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

On the seventeenth day of the eleventh month, at the border between Henan Commandery of Sili Prefecture and Wei Commandery of Ji Prefecture, on the south bank of the Huan River.

Lü Bu reined in his Red Hare and stood on a mound, gazing northwards.

The river in front of us is about twenty feet wide and the current is gentle, but because it is early winter, the water level has dropped, exposing large areas of mudflats and reeds on both banks.

On the opposite bank of the river, one could clearly see the earthen ramparts and watchtowers built by Yuan's army, one every hundred paces or so, with banners fluttering in the cold wind.

"My lord, that is Anyang Ferry." Hou Cheng rode forward and pointed to a ferry about three miles downstream. "Chunyu Qiong has stationed about five thousand troops here, equipped with more than thirty catapults and more than fifty crossbows. I have sent scouts to explore along the river for thirty miles and found seven similar ferry crossings, all of which are guarded by large forces of Yuan's army."

Lu Bu nodded, his gaze sweeping across the river: "What about the other sections?"

"It's mostly swampy mudflats," Hou Chengdao said. "The river is relatively shallow, but the silt is deep, making it difficult for people and horses to cross. If we want to build a bridge, we need to clear the silt and compact the riverbed first, which is a huge undertaking and would be easily detected by the other side."

At this moment, Zhang Fei rode up from the side and said in a rough voice, "Lord Jin, I went to check a section of the riverbank ten miles upstream. It is wide, but it's all muddy. If a horse gets stuck, it can't get out!"

Guan Yu also rode back, his phoenix eyes slightly narrowed: "Chunyu Qiong's defenses are indeed very tight. The garrison at each ferry crossing takes turns on duty during the day and patrols at night as well. Judging from the layout of their camps, they should be mutually supportive, so if one place is attacked, the other places can quickly provide assistance."

Lu Bu pondered for a moment, then asked, "How often do Yuan's troops patrol?"

"A team of ten men each, about every 15 minutes," Yu Jin reported as he returned from his reconnaissance downstream. "But the patrols mostly follow fixed routes, only observing the swampy sections of the river from a distance without getting close. It seems the enemy assumes our army will force a crossing at the ford. Those swampy sections are not suitable for crossing in the common sense, so the patrols are mostly perfunctory."

A slight smile appeared on Lü Bu's lips.

Common sense.

Yes, how could people of this era have imagined that he had a storage space and could conjure up huge stones as bridge piers and thick wood as bridge decks out of thin air?

"Let's return to camp for a meeting." Lü Bu turned his horse around.

Inside the central command tent, the charcoal brazier was burning brightly.

Lü Bu sat in the main seat, followed by Xun Yu, Xun You, Cheng Yu, Hou Cheng, Zhang Xiu, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Yu Jin, Yue Jin, and others.

"How do you all think we can break through the Huan River defense line?" Lü Bu asked bluntly.

Xun You stroked his beard and said, "Chunyu Qiong divided his troops to guard the crossing, while concentrating his main force at Anyang Ferry. This is to wait for our army to make a strong crossing and then attack us when we are halfway across. If we follow the usual procedure, our army would need to build a large number of boats or construct pontoon bridges. However, no matter what method we use, we will inevitably be attacked by catapults and ballistae when crossing the river, and casualties will be unavoidable."

Xun Yu continued, "Therefore, our army needs to launch a surprise attack. I believe we can choose a secluded section of the river and launch a night raid to build a bridge. But the difficulty lies in how to quickly construct a sturdy bridge that allows cavalry passage without alerting the opposite bank."

The generals looked at each other in bewilderment.

Zhang Fei yelled, "How can building a bridge not cause trouble? Cutting down trees, driving in stakes, laying planks—it won't be finished in less than ten days or half a month! The Yuan army on the other side aren't deaf or blind!"

Guan Yu pondered, "If we use rope bridges, it might be quick, but only infantry can pass through; heavy cavalry and baggage trains cannot."

Yu Jin said, "I once saw craftsmen in Xuzhou building a makeshift bridge. It would take at least a day to build, and the bridge was narrow, making passage slow and easy to fall into the water."

The crowd discussed the matter at length, but no good solution could be found.

After they finished speaking, Lü Bu slowly said, "I have my own way of building bridges. The key is: how to deceive Chunyu Qiong and make him concentrate his main force at Anyangjin, so that I can build bridges across the river unexpectedly on other sections."

Cheng Yu's eyes lit up: "My lord, you can order General Hou Cheng to make a big show of building boats and rafts on the south bank of Anyang Ferry, making it look like a forced crossing. When Chunyu Qiong sees our main force here, he will surely transfer heavy troops from other sections of the river to defend. At that time, my lord can choose another place to cross the river, thus avoiding the enemy's strength and attacking their weakness."

Xun You added, "We also need to choose the right time. The best time to cross the river is when the weather is bad, there is no moon, and it is pitch black."

"Very well," Lü Bu slammed his hand on the table. "It's settled then. Hou Cheng, you will lead the main force of the 3rd Army to garrison the south bank of Anyang Ferry. Begin logging and shipbuilding tomorrow. The bigger the show, the better. Set up many camps and raise many cooking fires, so that the people on the other side will think that our main force is all here."

Hou Cheng clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This humble general obeys!"

"Zhang Xiu, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Yu Jin, and Yue Jin," Lü Bu called out, "each of you will lead elite cavalry and follow me."

"Yes!" the five people shouted in unison.

The plan was finalized, and everyone made their own preparations.

Starting on the 18th day of the 11th lunar month, the south bank of Anyangjin suddenly became lively.

Thousands of soldiers were felling trees on the riverbank, the sounds of saws and axes filling the air.

The craftsmen directed the binding of logs into rafts and the construction of catapult bases on the shore. The camps stretched for two or three miles, with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys, giving the impression that tens of thousands of troops were stationed there, preparing to force their way across the Huan River from Anyangjin.

On the opposite bank, Chunyu Qiong climbed the watchtower and observed carefully.

"General, Lü Bu's army is indeed planning to force their way across Anyang Ferry!" Deputy General Zhao Rui pointed to the south bank and said, "Judging from their posture, there are at least tens of thousands of them."

Chunyu Qiong was about forty years old, with a square face and a wide mouth, and a thick, short beard. He was a trusted veteran general under Yuan Shao, known for his steadiness.

"We must not be careless," Chunyu Qiong said in a deep voice. "Lu Bu is cunning and treacherous; he might feign an attack while secretly advancing. Order all ferry crossings to strengthen their defenses, and double the number of patrols. Pay special attention to those swampy sections of the river; they must be thoroughly inspected and not treated perfunctorily!"

"Yes, sir!" the guard relayed on horseback.

Zhao Rui asked, puzzled, "General, those swamps are covered in deep mud, making it impossible to cross the river. Why waste our troops?"

Chunyu Qiong shook his head: "Do you know what abilities Lü Bu possesses?"

"A divinely bestowed granary?" Zhao Rui hesitated. "That's just a rumor..."

"Rumors?" Chunyu Qiong sneered. "Cao Cao's 20,000 elite troops defended Pengcheng, and it fell in half a day; Jianmen Pass, a strategically important pass, could be taken in a day; Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, even when working together, were defeated in five rounds. Can these be explained by rumors?"

Zhao Rui was speechless.

"Countless people have witnessed Lü Bu's ability to conjure up provisions and equipment out of thin air," Chunyu Qiong said solemnly. "If he were to use that divine storage ability to pave a path through a swamp, it wouldn't be impossible. In short, it's better to believe it's true than not."

"This subordinate understands," Zhao Rui replied solemnly.

The order was relayed, and the garrison troops at each ferry crossing strengthened their defenses. The patrols indeed became much more attentive, even approaching and inspecting the swampy sections of the river.

Two days later, Lu Bu's army on the south bank only built boats and prepared rafts at the Anyang ferry crossing, and there was no sign of them forcibly crossing the river in other places. The rank-and-file soldiers patrolling other sections of the river became somewhat lax again.