You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 198 Sudden Changes in Southern Xinjiang
The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Zhou Chen raised an eyebrow slightly at Fang Xuanling's words.

The Northern Barbarians have amassed hundreds of thousands of troops and are besieging Yanmen Pass. If the Western Liang also faces a similar problem, then the pressure on the surrounding passes will be immense.

What worries Zhou Chen the most is whether a similar problem would affect his plan to take down the Marquis of Xiliang.

If it affects the plan to take down the Marquis of Xiliang and prevents him from taking control of the Xiliang army, then the situation in Xiliang will become much more serious.

"Your Majesty, the last general invites you to fight."

"Now that the Northern Barbarians have captured Jiuyuan and Mayi, and the Zhenbei Army has just undergone a purge, with only Generals Gao Shun and Hezhou in command, morale is low and combat effectiveness will decline."

"This humble general is willing to lead troops to the northern frontier and join Gao Shun and the others in resisting the Northern Di."

Marquis Weiwu stepped forward and volunteered.

In any case, Marquis Weiwu was considered a veteran. Although his seniority could not compare to that of a three-dynasty veteran like Prince Kaoshan, he was still more senior than Marquis Zhenbei and Marquis Xiliang.

With this mighty Marquis leading troops to the northern frontier, it played a significant role in stabilizing the morale of the Zhenbei Army.

"Your Majesty, the Zhenbei Army has 300,000 troops, which is sufficient for the needs of the army."

"Therefore, I believe that the court does not need to send troops to the northern frontier. The more than 300,000 troops of the Zhenbei Army can stop the northern barbarians from moving south."

The Minister of War pondered for a moment before speaking.

Upon hearing the Minister of War's words, Zhou Chen, seated on the dragon throne, said in a deep voice, "What I want is not to block them, but to exterminate these foreign tribes."

"Any enemy that dares to offend my Great Zhou will be made to never return."

A hint of murderous intent flashed across Zhou Chen's face.

How could Zhou Chen, as the emperor of Great Zhou, possibly need only to block the foreign tribes when they dared to knock on the gates and invade the Great Zhou?

Upon hearing this, Du Ruhui's eyes flickered, and he stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, if we want to exterminate the Northern Di barbarians, we must find a way to restrain their cavalry and mobilize a sufficient army."

"But right now, taking down the Marquis of Xiliang and seizing control of the Xiliang army has reached a critical moment."

"I believe that we should wait until we have captured the Marquis of Xiliang and taken control of the Xiliang army before we plan to exterminate the foreign tribes."

To exterminate the alien races, a large army is needed.

Although the Zhenbei Army has been successfully taken over by the imperial court, the Xiliang Army has not yet been taken over.

If the extermination of the foreign tribes delays matters in Xiliang and alerts the Marquis of Xiliang, then it would be a loss.

……

Just as Emperor Zhou Chen was summoning the six ministers and the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian late at night because of the Northern Di's intrusion into the pass,

The situation in southern Xinjiang has also changed dramatically.

The once formidable Nanmen Pass, a stronghold against the southern barbarians, is now engulfed in flames of war.

On the gate, the sounds of clashing weapons pierced the night sky of southern Xinjiang.

Corpses lay on the ground.

The bright red blood was so striking, even in the darkest of nights.

"General, you must leave quickly! This place can no longer be defended. Someone has opened the gate, and the Southern Barbarians have already stormed in."

"If the general doesn't leave now, it will be too late."

A lieutenant covered in blood ran up to a general in armor and said urgently.

The general in armor was covered in blood, with at least four or five wounds on his body.

go?
"Do you know what the consequences would be if the South Gate were lost?"

“When my adoptive father left, he asked me to guard the South Gate Pass. But now tens of thousands of soldiers have died in battle and the South Gate Pass has been breached. How can I face my adoptive father?”

"Today, we were supposed to live and die with Nanmen Pass."

The general in armor was the commander of the South Gate Pass and Zhou Si, an adopted son of Zhou Zhan, the Prince of Kaoshan.

When King Zhou Zhan left the southern border, he specifically ordered Zhou Si to guard the South Gate Pass to prevent the southern barbarians from entering.

But tonight, the South Gate Pass has been breached by the Southern Barbarians. If Zhou Si, the general of the South Gate Pass, does not retake it, how can he face his adoptive father, the King of Kao Shan?

Therefore, Thursday had already resolved to die and perish with Nanmen Pass.

To be honest, even now, on Thursday, I still feel a bit confused. I don't know why the Southern Barbarians suddenly attacked Nanmen Pass without any prior warning.

Most importantly, chaos broke out inside the pass tonight. Some of the Zhennan Army soldiers stationed at the South Gate Pass fell ill for no apparent reason, and some even opened the gate.

This shows what?
Thursday is a no-brainer.

However, now is not the time to consider these things; the priority is to hold off the southern barbarians' attack and hold out until reinforcements arrive.

Once reinforcements arrive, they will be able to drive back the southern barbarians.

"kill……."

After saying this, Zhou Si, without another word, once again swung his sword and charged at the Nanman soldiers who were constantly rushing up the gate.

The deputy general had originally intended to persuade Zhou Si, but seeing Zhou Si charge at the Nanman soldiers again, he followed suit and fought with them once more.

The entire South Gate was shrouded in darkness, engulfed by the flames of war.

The walls and surrounding areas were piled high with corpses, whether they were from the southern barbarians or the garrison of the Zhennan Army; the corpses were piled up like mountains.

I don’t know how much time passed.

The sounds of gunfire from the gate suddenly ceased.

The earth-shattering sounds of battle gradually came to an end.

A figure covered in wounds, with blood constantly trickling from the corner of his mouth, stood upright on the wall, looking at the southern barbarian soldiers surrounding him, a look of unwilling tragedy on his face.

"Fourth brother, lay down your weapons and surrender!"

"The South Gate has already fallen, why do you want to seek your own death like this!"

A figure emerged, and in the torchlight, Thursday could clearly see the person's face.

"Second brother?"

"It's you."

"So it was all your doing. You betrayed your adoptive father, betrayed the Zhennan Army, and colluded with the Southern Barbarians to break through the South Gate Pass."

"why?"

"Tell me why?"

"Second brother, do you know what you're doing?"

"Look, tens of thousands of soldiers have shed their blood on the pass."

"How can you face them? How can you face your adoptive father? How can you face the Zhennan Army?"

The moment Thursday saw Tuesday's face, he instantly understood everything.

He screamed desperately on Thursday.

Blood kept flowing from the corner of my mouth, but it couldn't compare to the pain of my heart bleeding.

Thursday was truly unexpected; his second brother, the adopted son of the Prince of Kao Shan, would actually collude with the Southern Barbarians and betray the Zhennan Army.

Furthermore, on Tuesday, they secretly assisted the Southern Barbarians in breaching the South Gate Pass, resulting in the bloodshed of tens of thousands of Zhennan Army soldiers throughout the pass.

This was truly hard to accept on Thursday.

No wonder I felt something was off about the Southern Barbarians' sneak attack on Nanmen Pass on Thursday; many things seemed rather inexplicable.

It turns out that this was all the work of an insider, Tuesday.

"Fourth brother, I also have my own difficulties."

"There are some things that I cannot decide."

"Now that things have come to this, you should lay down your weapons and surrender!"

"We've been fighting on the battlefield for so many years, haven't you understood this principle yet?"

“We are all knives in other people’s hands, knives in the hands of the Great Zhou, and knives in the hands of our godfather. Just like the seventh brother, when he is useful, he is the sharpest knife; when he is useless, he is just a discarded pawn.”

"Even if you die in battle now, it will mean nothing, and no one will remember you."

"So you don't need to work that hard, it's not worth it."

"We have risked our lives for the Great Zhou and our adoptive father for so many years. We should have paid back what we owed long ago."

“With me here, you can lay down your weapons and surrender, and they will not make things difficult for you.”

On Tuesday, he earnestly tried to persuade Thursday.

"Shut up."

"On Tuesday, I finally saw you for who you really are. You're an ungrateful scoundrel."

“If it weren’t for your godfather taking you in, you would have starved to death in some corner long ago.”

“You still have the audacity to say these things? Let me tell you, you are ungrateful and cowardly on Tuesday, but I am not afraid of death on Thursday.” “Today, I will clean house for my godfather and kill you, you villain who colluded with the southern barbarians and betrayed the Zhenbei Army.”

After saying this on Thursday, he used the last of his strength to charge at Tuesday with his knife.

brush brush...

Just as Thursday took his first step, a dense rain of arrows was fired at him.

"Puch."

In the blink of an eye, Thursday was like a hedgehog, covered in sharp arrows.

Bright red blood kept flowing from Thursday's mouth.

On Thursday, the knife he had raised in his hand stopped in mid-air. He glared fiercely at Tuesday, staggered back a few steps, and then tumbled off the wall.

"Fourth..."

Tuesday cried out, and watching Thursday fall off the wall pierced by a thousand arrows, he closed his eyes helplessly.

As adopted sons of the same powerful figure, they shared some affection for each other.

After all, they all grew up together under the command of the Prince of Kao Shan.

To say that there were no feelings between them would be a lie.

……

"Sons."

"The South Gate has fallen, and there are no more warriors in the Great Zhou who can stop my southern barbarians."

"The women and wealth of the Great Zhou are waiting for the warriors of my Southern Barbarian lands to take them."

"After we enter the pass, we will first plunder the southern border, and then join forces with the other three parties to hunt in the Central Plains."

"The commander of the Southern Barbarians said loudly."

"First plunder the southern borders, then hunt down the Central Plains."

The southern barbarian army shouted as they entered the South Gate Pass.

Nanmen Pass, a formidable pass that had defended the southern frontier against the southern barbarians for many years, was thus breached by them.

……

Zhennan City.

The Prince's Mansion.

At this moment, more than a dozen generals gathered together.

On Monday, with a grim expression, he surveyed the dozen or so generals and said in a deep voice, "Tell me, what exactly happened tonight?"

"Why are so many soldiers in various military camps experiencing diarrhea, and why is there chaos in the city?"

"Who exactly is causing trouble in the city, setting fires and instigating riots?"

Monday's voice was filled with suppressed anger.

When King Zhou Zhan left, he entrusted Zhou Yi with full responsibility for all matters in the southern border region.

But just a few days later, chaos broke out in the city. People set fires everywhere, disturbing the peace of the entire Zhennan City.

Especially in the military camp, many soldiers inexplicably had diarrhea tonight.

This made Zhou Yi feel that things were not so simple.

"General Zhou, this is probably a deliberate attempt to create chaos, and the soldiers have likely been drugged."

"A general said solemnly."

"That's right. Judging from tonight's situation, someone is manipulating things behind the scenes, and their purpose is probably not simple."

"Furthermore, the person behind the drugging of soldiers so quietly must be someone of extraordinary status."

Another general spoke, his eyes gleaming.

Many soldiers in the army developed diarrhea, which was clearly a sign that they had been drugged.

Needless to say, being able to secretly drug soldiers in the army is not something an ordinary person could do.

Upon hearing the general's words, everyone present showed a slight change in expression.

No one is a fool.

Such an obvious answer means there must be a traitor within the military.

On Monday, listening to the two generals' words, he said with a gloomy face, "I don't want to hear these speculations. They're as obvious as lice on a bald head. Do you need to say it?"

"What I want is results."

"You shall immediately impose martial law throughout the city and thoroughly investigate this matter. Arrest all those found to be in question."

"Martial law must also be enforced in military camps, troops must be in full formation and ready to fight, armor must never leave their bodies and swords must never leave their hands."

Several orders were issued in a row on Monday.

Tonight's events made Zhou Yi feel uneasy; she had a feeling that something big might happen tonight.

"besides."

"Immediately send out scouts to investigate the situation at the South Gate and within a hundred miles outside the city."

On Monday, he added another sentence.

No sooner had Monday finished speaking than a commotion broke out outside.

Before Monday could even ask what was going on, a figure forcefully barged into the council hall.

"Director Li?"

Upon seeing the figure that had barged in, Zhou Yi frowned.

The man who barged in was someone I knew on Monday; he was Li Dangtou, the leader of the Eastern Depot in the southern border region.

However, Li, the head of the gang, was now covered in wounds, and his Flying Eagle uniform was tattered.

Clearly, this was a state of intense fighting.

"Director Li, what's wrong with you?"

“Even if you are a member of the Eastern Depot and have special privileges, you cannot barge into the Prince of Kao Shan’s mansion without prior notification.”

On Monday, looking at Li, the head of the gang, he said with dissatisfaction.

"General Zhou, I have important news, which is why I had no choice but to break into the Prince's residence."

Li, panting heavily, said without hesitation, "On Tuesday, we colluded with the Southern Barbarians, working together from within and without, and broke through the South Gate Pass. The entire garrison at the South Gate Pass was wiped out."

"Furthermore, the chaos in the city tonight was also secretly orchestrated by someone on Tuesday."

"On Tuesday, they also sent men to attack our Eastern Depot stronghold. Apart from me, all the guards at our Eastern Depot stronghold were killed in battle."

"General Zhou, please make preparations as soon as possible, as the Southern Barbarian army has already entered the pass."

After Li Dangtou said this...

The faces of everyone seated in the council chamber changed drastically.
"What did you say?"

"The Southern Barbarian army has entered the pass?"

"The entire army at Nanmen Pass was wiped out? The second brother colluded with the southern barbarians?"

On Monday, thinking he had misheard, he stood up abruptly and stared at Director Li in disbelief.

Not only on Monday, but all the other generals present also stood up in shock.

This news was so shocking that everyone present could hardly believe it.

“That’s right. If General Zhou doesn’t believe me, he can send someone to investigate immediately.”

"However, I advise General Zhou to first arrange the army and set up defenses, so as not to catch the Southern Barbarian army off guard."

"I've said everything I needed to say, General Zhou, I'll take my leave now."

After saying that, Li turned and left.

Such a big thing happened in the southern border region. As the person in charge of the Eastern Depot in the southern border region, he had to send the news back to Luoyang immediately.

Even after Li left, Monday and the others were still reeling from the shock.

On Tuesday, they actually colluded with the Southern Barbarians and broke through the South Gate Pass; this is simply unbelievable.

Who is Zhou Er? He is the adopted son of the Prince of Kao Shan.

How could someone like that possibly commit such a betrayal?

However, on Monday, they all understood that the people from the Eastern Depot would not speak carelessly about such things, much less joke about them.

This is probably true.

(End of this chapter)