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

The military report that Jianmen Pass had been breached by Lü Bu's army was relayed southward by courier at a speed of several hundred li per day.

On the afternoon of March 30th, more than forty miles north of Chengdu, dust billowed along the official road.

Eight thousand reinforcements from Yizhou were assembled yesterday and departed from Chengdu this morning for Mianzhu. Their next stop is Jianmen Pass to reinforce Wu Yi.

The army was marching, banners waving, the ranks stretching for miles. Under the central banner, Commander-in-Chief Yan Yan rode a sturdy blue horse, his face grave.

Yan Yan was about thirty-five years old, with a square face, a wide mouth, and a short beard. He was a former subordinate of Liu Yan and was known for his bravery and skill in battle.

After Zhang Ren was captured and Wu Yi retreated to Jianmen Pass, Liu Zhang urgently appointed him as the commander of the reinforcements, leading 8,000 Chengdu defenders to Mianzhu, where they joined 5,000 Mianzhu soldiers, for a total of 13,000 men, to rush to the aid of Jianmen.

"General, Mianzhu is just ahead." Deputy General Deng Xian rode forward and pointed to the faint outline of the city wall in the distance.

Yan Yan nodded: "Send the order to speed things up. We'll rest in Mianzhu tonight, rendezvous with the Mianzhu garrison, and head north to Jianmen Pass tomorrow."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a fast horse galloped in from the north, its hooves clattering like a sudden downpour.

The courier, covered in dust, nearly stumbled as he dismounted, shouting hoarsely, "General! Jianmen Pass... Jianmen Pass is lost!"

Yan Yan's expression changed drastically, and she grabbed the courier by the collar: "What did you say? Say it again!"

"Lü Bu... Lü Bu led his army to break through Jianmen Pass! General Wu Yi was seriously wounded and captured, and almost all the defending troops have surrendered!" the courier cried. "The pass fell the day before yesterday morning. I risked my life to break through the siege and rushed here overnight to report the news!"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding officers all turned ashen-faced.

"How is this possible?" Vice General Deng Xian exclaimed. "The Jianmen Pass is a natural fortress, and Wu Yi is leading over ten thousand soldiers to defend it. How could it have been breached in just one day?"

Yan Yan loosened the postman's collar, staggered back two steps, and only managed to stand still after grabbing the saddle.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down: "Explain in detail how Lü Bu broke through the barrier?"

The knight, panting, recounted what he had seen and heard: Lü Bu, by some unknown means, scaled the camp on the side of the pass and placed catapults to attack the pass walls from below; stones rained down, causing heavy casualties among the defenders; Lü Bu personally shot arrows to kill the guards; the imperial army seized the opportunity to attack the pass, and it was breached in half a day...

"The cliff at Yingpanzui is tens of feet high. How did Lü Bu get up there?" Yan Yan pressed.

"I don't know," the knight shook his head, "I've only heard that Lü Bu possesses the divine ability to store grains, perhaps... perhaps he used some kind of sorcery."

"Sorcery..." Yan Yan murmured.

He had long heard rumors that Lü Bu possessed a divinely bestowed granary, capable of conjuring provisions and equipment out of thin air. He had initially dismissed it as mere hearsay, but now it seemed, could it actually be true?

That's really weird.

"General, what should we do now?" Deng Xian asked anxiously.

Yan Yan gazed northward, remained silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Jianmen has fallen. If our army continues north, we will inevitably run into Lü Bu's forces. Order the entire army to garrison Mianzhu and defend it at all costs, making it a bulwark for Chengdu! Also, send a fast horse back to Chengdu to report the news. Please make a decision quickly, my lord!"

"promise!"

When the order was given, the marching troops stirred. Many soldiers, hearing that Jianmen Pass would fall in a single day, were filled with fear and whispered among themselves.

Seeing this, Yan Yan spurred his horse forward and shouted at the front of the ranks, "Silence! Although Jianmen has fallen, Mianzhu is a fortified city with deep moats and ample supplies, enough to hold out! We are all sons of Yizhou, with parents, wives, and children behind us. How can we retreat? Follow me to defend Mianzhu and protect our homes!"

His loud voice temporarily calmed the troops.

But in private, the seeds of fear had already been sown.

That evening, Yan Yan led his army into Mianzhu City.

Mianzhu was once the seat of Liu Yan when he first entered Yizhou. The city walls were about four zhang high, built of blue bricks, and the moat was three zhang wide, filled with water from the Yangtze River. The granaries inside the city held 200,000 shi of grain, and the armory was fully equipped with swords, spears, bows and crossbows. It was indeed a formidable city.

After entering the city, Yan Yan immediately convened a meeting with the city's garrison commanders and officials to discuss matters, integrate the military and civilian forces of the surrounding towns, and forcibly conscript thousands of soldiers and laborers from the prefecture to guard Mianzhu as a northern barrier to Chengdu and prevent Lü Bu's army from directly attacking Chengdu.

That night, the Chengdu Prefectural Governor's Mansion was brightly lit.

Liu Zhang sat in the main seat, holding the military report delivered by Yan Yan by express courier, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

Below the hall, high-ranking civil and military officials stood on either side.

On the left, the civil officials were headed by Zhang Song (courtesy name Ziqiao), followed by Wang Lei, Huang Quan, Fa Zheng (courtesy name Xiaozhi), and others. On the right, the military officials were headed by Pang Xi (courtesy name Zimei), followed by Yang Huai, Gao Pei, Liu Gui, and others.

Zhang Song was short and ugly, but his eyes were bright. He came from a prominent local family in Yizhou and was deeply trusted by Liu Yan and his son Liu Zhang.

Fa Zheng is only twenty-six years old. He is fair-skinned, beardless, and has sharp eyes. He is from Fufeng and fled to Sichuan to seek refuge. He is currently a military advisor, a low-ranking position, but he often participates in confidential matters.

Pang Xi was nearly fifty years old. He was originally the governor of Ba Commandery, but Liu Zhang had just urgently transferred him to Chengdu to take command of the garrison.

"Gentlemen," Liu Zhang's voice trembled, "Yan Yan reports that Jianmen Pass fell in a single day. Lü Bu will soon lead his army south. What should we do now?"

The hall was deathly silent.

After a long silence, Pang Xi spoke first: "My lord, do not worry! Mianzhu is well-fortified and has ample supplies. Yan Yan is brave and capable of resisting Lü Bu. This humble general is willing to lead another 5,000 troops from Chengdu northward to join forces with Yan Yan and defend Mianzhu together!"

Liu Zhang's eyes lit up: "Zimei is willing to go?"

"This humble general would gladly die a thousand deaths!"

But Zhang Song shook his head and said, "General Pang's loyalty and bravery are commendable, but the Chengdu garrison is less than ten thousand strong, and the city's defenses are weak. What if something happens in the city?"

Wang Lei agreed: "Ziqiao is absolutely right. Moreover, Lü Bu must have extraordinary methods to break through Jianmen Pass in a single day. Although Mianzhu is fortified, I fear it will be difficult to hold for long."

Huang Quan pondered for a moment and said, "Why not send an envoy to Jingzhou to ask Liu Biao to send troops to help? Liu Biao and our lord have a history together, and their fates are intertwined. Perhaps we can persuade him."

Fa Zheng suddenly sneered: "Liu Jingsheng is a dog guarding the gate, only concerned with his own safety. How could he possibly risk his life for Yizhou? Even if he agreed, Mianzhu would have fallen long before the Jingzhou troops arrived."

Liu Zhang asked urgently, "What does Xiaozhi think we should do?"

Fa Zheng looked around at everyone and slowly said, "Now there are only two options: First, we must use all the strength of the state to defend Mianzhu and Chengdu to the death and fight Lü Bu to the death; second, we must send envoys to seek peace in order to preserve our lord's ancestral temple and descendants."

"A decisive battle to the death?" Liu Zhang's face turned pale. "Lü Bu controls four provinces, has well-trained troops and ample supplies, and possesses the ability to breach Jianmen Pass in a single day. How can we possibly win?"

"Then let's sue for peace," Fa Zheng said frankly. "Although Lü Bu has usurped the emperor's power and has overstepped his bounds, he is still nominally a subject of the Han. If you, my lord, surrender the province, you will be surrendering to the Han court, which is legitimate and ensures your future wealth and honor. The people of Yizhou will also be spared the ravages of war."

"Absolutely not!" Pang Xi roared. "Fa Xiaozhi, how dare you advise our lord to surrender to the traitor Lü? My lord, you mustn't! Yizhou is the culmination of our old lord's (Liu Yan's) life's work; how can we simply hand it over to someone else?"