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

Three days later, Mao Jie returned to Juancheng, accompanied by Xi Zhicai. Xi Zhicai was pale and coughed frequently, clearly still recovering from his illness.

"Duke of Jin," Xi Zhicai bowed and went straight to the point, "My lord wishes to resign from his post as Governor of Yan Province, but requests that the court appoint Cao Cao as Chancellor of Pengcheng. However, Lu State and Taishan Commandery are strategic locations and cannot be easily abandoned. At most, half of the soldiers can be released to return to their hometowns. Fifty thousand shi of grain is already the limit."

Lü Bu shook his head: "The State of Lu and the Commandery of Taishan must be handed over. All soldiers returning home must be released. Fifty thousand shi of grain is acceptable, but the Cao family cannot be released in their entirety—I want to keep Cao Pi as a hostage."

Xi Zhicai's expression changed: "Keep the prince as a hostage? Does the Duke of Jin not trust my lord?"

"I don't believe it," Lü Bu said bluntly. "Cao Cao massacred the city of Xuzhou and killed the renowned scholar Bian Rang. What credibility does he have left? I'm keeping Cao Pi alive only to ensure the safety of the people of Yanzhou. As long as Cao Cao doesn't counterattack Yanzhou, Cao Pi will be treated well in Chang'an. If he dares to invade, then don't blame me for being impolite."

Xi Zhicai and Mao Jie looked at each other and both saw the helplessness in each other's eyes.

The negotiations lasted from morning until evening, with both sides engaging in heated debates and endless arguments.

Chen Gong insisted that the states of Lu and Taishan must be returned to the imperial court: "These two commanderies originally belonged to Yanzhou, and now that Yanzhou has been returned to the imperial court, they should naturally be taken back. Cao Cao is the Chancellor of Pengcheng, so he should guard Pengcheng. Why should he occupy other commanderies?"

Xi Zhicai argued, "The State of Lu and the Taishan Commandery are mountainous and strategically important, serving as a natural barrier for Pengcheng. If Taishan is lost, Pengcheng will be wide open; how can it defend itself?"

Xun Yu said gently, "Zhicai, if you want to redeem Cao Cao's family, you can't do it without paying a price."

Cheng Yu was even more forceful: "All soldiers returning home must be allowed to leave. The men of Yanzhou followed Cao Cao on his eastern campaign, and their families are worried sick about them day and night. Now that Yanzhou is pacified, they should be allowed to return home and reunite with their families. If Cao Cao forcibly detains them, the morale of the army will surely collapse!"

Mao Jie tried to persuade them: "Indeed, more than half of the soldiers in our army are from Yanzhou. If we let them all go, our fighting strength will be greatly weakened. Could we reduce that number?"

Lu Bu shook his head: "Not a single one can be missing. Cao Cao must not prevent the sons of the gentry of Yanzhou from returning to their hometowns. Anyone who wishes to return home may leave with their personal belongings, and Cao Cao's army must not make things difficult for them."

Xi Zhicai coughed a few times, panting, "Duke Jin... this is trying to hollow out my lord's foundation..."

"His roots should never have been in Yanzhou," Lü Bu said coldly. "Either agree to our terms and exchange them for your family, or we part ways and I will send Cao's family to Chang'an. You can choose."

Xi Zhicai remained silent for a long time before finally sighing, "Jie, let's return to Pengcheng and report to our lord."

Two days after Mao Jie and Xi Zhicai returned to Pengcheng, Cao Cao personally led over a hundred cavalrymen to the border between the two sides to meet with Lü Bu.

To prevent any unforeseen events, Cao Cao not only had top-tier generals such as Dian Wei, Xiahou Yuan, Yu Jin, and Yue Jin as bodyguards, but also had dozens of personal guards wielding large bronze and iron shields in front of him to guard against Lü Bu suddenly pulling out a bow and arrow to kill him.

Cao Cao, clad in a black cloak over armor, looked haggard with bloodshot eyes. Upon seeing Lü Bu, he took a deep breath, cupped his hands, and said, "Duke of Jin."

Lü Bu returned the greeting: "It has been several years since we parted at Hulao Pass. How is Lord Cao?"

Cao Cao smiled bitterly: "Yanzhou has been lost, and my family is gone. How can I be safe? Duke Jin, could you loosen the terms a bit more?"

Lu Bu shook his head: "Lord Cao, I know you are a man of great talent and respect you as a man of great stature. But the times are what they are, and you have no way out. If you agree to the terms, at least you can preserve your base in Pengcheng and reunite with your family. If you resist stubbornly, my army will advance eastward, and Pengcheng will be difficult to defend. At that time, although the world is vast, there will be no place for you to stand."

Cao Cao stared at Lü Bu and slowly said, "If I agree to your conditions, will the Duke of Jin truly keep his word and not attack Pengcheng?"

"As long as Cao Cao does not attack Yanzhou, I will never attack Pengcheng first," Lü Bu said solemnly. "What the court wants is peace throughout the land, not endless war. If Cao Cao behaves himself, I can recommend you as the Chancellor of Pengcheng."

Cao Cao closed his eyes and pondered for a long time before opening them and saying, "Alright, I agree. Lu State and Taishan Commandery will be returned to the court. I will resign from my post as Governor of Yan Province. I will allow the soldiers from Yan Province and all the noble families who wish to return home to go back to their hometowns, and provide them with 50,000 shi of grain. But—I want all my family members to be returned, including Pi'er."

Lü Bu resolutely refused: "Cao Pi must be held hostage. Lord Cao, I'm not discussing this with you; this is my bottom line."

Anger flashed in Cao Cao's eyes. He gripped his sword hilt, and his generals Dian Wei, Cao Ren, and Xiahou Yuan beside him also tightened their grip on their weapons.

Behind Lü Bu, Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun stepped forward simultaneously, their hands on their swords and spears. Outside the tent, the armor of the personal guards clanged, and a murderous aura permeated the air.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Xi Zhicai hurriedly grabbed Cao Cao's sleeve and whispered, "My lord, a small act of impatience can ruin a great plan. The current situation is stronger than ours, so we should agree to it for now. As long as we survive, we may be able to bring the prince back in the future."

Cao Cao's chest heaved as he stared intently at Lü Bu, as if he wanted to devour him alive.

Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "Fine... I agree. But Duke Jin must swear an oath to treat Pi well and not harm him in the slightest."

"I, Lü Bu, swear to Heaven," Lü Bu said solemnly. "Cao Pi will be treated with the utmost respect in Chang'an, with no worries about food or clothing, and will be able to study and practice martial arts. As long as Lord Cao does not break his promise, I will personally send him back to Pengcheng to reunite with his father when he comes of age."

Cao Cao took a deep breath and took out the official seal from his robes: "This is the seal of the Governor of Yan Province, which I now return to the court. Fifty thousand shi of grain will be transported from Pengcheng within three days. I will issue orders to the governors of Lu and Taishan to withdraw their defenses. The soldiers and nobles from Yan Province will be released within three days."

Lu Bu accepted the seal and ribbon: "Lord Cao is generous. We will exchange hostages and provisions here in three days."

Three days later, the two armies faced off, and the atmosphere was tense and tense.

Cao Cao led Cao Ren, Xiahou Yuan, Yue Jin, Yu Jin, Dian Wei and other generals, along with 3,000 elite troops, to the east, while Lü Bu led Huang Zhong, Zhao Yun, Cheng Lian and 2,000 cavalry to the west.

In the open space in the middle, hundreds of grain carts, fully loaded with grain and fodder, made several trips back and forth, unloading the grain and fodder onto the open space.

On the other side, more than thirty carriages slowly drove up, carrying Cao Cao's wives and concubines, including Lady Ding, Lady Bian, and Lady Liu, as well as his children, including Cao Zhang, Cao Zhi, and Cao Xiong, and some of the families of Cao Cao's generals trapped in Juancheng. However, Cao Pi was nowhere to be seen.

Cao Cao rode forward, his gaze sweeping over the family members before finally settling on Lü Bu: "Duke of Jin, where is Pi?"

Lü Bu ordered his personal guards to bring out a small horse, on which sat four-year-old Cao Pi, held by a maid. Although young, Cao Pi did not cry or make a fuss, but stared at his father with wide eyes.

"Don't worry, Lord Cao, your son has been eating and sleeping well these past few days," Lü Bu said. "Now, please give the order for the garrison troops of Lu and Taishan to withdraw, and my men will take over the city's defenses."

Cao Cao waved his hand, and the messengers behind him waved their command flags. Soon, several riders galloped off towards the State of Lu and Mount Tai respectively.

"The provisions have arrived, and the city defenses have been surrendered. Can you release the prisoners now, Duke of Jin?" Cao Cao asked in a deep voice.

Lu Bu nodded, signaling to release the people. The carriage carrying Cao's family members slowly drove into Cao's army formation, while Cao Pi was left behind, held by his maid.

Lady Bian kept looking back, her eyes filled with tears.