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

Even with four top-tier generals surrounding Lü Bu, they couldn't withstand more than twenty rounds.

The four men were panting, all showing expressions of admiration.

Ma Chao exclaimed in admiration, "My lord's martial arts are unparalleled. Back then, you fought three heroes at Hulao Pass, and today you defeated four of us in twenty rounds. You are even more formidable than before."

Zhao Yun said solemnly, "Having traveled the world, I have never seen anyone as brave and valiant as you, my lord."

Huang Zhong said, "I pride myself on my decent swordsmanship, but today I realize there are always higher levels to reach."

Zhang Xiu laughed and said, "Junior brother, now you know why I'm willing to serve our lord, don't you?"

Lu Bu planted his halberd in the ground and said, "No matter how high one's martial arts are, one can only defeat ten thousand men. The world is vast, and there are far more than ten thousand people. To govern a country and bring peace to the world, one needs both literary and military talents. You are all outstanding talents of our time. I hope you will help me to restore peace to the country and bring peace to the world."

The crowd shouted in unison, "We are willing to fight to the death!"

From then on, Lü Bu gained two more generals.

Zhao Yun was also temporarily assigned to the personal guard camp, serving as a captain.

In early April, Wei Kai, the governor of Hedong, Zhang Yang, the governor of Henan, and Wang Yi, the governor of Bingzhou, simultaneously dispatched troops to Shangdang County on Lü Bu's orders.

Wei Kai ordered Du Ji, the former Commandant and now the Commandant of the Destroyer of the Barbarians, to lead 3,000 troops from Hedong Commandery eastward, cross the Taiyue Mountains, and enter the western side of Shangdang Commandery.

Zhang Yang ordered Sui Gu, the Commandant of Henan, to lead 4,000 troops from Henan Commandery northward along the Taihang Mountains to attack Changping.

Wang Yi ordered Han Chong, the former Commandant of Taiyuan and now Commandant of Pinghu, to lead 8,000 troops from Bingzhou southward from Taiyuan Commandery to attack the northern counties of Shangdang.

The three routes totaled 15,000 men, which may not seem like many, but they were all regular county soldiers, fully armed and well-fed.

Their opponent, Zhang Yan, claimed to have hundreds of thousands of troops in the Black Mountain Army, but in reality, only about 50,000 to 60,000 were able-bodied soldiers; the rest were family members, the elderly, women, and children accompanying the army.

More importantly, the Black Mountain army was short of food.

Occupying mountainous terrain with scarce arable land, they have relied on plundering surrounding counties for survival for many years. Now surrounded on three sides and with their supply lines cut off, they have been forced to retreat to the Shangdang Basin, and their various units have begun to tighten their belts.

On the eighth day of the fourth month, Han Chong led his army to attack Guyuan County.

Guyuan was located at the northern end of the Shangdang Basin, serving as the northern gateway to the Black Mountain Army. The defending general was a minor leader under Zuo Xiao, with only eight hundred men under his command. Han Chong's eight thousand elite troops lined up below the city, equipped with catapults and siege ladders. The defending army surrendered at the mere sight of them.

After Han Chong entered the city, he opened the granaries to distribute grain—the granaries contained no more than a thousand bushels of grain, which shows the dire straits of the Black Mountain Army.

Following Lü Bu's prior instructions, he addressed the surrendered soldiers, saying, "The Duke of Jin has decreed that all those who lay down their weapons shall become civilians, be allocated land and houses, and be exempt from taxes. Those who wish to join the army may, after screening, be enlisted in the county army and receive the imperial rations and stipends."

Most of the surrendered soldiers were civilians who had been coerced into surrendering. Upon hearing this, they were overjoyed and knelt down to express their gratitude.

On April 12, Han Chong went south to Tongdi County.

The garrison commander of Tongdi put up a little resistance, but the city was running out of food and the morale of the troops was low. It fell in three days.

On April 18, the garrison commander of Xiangyuan County surrendered the city.

At this point, the three northern counties of Shangdang were all brought under the control of the imperial court.

On the southern front, progress in Suigu is slightly slower.

Changping was the site of a major battle between Qin and Zhao. The defending general, Sun Qing, was a confidant of Zhang Yan and commanded three thousand elite troops. Sui Gu's forces were evenly matched with Zhang Yan's three thousand, so he dared not launch a direct attack and could only surround the city, waiting for an opportunity.

On the western front, Du Ji faced the most difficult battle.

He had to cross the Taiyue Mountains, where countless Black Mountain Army strongholds were located. These strongholds numbered from several hundred to several dozen men, and were easily defended due to the steep terrain, making them difficult to attack.

Du Ji proceeded cautiously, and before attacking any stronghold, he would first persuade the inhabitants to surrender.

"Brothers in the stronghold, listen up! I am Du Ji, the Commandant of the Hedong Expeditionary Forces, ordered by Duke Jin to recapture Shangdang. Duke Jin has a divinely bestowed granary, with inexhaustible provisions, ensuring the people of Guanzhong are well-fed. Lay down your weapons, leave the stronghold, and surrender. You will be given land and tax-free. Those who resist will be destroyed on the day the stronghold falls!"

Most of the bandit leaders came from poor backgrounds and were unwilling to fight to the death. Moreover, upon hearing that Lü Bu had a "divine granary bestowed by heaven" with countless provisions, their will to resist was even lower.

In mid-April, Du Ji captured seven fortified villages and received the surrender of more than 2,000 soldiers and civilians.

But there are also tough nuts to crack.

On April 22nd, deep in the Taiyue Mountains, in a village, the village chief Rong Su led 500 men to defend the strategic location to the death.

Du Ji besieged the village for three days, but his attempts to persuade them to surrender failed, so he ordered a full-scale attack.

Catapults smashed open the village gates, and the county troops poured in. Rong Su led his personal guards in a desperate fight, but was killed by a hail of arrows, and the rest surrendered.

Looking at the granary in the village—which was only half full of moldy millet—Du Ji sighed, "With such a shortage of food, why bother defending it to the death?"

One of the surrendered soldiers said, "General, you don't know. Chief Rong Su said that the world is unjust and the government cannot be trusted. Surrendering is the same as dying, so we might as well fight to the death." (In this colloquial language, "general" is a respectful term and does not correspond to any official position.)

Du Ji shook his head: "The Duke of Jin is no ordinary government. Issue an order for a grand funeral with grain. Those of his troops who wish to return home will be given travel expenses, and those who wish to join the army will be dispersed and incorporated into the county army."

As the news spread, even more counterfeiters surrendered without resistance.

By early May, Du Ji had cleared most of the Black Mountain Army forces near the mountain road from Hedong County to Shangdang County and captured Qishi County.

Qishi County is located on the western side of the Shangdang Basin, serving as the gateway into the basin, but it is separated from it by Mount Fajiu. Seeing that Qishi County was indefensible, Zhang Yan's general Li Damu retreated to Mount Fajiu, relying on the Fajiu Mountain pass to block Du Ji from entering the area.

Du Ji attempted to attack the pass twice, but both times he was defeated due to unfavorable terrain and insufficient troops.

On May 12, the courier services of Du Ji, Han Chong, and Sui Gu exchanged military intelligence.

Han Chong has already occupied three counties in the north and is heading south, approaching Huguan.

Sui Gu remained in a standoff with Sun Qing at Changping.

Du Ji was blocked at Fajiu Mountain.

After deliberation, the three decided to postpone the attack, proceed cautiously, eliminate the scattered Black Mountain Army strongholds in the mountains one by one, force Zhang Yan's main force to the center of the Shangdang Basin, and then seek help from Duke Lü Bu of Jin.

This was exactly what Lü Bu had planned—he didn't expect these three armies to be able to destroy Zhang Yan; he only wanted them to clear the outer perimeter, force Zhang Yan to gather his troops in one place, so that he could personally lead an expedition to settle the matter in one battle.

Mid-May, Chang'an.

Lu Bu was watching Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun train their troops at the drill ground.

Although Huang Zhong was older, he was skilled in archery and horsemanship, and his swordsmanship was so powerful that few in his personal guard could match him. Zhao Yun's spear skills were exquisite; riding a white horse and wielding a silver spear, he moved like a dragon. Ma Chao and Zhang Xiu, after sparring with him, were both full of admiration.

That afternoon, Lü Bu was discussing military strategy with two men when a personal guard came to report: "Lord Jin, an urgent military report from Shangdang, eight hundred li away!"

Lü Bu took the bamboo slips, unfolded them, and examined them closely.

The military report was jointly written by Du Ji, Han Chong, and Sui Gu, detailing the battle situation since April: the three northern counties had been captured, the south was in a stalemate, and the west was blocked by the Qi clan.

The main force of the Black Mountain Army, numbering over 30,000, was concentrated in the area of ​​Changzi, Tunliu, Huguan, and Luxian, defending the terrain. The imperial army, with its three routes, had a combined force of only over 10,000 men. Although they had supplies and provisions from the rear, they could not launch a direct assault.

"The time has come." Lü Bu put down the bamboo slips and said to Jia Xu, "Wenhe, you will continue to manage the affairs of the court. I will take my personal guard to Shangdang."

Jia Xu cupped his hands in greeting: "Rest assured, my lord, I will certainly defend Guanzhong."

Guo Jia smiled and said, "My lord, you should take Generals Huang and Zhao with you on this journey. Zhang Yan is known as Flying Swallow and is exceptionally brave. His subordinates, such as Yu Du and Sun Qing, are also no ordinary men. We need a fierce general to keep things in order."

Lü Bu nodded: "That suits me perfectly."

He immediately ordered Huang Zhong, Zhao Yun, and Cheng Lian to accompany him, leading a personal heavy cavalry battalion of one thousand, each with three horses, traveling light and swiftly. Supplies and provisions were carried in storage space, eliminating the need for a logistical convoy.