You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 197 Your Majesty, the Northern Barbarians have amassed over 200,000 troops and are besieging Yanmen Pass.

The Zhenbei Army Camp.

After Jia Xu and Lü Bu left, Gao Shun went directly to the military camp and began to reorganize the soldiers of the Zhenbei Army.

As for the affairs within Zhenbei City, Gao Shun entrusted them to Hezhou, one of the four main generals under the former Marquis of Zhenbei.

In Gao Shun's view, what happened in Zhenbei City was not important; what mattered most was controlling the Zhenbei Army.

Therefore, Gao Shun handed over all matters within Zhenbei City to Hezhou, while he himself moved into the Zhenbei Army camp to oversee the army.

On this day, in the main tent of the Zhenbei Army camp.

Gao Shun and He Zhou both had solemn expressions.

Both Hezhou and Gao Shun had received news that the Northern Barbarians had amassed over 200,000 cavalry and were besieging Yanmen Pass.

Neither of them expected that the Northern Di tribes would knock on their gates at this time.

Lu Bu and his men had just left the northern frontier for Xiliang, and the Zhenbei Army had just undergone a purge, with many high-ranking generals being purged.

It can be said that the Zhenbei Army is currently lacking in generals and its strength has been greatly reduced, making it a period of weakness for the Zhenbei Army.

At this time, the Northern Barbarians knocking on the gates was definitely not good news for the Zhenbei Army.

"General Gao, the Northern Barbarians have gathered more than 200,000 troops to besiege the pass. Yanmen Pass is only defended by 30,000 Zhenbei Army soldiers. We must immediately send troops to support Yanmen Pass."

"Otherwise, once Yanmen Pass is breached, those 200,000-plus Northern Di cavalry will be able to penetrate deep into the territory for an extended period."

"With the Northern Barbarian cavalry coming and going like the wind, it would be difficult for the Zhenbei Army to stop them."

He Zhou looked at Gao Shun and said solemnly.

Although the Zhenbei Army also had 300,000 troops, most of them were infantry, with few cavalry.

If the Northern Barbarian cavalry breaks through the pass, it will be impossible for the Zhenbei Army to stop them with infantry.

No sooner had Hezhou finished speaking than an urgent report came into the main tent.

"Report..."

Cao Xing rushed into the main tent.

"General, news has just come from the Eastern Depot that Jiuyuan and Mayi have been breached by the Northern Di barbarians, and the Zhenbei Army stationed in Jiuyuan and Mayi has been completely wiped out."

Cao Xing rushed into the main tent and said urgently.

what?
Jiuyuan and Mayi were captured by the Northern Di?
Upon hearing this, Gao Shun and He Zhou's expressions changed drastically.

Although Jiuyuan and Mayi are not as important as Yanmen Pass, they are still a barrier for the northern frontier.

These two places were breached by the Northern Di barbarians, meaning their iron cavalry could also enter the northern frontier.

Furthermore, if these two places are breached, the Northern Di tribes can circle around to the rear of Yanmen Pass and attack it from both sides.

"Cao Xing, immediately beat the drum to gather the generals and assemble the army."

"At the same time, have the Eastern Depot pass this message on to General Lü and report it to His Majesty."

Gao Shun said in a low voice.

Gao Shun knew that the Eastern Depot had messenger hawks, which could deliver messages much faster than regular express messengers.

Therefore, Gao Shun needed to use the Eastern Depot's messenger hawk to immediately relay this message to Lü Bu and the imperial court.

"Yes, General."

Cao Xing accepted the order and immediately turned to leave.

After Cao Xing left, Gao Shun looked at Hezhou again; "General He, Jiuyuan and Mayi have been captured, and Yanmen Pass is also in imminent danger. I will personally lead the army to Yanmen Pass, and I will entrust Zhenbei City to you."

Upon hearing this, Hezhou said, "General Gao, let me lead the army to Yanmen Pass! I have fought against the Northern Di for many years and am familiar with their attack methods."

"Furthermore, I am very familiar with everything around Yanmen Pass, so it is appropriate for me to lead troops there."

Gao Shun was new to the Northern Frontier and was unfamiliar with both its terrain and the Northern Di tribes.

Therefore, in Hezhou's view, he was the most suitable person to lead troops to support Yanmen Pass.

Gao Shun shook his head; "I'll lead the troops to Yanmen Pass myself! That's how this matter is settled."

It wasn't that Gao Shun didn't trust Hezhou; it was that Gao Shun knew that Yanmen Pass could not be lost.

He could only feel at ease if he personally led the troops to guard Yanmen Pass.

……

Xiliang.

The Marquis of Xiliang's residence.

Marquis Xiliang, seated in the main seat, looked at one of the generals below and asked, "Has there been any news from Marquis Zhenbei yet?"

"My lord, no."

"Even some of our spies in the northern frontier haven't sent any news back."

The general shook his head and said.

"It shouldn't be!"

“The imperial envoy has already left the northern frontier and will soon arrive in the western Liang. It is impossible for Xue Shaowen not to inform me or keep me informed.”

"Our spies in the northern frontier haven't sent any news back either."

"Could something have happened in the northern border region?"

The Marquis of Xiliang frowned and muttered to himself.

Ever since he learned that the imperial court had sent an envoy to escort military supplies to the northern frontier, the Marquis of Xiliang had been waiting for news of Marquis Xue Shaowen, the Marquis of Zhenbei.

But now, with the imperial envoy almost arriving in Xiliang, there has been no news from Marquis Zhenbei, Xue Shaowen.

This made the Marquis of Xiliang feel somewhat strange.

It should be noted that Marquis Xue Shaowen of Zhenbei and Marquis Xiliang had secretly formed an alliance and maintained constant communication.

Logically speaking, since the imperial envoy arrived in the northern frontier first, it would have been impossible for Marquis Xue Shaowen of Zhenbei not to send him a message.

Marquis Xiliang pondered for a moment, then looked at the generals below and said, "Immediately send someone to the Northern Frontier to see if anything has happened to Marquis Zhenbei."

"Yes, Lord Marquis."

The general bowed and accepted the order, then left the hall.

……

On the official road leading to Xiliang.

Lu Bu, Zhou Zhan (King of Kao Shan), Jia Xu, and Zhang Liao sat facing each other.

Lu Bu solemnly handed the urgent message that had just been delivered by the Eastern Depot to Jia Xu; "Mr. Jia, please take a look!"

"The Northern Barbarians have amassed over 200,000 troops and are besieging Yanmen Pass. Jiuyuan and Mayi have already been captured."

what?
Upon hearing Lü Bu's words, the expressions of Zhou Zhan, Jia Xu, and Zhang Liao all changed.

Jia Xu immediately took the message from the Eastern Depot from Lü Bu, glanced at it, frowned, and handed it to Zhou Zhan, the Prince of Kao Shan, and Zhang Liao.

After Zhou Zhan, the Prince of Kao Shan, and Zhang Liao finished reading, the expressions of the four men were somewhat solemn.

Lü Bu looked at Jia Xu; "Mr. Jia, what do we do now?"

"The Zhenbei Army has just undergone a purge, and morale is unstable. Many of its generals have also been purged."

“I’m worried that Gao Shun and He Zhou alone won’t be able to hold off the Northern Di. Should I return to the northern frontier immediately?”

Lü Bu then asked Jia Xu.

Jiuyuan and Mayi have already been captured by the Northern Di, leaving only Yanmen Pass as the vital passage. It can be said that the northern frontier's defensive line is already in grave danger.

Lu Bu was worried that Gao Shun and his men would not be able to withstand the attack from the Northern Di.

Jia Xu pondered in silence.

What I feared most came to pass.

Jia Xu had already guessed that the Marquis of Zhenbei might have colluded with the Northern Di tribes by secretly visiting the Zhenbei Marquis's residence through Fan Shao and this remnant of the traitor.

Therefore, Jia Xu wanted to act as soon as possible to capture the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang in order to prevent the invasion of foreign tribes.

Unexpectedly, the alien race acted swiftly; Jia Xu had underestimated their speed.

After pondering for a moment, Jia Xu shook his head at Lü Bu. "General Lü, I know your concerns, but Gao Shun is quite capable. With 300,000 Zhenbei Army soldiers at our disposal, holding off the foreign tribes for a while shouldn't be a problem." "Our main priority now is to rush to Xiliang and capture the Marquis of Xiliang. It shouldn't be too late for General Lü to return to the northern frontier then."

Jia Xu said with a thoughtful expression.

If the Northern Di people outside the Northern Frontier Pass have made their move, then the Western Rong people outside the Western Liang Pass will probably not be idle either.

If we don't take down the Marquis of Xiliang as soon as possible, and he manages to collude with the Western Rong tribes outside the pass, things will become even more troublesome.

Therefore, in Jia Xu's view, they should proceed according to their previous plan.

As for the situation in the northern frontier, with 300,000 Zhenbei Army soldiers and a capable general like Gao Shun, holding off the Northern Di for a period of time shouldn't be too difficult.

King Zhou Zhan remained silent. The affairs of the Northern Frontier and Western Liang were all planned by Jia Xu. King Zhou Zhan was merely sent by Emperor Zhou Chen to stabilize the morale of the army.

Since Jia Xu had made his decision, Zhou Zhan, the king who had been supporting him, would not say anything more.

"OK then!"

"Then let's set off quickly and take down the Marquis of Xiliang as soon as possible."

As he spoke, Lü Bu stood up.

Then, Lü Bu, King Zhou Zhan, and their group quickened their pace and entered the territory of Xiliang.

……

royal palace.

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Zhou Chen stretched and glanced at the sky outside; it was already late at night.

I couldn't help but feel a little wistful. It's said that emperors had three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two concubines, and that they would sleep on the battlefield amidst the beauties.

This emperor, instead of being drunk on the battlefield and surrounded by beauties, spends his days drunk and lying amidst piles of memorials.

"Your Majesty, Commander Cao Shaoqin has arrived."

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

"Tell him to come in."

Zhou Chen glanced at the eunuchs and guards and said.

moment.

Cao Shaoqin hurriedly entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"Your Majesty, the Northern Barbarians have amassed over 200,000 iron cavalry and are besieging Yanmen Pass. Jiuyuan and Mayi have already been captured by the Northern Barbarians."

"This is an urgent message from the northern frontier."

Cao Shaoqin entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation and hurriedly presented the message in his hand to Zhou Chen.

what?
The Northern Barbarians have knocked on the gates. Have Jiuyuan and Mayi already been captured by the Northern Barbarians?

Zhou Chen was startled, and his expression changed.

This news came as a complete surprise, so suddenly that Zhou Chen was caught off guard.

Zhou Chen immediately took the message from Cao Shaoqin and opened it to read.

The above content is not much; it only briefly describes the general situation in northern Xinjiang.

After reading the message, Zhou Chen stood up and paced back and forth.

Now, only Gao Shun is guarding the northern frontier, while Lü Bu and the others have gone to Xiliang, a fact that Zhou Chen is aware of.

At this time, the Northern Barbarians had amassed hundreds of thousands of troops and were besieging the passes. They had also captured Jiuyuan and Mayi, which was not a good situation.

After pacing back and forth a few steps, Zhou Chen stopped and looked at Cao Shaoqin. "Cao Shaoqin, immediately summon the six ministers, the Eighth Prince, and the Marquis of Weiwu to the palace."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Cao Shaoqin responded and left the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

……

Half an hour later.

The six ministers, the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian, and the Marquis of Weiwu all stood inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Each of them wondered what had happened that led His Majesty to summon them to the palace so late at night.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Zhou Chen looked up and glanced at them, saying, "I have summoned you to the palace because I have news to tell you: the Marquis of Zhenbei has been executed, and the Zhenbei Army has been successfully taken over by Prince Kaoshan and his men."

Zhou Chen had received this news a few days ago.

However, Zhou Chen never told anyone.

Originally, Zhou Chen planned to release this information after he had defeated the Marquis of Xiliang and taken control of the Xiliang army.

But now, with such a change occurring in northern Xinjiang, Zhou Chen has no choice but to announce this information ahead of schedule.

Uh?
Was the Marquis of Zhenbei executed?
Did they successfully seize control of the Zhenbei Army?

Upon hearing this news, the six ministers, the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian, and the Marquis of Weiwu were all visibly stunned.

Some were surprised by the speed of King Zhou Zhan and his men. It was unbelievable that they had so quickly eliminated the Marquis of Zhenbei and seized control of the Zhenbei Army.

"However, I have some bad news to tell you. The Northern Di have amassed more than 200,000 troops and are besieging Yanmen Pass. Jiuyuan and Mayi have already been captured by the Northern Di."

Zhou Chen continued.

After saying that, Zhou Chen waved to Cao Shaoqin.

Cao Shaoqin immediately understood and delivered the message that the Eastern Depot had just sent back to the six ministers and the others.

what?
The Northern Barbarians, with over 200,000 troops, besieged Yanmen Pass.

Have Jiuyuan and Mayi already been captured by the Northern Di?
As soon as Zhou Chen announced this news, the expressions of the six ministers, the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian, and the Marquis of Weiwu changed immediately.

They were initially quite pleased to hear that the Marquis of Zhenbei had been executed and that the power of the Zhenbei Army had been seized.

Solving the problem in the northern border region is a great boon for the imperial court.

But in the blink of an eye, such a big problem has emerged in the northern frontier, which has greatly alarmed the six ministers and their entourage.

The six ministers and Zhou Xian, the Eighth Prince, and several others took turns reading the message delivered by Cao Shaoqin.

After reading the message sent back by the Eastern Depot, everyone's expressions turned solemn.

With Jiuyuan and Mayi breached by the Northern Di tribes, the Northern Di tribes broke through the northern frontier defenses and gained a passage to the south.

Furthermore, with the fall of Jiuyuan and Mayi, Yanmen Pass is also in grave danger.

If Yanmen Pass were to fall, the entire northern frontier defense line would completely collapse, and the Great Zhou would be utterly exposed to the iron cavalry of foreign tribes.

Zhou Chen looked up at the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian and the others; "You've all seen this news. Lü Bu and the Prince of Kao Shan have already gone to Xiliang, leaving only Gao Shun and He Zhou to guard the northern frontier."

"Now that Jiuyuan and Mayi have been captured by the Northern Di, what are your thoughts?"

Zhou Chen looked at the important court officials below and asked.

"Your Majesty, once Jiuyuan and Mayi are captured, the Northern Di will have a route to advance south."

"I believe that an imperial edict should be issued immediately to Gao Shun and He Zhou, ordering them to quickly mobilize a large army to recapture Jiuyuan and Mayi and block these two defensive lines."

The Eighth Prince, Zhou Xian, stepped forward and spoke.

"Your Majesty, this matter is probably not that simple."

“The remnants of the Fan and Zheng families who escaped beyond the pass secretly entered the pass and went to the Zhenbei Marquis’s Mansion and the Xiliang Marquis’s Mansion. So it is possible that the Zhenbei Marquis’s Mansion and the Xiliang Marquis’s Mansion have become involved with foreign tribes.”

"Now that the Northern Barbarians have attacked the pass and captured Jiuyuan and Mayi, it is likely that there will be problems in Xiliang as well."

Fang Xuanling pondered for a moment, then said with a solemn expression.

Fang Xuanling's words caused the expressions of the several important officials present to change once again.

They were all important officials in the imperial court, and all intelligent men.

They all understood what Fang Xuanling was referring to.

If what Fang Xuanling said is true, then this problem is much more serious.

……

(End of this chapter)