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

March 19th, early morning.

Lu Bu left a regiment to garrison Jitou Pass and guard the prisoners, while his main force of about 10,000 men set off lightly, heading southwest along the mountain road.

At noon, a scout from the vanguard reported: "My lord, the north gate of Yangping Pass is ten li ahead. A flag with the character 'Yang' is hanging on the pass wall; it belongs to Yang Ang, a general under Zhang Lu."

Lü Bu nodded: "Order the entire army to maintain formation, advance cautiously, and guard against ambushes."

At the beginning of Shenshi (3-5 PM), the army arrived outside the north gate of Yangping Pass.

This pass is located at the entrance of Jinniu Road on the Hanzhong Plain. The terrain is treacherous, and the Mian River flows around the city, forming a natural moat. The pass walls are higher and thicker than those of Jitou Pass, and there are two gates, one in the north and one in the south, with a fortified city in the middle where troops can be stationed.

At this time, the north gate was tightly closed, the drawbridge was suspended high, and there were thousands of guards on the gate wall.

Lü Bu rode his horse two hundred paces to the pass and shouted, "Where is the general guarding the pass? I am Lü Bu, the Duke of Jin, here to punish the rebels! Open the gates immediately!"

Surprisingly, the door actually opened slowly, and the drawbridge was lowered.

A middle-aged general led several dozen personal guards on horseback out of the pass. Twenty paces before Lü Bu's horse, he knelt on one knee: "Yang Ang, General of Hanzhong, pays respects to the Duke of Jin! This humble general has been ordered by my master to open the gates and welcome Your Majesty!"

Lü Bu did not dismount, but asked with a smile, "What does Zhang Lu mean?"

Yang Ang replied, "Last night, a messenger arrived with orders that my lord instructed me not to resist if I saw the army of Duke Jin, but to open the gates and let them pass. Furthermore, before Duke Jin arrives, no one should be allowed to pass through Yangping Pass, and Zhang Ren and Wu Yi south of the pass should not be informed of the battle situation at Jitou Pass. My lord also said that if Duke Jin can launch a surprise attack on the Shu army and rescue his mother, my lord is willing to surrender the entire Hanzhong prefecture to the court."

Lu Bu examined Yang Ang and saw that his expression was sincere and genuine, and that his choice also fit Zhang Lu's current situation. So he asked, "What is the situation of the Shu army south of the pass?"

Yang Ang hurriedly replied, "The Shu generals Zhang Ren and Wu Yi have led an army of 50,000 to camp on a mountain plateau ten miles south of the pass, with their camps stretching for more than ten miles. From yesterday until now, I have followed my master's orders to keep the gates tightly closed and not engage in battle. They are unaware that Jitou Pass has fallen, and even less aware that the Duke of Jin has arrived."

How many troops are still inside the pass?

"After a month-long battle with the Shu army, we originally had 8,000 troops remaining. Five thousand were transferred away the other day to reinforce Jitou Pass, leaving us with 3,000. If Your Excellency requires it, I am willing to lead my troops to assist you in defeating the enemy!"

After a moment's thought, Lü Bu said, "You will lead two thousand troops to accompany me out of the pass to attack the enemy, while the rest will stay to guard Yangping Pass and protect the supplies. However, the two gates at both ends must be guarded by our troops."

"promise!"

Lü Bu turned to Cao Xing and said, "I will lead the Imperial Guard heavy cavalry to charge the enemy camp. You will lead the cavalry division to follow and expand the victory. Yang Ang will lead two thousand Hanzhong troops, and the infantry division will follow to reinforce the rear. After leaving the pass, there is no need to form ranks. We will charge directly into the camp and catch Zhang Ren and Wu Yi off guard."

Cao Xing excitedly clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This humble general obeys!"

The army quickly passed through Yangping Pass, and the south gate was wide open, leading to a gradually widening valley.

Lu Bu took the lead, and his Red Hare neighed as it leaped out of the gate.

Behind him, the Imperial Guards' heavy cavalry, their armor clanging and their hooves thundering.

Along the way, Lü Bu continued to use his exceptional senses to anticipate the enemy's moves, using arrows with a range of over three hundred paces to snipe Shu scouts and prevent them from returning to report.

Unfortunately, some beacon towers were hidden in the mountains, far away, and Lü Bu could only watch helplessly as the Shu army's beacon soldiers lit the beacon fires to send a message to the distant Shu army.

Fortunately, the raiding force led by Lü Bu was cavalry. Even if Zhang Ren and Wu Yi received the signal fire, they probably wouldn't be able to make complete preparations to defend against the enemy in such a short time.

After all, their 50,000-strong army came here to attack Yangping Pass, not to defend it.

Ten miles south of the pass lies the Shu army camp.

Inside the central command tent, Zhang Ren and Wu Yi were discussing matters.

Zhang Ren was about thirty-five years old, with a face like a red date, a short beard under his chin, and wore fish-scale armor. His weapon was a long spear. He was a veteran general of Yizhou and was known for his strict discipline in managing his troops.

At the same time, he was also Tong Yuan's eldest disciple (the previous text has been changed to Zhang Ren as the eldest disciple, Zhang Xiu as the second disciple, and Zhao Yun as the last disciple), the senior brother of Zhang Xiu and Zhao Yun, and was known as the Spear King of Xichuan.

Wu Yi was slightly younger, around thirty years old, with handsome features. He was Liu Zhang's brother-in-law. Although he came from a prominent family, he was knowledgeable in military affairs and was no ordinary person.

"Yang Ang has closed the gates tightly, and scouts cannot pass through and can only take detours. Military intelligence is not flowing smoothly, and we do not know how the battle at Jitou Pass is going." Zhang Ren pointed to Yangping Pass on the map and said with great concern.

Wu Yi reassured him, "Zhang Lu's mother and family are with our army, so I don't think they would dare to make any rash moves. Zhang Lu will definitely defend Jitou Pass to the death, and Yang Ang closed Yangping Pass because he was afraid of our surprise attack. This is all expected."

Zhang Ren closed his eyes, tapped his fingers lightly on the table, and slowly said, "Lu Bu's army is strong, I hope Zhang Lu can hold them off! Otherwise, not only will Zhang Lu lose Hanzhong, but we in Bashu will also be unable to defend ourselves."

at this time,

"Report—"

A soldier rushed into the tent and said, "General, the beacon tower in the north has issued a warning that a strong enemy is attacking from the direction of Yangping Pass. Judging from the signal, the number of enemy soldiers exceeds one thousand."

"What?" Zhang Ren jumped to his feet. "Is it Yang Ang's army? Zhang Lu has already transferred most of his troops away, and he still dares to come out of the pass to attack our camp?"

Wu Yi was also greatly alarmed: "Quickly, order the entire army to form ranks and meet the enemy!"

But it was too late.

The Shu army, numbering 50,000, was scattered across more than a dozen camps in the mountains.

Because of the prolonged stalemate without any fighting, the soldiers became lax, with many resting, gambling, and washing clothes in the camp, leaving their weapons and armor unattended.

Upon hearing the news of the enemy attack, all camps were thrown into chaos.

When the scouts rushed in to report that it was not Yang Ang's Hanzhong army, but the imperial troops led by Lü Bu, numbering in the thousands, with Lü Bu himself leading the heavy cavalry, Zhang Ren and Wu Yi were already too late to organize an effective resistance.

They never expected that Lü Bu would suddenly cross Jitou Pass and Yangping Pass to launch a surprise attack on them.

Lü Bu personally led a thousand heavy cavalrymen, plunging into the nearest Shu army camp like a sharp sword.

These heavy cavalrymen were all fully armored, equipped with new saddles and double stirrups, allowing them to exert force steadily while on horseback.

Armed with spears and lances, they charged forward and smashed through the gate, then rampaged through the camp.

Lu Bu charged ahead, smashing even the heavy gates and barricades with his terrifying power.

The Shu army was caught off guard and their armor was in disarray. They were often knocked down by the iron cavalry as soon as they picked up their weapons.

Flames erupted throughout the camp, and screams filled the air.

"Don't panic! Form ranks! Spearmen in front!" A Shu army captain tried to organize a resistance, but the fleeing soldiers were like a tide and wouldn't listen.

Xu Huang saw this, spurred his horse forward, and charged at him, piercing him with his spear.

Cao Xing led the 1st Cavalry Division to attack and continued to expand the victory.

Lu Bu charged into the camp first, his halberd sweeping across, cutting three Shu soldiers in half at the waist.

Red Hare charged forward with undiminished momentum, crashing straight into the crowd. The sound of bones shattering as its hooves trampled over the ground was enough to make one's teeth ache.

Lu Bu unleashed his halberd technique, twirling left and right, and no one could get close within three zhang (approximately 10 meters). In a short time, he killed dozens of enemies.

"Lu Bu is here! Those who surrender will not be killed!" Lu Bu roared, his voice shaking the battlefield.

Many Shu soldiers, upon hearing the name of Lü Bu, the greatest warrior in the land, were already losing their nerve. Seeing that this heavy cavalry was impervious to swords and spears, they were utterly terrified and fled, abandoning their weapons.