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

Liu Bei knelt on the ground, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palms, and blood seeped out.

After a long while, he slumped down, released his grip, and prostrated himself on the ground, kowtowing.

"Liu Bei is willing to surrender."

"Brother, you mustn't!" Guan Yu exclaimed urgently. "A true man is ready to die, not surrender to the enemy!"

Zhang Fei cried out, "Brother, let's fight him to the death! We'll die together!"

Liu Bei looked up, his face streaked with tears: "Second brother, third brother, it is my incompetence that has dragged you down. But, but I cannot stand by and watch you die, watch these soldiers die..."

He turned to Lü Bu and said, "Lü Fengxian, you must swear an oath that you will not harm my second and third brothers, nor will you indiscriminately kill surrendered soldiers."

"I swear in the name of the Duke of Jin: those who surrender will not be killed, and will be employed according to their abilities," Lü Bu said solemnly. "If I break this oath, may I be struck down by heaven and earth."

Liu Bei then stood up and said to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, "Second brother, third brother, put down your weapons."

Guan Yu looked up to the sky and sighed, his voice like a mournful wild goose: "I, Guan Yu, have roamed the world for half my life, and today I must surrender to the enemy..."

But in the end, he threw away the Green Dragon Crescent Blade.

When Zhang Fei saw that his second brother had surrendered, he burst into tears, but there was nothing he could do but surrender.

Lu Bu ordered his personal guards to step forward and separate and bind the three men.

Liu Bei was taken to the Imperial Guard formation and imprisoned in a makeshift carriage, guarded by ten heavy cavalrymen.

Zhang Fei was taken to the left wing, and Guan Yu to the right wing. Both were chained and guarded by special personnel.

After dealing with these matters, Lü Bu rode his horse to the foot of the slope and shouted to Liu Bei's five thousand soldiers on the slope:

"Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei have already surrendered, and all of you generals have submitted to the court! Those who wish to surrender, lay down your weapons and descend the mountain to be incorporated into the army! Those who do not wish to surrender may leave on their own; I will not make things difficult for you!"

A commotion broke out on the slope.

Many soldiers looked at each other, at a loss for what to do.

A military officer stepped forward and shouted, "Brothers, Lord Liu has treated us well. Follow me and fight our way down to rescue him!"

"Yes, save the magistrate!"

Hundreds of loyal followers, deeply moved by Liu Bei's benevolence, responded and charged down the river.

Lu Bu's expression turned cold, and he raised his halberd.

The Imperial Guard heavy cavalry drew their swords in unison, their blades gleaming coldly.

"Wait a minute!"

Liu Bei's voice came from inside the carriage. He shouted, "Brothers, I have surrendered to the court! Do not fight any longer! Lay down your weapons, return to your hometowns, or join the court's army. Do not throw your lives away in vain!"

The military commander was stunned: "My lord..."

Liu Bei's voice choked with emotion: "Hear my order! Lay down your weapons! This is my final military order!"

There was a moment of silence on the slope.

"Clang—"

The first knife fell to the ground.

Then came the second game, the third game...

Like dominoes, the sound of weapons hitting the ground rang out one after another. Five thousand soldiers laid down their weapons and walked down the gentle slope.

Lü Bu ordered his personal guards to step forward, receive the surrendered soldiers, count their weapons, and reorganize the troops.

By the end of the day, as dusk fell, everything was completed.

In this battle, without losing a single soldier, they captured 5,000 of Liu Bei's troops and took the three brothers Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei prisoner.

Lu Bu ordered them to set up camp in the wild and light a campfire.

Inside the central command tent, Lü Bu removed his heavy armor, changed into casual clothes, and sat at his desk. A personal guard entered to report:

"My lord, the surrendered soldiers have been counted. There are 3,200 who are willing to join the army and are strong and healthy. The rest will return to their hometowns. Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei are imprisoned separately. Liu Bei is in the carriage, while Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are each guarded in a tent."

Lü Bu nodded: "Those who wish to join the army will be dispersed and incorporated into the auxiliary military camps of Yanzhou, led by veteran soldiers. Those who return home will each receive one shi of millet and five hundred coins, and will be dismissed tomorrow."

"promise."

After taking out the hot food from the storage space and eating it, Lü Bu got up and walked out of the tent.

Campfires flickered in the camp, and the surrendered soldiers squatted around them, silently eating the hot porridge and flatbread they had received. Many still wore expressions of sorrow, but at least their lives were no longer in danger.

Lu Bu first went to the tent where Zhang Fei was being held.

Zhang Fei, his hands and feet chained, sat on a straw mat. Seeing Lü Bu enter, he glared and cursed, "Lü Bu, you treacherous villain! Kill me or torture me as you please, but don't expect me to serve you!"

Lü Bu remained unperturbed and sat down opposite him: "Yide, let me ask you, why did you join the army?"

"Of course, it's to eliminate traitors and bring peace to the land!"

"Now that I have rectified the court, pacified the four directions, and restored peace to the world, isn't this exactly what you wanted?"

Zhang Fei was taken aback, then cursed, "Nonsense! You're just like Dong Zhuo, using the emperor to command the feudal lords!"

Lü Bu said calmly, "I implemented the Nine-Rank System, the Imperial Examination, and military reforms, and reduced taxes and corvée labor, allowing the people of Guanzhong to live and work in peace. Are you aware of these things?"

Zhang Fei was speechless.

He had also heard some rumors in Xuzhou, saying that under Lü Bu's rule, taxes were light, military discipline was strict, and Guanzhong was gradually recovering its vitality, but...

"That's all just to win people's hearts!"

"Winning over people's hearts?" Lü Bu laughed. "Cao Cao's army cannibalizes people, Yuan Shao levies exorbitant taxes, and Gongsun Zan indiscriminately kills innocent people. They're not even willing to win over people's hearts, isn't that even worse?"

Zhang Fei opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word.

Lu Bu stood up: "Think it over carefully. Will you follow me to quell the chaos and save the people from suffering, or will you stubbornly stick to your own opinions and let the world continue to be in war?"

After saying that, he walked out of the tent.

Next, they arrived at the tent where Guan Yu was imprisoned.

Guan Yu sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, like an old monk in deep meditation. Hearing footsteps, he opened his eyes for a moment, then closed them again.

"Yun Chang," Lü Bu spoke, "since we parted at Hulao Pass, your martial arts have improved considerably. To be able to withstand five rounds from me today is truly remarkable."

Guan Yu sneered, "If my skills are inferior, then kill me if you want. Why bother with this pretense?"

"If I wanted to kill you, I could have done so on the battlefield just now," Lü Bu said. "I admire your martial skills and respect your loyalty. But loyalty must be served under a wise ruler. Is Liu Bei truly a wise ruler?"

Guan Yu opened his eyes, a cold glint flashing in his phoenix eyes: "Brother, you are benevolent and love the people, and you have the Han dynasty in your heart. You are naturally a wise ruler."

"Benevolence and love for the people?" Lü Bu shook his head. "If he were benevolent, why did he rush to Cao Cao's aid under the cover of night? Cao Cao was using his troops to eat people, yet Liu Bei went to help Cao Cao. Is that benevolence?"

"That's to resist you!"

"Resist me?" Lü Bu laughed. "I am acting on the Emperor's orders to punish the cannibalistic Cao Cao's army. What wrong have I done? Liu Bei is aiding and abetting evil; what kind of benevolence is that?"

Guan Yu sneered, "You've imprisoned the Emperor, using him to command the other lords. All imperial decrees originate from you; the whole world knows this. To claim you're acting on the Emperor's orders is a joke!"

Lü Bu continued, "Yun Chang, you are well-versed in the Spring and Autumn Annals and should know the greater good. Cao Cao was tyrannical, and my campaign against him was a just cause to comfort the people and punish the guilty. Liu Bei's assistance to Cao Cao was a violation of the greater good. Today, your defeat at my hands is the will of Heaven."

Guan Yu simply closed his eyes.

"Think about it carefully." Lü Bu turned around. "The greatest heroes are those who serve their country and its people. True loyalty and righteousness should be about doing things for the people, not about being bound by the brotherhood between the three of you."

Finally, Lü Bu arrived at the carriage where Liu Bei was being held.

Liu Bei sat inside the carriage, his hands and feet unbound, but ten heavy cavalrymen guarded the outside. When Lü Bu arrived, he closed his eyes and remained silent.

Lü Bu didn't get into the carriage, but stood outside: "Liu Xuande, have you thought it through? Are you willing to serve the court?"