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

Inside the carriage, Liu Bei opened his eyes upon hearing Lü Bu's words, his eyes bloodshot, and said, "A defeated general, kill him if you must, why say so much?"

"I will not kill you," Lü Bu said. "Not only will I not kill you, I will also give you an official position."

Liu Bei was stunned.

"I wish to appoint you as the Chancellor of Pengcheng," Lü Bu said slowly. "Pengcheng has been plundered by Cao Cao's troops, leaving the fields barren and the people impoverished. If you truly possess the talent to govern the world, then help me pacify the people of Pengcheng, rectify the administration, and restore its vitality."

"You want me to be the Chancellor of Pengcheng?" Liu Bei asked incredulously. "Aren't you afraid I'll seize Pengcheng and rebel against you?"

"The local officials under my jurisdiction are only in charge of civil affairs; the military commanders are different. Besides, if you rebel, I will punish you again. Even the three of you brothers combined cannot defeat me; what else can you do?" Lü Bu said calmly. "Since you claim to be benevolent, you should know that when war breaks out, it is the common people who suffer."

Liu Bei remained silent.

Lu Bu is right. He has always presented himself as benevolent and virtuous. How could he disregard the lives of ordinary people?

"As for Guan Yu and Zhang Fei," Lü Bu continued, "I will keep them in the army to serve. Rest assured, I will not mistreat them. Once the world is at peace, if you have rendered meritorious service in governing Pengcheng, I will allow you brothers to reunite."

This is an open conspiracy.

By using the position of Chancellor of Pengcheng to bind Liu Bei, the three of them—Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei—are each other's hostages. If one of them causes trouble, it will implicate the other two, while giving all three an opportunity to realize their ambitions.

If Liu Bei accepts the position, he must sincerely govern Pengcheng and not rebel, otherwise Guan Yu and Zhang Fei will surely die.

The so-called restoration of the Han Dynasty was nothing more than a banner used by Liu Bei to win over the hearts of the people! If he really had that determination, Liu Bei would not have run away during the incident of the imperial edict in the belt in the original history.

Liu Bei today would never imagine that he could have become emperor in the original history. Therefore, now that his general has been captured and bound by brotherhood, and is being treated with courtesy, it is likely that this will move Liu Bei's heart.

"I'll give you one night to consider it." Lu Bu turned and left. "Give me your answer tomorrow."

Night was falling.

The campfire flickered, illuminating the uneasy faces of the five thousand surrendered soldiers.

Liu Bei sat in the carriage, unable to sleep all night.

Guan Yu remained silent inside the tent.

Zhang Fei cursed loudly at the soldiers guarding him, and when he got tired of cursing, he fell asleep.

Lu Bu stood in the central command tent, a smile playing on his lips.

The brotherhood between Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei was truly strong; none of them wanted to resist Lü Bu and implicate the other two. Lü Bu used this as a pretext to separate and imprison the three, attacking their hearts and defeating them one by one.

If I could get these three brothers from the Peach Garden to work for me, then my trip to the end of the Han Dynasty would not have been in vain.

Donghai Commandery, Yinping County.

In the back hall of the county government office, Cao Bao was drinking with two deputy generals. On the table were a few simple dishes and a pot of turbid wine; the atmosphere was somber.

"General," the adjutant on the left whispered, "according to scouts, Cao Cao's Qi County was breached by Lü Bu. He didn't even use a battering ram; he simply pressed his hand against the city wall, and the city gate and its frame collapsed. Yu Jin was captured alive, and the entire garrison surrendered."

Cao Bao's hand holding the wine bowl trembled slightly, and a few drops of wine spilled out.

He was about forty years old, with a square face and wide mouth, a short beard, and wore leather armor over a crimson battle robe. He was Tao Qian's top general. But at this moment, his brows were furrowed, and his eyes were full of worry.

"What about the four counties of Guangqi, Liuxian, Fuyang, and Wuyuan?" Cao Bao asked in a deep voice.

"They have all surrendered at the mere sight of the enemy." The adjutant on the right sighed. "The garrison in the four counties was already small, and Cao Cao had already transferred them to guard Pengcheng. Hearing that Lü Bu's army was coming, and seeing the rumors of Cao Cao's army eating people spreading like wildfire, the people opened the city gates to welcome them, and the county magistrates all fled."

Cao Bao put down his wine bowl, stood up, and paced back and forth in the hall.

Outside the hall, the sky gradually darkened, the twilight as red as blood.

"Can Cao Cao still hold Pengcheng?" he muttered to himself.

The two lieutenants exchanged a glance. The one on the left whispered, "General, although Cao Cao only controls Pengcheng, he has Xun You and Xi Zhicai in his civil service, and Cao Ren, Cao Hong, and Yue Jin in his military, along with 20,000 elite troops from Qingzhou. If even he can't hold it..."

"No one can stop Lü Bu." Cao Bao continued, his voice dry.

He recalled the rumors about Lü Bu over the years: defeating the Northern Di in a month, capturing Jianmen Pass in a single day, and even possessing the divine gift of a granary and the ability to retrieve objects from thin air. Back then at Hulao Pass, Lü Bu, though brave, was ultimately just a mortal. But now, he was becoming more and more of a myth…

"Report—"

A bodyguard rushed into the hall, knelt on one knee, and said in a trembling voice, "General, urgent news from Pengcheng! At 9:00 AM today, Lü Bu broke into the city, Cao Cao committed suicide in the prefect's mansion, Cao Ren and Cao Hong died in battle, and Xun You, Yue Jin, and others surrendered!"

pat!

The wine bowl in Cao Bao's hand fell to the ground and shattered.

He stood frozen in place for a long time before slowly sitting down.

"Tell me in detail," Cao Bao said in a hoarse voice.

The personal guard reported: "According to the escaped soldiers of Cao Cao's army, Lü Bu took more than two hundred catapults and giant crossbows from the Heavenly Treasury outside the city and bombarded it for nearly half an hour, completely destroying the city walls' defenses. Then, Lü Bu personally led his heavy cavalry across the moat, placed his hand on the city wall, and miraculously created a large archway out of thin air, leading his army into the city. General Cao Hong led his troops to intercept them, but was killed by Lü Bu in three exchanges. Cao Cao retreated to the Prefect's Mansion, but was caught up and blocked by Lü Bu. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, he committed suicide. Apart from Cao Ren, who tried to kill Lü Bu but was killed in return, and Xi Zhicai, who was seriously ill, followed Cao Cao and committed suicide, the rest surrendered."

The hall was deathly silent.

The two lieutenants were pale and sweat beaded on their foreheads.

Cao Bao closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, his eyes were filled with determination.

"Xuzhou is finished," he said slowly. "Prefect Tao is old and ailing, and has no strong generals or elite troops under his command. Even Cao Cao couldn't defend Pengcheng, how can Xuzhou be defended?"

"General, what... what should we do?" the left adjutant asked in a trembling voice.

Cao Bao pondered for a moment, then suddenly stood up: "Fetch me pen and ink!"

The guards quickly presented bamboo slips and a pen.

Cao Bao picked up his pen and quickly wrote two letters.

The first letter was a congratulatory letter to Lü Bu, written in a respectful tone. It praised Lü Bu's campaign against the cannibalistic Cao Cao as a righteous act of punishing the guilty and mourning the people. It also mentioned that Lü Bu had a daughter named Cao Zhi, who was sixteen years old, and he wished to send her to serve the Duke of Jin as a gesture of goodwill.

The second letter was a secret letter to Mi Zhu, Sun Qian, and Chen Deng of Tan County, informing them that Pengcheng had fallen and Cao Cao was dead, and urging them to quickly persuade Tao Qian to surrender, lest they make a mistake.

After he finished writing, he summoned his two most trusted confidants.

"Cao Yong, take this first letter and this jade pendant as tokens, and go to Pengcheng immediately to see Duke Lü Bu of Jin." Cao Bao handed a blue jade pendant and a letter to a burly man. "Remember, be respectful and humble. If Duke Lü Bu asks about the military situation in Xuzhou, just report it truthfully."

"Yes!" Cao Yong took the token and turned to leave.

"Cao Wu, take the second letter back to Tan County immediately and deliver it to Mi Zhu, Sun Qian, and Chen Deng." Cao Bao handed another letter to a trusted confidant. "Tell them the situation is critical; they must immediately persuade Magistrate Tao to surrender, or things will change!"

"promise!"

Cao Wu also left in a hurry.

Watching the two figures disappear into the twilight, Cao Bao sighed and said to his two lieutenants, "Order the entire army to strengthen the city's defenses, but if the imperial army arrives, do not resist; open the city gates to welcome them."

"General, this..." The deputy general on the right hesitated.

"Listen to my command!" Cao Bao shouted sternly. "Do you want to end up like Cao Cao, meeting a tragic end?"

The lieutenant trembled, bowed his head and clasped his hands: "This subordinate obeys."