

"This is the city's defense zone. Even your Eastern Depot cannot just barge in."

Outside the gate, the city guards directly stopped Cao Shaoqin and his group.

"Hmph, this governor-general wishes to see Minister Li."

"Go and report this immediately."

Cao Shaoqin did not force his way in.

Without a valid reason, even the Eastern Depot (a secret police agency) cannot arbitrarily force their way into these government offices.

Not to mention a military office like the city defense garrison.

Upon hearing this, the guard did not hesitate and one of them ran off to report.

soon.

A city defense commander dressed in armor stepped forward.

"Chief Supervisor Cao, Minister Li is not here."

"What brings you from the Eastern Depot to defend my city?"

The city defense commander stepped forward, glanced at Cao Shaoqin, and asked.

whats the matter?
"His Majesty has decreed that your city defense guards assist in the investigation of the rebels, so why hasn't a single soldier from your city defense guards been mobilized yet?"

"Minister Li was ordered to oversee the defense of your city. Where is Minister Li?"

"Why aren't they defending the city?"

Cao Shaoqin looked at the city defense general with a sinister gaze.

The Minister of War sat in the city's defense garrison, clearing out the generals who had acted strangely.

Then, they cooperated with them to wipe out the rebels in the city.

This was the imperial edict that Zhou Chen had previously given to the Minister of War.

But now, not a single soldier from the city's defenses has been mobilized.

This puzzled Cao Shaoqin greatly.

Cao Shaoqin did not believe that the Minister of War would dare to disobey the imperial decree.

Something must have gone wrong.

Therefore, Cao Shaoqin led the Imperial Guards directly to the city defense post to investigate.

"This one……"

The city's defense commander looked somewhat hesitant.

Upon seeing this, Cao Shaoqin vanished from his spot and appeared before the general.

Cao Shaoqin grabbed the general by the neck and said coldly, "You dare to deceive this Grand Coordinator? You're courting death."

"explain."

Where is Minister Li?

Cao Shaoqin was a man of great stature, and he saw through the city defense general's lie at a glance.

"Minister Li... Minister Li has been imprisoned."

The city's defense commander's face turned red, and he spoke haltingly, struggling to breathe.

what?
Minister Li has been imprisoned?

Upon hearing this, Cao Shaoqin frowned and immediately realized that something unexpected had happened to the city's defenses.

"Arrest him first, this chief supervisor."

Cao Shaoqin casually threw the city defense officer to the ground and led the Imperial Guards directly into the city defense area.

Upon hearing that the Minister of War had been imprisoned, the guards at the gate dared not stop Cao Shaoqin any longer, allowing him to lead the imperial guards into the city defense office.

……

City defenses, the main hall of the government office.

The Minister of War bowed to Cao Shaoqin with a grim expression and said, "Thank you very much, Governor Cao. If it weren't for your timely arrival, I would probably still be imprisoned."

Cao Shaoqin glanced at the Minister of War with a sinister look and said, "Minister Li, now is not the time to talk about these things. Minister Li, you should first mobilize the city's defenses to search for any traitors that may have been missed within the city!"

"This chief eunuch must also return to the palace immediately to report to His Majesty."

"The King of Shu has already fled Luoyang; this is not a good story to tell."

Cao Shaoqin's face was also somewhat gloomy.

The city's defenses encountered such an unexpected situation, yet the Eastern Depot remained completely unaware.

This is dereliction of duty.

Most importantly, Zhou Zhi, the King of Shu, has managed to temporarily control part of the city's defenses and has now fled Luoyang.

The Minister of War bears an inescapable responsibility.

Even the Eastern Depot could not escape investigation.

After Cao Shaoqin finished speaking, he got up and left the city defense office.

After Cao Shaoqin left, the Minister of War, with a gloomy face, directly arrested many of the city's defense guards.

He also ordered all the city's defense troops to be mobilized to search for and capture the rebels.

……

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Zhou Chen sat on the dragon throne, looking at Cao Shaoqin kneeling on the ground below, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"It seems my ninth brother has a master by his side!"

"To be able to deceive your Eastern Depot, disrupt my city defense arrangements, turn the tables on me, and quietly take control of part of the city's defenses—this is not something an ordinary person could do."

After listening to Cao Shaoqin's report, Zhou Chen spoke deeply.

Judging from the deliberate substitution of San De for Zhou Zhi, Zhou Chen guessed that Zhou Zhi might have a strategist with considerable intelligence by his side.

Now, after all this incident involving the city's defenses, Zhou Chen is even more certain of his guess.

"Your Majesty, the reason why the Prince of Shu was able to control part of the city's defenses so quietly is because he had the help of nobles and relatives of the empress, including the Imperial Uncle Zhang."

Cao Shaoqin spoke up.

Zhang Guojiu?
Zhou Chen's eyes flickered, then he remained silent.

Zhou Chen knew exactly who Zhang Guojiu was when Cao Shaoqin mentioned him.

Who else could it be but the Empress Dowager's brother?
Zhou Chen never expected that his ninth brother would eventually drag the Empress Dowager's brother into the mess.

After a moment of silence.

Zhou Chen looked at Cao Shaoqin and said, "Issue an edict to the Minister of War: whoever is involved in this matter, arrest them all."

"Even Zhang Guojiu was no exception."

A cold glint flashed in Zhou Chen's eyes.

Since his uncle dared to get involved in this matter, then Zhou Chen, his nephew, shouldn't be so impolite.

Cao Shaoqin immediately bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"besides."

"Cao Shaoqin, you will personally lead the Imperial Guards to pursue and annihilate the King of Shu."

"If the King of Shu escapes, then you won't need to come back to see me."

"I don't think I need to teach you how to do it!"

Zhou Chen looked calmly at Cao Shaoqin kneeling on the ground below and said.

Cao Shaoqin immediately understood Zhou Chen's meaning; "Your Majesty, rest assured, I understand."

"Your subject will certainly not let the King of Shu escape," Cao Shaoqin said, bowing his head.

"Go!"

Zhou Chen waved his hand.

Cao Shaoqin got up and left the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

After Cao Shaoqin left, Zhou Chen stood up and gazed in the direction of Cining Palace, muttering to himself, "Mother, don't blame me. I am the emperor, and there are some things that cannot be done out of personal feelings."

First came the ninth brother, and now another uncle has arrived.

I wonder if the Empress Dowager will be able to bear it when she finds out.

Zhou Chen thought to himself.

(End of this chapter)