You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 188 News from Jia Xu Returns
A few days passed in a flash.

Both inside and outside the imperial court, a new vitality has emerged.

Although the four regents were gone, the efficiency of the court in handling various matters was not affected much; in fact, it was much faster than before.

After Emperor Zhou Chen reprimanded the officials in court, no one dared to refuse to cooperate with Xun Yu, the Minister of Revenue, in measuring the land around Luoyang.

Occasionally, a few fearless nobles would become prisoners of the Eastern Depot, used as a warning to others.

All the important government affairs of the court were being carried out in an orderly manner.

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Zhou Chen buried himself in reviewing the memorials.

At this moment, a palace eunuch came in to report.

"Your Majesty, Eunuch Cao is requesting an audience outside the palace."

"Announce him to come in."

Zhou Chen said something without even looking up.

The eunuchs and guards bowed and withdrew.

After a while.

Cao Zhengchun quickly entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"Your Majesty, Mr. Jia has sent a message from the northern frontier."

Upon entering the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Cao Zhengchun immediately presented the message he was holding to Zhou Chen.

Uh!
Zhou Chen's spirits lifted, and he immediately took a slip of paper from Cao Zhengchun's hand.

I opened it and glanced at it.

There weren't many words on the note.

Only a few words.

But those few words made a glint of light flash in Zhou Chen's eyes.

Upon seeing the words on the note, Zhou Chen immediately looked up at Cao Zhengchun and said, "Cao Zhengchun, immediately summon the six ministers, the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian, the Marquis of Weiwu, and the Prince of Kaoshan to the palace."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Cao Zhengchun bowed and left the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

After Cao Zhengchun left, Zhou Chen clutched the note in his hand and paced back and forth.

Zhou Chen had been waiting for news from Jia Xu.

We've finally waited for this moment.

……

Half an hour later.

The six ministers, the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian, the Marquis of Weiwu, and the Prince of Kaoshan Zhou Zhan entered the palace one after another and walked into the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"I have met His Majesty."

After entering the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the six ministers and the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian, among others, bowed to Zhou Chen on the dragon throne.

The Minister of War and Marquis Weiwu and the others had some doubts.

I don't know what happened, but His Majesty suddenly summoned the six ministers, the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian, the Marquis of Weiwu, and the Prince of Kaoshan, all important officials of the court, to the palace.

It's important to understand that Zhou Chen's summons of these important officials to the palace each time was no small matter.

The first time was because of Empress Wu Ying and General Wu Jin's faction of relatives.

The second time was because the King of Shu and his prime minister colluded to rebel and usurp the throne.

So what's the reason this time?
The Minister of War and Zhou Xian, the Eighth Prince, were speculating in their hearts.

"No need for formalities."

Zhou Chen waved his hand, and seeing that all the ministers he had summoned had arrived, he said, "You must all be wondering why I have suddenly summoned you to the palace!"

The Minister of War, the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian, the Marquis of Weiwu, and the Minister of Justice nodded.

"Your Majesty, we do indeed have some doubts."

"I wonder what has happened that led His Majesty to suddenly summon us all to the palace?"

The Minister of War asked the question.

The other ministers also looked at Zhou Chen with suspicion.

Even Liu Ye, Du Ruhui, and the others were no exception.

Only Zhou Zhan, the Prince of Kao Shan, seemed to have guessed something, and his expression became somewhat serious.

Faced with the puzzled expressions of the Minister of War and the others, Zhou Chen did not hesitate and said directly: "I have received news that Fan Shaohe, a remnant of the Fan family who escaped beyond the Great Wall, and Zheng Wangzhi, a remnant of the Zheng family, have secretly returned to the interior and gone to the Zhenbei Marquis's residence and the Xiliang Marquis's residence."

“You should know who the people outside the pass are. The remnants of the Fan family and the Zheng family risked returning to the interior and secretly went to the Zhenbei Marquis’s residence and the Xiliang Marquis’s residence.”

"The purpose behind this is probably not simple!"

As soon as Zhou Chen said this...

The expressions on the faces of the Minister of War and the others changed slightly.

Those who managed to squeeze into the imperial court and hold high positions were not brainless.

The Minister of War and the others naturally understood the deeper meaning behind Zhou Chen's words.

It goes without saying who the people outside the Great Wall are; everyone in the Great Zhou Dynasty knows.

The area outside the Great Wall was inhabited by foreign tribes, and to establish a foothold and live there, one needed the approval of those tribes.

Meanwhile, the remnants of the Fan and Zheng families escaped beyond the Great Wall, but have now secretly returned to the interior, even visiting the residences of the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang.

This shows what.

The ministers present were all feeling uneasy.

If Emperor Zhou Chen's suspicions are true, then this matter is truly of utmost importance.

King Zhou Zhan's expression became even more solemn.

Compared to the court officials present, Prince Zhou Zhan, who had been stationed at the border for many years, was the most knowledgeable about the foreign tribes and the situation at the border.

If the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang are indeed involved with foreign tribes, then this matter is probably more troublesome than imagined.

Without the Zhenbei Army and Xiliang Army to block them, if the foreign tribes were to invade the south, the Great Zhou would not be able to spare enough troops to suppress them.

"Furthermore, I twice issued edicts to the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang, ordering them to mobilize some troops to go south to the four northern prefectures to quell the rebellion. They disobeyed the edicts and made various excuses to fob me off."

“I ordered them to return to court to report on matters at the end of the year, but they still disobeyed my orders and used various excuses not to return.”

"My esteemed ministers, what do you think should be done about this matter?"

Zhou Chen looked down at the six ministers and the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian and his group.

The six ministers and the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian exchanged glances, all understanding Zhou Chen's meaning.

That means Emperor Zhou Chen intends to take action against the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang.

As for Zhou Chen's earlier statement about the remnants of the Fan and Zheng families secretly entering the pass and going to the Zhenbei Marquis's residence and the Xiliang Marquis's residence, that's not the point.

The key point is that Emperor Zhou Chen wants to take action against the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang.

This was also the purpose of Emperor Zhou Chen's sudden summons of these ministers to the palace.

However, none of the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian and the others dared to speak about this matter easily.

After all, this matter is of utmost importance; a single move can have far-reaching consequences.

Regardless of whether the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang had any ties with foreign tribes, the hundreds of thousands of Zhenbei and Xiliang troops under their command alone were a thorny issue.

One wrong move and it could cause unrest in the northern border regions and the western Liang border.

Furthermore, if the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang were indeed involved with foreign tribes, the problem would be even more serious.

If something goes wrong, it could trigger not only turmoil on the border, but turmoil throughout the entire Zhou Dynasty.

The Minister of War, however, had no reservations and stepped forward to say, “Your Majesty, the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang have twice defied Your Majesty’s will and refused to obey your summons. Their disloyal intentions are now obvious.”

"In my opinion, we should remove the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang, and reclaim the power of the Zhenbei Army and the Xiliang Army to demonstrate the majesty of the court." At this point, the Minister of War changed the subject.

"However, the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang command hundreds of thousands of Zhenbei and Xiliang troops, respectively, and are located in a strategic border region. This matter requires careful planning."

"Otherwise, it will cause unrest on the border."

The Minister of War's opening remarks caused a flicker of surprise to cross the faces of the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian, the Marquis of Weiwu, and the Minister of Justice.

The Eighth Prince Zhou Xian and his companions were surprised that the Minister of War would be the first to speak up, which seemed inconsistent with the Minister of War's usual cautious style.

In the eyes of Zhou Xian and the others, shouldn't Liu Ye, Fang Xuanling and the others have spoken first?

After all, Liu Ye, Fang Xuanling, and the others were confidants of Emperor Zhou Chen.

Unbeknownst to the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian and his companions, the Minister of War had long understood Zhou Chen's intentions.

The fact that Zhou Chen sent Cao Xing and the other four to the Northern Frontier and Western Liang was arranged by the Minister of War himself.

In addition, the Minister of War was in charge of the Ministry of War.

Therefore, the Minister of War was the first to speak.

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

"The Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang both held military power and were involved with foreign tribes from beyond the Great Wall."

"If the court does not take action, its authority will be completely destroyed, and it may even lead to irreversible consequences."

Fang Xuanling also stepped forward and spoke.

Following closely behind, Liu Ye, Zhou Xian (the Eighth Prince), and others also voiced their agreement with the Minister of War and Fang Xuanling.

They had all realized that Emperor Zhou Chen intended to harm the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang.

No one dared to voice their opposition to this matter.

Everyone agreed.

Seeing that the Minister of War and the others had no objections, Zhou Chen spoke again, "Since you all agree, then tell me, how can we take down the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang without going to war?"

The Minister of War and Zhou Xian, the Eighth Prince, all frowned.

this is the key of the problem.

Taking down the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang will not be so easy.

After all, both the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang were far away on the border and still held military power.

If things go wrong, this could provoke a backlash from the border soldiers and ignite a war on the frontier.

"Your Majesty, taking down the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang is not as complicated as you might think."

"Whether it's the Zhenbei Army or the Xiliang Army, they are all soldiers of my Great Zhou."

"If the plan is successful, I believe that Your Majesty's decree alone will be enough to capture the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang."

Du Ruhui pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Your Majesty, I think Minister Du has said a lot."

"Everything in the world is the land of the king, and the shores of the land are all the ministers of the king."

"It is difficult for the inferior to overthrow the superior, but it is not difficult to take down the superior."

"Your Majesty remembers that Your Majesty only distributed half of the military pay to the Zhenbei Army and the Xiliang Army before. Your Majesty can now issue an edict to send the other half of the military pay to the Zhenbei Army and the Xiliang Army."

Fang Xuanling spoke up again, agreeing with Du Ruhui's opinion.

After they finished speaking, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui exchanged a glance and smiled at each other.

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruyi were a perfect match, a true master strategist.

Throughout history, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruyi have witnessed numerous instances of generals and mercenaries rebelling and establishing their own power.

Just like the King of Youzhou who possessed the terrifying killing gods, the "Eighteen Riders of Yanyun".

In the end, they couldn't even make a ripple and were wiped out, didn't they?

Therefore, in Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui's view, taking down the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang was not as complicated as they had imagined.

Watching Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui's back-and-forth banter, the Minister of War and the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian were all utterly astonished.

They seriously doubted whether Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui were joking.

If a single imperial decree could easily subdue the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang, would His Majesty have waited until now?

They had already issued an imperial edict to arrest the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang.

Compared to the astonishment on the faces of the Minister of War and Zhou Xian, the Eighth Prince, Liu Ye and Xun Yu gave Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui a deep look.

Clearly, both of them understood Du Ruhui and Fang Xuanling's meaning perfectly.

Zhou Chen, sitting on the dragon throne, looked at Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"It seems that Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui have already seen through his and Jia Xu's plans on the frontier."

Also.

Zhou Chen had previously discussed matters concerning the border region with Du Ruhui, Liu Ye, and a few others.

Given their intelligence, it's not surprising that they figured it out.

Zhou Chen then looked at the Minister of War and the Eighth Prince and the others; "What about you? Speak your mind without any reservations."

……

More than an hour later.

The six ministers, the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian, the Marquis of Weiwu, and the Prince of Kaoshan, along with other important officials, all withdrew from the Hall of Mental Cultivation and left the palace.

No one knows exactly what Emperor Zhou Chen and these important officials discussed in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
However, judging from the solemn expressions on the faces of the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian and the Marquis of Weiwu, the matter they were discussing in the Hall of Mental Cultivation must have been of great importance.

Apart from Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and the other three, the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian and his companions all left the palace with solemn expressions.

The Eighth Prince Zhou Xian and the others all knew this in their hearts.

Next, things are about to get rough on the borders of northern Xinjiang and western Liang.

It remains to be seen whether this trend will be smooth sailing.

If this wind doesn't blow smoothly, then the northern border region of Xiliang will become a considerable calamity for the imperial court.

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

After the six ministers and the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian left, Zhou Chen remained silent for a moment, then looked at Cao Zhengchun, who was standing beside him. "Cao Zhengchun, you will personally go to the northern frontier to deliver the imperial decree this time."

"Anything can happen once or twice, but never a third or fourth time."

"The Marquis of Zhenbei has twice disobeyed my orders. If he obeys this time, you should take him back to Luoyang first."

"If he disobeys the order, then proceed according to Jia Xu's plan!"

Zhou Chen looked at Cao Zhengchun and said.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Cao Zhengchun immediately bowed and accepted the order.

"Go down and get ready!"

Zhou Chen waved his hand.

After Cao Zhengchun left, Zhou Chen said with a wandering gaze, "Marquis of Zhenbei, Xue Shaowen? Heh, I hope you'll be sensible enough to accept the imperial decree this time, so you can live a few more days."

"Otherwise, your reign as Marquis of Zhenbei will come to an end."

Zhou Chen muttered to himself.

Zhou Chen had no doubt about Jia Xu's abilities as a strategist.

With Jia Xu, a cunning strategist, plotting in the northern frontier, taking down the Marquis of Zhenbei is a foregone conclusion.

If the Marquis of Zhenbei were to accept the imperial decree, Zhou Chen might allow him to live a few more days in a state of ignominy.

If the Marquis of Zhenbei is tactless, then the moment the imperial edict is read will be the moment he dies.

(End of this chapter)