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

Lu Bu's scouting system was already operating efficiently; as soon as Guo Si's army left Chang'an, the news was sent back by fast horses.

On the evening of June 28th, at the Bahe Camp, in the central command tent.

Lu Bu, clad in gleaming armor, sat in the main seat, with his main generals arranged below him: Zhang Liao, Cheng Lian, Cao Xing, Hao Meng, Wei Xu, Song Xian, Hou Cheng, Meng Cheng, and Zuo Feng.

Among them, Meng Cheng has been promoted by Lü Bu to be the chief clerk of the General's Office, in charge of all administrative affairs under Lü Bu's jurisdiction.

Zuo Feng was promoted from county commandant to captain, and was in charge of the defense of Lantian County and Yaoguan City.

The atmosphere inside the tent was heavy. Lü Bu's gaze swept over everyone, and he said in a deep voice, "Guo Si and Fan Chou have led an army of 50,000 to Baling, and their vanguard will reach the Ba River tomorrow. The enemy is powerful. What are your thoughts? Please speak frankly."

Meng Cheng, as the only civil official, essentially also served as the strategist. He spoke first, saying, "General, Guo Si has arrived with 50,000 troops, a formidable force. Although our army's morale is high, our strength is far inferior. In my humble opinion, it would be better to temporarily avoid their advance and retreat to Yaoguan Pass. Yaoguan Pass is a natural barrier of the Qinling Mountains, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Holding it firmly, even an army of 100,000 would find it difficult to cross. Once the enemy's siege has been prolonged and their supplies have run out, they will naturally retreat. At that time, we can then devise a plan."

This was a mature and prudent statement from an experienced general, and it reflected the thoughts of most generals.

Zuo Feng echoed, "What Magistrate Meng said is quite right. Lantian County is small and its walls are thin, making it difficult to defend for long. Retreating to Yaoguan Pass will ensure our safety."

Zhang Liao pondered for a moment. Although he knew the risks were enormous, he still supported Lü Bu's previous strategic plan. He stepped forward and said, "General, what Chief Clerk Meng and Left Commandant said is a prudent plan. However, if we abandon Lantian and Bahe now, our gateway to the Qinling Mountains will be lost. In the future, it will be much more difficult to gather the refugees of the Three Auxiliary Regions and harass the enemy. Moreover, retreating without a fight will also damage the morale of the army. I believe that we can rely on the terrain and camps along the Bahe River, defend the bridge, and look for opportunities to defeat the enemy."

Hao Meng, Wei Xu, and others looked troubled, clearly having reservations about using a few thousand soldiers to fight against an army of fifty thousand.

After listening, Lü Bu slowly got up and walked to the simple map hanging in the tent.

"Wen Yuan's words are exactly what I was thinking," Lü Bu said. "Retreating to Yao Pass may seem safe, but in reality, it would hand over the initiative to others. If we are trapped in the mountains and cut off from the outside world, our food supplies will eventually run out, and refugees will find it difficult to come to us. At that time, Li Jue and Guo Si only need to send a detachment to blockade Yao Pass, and we will be trapped in the mountains to die."

He pointed to the Baqiao location on the map: "This place is the vital link between our army and the outside world. How can we give it up so easily?"

He turned around, his sharp gaze sweeping over the assembled generals: "Moreover, our army is not without the strength to fight! We currently have 1,500 Bingzhou cavalry (originally 800 elite soldiers plus those recently recruited from Bingzhou), all battle-hardened veterans, well-fed and energetic, with high morale! Our infantry and auxiliary troops have also been trained, and our weapons, armor, and provisions are plentiful! On the other hand, the enemy army, though numerous, is a mixed force, exhausted from prolonged fighting, and has become accustomed to looting since entering Chang'an, resulting in lax discipline! Guo Si and Fan Chou are not of one mind either!"

He paused, his tone revealing strong confidence: "More importantly, with us here, we can attack or defend! With the strategic pass behind us as a retreat route, this battle is not a desperate gamble!"

To further stabilize morale, Lü Bu began to make specific deployments:

"Cao Xing!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Cao Xing clasped his hands and stepped forward.

"I order you to lead a thousand infantrymen south to garrison Wuguan! Wuguan is the southern flank shield of our army; you must defend it rigorously and not allow Yuan Shu of Nanyang any opportunity to take advantage!"

"Your subordinate obeys the order and will ensure the safety of Wuguan Pass!" Cao Xing responded loudly, then turned and left the tent to muster his troops.

"Zuo Feng!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"The defense of Lantian County and Yaoguan Pass is now under your overall command! Continue to recruit laborers to reinforce the city's defenses and stockpile defensive equipment. The military supply camp in Shangluo County, south of Yaoguan Pass, must be kept secure; all incoming and outgoing supplies must be strictly managed according to established procedures!"

"Your subordinate understands and will certainly not fail the general's trust!" Zuo Feng solemnly accepted the order.

"Meng Cheng!"

"Your humble servant is here!"

"Government and logistics support must be fully guaranteed. The resettlement of displaced people must not be neglected. We must ensure that all those who come to us have food to eat and a way to survive!"

"Your subordinate obeys!"

Finally, Lü Bu looked at the generals Zhang Liao, Cheng Lian, and others: "Wen Yuan, Hao Meng, Wei Xu, Song Xian, Hou Cheng!"

"Your subordinate is here!" the generals replied in unison.

"Follow me to command the Bahe camp and confront Guo Si and Fan Chou!"

"promise!"

Lu Bu's deployment was well-organized, demonstrating both his determination to fight and his thorough preparations for retreat. In particular, his logistical support was very solid, which dispelled most of the doubts in the minds of his generals.

Although no one knew where Lü Bu got so many military supplies, each military camp had a sufficient supply of food and fodder every day, and even occasionally dried meat soup. Everyone felt at ease and their morale was high.

However, after the conference ended, Zhang Liao couldn't help but ask privately, "General, the enemy has 50,000 troops, while our main force only numbers a few thousand. We also have to divide our forces to garrison various locations, leaving only about two thousand capable of fighting. Even if we hold our positions, it will be difficult. Does the general have a strategy to defeat the enemy?"

Lü Bu pointed to his renowned halberd and his magnificent bow: "Warfare is based on deception; direct confrontation is not always necessary. Guo Si and Fan Chou are both defeated generals of mine! They have come from afar and are not yet firmly established. Our army can seize the opportunity to strike. If we can capture their generals and flags on the battlefield, or find a gap to burn their supplies, their army will surely be thrown into chaos!"

Just as Lü Bu was making military deployments, the people of Lantian County and the surrounding areas also felt the tense atmosphere of an impending great battle.

Squads of soldiers, led by their officers, underwent final pre-battle checks and mobilization.

Under the organization of officials, the laborers worked to expedite the transfer of supplies, the elderly, women, and children to Yaoguan and Shangluo County.

However, unlike the chaotic escapes that occurred in the past when faced with a large army, this time, although many people were nervous, there was no large-scale panic fleeing.

At the city gate, several old men watched a patrol of soldiers walk by and whispered among themselves.

"Judging from this situation, those treacherous dogs from Liangzhou are really going to attack."

"What's there to be afraid of? Marquis Wen is still holding the line at Ba Bridge!"

"Yes, I've heard that Lord Wen is quite formidable; he's killed quite a few enemy scouts lately!"

"Sigh, I hope Marquis Wen can win. We've only had a few days of peace."

A refugee who had once escaped from the Liangzhou army's controlled area said to his companions with lingering fear, "You haven't seen how brutal those Liangzhou soldiers are! If they attack, none of us will survive. I hope Lord Wen can win!"

In the military camp, soldiers were wiping their weapons and inspecting their bows and arrows.

The food was better than usual, and everyone even got a small piece of dried meat as a treat.

Following Lü Bu's instructions, the junior officers loudly boosted morale:

"Brothers, eat and drink your fill, and get plenty of rest! If those Liangzhou rebels dare to come, let them taste the might of our Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry!"

"Lord Wen said that those who kill the enemy and achieve merit will be richly rewarded!"

Thanks to the supplies and rewards provided by Lü Bu using system resources, the morale of the Bingzhou army was high, and they were eager to fight.

Especially those veterans from Bingzhou, who were almost blindly devoted to Lü Bu, extremely loyal and full of confidence.

In Shangluo County, south of Yaoguan Pass, the place where Lü Bu had set up his core military supply depot was even more heavily guarded.

Yan Yuan and Diao Chan, along with their maids and Lü Bu's personal guards, guarded the warehouse. Items entering and leaving the warehouse were kept separate, and no accounts were kept.

No one knew exactly how much stock was in the warehouse; all that was known was that whenever supplies were needed, they could always be drawn from it, seemingly inexhaustible. This became the greatest cornerstone for stabilizing the morale of the military and the people.