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

Inside Li Jue's residence in Chang'an, the atmosphere was somewhat heavy and awkward.

Guo Si and Fan Chou, who had just returned from Baling County, stood dejectedly below the hall, their armor covered in dust and their faces showing signs of exhaustion and lingering fear.

The old wound on Guo Si's face, once left by Lü Bu's halberd, seemed to ache again amidst his shame and indignation.

After hearing their report on the battle, Li Jue slammed his fist on the table, making the wine cups on it jump. "Fifty thousand troops! A full fifty thousand troops! To annihilate a mere two thousand of Lü Bu's rabble, you were utterly defeated, losing over ten thousand men, including your vanguard general Hu Zhen! How dare you return to me? How dare you face Dong Zhuo's spirit in heaven?!"

He spoke sternly, seemingly furious and dissatisfied with Guo Si and Fan Chou's crushing defeat.

Guo Si wanted to refute, but facts spoke louder than words, so he could only mutter, "Brother Li, it's not that we haven't tried our best, but Lu Bu's bravery is unmatched, and his Bingzhou wolf cavalry are fearless. Our army simply cannot withstand them!"

Fan Chou quickly chimed in, describing with lingering fear how Lü Bu had instantly killed Hu Zhen, how he had chased after him through the army as if it were empty, and how he had seized Hu Zhen's banner. He spoke vividly, his face showing genuine fear.

As Li Jue listened, his anger intensified, but his thoughts were quite different.

Looking at Guo Si and Fan Chou's disheveled state, especially Guo Si's predicament of suffering heavy losses after losing troops, a faint but imperceptible joy swept through him.

Together, they stormed into Chang'an and seized control of the emperor and the court.

The loss of troops by Guo Si and Fan Chou is not entirely a bad thing for Li Jue.

In this way, Li Jue could more firmly grasp the overall situation, control the emperor, and manipulate the court within Chang'an.

With their forces weakened and their strength diminished, Guo Si and Fan Chou had no choice but to rely on him even more.

As for Lü Bu's threat...

Li Jue pursed his lips, not taking it to heart.

He had never been to the battlefield and could not truly understand the terror of Lü Bu (whose skills had all been maxed out) as described by Guo Si and Fan Chou.

In his view, the two must have underestimated their enemy and acted rashly, resulting in poor command and allowing Lü Bu to win by sheer luck.

If Li Jue were to personally lead the army and crush them with overwhelming force, even if Lü Bu had three heads and six arms, he would surely be able to capture and kill him. Not only would he be able to retrieve Dong Zhuo's head, but he could also use this opportunity to become famous throughout the world and completely solidify his position as the leader of the Liangzhou army.

However, despite his thoughts, Li Jue would never easily leave Chang'an, the center of power.

His foundation lies here, in the imperial court, and beside the emperor.

Leaving Chang'an is too risky; if someone were to intercept us, it would be a huge loss.

Unlike Guo Si, who bore the humiliating scars inflicted by Lü Bu and harbored a deep-seated hatred for Lü Bu, determined to eliminate him as soon as possible.

So Li Jue then pretended to berate Lü Bu, calling him a "slave of three surnames," a "traitor who seeks glory by betraying his master," and "a brave tiger with the ears of a commoner," etc. This made Guo Si and Fan Chou's expressions soften slightly, and they felt that Li Jue was still on their side.

After hurling his insults, Li Jue changed the subject, probing, "Generals, you have just suffered a defeat and your morale is low. However, if we don't eliminate this scoundrel Lü Bu, he will remain a major threat. I wonder if you two still have the will to regroup and fight again? If you need supplies and equipment, I will certainly provide my full support!"

Guo Si and Fan Chou exchanged a glance, both seeing deep apprehension and reluctance in each other's eyes.

Guo Si touched the scar on his face and gritted his teeth, saying, "Brother Li, it's not that I don't want revenge, but nowadays the soldiers turn pale at the mere mention of Lü Bu's name. In the short term, it may be difficult to organize an effective offensive again. We need to plan this carefully."

Fan Chou nodded quickly: "Yes, Li Chariot Cavalry, Lü Bu is holding the Ba River and Lantian County, backed by the Qinling Mountains and Yaoguan Pass, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. Even if we cross the Ba River and capture Lantian County, it will be difficult to break through the natural barrier of Yaoguan Pass. A forced campaign would result in too many casualties. It would be better to rest for now and look for another opportunity."

Li Jue sneered inwardly, but his face showed regret and solemnity: "If that's how it is, so be it. Destroying Lü Bu is not something that can be accomplished in a day. However, the matter of Dong Zhuo's burial cannot be delayed any longer."

Mentioning Dong Zhuo, all three men became serious.

Giving Dong Zhuo a grand funeral befitting a king was an important means of winning over the hearts of the Liangzhou army and demonstrating their political correctness.

Guo Si said bitterly, "But Lord Dong's head is still in that scoundrel Lü Bu's hands!"

Li Jue pondered for a moment, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes: "If we can't take it by force, we might try exchanging it."

"Exchange?" Guo Si and Fan Chou were taken aback.

"Indeed." Li Jue stroked his short beard. "Aren't there still many of Lü Bu's former Bingzhou subordinates and their families imprisoned in Chang'an? These people are not of one mind with us. Keeping them in the city would waste food guarding them and preventing them from rebelling, just like those Shu soldiers back then. Why not use them to exchange for Dong Zhuo's head!"

Guo Si frowned: "This...isn't this aiding the enemy?"

Li Jue scoffed, "These few remaining soldiers, women, and children have all been severely tortured, and many have been crippled. Even if they return, few will be able to continue serving. Is it more important to exchange them for Dong Zhuo's head, allowing him to be buried with a complete body and stabilizing the morale of the army? Besides, with these burdens suddenly added to Lü Bu's forces, his food consumption will be even greater, which might further weaken him."

Fan Chou thought about it and agreed: "Li Chariot Cavalry's plan is brilliant! It can both retrieve the head and eliminate the hidden dangers within the city."

Although Guo Si felt that he had let Lü Bu off too easily, he was indeed unable to fight any longer. He figured that exchanging these "burdens" for Dong Zhuo's head to complete his political mission was a viable solution, so he nodded in agreement.

The three discussed the details further and decided to immediately select an eloquent person as an envoy to go to Lü Bu's army to negotiate the terms of the exchange.

The following day, on the south bank of the Ba River, at Lü Bu's army camp.

Inside the central command tent, Lü Bu was discussing military affairs with Zhang Liao, Hao Meng, Wei Xu, and others, mainly focusing on reorganizing the newly surrendered prisoners and digesting the spoils of this great victory.

The system notifications of zombie kill rewards and zombie purification benefits gave Lu Bu a lot of confidence, and he was planning his next move.

Suddenly, a personal guard came to report: "General, there are messengers outside the camp who claim to be sent by Li Jue and Guo Si of Chang'an and request an audience."

The people inside the tent immediately stopped talking and all looked at Lü Bu.

Lu Bu raised an eyebrow and exchanged a glance with Zhang Liao, both of them somewhat surprised.

Why would the other side send an envoy after a battle?

Persuade them to surrender? Impossible.

Peace talks? That doesn't seem likely either.

"Bring him in," Lu Bu said in a deep voice.

Before long, a man dressed in a scholar's robe and wearing a scholar's hat, who appeared to be around forty years old, was brought in.

His face was slightly pale, and he tried his best to remain calm, but his eyes still revealed a hint of tension that he could not hide.

After all, this was the den of tigers and wolves that had just defeated Guo Si's 50,000-strong army.

The envoy bowed respectfully, adopting a very humble posture: "I am Li Can, and I have come to pay my respects to Marquis Wen on the orders of General Li and General Guo."

Lu Bu remained seated, and asked calmly, "What brings Li Jue and Guo Si here?"

Envoy Li Can took a deep breath and said according to his prepared remarks: "Lord Wen, you are wise. The battle at Ba River the other day was a misunderstanding. General Guo was only acting out of anger because of his hatred for his former master, Lord Dong. Now that both sides have ceased hostilities, the General of Chariots and Cavalry and the General of the Rear believe that continuing the stalemate will not benefit either side."

He paused, secretly observing Lü Bu's expression. Seeing that the other party showed no emotion, he continued, "I've heard that Marquis Wen still possesses the head of Lord Dong. Although Lord Dong had his faults, death absolves him of guilt, and he once held a high position. The General of Chariots and Cavalry, out of consideration for past relationships, cannot bear to see Lord Dong's body severed from his head and unable to be buried properly. Therefore, they are willing to exchange Lord Dong's head for the surviving soldiers of Bingzhou and their families in Chang'an, so that Lord Dong can be buried with the honors due to a king. What does Marquis Wen think?"