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

The fall of Fan Chou's banner caused panic to spread rapidly among the infantry and cavalry soldiers of Liangzhou, like a plague.

Despite Guo Si's desperate attempts to suppress the situation and his execution of several soldiers who led the escape, it was all in vain given the overall atmosphere of defeat.

First the rear and flank troops began to waver, then the front troops.

The entire massive infantry legion, before even engaging Lü Bu's main force, was on the verge of collapse due to the impact of the cavalry's rout and the escape of its commander, Fan Chou.

The saying "a defeated army collapses like a mountain" perfectly describes this situation. It means that when tens of thousands of people are facing hundreds of people, everyone is scrambling to escape and no one is willing to fight to the death, which leads to this kind of situation.

Guo Si looked at the out-of-control situation before him and felt utterly hopeless.

He knew that the situation was hopeless.

Let alone annihilating Lü Bu and reclaiming Dong Zhuo's head, even the question of whether they could safely retreat back to Baling, or even Chang'an, with this army became a problem.

"Retreat, retreat, retreat back to Baling!" Guo Si practically spat out these words through gritted teeth, filled with resentment and despair.

At the commander's order, the already demoralized Liangzhou infantrymen turned around and fled back the way they came, like water bursting its banks.

Officers were unable to control their soldiers, and many officers themselves joined the desertion.

Standing on the slope, Lü Bu watched the Liangzhou army flee like stray dogs, and a surge of heroic spirit welled up within him.

He knew that he had won this battle where the forces were vastly outnumbered, and it was a resounding victory!

"Order the cavalry to pursue for five li, focusing on dispersing and capturing the enemy, without taking excessive risks!" Lü Bu issued his final order.

"Yes, sir!" Zhang Liao and the others responded excitedly.

The Bingzhou army began an orderly pursuit and battlefield cleanup operation.

In this battle, Lü Bu, with fewer than two thousand men, successively defeated Hu Zhen's five thousand vanguard cavalry and Fan Chou's five thousand reinforcement cavalry, and forced Guo Si's main force of forty thousand infantry to collapse without a fight. He achieved numerous kills and captures, greatly enhancing his prestige.

The battle essentially ended at dusk when Guo Si and Fan Chou retreated into Baling County and defended the city.

The vast area north of the Ba River to Baling County became the graveyard of the Liangzhou army.

Corpses littered the fields, and abandoned weapons, flags, and supplies were scattered everywhere.

The Bingzhou army gathered and guarded the prisoners while cleaning up the battlefield, reaping a considerable harvest.

Late at night, Lü Bu returned to his central command tent on the south bank of the Ba River, where generals such as Zhang Liao, Hao Meng, and Cheng Lian returned one after another to report on the battle results.

"General, in this battle, our army has killed an estimated two thousand enemy soldiers, including about fifteen hundred cavalry and several hundred infantry. We captured about five thousand enemy soldiers, including over a thousand cavalry and over four thousand infantry who were unable to escape. We also seized nearly a thousand intact warhorses, as well as countless weapons, armor, provisions, and supplies!" Zhang Liao reported the preliminary statistics with excitement in his voice.

Hao Meng added: "According to preliminary statistics on our casualties, 87 people were killed in action and more than 170 were wounded, most of whom were slightly injured and will be able to recover their combat effectiveness after a period of rest."

With fewer than three hundred casualties, such a brilliant victory was undoubtedly an unprecedented triumph!

The generals looked at Lü Bu with eyes full of respect and even admiration.

In today's battle, Lü Bu, with only two thousand mixed infantry and cavalry, first swiftly killed Hu Zhen on the battlefield, then led his iron cavalry to rout an enemy force several times his size, and even nearly killed Fan Chou in battle. His bravery and decisiveness completely won over everyone.

Lu Bu was also very satisfied.

This battle not only yielded a large amount of real-world loot, but the system notifications for killing elite zombies, high-level zombies, mid-level zombies, and low-level zombies also kept ringing in my mind, causing the supplies in my storage space to explode once again.

"You have all worked hard," Lü Bu said to his generals. "This great victory is entirely due to the bravery of our soldiers! Every soldier who participated in the battle will be awarded a merit and their reward will be doubled! The families of the fallen will be generously compensated, and the wounded will receive proper medical treatment!"

"Thank you, General!" the generals responded in unison, their faces beaming with joy.

"Wen Yuan, follow the old rules and try your best to persuade the prisoners to surrender. Then, disperse them and incorporate them into the auxiliary troops, where they will be led by veteran soldiers and strictly trained and disciplined." (Purification Award)

"This subordinate understands."

"Captured warhorses will be used first to replenish the cavalry's losses. Any surplus will be used to select strong men to form new cavalry units, and weak men to serve as pack horses."

"promise."

After arranging military affairs, Lü Bu walked out of the main tent and looked at the dejected Liangzhou prisoners being escorted by Bingzhou soldiers. He then looked at the corpses of soldiers from both sides being buried by laborers in the distance (they still had their trousers intact) and felt a sense of melancholy.

This battle solidified Lü Bu's reputation and allowed him to establish a foothold in Guanzhong.

After this defeat, Guo Si and Fan Chou will find it extremely difficult to mount an effective attack again in the short term.

Li Jue will probably have to reassess Lu Bu's strength.

More importantly, through this victory and the "benevolent governance" he had previously implemented, his reputation would be greatly improved.

He is no longer the reckless, fickle, tyrannical, and treacherous servant who served three masters, but a powerful ruler who is brave in the army, treats his soldiers well, and can even bring peace and stability to the people under his rule.

It is foreseeable that more and more refugees, defeated soldiers, and even frustrated scholars will flock to him.

The population and military strength under his command will enter a period of rapid growth.

"The safe zone level should be upgraded again soon," Lu Bu thought to himself.

Once the population surpasses 100,000 and reaches Level 4 security, the daily resources and skill points received will increase, and his strength will grow rapidly.

He looked up towards Chang'an in the west, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

"Li Jue, Guo Si, I, Lü Bu, will take Chang'an back sooner or later!"

Meanwhile, a somber mood hung over Baling County.

Guo Si and Fan Chou, who had escaped by sheer luck, took stock of their remaining troops and found that there were less than 30,000 infantrymen who had followed them back, and only about 2,000 cavalrymen left. Moreover, they were all still in shock and their morale was low.

Of the 50,000 troops that set out, less than 35,000 returned, having lost almost all of their cavalry and a large amount of supplies—a devastating loss.

Besides those killed, wounded, or captured by Lü Bu's army, many soldiers deserted the main force and scattered on their own.

"Lu Bu!" Guo Si slammed his fist on the table, his face contorted in pain.

The old wound on his face began to ache again.

Fan Chou, equally disheveled and shaken, said, "General Guo, that Lü Bu is truly beyond human capability! Our army's morale has plummeted, and we fear we will be unable to fight again in the short term. Perhaps we should retreat to Chang'an for now and reconsider our strategy?"

Although Guo Si was unwilling, he knew that what Fan Chou said was true.

His face was grim as he nodded: "Send the order down; tomorrow morning, break camp and return to Chang'an!"

This campaign, initiated by Guo Si with the aim of eliminating Lü Bu and reclaiming Dong Zhuo's head, ended in a crushing defeat for the Liangzhou army.

The news spread, causing a stir in Guanzhong and drawing attention from all over the world.

Everyone realized that Lü Bu, the Flying General who had been driven out of Chang'an by Li Jue and Guo Si a month ago, had not only not fallen into despair, but had instead returned to the stage of the Guanzhong Plain in an even more powerful manner.