You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 191 The Plan Begins Tomorrow

Zhennan City.

At the mansion on Tuesday.

Yuan Ziming and Zhou Er remained silent.

Just then, a commotion arose outside.

It broke the dull atmosphere in the hall.

"what happened?"

On Tuesday, he frowned and looked outside the hall.

At the same time, a guard who was standing outside the hall hurriedly came in.

"General, the people from the Eastern Depot have arrived and want to enter the mansion, but our brothers have stopped them at the gate."

The guard walked in and said in a low voice.

People from the Eastern Depot?

Upon hearing this, both Zhou Er and Yuan Ziming's expressions changed.

Nowadays, the Eastern Depot in Zhennan City doesn't operate in secret like it did in the Northern Frontier and Western Liang.

In southern Xinjiang, the Eastern Depot operates openly, with its own offices, monitoring every move in the region.

On Tuesday, Zhou Er and Yuan Ziming were surprised that the people from the Eastern Depot would suddenly come knocking on their door.

On Tuesday, he gave Yuan Ziming a deep look; "You go out the back door first."

No sooner had Yuan Ziming entered the mansion than the men from the Eastern Depot arrived.

Needless to say, it's likely that the people from the Eastern Depot sensed something.

You should know that there are countless spies of the Eastern Depot in the entire southern Xinjiang region.

Upon hearing what Zhou Er said, Yuan Ziming seemed to realize that his entry into the pass might have been noticed by the Eastern Depot.

Yuan Ziming nodded solemnly, said nothing more, stood up, and left under the guard's lead.

After Yuan Ziming left, Zhou Er also stood up and walked outside.

He wanted to see what the people from the Eastern Depot wanted to do at his residence.

After all, he was a general of the Zhennan Army on Tuesday, and the second adopted son of the Prince of Kaoshan. His residence was not one that just anyone could enter without his permission.

Even the Eastern Depot was no exception.

I walked out of the council chamber on Tuesday.

Soon, Tuesday arrived at the front gate.

Dozens of guards from the mansion were blocking the main gate, while three guards from the Eastern Depot, dressed in eagle-patterned uniforms and carrying crescent-shaped blades, stood outside the gate.

"General."

Upon seeing Zhou Er emerge, the dozens of guards blocking the gate all bowed and made way for him.

On Tuesday, he stepped forward, frowned, and looked at the three guards dressed in eagle-patterned uniforms outside the gate. "What are you Eastern Depot people doing at my residence?"

Because of Zhou Qi's incident, the Zhennan Army people were not well received by the Dongchang people.

Similarly, because Zhou Qi killed more than thirty guards, the people of the Eastern Depot also had little goodwill towards the people of the Zhennan Army.

"General Zhou, I heard that a guest has come to your residence. He is suspected to be Yuan Ziming, a remnant of the Yuan family who fled beyond the Great Wall."

"We, the Eastern Depot, have taken the liberty of coming to your door, hoping to meet General Zhou's guest."

The three minor leaders of the Imperial Guards looked at Zhou Er and spoke frankly.

"presumptuous."

"Do you mean to suspect that I am secretly colluding with the Yuan family to rebel and protecting criminals wanted by the imperial court?"

On Tuesday, upon hearing the words of the minor leader of the Eastern Depot, his face immediately turned cold.

He thought to himself, these henchmen of the Eastern Depot have indeed caught wind of Yuan Ziming's whereabouts.

It seems we need to conceal Yuan Ziming's whereabouts and get him out of seclusion as soon as possible.

Otherwise, if these henchmen of the Eastern Depot were to capture Yuan Ziming, then this adopted son of the Prince of Kao Shan would also suffer the same fate as Zhou Qi.

On Tuesday, Zhou Er thought to himself, but his face remained expressionless as he coldly looked at the three guards and continued, "Let me tell you, I am, after all, a general of the Zhennan Army and the adopted son of the Prince of Kaoshan."

"Even if your Eastern Depot has special privileges and wants to enter my residence to investigate my guests, you must produce something convincing."

"If you want to see my guests, send someone from your Eastern Depot who has the authority to make the decision. The three of you are not qualified."

After finishing his speech on Tuesday, he turned and walked back into the mansion, waving goodbye.

"close the door."

The mansion's gates were tightly shut by more than a dozen guards.

Although Tuesday was very wary of the Eastern Depot, the three small guards were not enough to make Tuesday treat them politely.

If it were a big shot from the Eastern Depot who came today, then it would be a big deal.

But for three lowly imperial guards to think they could enter his mansion and investigate his guests, is that a joke?
Looking at the closed gates of the mansion, the three guards all looked grim.

They thought that the people of the Eastern Depot had never been treated so badly before, as they were granted special permission by the emperor to act first and report later.

"Chief, what do we do now?"

One of the guards looked at the head of the guards and asked.

The head of the imperial guards glanced at the two guards and asked, "Can you be sure that person is indeed Yuan Ziming, a remnant of the Yuan family?"

The two guards exchanged a glance and hesitated before saying, "Boss, the men below only say it looks very similar, but they can't be sure."

The two imperial guards wouldn't dare to make such a claim lightly.

After all, if a major blunder is made and things go wrong, it will be difficult to recover.

Their Eastern Depot had already clashed with the Zhennan Army once.

If they were to take action again and make a mistake, it would give the Zhennan Army a good excuse to retaliate.

Can't be sure?
The head of the imperial guards frowned.

After a moment of contemplation, the head of the imperial guards spoke up: "Since we can't be sure, let's send people to keep a close watch on things."

"We, the Eastern Depot and the Zhennan Army, cannot easily clash again. Let's wait until things are settled before making any decisions."

"Especially at the border crossings, we must send people to keep a close watch on them and not relax our vigilance for a moment."

"I'll go and report to the foreman first, and see what he thinks."

After the head of the imperial guards finished speaking, he took a deep look at the tightly closed gates of the mansion and left.

The two guards then went to carry out their leader's orders.

……

Northern Xinjiang.

The atmosphere these past few days has been a bit strange.

On the surface, the entire northern frontier appears calm, but beneath the surface, a subtle undercurrent is surging.

The atmosphere changed most noticeably, especially in Zhenbei City.

After learning that the imperial court had sent Cao Zhengchun, the head of the Eastern Depot, to Zhenbei City to hold back the other half of the military pay owed to the Zhenbei Army, the atmosphere in Zhenbei City became much more tense than usual.

Soldiers would patrol the streets from time to time, and would also question unfamiliar faces.

The checks at the city gates were also more stringent than usual.

Whether it's a caravan entering the city or anyone else, everyone must be checked before they can enter or leave.

No one is exempt.

Inside the city.

The Eastern Depot's secrets.

Inside a secret room.

Two figures sat facing each other.

Jia Xu looked at the figure opposite him and said gently, "Chief Supervisor Cao, has His Majesty conveyed any decree to me?"

That's right.

One of the two figures was Jia Xu, and the other was Cao Zhengchun, who had left Luoyang and was ordered to escort half of the military pay of the Zhenbei Army and the Xiliang Army to the northern frontier.

Originally, according to the normal schedule, Cao Zhengchun's entourage would not arrive in Zhenbei City until tomorrow.

However, Cao Zhengchun secretly broke away from the main force and arrived at Zhenbei City a day early to meet Jia Xu.

Because Cao Zhengchun knew that this trip to the northern frontier was not just a simple matter of announcing an imperial edict and escorting military funds.

Instead, they wanted to take down the Marquis of Zhenbei.

Therefore, Cao Zhengchun had to meet with Jia Xu beforehand to see what arrangements Jia Xu had made.

Cao Zhengchun shook his head; "His Majesty did not issue an edict to Mr. Jia. When I left Luoyang, His Majesty only told me that if the Marquis of Zhenbei accepted the edict, I should bring him back to Luoyang first. If the Marquis of Zhenbei is still stubborn and disobeys the edict, then we should proceed according to Mr. Jia's instructions."

Cao Zhengchun said.

Upon hearing this, Jia Xu said nothing, but asked, "King Kao Shan and General Lü should have arrived by now!"

Cao Zhengchun nodded; "Prince Kao Shan and General Lü are faster than me, they have already arrived."

"The miscellaneous scholar secretly entered the city to see how Mr. Jia would arrange things."

Cao Zhengchun looked at Jia Xu.

King Kao Shan and Lü Bu were traveling in secret. Although they weren't transporting anything, they were only slightly faster than Cao Zhengchun and his men in order to avoid being discovered.

We arrived a day early.

However, to avoid drawing too much attention, Lü Bu and his men did not secretly enter the city.

Only Cao Zhengchun secretly infiltrated the city.

Upon hearing Cao Zhengchun's words, Jia Xu stopped talking and whispered something to Cao Zhengchun.

Ten minutes later.

Cao Zhengchun said to Jia Xu, "Mr. Jia, I understand what you mean."

"I'll be taking my leave now."

"Tomorrow, I will escort the military pay into the city as usual."

After Cao Zhengchun finished speaking, he quietly walked out of the secret room and disappeared into the dark corner of the Eastern Depot.

After Cao Zhengchun left, Jia Xu immediately shouted towards the outside of the secret chamber, "Someone come here!"

"Mr. Jia."

An Eastern Depot guard walked in.

"Immediately and secretly inform Cao Xing and the others to proceed according to the plan, tomorrow."

Jia Xu knew that the checks in Zhenbei City had been very strict these past few days, and Cao Xing and the other two were also being closely watched.

If possible, Jia Xu would like to meet Cao Xing and the other two in person to discuss some matters.

However, given the current situation, any unusual movement by Cao Xing and his group would alert the person in charge of the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion.

Therefore, Jia Xu could no longer meet with Cao Xing and the other two.

This was the only way to communicate with Cao Xing and the other two to ensure they acted according to the plan.

Previously, Jia Xu had already laid out a plan for Cao Xing and his men.

"Yes, Mr. Jia."

The guards responded and left.

After the imperial guards left, Jia Xu got up, disguised himself, and quietly left the secret room.

Cao Xing and the other two could use this method of communication to notify them to act according to plan.

However, there was one person whom Jia Xu had to personally visit.

This person is also the key to the success or failure of resolving the Zhenbei Army issue.

……

South of the city.

Luxury mansions stand on the ground.

These luxurious mansions are clearly not something that ordinary people can afford.

In fact it is.

Anyone who can live in such a luxurious mansion is a big shot in Zhenbei City and also a big shot in the entire Northern Frontier.

One of the luxurious mansions.

In the study.

A middle-aged man, exuding an air of authority, looked at the uninvited guest who had entered the study with a very unpleasant expression. "Why are you here in broad daylight? Don't you know the current situation in the city?"

"If you get caught and they find out something, we're all finished."

The middle-aged man never expected that Jia Xu would dare to swagger into his residence in broad daylight.

If this gets discovered, then everything will be over.

Indeed, the uninvited guest who entered the study was none other than Jia Xu.

Upon hearing the middle-aged man's words and seeing his unpleasant expression, Jia Xu smiled dismissively. "Don't worry! Even if we get questioned, they won't be able to find anything out about me in a short time."

“If it weren’t for the urgency of the matter, I wouldn’t have come to your residence so openly.”

Jia Xu sat down without any hesitation.

"Speak! What's the emergency?"

"After you've said that, hurry up and leave."

"The Marquis's secret guards haven't been idle these past few days."

Now that Jia Xu had arrived, the middle-aged man could say nothing more.

The only thing to do was to have Jia Xu finish speaking about the urgent matter and leave quickly.

To avoid being discovered or being targeted by the Marquis's secret guards.

"The plan starts tomorrow; it's time for you to make your move."

Jia Xu did not hesitate and looked directly at the middle-aged man.

Uh?
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he fell silent.

Seeing this, Jia Xu raised an eyebrow and said, "What? You want to back out now?"

The middle-aged man sighed; "It seems that Cao Zhengchun, the supervisor of the Eastern Depot, came to the northern frontier not just to escort military funds."

"However, Cao Zhengchun alone is not enough."

"Killing someone is easy, but cleaning up the mess is not."

The middle-aged man said quietly.

The middle-aged man naturally knew that Cao Zhengchun had brought military funds to the northern frontier.

Previously, the middle-aged man had suspected that Cao Zhengchun's purpose in coming to northern Xinjiang was not simple.

Now, Jia Xu arrives at his residence at this time and tells him the plan to begin tomorrow.

The middle-aged man didn't need to think to know that Cao Zhengchun's purpose in coming to the northern frontier was probably for their plan.

However, Cao Zhengchun alone is not enough.

Cao Zhengchun is very strong, possessing the strength of a half-step Celestial, making killing easy for him.

But once someone is killed, the aftermath cannot be cleaned up simply by being strong.

Jia Xu glanced at the middle-aged man; "General Lü Bu has also come to the northern frontier with some people, as well as the Prince of Kao Shan."

"With them here, cleaning up the mess shouldn't be a problem!"

Jia Xu said.

what?
Has the King of Kao Shan also come to Northern Xinjiang?

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man's expression changed immediately.

The influence of Prince Kaoshan in the army was simply too profound. Even middle-aged men had served as soldiers under Prince Kaoshan Zhou Zhan for a period of time when they were young.

This demonstrates the influence that the Prince of Kaoshan had on the army.

As long as the Mountain King intervenes, both the Northern Army and the Western Liang Army can control the situation.

"It seems you're determined to succeed this time."

The middle-aged man gave a helpless, bitter laugh.

With the help of a powerful figure like Wang, who had powerful connections, they were able to intervene.

In addition, there were Cao Zhengchun and Lü Bu, two near-celestial beings.

And then there's this man before me, whose plans are flawless.

The outcome for the Zhenbei Army was already a foregone conclusion.

"General He, you're mistaken. It's not 'we,' but 'us.'"

"Once the problem of the Zhenbei Army is resolved, General He will be the one to deserve the credit. I will personally report to His Majesty and request that General He be rewarded."

"His Majesty will surely reward the meritorious officials handsomely when the time comes."

Jia Xu corrected him.

Is there a hefty reward?
The middle-aged man smiled bitterly to himself. He was already lucky to have escaped unscathed; he couldn't possibly expect a hefty reward.

(End of this chapter)