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

As ordered by Zhang Lu, Yang Ang launched a feint attack on Jinniu Road. Once Zhang Ren's main force of Yizhou attacked, he retreated to Yangping Pass, thus tying down the main force of Yizhou.

Yang Ren, however, launched a fierce attack from the Micang Road into the heart of Yizhou, heading straight for Chengdu to avenge his mother.

Of course, when Zhang Lu was at war with Liu Zhang of Yizhou, he naturally did not want to be attacked by Lü Bu.

Hanzhong had only 100,000 soldiers and civilians. Although Zhang Lu controlled the entire prefecture through religion and claimed that the whole population was a soldier, the old, weak, women and children were ultimately not fit to fight.

With 20,000 troops already deployed to fight against Yizhou, Zhang Lu naturally had few soldiers left on the various plank roads of the Qinling Mountains. If Lü Bu were to attack, Zhang Lu would be no match for him.

Hanzhong does not have the capability to fight on two fronts simultaneously.

Therefore, while fighting against Liu Zhang, he sent envoys to Chang'an to express his willingness to submit to Lü Bu's court.

At the end of February, the envoy from Hanzhong arrived in Chang'an and presented Zhang Lu's letter.

In the study of the Duke of Jin's mansion, Lü Bu unfolded the letter and read it carefully, a smile playing on his lips.

"Zhang Lu is willing to submit, but demands to retain his position as Governor of Hanzhong, that the army not be reorganized, that officials be appointed independently, and that taxes be paid only according to a fixed annual quota." He handed the letter to Jia Xu, "What do you think?"

After reading it, Jia Xu sneered, "Zhang Lu wants to be a state within a state, a local emperor."

Guo Jia said, "My lord, Zhang Lu was attacked by Liu Zhang and had nowhere to turn, so he came to ask for help. Now is the perfect opportunity to take Hanzhong. We can pretend to agree first, and then reorganize after entering Hanzhong."

Xun Yu hurriedly said, "No, my lord is in charge of the court. How can we break our promise to the people? Moreover, Zhang Lu has the Five Pecks of Rice sect, and the believers are devout. If we forcibly take Hanzhong, it may incite a popular uprising."

Lu Bu pondered for a moment, then said, "Wenruo is right; we cannot break our promise. But I absolutely cannot agree to Zhang Lu's conditions. The root of the current chaos lies in local separatism. If I grant him a high degree of autonomy, how am I different from a warlord?"

He stood up and walked to the map: "Hanzhong is the gateway to Yizhou. If we get Hanzhong, we can conquer Yizhou. Since Zhang Lu is unwilling to truly submit, then I will beat him until he does!"

Jia Xu asked, "Does our lord intend to attack Hanzhong?"

"Exactly." Lü Bu pointed to the map. "Gongsun Zan and Liu Yu have already started fighting and are unable to assist Yuan Shao in his westward advance."

"Cao Cao and Tao Qian had a long-standing feud because of Cao Song's death. In addition, Cao Cao was short of food and frequently raided Xuzhou, causing constant friction. Even though Liu Bei tried his best to maintain order, it was to no avail. For the time being, they were unable to attack Yanzhou."

"Yuan Shu is also unable to advance north because Sun Ce is holding him back."

"Liu Biao of Jingzhou is only concerned with defending himself. If I do not attack him, he will certainly not dare to attack me without authorization."

"Now that Liu Yan is dead and Liu Zhang and Zhang Lu have turned against each other, it is the perfect opportunity to defeat them one by one and take Hanzhong and even Yizhou."

"As for the followers of the Five Pecks of Rice sect? When I publicly demonstrate my divinely bestowed granary abilities, will the people of Hanzhong believe Zhang Lu or me, Lü Bu?"

Cheng Yu nodded and smiled, "My lord is right. That Zhang Lu is nothing but a charlatan; how can he be compared to your true supernatural powers? However, the Qinling Mountains are treacherous; how should we conquer them?"

Lü Bu laughed and said, "Although the roads in the Qinling Mountains are dangerous, I have a divine granary bestowed by heaven, which can solve the logistical problem. I will order Cao Xing to lead the 1st Army of 10,000 men to assemble in Mei County, Youfufeng. I will personally lead the Imperial Guard of 1,000 men and set off immediately, taking the Baoxie Road and heading straight for Nanzheng, the capital of Hanzhong Commandery."

Guo Jia reminded him: "My lord, although the various warlords are all restrained, Yuan Shao's power is still great, and we still need to be wary of him."

"Don't worry, Yuan Shao is currently preoccupied with his own problems," Lü Bu said. "Xu You and Guo Tu are under suspicion, Ju Shou and Tian Feng are all living in fear, and Ji Province is internally unstable. Furthermore, once Gongsun Zan defeats Liu Yu and seizes You Province, Yuan Shao will be wary and dare not act rashly. As for Cao Cao, Tao Qian, Yuan Shu, and Sun Ce, they are all locked in a stalemate and unable to attack us. If we don't take Hanzhong now, when will we?"

On the third day of the third lunar month, at the western camp of Chang'an City.

A thousand Imperial Guards were ready to go. Lü Bu rode Red Hare, holding a light halberd, with Cheng Lian and Xu Huang guarding him.

"Let's go!" Lu Bu gave the order, and the army set off.

People along the way gathered to watch and discuss the scene.

"Whom is Duke Jin going to attack?"

"I heard it's about conquering Zhang Lu in Hanzhong."

"Hanzhong is so far away, and the mountain roads are difficult to travel. How will we transport the grain and fodder?"

"Have you forgotten that Duke Jin was blessed with a divine granary? He didn't need to transport grain at all!"

The people had long believed in Lü Bu's supernatural powers and knelt down to pray for the Duke of Jin's triumphant return.

The army marched over a hundred li a day and arrived at Mei County in Youfufeng two days later, where Cao Xing had already led 10,000 men of the 1st Army to wait for them.

"My lord!" Cao Xing dismounted and bowed.

Lü Bu waved his hand: "No need for formalities. How is the situation on the Baoxie Road?"

Cao Xing reported: "This subordinate has sent scouts to investigate. Many sections of the plank road along the Baoxie Road have been in disrepair for years, and several others have been destroyed by flash floods, making it difficult for the army to pass. Moreover, all the passes are guarded by Zhang Lu's soldiers."

Lü Bu nodded: "It's alright. Order the entire army to travel light and keep their supplies and equipment to be carried by my Shencang."

Then, many soldiers who had never personally witnessed Lü Bu's divine ability to store grain by heaven finally witnessed the legendary divine ability of the Duke of Jin. Sure enough, with a wave of his hand, the Duke of Jin took away all kinds of grain, equipment, and even wagons. Everyone didn't need to transport grain at all and could travel light.

With logistical concerns relieved, the army was well-organized, with clear divisions between superiors and subordinates, and orders were strictly enforced. Everyone was full of confidence.

Subsequently, the army set off and entered the Baoxie Road.

This ancient Qinling trail winds its way through towering mountains. At its widest point, it's only a few feet wide, while in other places, it's just wide enough for one person and one horse to pass at a time. In many places, one side is a sheer cliff, and the other side is a deep abyss. Underfoot is a plank road, many of the planks of which have rotted and broken.

Cao Xing frowned as he looked at the treacherous terrain and said, "My lord, this road is too difficult to travel. The army can't even travel thirty li a day."

Lü Bu laughed and said, "Watch me."

He spurred his horse forward to a section of the broken plank road. This section of the plank road was about five zhang long, with a hundred-zhang deep valley below. The original wooden planks were long gone, leaving only a few rotten wooden beams.

The soldiers looked at each other, wondering how they were going to get through this.

Lu Bu dismounted, walked to the edge of the cliff, and waved his hand.

Dozens of thick logs appeared out of thin air on the open ground, each as thick as a person could hug and three zhang long. Next came thick planks, nails, ropes, hammers and other tools.

"Stewards engineers, move forward and repair the plank road!" Lü Bu ordered.

The engineers accompanying the army were already well-trained. Upon seeing this, they immediately stepped forward, moved logs, erected beams, laid planks, and secured ropes, nails, and other equipment.

When encountering difficult-to-operate areas, Lü Bu would walk over, use his storage space to collect the wood, then place it in the correct location and lay it in place.

In less than half an hour, a sturdy new plank road was laid.

The entire army was in uproar.

"The Duke of Jin is awe-inspiring!"

"The divinely bestowed granary can be used like this?"

Lü Bu mounted his horse: "Let's continue!"