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

Upon hearing the news, the crowd erupted in uproar.

Cao Bao continued, "My lord, Lü Bu has already besieged Pengcheng, and his next target will surely be Xuzhou! We must quickly send troops to rescue you, Lord Cao, and join forces against Lü Bu!"

Mi Zhu countered, "The surrender of all four counties shows that Cao Cao has lost the hearts of the people. To rescue Cao Cao at this time is tantamount to courting death. My lord, you should quickly send an envoy to Lü Bu's army to express goodwill, which may save Xuzhou."

Tao Qian hesitated.

At this moment, another courier rushed in: "Report! An urgent messenger from Pengcheng has arrived, saying that Lord Cao requests that you quickly send reinforcements to jointly resist Lü Bu!"

Tao Qian looked at everyone.

Mi Zhu, Sun Qian, and Chen Deng all shook their heads.

Cao Bao knelt down: "My lord, if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold!"

Tao Qian sighed deeply and finally said, "Order Cao Bao to lead 5,000 troops to relocate to Yinping, but... without my order, he must not cross the border into Pengcheng. Also, send an envoy to Lü Bu's army to present 1,000 shi of grain as a gesture of goodwill."

"My lord!" Cao Bao cried out in grief.

"No need for further words." Tao Qian waved his hand wearily. "I am old, and I only wish for peace and tranquility for the people of Xuzhou. As for Cao Mengde, let him fend for himself."

The group bowed and left the governor's mansion, only to find that Cao Bao had lost his earlier indignation. Instead, he whispered to Mi Zhu, Sun Qian, Chen Deng, and others that they were plotting to take advantage of Cao Bao's troops entering Yinping to secretly contact Lü Bu, in order to offer up Xuzhou and seek wealth and honor.

Cao Bao's indignant display in court just now stemmed from his position as the military commander of Xuzhou, where he emphasized both strategic thinking and military tactics. If even the supreme military commander of Xuzhou were to become a surrenderist, how could Tao Qian possibly allow him to lead troops and station them at the front line in Yinping?

But in reality, everyone in Xuzhou knew that once Pengcheng fell and Cao Cao's army was defeated, Xuzhou would be impossible to defend.

As for Liu Bei, who has been inciting Tao Qian to oppose Lü Bu and to restore the Han Dynasty, the current situation has made Tao Qian less fond of him. Didn't you see that Tao Qian didn't summon Liu Bei for this meeting?

Since their lord Tao Qian had already decided to surrender, Mi Zhu, Sun Qian, Chen Deng, Cao Bao, and others would naturally also seek a future of wealth and honor with the Duke of Jin for themselves, their families, and their descendants.

June 29th, Pengcheng Kingdom, Guangqi County.

When Lü Bu led his army into the city, the city's inhabitants lined the streets to welcome him.

An old man knelt by the roadside, weeping, "The Duke of Jin has finally led the imperial army here! The Cao army came to collect grain the other day and stole the last bag of millet from my house. My daughter-in-law tried to stop them and was killed. I beg the Duke of Jin to do us justice!"

Lü Bu dismounted and helped the old man up, saying, "Please rise, sir. I will severely punish the evil deeds of Cao Cao's army. From this day forward, Guangqi County will be exempt from taxes for one year, and the granaries will be opened to distribute grain and provide relief to the people."

"Thank you, Lord Jin! Thank you, Lord Jin!" the old man kowtowed repeatedly.

Seeing this, Huang Zhong whispered to Chen Gong, "Our lord has won the hearts of the people."

Chen Gong nodded: "Cao Cao's army cannibalism has angered both Heaven and the people. My lord's mission is to mourn the people and punish the guilty."

When Lü Bu entered the county government office, the magistrate had already fled, and the registrar presented the household register and grain register. Guangqi County originally had more than a thousand households and nearly ten thousand people, but due to years of war and the recent looting by Cao Cao's army, most of the people were forcibly conscripted or fled, and now only one or two thousand old and weak people remain.

Chen Gong perused the records and sighed, "In just six months of ruling Pengcheng, Cao Cao caused more than half of the people to flee, and seven or eight tenths of the fields to lie fallow. Bones are exposed in the wilderness, and for miles around, not a rooster crows. How can such tyranny last?"

Lu Bu said, "Gongtai, I will take 10,000 shi of grain from the granary and place it in the county storehouse. You will organize people to distribute it to the people, and also order the military medical battalion to treat the wounded and sick."

"Your humble servant obeys."

At noon, a scout reported: "My lord, the three counties of Liuxian, Fuyang, and Wuyuan have all surrendered. The garrison in the three counties numbers less than a hundred men, and the county magistrates have all fled. When the people heard that the imperial army was approaching, they all opened the city gates to welcome them."

Huang Zhong laughed loudly: "Cao Cao has already lost the support of his people!"

Lü Bu nodded and asked, "Now Cao Cao only has one isolated city left. How many troops does he still have?"

A surrendered general of Cao Cao's army replied: "Cao Cao originally had 20,000 elite troops from Qingzhou, but now his food and supplies are insufficient, and many soldiers have deserted one after another. Now he probably has less than 15,000. Among them, there are about 2,000 cavalry, more than 10,000 infantry, and more than 1,000 personal guards."

Lu Bu pondered for a moment and said, "Order the entire army to rest at Guangqi today. We will depart at Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow and head straight for Pengcheng. I want to see with my own eyes what face Cao Mengde has left to defend the city."

July 1st, morning.

The army set off and continued towards Pengcheng, the capital of Pengcheng State.

The desolation along the way grew ever more pronounced. Villages were deserted, fields were overgrown with weeds, and skeletons were occasionally seen by the roadside, with crows circling overhead.

Huang Zhong sighed, "In the past, Pengcheng was a prosperous place, but now it is like a ghost town."

Chen Gong said, "Cao Cao supported an army of 20,000 with the resources of a single prefecture, levied exorbitant taxes, and allowed his troops to plunder, causing people to flee and fields to become barren. This is his own destruction."

At noon, the army arrived outside the north gate of Pengcheng.

A towering wall stood before them, its gray-brown bricks gleaming coldly in the blazing sun. The walls were heavily guarded, clearly indicating they had been prepared for this eventuality.

Lu Bu reined in his horse and raised his hand to stop the army.

"Form ranks."

As the drums sounded, each battalion deployed as ordered.

Upon receiving the report from the city wall, Cao Cao personally ascended the north gate tower.

His face was haggard, his eyes sunken, but his gaze was still sharp. Behind him, Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Li Dian, Yue Jin (whose shoulder injury had not yet healed and was wrapped in bandages) and other generals stood solemnly, while strategists Xun You and Xi Zhicai were also by his side.

"Lu Bu..." Cao Cao looked at the army outside the city, his voice hoarse, "They came really fast."

Xun You whispered, "My lord, Lü Bu's army is well-disciplined, well-equipped, and possesses divine abilities. This battle is extremely dangerous."

Xi Zhicai, coughing incessantly, managed to say, "We could send envoys to negotiate peace and temporarily halt their attack..."

"Peace talks?" Cao Cao laughed bitterly. "I took advantage of his presence in Yizhou to lead my army to attack Xue County. Now that Lü Bu has come all this way, would he agree to peace? Besides, Yuan Rang and Miao Cai both died at his hands, and Yanzhou was lost. I am now his mortal enemy. Today, there is only one option: battle."

Cao Hong drew his sword and said, "My lord, do not worry! Pengcheng is a fortified city, and with the soldiers fighting bravely, we can surely hold it and await reinforcements!"

"Aid?" Cao Cao looked eastward. "Tao Qian, that old man, is terminally ill and fears Lü Bu like a tiger. Why would he come to our aid? Yuan Shao is far away in Ji Province and can't even take care of himself. Gongsun Zan is holding onto his territory, watching the tigers fight, waiting for the right price. Yuan Shu is short-sighted and only cares about protecting himself. We have no help left."

Cao Ren said, "Liu Bei has always proclaimed his intention to restore the Han Dynasty. Perhaps he doesn't want to see our lord suffer defeat and death, and therefore came to our aid?"

Cao Cao sighed, "Liu Bei has several thousand soldiers, and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are each capable of fighting ten thousand men. But his supplies depend on Tao Qian. If Tao Qian wants to surrender, why would he help Xuande (Liu Bei) to aid me?"

The generals remained silent.

At this moment, a rider from Lü Bu's formation stepped out and, upon reaching about 150 paces in front of the city, drew his bow and nocked an arrow.

"Whoosh—"

The arrow pierced the air and embedded itself in the eaves pillar of the city tower, with a silk scroll tied to its fletching.

Everyone was shocked to see that Lü Bu could shoot an arrow from 150 paces away.

They were unaware that even this was because Lü Bu was deliberately concealing his strength. Otherwise, even from three hundred paces away, Lü Bu could have shot an arrow into the beams and pillars of the city wall.