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

After completing his inspection, Lü Bu left Jia Xu and Guo Jia behind.

"Wenhe and Fengxiao, after the autumn harvest, where should we attack first?"

Jia Xu said, "We should take Nanyang first. Nanyang is the gateway to Jingzhou. Taking it will deter Xiangyang. Moreover, Yuan Shu has stationed 20,000 elite troops in Nanyang. If we defeat it, we can unite with the gentry of Jingzhou to bind Liu Biao and take Jingzhou entirely."

Guo Jia shook his head: "I believe we should attack Yuan Shu first. Yuan Shu controls Yuzhou, Nanyang, Jiujiang, and Lujiang, with vast territory and numerous troops. Moreover, he has a blood feud with our lord for the extermination of his clan, so his will to resist is the strongest. If we defeat Yuan Shu first, Sun Ce, Liu Biao, and Shi Xie will be terrified and may surrender without a fight."

Lu Bu pondered: "Both strategies have their advantages and disadvantages. Wenhe's strategy is more prudent, while Fengxiao's strategy is more swift. Allow me to reconsider."

He gazed south, his eyes sharp: "Regardless of who we attack first, this battle must be swift and decisive, settling the score and unifying the world. The rise and fall of the nation is the fate of the people! It's time to usher in a period of peace and prosperity!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Xu and Guo Jia were both deeply impressed.

On the eve of unifying the world and ascending to the supreme position, the lord's thoughts were still on the people, which is truly admirable.

……

As the autumn harvest was being completed in the north, and Lü Bu was preparing to mobilize his troops to march south and unify the world, on the 14th day of the ninth month of the sixth year of Chuping (195 AD), in the Western Regions, in the Wutu Valley of the Later Cheshi Kingdom (near present-day Qitai County).

The sky was grayish-yellow, and the wind whipped up sand and gravel across the grassland, turning the grass tips yellow and cracking the ground. This year, the rainfall was pitifully scarce. The pastures on the southern slopes of Jinwei Mountain (now the Altai Mountains) (now the Junggar Basin), which used to be able to support tens of thousands of cattle and sheep, are now barren, with even the grass roots being eaten bare by the livestock.

Wutu Valley is located on the northern foothills of the eastern Tianshan Mountains and the southern side of the Junggar Basin. It was the royal court of the western kingdom of Cheshi.

It was called a royal court, but it was really just a few hundred tents gathered in a river valley, surrounded by an earthen wall that was no more than ten feet high and less than three feet thick.

The population of the rear part of Cheshi was less than 10,000, and only a few hundred men were able to fight. Their weapons were mostly bone arrows and wooden spears, with very few iron weapons.

After the Northern Xiongnu were driven westward by the Han court, the leader of the remaining Northern Xiongnu tribes around Jinwei Mountain, Zuo Dulu King Xubudanghe, rode on a precious horse, looked at the low earthen wall in front of him, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.

He was about forty years old, with a face full of scars, and a scar on his left cheek that ran from the corner of his eye to his jaw, a mark left from a battle with the Wusun people ten years ago. He was wrapped in a dirty sheepskin coat, with a curved knife at his waist, and a bow case hanging beside his saddle, the arrows in which were made of eagle feathers—a symbol of the Xiongnu nobility.

"Your Majesty, a scout reports that King Arrodo of the rear Cheshi is in the valley, with a garrison of less than a thousand men, poorly armed," a centurion rode up to report.

Subudanghe licked his chapped lips: "Where's the food?"

"The valley is stockpiled with freshly harvested wheat, winter hay, dried meat, and over ten thousand head of cattle and sheep." Greed flashed in the centurion's eyes.

"Good." Xubudanghe drew his scimitar, the tip pointing at Wutugu. "Men, this year there's been a drought, and our winter provisions aren't enough to feed so many people in the tribe. The Han court is weak and can't govern the Western Regions. Today, we'll wipe out the rear of the Cheshi tribe, seize their grain and women, and have a prosperous winter!"

"roar--"

Five thousand Xiongnu cavalrymen behind them howled in unison, their voices like wolves howling at the moon.

These people were mostly remnants of the Northern Xiongnu who were driven west of the Western Regions by the Han Dynasty. One branch remained in the area around Jinwei Mountain and, after more than a hundred years of growth and development, they absorbed some of the local tribes such as Hujie and Jiankun, gradually becoming a force to be reckoned with.

Deep down, they still remember the hatred that the Han court had for defeating the Xiongnu, sealing the wolf's lair, and driving their ancestors out of the northern desert. However, in the past, they were afraid of the Han court's military might and dared not act rashly.

Now that they hear that the Yellow Turban Rebellion has broken out in the Central Plains and that the warlords are dividing the country, the Western Regions Prefectural Governor's Office is practically defunct and powerless to look westward, they have become bolder.

The sound of horses' hooves thundered as five thousand cavalry charged toward Wutu Valley.

The Cheshi garrison on the earthen wall, seeing the dark mass of cavalry surging towards them, were terrified. Some hastily fired arrows, but the bone arrows flew dozens of paces before falling limply to the ground. Others tried to flee, but were cut down by the supervising nobles.

"Fire arrows! Fire arrows!" King Arrodo of the Later Cheshi stood on the wall, shouting at the top of his lungs.

But it's not very useful.

The Xiongnu cavalry rushed to the foot of the wall, threw out lassos to hook onto the top of the wall, and dozens of riders pulled the ropes at the same time. The earthen wall, which had been in disrepair for many years, collapsed in a section with a crash, and the cavalry surged in like a tide.

The massacre began.

Scimitars slashed down the terrified Cheshi people, horses trampled over the elderly, women, and children, tents were set ablaze, and black smoke billowed into the sky. Cries, screams, and wild laughter mingled together.

Aroldo fought his way back under the protection of his personal guards, taking two arrows that bled profusely. He looked back and saw that the royal court was engulfed in flames, and the corpses of his people lay strewn across the ground.

"To Jinman City!" Aroldo gritted his teeth. "The Han army is there; the Xiongnu might not dare to attack the Han city!"

Dozens of guards escorted Aroldo and his family as they fled through a path behind the valley and ran eastward.

Subudanha did not personally pursue the enemy; he was busy counting his spoils.

Grain, pasture, cattle and sheep, and property—these are all essential for surviving the winter.

As for the escaped King Cheshi, he didn't care.

What kind of trouble can a stray dog ​​stir up?

Half an hour later, a centurion came to report: "Your Majesty, King Arrodo of Cheshi has fled to Kimman."

"Jinmancheng?" Xubudanghe frowned. "The city of the Marquis of Wubu of the Han Army?"

"Yes, it's a Han army stronghold. The garrison commander is named Huo Gu, a descendant of a collateral branch of Huo Qubing."

Upon hearing the name Huo Qubing, a flash of hatred crossed Xubudanghe's eyes.

That was the Han Dynasty general who defeated the Xiongnu so badly that they were forced to migrate westward.

"Huo Qubing has been dead for three hundred years, and his family is still guarding this dilapidated city?" Xubudanghe sneered. "The Han court is barely able to protect itself, how can it care about the Western Regions? Let's go to Jinman City, wipe out this Han army, and let the kingdoms of the Western Regions know who calls the shots on this land now!"

Five thousand Xiongnu cavalrymen swept away the wealth and provisions of Wutu Valley, and escorted hundreds of prisoners eastward in a grand procession.

Four or five li east of the royal court lies Jinman City, the city of the Marquis of Wubu.

This Han Dynasty garrison outpost was much sturdier than the earthen walls of Wutu Valley. The walls were made of rammed earth and brick, over two zhang high and one zhang thick, with watchtowers at the four corners.

At its peak, Marquis Wu could move freely between the rear of Cheshi, Dongqiemi, and the royal court of Beilu, as if they were in an empty land. The kings of these small Western Regions kingdoms had to consult Marquis Wu before they could ascend the throne.

However, as the Protectorate of the Western Regions was downgraded to the Chief Administrator of the Western Regions, and eventually abandoned by the Han court, no more reinforcements or supplies from the Central Plains arrived. Now, the walls of Jinman City are damaged in many places, with bricks and stones falling off and wooden pillars of watchtowers decaying, clearly indicating that they have not been repaired for many years.

The most conspicuous building in the city was the residence of the Marquis of Wubu, which was actually just a slightly larger mud-brick house. A wooden pole stood in front of the residence, with a faded Han flag hanging on the top of the pole, the character "Han" still faintly discernible.

Huo Gu stood in the open space in front of the mansion, looking at the soldiers gathered in front of him.

A total of 87 people.

The oldest of these men was over fifty, and the youngest was in his thirties. Their armor was worn and their weapons were rusty, but they stood ramrod straight, their eyes resolute.