You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 225 Prime Minister Xiao, what do you think?
Donghuang.

The Eastern Wilderness Marquis's Residence.

Marquis of Donghuang and Zhao Yun sat in the main seat and the secondary seat, respectively.

Marquis Donghuang looked at Zhao Yun and smiled, "General Zhao, what brings you to the Marquis's residence today?"

"General Zhao, have you been settling in well with the Eastern Wilderness Army these past few days? I hope your subordinates haven't mistreated you!"

Zhao Yun shook his head; "No, that's not it. I came to the Marquis's residence today mainly to bid farewell to you, my lord."

"This humble general has just received an order from the imperial court, instructing me to immediately depart for the capital upon receiving the command."

Zhao Yun said.

Returning to the capital?

Marquis Donghuang was visibly taken aback.

"Why is the imperial court in such a hurry to summon General Zhao back to court? Has something happened?"

"Could it be that there are problems at the borders of the other three parties?"

Marquis Donghuang raised an eyebrow and asked.

He did not expect that the imperial court would suddenly issue an order for Zhao Yun to return to the capital.

Previously, the Marquis of Donghuang thought that the purpose of the imperial court sending Zhao Yun to Donghuang was mainly to place Zhao Yun in the Donghuang army.

But now it seems that's not the case; it was this Marquis of the Eastern Wilderness who misjudged a gentleman with the mind of a petty person.

Otherwise, the imperial court would not have issued another order for Zhao Yun to return to the capital.

"Nothing happened in the imperial court, and the other three border regions are also safe."

"The imperial court has ordered me to return to the capital, presumably because His Majesty intends to wage war against the regions beyond the Great Wall."

Zhao Yun knew something about Zhou Chen's arrangements.

Therefore, Zhao Yun did not hide anything and spoke carefully.

To wage war against the region outside the Great Wall?
Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Donghuang's expression changed.

"Yes, my lord."

"The four foreign tribes joined forces to invade our Great Zhou, and even breached the three border passes of our Great Zhou. Countless soldiers died in battle, and even the Marquis of Weiwu died in battle at Yanmen Pass."

"How could His Majesty remain indifferent when such a foreign race has so blatantly invaded our Great Zhou and challenged its majesty!"

"His Majesty had already been considering sending troops beyond the Great Wall."

"The imperial court has now ordered me to return to Luoyang, and I suspect it is related to the matter of sending troops beyond the Great Wall."

Zhao Yun nodded and said.

Upon hearing Zhao Yun's words, the Marquis of Donghuang's expression turned serious.

“Sending troops beyond the Great Wall is no child’s play.”

"Leaving aside the situation outside the pass, our Great Zhou has just experienced a foreign invasion. Although we annihilated the armies of the three foreign tribes, our Great Zhou also suffered considerable losses."

"It seems a bit hasty to send troops beyond the pass now!"

"This is what the Marquis of Donghuang analyzed," he said.

indeed.

Despite the fact that the Great Zhou Dynasty was victorious in the face of the combined invasion of four foreign tribes and annihilated the armies of three of them, it still managed to achieve its goal.

However, the armies of Xiliang, Zhenbei, and Zhennan also suffered considerable casualties.

Even his Eastern Wilderness Army suffered heavy casualties.

The troop strength has not yet been replenished.

Sending troops outside the pass at this time is not a good idea.

Furthermore, the Great Zhou Dynasty has been far from peaceful recently. The four northern states are suffering from severe drought, the people have risen up in rebellion, and a prince has colluded with powerful families to usurp the throne and rebel.

These events, one after another, have caused some instability in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Furthermore, with the recent land survey and statistics conducted by the imperial court, sending troops beyond the Great Wall at this time would only make the Great Zhou Dynasty more unstable.

"His Majesty must have his own reasons for this."

"I have come to the Marquis's residence today not only to bid farewell to you, but also to present you with a secret letter from His Majesty."

As Zhao Yun spoke, he took out a secret letter and handed it to the Marquis of Donghuang.

"Oh."

Marquis Donghuang was startled and immediately took the secret letter from Zhao Yun's hand.

I opened it and glanced at it.

The secret letter contained very little, just a few words.

But those few words made a glint of light flash in the eyes of the Marquis of Donghuang.

"I understand Your Majesty's meaning."

Marquis Donghuang closed the secret letter and said.

"Then I shall take my leave."

Zhao Yun stood up.

Marquis Donghuang also stood up; "May General Zhao have a safe journey."

Marquis of Donghuang personally escorted Zhao Yun out.

Zhao Yun's status and position may not be as high as those of the Marquis of Donghuang now, but his strength is undeniable.

It is worthy of being personally escorted by the Marquis of Donghuang.

……

Southern Xinjiang.

The Prince's Mansion.

After reading the letter from Luoyang, Prince Zhou Zhan sighed. "His Majesty did not agree to my request to return to the capital. Instead, he ordered me to quickly replenish the Zhennan Army, train the soldiers, and pay attention to the movements of the Southern Barbarians."

"Does His Majesty intend to wage war against the foreign tribes beyond the Great Wall?"

After speaking, the Prince of Kao Shan handed the letter in his hand to Zhou Yu, who was standing next to him.

Zhou Yu took the letter from the Prince of Kao Shan, glanced at it, and his eyes flickered inexplicably.

"It's almost certain, His Majesty is about to send troops beyond the Great Wall."

"The targets should be the Northern Di and the Western Rong."

Zhou Yu nodded and said.

"Oh!"

King Zhou Zhan, who was in charge of the mountain, was greatly encouraged.

"Then why doesn't His Majesty issue an edict summoning you back to court?"

King Zhou Zhan of Kao Shan knew Zhou Yu's abilities.

Nowadays, there are very few generals in the Great Zhou who can lead troops into battle. If the court were to send troops to the border, there would be no reason not to use a top talent like Zhou Yu!
Zhou Yu put down the letter in his hand; "In the northern frontier we have General Lü, and in the western Liang we have General Zhang, both of whom are capable generals who can lead troops into battle."

"Furthermore, the imperial court has just appointed General Huo to command the Divine Martial Guard."

"The imperial court's expedition to the border region this time does not require me to be recalled to the capital."

Zhou Yu said.

The imperial court had just appointed Huo Qubing as commander of the Divine Martial Guard, and Zhou Yu already knew about it.

Zhou Yu believed that anyone who could be appointed by His Majesty as the commander of the Divine Martial Guard must be no ordinary person.

Therefore, Zhou Yu knew that the imperial court was not lacking in generals to command troops this time.

There's no need. Just transfer him back to the imperial court from the southern border.

“You’re right. Lü Bu and Zhang Liao are both exceptional generals. With them around, there’s really no need for you to return to the capital.”

King Zhou Zhan nodded.

Both Lü Bu and Zhang Liao had contact with Zhou Zhan, the Prince of Kao Shan.

King Zhou Zhan knew that Lü Bu and Zhang Liao were both exceptional generals, and that there would be no problem with them leading the troops out of the pass.

"It seems that we in southern Xinjiang also need to hurry up and make preparations."

"I am King Zhou Zhan," he murmured.

If what Zhou Yu said is true, the court's primary targets are the Northern Di and the Western Rong.

Once the imperial court has dealt with the Western Rong and Northern Di, the next targets should be the Southern Man and Eastern Yi.

Therefore, the Zhennan Army needs to make preparations in advance.

……

royal palace.

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Xiao He, the Minister of the Six Ministries, Zhou Xian (the Eighth Prince), and Huo Qubing, several other important court officials, were summoned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation by Zhou Chen. "Greetings, Your Majesty."

After entering the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Xiao He and the others respectfully bowed to Zhou Chen on the dragon throne.

"Everyone is free of charge!"

Zhou Chen looked up at Xiao He and the other ministers and said, "I have summoned you to the palace because there is something I want to discuss with you all."

"Previously, the four foreign tribes joined forces to invade our Great Zhou, disregarding the majesty of our Great Zhou. They successively broke through the three strategic passes of our Great Zhou, and many soldiers were buried on the border. Even the mighty Marquis of our Great Zhou died in battle at Yanmen Pass."

"Although our Great Zhou has annihilated the three invading foreign armies, this grudge cannot go unavenged."

"How dare these mere barbarian tribes offend my Great Zhou, and even dream of hunting down the Central Plains? Do they really think my Great Zhou has declined to the point of being easy to bully?"

"Therefore, I intend to send troops beyond the pass to hunt in the borderlands."

What do you guys think?

Zhou Chen looked at Xiao He and the six ministers.

Send troops beyond the pass?

Several high-ranking officials of the imperial court were shocked upon hearing this.

They had been wondering why Emperor Zhou Chen had summoned them all to the palace together.

Unexpectedly, Emperor Zhou Chen wanted to send troops to the area beyond the Great Wall.

The Eighth Prince, Zhou Xian, stepped forward with a solemn expression and said, "Your Majesty, our Great Zhou has just experienced a war. Although we won, it was a Pyrrhic victory."

"The border troops have not yet recovered their strength. Isn't it a bit hasty to send troops out of the pass now?"

"Shouldn't we wait until the soldiers on the border have recovered their strength and the Great Zhou has stabilized for a while before sending troops outside the pass?"

"Eighth Prince Zhou Xian suggested."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"I believe that the Eighth Prince's words are reasonable."

"So many things have happened in my Great Zhou recently that we haven't had time to settle down and stabilize."

"If we rush to send troops beyond the pass, there may be unexpected consequences."

"Your Majesty, please think again."

Minister of War Li Yuan also stepped forward and spoke.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chen looked at Xiao He and asked, "Prime Minister Xiao, what do you think?"

Xiao He pondered for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, war has always been a matter of great importance to the nation."

"To send troops, it all comes down to two things: money and supplies, and manpower."

"Now that the treasury of our Great Zhou is full, there is no problem with that."

"Then the other point depends on the strength of my Great Zhou's troops."

Xiao He stopped there.

Zhou Chen had already understood Xiao He's meaning.

Zhou Chen looked at Huo Qubing; "General Huo, how is the replenishment of the Twelve Divine Martial Guards progressing?"

"Your Majesty, the Twelve Divine Martial Guards have all been replenished."

Huo Qubing bowed and replied.

Previously, when Lü Bu and the King of Kaoshan left Luoyang to capture the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Xiliang in the northern frontier and western Liang, they took a guard of the Divine Martial Guard with them.

When Cao Zhengchun returned, he also brought back the Divine Martial Guard.

After these days of replenishment, Huo Qubing has now fully replenished the Twelve Divine Warriors Guards.

The Northern Camp has six guards, and the Southern Camp has six guards.

The entire army numbered 360,000, with not a single person missing.

"Ah."

Zhou Chen nodded in satisfaction; it was good that the Twelve Divine Martial Guards were now complete.

Zhou Chen then looked at the Minister of War; "Minister Li, what is the situation with the Xiliang Army and the Zhenbei Army?"

Minister of War Li Yuan immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the Xiliang army suffered 100,000 casualties in the previous battle with the Western Rong tribes."

"The Zhenbei Army suffered a more severe defeat. Of the 300,000 Zhenbei Army soldiers who resisted the Northern Di army, less than 130,000 remained."

Li Yuan reported on the situation of the Xiliang Army and the Zhenbei Army with a gloomy expression.

indeed.

Although the Great Zhou won the previous battle against the foreign tribes and annihilated the armies of the three foreign tribes, it was a Pyrrhic victory.

Both the Northern Army and the Southern Army suffered heavy casualties and were severely weakened.

Only the Xiliang army fared somewhat better, as they were not fundamentally weakened.

Upon hearing Minister of War Li Yuan's words, the ministers present all frowned slightly.

Obviously.

They all felt that the army at the border had suffered too many casualties, and even after these days of replenishment, it was impossible to replenish much more.

Furthermore, their combat strength is questionable.

The troops are insufficient to venture beyond the Great Wall for hunting.

"Your Majesty, the Xiliang Army suffered heavy casualties in the previous battle with the Zhenbei Army, and their forces are insufficient."

"Even with the addition of the Divine Martial Guard, fighting on two fronts will bring many unforeseen circumstances."

"I believe that we can send troops to the area outside the pass, but we can only attack one front at a time, and we cannot send troops to both fronts at the same time."

After thinking for a moment, Xiao He cautiously addressed Zhou Chen, who was seated on the dragon throne.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chen neither adopted nor objected, but instead said, "Although our Great Zhou has already annihilated hundreds of thousands of troops from the Northern Di and Western Rong, the Northern Di and Western Rong still each have hundreds of thousands of archers in their ranks."

At this point, Zhou Chen looked at Huo Qubing and said, "Huo Qubing, if I were to appoint you as general, how many troops do you think you would need to wipe out the Western Rong and Northern Di?"

Huo Qubing was ennobled for his meritorious service, and his military achievements were immense.

Therefore, Zhou Chen valued Huo Qubing's intentions more in this matter of sending troops to the border regions.

Although Xiao He and Fang Xuanling were both top figures who left their mark on history.

But when it comes to warfare involving driving out and hunting foreign tribes, Zhou Chen felt that Huo Qubing was more adept than them.

"Your Majesty, if this humble general were to lead the troops..."

"This humble general only needs 200,000 Divine Martial Guards, plus the armies of Xiliang and Zhenbei, to wipe out the Northern Di and Western Rong barbarians for Your Majesty."

Huo Qubing said in a strong and resounding voice.

Upon hearing this, Li Yuan, the Minister of War, and Zhou Xian, the Eighth Prince, both frowned.

What a loud tone.

With 200,000 Shenwu Guards, plus the armies of Xiliang and Beidi, the total force would be at most 600,000 to 700,000.

This army of six or seven hundred thousand may seem like a lot, but when facing the combined forces of the Western Rong and Northern Di, this army of six or seven hundred thousand is definitely not superior in terms of numbers.

Despite having such a disadvantageous force, Huo Qubing dared to boast that he would wipe out the Western Rong and Northern Di tribes.

This made Zhou Xian, the Eighth Prince, and Li Yuan, the Minister of War, somewhat dissatisfied.

You must understand, this is no joke.

Two hundred thousand Divine Martial Guards, plus the armies from Xiliang and Zhenbei, these are the true elite and combat-ready troops of the Great Zhou.

This also represents a small portion of the elite forces currently in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

If even the slightest mistake or accident were to occur, resulting in the loss of these troops, the consequences for the Great Zhou would be unimaginable.

After hearing Huo Qubing's words, Zhou Chen showed a rare smile on his face.

How can I have a home when the Xiongnu have not yet been defeated?

Huo Qubing truly deserves the title of the man who dared to venture deep into the northern desert with only 800 light cavalry and seal the wolf's lair.

They dare to speak out, and they dare to fight.

Zhou Chen glanced at Huo Qubing, said nothing more, and then looked at Xiao He and the other ministers; "You all heard what General Huo said, didn't you!"

"We may be somewhat lacking in manpower, but I believe that winning a war depends on the right timing, the right location, and the right people."

"It depends on the general's strategic planning and command ability, not on the number of soldiers."

"Therefore, I urge all my ministers to discuss this matter thoroughly and strive to make it as perfect as possible."

Zhou Chen glanced at the Minister of War and the others and said.

Zhou Chen's meaning was already quite clear.

Sending troops was inevitable; what these ministers needed to do was to come up with the best possible plan and fill in any gaps.

Instead of arguing about whether or not to send troops.

(End of this chapter)