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

Upon hearing about pre-orders, Guo Jia's eyes lit up: "Brilliant! Powerful families can buy out the existing stock, but they can't monopolize all the pre-order slots as well. If they really dared to buy all the pre-order slots, the cost would be astronomical, and the court could use this as grounds to determine that they are maliciously monopolizing the market and punish them severely according to the law."

Lü Bu nodded: "That makes sense. In addition, issue an order to all counties: the monthly sales and pre-orders of government-run bookstores must be recorded in detail and reported regularly. Any family that purchases more than one hundred books at a time must explain the purpose, and the county government must verify it. If the purpose is falsely reported, it will be considered deceiving the court and will be punished accordingly."

Jia Xu noted it down: "Yes."

Once the order was given, the printing presses and paper mills began operating at full capacity.

Outside Chang'an, the newly built workshop district was bustling day and night. Craftsmen worked in three shifts, raw materials were continuously transported in, and paper and books were produced in an endless stream.

In the bookstore of Suyi County, Manager Wang hung up a sign that read "Pre-orders Open" and posted a notice:

"Starting today, the bookstore is accepting book pre-orders. Those who wish to purchase books but are unable to do so can register their name, address, and desired titles, and prepay the amount. Those who pre-ordered books will be given priority when the next batch arrives."

Upon hearing the news, scholars from humble backgrounds flocked to register.

"I want a copy of the Analects!"

"I'll order one copy each of the *Classic of Poetry* and the *Classic of History*!"

"I'm ordering 'The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art'!"

The register was quickly filled with names.

Upon learning the news, Tian Fang came to Manager Wang again: "I want to order the next batch of all the books."

Shopkeeper Wang said with difficulty, "Young Master Tian, ​​according to the new regulations of the imperial court, orders exceeding one hundred books at a time must specify their purpose and be verified by the county government. If you order all of them, you will have to report to the county government."

Tian Fang frowned: "Fine, I'll report it then. Is it wrong for the Tian family to have a collection of books?"

Shopkeeper Wang said, "It's possible, but if the county government verifies and finds that you are not collecting books for your own use, but rather engaging in malicious monopolization, that would be a serious crime of deceiving the imperial court."

Tian Fang hesitated.

No matter how powerful the Tian family was, they wouldn't dare openly defy the imperial decrees. Especially now that Lü Bu controlled the court, commanded three provinces and over 100,000 troops, his power was immense. Even a great Confucian scholar like Han Rong had been executed by him in front of the emperor; why would he care about small local clans like theirs?

He returned and reported to Tian Heng, who sighed, "Lu Bu is forcing us to back down."

Tian Yi asked, "Uncle, shall we still buy it?"

Tian Heng shook his head: "We can't buy any more. There's no limit to pre-orders, and we have to report it. If we're found to be engaging in malicious monopolistic practices, our whole family will be in trouble. Forget it, let them buy it. Anyway, the book has already been published, and we can't monopolize it anymore."

When the Tian family withdrew, other powerful families in other counties also restrained themselves.

Inexpensive books finally found their way into the hands of the poor, and the iron plate of knowledge monopoly was pried open with a crack.

In early August, in Anding County, Liangzhou.

Yang Qiu sat in the main hall of his mansion, his face gloomy. He was a local powerful figure in Anding County. His ancestors were once leaders of the Qiang people. After being assimilated into Han culture, they changed their surname to Yang and had considerable influence in Anding County.

After Ma Teng surrendered to Lü Bu, Yang Qiu followed suit and joined the army, being appointed as a colonel and leading two thousand men. Most of these two thousand men were villagers and clansmen recruited by him using his family's money, and the squad leaders and platoon leaders in the army were mostly members of the Yang family.

The imperial court is now implementing military reforms, aiming to abolish private armies and rotate generals. Yang Qiu received a transfer order, commanding him to hand over his troops and take up a post in Bingzhou, with his specific position yet to be determined.

"You want me to hand over my military power? Dream on!" Yang Qiu slammed the transfer order on the ground. "These two thousand men are the foundation of my Yang family. If I surrender them, what will my Yang family be?"

The younger brother, Yang Chun, advised, "Brother, Lü Bu is too powerful. He has even destroyed Han Sui. We cannot withstand him."

Yang Qiu glared: "Can't withstand it? I'm in Anding County, far from the emperor's reach. Can Lü Bu personally lead his troops to attack me? Ma Teng and I have a past relationship, he can't push me too far."

Just then, a personal guard came to report: "General, the envoy of Governor Ma has arrived."

Yang Qiu straightened her clothes and said, "Please."

The messenger was a clerk under Ma Teng, who brought a letter written by Ma Teng himself. In the letter, Ma Teng subtly advised Yang Qiu to obey the imperial court's order, hand over his troops, and go to Bingzhou to take up his post, assuring him that the court would not mistreat him.

After reading the letter, Yang Qiu sneered, "Ma Shoucheng is afraid of Lü Bu and wants me to be a coward too."

He told the messenger, "Go back and tell Governor Ma that I, Yang Qiu, am unwell and unable to travel the long distance to Bingzhou. These two thousand brothers cannot do without me, and I cannot do without them either."

The messenger offered some advice, but Yang Qiu wouldn't listen and had no choice but to return and report.

Ma Teng received the reply and frowned, remaining silent.

Ma Xiu said from the side, "Father, Yang Qiu disobeyed orders. If he is not punished, other generals will surely follow suit, and the reform of the military system of Duke Jin will be difficult to implement."

Ma Teng sighed, "Yang Qiu and I have a past relationship, and his tribe is mostly Qiang people. If we forcibly suppress him, I fear it will incite unrest."

Ma Xiu said, "The Duke of Jin strongly advocated the separation of military and political affairs. Since Father has already chosen to serve as the Governor of Liangzhou and take charge of political affairs, he should no longer interfere in military matters. This matter should be handled by the court to avoid us from becoming enemies with the Yang family of Anding."

Ma Teng agreed with this reasoning, and thus ordered Ma Xiu to personally go to Chang'an to report to the imperial court.

August 10th, Chang'an.

After hearing Ma Xiu's report, Lü Bu said to Cao Xing and Zhao Yun: "Cao Xing, you shall take the imperial insignia and lead a thousand personal guards to Liangzhou with Meng Qi and Zilong. Yang Qiu disobeyed orders and shall be dealt with according to military law. Anyone who followed and caused trouble shall be severely punished as a warning to others."

Cao Xing clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes, sir!"

Lü Bu then instructed: "Remember, one hand holds a big stick, the other a carrot. While suppressing the rebellion, tell the soldiers that their salaries will be increased after the reforms, and they will be able to eat their fill every day. Those who obey will enjoy the benefits, and those who resist will suffer the consequences."

Cao Xing, Ma Chao, and Zhao Yun accepted the order and led a thousand personal guards and heavy cavalry to set off.

A thousand heavy cavalrymen, each with three horses, traveled lightly and swiftly, arriving at Anding County in five days.

Yang Qiu had already received the news, so he closed the camp gates and led two thousand troops to form a battle array to await them.

Cao Xing reined in his horse a hundred paces outside the camp and shouted, "Yang Qiu, come out and answer me!"

Yang Qiu stepped forward, cupped his hands, and asked, "General Cao, what brings you here from afar?"

Cao Xing brandished his imperial axe: "By order of the Duke of Jin, you are to reorganize the armies of Liangzhou. Yang Qiu, you have disobeyed orders and gathered troops to defend yourselves. What is your intention?"

Yang Qiu said, "It is not that I am disobeying orders, but that the soldiers are unwilling to leave their hometown, and I cannot bear to abandon them. Please ask General Cao to inform Duke Jin that Yang Qiu is willing to guard Anding, protect the borders and keep the people safe, and there is no need for him to be transferred."

Cao Xing sneered: "Military orders are absolute, how can they be bargained for? Yang Qiu, I'll ask you one last time: will you hand over your military power or not?"

Yang Qiu gritted her teeth: "I won't pay!"

Cao Xing waved his hand and ordered, "Attack!"

A thousand heavy cavalrymen began their charge.

Although Yang Qiu's troops numbered two thousand, most were infantrymen with rudimentary equipment. Upon seeing the heavily armored cavalry charging towards them, many of them trembled in fear.

The heavy cavalry charged like iron spikes, tearing through the enemy lines in an instant. Yang Qiu led his personal guards in a desperate fight, but was struck down from his horse by Ma Chao's spear and captured alive.

When their commander was captured, his troops were thrown into chaos and knelt down to surrender.

Cao Xing ordered Yang Qiu to be bound and brought to the front lines. In front of the entire army, he pronounced the sentence: "Yang Qiu disobeyed orders and gathered troops to defend himself, which is tantamount to treason. According to military law, he is to be executed!"

The executioners stepped forward and beheaded Yang Qiu with a single stroke.

Blood splattered, and the entire place fell silent.

Cao Xing then ordered: "All of Yang Qiu's trusted generals and officers who cause trouble, arrest them all!"

Ma Chao and Zhao Yun led their personal guards into the camp and arrested people according to the list. They arrested more than 30 people, including captains, commanders, and squad leaders, and tied them all up in the drill ground.

Cao Xing shouted, "The Duke of Jin has decreed that military reform is imperative. Those who obey will have three meals a day; those who resist will suffer the same fate as Yang Qiu!"

He paused, then said, "From today onwards, the garrison in Anding County will be disbanded and reorganized, and the soldiers will be assigned ranks according to the new military system. Their monthly salaries will be increased immediately. Now, those who wish to continue serving, please stand on the left; those who wish to return home, please stand on the right. Travel expenses will be provided for their repatriation."

The soldiers looked at each other, and one by one, some moved to the left. Most of them joined the army for food, and now that the court was providing more rations and pay, why resist?

Ultimately, over 1,800 people chose to stay, while over 200 chose to return to their hometowns.

Cao Xing dispersed the remaining soldiers and mixed them with other troops, and all officers were generals sent from Chang'an.