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

Late May, Xiangyang, Jingzhou.

When Liu Biao received Yuan Shao's letter, he also received the latest intelligence from Lü Bu and Liu Zhang in Xichuan.

After reading Yuan Shao's letter, he said to his trusted advisors, including Kuai Liang, Kuai Yue, and Cai Mao, "Yuan Shao intends to unite all the warlords to attack Lü Bu and has invited me to lead troops to attack Sili. What do you all think?"

Kuai Liang shook his head: "My lord, according to the latest military intelligence from Xichuan, Liu Zhang has surrendered, and Lü Bu has already taken Yizhou, which is only separated from our Jingzhou by the Three Gorges. If he marches east from Yizhou and goes down the river, he can reach Jiangling directly. At this time, our army should strengthen the river defenses to guard against Lü Bu. How can we have the spare strength to go north and attack Sili?"

Kuai Yue echoed, "Brother, you are absolutely right. Moreover, Lü Bu possesses the divine ability to provide an inexhaustible supply of provisions, and he is also adept at surprise attacks. The fact that Jianmen and Mianzhu fell in a single day serves as a cautionary tale. If our army marches north, Jingzhou will be left vulnerable, and Lü Bu could send a detachment down the Yangtze River from Yizhou, putting Nanjun in grave danger."

Cai Mao, however, said, “My lord, Lü Bu’s power is immense. If we do not contain him as soon as possible, he will surely become a major threat in the future. Now that Yuan Shao has united with other warlords to attack him, this is the perfect opportunity. I can send Wen Ping to lead the navy to garrison Jiangling and defend against Yizhou; I will then lead the infantry and cavalry north to attack Hongnong and threaten Guanzhong. In this way, we can both fulfill Yuan Shao’s agreement and prevent the loss of Jingzhou.”

Liu Biao stroked his beard and pondered for a long time before saying, "De Gui's words are reasonable, but too risky. Here's what we'll do: Order Wen Ping to strengthen the defenses of Jiangling, set up more beacon towers, and closely monitor the movements of Yizhou. As for heading north... first, order Zhang Yun to lead three thousand troops to Xinye to observe the situation. If Yuan Shao and Cao Cao's campaigns go smoothly, it won't be too late to send reinforcements."

"Our lord is wise!"

Both Liu Biao and Yuan Shu made the same choice: they wanted to see how well Yuan Shao and Cao Cao's campaigns were progressing before deciding whether to follow them and thus antagonize Lü Bu.

Early June, Ji County.

Gongsun Zan sat high in the main seat, clad in silver armor and a white robe. Though over forty, he still exuded a commanding presence. Below him, Guan Jing, Shan Jing, Zou Dan, Wang Men, and other civil and military officials from Youzhou stood on either side.

Yuan Shao's envoy, Xun Chen, bowed and presented a list of gifts and a letter, speaking earnestly: "General Gongsun, my lord wishes to temporarily place the land north of Bohai Commandery under your control, and will also provide 50,000 shi of grain, 1,000 taels of gold, and 3,000 bolts of silk, only asking that our two sides cease hostilities and jointly resist Lü Bu. Lü Bu occupies four provinces and possesses the divine ability to store grain. If we do not deal with him as soon as possible, once he takes Yizhou and returns to Guandong, Youzhou will also be difficult to defend. The principle of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold' is something you should understand, General."

Gongsun Zan sneered, took the letter, glanced at it, and casually tossed it onto the table.

"Yuan Shao previously adopted an aggressive stance, forcing me to fight on two fronts. Now he's talking about mutual dependence?" Gongsun Zan said sarcastically. "Although I have no personal grudge against Lü Bu, his occupation of Bingzhou, bordering Youzhou, is indeed a threat. However, Yuan Shao is fickle and untrustworthy. If he wants an alliance, fine, but he must first cede the Hejian and Zhongshan commanderies to me and send 100,000 shi of grain to support the army. Otherwise, forget it!"

Xun Chen's expression changed: "General, this..."

"What, is that not allowed?" Gongsun Zan stood up, his hand on his sword. "Then please return. Tell Yuan Shao that I have already done more than enough by not seeking revenge for supporting Liu Yu. If he dares to send troops to Julu and Hejian again, I will personally lead my White Horse Cavalry south to Ji Province and settle the score with him!"

Left with no other choice, Xun Chen had to take his leave.

After Xun Chen left, Guan Jing whispered, "My lord, such a tough stance may thoroughly enrage Yuan Shao. If Yuan Shao turns around and joins forces with Lü Bu to attack Youzhou, we will be in grave danger."

Gongsun Zan snorted, "Yuan Shao's family has held high office for four generations, and he must be eager to ascend to the throne. I don't think he will ally with Lü Bu. I can take this opportunity to reorganize Youzhou and accumulate strength. After Yuan Shao and Lü Bu are both exhausted, I can then march south to take Jizhou. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Or I can wait for the best offer and submit to whoever wins. I'm sure I'll get a high position and a generous salary."

Shan Jing praised, "My lord's insight is brilliant!"

As June 15th approached, the agreed-upon day for launching a joint attack on Lü Bu was set.

In Ye City, Ji Province, Yuan Shao has assembled an army of 50,000, preparing to march out of Fukou Pass and attack Shangdang.

However, scouts continued to report:

"Report—Gongsun Zan has refused to form an alliance, instead reinforcing his troops in Fanyang and positioning himself to attack Hejian!"

"Report—Yuan Shu has only sent Qiao Rui with 5,000 troops to garrison Yingchuan; they have not yet marched north!"

"Report—Liu Biao ordered Zhang Yun to lead 3,000 troops to garrison Xinye, and there has been no further movement!"

"Report—Tao Qian has agreed to send troops, but has only dispatched Cao Bao with 8,000 soldiers to Langya, and has yet to attack Mount Tai!"

"Report: Cao Cao has dispatched troops to prepare to attack the State of Lu, but seeing that Yuan Shu and Tao Qian are not resolute, they are also hesitant to advance."

Enraged, Yuan Shao overturned the table: "A bunch of short-sighted fools!"

Ju Shou sighed, "My lord, the various lords each have their own agendas, and the alliance exists in name only. If we attack Bingzhou now, the chances of victory are slim, and we might even be attacked from both sides by Lü Bu's army returning from Yizhou. It would be better to postpone the attack and wait for a better opportunity."

Tian Feng, however, said, "My lord, Cao Cao has already led 20,000 troops out of Pengcheng to attack Lu. He is the only one who truly opposes Lü Bu. If you withdraw your troops now, Cao Cao will be unable to withstand the attack alone and will surely be defeated. At that time, Lü Bu will annex Xuzhou and become even more powerful. It would be better for you to continue attacking Shangdang as planned, to contain Zhang Liao and Gao Shun, and prevent Lü Bu from fully returning to reinforce Yanzhou. As long as Cao Cao can quickly defeat Huang Zhong and take Lu, he can form a pincer movement with you."

Yuan Shao hesitated.

At this moment, another scout arrived with a trembling voice: "My lord... my lord, urgent news from Yizhou! Liu Zhang surrendered Chengdu to Lü Bu on April 15th, and the entire territory of the twelve commanderies of Yizhou has submitted! Lü Bu has already set off back to Chang'an!"

"What?!" Yuan Shao jumped to his feet. "Yizhou...the entire province has submitted? And it's only been a few months?!"

The hall was deathly silent.

Ju Shou's face turned deathly pale: "Lü Bu conquered Yizhou in a mere ten days; such speed is unheard of. My lord, we must not attack Bingzhou now! We must immediately strengthen the defenses of Jizhou to guard against Lü Bu's retaliation!"

Tian Feng remained silent.

Yuan Shao slumped down, and after a long while, waved his hand: "Order... all armies to return to their camps and strengthen their defenses. Also, quickly send an envoy to Pengcheng to inform Cao Cao... the alliance has collapsed, the attack plan is canceled, and he should take care of himself."

"promise……"

However, it was already too late.

Because of the loss of Yanzhou and the enmity with Cao Pi, and because Cao Cao's civil and military officials were all outstanding, they all knew the principle of "if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold" and knew that if they did not take this opportunity to unite against Lü Bu, they would surely be defeated one by one by Lü Bu in the future.

Therefore, despite the threats from Yuan Shu and Tao Qian, Cao Cao finally decided to lead his army away from Pengcheng on the agreed date.