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

On the morning of the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, Lü Bu stood on horseback in the center of an open space on the south bank of the Pi River. On the opposite bank, Yan Gang and three thousand garrison soldiers watched nervously from the city wall.

"What is Lü Bu going to do?"

"I wonder... is it really possible to conjure something out of thin air?"

Under the watchful eyes of countless people, Lü Bu raised his hand.

A huge rock appeared out of nowhere and crashed to the ground. The rock was six feet long and wide, four feet thick, and weighed over two thousand catties. When it landed, the ground shook and snow flew everywhere.

Then, the second piece, the third piece...

Lü Bu stacked the boulders one by one, like building blocks.

On the city wall, Yan Gang stared in disbelief.

"This...this is truly sorcery!"

The lieutenant said in a trembling voice, "General, he's building a high platform! Judging by the looks of it, he's going to build it over the city wall!"

Yan Gang urgently ordered, "Prepare the catapults! Archers, fire! Stop him!"

Twenty catapults on the city wall turned, sending stones whistling through the air. But the distance was too great, and most of the stones landed in the river, splashing water. A few occasionally hit the south bank, but Lü Bu easily dodged them. Even if they hit the stone platform, it was to no avail.

The archers fired upwards, and the arrows, exhausted, fell to the ground when they reached the middle of the river.

The defenders on the city wall went from fear to despair.

The stone platform stood majestically, far exceeding the height of the city wall.

Yan Gang's face turned deathly pale, and he hissed, "Quickly, send another courier to urge the lord to come immediately!"

But it was too late.

When the wall reached a height of forty zhang (approximately 33 meters), Lü Bu stopped. He stood atop the platform, looking down at the opposite bank. The walls of Moxian County looked like toys, and the defending soldiers looked like ants, all within his sight.

With a thought, fifty catapults and thirty ballistae appeared out of thin air on the stage.

Soldiers operating the machinery climbed up the steps behind the stone platform to the high platform.

"Release it." Lü Bu waved his command flag.

"Boom! Boom! Boom—"

Stone projectiles hurtled towards the city wall like meteors.

The first wave of attacks hit the city gate tower. A stone hit the roof, shattering the tiles and breaking the beams. Soldiers inside screamed as they fell to the ground.

The second wave covered the city wall ramps, leaving the defenders nowhere to hide. Those hit by the stones were either killed or maimed, their severed limbs mixed with blood, staining the top of the wall red.

The third wave struck directly into the city, with stones flying over the city walls and hitting barracks and armories, causing fires to erupt and billowing black smoke to rise.

Ballistae fired simultaneously, giant arrows piercing the air, penetrating the shield formation, and piercing the watchtower.

Under the protection of his personal guards, Yan Gang hid in the hidden troop cave, surrounded by deafening roars and screams. Looking through the lookout, he saw that the city wall was in ruins, with heavy casualties among the defenders, the rest lying prostrate on the ground, too afraid to raise their heads.

"General, we can't hold on!" the lieutenant cried out. "Lu Bu has the high ground above us, our entire army is within his firing range, and we can't retaliate!"

Yan Gang gritted his teeth: "Wait for our lord's reinforcements..."

Before he could finish speaking, another stone hit the top of the hidden troop cave, and dust fell down.

The defenses of Moxian were far less robust than those of Yecheng. After two hours of relentless bombardment, the defenses of Moxian completely collapsed.

Three sections of the city wall collapsed, the city gate tower was reduced to ruins, more than half of the defending soldiers were killed or wounded, and the rest were terrified.

Upon seeing this, Lü Bu stepped down from the platform and went to the riverbank to begin building a bridge.

The specially made boulders for the bridge piers were thrown into the river, and the bridge planks were laid one by one. The soldiers on the opposite bank watched helplessly, but no one dared to show their heads to stop them—whoever did would be sniped by the crossbows on the platform.

The bridge was completed, and his personal guards brought Red Hare. Lü Bu mounted the horse, pointed his halberd forward, and shouted, "Cross the river!"

Zhang Xiu led 500 personal guards to charge ahead, followed closely by Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, each leading 1,000 cavalry.

On the north bank beach, the remaining defenders offered little resistance before collapsing. Yan Gang attempted to organize street fighting but was pierced through the chest by Zhang Fei's spear and died on the spot.

By the time of Wei (1-3 PM), the entire city of Mo County had changed hands.

At 3 PM on the same day, thirty li north of Mo County.

Gongsun Zan led his army on a swift march when suddenly he saw billowing smoke and dust ahead, and fleeing soldiers surging towards him like a tide.

"My lord! Mo County... Mo County has fallen!" A captain scrambled to his knees, "Lü Bu built a forty-zhang-high platform, and his catapults bombarded it for two hours, destroying the entire city wall! General Yan Gang is dead, and the garrison has all surrendered!"

Gongsun Zan was struck dumb: "What? Two hours?"

Tian Yu urgently said, "My lord, Lü Bu truly possesses the divine ability to store grain! Now that Mo County has fallen, we cannot advance any further; we must quickly retreat and defend Yijing!"

Before Gongsun Zan could reply, another scout arrived on horseback: "Report—Lü Bu has left Mo County and is leading several thousand elite cavalry northward!"

All the generals were astonished.

Zou Dan said in a trembling voice, "My lord, Lü Bu is coming with overwhelming force, and our army is exhausted from our long journey. Perhaps we should temporarily avoid his advance..."

"Avoid?" Gongsun Zan laughed angrily. "My 20,000 troops are no match for a few thousand cavalry! Form ranks and meet the enemy!"

Upon receiving the order, the Youzhou army hastily formed ranks. However, morale was low, with many soldiers showing fear and whispering amongst themselves.

"I've heard that Lü Bu could conjure stones out of thin air, build platforms, and breach city walls..."

"Mo County fell in just two hours, how long can we hold out?"

"I still want to go home for the Chinese New Year..."

Amidst the murmurs, dust billowed in the south. Lü Bu led his army in, his Red Hare galloping like flames, followed by a black torrent of cavalry.

The two armies faced each other, three hundred paces apart.

Lü Bu reined in his horse and declared loudly, "Gongsun Zan, surrender now and you may still be spared death!"

Gongsun Zan rode out into battle on a white horse, clad in silver armor. Though nearing fifty, he still exuded an imposing aura: "You traitor Lü Bu, dare to be so arrogant! When I was roaming Youyan, you were still herding sheep in Bingzhou!"

Lu Bu sneered, "Since you don't know when to stop, let's see who's the best."

With a wave of his command flag, he divided his cavalry into three routes: Guan Yu led the left wing, Zhang Fei led the right wing, and he himself led the central army.

Gongsun Zan also ordered Zou Dan, Shan Jing, and Wang Men to each lead an army to meet the attack.

The war drums sounded, and the two armies charged into battle.

The difference in skill was immediately apparent upon engaging in combat.

Lu Bu's troops were all newly selected elite soldiers, battle-hardened and well-equipped. The Youzhou army, though brave, had come from afar, their morale was low, and they were also afraid of Lu Bu's reputation, so their fighting spirit was lacking.

Where Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade passed, men and horses fell; Zhang Fei's Serpent Spear was like a dragon, invincible in all directions; Lü Bu personally led the Imperial Guard straight into the center of the army, his halberd sweeping across, and none could withstand a single blow.

Seeing the situation was dire, Gongsun Zan hastily ordered the White Horse Cavalry to charge. This elite cavalry, which had once been renowned throughout the northern frontier, was now unable to reverse the defeat—Lü Bu's crossbow bolts rained down, and the White Horse Cavalry fell in droves during their charge.

The battle lasted less than a quarter of an hour, and the Youzhou army's formation was already in disarray.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Tian Yu urgently urged, "My lord, Lü Bu is fierce and brave. We must retreat quickly! If we retreat to Yijing, there is still a chance to turn the tide!"

Gongsun Zan gritted his teeth and led his personal guards to break through to the north.

With their commander fleeing, the Youzhou army completely collapsed. Those who surrendered knelt on the ground, while those who fled scattered, abandoning countless weapons, armor, and supplies.

Lü Bu ordered Zhang Xiu to accept the surrendered prisoners, while he himself led Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and three thousand elite cavalry in hot pursuit of Gongsun Zan.

On the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, on the south bank of the Yi River.

Gongsun Zan led his remaining troops to Yijing, still in shock. A headcount revealed only eight thousand soldiers left.

Gongsun Xu (son of Gongsun Zan), the garrison commander of Yijing, came out to greet him: "Father, how could we have been defeated so quickly?"

Gongsun Zan slumped down and recounted the Battle of Mo County in detail.

Upon hearing this, Gongsun Xu turned deathly pale: "A forty-zhang-high platform, breaching the city in two hours—is that truly within human capability?"

"Report—" a sentry rushed in, "Lü Bu has reached the south bank of the Yi River and is building a bridge!"

Gongsun Zan abruptly stood up: "Quickly, sabotage the ferry crossing and burn the ships!"

But when the order was given, huge bridge piers appeared out of thin air on the opposite bank of the river, and bridge planks were being laid one by one toward the center of the river.

The defenders of Yijing were dumbfounded.

"Father, we can't defeat Lü Bu!" Gongsun Xu said urgently. "Why don't we surrender?"

Gongsun Zan's expression shifted, and after a long while, he sighed, "Send an envoy to see Lü Bu. Tell him that I am willing to surrender the entire province, and only wish for the position of governor of a prefecture, so that I may live out the rest of my life in peace."