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

The seat of Xuzhou was in Tan County, the governor's mansion, and the sickbed in the back hall.

Tao Qian leaned back on the couch, his face sallow, his beard and hair all white, and he coughed occasionally.

He was already 63 years old and suffered from many illnesses. In the past six months, he had been worried about Cao Cao and Lü Bu, which made his condition worse.

Before the couch stood five men: Tao Shang, Tao Ying, Mi Zhu, Sun Qian, and Chen Deng, with their hands at their sides.

After hearing Chen Deng's report, Tao Qian remained silent for a long time, his cough becoming even more severe.

The maidservant quickly brought him warm water, and Tao Qian drank a few sips before he could catch his breath.

After a long silence, Tao Qian opened his eyes and looked at his two sons: "Cao Cao is dead, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei have been captured. Shang'er, Ying'er, what are your opinions?"

Tao Shang knelt down and said, "Father, Lü Bu's power is too great to resist. Now Cao Cao is dead, Liu Bei is captured, and Xuzhou has no reinforcements. If we resist, we will surely invite war and disaster, and the people will suffer. Our Tao family's foundation will also be destroyed in an instant. It would be better to surrender the whole province, so as to avoid the calamity of war and ensure the safety of our family."

Tao Ying also knelt down: "Brother, what you say is absolutely right. Father is getting old, and he should prioritize taking care of his health and enjoying his later years. If Xianzhou submits, he can retire peacefully, and my brother and I can continue to manage the family business, ensuring that the family's wealth can be passed down to our descendants. If we resist to the end, once the city falls, I fear... I fear there will be the calamity of extermination!"

Tao Qian looked at his two sons, then at Mi Zhu and the other two.

He knew that these people were telling the truth.

Cao Cao was a formidable figure, with numerous civil and military officials under his command—far surpassing even myself! Even so, Cao Cao's 20,000 elite troops defended Pengcheng, which fell in half a day. Liu Bei, with his two generals Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, each capable of defeating ten thousand men, was ultimately defeated by Lü Bu in just five rounds.

What can Xuzhou use to defend itself?

"But," Tao Qian struggled, "I have governed Xu Province for many years and have formed an anti-Lü alliance with Yuan Shao, Gongsun Zan, Yuan Shu, Liu Biao, and others. If I were to voluntarily surrender the province to Lü Bu now, wouldn't that be seen as fickle and make me a laughingstock for being cowardly?"

Chen Deng stepped forward: "My lord, this is not cowardice, but wisdom. In the past, Zhang Ji offered Hongnong, Wang Yi offered Hedong, Ma Teng offered Liangzhou, Chen Gong offered Yanzhou, and Liu Zhang offered Yizhou. All of them were treated well by the court, and their families' wealth and status were preserved. If you, my lord, offer Xuzhou now, you will be in accordance with the will of Heaven, and the Duke of Jin will certainly not treat you unfairly. On the contrary, if you wait until Lü Bu's army comes to the city and breaks through, it will be too late."

Sun Qian also said, "My lord, if you surrender voluntarily, you will be credited with a meritorious deed. If you wait for the Duke of Jin to lead his army to attack, you will be admitting your guilt and submitting to the law. The two are worlds apart!"

Tao Qian trembled.

He recalled Cao Cao's fate—he committed suicide, and his family was placed under house arrest.

I recall the fate of Liu Yu when he fought against Gongsun Zan—his entire family was beheaded and their heads hung on the city gate.

In chaotic times, it is already a stroke of luck for the defeated to have a complete corpse, let alone their families.

"Enough, enough." Tao Qian waved his hand dejectedly. "I am old and my death is nothing to regret. I only wish for the safety of my family and descendants, and for the people of Xuzhou to be spared from the ravages of war. Go and make preparations. I am willing to surrender the state to you."

"Father is wise!" Tao Shang and Tao Ying wept with joy.

Mi Zhu and the other two bowed as well: "Your Excellency is truly wise and righteous; this is a blessing for the people of Xuzhou!"

On the other side, in Pengcheng, at the Prefect's residence.

"Report!" A guard entered the hall. "Cao Bao of Xuzhou has sent an envoy to request an audience, claiming to have a congratulatory memorial to present."

Lu Bu raised an eyebrow: "Cao Bao? The cavalry commandant under Tao Qian, the one currently stationed in Yinping County?"

Chen Gong said, "That's right. Cao Bao is the military commander of Xuzhou, and Tao Qian relies on him as his right-hand man. He must have sent an envoy to show goodwill after learning that Pengcheng has fallen."

"Let him in."

A moment later, Cao Yong was led into the hall. He was about thirty years old and had a burly build, but at this moment he was meek and submissive, showing no trace of the arrogance of a military general.

"Cao Yong, a personal guard under Cao Bao, the Cavalry Commandant of Xuzhou, pays his respects to Duke Jin!" Cao Yong knelt and kowtowed, presenting a letter and a jade pendant with both hands. "My general has heard that Duke Jin has quelled the cannibalistic Cao bandits, and has shown great respect for the people and the guilty. He has specially sent me to offer my congratulations and present this small gift."

The guards took the letter and jade pendant and presented them to Lü Bu.

Lu Bu unfolded the letter, glanced at it, and a smile appeared on his lips.

In the letter, Cao Bao used extremely flattering words, praising Lü Bu's campaign against Cao Cao as a righteous act, and expressing that he had long been disgusted by Cao Cao's tyranny. Finally, he mentioned that he had a daughter named Cao Zhi, who was sixteen years old, and offered her to the Duke of Jin to serve him.

"Cao Bao is very kind." Lü Bu placed the letter on the table. "What is the current situation in Xuzhou?"

Cao Yong hurriedly replied, "Reporting to Duke Jin, Prefect Tao is old and ailing, and the administration of Xuzhou is mostly handled by Assistant Prefect Mi, Commander Sun, and Colonel Chen, among others. Military affairs are under the overall command of my general. Now, having heard of Duke Jin's divine might, the people of Pengcheng are all eagerly awaiting the arrival of the royal army to relieve their dire straits."

This was a clever remark, both indicating that Tao Qian was no longer in charge and implying that the civil and military officials of Xuzhou were inclined to submit.

Lü Bu nodded: "Go back and tell Cao Bao that I appreciate his intentions. After I finish dealing with the affairs of Pengcheng, I will head to Xuzhou. Tell him to reorganize the troops, maintain order, and await the court's takeover."

"Yes, I will relay the truth!" Cao Yong was overjoyed and kowtowed repeatedly.

Lü Bu rewarded him with ten gold pieces and ordered his personal guards to escort him out of the city.

After the envoy left, Chen Gong laughed and said, "Cao Bao is quite pragmatic."

Xun You sighed, "In chaotic times, a wise bird chooses its tree to perch on. Cao Bao knew that Xuzhou was indefensible and wisely came to surrender."

Lü Bu replied, "Cao Bao is wise, but Tao Qian's attitude is unclear. Gongtai, draft a document of accusation, listing Tao Qian's crimes of separatism, disobeying the court, colluding with Cao Cao, and condoning Liu Bei, and send it to Tan County. Let's see how he responds."

"Your humble servant obeys." Chen Gong bowed.

On the morning of the fifth day of the seventh lunar month, at the governor's mansion in Tan County.

Despite his illness, Tao Qian dressed neatly and sat in the main hall. Tao Shang and Tao Ying were on his left and right, while Mi Zhu, Sun Qian, Chen Deng, Cao Bao, and other civil and military officials from Xuzhou gathered below.

The atmosphere was heavy.

Inside the hall, Lü Bu's envoy was loudly reading out the document of accusation:

"The governor of Xu Province, Tao Qian, is guilty of four crimes: first, he has established his own independent regime, refused to pay tribute, and disobeyed the imperial decrees; second, he has privately allied with other lords and participated in Yuan Shao's rebellion; third, he knew that Cao Cao was manipulating troops and eating people, but instead of condemning him, he secretly colluded with him; fourth, he allowed Liu Bei, the chancellor of Xiapi, to send troops without authorization to help Cao Cao resist the imperial army..."

With each line read aloud, Tao Qian's face paled a little more.

The people below the hall also lowered their heads and remained silent.

After the document was read aloud, the messenger closed the bamboo slips and looked at Tao Qian: "Lord Tao, the Duke of Jin asks: Do you admit to the above-mentioned crimes?"

Tao Qian rose shakily, and with Tao Shang's help, walked into the hall and slowly knelt down.

"Your guilty subject Tao Qian confesses his crimes." His voice was hoarse but clearly audible. "I am old and senile, and I have failed in my duties in governing the prefecture, which has led to the aforementioned transgressions. I now wish to open the city gates and surrender, submitting Xuzhou to the court and submitting it to the Duke of Jin's judgment. I only beg the Duke of Jin to consider the innocence of the people of Xuzhou and spare the lives of my family."

Having said that, he held up the governor's seal with both hands and raised it high.

Below the hall, Mi Zhu, Sun Qian, Chen Deng, Cao Bao, and others knelt in unison: "We are willing to follow our lord and submit to the imperial court!"

Upon seeing this, the envoy's expression softened, and he stepped forward to accept the seal of office: "Lord Tao is a man of great virtue, averting the calamity of war. This is a great achievement. I will certainly report this truthfully to Duke Jin and request credit for Lord Tao and all the others."

Tao Qian nodded: "Thank you, angel."

The messenger returned quickly to Pengcheng to report to Lü Bu.