Transmigrating to the Three Kingdoms as Lu Bu: I Have a Pseudo-Apocalypse System

Several days later, the army arrived at Hongnong County and set up camp outside the city to rest. General Zhang Ji, the Prefect of Hongnong, led the civil and military officials of Hongnong to welcome Hou Cheng at the city gate.

Upon meeting, Zhang Ji cupped his hands and said, "General Hou, I am acting on the orders of the Duke of Jin to await your command and assist you in recovering Henan."

Although Zhang Ji was appointed by the imperial court as General Who Guards the East and Prefect of Hongnong, which seems to be of a much higher rank than Hou Cheng's Lieutenant General, Hou Cheng should have been the one to pay respects to Zhang Ji and obey his orders.

However, during the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, warlords fought amongst themselves, and the imperial court's orders were not effectively implemented. Everyone acted independently, prioritizing strength over official rank. Whoever had the most soldiers, the most provisions, and the strongest fist was considered right.

For example, Yuan Shao seized Ji Province by virtue of his position as the governor of Bohai, and Han Fu, the governor of Ji Province, did not dare to utter a word and gave up on his own.

From the perspective of the official system, Yuan Shao's actions were tantamount to insubordination and rebellion.

In reality, no one, whether in official circles or among the common people, cared. Everyone only felt that Yuan Shao was capable, decisive, and had great courage, and admired him even more. The powerful clans and gentry of Hebei vied to serve him.

Then there's Yuan Shu, who, despite holding the position of Prefect of Nanyang, completely ignored Liu Biao's orders to enter Jingzhou alone. This was because Yuan Shu had a strong and well-equipped army. If Liu Biao hadn't received support from local powerful figures in Jingzhou such as Huang Zu, Kuai Yue, and Cai Mao, he might have been driven out of Jingzhou by Yuan Shu.

Although Hou Cheng's official rank was not as high as Zhang Ji's for the time being, he was an old subordinate of Lü Bu and was much closer to Lü Bu. Therefore, Zhang Ji took the initiative to lower his stance.

Of course, Hou Cheng did not take advantage of the favor shown to him, and quickly returned the courtesy: "Prefect Zhang, you are too kind. We are all serving the Duke of Jin. How is the situation in Henan now?"

Zhang Ji sighed, "It's utterly chaotic. Since Dong Zhuo moved the capital and Li Guo wreaked havoc, Henan has been without a ruler. Zhang Yang, Wang Yi, Yuan Shu, Cao Cao, and others have all tried to seize it, but none of them could hold their ground. Now, the area around Luoyang is a ruined city, sparsely populated, and teeming with bandits. The two largest forces are Han Xian, who occupies Yanshi, with about 1,500 men, and Li Le, who occupies Gong County, with about 1,000 men. There are also more than ten smaller bandit groups."

Hou Cheng laughed and said, "Our army has five thousand elite troops from the imperial court. In addition, with the support of Prefect Zhang and Prefect Wei Kai of Hedong, and Prefect Zhang Yang of Henan who has a long-standing relationship with the Duke of Jin, even if they do not send troops to help, they will not attack. It will be easy to recover Henan."

Zhang Ji then led 3,000 troops to join forces with Hou Cheng and continue their eastward advance.

On March 20th, the army passed through Hangu Pass and entered the territory of Yin in Henan.

The scene was heartbreaking.

Along the official road, villages were abandoned, houses collapsed, and fields lay barren. Occasionally, a figure could be seen, but they were emaciated refugees, hiding among the ruins and peering out.

An old man with his grandson was kneeling by the roadside begging for food.

Hou Cheng ordered his personal guards to give the two men dry rations and asked, "Old man, why is this place so desolate?"

The old man wept and said, "General, you don't know, ever since Dong Zhuo burned Luoyang, there has never been peace here. Today this general comes, tomorrow that general leaves, looting grain, conscripting men, killing and burning. Those who could run away ran away long ago, and those who can't can only wait to die."

Hou Cheng paused for a moment, then said, "Don't worry, old man. From now on, the imperial court will take care of this area. You can go back to your hometown to farm. The government will provide seeds and farm tools, and you will be exempt from taxes for three years."

The old man asked skeptically, "Really?"

"It's true," Hou Cheng said solemnly. "The Duke of Jin has decreed that the recovered territories should be subject to light taxes and levies, allowing the people to rest and recuperate."

As the news spread, refugees gradually gathered.

Hou Cheng ordered the logistics battalion to use some of their military rations to set up soup kitchens and distribute porridge. The refugees, upon eating the hot porridge, wept bitterly and knelt down to kowtow.

On the 22nd of the third month, Hou Cheng's army approached the city of Luoyang.

This former imperial capital is now a scene of devastation.

The city walls collapsed in many places, the palaces inside the city were completely destroyed, and the streets were overgrown with weeds, where foxes and rabbits roamed. Only a few people lived in shacks built in the ruins, making a living by digging for wild vegetables and hunting.

Hou Cheng stood beneath the dilapidated city gate, sighing with regret.

This is Luoyang, which Dong Zhuo burned down. Coupled with the chaos caused by the war between Li and Guo and the fighting among various factions, it no longer resembled the capital of the Han Dynasty.

He ordered: "The entire army shall enter the city, clear the ruins, and build barracks. Issue proclamations to reassure the people: Luoyang is being rebuilt; craftsmen and laborers will be recruited and paid according to their work. Those who wish to return home will be given travel expenses; those who wish to stay will be allocated land."

He then ordered a courier to report back to Chang'an: "Luoyang has returned."

After resting for two days in Luoyang and handling some important government affairs as the Governor of Henan, Hou Cheng and Zhang Ji continued to lead their troops eastward to quell the banditry.

On March 25th, the army arrived at the city of Yanshi.

Upon hearing the news, Han Xian, the general of the White Wave Army, tightly closed the city gates and shouted from the city wall: "Who goes there? Why do you invade my city?"

Hou Cheng rode out into battle: "I am Hou Cheng, the Prefect of Henan appointed by the Imperial Court, ordered by the Duke of Jin to recapture Henan. Han Xian, if you open the city gates and surrender, you will be spared the death penalty and employed according to your abilities. If you resist stubbornly, your entire family will be exterminated on the day the city falls!"

Han Xian laughed loudly: "Hou Cheng? Never heard of him! I'm a mountain king, living a carefree life, why should I surrender?"

Hou Cheng was furious and was about to order an attack on the city when Zhang Ji advised, "General Hou, please calm down and let me try to persuade him."

He stepped forward and called out, "Han Xian, do you know me, Zhang Ji?"

Han Xian squinted at him: "Zhang Ji? Weren't you in Hongnong?"

"Indeed," Zhang Ji said. "I have already submitted to the court, and Duke Jin has treated me well, still appointing me as the governor of Hongnong. Han Xian, Duke Jin now controls three prefectures, with over 100,000 troops, and is blessed with a divine granary, providing endless provisions. You have only two thousand men; how long can you hold out in this dilapidated city? You might as well surrender early and try your luck."

Han Xian hesitated.

He had heard of Lü Bu's formidable reputation. Dong Zhuo, Li Jue, Guo Si, Kebineng, Qu Bei, and Han Sui—each a powerful figure in their own right—had been wiped out by Lü Bu. His own thousand or so men were indeed no match for him.

But to just surrender like that, to humble oneself and act subservient, is something one is unwilling to do.

While he was hesitating, Zhang Ji said again, "Han Xian, you are both generals of the White Wave Army. Yang Feng has already pledged allegiance to Duke Jin and has been appointed as a lieutenant general. His future is bright. I hope you will not make a mistake."

Upon hearing that his old friend Yang Feng had surrendered and been officially appointed as a lieutenant general by the court, Han Xian's will to resist waned even further. Looking outside the city, he saw Hou Cheng and Zhang Ji commanding a full eight thousand troops, fully armored and brimming with morale. His own ragtag White Wave Army of just over a thousand men was truly no match for them.

The lieutenant whispered, "General, we can't hold out. Even if we can stop Hou Cheng and Zhang Ji from attacking, it will be useless. If Lü Bu sends more troops, or even attacks us personally, we will surely die. We might as well surrender."

After much deliberation, Han Xian finally said, "Open the city gates... and surrender."

Yanshi County fell without a fight.

Hou Cheng entered the city, dispersed and reorganized Han Xian's troops, those who were willing to join the army stayed, and those who were unwilling were given travel expenses and sent back. He appointed Han Xian as the Commandant of Henan to assist Hou Cheng in managing the security of Henan.

On March 28th, the army advanced to Gong County.

Li Le, also a general of the White Wave Army, heard that Yang Feng and Han Xian had both surrendered, and had no reason to resist to the end, so he also opened the city gates and surrendered.

With this, the two major forces in Henan collapsed.

The remaining small groups of bandits fled upon hearing the news, some surrendering and others scattering, and Henan was thus brought under the control of Lü Bu's court.