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

As Wei Bing and Su Yan were discussing the matter, a commotion broke out below the city walls. A soldier ran up to report, "Chief Clerk, Commandant, there's movement in the Xiongnu camp! They've gathered their troops and headed east!"

Su Yan and Wei Bing hurriedly looked over and indeed saw that the Xiongnu were breaking camp and assembling, with about two or three thousand cavalrymen moving towards Liuzhong City.

"What's going on?" Wei Bing asked, puzzled. "Are the Xiongnu retreating?"

"It doesn't seem like it." Su Yan squinted. "Look, they only moved part of their troops; the main camp is still there. Something might have happened in the east."

Just then, someone else came to report: "Army has appeared in the east, judging by the banners... it's the Han army!"

"What?" Su Yan and Wei Bing exclaimed at the same time.

The two hurriedly climbed to the highest watchtower and strained to look eastward. Sure enough, in the distance, amidst the dust and smoke, a cavalry unit was approaching Gaochangbi, its banners fluttering in the wind, with the characters "[Han]" and "[Ma]" faintly visible.

"It really is the Han army!" Wei Bing's voice trembled with excitement. "The imperial court... the imperial court has sent reinforcements!"

Su Yan's eyes also reddened, and he murmured, "Twenty years...twenty years without seeing the imperial army..."

On the city wall, the other garrison soldiers and the nobles who had fled there also saw it and cheered.

"The Han army is here! We're saved!"

"Heaven hasn't forsaken me!"

King Hulandi of the Cheshi Vanguard, along with his family, climbed to the top of the city wall. Upon seeing the Han army banners, he knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down his face: "The Great Han... the Great Han has not abandoned us..."

However, the cheers quickly turned into worries.

The Han army consisted of only two or three thousand cavalry, while the Xiongnu outside the city numbered over three thousand. Given these evenly matched forces, could the Han army win?

Outside the city, Ma Chao led his army to a point three miles east of Gaochangbi, where they reined in their horses and stopped.

He saw the Xiongnu people who were ready for battle, and he also saw the defending troops cheering on the city walls.

Vice General Wang rode forward: "General, there are still about three thousand Xiongnu people. Should we fight or...?"

Ma Chao shook his head: "We came lightly armed, most of our soldiers are unarmored, and we don't have enough arrows. Even if we can win a direct confrontation, the casualties will be heavy. Let's lift the siege first."

He ordered: "Send 500 troops to follow me into the city. The rest of the troops shall form ranks outside and confront the Xiongnu. If they attack, we shall fight; if they do not move, we shall not move either."

"promise!"

Ma Chao led 500 elite cavalrymen through a gap left by the Xiongnu—the Xiongnu had lifted their southern encirclement to regroup for battle—and galloped toward the gate of Gaochang Bicheng.

On the city wall, Wei Bing urgently ordered, "Open the city gates! Open the city gates now!"

The heavy iron-clad wooden gate slowly opened, and Ma Chao led his army into the city.

After Ma Chao entered the city, Su Yan and Wei Bing hurriedly went to greet him.

"Your humble servant, Su Yan, the Prefect of the Western Regions, pays his respects to the General!"

"This humble general, Wei Bing, Colonel of the Wuji Division, pays his respects to the General!"

The two knelt on one knee, and behind them, a group of Han soldiers, laborers, and Western Region nobles such as King Hulandi of the Cheshi Front also bowed.

Ma Chao dismounted and helped the two men up: "Please rise, gentlemen. I am Ma Chao, commander of the Ninth Army of the Liangzhou Group Army. I have been ordered by the Prince of Jin to rush to the aid of the Western Regions."

"The Prince of Jin?" Su Yan was taken aback. "When did the court acquire a Prince of Jin?"

Ma Chao explained simply: "The current emperor has bestowed upon Lü Bu the title of King of Jin, granting him absolute control over the court. Now that the north is pacified, the King of Jin, having heard of the troubles in the Western Regions, has personally led a large army on a western expedition and will arrive soon."

Su Yan and Wei Bing exchanged a glance. Although they did not know exactly what had happened in the court, they were overjoyed to hear that a large army from the court had come to their aid, and that it was led by Lü Bu, the number one warrior in the world, who was known even to people in the Western Regions.

Wei Bing asked urgently, "General Ma, when will the Prince of Jin's army arrive? There are still three thousand Xiongnu outside the city, what should we do..."

Ma Chao waved his hand: "The Prince of Jin is leading four thousand elite cavalry behind us, and they should arrive in seven or eight days at the earliest. As for the Xiongnu outside the city, I have already fought against them."

He recounted the ambush outside Liuzhong City, which surprised and delighted Su Yan, Wei Bing, and the others.

"The general has defeated the main force of the Xiongnu?" Hu Landi exclaimed excitedly. "Then Xubudanghe..."

"He escaped, taking only three hundred or so cavalry back with him. He should be in the Xiongnu ranks outside the city now," Ma Chao said. "However, after this defeat, the Xiongnu's morale has been dampened. They are now arrayed outside the city and dare not attack rashly, so we don't need to rush into battle. Once the Prince of Jin's army arrives, the Xiongnu will surely be annihilated."

Su Yan nodded repeatedly: "General, you are wise! However, the city's food reserves are running low; they can only last for a month and a half at most."

Ma Chao thought for a moment and said, "It's alright. There are still some dry rations in our army, which can be distributed to those inside the city. In addition, during these days of siege by the Xiongnu, there should still be Cheshi people hiding outside the city with grain. We can send people out of the city at night to collect the grain."

He looked at Wei Bing: "Captain Wei, you are familiar with the surrounding area, so I'll leave this matter to you."

Wei Bing clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This humble general obeys!"

Ma Chao then said to Su Yan, "Chief Secretary Su, the Han officials, common people, and nobles from the Western Regions within the city must be appeased. Tell them that the King of Jin's army is approaching, and the Xiongnu's arrogance won't last much longer."

"Your humble servant understands!"

Just then, a sentry on the city wall reported: "General, the Xiongnu have broken camp and are moving north!"

Ma Chao and his men climbed to the top of the city wall and, as expected, saw the Xiongnu people packing up their camp, gathering their troops, and slowly retreating northward.

However, they did not flee in panic. Instead, they maintained their formation, with about two thousand cavalrymen covering their rear, facing the direction of Gaochangbi, clearly to guard against a pursuit by the Han army.

"They want to leave?" Wei Bing frowned.

Ma Chao sneered, "They're carrying provisions, valuables, prisoners, and other spoils of war; they won't be moving fast. Order our troops outside the city to follow them, maintain distance, and don't rush into battle. Just stay with them and don't let the main force of the Xiongnu escape."

The guards obeyed and left.

Su Yan said worriedly, "General, the Xiongnu are retreating north to return to their stronghold in Jinwei Mountain. If we let them into the mountains, it will be difficult to wipe them out."

"Don't worry." A cold glint flashed in Ma Chao's eyes. "They're carrying so many cattle, sheep, and valuables, they won't be able to move fast. The Prince of Jin's army is right behind them, they'll arrive in seven or eight days at most. The Prince of Jin has divine abilities, then the Xiongnu won't be able to escape."

He paused, then continued, "Moreover, the King of Jin has already ordered the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu Yufuluo to lead two thousand cavalry north to directly attack Jinwei Mountain. Even if Xubudanghe escapes back, he probably won't be able to protect his stronghold."

Upon hearing this, everyone's spirits lifted.