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

The air in Duixu Valley still smelled of blood after the great battle.

Lü Bu ordered the entire army to rest for three days.

Apart from the necessary sentries, guards of prisoners, and a team sent ahead to the rear of Cheshi to collect the bodies of Huo Gu and others, the rest of the soldiers could remove their armor and rest.

The order was given, and everyone quickly set up camp. Soon, the camp was filled with the sound of snoring.

These past few days have seen continuous forced marches, covering thousands of miles from Chang'an to the Western Regions, and a tough battle with the Xiongnu. Apart from Lü Bu, whose physical attributes of 160 keep him in high spirits, everyone else is exhausted.

Fierce generals like Ma Chao, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei could hold on, but most ordinary soldiers endured it all through sheer willpower.

Now that the battle is over, the tension has eased, and drowsiness is washing over me like a tidal wave.

Zhang Fei returned to his tent, not even having fully removed his armor, and immediately collapsed onto the felt blanket, snoring away. Guan Yu, at least, removed his armor, leaned his Green Dragon Crescent Blade against the side of the tent, lay down fully clothed, and soon fell into a deep sleep as well.

Ma Chao's troops fared even worse. They marched all the way from Liangzhou to Liuzhong City, then pursued the Xiongnu, fighting two battles in a row. In addition, without the storage space that Lü Bu had to carry supplies, each person had to carry a lot of dry food and water bottles, which made them even more physically exhausted.

Many soldiers fell asleep while eating their dry rations, still clutching half a piece of bread in their hands.

When Lü Bu inspected the military camp and saw this scene, he couldn't help but shake his head.

"Order the cooks to boil plenty of hot water so the soldiers can wash up after they wake up. Also, slaughter twenty sheep and make a meat soup; those who have woken up can eat first."

"Yes, sir!" The guard obeyed and left.

Back in the central command tent, he saw Dian Wei and Xu Chu still standing outside the tent, looking quite energetic.

"Aren't you two going to rest?" Lu Bu asked.

Dian Wei grinned: "My lord, I'm not tired. Staying in Chang'an for too long has made my bones rust. This outing has actually made me feel more energetic."

Xu Chu nodded: "The same goes for me."

Knowing that both men were exceptionally gifted and possessed physical strength far exceeding that of ordinary people, Lü Bu said no more and simply had them take turns resting.

It wasn't until the afternoon of the second day that the camp gradually came to life again.

The soldiers gradually woke up, lined up to get hot water to wash up, and then went to the cooks' camp to drink mutton soup. After drinking the hot soup, their faces regained color.

Like Zhang Fei, the first thing he did after getting up was to find something to eat. He drank three large bowls of meat soup and ate five flatbreads in one go before rubbing his stomach and saying, "Finally, I'm alive again!"

Guan Yu had already woken up and was wiping his Green Dragon Crescent Blade. Seeing Zhang Fei's starving appearance, he frowned and said, "Yide, mind your manners."

"Forget about manners, the most important thing is to be full!" Zhang Fei said nonchalantly.

At this moment, Ma Chao also woke up and came to the central command tent to report military affairs to Lü Bu.

"My lord, our casualties have been tallied. In this battle, our army suffered 37 dead and 58 wounded, mostly minor injuries. We have 2,142 Xiongnu prisoners, all of whom are being held in a temporary prisoner camp outside the valley. The captured grain, cattle, sheep, and valuables have also been registered."

Lu Bu nodded: "The bodies of the fallen soldiers should be properly collected, transported back to Chang'an for burial and compensation, and the wounded should be given proper medical treatment."

"Yes," Ma Chao added, "There's another matter. Starting yesterday, people from Dongqiemi have been returning from the nearby mountains. They were moved to tears by our great victory and knelt down outside the camp in worship."

Lu Bu thought for a moment: "Let them select a few representatives to come in and meet me."

Before long, three elderly men from Dongqiemi were brought to the central military tent. They were dressed in tattered fur clothing, their faces sallow and thin. As soon as they entered the tent, they knelt down and kowtowed in broken Chinese:

"This humble subject pays homage to the King of Jin of the Great Han Dynasty, and thanks Your Majesty for saving my life!"

Lü Bu had his personal guards help them up and offered them seats.

"How long have you been hiding in the mountains?" Lü Bu asked.

The elderly man at the head of the group wiped away his tears and said, "Your Highness, we hid in the mountains the day the Xiongnu attacked, almost a month ago. There are several secret caves in the mountains where we stored some food, which is why we didn't starve to death. We only dared to come out after we heard that the royal army had defeated the Xiongnu."

Another old man said, "Your Highness, those Huns are scoundrels! They kill any man they see, rob any woman they see, steal all the grain and livestock, and even set fire to the village. My son and grandson were killed by them..."

As they spoke, all three old people began to cry.

Lu Bu was silent for a moment, then asked, "How many of you have returned?"

"There are already several hundred people here, but some are still hesitant to come out and want to wait and see."

"Go and tell your men that the Xiongnu have been completely annihilated by our army, and the prisoners are all being held in the camp. Tell them to go home in peace, and I will return some of the grain and livestock that the Xiongnu stole."

The three old people left, expressing their deepest gratitude.

As the news spread, more and more people from Dongqiemi returned from the mountains. They were thrilled to see the Xiongnu prisoners held in the camp outside the valley, to see the mighty Han army, and to hear that the King of Jin was going to return some of the property.

Some even knelt outside the camp and wept bitterly, saying they wanted to kill the Xiongnu prisoners with their own hands to avenge their loss.

Upon learning this, Lü Bu said to Ma Chao, "Select a few dozen severely wounded and beyond saving Xiongnu prisoners and hand them over to these people. Tell them that these Xiongnu deserved their fate and let them avenge their grievances. But I still have use for the other prisoners, so they cannot all be killed."

"promise."

Ma Chao selected more than fifty Xiongnu prisoners who were too badly wounded in battle and whose doctors determined they would not live much longer, and handed them over to the people of Dongqiemi.

The crowd surged forward, pelting him with stones and beating him with sticks. The screams continued for half an hour before gradually subsiding.

The people of Dongqiemi felt even more grateful to the Han army. Some of them sent wild fruits they had picked from the mountains and herbs they had dug up. Although they were not valuable, they were a token of their goodwill.

Lu Bu had the cooks take charge of the business and then gave them some grain and salt in return.

This back-and-forth exchange brought the Han court unprecedented prestige among the people of Dongqiemi. Many young men even came to ask if they could join the Han army.

Lu Bu said to Ma Chao, "Remember these people's names. After the Western Regions are pacified, we can recruit them to join the garrison of the Protectorate of the Western Regions."

"My lord is wise. Using barbarians to control barbarians can save a lot of troops."

After three days of rest, the Han soldiers had basically recovered their strength.

Lü Bu summoned his generals for a meeting.

"Tomorrow we will set off for Jinman City in the rear of Cheshi. All Xiongnu prisoners will be brought here. Those who are wounded and unable to walk will be carried by the Xiongnu prisoners themselves. Guan Yu will lead 1,000 cavalry as the vanguard, Zhang Fei will lead 1,000 cavalry to escort the prisoners, and Ma Chao will lead his own cavalry to protect the central army."

"promise!"

Guan Yu asked, "My lord, what should we do with these prisoners once we arrive at Jinman City?"

A cold glint flashed in Lü Bu's eyes: "Behead them all, build a mound of heads, and offer sacrifices to the spirits of General Huo Gu and the soldiers guarding the border."

The generals stood in solemn silence.

At this moment, a guard came to report: "King Bimituo of Dongqiemi, King Dulujian of Bilu, and King Hulandi of the Former Cheshi tribe request an audience."

"Let them in."

After the three kings entered the tent and paid their respects, Hulandi said, "King Jin, we have followed your instructions and sent people to inform the kingdoms of Yizhi and Pulei, urging them to send representatives to Jinman City to participate in the ceremony. In addition, we have found Doumo, the nephew of King Arodo, in the rear of Cheshi. He is hiding in the deep mountains with some of his remaining people, and we have also informed him."

Lü Bu nodded: "Very good. This ceremony is not only for General Huo Gu and the Han soldiers, but also for the people of the six kingdoms of Cheshi who were massacred. We must let everyone see that our Han imperial army has avenged them!"

The three kings replied in unison, "Yes!"