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

Dust rose in the distance, and the sound of horses' hooves echoed like muffled thunder.

The ranks of officials stirred slightly, with many craning their necks to look.

Before long, a cavalry force came into view. The lead rider was crimson like flames, and the general on horseback wore golden armor and a black robe, holding a halberd at his side—it was Lü Bu.

Lü Bu led his army to within a hundred paces of Ba Shang Pavilion and reined in his Red Hare. Thousands of elite cavalry behind him halted in unison, their movements perfectly synchronized, exuding a chilling aura.

Liu Xie stood up on the imperial carriage.

According to the rites, when the emperor went out to greet a meritorious official, the official should dismount and walk to the emperor's presence to perform a kneeling ceremony.

But Lü Bu did not dismount.

He simply rode forward slowly, stopping ten paces in front of the imperial carriage. He bowed to Liu Xie and said in a loud voice, "Your subject Lü Bu has conquered the rebels Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan, pacified Hebei, and now returns to court in triumph. I thank Your Majesty for personally welcoming me."

Having said that, he stared intently at Liu Xie, showing no intention of dismounting or kneeling.

The entire room fell silent.

A cold wind swept across the open field, making the yellow silk parasols flutter loudly.

Liu Xie's face turned deathly pale, his fingers clenched tightly in his sleeves. He should rebuke Lü Bu for his rudeness, and he should uphold the dignity of the emperor.

But he dared not.

He saw the generals behind Lü Bu: Yu Jin in black armor with a spear, Guan Yu in green robes with his hand on his sword, Zhang Fei with wide, piercing eyes, and other unfamiliar but murderous-looking officers. He also saw Cheng Lian, the commander of the Imperial Guards, standing beside him with his hand on his sword, his gaze sharp as a knife.

If he were to launch an attack now, what would be the outcome?

Liu Xie dared not think any further.

"Duke of Jin... you have worked hard." Liu Xie heard his own voice was dry and weak. "The pacification of Hebei is a great achievement for the country. I... I am very pleased."

Lu Bu smiled slightly: "This is my duty, Your Majesty. It is cold; please return to the palace."

Without even waiting for Liu Xie's order, he turned his horse around and said to the soldiers behind him, "Enter the city!"

"Yes, sir!" Thousands of cavalrymen responded in unison, their voices echoing across the land.

The imperial carriage turned around, and the imperial procession set off. Liu Xie sat in the carriage, listening to the thunderous sound of hooves behind him, feeling as if each step of the sound was pounding on his heart.

The officials followed silently, none daring to speak.

Zhong Shao and Deng Quan walked side by side, whispering, "On this old site of Ba Shang, the emperor welcomed his subjects. From today onwards, the majesty of the Han dynasty will be swept away."

Deng Quan smiled bitterly: "It's a miracle that I've survived. Judging from Lü Bu's momentum, a change of dynasty is probably not far off."

At the rear of the procession, Jia Xu and Guo Jia rode side by side on horseback.

Guo Jia chuckled lazily, "Brother Wenhe has arranged a fine place, Ba Shang. The Emperor traveled ten miles from Chang'an to welcome the Duke of Jin; the meaning is profound."

Jia Xu stroked his beard and smiled. Looking at Lü Bu's retreating figure, he said, "After this incident, the court and the people should know who truly rules the world."

After reaching the sixth level of the safe zone, Lu Bu received an enormous amount of food and supplies from the system every day, more than enough to support an army of a million, let alone the fact that he currently only had a little over 200,000 troops under his command.

He dismissed many of the surrendered soldiers who he deemed unfit for the job due to physical condition, age, or lack of desire to serve.

Therefore, upon returning to Chang'an, Lü Bu immediately held a three-day grand banquet. Not only the civil and military officials of the court, but also the common people of Chang'an distributed grain and meat to the village heads, who were then allowed to hold a continuous feast, and all the people celebrated together.

On the tenth day of the second month, in Chang'an, at the office of the "Da Han Xun Bao" newspaper.

Holding a freshly proofread manuscript, the editor-in-chief strode into the printing workshop. Inside, the workshop was bustling with activity, dozens of craftsmen were operating printing presses, and the air was filled with the scent of ink.

The editor-in-chief handed the manuscript to the foreman, instructing, "Make sure it's printed and sent to all states and counties by February 11th!"

The foreman took the draft and saw several large characters prominently displayed on the first page:

Great Victory! Duke Jin personally led an expedition to Hebei, pacifying Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan, unifying the north!

The subtitle is: "Jizhou, Qingzhou, and Youzhou all fall under the control of the imperial court; Duke Jin's power shakes the world."

The content details Lü Bu's achievements in this northern expedition: capturing Anyang Ferry, capturing Ye City, capturing Yuan Shao, recruiting Zhang He and Gao Lan, driving out Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi, recruiting Tian Kai, destroying Gongsun Zan, and pacifying Youzhou. Each achievement is accompanied by a brief description of the battle.

What's even more striking is the manifesto that follows.

"A solemn warning to Yuan Shu of Yu Province, Liu Biao of Jing Province, Sun Ce of Yang Province, and Shi Xie of Jiao Province: The imperial army has pacified the north, controlling nine of the thirteen provinces of the realm. Your separatist rule and resistance against the imperial army are tantamount to courting your own destruction. Therefore, we hereby solemnly warn you that you must send envoys to Chang'an within six months to submit your allegiance and await the imperial command. If you remain obstinate and stubbornly resist, the day the imperial army marches south will surely be the day you are utterly annihilated!"

Finally, a short article was attached, announcing Yuan Shao's crimes: "Yuan Shao usurped the throne, forged official seals, levied exorbitant taxes, colluded with the barbarians, and committed ten heinous crimes. After trial by the court, he was sentenced to exterminate his entire clan as a warning to others."

The foreman was horrified: "Editor-in-chief, this is going to force the southern warlords to rebel!"

The editor-in-chief said calmly, "This is the Duke of Jin's intention, and it's also the manuscript finalized by Minister Jia and Military Advisor Guo. Just print it; you don't need to ask any more questions."

"Yes, yes, yes." The foreman quickly called to the craftsmen, "Quickly, change the printing plate, reprint!"

On February 11, the latest issue of the "Great Han Xunbao" began to be distributed on the streets of Chang'an and sent to various prefectures and counties.

Newspaper boys, carrying thick stacks of newspapers, hawked their wares along the streets: "Read the newspaper! The Duke of Jin has pacified Hebei, and the north is unified! Yuan Shao has been captured, and Gongsun Zan has been beheaded! The imperial court hereby warns Yuan Shu, Liu Biao, Sun Ce, and Shi Xie to submit within a specified period!"

People flocked to buy the goods.

A middle-aged man dressed in coarse cloth bought a copy and read it aloud to his illiterate companion: "...Duke Jin built a forty-zhang-high platform outside Ye City, and catapults bombarded it for a day, destroying the entire city wall. My God, this is truly a god descending to earth!"

His companion exclaimed, "No wonder Yuan Shao's army of over 100,000 couldn't stop them!"

Elsewhere, several young men dressed as scholars gathered to read newspapers.

"Look here, Yuan Shao has ordered the extermination of the entire Yuan clan. The Yuan family, which had held high office for four generations, is finished just like that?"

"It's all good that Yuan Shao levied exorbitant taxes and forcibly conscripted able-bodied men in Ji Province, causing immense suffering to the people. Now that the Duke of Jin has pacified Hebei, I've heard that he has opened the granaries to distribute grain and reduced taxes."

"Indeed, have you noticed? Since Princess Jin took power, taxes in Guanzhong have been reduced, government offices have stopped arbitrarily imposing levies, soldiers are receiving pay, and the people are no longer being robbed."

"Not only that, my uncle works in the Ministry of Works. He said that Duke Jin has developed new spinning wheels and waterwheels, and has also promoted the curved plow. The harvest in Guanzhong has been much better in the past two years."

"So, Duke Jin was truly a savior of the world?"

"More than just saving the world, I think it is," a scholar said in a low voice, "the mandate of heaven."

After a moment of silence, another person spoke up: "Some say that Duke Jin's achievements are unparalleled, and he deserves to be granted a kingship as a reward. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, someone immediately objected: "To confer a title of king? According to the ancestral rules of the Han Dynasty, only those of the Liu family could be kings."

"Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. If Duke Jin truly wants to be made a king, who can stop him?"

"Indeed, let's see how the court decides."

Similar discussions took place throughout Chang'an.

In restaurants, teahouses, markets, and even government offices, everyone was talking about the great victory in the north, about Lü Bu's achievements, and about the possibility of Lü Bu being made a king.