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

With the implementation of Lü Bu's benevolent policies, the panic that had permeated the towns and cities along the Wuguan Road, such as Lantian County, Shangluo County, and Shang County, as well as the passes such as Yaoguan and Wuguan, gradually subsided.

Li Jue and Guo Si captured Chang'an, and Lü Bu fled towards Wuguan Pass. Everyone thought that with such a defeated army passing through, the people along the way would inevitably suffer. Many people had already packed their belongings, dragged their families along, and prepared to hide in the deep mountains or flee south to Jingzhou or Yizhou for refuge.

However, the looting that everyone had imagined did not happen.

Although Lü Bu's Bingzhou army controlled the passes and towns along the Wuguan Road and set up checkpoints, and did strictly inspect travelers and merchants, that was all.

The army under Marquis Wen did not disturb the people.

What surprised the local officials and people even more was that Lü Bu also spent a large sum of money to purchase military supplies such as grain, cloth, and ironware fairly and justly at reasonable prices.

Inside the Shang County government office, the county magistrate was distributing salaries to his subordinates and city defense soldiers according to the orders of Marquis Wen.

During the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, salaries were paid in half grain and half copper coins. Officials and soldiers who had not received their full salaries for a long time due to the war showed joyful smiles on their faces.

"That's wonderful! Marquis Wen has paid us the back wages that the court owed us." An old official said, his hands trembling as he carried heavy bags of grain and copper coins.

A nearby constable grinned and said, "That's not all! I heard that Marquis Wen has promoted and rewarded all the veterans from Bingzhou! Following Marquis Wen means you get food, meat soup, and money!"

Similar scenes have occurred in various places along the Wuguan Road.

In this era, whoever can provide food and money is the master.

Lu Bu continuously won over the hearts of the people by rewarding them with grain and money through the system. He conscripted laborers to repair city walls, roads, passes, and transport military supplies. Not only did he provide them with two full meals a day, but he also distributed some grain or copper coins as wages as appropriate.

In the chaotic late Han Dynasty, a time of frequent natural disasters and man-made calamities, and widespread famine, this was practically paradise!

"Have you heard? If you go and help Marquis Wen repair the city walls, you'll get two full meals a day!"

"Really?"

"Why would I lie to you! Old Wang Er from next door is here, and he gets two full meals a day, sometimes even meat soup for a treat. Yesterday he even got his wages and bought some cloth for his kid to make new clothes!"

"This Lü Bu, how come he's so different from the rumored tyrannical and ruthless person?"

"It must be a rumor."

Many people who had packed their bags and were ready to flee south stopped and chose to stay and wait and see.

In chaotic times, having a place to settle down and a full meal is a great blessing.

If this Marquis Lü Wen could truly establish himself in the Qinling Mountains, then under his rule, he might actually be able to survive, or even thrive.

Compared to the gradual recovery of life along the Wuguan Road, Chang'an City and its surrounding areas have been completely turned into a living hell.

Although the Liangzhou warlords Li Jue and Guo Si had more than 100,000 troops under their command, Chang'an had long been depleted of its food reserves after years of war.

In order to maintain their large army and prevent their subordinates from mutinying, Li Jue and Guo Si had no choice but to acquiesce and even condone their soldiers' looting.

In Chang'an, the once bustling streets have become desolate and dilapidated, with looted shops and burned-down houses everywhere.

The Liangzhou soldiers roamed the streets like bandits, kicking open houses and robbing people of their food and property. Any resistance was met with swords and knives, and the abduction of women was a common occurrence.

Cries, pleas for mercy, and maniacal laughter mingled together; the former capital had become a living hell.

The area outside the city was not spared either; villages were burned, fields were left barren, and those who could not escape were either killed or driven into slavery.

At the same time, Li Jue and Guo Si carried out a brutal purge of Wang Yun's remaining followers and court officials loyal to the Han dynasty.

Officials and their families were repeatedly raided and their entire households wiped out, their blood staining the execution grounds.

In the imperial court, everyone was in danger. Most of those who remained were either sycophants or those who were loyal to the Han dynasty but had no choice but to feign compliance and try to save their lives.

In this dark despair, the story of Lü Bu's "benevolent governance" in Lantian County and Wuguan Pass spread like a glimmer of light among the common people, some disillusioned officials, and scattered lower-ranking generals.

"Have you heard? Marquis Lü Wen is in Lantian. He doesn't rob the common people, he even pays salaries to his soldiers, and he hires people to work, providing them with food and wages!"

"Really? There's no war over there?"

"They fought, but Lu Wenhou is formidable! He defeated Li Jue and Guo Si's pursuing troops! Now he occupies Lantian and Wuguan Pass, and says he's going to counterattack Chang'an!"

"Sigh, if only we could escape to the other side..."

As a result, some daring people began to take advantage of the darkness, dragging their families along, and risk crossing the Liangzhou army's blockade line to escape south towards Lantian.

Some low-ranking officials and defeated soldiers who had lost power in Chang'an, had a past relationship with Lü Bu, or were originally from the Bingzhou faction, tried every means to escape the hellish Chang'an and go to join Lü Bu.

Lu Bu ordered that all those who came to seek refuge be accepted.

A temporary shelter was set up outside the city gate of Lantian County.

Meng Cheng instructed his officials to register and distribute a small amount of porridge to temporarily satisfy their hunger.

Lü Bu personally inquired about the matter several times, instructing Meng Cheng: "Carefully screen them, but don't be too harsh. Our foundation is not yet stable, and this is precisely the time when we need capable people. We should recruit more refugees to strengthen our forces. Even if there are spies among them, we can investigate them more thoroughly later; they won't cause any major trouble."

His real plan was that upgrading the system's security zone required a large population!

Once the population under his jurisdiction exceeds 100,000 and the safe zone is upgraded to level four, the daily supplies he receives will be much larger, enough to support him in carrying out larger-scale operations.

Using these resources to supply the people, win their hearts and minds, and stabilize the regime is a sure-fire way to make money.

A middle-aged scholar who had previously served as a minor official in Chang'an arrived in Lantian with his family after many hardships. Upon meeting Lü Bu, he knelt down and tearfully recounted the tragic situation in Chang'an, and offered information he knew about the stockpiling of grain in parts of Guanzhong.

Lü Bu personally helped him up, comforted him gently, and instructed Meng Cheng to employ him according to his abilities.

Similar scenarios continued to unfold, and Lü Bu's reputation for "benevolence and righteousness" and "recruiting talented people" gradually spread, attracting more and more people to join him.

By the end of June, the power reshuffling in Chang'an had temporarily come to an end.

Li Jue, Guo Si, Fan Chou, Zhang Ji, and others initially divided the spoils of victory. Wang Yun's faction and the loyal Han officials who openly opposed them were almost all slaughtered, and most of the remaining court officials chose to submit.

In order to further win over the Liangzhou army and consolidate their legitimacy among Dong Zhuo's former subordinates, Li Jue and Guo Si began to discuss a major matter—to restore Dong Zhuo's reputation and give him a grand funeral befitting a king.

Li Jue summoned Guo Si, Fan Chou, and Jia Xu to discuss matters in his residence (Zhang Ji had already stationed troops in Hongnong and was not in Chang'an).

Li Jue, dressed in a brocade robe, said with a solemn expression: "Lord Dong's kindness to us is as heavy as a mountain. Now that he has unfortunately passed away, his funeral must be grand. I suggest that we submit a memorial to the Emperor, requesting that Lord Dong's title be restored and that he be buried with the rites of a prince, so as to reassure the army and show that we have not forgotten our former lord."

Guo Si touched the scar on his face left by Lü Bu's halberd and said bitterly, "That's exactly right! But, Lord Dong's head is still in the hands of that treacherous traitor Lü Bu!"

The thought of Lü Bu seemed to cause a faint pain in the scars on his face.

Fan Chou frowned and said, "If Lü Bu were to take Dong Zhuo's head south to Yuan Shu and claim credit for it, we would have no choice but to bury Dong Zhuo's body and erect a cenotaph. But Lü Bu hasn't fled south; instead, he's occupied Lantian County, Yaoguan Pass, and other passes along the Wuguan Road, gathering refugees, preparing his army, and declaring his intention to counterattack Chang'an! Since he hasn't left, Dong Zhuo's head must still be in his hands!"

Guo Si nodded: "If we can retrieve Lord Dong's head and reunite it with his body, burying him intact with the rites due to a king or noble, we can unite the army's morale and intimidate the world."

Meanwhile, Lü Bu, who was entrenched in the heart of Chang'an, recruiting soldiers and horses with the intention of launching a counterattack, became a thorn in their side that they had to remove.

Coupled with both old and new grudges, and political needs, launching a military campaign against Lü Bu was inevitable.

After some discussion, Li Jue and Guo Si decided that Li Jue would be stationed in Chang'an to control the court and guard against potential threats from Guandong.

General Guo Si will be the commander-in-chief, and General Fan Chou will be the deputy commander-in-chief. They will raise 50,000 elite troops (10,000 cavalry and 40,000 infantry) and march east out of Chang'an to annihilate Lü Bu and retrieve Dong Zhuo's head!

On the 28th day of the sixth month of the third year of the Chuping era, Guo Si and Fan Chou swore an oath to lead their troops into battle. The 50,000-strong Liangzhou army marched out of Chang'an in a grand procession, their banners obscuring the sun and their killing intent palpable.

After arriving in Baling County, east of Chang'an, the army rested for a day before heading south to approach the Bahe Bridge the next day.