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

"puff--!"

Upon hearing the sudden news that Yanzhou in the rear had fallen, Cao Cao coughed up a mouthful of blood, staining the table in front of him red, and fell backward.

"My lord!" Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Xiahou Yuan and other generals rushed forward to help him up.

Cao Cao's face was ashen, his breath faint, and he managed to squeeze out a few words through clenched teeth: "Chen Gong... Lü Bu... I... swear to kill you..."

He spat out another mouthful of blood and completely lost consciousness.

After the physician performed emergency treatment for a long time, Cao Cao slowly regained consciousness, his eyes bloodshot.

Xi Zhicai knelt before the bed, coughing up blood as he pleaded, "My lord... Yanzhou has fallen, and Xuzhou must not be attacked again. We should return immediately; perhaps we can recover some of the counties..."

Cao Cao roared, "Return? Return to where? My family is all in Juancheng, now in Lü Bu's hands! The gentry of Yanzhou have all rebelled; I have nowhere to go!"

Cao Ren said in a deep voice, "My lord, Pengcheng is still under our control, and we can use it as a base for the time being. Yanzhou has just been annexed, and Lü Bu's foothold is not yet secure. If we return to our base quickly, we may have a chance."

Xiahou Yuan, however, said, "Lü Bu possesses divine granaries bestowed by heaven and is a master strategist. He conquered the entire territory of Yanzhou in ten days. If our army returns, we will run straight into his trap. Moreover, our lord's family is in Juancheng, and angering Lü Bu might be disastrous. It would be better to temporarily occupy Pengcheng and devise a plan later."

The generals argued endlessly.

Cao Cao struggled to sit up, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes: "Order the army to withdraw from Tan County and retreat to Pengcheng State. Send someone to contact Lü Bu and see what conditions he has for releasing my family!"

He looked towards Juancheng, his teeth grinding together.

"Lu Bu and Chen Gong, I, Cao Mengde, will repay this grudge a hundredfold!"

News that Cao Cao had vomited blood and fainted outside Tanxian, the capital of Xuzhou, and ordered his army to retreat to Pengcheng quickly reached Juancheng.

Inside the temporary headquarters of Duke Jin (formerly Cao Cao's residence), Lü Bu was discussing matters with Chen Gong, Xun Yu, and Cheng Yu.

"Report—" A scout entered, "Upon hearing of the fall of Yanzhou, Cao Cao suffered a stroke and fainted, but has now regained consciousness and ordered a retreat to Pengcheng!"

Upon hearing this, Lü Bu laughed loudly: "Even Cao Mengde has met his end!"

Chen Gong stroked his beard and said, "Cao Cao has retreated to Pengcheng. He will surely send envoys to negotiate and try to redeem his family in Juancheng."

Xun Yu's expression was complicated. He had once been Cao Cao's chief strategist, but now he had to devise a plan for Lü Bu to deal with his former master.

But now that we have submitted, we should fulfill our duties as subjects.

He pondered for a moment and said, "My lord, although Cao Cao has lost Yan Province, he still has tens of thousands of elite troops under his command, and Cao Ren, Xiahou Yuan, Yu Jin, Yue Jin and others are all good generals. If we push him too far, I'm afraid he will resort to desperate measures."

Cheng Yu, however, said, "Wenruo, you are mistaken. Cao Cao's massacre of Xuzhou has already alienated the people; now that he has lost Yanzhou, the army's morale will surely collapse. We should strike while he is weakened and finish him off. How can we let the tiger return to the mountains?"

Lü Bu looked at Chen Gong: "What does Gongtai think?"

Chen Gong pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Cao Cao is a powerful and ruthless man, with many fierce generals and soldiers under his command. If we force him to fight to the death, even if our army wins, we will suffer heavy losses. It would be better to use Cao Cao's family members as hostages to force him to make concessions. We can first sound out his intentions and see what price he is willing to pay."

The next day, a personal guard reported: "An envoy from Pengcheng has arrived, claiming to be Mao Jie, a strategist under Cao Cao, and requests an audience with the Duke of Jin."

Lü Bu said, "Let him in."

Before long, Mao Jie entered. He was about forty years old, with a thin face, and wore a scholar's robe. Although he was an envoy, his demeanor was neither humble nor arrogant.

"Mao Jie, an official under Cao Gong, the Governor of Yanzhou, pays his respects to Duke Jin." Mao Jie bowed in greeting.

Lu Bu, seated in the main seat, sneered, "Yan Province has been lost, and Cao Cao still dares to call himself the Governor of Yan Province? He truly has no shame. What brings you here?"

Mao Jie dried the spit on his face as if he hadn't heard, and calmly stated his purpose: "My lord is attacking Tao Qian to avenge his father, which is a matter of great righteousness. Although he is temporarily residing in Pengcheng, he still cares about the court. Hearing that Duke Jin is in charge of the court, he specially sent me here, firstly to congratulate him, and secondly to discuss matters concerning his family."

"No need for congratulations," Lü Bu waved his hand. "Just tell me, how does Cao Mengde intend to ransom his family?"

Mao Jie said, "My lord is willing to offer one hundred catties of gold, one hundred thousand strings of cash, and twenty thousand shi of grain in exchange for his family. He also promises that from now on, he and the Duke of Jin will live in harmony and never be enemies."

Lu Bu shook his head: "Not enough."

"What does the Duke of Jin intend to do?"

Lü Bu looked directly at Mao Jie: "I want Cao Cao to surrender with his troops and become an official in the court. In this way, not only can his family be reunited, but I will also appoint him as Commandant of the Guards and enfeoff him as Marquis of Guannei, ensuring his wealth and safety."

Mao Jie was taken aback, then smiled bitterly: "I'm afraid my lord will find it difficult to obey Duke Jin's words."

Xun Yu then spoke up: "Xiaoxian, go back and tell Cao Cao: In the present world, the Duke of Jin has already occupied four provinces, and he also possesses the miraculous ability of a divine granary bestowed by heaven, so his grain and military supplies are inexhaustible. Although Cao Cao is powerful, he only has Pengcheng County left, with a population of no more than 100,000 and an army of no more than tens of thousands. How can he resist? If he surrenders to the court, it would be a wise move."

Mao Jie looked at Xun Yu, a flash of pain in his eyes: "Wenruo, you actually..."

Xun Yu lowered his eyes and said, "I am not betraying my lord, but choosing a wise ruler. When Cao Cao massacred Xuzhou, I had already advised him, but he did not listen. Now, the Duke of Jin is practicing benevolent governance and reforming the system to bring peace to the people. He is the hope of the state."

Mao Jie sighed deeply and said no more, only saying, "Cao Cao would never agree to our surrender. Could you perhaps offer a different condition, Duke of Jin?"

Lü Bu and Chen Gong exchanged glances. Chen Gong understood and said, "In that case, Cao Mengde can agree to the following three conditions: First, hand over Lu State (Prefecture) and Taishan Prefecture to the court; second, Cao Cao resigns from his post as Governor of Yan Province, and the court can appoint him as Chancellor of Pengcheng, but the soldiers and gentry from Yan Province must be allowed to return to their hometowns without obstruction; third, provide 100,000 shi of grain. If these three conditions are met, Cao's family can be released."

Mao Jie's face turned pale upon hearing this: "These...these conditions are too harsh! If Lu and Taishan Commandery are lost, my lord will only have Pengcheng Commandery left. How can he stand firm? If the soldiers from Yanzhou are allowed to return home, more than half of the soldiers in the army are from Yanzhou. If they all leave, how many troops will my lord have left? The 100,000 shi of grain will empty our coffers!"

Lu Bu coldly replied, "Then there's nothing to discuss. Show him out."

Mao Jie said urgently, "Duke Jin, please wait! Allow me to return to Pengcheng to report and we can discuss this further!"

"I'll give you three days," Lü Bu said. "If there's no reply in three days, I'll send Cao Cao's family to Chang'an. By then, it will be difficult for Cao Cao to redeem them."

Mao Jie left in a hurry.

After he left, Cheng Yu asked, "Lord Jin, will Cao Cao agree?"

Lü Bu laughed and said, "Of course he won't agree. This is only the first round. Negotiations always involve bargaining. Gongtai, you draft a bottom line: Lu State and Taishan Commandery must be handed over, the Governor of Yan Province must resign and announce it to the world, and the soldiers of Yan Province must be released to return home. However, the grain rations can be reduced to 50,000 shi. But the Cao family members cannot all be released; a key hostage must be kept."

Chen Gong asked, "Whom should we keep?"

A cold glint flashed in Lü Bu's eyes: "Cao Pi."

Xun Yu was puzzled: "Cao Pi is only four years old, what use is he?"

"Leave a hostage so that Cao Mengde can be relatively calm when he wants to attack Yanzhou," Lü Bu said.

Chen Gong suddenly realized: "The Duke of Jin is wise."