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

On the wall, seeing their general win the first round, the Black Mountain army cheered wildly.

Zhang Yan smiled and said, "Lord Jin, you flatter me. For the second round, Yang Feng, you're on."

Yang Feng wielded an iron spear and spurred his horse into battle.

On Lü Bu's side, Cheng Lian volunteered for battle: "My lord, this humble general is willing to go!"

Cheng Lian wielded a sword and engaged Yang Feng in battle. The two were evenly matched in martial arts, exchanging blows with swords and spears for over fifty rounds without a clear victor.

Yang Feng's spear technique was swift, while Cheng Lian's swordsmanship was steady. After another ten rounds, Cheng Lian feigned an opening, luring Yang Feng to miss with his spear, and then struck Yang Feng on the back with the back of his sword, causing Yang Feng to stagger and fall from his horse.

"In the second match, Duke Jin wins." Zhang Yan's expression remained unchanged.

Both sides won one game, resulting in a draw.

In the third round, Zhang Yan sent out poison.

Yu Du was a core general of the Black Mountain Army, known for his fearsome reputation as someone who wielded a pair of short halberds. After he went out into battle, he saw an old general emerge from Lü Bu's ranks. The old general was about fifty years old, with white hair and beard, and carrying a large sword. Yu Du couldn't help but sneer.

"Old man, how old are you? Why aren't you home taking care of your grandchildren instead of coming here to die?" Yu Du sneered. "No nameless bastards die under my halberd! State your name!"

The veteran was none other than Huang Zhong. He said calmly, "Huang Zhong of Nanyang, Huang Hansheng."

"Huang Zhong? Never heard of him." Yu Du laughed. "Old man, it's not too late to admit defeat now, lest the swords and spears, which are indiscriminate, hurt your old bones."

Huang Zhong did not reply and urged his horse forward.

Yu Du raised his halberd to meet the attack, thinking that he would surely defeat this old soldier within three exchanges.

In the first exchange, the swords and halberds clashed, and Yu Du's arm trembled, secretly shocked—this old general has such great strength!

In the second exchange, Huang Zhong's sword technique changed dramatically, becoming like a violent storm. Yu Du barely managed to parry, and his tiger's mouth was split open.

In the third exchange, Huang Zhong swept his broadsword horizontally, knocking Yu Du's double halberds out of his hand, and Yu Du was knocked off his horse by the back of the blade.

The blade is already at the throat of the poison.

The entire room fell silent.

The generals of the Black Mountain Army were dumbfounded—Yu Du, who was ranked among the top five in martial arts in the Black Mountain Army, was defeated by an old soldier in just three rounds.

Zhang Yan took a deep breath: "In the third match, Duke Jin wins."

Lu Bu has already won two battles; one more win will secure victory.

In the fourth match, Zhang Yan sent out Sun Qing.

Sun Qing wielded a long spear and was a trusted and fierce general of Zhang Yan. He had killed many generals of Yuan Shao and Zhang Yang in battle.

On Lü Bu's side, Zhao Yun, clad in white robes and wielding a silver spear, rode out on horseback.

Seeing that the approaching general was young, Sun Qing dared not be careless—he had learned from Huang Zhong's example. He clasped his hands and said, "I am Sun Qing, may I ask your honorable name, General?"

"Zhao Yun of Changshan, Zhao Zilong." Zhao Yun returned the greeting.

The two horses clashed, spears and lances raised side by side.

Sun Qing's spear technique was fierce, with each move a preemptive attack; Zhao Yun's spear technique was agile, countering each move. After three rounds, Zhao Yun had figured out Sun Qing's style.

In the fourth exchange, Zhao Yun flicked his spear tip, transforming it into seven cold stars. Sun Qing was dazzled and hurriedly tried to block, but felt a chill in front of his throat—the tip of the bright silver spear was already pressed against his throat.

"You flatter me." Zhao Yun sheathed his spear.

Sun Qing stood frozen on his horse for a long while before finally saying, "General Zhao, your spear is divine... I have lost."

After four battles, Lü Bu had won three and lost one, thus winning the bet.

Zhang Yan sighed deeply, spurred his horse forward, and dismounted ten paces in front of Lü Bu, kneeling on one knee: "Duke Jin's military fortune is prosperous, and his generals are as numerous as clouds. I am truly convinced. The Black Mountain Army is willing to surrender en masse and await Duke Jin's command!"

Lü Bu dismounted and helped Zhang up, saying, "General Zhang, please rise. From now on, let us work together to achieve great things."

Zhang Yan stood up and said, "Lord Jin, I have another request."

"speak."

"I wish to spar with the Duke of Jin." Zhang Yan's eyes gleamed with fighting spirit. "I have practiced martial arts since childhood and consider myself extraordinary. Now that I have seen the heroes of the world, I am even more eager to experience the might of the number one warrior in the land—even if I am defeated, I will have no regrets."

Lu Bu laughed: "Alright, I'll give you a three-round handicap."

The two remounted their horses.

Zhang Yan wielded a sword, while Lü Bu wielded a halberd.

In the first exchange, Zhang Yan slashed down with all her might, but Lü Bu lightly deflected it with his halberd, the blade veering off course.

In the second exchange, Zhang Yan slashed horizontally, but Lü Bu dodged by leaning back.

In the third exchange, Zhang Yan's blade moved like the wind, slashing three times in succession, but Lü Bu blocked it with his halberd shaft without flinching.

After letting the enemy pass three times, Lü Bu said, "General Zhang, be careful."

In the fourth exchange, the halberd shot out like a dragon emerging from the sea, thrusting straight for the center of the palace. Zhang Yan raised his sword to parry, but with a loud clang, the sword flew out of his hand.

The crescent-shaped halberd blade was already positioned against Zhang Yan's neck.

Lu Bu's strength, reaction, agility, perception, halberd skills, archery skills, and many other major skills all have attributes exceeding 110. Even a second-rate general like Zhang Yan would find it difficult to withstand a single blow.

Zhang Yan stood frozen on his horse for a long time, then dismounted and bowed again: "Duke Jin's divine might... I... prostrate myself in awe!"

At this point, the Black Mountain Army was completely won over.

On that day, Zhang Yan urgently ordered all units of the Black Mountain Army to submit to the imperial court and obey the command of Duke Jin.

Li Damu opened the gates, and Lü Bu's army entered the pass.

The garrison inside the pass laid down their weapons and lined up to surrender. Lü Bu ordered Du Ji to register the soldiers and distribute food. The soldiers of the Black Mountain Army received white rice and dried meat and cheered, "Long live the Duke of Jin!"

Zhang Yan led Lü Bu into Changzi County.

Inside the county town, General Zuo and his troops, having already received the news, opened the city gates to welcome the imperial army. The people lined the streets to watch, and seeing the orderly ranks of the imperial troops and the continuous flow of grain carts, they gradually felt reassured.

In the governor's mansion, Lü Bu summoned the generals of the Black Mountain Army.

"Zhang Yan, receive your appointment," Lü Bu said solemnly.

Zhang Yan stepped forward and knelt down.

"Zhang Yan is appointed Prefect of Shangdang and General Who Pacifies the Difficulties, still leading his old troops to guard Shangdang and resist Yuan Shao in the east. He is granted 100,000 shi of grain, 200,000 guan of cash, and 5,000 bolts of cloth to reassure the army."

Zhang Yan kowtowed: "Thank you, Duke Jin!"

Lü Bu then appointed Yu Du, Sun Qing, and Zuo Xiao as colonels, and Yang Feng, Li Damu, and others as commanders and military officers, each leading their former troops, who were then dispersed and reorganized into the county army.

The generals were overjoyed—they had thought that after surrendering they would be stripped of their military power and even have their old scores settled, but to their surprise, Lü Bu not only retained their positions but also rewarded them handsomely.

Lü Bu further stated: "Former members of the Black Mountain Army who wish to return to their hometowns and become civilians will be allocated land and houses and exempted from taxes for three years. Those who wish to join the army will be selected and enlisted in the county army, receiving rations and pay from the imperial court. All units must strictly adhere to military discipline and are prohibited from robbing civilians; violators will be executed."

"Yes, sir!" the generals responded in unison.

That night, Lü Bu hosted a banquet at the prefect's residence to entertain his generals, and Han Chong and Sui Gu also came over.

During the banquet, Zhang Yan asked, "Duke Jin, there is something I don't understand—since you have a divinely bestowed granary with inexhaustible provisions, why do you still try to persuade them to surrender instead of launching a direct attack?"

Lü Bu said, "Killing people is easy, but winning their hearts is difficult. The Black Mountain Army consists mostly of poor people who were forced to come up the mountain; they are not inherently evil. If I were to launch a direct attack, I would suffer heavy casualties. If I were to win them over with kindness, they would be grateful and would naturally pledge their loyalty."

Zhang Yan exclaimed in admiration, "I cannot match Duke Jin's magnanimity."

Zhao Yun asked, "Prefect Zhang, the Black Mountain Army claims to number in the hundreds of thousands, but how many are actually in combat?"

Zhang Yan said, "To be honest, we only have about 50,000 men capable of fighting. The rest are mostly family members, the elderly, and the weak. In recent years, we have suffered from food shortages, and the number of soldiers in each unit has been severely reduced. We now have no more than 30,000 soldiers left. Moreover, they are scattered in various villages, and the command is inconsistent."

Huang Zhong said, "Thirty thousand is not a small number. Now, with reorganization and training, we can become a formidable force."

Han Chong asked, "My lord, now that Shangdang has fallen, where should we attack next?"

Lü Bu looked eastward: "East of Shangdang is the Fukou Pass, which leads to Ji Province. Zhang Yan, you must fortify Huguan and Fukou Pass to guard against Yuan Shao. After I have consolidated Guanzhong and Liang Province, we will then plan our eastward advance."

He then addressed his generals, saying, "The world is in chaos, and it cannot be quelled in a day. We must proceed cautiously, first consolidating our foundations before attempting expansion. Now that we have captured Shangdang, the entire territory of Sili has been recovered, and Bingzhou is also stable. Next, we must deal with Zhang Lu in Hanzhong and Liu Yan in Yizhou."

After the banquet, Lü Bu went to the county treasury, took out grain and military supplies from his storage space, and filled the treasury.

Zhang Yan and others witnessed Lü Bu conjure mountains of grain and seas of money with a wave of his hand, and they no longer doubted the "divine granary bestowed by heaven," becoming wholeheartedly loyal to him.

On May 28th, Lü Bu left Zhang Yan to guard Shangdang, and returned to Chang'an with Huang Zhong, Zhao Yun, Cheng Lian and his personal guard.

They came empty-handed and left laden with spoils—the Black Mountain Army surrendered, gaining control of Shangdang Prefecture and receiving an additional 30,000 troops.

More importantly, it opened the gateway to the east, and Shangdang, with its superior position, laid the foundation for future conquests of Hebei.

Inside the carriage, Zhao Yun asked Lü Bu, "My lord, Zhang Yan has just surrendered. Is it too risky to let him garrison Shangdang alone?"

Lü Bu laughed and said, "Zilong, don't worry. Zhang Yan is a smart man. Now that he sees my power and is being treated well, he won't rebel. If he dares to rebel, I only need to take a few thousand elite troops, travel day and night, and we can wipe him out in the blink of an eye."

Huang Zhong stroked his beard: "My lord's martial arts are unparalleled, and he also possesses a divine granary bestowed by heaven. His light cavalry can travel more than two hundred li a day at high speed, and he has ample siege weapons. Whether it is a siege or a field battle, no one can withstand him."

His close attendants and followers wholeheartedly agreed.

On the city wall of Shangdang, Zhang Yan watched him go into the distance and said to his men, "Duke Jin is blessed with divine granaries and is indeed a man of destiny. We must serve him loyally and we will surely be able to contribute to the success of the new emperor in the future."

The generals nodded in agreement.