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

These vanguard soldiers were all clad in two layers of armor: a leather inner layer and a steel outer layer, with iron helmets and iron face shields covering only their eyes. Each man carried a shield in his left hand and a knife or short spear in his right, with a hand axe hanging at his waist. They were elite soldiers selected from Cao Xing's First Army, all tall, strong, and fearless.

Fifty siege ladders were released from Lü Bu's storage space, lifted by auxiliary soldiers, and rushed towards the pass wall.

Standing on the wall, Zhang Lu urgently ordered, "Fire arrows! Prepare rolling logs and stones!"

Arrows rained down, but the vanguard of daredevils raised their shields high, forming a tortoise-shell formation. With a clang, most of the arrows were deflected. Occasionally, an arrow would pierce through the gaps, but it was blocked by the heavy armor and could not hit any vital organs.

The ladder was placed on the wall, and the suicide squad began to climb.

At this moment, Lü Bu made his move.

He took out a ten-stone bow from his storage space, and also a jar of specially made arrows with straight shafts, three-edged iron arrowheads, and barbs.

Lu Bu stood two hundred paces in front of the pass. At this distance, ordinary arrows could no longer pose a threat to him, but his arrows could completely cover the entire pass wall, even the sloping edges.

Draw the bow and nock the arrow.

The enhanced vision from 130 points in Perception allows him to clearly see the position, movements, and even expressions of every guard on the wall. His Archery skill of 130 makes drawing the bow, aiming, and releasing the arrow as natural as breathing.

"Whoosh—"

The first arrow was fired, as fast as lightning.

On the east side of the fortress wall, a Hanzhong military captain was brandishing his sword and giving orders: "Smash the rolling logs, quickly..."

Before he could finish speaking, an arrow pierced his throat. His eyes widened, the knife in his hand clattered to the ground, and he fell backward.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

With a strength attribute of 130, Lü Bu kept drawing his bow, firing an arrow almost every breath. He didn't shoot randomly, but specifically targeted the officers, archers, and soldiers operating the rolling logs and stones in the defending army.

Behind the western rampart, just as three archers leaned out to fire their arrows, Lü Bu fired three arrows in quick succession. The three men fell to the ground almost simultaneously, one shot through the eye socket and died on the spot; another was shot in the shoulder blade, screaming and rolling down; and the third was shot in the hand holding the bow, causing him to drop the bow and fall over.

In the middle of the wall, several soldiers were raising logs to smash down when Lu Bu shot an arrow into the arm of the soldier at the front. The man cried out in pain and let go, and the log hit the foot of his comrade behind him, causing chaos among the group.

On the wall, Zhang Lu's soldiers fell one after another, and the command gradually became chaotic.

Seeing their comrades accurately shot down by arrows fired by Lü Bu from afar, many soldiers were too frightened to peek out and instead fired wildly from behind the barricades. This inaccurate volley posed little threat to the heavily armored suicide squad below.

Protected by his personal guards' shields, Zhang Lu watched helplessly as his forces were suppressed, his eyes blazing with fury: "Crossbowmen, use the powerful crossbows to shoot Lü Bu!"

A dozen crossbowmen set up their crossbows, which required stepping on the bow arm and pulling the string with both hands, and had a range of up to two hundred paces. But as soon as they peeked out from behind the battlements, Lü Bu's arrows arrived.

With a few "thuds," three crossbowmen were shot through the face, while the rest hurriedly retreated.

Zhang Wei said anxiously, "Brother, Lü Bu's archery skills are divine; none of our troops can subdue him! If this continues, the fortress will surely fall!"

Zhang Lu gritted his teeth: "Have Yang Bai lead the reserves to the wall and hold the crenellations to the death! Even if we fight to the last man, we cannot let Lü Bu pass!"

Below the pass, the first assault team had already climbed halfway.

Beside a ladder, Squad Leader Chen Wu, clad in double-layered heavy armor, held a shield in his left hand to protect his head and face, a short axe in his right hand, and another short knife in his mouth, took the lead in climbing upwards.

Arrows struck his shield from above with a clanging sound, and a boulder hit his left shoulder, denting the armor plate, but he only groaned and continued upwards.

Five or six steps from the top of the wall, a pot of boiling excrement was poured down. Chen Wu quickly dodged to the side, most of the excrement splashing onto his shield, the stench overwhelming. A few drops landed on his arm, instantly causing blisters. He endured the pain and sped up, leaping over the crenellations to climb onto the top of the wall.

"The enemy is coming!" Two defenders thrust their spears forward.

Chen Wu parried a spear with his shield, then swung his short axe horizontally, severing the shaft of another man's spear, and struck his neck in the process, blood spurting out. Three more men surrounded him, attacking with swords and spears. Although Chen Wu was brave, he was outnumbered and struck in the shoulder and leg. Despite the protection of his armor, he was also injured by the impact.

But he managed to gain a foothold on the wall.

Seeing their brave comrades successfully reach the top, the remaining members of the suicide squad were greatly encouraged and climbed even faster. Chen Wu fought desperately to buy time for his comrades. In just over ten breaths, five more suicide squad members climbed up and formed a defensive line to protect this section of the wall.

Once the breach is opened, it expands rapidly.

Although the Hanzhong army fought desperately under Zhang Lu's strict orders, Lü Bu's arrows were like a relentless killer, constantly sniping Zhang Lu's soldiers on the city walls. Seeing their officers fall one after another, many soldiers became fearful, and their offensive gradually slowed down.

More and more suicide squad members scaled the city walls. These heavily armored infantrymen fought in formation, using swords and shields in coordination, advancing step by step. The Hanzhong army was mostly lightly armored, and their weapons were mainly swords and spears. Against the heavily armored defenses, it often took several slashes and thrusts to inflict effective damage, while a single strike from the suicide squad would either kill or maim the enemy.

"The west gate's battlements have fallen!"

"The eastern section of the pass has been breached!"

Bad news kept coming.

Zhang Lu's face turned deathly pale. Yan Pu grabbed him, saying, "Master, the walls have fallen. Defending any longer is pointless! We must retreat to Nanzheng and fight again from there!"

Zhang Lu looked towards the city wall. Lü Bu's imperial troops had already controlled nearly half of the wall and were clearing it downwards. At the gate, a suicide squad was hacking and slashing at the guards, attempting to open the city gate.

"My mother..." Zhang Lu murmured.

"Master, we must preserve our lives!" Zhang Wei said urgently.

At this moment, the gate was flung open with a roar, and the drawbridge was lowered. Iron cavalry from outside the pass surged in like a tidal wave, with the first rider, crimson as fire, being none other than Lü Bu.

Zhang Lu sighed deeply: "Withdraw!"

He led several hundred of his personal guards down the rampart behind the pass, mounted his horse, and fled towards Nanzheng. With their commander gone, the remaining defenders lost all will to fight and surrendered en masse, abandoning their weapons.

From the start of the siege to the fall of the pass, it took less than an hour.

In this battle, the Hanzhong army suffered over 1,200 dead, over 2,000 wounded, and 16,000 captured. The imperial army's vanguard suicide squad suffered only a dozen or so dead and fewer than fifty wounded, a truly great victory.

After tallying the battle results, Cao Xing reported to Lü Bu: "My lord, Zhang Lu fled south with several hundred cavalry, and the rest of his troops surrendered. The grain and weapons inside the pass have been sealed up. What should be done with the prisoners?"

Lu Bu dismounted and looked at the prisoners kneeling in the open space inside the pass. He said, "Treat the wounded, and gather the surrendered soldiers into custody after they have been disarmed. Have the auxiliary troops supervise them to clean up the battlefield and collect the corpses. Tell them that those who wish to join the army can be incorporated into the auxiliary troops after screening; those who wish to return home will be given travel expenses and sent back after Hanzhong is pacified."

"promise!"

Cao Xing then asked, "My lord, should our army rest for a day and pursue Zhang Lu tomorrow, heading straight for Nanzheng?"

Lü Bu shook his head: "No rush. Zhang Lu's mother is in Liu Zhang's hands. If we get to Nanzheng, we'll still have to fight Zhang Lu to the death, which will only increase casualties. Order: Leave one regiment to garrison Jitou Pass and guard the prisoners; the rest of the troops will follow me westward tomorrow morning to attack Yangping Pass."

Cao Xing was taken aback: "Yangping Pass? That's where Zhang Lu and Liu Zhang's armies are facing off..."

"Exactly." Lu Bu's lips curled slightly. "Let's attack Yangping Pass. Whether we rescue Zhang's mother or force the Shu general to kill her, Zhang Lu will inevitably surrender and submit to us. We won't need to attack Nanzheng and increase casualties."

Cao Xing suddenly realized: "My lord is wise!"