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

That night, Cao Cao's camp was filled with sorrow.

Cao Cao knelt before Xiahou Yuan's corpse, weeping uncontrollably. Cao Ren, Cao Hong, and other generals also shed tears.

"Yuan Rang and Miao Cai both perished at the hands of Lü Bu." Cao Cao sighed to the heavens, "If I do not avenge this, I swear I will not be a man!"

Xun You advised, "My lord, please restrain your grief. Huang Zhong is holding the city to the death, and it is difficult to take it quickly. Moreover, Lü Bu has returned to Chang'an. If he learns that our army is attacking Lu, he will surely lead a large army to its aid. At that time..."

Before he could finish speaking, a scout rushed in with a report: "My lord, urgent news from Chang'an! Lü Bu is mobilizing troops, seemingly intending to launch an eastern expedition!"

Everyone in the tent was horrified.

Xi Zhicai coughed violently, vomiting blood, and said in a trembling voice, "My lord, retreat quickly! Lü Bu is invincible."

Cao Cao's face turned pale. After a long silence, he finally gritted his teeth and said, "Issue the order to break camp and retreat to Pengcheng tomorrow."

Cao Ren said urgently, "My lord, the feud between Yuan Rang and Miao Cai..."

"Zixiao!" Cao Cao said sternly, "How could I not want revenge? But Lü Bu has already conquered Yizhou, five provinces, with 150,000 armored soldiers, and he even has the divine ability to store grain. How can our army resist him in the open field? If we do not retreat now, once Lü Bu's army arrives, we will all die without a burial place! We can only retreat to Pengcheng first, and defend the city, which may give us a slight chance of victory."

The generals remained silent.

On June 16, Cao Cao's army broke camp and retreated south.

Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun did not pursue, but instead strengthened the city's defenses and sent a fast horse to Chang'an to report the victory.

Several days later, Lü Bu listened to reports from Jia Xu, Guo Jia, Xun Yu, Cheng Yu, and others in his mansion.

"The entire territory of Yizhou has been submitted to the emperor. Cao Xing is currently reorganizing the Yizhou army based on the 1st Army. After the 14th Army is successfully reorganized, it will be transferred back to Guanzhong," Jia Xu reported. "The officials of the various counties in Yizhou will remain in their original positions for the time being. Liu Zhang is cooperating with the handover, and there have been no unusual changes."

Guo Jia continued, "According to an urgent report from Yanzhou, Cao Cao attacked Xue County in Lu State (Prefecture) on June 15th. Huang Zhong killed Xiahou Yuan in battle, and Zhao Yun wounded Yue Jin. Cao Cao's army suffered a minor defeat and retreated. However, Cao Cao's main force was not damaged and he still stationed his troops in Pengcheng."

Lu Bu sneered, "Cao Mengde is quite proactive, but what about Yuan Shao?"

Cheng Yu said, "Yuan Shao originally intended to unite with other warlords to attack our lord, but after Gongsun Zan killed Liu Yu and seized Youzhou for himself, the conflict with Yuan Shao intensified. Yuan Shu, Liu Biao, and Tao Qian all watched and dared not make a move. By the time the news of Yizhou's surrender and our lord's return to Chang'an reached the other warlords, the alliance had already collapsed on its own. Yuan Shao is currently strengthening the defenses of Jizhou to guard against our Bingzhou and Hanoi armies advancing eastward."

Xun Yu added: "Liu Biao of Jingzhou, having learned of the change of control of Yizhou, has strengthened the defenses along the Yangtze River, the Jialing River, and Xiangyang to prevent our army from advancing eastward from Yizhou. Yuan Shu retreated to Shouchun and dared not attempt to seize Sili again. Tao Qian, seeing the unfavorable situation, has ordered Cao Bao to withdraw his troops."

Lü Bu stood up, walked to the huge map hanging in the hall, and traced his finger from Chang'an eastward.

"Cao Cao dares to launch a preemptive attack on the State of Lu." Lü Bu's voice turned cold. "If this man is not eliminated, he will eventually become a scourge."

Jia Xu asked, "Does our lord intend to conquer Pengcheng?"

"Indeed." Lü Bu turned around. "Cao Cao currently occupies Pengcheng County with no more than 20,000 troops. I will personally lead an eastern expedition and surely defeat him in one battle. After we destroy Cao Cao, we can then target Tao Qian."

Guo Jia warned, "My lord, we must guard against Yuan Shao taking the opportunity to attack Bingzhou."

"It's alright," Lü Bu said. "Order Zhang Liao, Gao Shun, and Zhang Yan to strengthen the defenses of Taihang. Yuan Shao's alliance has collapsed, morale is low, and they need to guard against Gongsun Zan of Youzhou, so they will not dare to act rashly. Once I destroy Cao Cao and take Xuzhou, the Central Plains can be pacified."

Xun Yu said, "My lord, although Cao Cao only has one commandery left, Pengcheng is a fortified city, and Cao Cao has many strategists and generals under his command. I'm afraid it will be difficult to win quickly. If we cannot capture it after a long siege, Yuan Shao may risk coming to our aid."

Lü Bu laughed loudly: "Wenruo, you are overthinking it. I have a divinely bestowed granary, with inexhaustible provisions and weapons. I can even breach the walls and breach the city. No matter how strong Pengcheng is, can it withstand Jianmen Pass? Can it withstand Mianzhu City? I wish to take it down in a day or two."

Everyone recalled Lü Bu's miraculous feats of breaking through Jianmen Pass and Mianzhu, and no one spoke of it again.

"Issue the order," Lü Bu said solemnly. "The Imperial Guards who will return to the capital with me will be rotated for rest. Another thousand Imperial Guards will be transferred to accompany me on my eastern expedition. Song Xian of the 4th Army in Luoyang will set off first to enter Yanzhou. This time, I will personally slay Cao Mengde to eliminate future troubles and take Xuzhou!"

"promise!"

With the divine granary bestowed by heaven, Lü Bu had no need to worry about exhausting the people and wasting resources through endless wars, and could wage continuous campaigns. Whoever provoked him, he would eliminate first.

Since Cao Cao sought his own death, it's no wonder he was the one who destroyed Cao Cao first.

June 25th, Xue County, Lu State.

In the height of summer, under the scorching sun, dust billowed up on the official road outside Xue County as three thousand horses and a thousand cavalrymen swept in like a red tide.

The first rider was entirely crimson, and the general on horseback wore golden armor and a black robe, wielding a halberd; it was none other than Lü Bu, the Duke of Jin.

"My lord!" At the city gate, Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun, along with their generals, had been waiting to greet Lü Bu. Upon seeing Lü Bu arrive, they all dismounted and bowed.

Lu Bu reined in his Red Hare and glanced at the crowd.

Huang Zhong, though his beard and hair were gray, was still vigorous and energetic. Zhao Yun, in his silver armor and white robe, exuded heroic spirit. Behind them, the soldiers of Yanzhou were in perfect military formation, their shoulder and collar insignia gleaming in the sunlight.

"Hansheng, Zilong, you've worked hard." Lü Bu dismounted and helped the two generals up. "What's Cao Cao's move?"

Huang Zhongping reported: "Since his defeat on June 16, Cao Cao has withdrawn his troops back to Pengcheng and has not launched another northward attack. I have sent many scouts south to investigate, and it seems that Cao Cao's army is gathering troops around Pengcheng to strengthen the city's defenses."

Zhao Yun added: "The 4th Army of the Luoyang Group Army has already passed through Jibei Kingdom. General Song Xian sent an envoy to report that it has arrived at Taishan County and will soon reach the border of Langya County in Xuzhou."

Lü Bu nodded, and the group entered the city and arrived at the county government's council hall. A map of Yanzhou and Xuzhou was already hanging on the wall, with Pengcheng, Langya, Xiapi, and other places marked in vermilion ink.

Lu Bu sat down, and his personal guards served him cool water.

He took a sip and asked Chen Gong, the governor of Yanzhou who was serving as the military advisor with the army, "Gongtai, is there any chance to persuade Tao Qian of Xuzhou to surrender?"

Chen Gong pondered: "Tao Qian is old and indecisive. His sons Tao Shang and Tao Ying have not yet entered officialdom. His civil officials, such as Mi Zhu and Sun Qian, advocate peace, while military generals, such as Cao Bao and Zuo Rong, advocate war. Now that Cao Cao is in a precarious situation, if our army applies pressure appropriately, Tao Qian may surrender without a fight in order to protect his descendants and property."

"Then let's defeat Cao Cao first, putting even more pressure on Tao Qian." Lü Bu pointed to Pengcheng on the map. "Cao Cao only has one commandery, no more than 20,000 soldiers, and his supplies are scarce. I want to finish this quickly to avoid any unforeseen circumstances."

Huang Zhong clasped his hands in a fist salute: "This humble general is willing to be the vanguard!"

Zhao Yun also said, "This humble general will go along!"

Lü Bu laughed and said, "This time, you don't need to launch a direct attack; I have my own way of breaking through the city."

"promise!"

On the 26th of June, at the hour of Chen (7-9 AM), the army set off.

Lü Bu led 1,000 Imperial Guard heavy cavalry and Huang Zhong's 10th Army cavalry division, a total of 4,000 men, southward.

Zhao Yun remained in Xue County to guard against any unrest from Tao Qian of Xu Province and Yuan Shu of Yu Province.

Lü Bu and Huang Zhong led only cavalry, each with two horses, traveling light and swiftly. All provisions and supplies were carried by Lü Bu's divine granary, making their march extremely fast.

At the end of the Wei hour, the vanguard had already reached ten li north of Qi County, Pengcheng.

A scout reported: "My lord, the gates of Qi County are tightly closed, and there are about two thousand soldiers guarding the city walls, their banners bearing the insignia [于]."

"It's Yu Jin." Lü Bu sneered. "Order the entire army to form ranks and attack the city directly."

Huang Zhong was taken aback: "My lord, shouldn't we rest first?"

"Speed ​​is of the essence in war," Lü Bu said. "Cao Cao has not yet received the news, and the garrison in Qi County is also unprepared. We can catch them off guard."

The army quickly arrived at the city of Qi.