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

The city wall of Qi County is about three zhang high, built with blue bricks, and the moat is two zhang wide. The drawbridge has been built.

When the garrison discovered that Lü Bu's imperial army had arrived, gongs immediately sounded on the city wall.

Soldiers rushed about, bows and crossbows were hoisted onto the walls, and rolling logs and stones were prepared.

Yu Jin appeared on the city wall, fully armored and holding a long sword. He was a general under Cao Cao known for his strict military discipline.

"Lü Bu!" Yu Jin shouted, "Qi County may be small, but it's not one you can take lightly! If you want to attack the city, you'll have to get past my blade first!"

Lu Bu did not answer, but with a wave of his hand, fifty catapults and twenty ballistae appeared out of thin air on the open ground in front of the city. They were all made of hardwood covered with iron, and the counterweight boxes were filled with stones. The ballistae had huge arrows as thick as a child's arm on their arrow racks.

The soldiers guarding the city wall were in an uproar.

Although many of Cao Cao's soldiers had heard the legend of Lü Bu bestowing divine granaries, they were still stunned to see so many siege weapons appear out of thin air.

"Release!" Lü Bu commanded, lowering his flag.

The catapult was the first to start, and huge stones weighing dozens of kilograms roared and crashed against the city wall.

"Get out of the way!" Yu Jin roared.

The stone hit the brick wall with a dull thud.

One of the battlements collapsed directly, crushing a soldier who was hiding behind it into a bloody pulp, while two others were seriously injured.

Another stone flew over the city wall and fell into the city, smashing half of a house and sending dust flying.

The ballista was immediately fired, and the giant arrow pierced the air.

An arrow was driven into a wooden pillar of the city gate tower, penetrating more than a foot deep, its fletching vibrating and buzzing.

Another shot hit a village chief who was peeking out, sending him flying and pinning him to the wall behind him.

In just one round of bombardment, dozens of people on the city wall had been killed or wounded.

Yu Jin hurriedly ordered the archers to return fire, but the arrows lost their power after reaching a hundred paces and fell limply to the ground.

After a quarter of an hour of relentless bombardment by catapults and ballistae, the defenses of Qixian city walls were shattered, and few of the defenders remained on the walls. The city gate towers were also smashed down, making it impossible for any defenders to stand on the city gates.

Seeing this, Lü Bu ordered the catapults and ballistae to continue attacking the walls on both sides of the city gate, preventing the guards on the road from showing their faces and from defending the city gate in time. Lü Bu then personally led the Imperial Guards to charge forward on horseback.

Red Hare was as fast as lightning, reaching the moat in just a few breaths. There was no need to seize the drawbridge; Lü Bu simply released a makeshift bridge prepared in his storage space and spurred his horse across the moat.

On the left side of the city wall, Yu Jin's personal guards risked their lives to peek out and spotted Lü Bu and the Imperial Guards' unusual movements. They immediately shouted, "General Yu, Lü Bu is attacking the city gate!"

Yu Jin was greatly alarmed and immediately ordered his archers to risk their lives and fire arrows towards the city gate. However, on one hand, the archers on both sides were suppressed by Lu Bu's catapults and ballistae. On the other hand, even if arrows were to come, Lu Bu's perception, reaction, and agility would allow him to easily deflect them.

Then, Lü Bu rushed to the city gate and placed his hand on the north gate of Qi County.

A thought crossed my mind.

Swish!

The North Gate of Qi County, along with its frame, bolt, and hinges, has completely disappeared!

Suddenly, a huge hole appeared at the city gate, completely open to both inside and out. Inside the hole, dozens of guards stood frozen in place, their spears still in a guarded stance, bewildered as the city gate vanished abruptly.

"The city gate! The city gate is gone!" someone screamed.

Outside the city, Lü Bu pointed his heavy halberd inward: "All troops, charge!"

"kill--"

Lu Bu charged in first, his heavy halberd sweeping across the city gate, killing or wounding dozens of Cao soldiers guarding the gate, which was now wide open.

The Imperial Guard heavy cavalry following behind Lü Bu also rushed across the makeshift bridge that Lü Bu had placed earlier over the moat, and charged directly into the city through the city gate.

Yu Jin, who was on the city wall, saw it clearly and his eyes widened in fury: "Block the breach! Spearmen, advance!"

But it was too late.

The heavy cavalry charged into the street, their iron hooves thundering across the ground.

The soldiers inside the city who wanted to support the city gate and block it were scattered and many were pierced by spears before they could even react.

Yu Jin drew his sword and descended from the city wall, leading over a hundred of his personal guards in a counter-attack.

"Lu Bu, you traitor, prepare to die!"

Lu Bu, having just scattered a group of guards, saw Yu Jin charging towards him and brandished his halberd: "Wenze, Cao Mengde's cause is doomed, why not surrender now?"

"I only know loyalty and righteousness, not surrender!" Yu Jin swung his sword and slashed.

Lu Bu charged forward with his halberd.

clang!

The clang of metal against metal was deafening.

Yu Jin felt a sharp pain in both arms, his tiger's mouth split open, and his long sword flew out of his hand.

Lu Bu struck with his second halberd blow, hitting Yu Jin squarely in the breastplate.

Yu Jin spat out a mouthful of blood, flew backward more than ten feet, and crashed to the ground, unable to get up.

Yu Jin's personal guards attempted to rescue him, but were intercepted by Lü Bu's own guards. They attacked with swords and spears, killing or wounding more than ten men. The rest scattered, and Yu Jin was captured alive by Lü Bu.

With their commander captured, the defending troops lost all will to fight. Coupled with the mysterious disappearance of the city gates, many soldiers were filled with fear and dropped their weapons to kneel on the ground.

"Those who surrender will not be killed!" Huang Zhong shouted.

"We surrender! We surrender!"

The battle ended in less than 15 minutes.

The garrison in Qi County suffered over 300 casualties, with over 1,000 captured and the rest fleeing.

When Lü Bu entered the city and sat down at the county government office, Huang Zhong escorted Yu Jin to the court.

Although Yu Jin was bound, he still stood with his head held high.

Lü Bu asked, "Wenze, is it true that Cao Cao's army has run out of supplies?"

Yu Jin gritted his teeth and remained silent.

At this moment, a surrendered Cao army officer was brought forward, knelt down, and said in a trembling voice, "Lord Jin, the Cao army is indeed short of food. Many people have fled within Pengcheng, the fields are abandoned, and the army's food and pay are in dire need. I have heard that some of Cao soldiers have resorted to cannibalism."

"What?" Huang Zhong's expression changed drastically.

Chen Gong had just led the rear guard into the city when he heard this and rushed into the hall: "Human flesh? Cao Mengde actually allowed his soldiers to eat people?"

The military officer wept, saying, "It was not Cao Cao's intention. Some soldiers were starving and killed people to eat their flesh while looting villages. Although the generals severely punished a few, supplies are running low and morale is low. Today, seeing the might of the Duke of Jin, with the city gates vanishing into thin air, we really don't want to fight anymore..."

The hall was deathly silent.

Chen Gong trembled with rage: "Cao Cao, how dare you let your troops commit such a beastly act!"

Lü Bu's face was gloomy.

Although he knew of historical records of Cao Cao's army eating people, hearing it with his own ears still made him feel a tightness in his chest.

In chaotic times, people even resort to cannibalism; what a tragic scene!

"Yu Jin," Lü Bu looked at the bound general, "are you aware of this matter?"

Yu Jin lowered his head, and after a long silence, said in a hoarse voice, "I...I know. But the army's food supplies are exhausted, the people have fled, and looting has yielded nothing...I once advised Cao Cao to borrow grain from Tao Qian, but Tao Qian only gave me a thousand shi, which is a drop in the ocean..."

"So you eat human flesh?" Zhao Yun shouted sternly. "How are you any different from beasts?"

Yu closed his eyes and remained silent.

Lü Bu rose, walked to the front of the hall, and asked the military officer, "Is what you say true?"

"Every word is true! If there is even a single falsehood, may I be struck by lightning!" The military officer kowtowed repeatedly.

"Alright." Lü Bu took a deep breath. "Write this matter down in the form of a proclamation, and make multiple copies. Send spies to infiltrate Pengcheng, Xiapi, and Langya, and spread it widely throughout the cities and countryside. I want all the people of Xuzhou to know that Cao Mengde has allowed his soldiers to eat people and has lost the hearts of the people! And I, Lü Bu, am the king's army to save the people from suffering. I hope that officials and people from all over the country will submit to me as soon as possible."

Chen Gong immediately replied, "Excellent idea! I'll take care of it right away!"