You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 236 Your Majesty, is this news confirmed?
The Western Rong Kingdom.

In the palace.

Huo Qubing sat in the main seat.

Sitting below were several generals, including Zhao Yun, Zhang Liao, and Hua Xiong.

After the battle in the Gobi Desert, the Western Rong army was defeated.

In just a few days, Zhang Liao and Zhao Yun wiped out all the tribes of the Western Rong and basically took over the entire Western Rong territory.

Huo Qubing looked at Zhang Liao and the other generals and said, "The situation in the Western Rong has been stabilized, and I have already sent the victory report to Luoyang."

"How to handle the aftermath of the war needs to be discussed and decided by the imperial court."

"Now, what we need to do is continue to pursue and wipe out the remaining remnants of the various Western Rong tribes who have fled."

At this point, Huo Qubing looked at Zhao Yun.

"General Zhao, the Eastern Barbarians have already launched an attack on Dongyan Pass. According to the court's previous plan, General Zhao must immediately set off to circle around to the rear of the Eastern Barbarians to fight."

Zhao Yun nodded; this was originally part of the imperial court's previous plan.

If they send troops out of the pass to deal with the Western Rong and Northern Di, and the Southern Man and Eastern Yi do not send troops, then after they have destroyed the Western Rong and Northern Di, they will remain inactive.

However, if the Southern Barbarians and Eastern Barbarians want to aid the Western Barbarians and Northern Barbarians when they send troops outside the pass, they may send troops to attack the surrounding passes of his Great Wall.

After the army annihilates the Western Rong and Northern Di, Lü Bu and Zhao Yun will lead their cavalry from beyond the pass, making a long march of thousands of miles to circle around to the rear of the Southern Man and Eastern Yi, and directly attack the lands of the Southern Man and Eastern Yi.

Speaking of the four different ethnic groups, they were located in four different directions: east, south, west, and north outside the pass.

But in fact, they can all communicate with each other.

This explains why the Western Rong and Northern Di sought help from the Southern Man and Eastern Yi after receiving news that the Great Zhou had sent troops to deal with them outside the pass.

The geographical location outside the pass is unique, like a round sphere, surrounding the Great Zhou at its very center.

Whether in the Northern Di or the Western Rong, they could freely travel to the territories of any of the other three ethnic groups.

Huo Qubing then looked at Hua Xiong; "General Hua, according to the previous instructions of the court, once the war with the Western Rong is settled, you must immediately return to Luoyang with the Divine Martial Guard."

"Yes, General."

"This subordinate will immediately muster the troops and set off back to Luoyang."

Hua Xiong stood up and said.

……

"A great victory."

"A great victory against the Western Rong."

"General Huo personally led three thousand cavalry to launch a surprise attack on the Western Rong capital, killing the Western Rong king. The Western Rong army was defeated by General Zhang and General Zhao in the Gobi Desert."

Less than two days after the news of the victory from the Northern Barbarians reached Luoyang, news of the victory from the Western Barbarians also arrived in Luoyang.

A messenger galloped into Luoyang City.

Shouting as he rushed toward the palace.

what?
General Huo killed the King of the Western Rong, and the Western Rong army was defeated?
Upon hearing the news of the great victory against the Western Rong, many people's expressions changed drastically.

"However, the Western Rong have also been destroyed by our Great Zhou."

"Hahaha, good! The Northern Di have been destroyed by my Great Zhou, and now the Western Rong have also been destroyed by my Great Zhou. From now on, the northern border and western Liang of my Great Zhou will no longer have to suffer from foreign tribes."

"Yes! Who is this General Huo? He actually killed the King of the Western Rong, that's incredible!"

Many people were discussing it with great excitement.

……

royal palace.

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Zhou Chen looked at the report of victory in the Western Regions presented by Cao Zhengchun and a faint smile appeared on his face.

Although Zhou Chen had already received news of Huo Qubing's great victory from the Eastern Depot.

However, upon seeing Huo Qubing's report of victory, Zhou Chen could not hide his joy.

A lightning strike—that's in line with Huo Qubing's fighting style.

Historically, Huo Qubing's first military campaign involved leading 800 light cavalry in a direct attack on the Xiongnu army.

After reading the report of victory sent back by Huo Qubing, Zhou Chen glanced at Cao Zhengchun beside him and said, "Send the results of the previous court ceremony to Huo Qubing and let them do the preliminary work while waiting for the court's specific arrangements."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Cao Zhengchun bowed and said.

After Cao Zhengchun left, Zhou Chen's eyes flickered.

"The Northern Di and Western Rong have already been wiped out, so according to the previous plan, Lü Bu and Zhao Yun should have already set off for the rear of the Southern Man and Eastern Yi!"

Zhou Chen thought to himself.

……

Southern Xinjiang.

South Gate Pass.

After several days of frenzied attacks by the southern barbarians, the entire South Gate Pass was almost stained red with blood.

It was so dazzling under the setting sun.

The walls were covered with corpses.

The corpses of the southern barbarians, in particular, had piled up high under the walls.

King Zhou Zhan stood on the pass wall, gazing at the southern barbarian camp outside the pass, his face somewhat pale.

Zhou Yu, standing beside him, had also lost his elegant demeanor, his body covered in bloodstains.

The Southern Barbarians launched a frenzied attack for several days. Although King Zhou Zhan and his men managed to hold them off, they paid a considerable price.

The Zhennan Army suffered more than half its casualties, and Zhou Yi, the last adopted son of the Prince of Kaoshan, also died in battle.

King Zhou Zhan, who was also under his command, also suffered serious injuries.

Although Zhou Yu appeared covered in blood and had lost his usual elegant demeanor, he was not seriously injured.

"These southern barbarians were attacking fiercely before, but now they're completely silent."

King Zhou Zhan, looking out over the still-silent Southern Barbarian camp beyond the pass, frowned and said.

Just now, the Southern Barbarians were so determined to break through the South Gate Pass, but now they've been silent.

This puzzled Zhou Zhan, the Prince of Kao Shan.

"The Southern Barbarians must have received news of the destruction of the Northern Di and Western Rong, otherwise they wouldn't have hastily withdrawn their troops just now."

"However, the war between the Northern Di and the Western Rong has already been decided. According to the plan previously sent by the court, General Lü should have already gone to the rear of the Southern Barbarians."

"Next, it's time for us to fight back against the Southern Barbarians."

Zhou Yu looked at the Nanman camp and spoke calmly.

Zhou Yu and his men received news of the great victories against the Northern Di and Western Rong immediately.

It can be said that Zhou Yu and his men already knew that the Northern Di and Western Rong had been wiped out by Lü Bu and Huo Qubing before the news of their victory was sent back to Luoyang.

"Yes! After being attacked by the Southern Barbarians for so long, I have long felt aggrieved."

"Once the Divine Martial Guard arrives, I will annihilate this barbarian king and his southern barbarian army."

"I'm a king!" King Kao Shan said sternly.

Having suffered a fierce attack from the Southern Barbarians these past few days, King Zhou Zhan of Kaoshan had been holding back his anger and was just waiting to counterattack the Southern Barbarian army.

No sooner had King Zhou Zhan of Kao Shan finished speaking than Tai Shi Ci stepped forward.

"Your Highness, Commander, Commander Jinhe has arrived."

Taishi Ci walked over and reported to Zhou Zhan, the Prince of Kao Shan, and Zhou Yu.

Taishi Ci was followed by a general in armor.

The general in armor was none other than Jin He, the commander of the Imperial Guards.

"This humble general, Jin He, greets Your Highness and Governor Zhou."

Jin He stepped forward and greeted King Zhou Zhan and Zhou Yu.

"Golden Crane, I've been waiting for you."

"The Divine Martial Guards have all arrived!"

Upon seeing the golden crane, King Zhou Zhan of Kao Shan smiled.

The imperial reinforcements have finally arrived.

"Your Highness, the Three Guards, the Divine Martial Guard, have all arrived."

Jinhe bowed and said.

Upon receiving news of Lü Bu's great victory in slaying the Northern Di King, Zhou Chen immediately dispatched Jin He with the Northern Camp's Three Guards, the Divine Martial Guard, to the Southern Frontier in secret. Their purpose, of course, was to deal with the Southern Barbarians.

"Alright, let's discuss how to deal with the Southern Barbarian army!"

……

Outside the South Gate.

Southern Barbarian Camp.

When Jin He led the Divine Martial Guards to Nanmen Pass, inside the main tent of the Southern Barbarian camp.

At this moment, however, the atmosphere was very heavy.

The barbarian king sat in the main seat, his face indescribably grim.

There were originally nine handsome men below, but now only five are sitting here.

As for the other four generals, needless to say, they all died in the battle to attack the South Gate Pass in the past few days.

The barbarian king glanced at the five barbarian generals sitting below and said in a gloomy tone, "The reason why I hastily withdrew my troops just now is because I received some bad news."

"The Northern Di and Western Rong have already been destroyed by the Great Zhou."

"The King of the Northern Di was killed by Lü Bu, and the King of the Western Rong was also ambushed by the cavalry of the Great Zhou and beheaded in the Western Rong palace."

The barbarian king said this.

The expressions of the five handsome men present all changed simultaneously.

"Your Majesty, is this news confirmed?"

"How could the Northern Di and Western Rong have been completely wiped out by the Great Zhou so quickly?"

The five barbarian generals stared at the barbarian king in shock.

They never expected that the Northern Di and Western Rong would be destroyed by the Great Zhou so quickly.

It should be noted that both the Northern Di and the Western Rong had considerable armies.

Even if the Northern Di and Western Rong are no match for the Great Zhou army, they should be able to hold out for a while!

How could it have been destroyed by the Great Zhou in just over ten days?
"The message was relayed by our spies, so it should be true."

"As for why the Western Rong and Northern Di were defeated and killed so quickly, the specific circumstances are still unclear."

"However, it's no use talking about this now. The Northern Di and Western Rong have been destroyed. What should our barbarian tribe do next?"

"You all speak up."

The barbarian king looked at the five barbarian generals below and said in a low voice.

No matter how much they planned, they never expected the Western Rong and Northern Di to be defeated and destroyed so quickly.

The barbarian king could imagine that once the Northern Di and Western Rong were destroyed, the next target of the Great Zhou would probably be his Southern Barbarians.

Upon hearing the Barbarian King's words, the five barbarian generals' expressions changed, each one turning grim.

One of the barbarian generals spoke up, "Your Majesty, retreat immediately!"

"With the Western Rong and Northern Di destroyed, it is no longer meaningful for us to continue attacking the South Gate Pass."

"By the time the reinforcements from the Great Zhou arrive, it will be too late for us to retreat."

As soon as this rather handsome man finished speaking...

An angry voice came from the mouth of another rather handsome man.

"Bullshit! At this point, how can we possibly retreat?"

"We suffered heavy casualties and paid a great price in our attack on Nanmen Pass."

"The four barbarian generals have died in battle one after another, and we who are here are all wounded. Even the new priest has died in battle."

"How can my barbarian army be satisfied with retreating like this?"

"This handsome fellow said angrily."

"Besides, even if we withdraw our troops, do you think the Great Zhou will let us off the hook?"

"Once the Great Zhou is ready, the next tribe to be wiped out will be my barbarian tribe."

Upon hearing the words of this barbarian general, the expressions of the other four barbarian generals and the barbarian king in the main seat darkened even further.

indeed.

In order to breach the South Gate Pass, the barbarian tribes have paid a considerable price in the past few days.

Not to mention the losses of the army, four of the nine barbarian commanders were killed in battle.

The remaining five were all injured.

Even their barbarian tribe's newly appointed priest died at Zhou Rushan's hands.

For the barbarians, this was no longer just a matter of suffering heavy losses.

The barbarian priest is second only to the barbarian king in status among the barbarians. The deaths of two successive barbarian priests have already shaken the foundation of the barbarian tribe.

Most importantly, even if they retreat, the Great Zhou would never let the barbarians go.

Based on their two attacks on the South Gate Pass, the Great Zhou will surely send troops to wipe out their barbarian tribe.

The barbarian king glanced at the enraged barbarian commander, then at the other four; "If we don't retreat, and continue our attack on the South Gate Pass, can we break through it in a short time?"

The barbarian king's words seemed to be directed at the five barbarian generals, but also seemed to be a question he was asking himself.

Despite the immense cost his barbarians paid in attacking the South Gate Pass, they retreated empty-handed.

Not only was the barbarian general unwilling, but the barbarian army was also unwilling, and even the barbarian king himself was unwilling.

But what can we do if we don't withdraw our troops?
Continuing the attack on Nanmen Pass is pointless. Even if we could breach it, what good would it do?

The Western Rong and Northern Di have already been destroyed. If the barbarian tribes break through the South Gate Pass, it will only provoke the Great Zhou to immediately mobilize a large army to destroy the Southern Barbarians.

This will hasten the demise of his southern barbarians.

Aside from this outcome, it brought no further benefit to his barbarian tribe.

Moreover, they simply cannot breach the South Gate Pass in a short period of time.

Continuing the attack will only increase casualties, and by the time the Great Zhou's reinforcements arrive, it will be too late for their barbarian army to retreat.

Upon hearing the Barbarian King's words, the five Barbarian generals all looked dejected.

Despite their resentment, they felt helpless in the face of the situation.

Even the originally furious and shrewish man suddenly fell silent.

Because he knew that the Barbarian King's question was very valid.

If they don't withdraw their troops, can they break through the South Gate Pass in a short time?
The answer is obvious.

If they could break through the South Gate Pass in a short time, they wouldn't have spent so much time and suffered such heavy casualties without even breaking through the South Gate Pass.

The barbarian king looked at the five silent barbarian generals and sighed; "Pass down the order to prepare for a retreat!"

"Before the reinforcements from the Great Zhou arrive, let's retreat to the barbarian city, quickly contact the Eastern Yi, and prepare to deal with the Great Zhou army!"

"The barbarian king said."

Now that the Western Rong and Northern Di have been destroyed by the Great Zhou, the barbarian tribes can only watch over and help each other with the Eastern Yi.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The five handsome men bowed and accepted the order.

Despite their deep resentment, they knew that retreating might offer them a glimmer of hope.

If they don't retreat, once the reinforcements from the Great Zhou arrive, they will all be wiped out outside the South Gate Pass, just like the 300,000-strong army of the Southern Barbarians who went hunting before.

After the five barbarian generals left, the barbarian king's expression was uncertain.

For a moment, the barbarian king regretted his decision to join the other three parties in hunting in the Central Plains.

Without that previous plan, they wouldn't have become the target of the Great Zhou so quickly.

However, this family has never sold medicine for regret.

Every cause has its effect; whatever you do, you must bear the consequences.

No one is exempt.

"Hopefully, the Eastern Barbarians will receive the message and withdraw their troops in time!"

The barbarian king thought to himself.

If the Dongyi had not retreated in time, their army would likely have been in grave danger.

At that time, without the Dongyi as their partner, the Nanman would be left to fend for themselves and would likely be wiped out by the Great Zhou in no time.

Little did they know that even with the help of the Eastern Yi, their barbarian tribe was destined to be destroyed.

Because Lü Bu had already fled to his southern barbarian rear, the Great Zhou's Divine Martial Guard reinforcements had also arrived at the South Gate Pass.

If the barbarian king knew all this, I wonder what he would think.

(End of this chapter)