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

Upon hearing Liu Bei's words, Tao Qian remained silent.

Liu Bei continued, "My lord, Lü Bu's sending envoys to establish friendly relations is merely a delaying tactic. He has just pacified Yan Province and needs time to consolidate his power, hence his temporary appeasement of Xu Province. Once he has secured Yan Province, he will surely launch an eastward offensive next year. If Cao Cao dies then, Xu Province will be left to fend for itself!"

Tian Kai added fuel to the fire: "My lord, my lord General Gongsun has agreed to Yuan Shao's request for a temporary truce to jointly resist Lü Bu. Although Governor Liu Yu of Youzhou has a grudge against General Gongsun, he understands the principle of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold' and has also agreed to a ceasefire. Now, the warlords of Guandong—Yuan Shao, Gongsun Zan, Liu Yu, and Cao Cao—all wish to form an alliance. If Xuzhou is missing, the alliance will be difficult to achieve. Once Lü Bu attacks, who will come to Xuzhou's rescue?"

Tao Qian struggled to sit up, and his attendants quickly helped him. He looked at Liu Bei, a complex expression flashing in his eyes: "Xuande, I am deeply grateful for your journey from Pingyuan to aid Xuzhou. You are kind and insightful, and I would like to hear your words."

Liu Bei bowed and said, "I dare not, but for the sake of the people of the world and the people of Xuzhou, I humbly request that Your Excellency reconsider."

Tao Qian sighed, "Enough. Let's set aside personal grudges for now and focus on the greater good. Governor Tian, ​​please inform General Gongsun that Xuzhou is willing to join the anti-Lü alliance. Xuande, please write a letter to Lü Bu on my behalf, politely declining his offer, saying that Xuzhou is self-governing and there's no need for you, Duke Jin, to trouble yourself."

A look of delight flashed in Liu Bei's eyes: "Your Excellency is wise!"

Tian Kai also cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Excellency is truly wise and righteous. I will certainly inform General Gongsun that once the alliance is formed, we will jointly safeguard the peace of Xuzhou."

When Lü Bu's messenger returned to Chang'an with Tao Qian's letter of polite refusal, it was already the end of the year.

In the study of the Duke of Jin's mansion, Lü Bu finished reading the letter and sneered, "Liu Bei... it really was him who ruined things."

Jia Xu frowned: "Liu Bei is merely the Prefect of Pingyuan, yet he managed to persuade Tao Qian to let go of the hatred for the killing of his son (Tao Qian's son died during Cao Cao's eastern expedition). This man's abilities should not be underestimated."

Guo Jia said, "I have heard that Liu Bei studied under Lu Zhi in his early years and was a classmate of Gongsun Zan. He is known for his benevolence and virtue. Although his army is small and his generals are few, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are both capable of defeating ten thousand men, and they are also good at winning people's hearts. Now that he has persuaded Tao Qian, it is clear that his ambition is not small."

Lü Bu nodded: "Liu Bei is a hero. It's a pity he's my enemy."

He walked to the map and traced Xuzhou with his finger: "Tao Qian has rejected us and allied with Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, so Xuzhou has become enemy territory. Fortunately, Cao Cao is besieged in Pengcheng and has no energy to attend to other matters; Tao Qian is old and sick, and the military affairs of Xuzhou are mostly handled by Liu Bei and Tian Kai. Our army has just pacified Yanzhou, so it is not advisable to advance eastward immediately. We should wait until after the spring planting next year before we plan to attack Xuzhou."

Jia Xu said, "My lord, the secret guards have already reported on Yuan Shao's alliance with the other warlords. Apart from Xuzhou, Gongsun Zan and Liu Yu have temporarily ceased hostilities and outwardly agreed to the alliance; Yuan Shu has verbally agreed but is actually observing; Liu Biao and Liu Yan have both written back in agreement, but have not taken any actual action; Zhang Lu is hesitant and dares not express his opinion clearly."

Guo Jia analyzed: "In reality, the only forces that can be formed into a fighting force are Yuan Shao (Ji Province), Gongsun Zan (You Province, Qing Province), Liu Yu (Eastern You Province), Tao Qian (Xu Province), and Cao Cao (Pengcheng). Among them, Liu Yu and Gongsun Zan are mortal enemies, Tao Qian's army is weak, and Cao Cao's supplies are short. The only ones who can truly contribute are Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan, but the two have been fighting each other for a long time and are only superficially united."

Lü Bu laughed and said, "What can a bunch of rabble, each with their own ulterior motives, accomplish? Order Zhang Yan and Zhang Yang to strengthen the defenses and keep a close eye on Yuan Shao. Huang Zhong is preparing the army in Yanzhou; if war breaks out next year, the Yanzhou army can serve as the vanguard."

"promise!"

The 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, close to Lunar New Year's Eve.

Inside the Prime Minister's residence in Pengcheng, Cao Cao hosted a banquet for Xu You, the envoy from Ji Province.

During the banquet, Cao Cao raised his cup and said, "Brother Ziyuan, you have come from afar and must be tired. I would like to offer you a toast."

Xu You raised his cup in return, glanced around the hall, and saw that Cao Ren, Xiahou Yuan, Yu Jin, Yue Jin, Li Dian, Dian Wei, and other generals were all present. Although their numbers were small, each of them was a top-tier warrior. He sighed inwardly: Cao Cao may have been defeated, but his backbone remains.

"Mengde," Xu You put down his wine cup, "My lord heard that you lost Yanzhou and was very concerned. He specially ordered me to bring five thousand shi of grain to relieve your urgent needs."

Cao Cao smiled wryly: "Please thank Brother Benchu ​​on my behalf. To be honest, Pengcheng has suffered from the previous wars, and the people are impoverished. Even if we forcibly requisition grain, there is nowhere to collect it. The army is consuming an alarming amount of grain every day. This 5,000 shi is truly a timely help."

Xu You lowered his voice: "Mengde, how's the alliance of the southern towns going?"

Cao Cao said, "Liu Bei has persuaded Tao Qian to put aside his personal grudges, and Xu Province has agreed to join him. Liu Biao, Liu Yan, and Yuan Shu have all replied in agreement, but..."

"But there's no real action, right?" Xu You chimed in.

Cao Cao nodded: "Liu Biao only wants to protect his territory, Liu Yan is far away in Yizhou, and Yuan Shu has been wanting to declare himself emperor ever since he obtained the Imperial Seal. None of them will sincerely offer their help. Zhang Lu is even more cowardly; he doesn't even dare to be clear in his reply."

Xu You sneered, "These short-sighted fools, wait until Lü Bu comes knocking, then we'll see how they regret it!"

He paused, then continued, "Mengde, my lord's intention is that now that the alliance is formed, a treaty should be drawn up, stipulating that if one side is attacked, all the garrisons will come to its aid. At the same time, after the spring of next year, all the garrisons will raise their troops simultaneously and attack Lü Bu from the east, north, and west, so that he cannot attend to both ends."

Cao Cao pondered, "A three-pronged attack? How should we proceed?"

Xu You said, "On the eastern front, you should join forces with Tao Qian to attack Yanzhou; on the northern front, my lord should join forces with Gongsun Zan to attack Bingzhou; on the western front, if we can persuade Zhang Lu and Liu Yan to send troops to Hanzhong to contain Lü Bu's forces in Liangzhou, then the overall situation can be settled."

Cao Cao shook his head: "Zhang Lu and Liu Yan may not be willing to send troops, and Tao Qian's army is weak. My Pengcheng troops number only 20,000, and we are short of food and supplies. We can barely protect ourselves, let alone attack Yanzhou."

Xu You laughed and said, "So it takes time to prepare. My lord has promised to supply you with 10,000 shi of grain after the spring to help you recover your strength. As for Tao Qian, Gongsun Zan can have Tian Kai lead the Qingzhou troops to assist in the battle. Once all the towns are ready, we will raise our troops at the same time. Even if Lü Bu had three heads and six arms, he would have a hard time resisting."

Cao Cao's eyes gleamed: "If that's truly the case, we might have a fighting chance. However, Lü Bu has a divinely bestowed granary with inexhaustible supplies, so he can afford to wear us down. If we cannot achieve a swift victory, a prolonged battle will surely exhaust us."

Xu You said, "The story of the divine granary bestowed by heaven may be an exaggeration. Even if it is true, there must be limits. My lord has already sent spies to infiltrate Guanzhong to investigate the truth. We will decide on a countermeasure after we have a clear understanding of the situation."

The two talked until late at night.

After seeing Xu You off, Cao Cao sat alone in the hall, staring at the flickering candlelight, his face gloomy.

Xi Zhicai coughed as he emerged from behind the screen: "My lord, are we truly going to form an alliance with Yuan Shao?"

Cao Cao smiled bitterly: "What else can we do if we don't form an alliance? We are currently trapped in Pengcheng with few soldiers and little food. If we don't borrow external help, we will be swallowed up by Lü Bu sooner or later."

Xi Zhicai said, "Yuan Shao is outwardly lenient but inwardly suspicious, and he is good at scheming but indecisive. If we cooperate with him, we must be wary of him abandoning us after we have served our purpose."

"How could I not know?" Cao Cao sighed. "But right now, Yuan Shao is the strongest. Only by borrowing his strength can we stabilize our position. Once we have recovered our strength, we can then devise a plan for the future."

He paused, a flash of pain in his eyes: "It's just a pity for Pi'er, being held hostage by Lü Bu..."

Xi Zhicai comforted him, "My lord, do not worry. Since Lü Bu has kept the young master as a hostage, he will not harm him. As long as you do not attack Yanzhou, the young master is actually safe in Chang'an. If the situation changes in the future, we may be able to bring him back."

Cao Cao remained silent for a long time, then suddenly asked, "Zhicai, what do you think of Lü Bu's supposed divinely bestowed granary? Is it true or false?"

Xi Zhicai pondered, "Judging from the Battle of Yanzhou, Lü Bu's thousand-mile raid, carrying provisions and weapons with him, certainly suggests he had the ability to store supplies. But whether he could truly receive an endless supply of provisions every day is still unknown. Perhaps it was just a clever logistical technique that has been mythologized."

Cao Cao shook his head: "Regardless of whether it's true or not, it's a fact that Lü Bu is currently very powerful. We need to be patient and wait for the right opportunity."