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

Inside and outside Xinxiang town, cries and pleas rose and fell.

Yuan Shao ignored the warnings, changed into light leather armor with the help of his personal guards, and strode towards the stable. His mount was a fine horse from Hexi, which, though not as good as Red Hare, was still a top-quality steed.

Madam Liu arrived with Yuan Shang. Both of them could ride horses and had changed into men's clothing. Yuan Shang was only fourteen years old, pale-faced, and clutched his mother's sleeve tightly.

"Let's go!" Yuan Shao mounted his horse.

Civil officials such as Tian Feng, Ju Shou, and Xu You also mounted their horses—most strategists in chaotic times were skilled in horsemanship. Only a few elderly and frail subordinates were left in Xinxiang County.

"My lord..." An old servant knelt before Yuan Shao's horse, tears streaming down his face.

Yuan Shao pulled a bag of gold coins from his pocket and threw it on the ground: "Distribute these among yourselves and flee for your lives. If...if I can rise again, come looking for me."

Having said that, he spurred his horse, and the steed neighed as it charged out of the post station gate.

Behind them, more than two thousand riders followed closely, their hooves thundering and raising clouds of dust.

The dozens of family members and servants who remained at the post station watched the departing procession and wept together.

At dusk, a cloud of dust rose on the official road west of Xinxiang County.

Lü Bu led several thousand cavalrymen to the outskirts of the town and reined in his horse to observe. In the afterglow of the setting sun, the small town appeared exceptionally quiet.

"My lord, there are people in the town!" Zhang Fei, with his sharp eyes, pointed to the town gate.

The town gate slowly opened, and several middle-aged men dressed as local officials walked out tremblingly, followed by dozens of people who knelt by the roadside.

Lü Bu rode forward and asked, "Who are you?"

The head of the township prostrated himself and said, "This humble one is Chen Ping, the head of Xin Township, who pays respects to Duke Jin."

"Has Yuan Shao ever been here?" Lü Bu asked.

"We passed by at noon and rested at the post station for about an hour. After learning that Duke Jin had pursued us to Jieqiao, we abandoned our carriages and supplies and led our cavalry southeast." Chen Ping dared not conceal the truth. "We left behind dozens of family members and servants at the post station."

Lü Bu frowned: "Southeast? Where exactly?"

"I overheard them talking about going to Ganling County, the capital of Qinghe State, and then from there heading towards Pingyuan Commandery, crossing the Yellow River into Qingzhou," Chen Ping said. "Yuan Shao said he wanted to meet up with his eldest son, Yuan Tan."

"Ganling County..." Lü Bu turned to Xun Yu, "Wenruo, how far is it from here?"

Xun Yu pondered for a moment: "About thirty li. If the cavalry marches at full speed, they can arrive in two hours, but... it will be getting dark soon."

"We must pursue him even if it gets dark!" Lü Bu declared resolutely. "Yuan Shao is already a frightened bird; he certainly won't dare linger in Ganling. If we let him cross the Yellow River, it will take even more effort."

He looked at the soldiers behind him.

After several days of pursuit, the soldiers all looked exhausted, but no one complained. Lü Bu's army was disciplined and rewarded and punished fairly. More importantly, everyone knew that if they won this battle, Ji Province would be secured, and most of the world would belong to the Duke of Jin.

They all faced the opportunity to serve as heirs to a new dynasty, and none of them wanted to lose this once-in-a-century opportunity.

"Gentlemen!" Lü Bulang exclaimed, "Yuan Shao is only thirty li ahead in Ganling County. If we capture and kill this traitor, Hebei will be pacified! You have worked hard tonight; I will reward you handsomely after we capture and kill Yuan Shao!"

"We are willing to follow Duke Jin to defeat the enemy!" the soldiers shouted in unison.

Lü Bu then said to Chen Ping, "Keep a close watch on Yuan Shao's family members in the post station. Do not let a single one escape. I will deal with them when I return."

"Your humble servant obeys!" Chen Ping kowtowed immediately.

The army continued its eastward advance.

One man, two horses, changing horses but not the rider, moving at an incredible speed. As dusk fell, the soldiers lit torches, and a fiery dragon snaked along the official road.

At the beginning of the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), the outline of a city appeared ahead, along with the tail of a fleeing cavalry—Yuan Shao's cavalry were entering the city, and finally, Lü Bu caught up with them.

Ganling County was the seat of Qinghe State in Jizhou. The city wall was about five zhang high, built of blue bricks, and appeared solemn and imposing under the torchlight.

Lu Bu reined in his horse and raised his hand to stop the army.

"My lord, look at the city wall!" Zhao Yun pointed to the city gate.

At the west gate of Ganling, the drawbridge was slowly rising, and the gate was closing. Outside the gate, dozens of riders were in a panic, trying to enter the city but it was too late, and they were circling outside.

"Yuan Shao has just entered the city!" Zhang Fei shouted. "Attack quickly!"

"No rush." ​​Lu Bu narrowed his eyes. "The city gates are closed; a forced charge is futile."

He carefully observed the dozens of horsemen outside the city.

The men were disheveled, their warhorses foaming at the mouth, clearly exhausted. Seeing the city gates close, some beat their chests in despair, some cursed, and many more were utterly bewildered.

"Zhang Xiu, Yu Jin," Lü Bu said, "each of you will lead five hundred cavalry to flank those dozens of riders from the left and right, and stop them from escaping."

"Yes, sir!" Zhang Xiu and Yu Jin accepted the order and left.

Lü Bu then said to Zhao Yun, "Zilong, lead a thousand cavalry to surround the city and block the east gate—if Yuan Shao wants to escape to Qingzhou, he will definitely go through the east gate."

"This subordinate obeys!"

"Yun Chang, lead a thousand cavalry to block the south gate."

"promise!"

"Yide, lead a thousand cavalry to block the north gate."

"Alright!"

"The rest of you, set up camp where you are and block the west gate." After giving these instructions, Lü Bu slowly rode forward.

Seeing that the army had surrounded them, the dozens of riders outside the city knew they could not escape, so they dismounted, abandoned their weapons, and knelt down.

"Your Majesty has shown us mercy; we are willing to surrender!"

Lu Bu approached and sized up the men. Most were ordinary cavalrymen, with two low-ranking officers as well.

"Are you Yuan Shao's men?" Lü Bu asked.

An officer who appeared to be a squad leader kowtowed and said, "Yes, yes, we were originally the rearguard, following our lord all the way from Ye City—no, following the traitor Yuan Shao—to this place. Now that we see the Duke of Jin has arrived, that traitor Yuan has ordered the city gates closed ahead of time, leaving us outside the city..."

He spoke, his voice choked with emotion.

After days of fleeing and being abandoned by their lord, these soldiers were filled with grief and indignation.

Lu Bu was silent for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "Have some hot food and warm water first."

After speaking, he took out a large bucket of hot porridge, flatbread, and a leather bag filled with warm water from his storage space. These items were kept in the same state as when they were placed in the space, and the porridge was still steaming when he took them out.

The surrendered soldiers were dumbfounded.

Lü Bu was granted the divine ability to store grain, which gave him a huge advantage in military campaigns. No wonder Yuan Shao couldn't withstand him.

"Eat," Lu Bu said calmly. "Once you're full, I have some questions to ask."

The surrendered soldiers were moved to tears and began to devour the porridge. As the hot porridge warmed their frozen bodies, many of them ate while weeping.

After they had almost finished eating, Lü Bu asked, "How many troops are there in the city now? Where is Yuan Shao?"

The squad leader wiped his mouth and hurriedly replied, "Reporting to Duke Jin, Ganling originally had a garrison of about three thousand men, mostly county soldiers. Yuan Shao brought more than two thousand cavalry, bringing the total to over five thousand. After entering the city, Yuan Shao went directly to the prefect's residence, saying he wanted to summon civil and military officials for a meeting."

"How is the city's defense?"

"There are garrison troops on all four sides of the city wall, but their morale is low." The garrison commander hesitated for a moment, but still told the truth, "The news of General Wen Chou's death has spread, and many people are saying that Yuan Shao's fate is sealed."

Lü Bu nodded and then asked, "Has Yuan Shao said what his next plan is?"

"I am of low rank and do not know the details. But I overheard some of my superiors discussing that we should hold our ground and wait for reinforcements, hoping that Young Master Yuan Tan of Qingzhou will lead his troops to our aid," the garrison commander said. "However, many others believe that we cannot hold out. Your Excellency, with your divinely bestowed granary, Ye City fell in a single day. How can this small city of Ganling possibly hold?"