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

Seeing that his family had safely entered the battle, Cao Cao felt somewhat relieved. However, when he saw his young son Cao Pi standing alone between the two armies, he felt a pang of pain in his heart.

"Pi'er, your father will bring you back," Cao Cao said loudly.

Cao Pi nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Lu Bu ordered his personal guards to carry Cao Pi back to the camp, and bowed to Cao Cao, saying, "Lord Cao, the deal is done. I hope you will keep your promise and never invade Yan again. If the world is at peace in the future, I will surely send your son back to his hometown."

Cao Cao gave Lü Bu a deep look, then turned his horse around and shouted, "Retreat!"

Cao's army slowly retreated, leaving the grain carts behind.

Lu Bu directly stored 50,000 shi of grain into his storage space, which made some of the Cao camp soldiers from Yanzhou who were returning west wide-eyed.

Three days later, Zhao Yun reported that Cao Cao's troops guarding Lu and Tai counties had withdrawn, and Zhao Yun had taken over the two counties without bloodshed. Thus, all eight counties and kingdoms of Yan Province were now under the control of the imperial court.

After the victory banquet, Chen Gong asked, "Lord Jin, Cao Cao only has Pengcheng left, and after releasing the soldiers from Yanzhou, he only has a little over 20,000 Qingzhou soldiers left. Moreover, Pengcheng has suffered severe population loss and poverty due to Cao Cao's massacres. Should we take this opportunity to wipe it out in one fell swoop?"

Lu Bu shook his head: "No need. Cao Cao is currently trapped in an isolated city, supporting an army of over 20,000 with fewer than 100,000 people, and his supplies are running low. Moreover, the people of Pengcheng hate his massacre, and his heart is not with them. He is too busy to take care of himself and has no power to threaten Yanzhou. Our army has just pacified Yanzhou and needs time to consolidate its power. Furthermore, the court is undergoing various military and political reforms, which are somewhat chaotic. We also need to guard against a sneak attack by Yuan Shao and others. We will make plans again next year."

Xun Yu praised, "The Duke of Jin is well-versed in the principle of consolidating the foundation and planning for the future. I admire him greatly."

Cheng Yu replied, "I'm afraid Cao Cao will be desperate and plunder Xuzhou again."

"Let Tao Qian worry about it. But now that Cao Cao's strength has greatly diminished, and with Liu Bei and Tian Kai to help him, Tao Qian should have no problem holding his ground," Lü Bu said with a smile. "Order Zhang Yang and Zhang Yan to strengthen the defenses of Hanoi and Shangdang, and keep a close eye on Yuan Shao. As for Yanzhou, Huang Zhong can just reorganize the army and strengthen defenses; there's no need to launch an attack for now."

"promise!"

When the news of Lü Bu taking over Yanzhou and Cao Cao being forced to be trapped in Pengcheng reached the various warlords, their reactions varied.

Jizhou, Yecheng.

"Useless! Cao Cao, that piece of trash!" Yuan Shao slammed his wine cup to the ground, his beard trembling with rage. "He held eight commanderies in Yan Province and an army of 50,000, yet Lü Bu seized his homeland in a mere month! Now he's trapped in Pengcheng Commandery with less than 30,000 troops—what use are they!"

Below the hall, advisors such as Ju Shou, Tian Feng, Xu You, Feng Ji, and Guo Tu stood solemnly.

Ju Shou cupped his hands and said, "My lord, please calm your anger. Although Cao Cao has been defeated, his generals Cao Ren, Xiahou Yuan, Yu Jin, and Yue Jin are all excellent, and his more than 20,000 Qingzhou soldiers are also elite. Now that he is besieged in Pengcheng, he needs reinforcements. If our Ji Province provides assistance, Cao Cao will be grateful and will serve us."

Tian Feng nodded: "What you say is absolutely right. Lü Bu has already occupied Sili, Bingzhou, Liangzhou, and Yanzhou, controlling the lands of four provinces, commanding over 100,000 armored soldiers, and even holding the emperor hostage to command the other lords. His power is immense and difficult to control. If we allow him to expand further, no one in the world will be able to stand against him. We should quickly unite the other lords and form an anti-Lü alliance."

Xu You stroked his beard and said, "We've already discussed the alliance with Cao Cao. He had agreed to act as a mediator, but his father's misfortune caused him to lose his temper and forcefully conquer Xu Province, allowing Lü Bu to benefit. Although we've lost Yan Province, he can still shoulder the responsibility of contacting the other warlords. My lord, you can send another envoy to Pengcheng to appease Cao Cao and help him stabilize his position, while also asking him to continue contacting the other garrisons."

Feng Ji added: "Besides Cao Cao, we need to send envoys to persuade Gongsun Zan, Tao Qian, Liu Biao, Yuan Shu, Liu Yan, Zhang Lu, and others. In particular, Gongsun Zan and Liu Yu are currently fighting in Youzhou. If the fighting does not stop, it will only waste the food, supplies and elite troops of both sides."

Guo Tu replied, "Gongsun Zan has a grudge against our lord; why would he listen to me?"

Tian Feng said solemnly, "This is the principle of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.' Although Gongsun Zan has a grudge against our lord, if Lü Bu kills our lord, he will be next. As long as we send an eloquent person to explain the advantages and disadvantages, we may be able to persuade him to temporarily cease hostilities and jointly resist Lü Bu."

Yuan Shao pondered for a long time before finally suppressing his anger: "Very well, let's do as you all agree. Xu You, take my letter and go to Pengcheng to see Cao Cao again. Tell him that as long as he is willing to continue to unite the warlords against Lü Bu, Ji Province can provide him with 10,000 shi of grain to help him overcome his difficulties. Also, Ju Shou, draft a letter to Gongsun Zan and Liu Yu, and Tian Feng, draft a letter to Tao Qian, Liu Biao, Yuan Shu, and others, explaining the threat of Lü Bu and inviting them to form an alliance."

"Yes!" the advisors responded in unison.

Xu You hesitated for a moment, then asked, "My lord, what if Tao Qian, because of the grudge against Cao Cao for massacring Xuzhou, is unwilling to form an alliance?"

Yuan Shao sneered, "Then tell him that if Cao Cao dies, Lü Bu's next target will be Xuzhou! Let him weigh the pros and cons himself—is it more important to hold a personal grudge or to protect his own territory?"

Tanxian County, Xuzhou.

Inside the governor's mansion, Tao Qian lay on a couch, his face sallow and coughing intermittently. He was over sixty years old, and the siege and massacre by Cao Cao had left him physically and mentally exhausted, worsening his condition.

Two men sat before the couch: one was Tian Kai, the governor of Qingzhou, who was about forty years old and had a resolute face. He was a general under Gongsun Zan. The other was Liu Bei, the chancellor of Pingyuan, who was thirty-three years old. He had a face like jade, ears that reached his shoulders, and hands that reached his knees. Although he was dressed in a scholar's robe, he had a heroic air about him.

"My lord," Liu Bei said gently, "Cao Cao has retreated to Pengcheng, and Yanzhou has fallen entirely to Lü Bu. Lü Bu has sent an envoy with a letter, wishing to establish friendly relations with you."

Tao Qian took the letter, read it carefully, and pondered for a moment before asking, "Xuande, what do you think?"

Liu Bei was a member of the imperial family and always considered it his duty to restore the Han Dynasty. Naturally, he deeply hated Lü Bu, who had usurped the title of Duke and seized control of the government.

Upon hearing Tao Qian's request for advice, Liu Bei immediately said solemnly, "I believe Lü Bu is untrustworthy. This man killed Ding Yuan and executed Dong Zhuo, and is fickle and unpredictable. Now he holds the emperor hostage and usurps the title of Duke, how is he any different from Wang Mang? What is even more worrying is that after Lü Bu takes control of the court, he will implement so-called reforms: popularizing cheap books, opening the imperial examination system, and changing the military system to reduce the power of generals. All of these are aimed at breaking the monopoly of the aristocratic families and shaking the foundation of the aristocratic families in the world. If you, my lord, submit to Lü Bu, the Tao family, which has been a prominent family for a hundred years, will probably decline."

Tian Kai continued, "What Lord Xuande said is absolutely right. My lord, General Gongsun, also said that Lü Bu is a traitor to the country, and everyone in the world has the right to kill him. Now, Yuan Shao wants to unite the warlords against Lü Bu, which is the right path. My lord should put aside his personal grudge against Cao Cao and prioritize the overall situation."

Tao Qian coughed a few times and sighed, "Cao Cao killed tens of thousands of my people in Xuzhou. This is an irreconcilable hatred. How can I possibly ally with him now?"

Liu Bei cupped his hands and spoke earnestly: "My lord, I know this enmity is deep. But please consider this: Cao Cao's massacre of Xuzhou is a heinous crime, and he will surely be punished by heaven. But right now, Lü Bu is powerful and already controls four provinces. If he takes Xuzhou as well, half of the country will fall into his hands. At that time, let alone revenge, it is uncertain whether the Tao family can be preserved."

He paused, then continued, "Cao Cao is currently besieged in Pengcheng, with no more than 20,000 soldiers and less than 100,000 civilians. His supplies are also running low, and he is no longer able to attack Xuzhou. If you, my lord, were to unite with Yuan Shao, Gongsun Zan, and others, Cao Cao would certainly not dare to act rashly. After we destroy Lü Bu, we can then punish Cao Cao. What need is there for fear of not avenging our great grudge?"