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

Liu Zhang looked at the pro-war faction and then at the pro-surrender faction, hesitating.

He was afraid of death and wanted to surrender, but he was also reluctant to give up the legacy left by his father.

Seeing his hesitation, Pang Xi knelt down and wept, saying, "My lord, before his death, our late lord entrusted Yizhou to you, instructing you to protect the borders and ensure the safety of the people. If we surrender to the rebels now, how can we face our late lord in the afterlife?"

These words struck a nerve with Liu Zhang.

He recalled his father Liu Yan's dying words and couldn't help but burst into tears.

Seeing this, Zhang Song also knelt down and said, "My lord, the old lord's greatest wish was for the people of Yizhou to live in peace and prosperity. If we fight to the death now, and the city falls, the people will suffer, and that would truly be letting the old lord down!"

With both factions holding their own opinions, Liu Zhang was caught in a dilemma.

Finally, he said dejectedly, "Gentlemen... allow me to think it over. Let's disperse for today."

Left with no other option, everyone had to retreat.

After the meeting, Zhang Song and Fa Zheng walked together.

"Xiaozhi, our lord's hesitation may lead to disaster," Zhang Song said in a low voice. "Lu Bu's army will arrive soon, and by then it will be too late to surrender."

Fa Zheng pondered, "How about... we secretly contact Lü Bu, express our willingness to submit, and sound him out first?"

Zhang Song's eyes lit up: "Great idea! I have a trusted confidant who can disguise himself as a merchant and go out of the city to make contact."

"This matter must be kept secret," Fa Zheng cautioned. "If Pang Zimei and the others find out, our lives will be in danger."

"I see."

That night, Zhang Song sent his trusted servant Zhang Fu with a secret letter out of the city. They traveled by night and hid during the day, heading north to Mianzhu to find Lü Bu's army.

On the tenth day of the fourth month, after resting for a day in Mianzhu, Lü Bu's army continued south.

In the towns along the way, news spread that Mianzhu had fallen and Yan Yan and Deng Xian had been captured, and there was no further resistance.

Officials from Shifang, Luoxian (the seat of Guanghan Prefecture), Xindu, Fanxian, and Pixian all surrendered without resistance.

On April 12, the imperial army arrived at the Tuojiang River, 20 miles north of Chengdu.

A scout reported: "My lord, the gates of Chengdu are tightly closed, and the garrison is on high alert. However, a man who looks like a merchant claims to be Zhang Song's envoy and requests an audience with the Duke of Jin."

Remembering how Zhang Song was looked down upon by Cao Cao because of his short stature and ugly appearance, and how he turned around and offered Yizhou to Liu Bei, Lü Bu laughed and said, "Bring him here."

Regardless of whether his act of betraying his lord and surrendering the province is despicable, as long as it benefits Lü Bu himself, that's all that matters.

Soon after, Zhang Fu was brought to the central command tent.

He knelt down and presented the secret letter: "I am a servant of Prefect Zhang, and I am here on my master's orders to present this letter to Duke Jin."

Lü Bu opened the letter and read it carefully.

In the letter, Zhang Song first praised Lü Bu's benevolence and martial prowess, then described the suffering of the people of Yizhou, and finally said that Zhang Song, Fa Zheng, and others were willing to surrender the province and submit to Lü Bu, only asking that Lü Bu spare the lives of Zhang Song, Fa Zheng's family and treat the gentry and officials of Yizhou well.

"Zhang Ziqiao is quite pragmatic," Lü Bu said to Cao Xing.

In previous years, these powerful families looked down on Lü Bu. But now, with Lü Bu leading troops from four provinces at the gates, these powerful families are willing to surrender to him for the sake of their lives and fortunes.

Even if Lü Bu intended to promote scholars from humble backgrounds and significantly reduce his reliance on aristocratic Confucian scholars, it would still be better than resisting and being exterminated by Lü Bu along with their entire families. In fact, voluntarily surrendering a city might even lead to being given an important position.

After reading the letter, Cao Xing smiled and said, "Zhang Song and Fa Zheng are both talented men from Yizhou. Their willingness to come and surrender shows that the gentry of Yizhou have already lost their loyalty to Liu Zhang. My lord, you can reply and agree, and order Zhang Song and Fa Zheng to act as inside agents to persuade Liu Zhang to open the city gates as soon as possible."

Lü Bu nodded and picked up his pen to reply:

"Songqing's loyalty and righteousness greatly comfort my heart. Liu Jiyu is a member of the Han imperial family. If he can surrender the city and submit, I will recommend him as the governor of Yizhou and guarantee his wealth and honor. The civil and military officials of Yizhou will be employed according to their talents and will never be harmed. I hope you can persuade Jiyu to avoid fighting. That would be a great achievement."

After finishing writing, he handed it to Zhang Fu: "Return to Chengdu immediately and give it to Prefect Zhang."

"Yes!" Zhang Fu kowtowed and left.

Zhang Xiu asked, "Does our lord truly intend to allow Liu Zhang to continue as the governor of Yi Province?"

"It's just a temporary appointment," Lü Bu said calmly. "Once Yizhou is pacified, he will be transferred to a sinecure. But right now, we need him to stabilize the situation, to use his name to persuade the various counties to surrender, to ensure a smooth handover, and to let the other warlords and lords of the land know that I, Lü Bu, treat surrendered subjects with kindness."

"Our lord is wise."

On April 13, Zhang Fu returned to Chengdu and delivered Lü Bu's reply to Zhang Song.

Zhang Song was overjoyed after reading it and immediately contacted Fa Zheng.

The two secretly colluded with the pro-surrender faction to exert their influence during the council, while their confidants spread the word throughout the city that Lü Bu treated those who surrendered well and severely punished those who resisted.

The next day, Lü Bu had already advanced to the north gate of Chengdu and sent people outside the city to shout to Liu Zhang to surrender. He also displayed the captured Yan Yan and Deng Xian, as well as Wu Yi, Liu Zhang's brother-in-law who was still seriously injured and being carried on a stretcher.

Liu Zhang summoned his civil and military officials for a meeting, and Pang Xi still strongly advocated fighting to the death, speaking earnestly.

Zhang Song stepped forward and said, "My lord, the Duke of Jin today proclaimed that you are a member of the Han imperial family. If you surrender the city and submit, it will be a blessing for the people of Yizhou and the nation. You should be formally appointed as the Governor of Yizhou (Liu Zhang's position as Governor of Yizhou was inherited from Liu Yan and not formally appointed by the court), ensuring your wealth and status. The civil and military officials of Yizhou will be employed according to their talents and will not be harmed. Considering the Duke of Jin's previous continued reliance on those who have submitted, such as Ma Teng, Wang Yi, Zhang Yang, Zhang Yan, Chen Gong, and Zhang Lu, this statement is not unfounded."

Fa Zheng stepped forward and said, "My lord, Lü Bu's army is unstoppable. Zhang Ren's 50,000 troops, Jianmen Pass, and Mianzhu were all defeated in a single day. No one can rival them. Now, the counties along the northern route have surrendered without a fight, and Chengdu is now an isolated city. If we fight to the death, the day the city falls, your life and the lives of your family will be in danger, and the people of Yizhou will suffer. If we surrender, we can preserve your wealth and power, and also protect the safety of the people. This is a win-win situation!"

Officials who were secretly contacted by Zhang Song and Fa Zheng, who were in favor of surrendering, echoed his sentiments and knelt down to beg Liu Zhang to open the city gates and surrender to Lü.

Upon seeing this, Liu Zhang was both alarmed and enraged that so many people wanted to surrender to Lü Bu, and fearing that if he continued to resist, Lü Bu would indeed breach the city and execute him. Therefore, he asked, "Lü Bu promised me that I would continue to serve as the Governor of Yi Province. Is this promise true?"

Zhang Song said, "My lord can send an envoy to Lü Bu's army to formally confirm his sincerity. Lü Bu is now the Grand Marshal, the Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat, and the Commandant of the Capital Region. He is also the Duke of Jin. He will not contradict himself."

After much deliberation, Liu Zhang looked at the group of people in the hall who were advocating surrender, and then recalled the news circulating in the city. Finally, he said dejectedly, "Fine, let's do as Ziqiao said and send someone to Lü Bu's army to confirm the terms of surrender."

Pang Xi, Yang Huai, Gao Pei, Liu Gui, and others continued to plead with him, but to no avail.

Liu Zhang was weak-willed, but not stupid.

He knew that with Lü Bu's ability to defeat Zhang Ren's 50,000-strong army, the natural barrier of Jianmen Pass, and Yan Yan of Mianzhu, the remaining 7,000 Shu soldiers in Chengdu simply could not hold the city. Lü Bu must have a secret method to break through the city in a day or two, otherwise Jianmen Pass and Mianzhu could not have fallen so quickly.

Therefore, Liu Zhang rejected Pang Xi and others' advice to fight to the death, and sent his trusted confidants out of the city to negotiate with Lü Bu.