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

Ye City, the governor's residence.

"Report—" The scout scrambled into the main hall, "My lord, Anyang Ferry has fallen! General Chun has been killed in battle, and the entire defending army has been wiped out!"

"What?!" Yuan Shao abruptly stood up, dropping his teacup to the ground. "How is this possible? Chunyu Qiong had 20,000 elite troops, holding a strategic position. How could it have been breached in a single day?"

The scout cried out, "Last night, Lü Bu built a bridge across the river in the upstream swamp and launched a surprise attack on the Anyangjin camp. General Chun fought valiantly and died..."

The hall was deathly silent.

Ju Shou's face turned deathly pale: "Build a bridge to cross the river? How can we build a bridge across a swampy section of the river?"

Tian Feng said in a trembling voice, "It must have been the Heavenly Gift Divine Granary; otherwise, there's no way to explain it..."

Yan Liang angrily said, "My lord, this humble general is willing to lead the army to confront Lü Bu and avenge General Chun!"

Wen Chou also said, "This humble general will go along!"

Yuan Shao slumped back into his seat, and after a long while, he hoarsely asked, "Where is Lü Bu now?"

"They're still cleaning up the battlefield at Anyangjin, but they can reach Yecheng at any time," the scout whispered.

"Issue the order..." Yuan Shao took a deep breath, "Close all four gates and impose martial law on the entire city. Summon all generals to discuss the defense of the city!"

"promise!"

The crowd hurriedly retreated.

Yuan Shao sat alone in the hall, looking at the gloomy sky outside the window, a chill rising in his heart.

Chunyu Qiong was a veteran general under his command, steady and reliable, commanding 20,000 elite troops and guarding the natural barrier of the Huan River.

And just like that, it was broken in one night.

Lü Bu's abilities were beyond what could be measured by reason.

"Could it be... that fate is truly on Lü Bu's side?" Yuan Shao murmured to himself.

He recalled his youth, when he talked about the world with Cao Cao, Zhang Miao and others, full of youthful vigor. Later, he fought against Dong Zhuo, occupied Ji Province, dominated Hebei, and aspired to rule the world.

Now, however, they are trapped in a lonely city, on the verge of collapse.

"No, I still have an army of 100,000, the land of Hebei, and..." Yuan Shao clenched his fist, his eyes rekindling with fighting spirit. "I, Yuan Benchu, a man from a family that has held high office for four generations, how could I be defeated by Lü Bu?"

He stood up and strode towards the military council hall.

The final battle is about to begin.

On the north bank of Anyang Ferry, at Lü Bu's camp.

Zhang Xiu laughed and said, "Chunyu Qiong probably won't understand until his death how our lord built a bridge in the swamp."

Xun You stroked his beard: "The divine granary bestowed by Heaven is beyond human comprehension. After this battle, the morale of Yuan's army will surely suffer a severe blow."

Just then, a personal guard came to report: "My lord, General Zhang Fei has captured a Yuan army scout outside the camp."

"Bring it in."

One of Yuan's scouts was lifted into the tent by Zhang Fei with one hand, trembling.

Lü Bu praised Zhang Fei, then asked the scout, "What is the current situation in Ye City?"

The scout knelt and kowtowed: "Lord Jin, you have shown me great mercy! I will tell you everything! Ye City is under martial law. Lord Yuan... Yuan Shao has conscripted all men over the age of fifteen in the city, given them bamboo spears and wooden clubs, saying he intends to fight Lord Jin to the death. But the people in the city are full of complaints, and many wealthy families are secretly packing their valuables, wanting to flee..."

Lü Bu and Xun Yu exchanged a glance.

"Yuan Shao has lost the hearts of the people," Xun Yu said. "My lord, you can take advantage of this situation and advance your army to Ye City. At that time, spread the news that you will only kill Yuan Shao and spare the soldiers and civilians. Perhaps you can surrender without a fight."

"Just what I wanted." Lü Bu stood up. "Order the entire army to rest for a day. We will depart at dawn tomorrow and march towards Ye City!"

"promise!"

On the 22nd day of the 11th month of the fifth year of Chuping (194 AD), Lü Bu led his army to a place five miles south of Ye City.

It was the dead of winter, and the north wind was howling. The army marched north along the official road, and the banners fluttered in the wind.

A scout rode up on horseback to report: "My lord, the Zhang River is just ahead. Ye City is on the north bank, with the Zhang River serving as a moat on three sides. The river is forty or fifty zhang wide and two or three zhang deep. The city walls are seven or eight zhang high, with dense crenellations and numerous arrow towers. The garrison is heavily guarded."

Lü Bu reined in his Red Hare and gazed into the distance.

In the distance, the outline of a majestic city appeared and disappeared in the winter mist. The city walls, like a giant dragon coiled, soared into the clouds. Banners fluttered on the city walls, and with his extraordinary senses, he could vaguely see the figures of soldiers patrolling back and forth on the ramparts.

"It is indeed a fortified city," Lu Bu said.

Xun You rode forward and said in a deep voice, "Yuan Shao has been managing Ye City for many years. The city walls are made of rammed earth and covered with blue bricks, making them exceptionally sturdy. Moreover, according to intelligence reports, after learning that our lord possesses the divine ability to store grain and is skilled at using catapults to attack cities, Ye City has already reinforced its city walls several months in advance and built shelters behind the ramparts and parapets, where soldiers can hide to avoid being bombarded by stone projectiles."

Zhang Fei shouted, "No matter how fortified a city is, it's nothing but a clay chicken and a tile dog before our lord! Anyang Ferry fell in a single night, how many days can Ye City hold out?"

Guan Yu narrowed his phoenix eyes slightly: "Third brother, do not underestimate the enemy. Ye City is Yuan Shao's main base. The city's food supplies can last for three years, and the defending army is no less than 50,000. In addition, there are fierce generals such as Yan Liang and Wen Chou. This battle is no small matter."

After the Battle of Anyangjin, Zhang Fei and Guan Yu were convinced of Lü Bu's martial prowess and divine ability, and they changed their address from Duke of Jin to Lord.

Yu Jin replied, "This humble general has observed the terrain. The Zhang River is wide, making crossing it difficult. Yuan's army on the north bank has already set up deer antlers and pitfalls on the riverbank, with a post every three steps and a sentry every ten steps, to prevent our army from building a bridge to cross the river like we did at Anyangjin."

Lü Bu nodded: "Let's set up camp on the south bank first, and then make further plans."

The army continued its advance, and in the afternoon, it arrived at the south bank of the Zhangshui River.

Across the river, the city walls of Ye City were clearly visible. The walls were about eight zhang high, and the blue bricks on the walls gleamed coldly in the winter sun. Behind the parapets, the outlines of catapults could be vaguely seen, and archers stood ready in the arrow towers.

The river is over forty zhang wide, and although the current is slow, the riverbed is deep, making it difficult to cross.

Lü Bu ordered his army to set up camp two miles away from the riverbank, erect fences, dig trenches, and set up guard posts.

Inside the central command tent, all the generals gathered.

Xun Yu pointed to the map and said, "Ye City is surrounded by water on all sides. The Zhang River is artificially divided into two branches here, one flowing around the east and north of the city, and the other flowing around the west and south of the city, forming a natural moat."

Xun You added: "Even if our army forces its way across the Zhang River and reaches the city walls, the catapults and ballistae on the walls can cover the riverbank. If we attack while the enemy is halfway across, our casualties will be heavy."

Cheng Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Although the Heavenly Gift Granary can be used to build a bridge, the garrison on the north bank is dense. Once they discover that our army is building a bridge, they will immediately sound the alarm. At that time, catapults and crossbows will be fired at the same time, and the soldiers crossing the river will likely become targets."

Zhang Xiu clasped his hands and said, "My lord, this humble general is willing to lead a suicide squad to swim across the river at night, seize a crossing point first, and then help the main army cross the river!"

Guan Yu shook his head: "The river water is icy cold, and the soldiers will lose their fighting strength if they swim across. Moreover, the garrison on the opposite bank is brightly lit and constantly patrolling, making it difficult to hide."

Zhang Fei said anxiously, "This won't work, that won't work, are we just going to stand by and watch?"

Lu Bu raised his hand to stop the crowd's discussion and said calmly, "Tomorrow, we'll first try to persuade Yuan Shao to surrender by shouting slogans. We'll see how he responds. If he doesn't surrender, then we'll consider a plan to take the city."

The generals agreed.