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

On the tenth day of the eleventh lunar month, outside Jinman City, in the Han army camp, the charcoal fire was burning brightly in the central tent.

Lu Bu sat in the main seat, with a map of the Western Regions spread out in front of him. This map was presented by Su Yan. It was painted on silk and marked with colors, showing the locations of the countries north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, as well as the mountains, rivers, passes, and crossings. Although it was rough and simple, it was the result of hundreds of years of intelligence work accumulated by the Protectorate General of the Western Regions and the Chief Administrator's Office.

Ma Chao, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Dian Wei, Xu Chu, Su Yan, Wei Bing, and others sat on either side.

Zhang Fei asked, "My lord, we've killed those Xiongnu barbarians and built the mound of corpses. When should we head north to Jinwei Mountain? We should press our advantage and wipe out Xubudanghe's stronghold, the Western Sea King's Residence, in one fell swoop!"

Lü Bu did not answer, but looked up at Ma Chao: "What does Mengqi think?"

Ma Chao pondered for a moment: "In my humble opinion, it is not advisable to head north at this time."

Zhang Fei glared: "Why?"

Ma Chao stood up, walked to the map, and pointed to the location of Jinwei Mountain: "General Yide, please look, Jinwei Mountain is more than a thousand li from here, with the desert and Gobi stretching between us. Although our army consists of one man and three horses, traveling light and quickly, the unpredictable wind and snow in winter will inevitably affect our marching speed."

He paused, then continued, "More importantly, although the Xiongnu suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Duixu Valley, several hundred cavalrymen still managed to escape back to the north. If our army marches north now, will the remaining Northern Xiongnu simply sit and wait to die? They will either flee west to the Northern Xiongnu Chanyu's court or scatter and hide in the deep mountains."

Ma Chao clasped his hands in a fist salute: "At that time, our army will pursue them for thousands of miles. Even if Your Highness has the divine granary that carries grain and military supplies, I fear it will be difficult to annihilate them completely, leaving behind future troubles."

Guan Yu stroked his beard and nodded: "Mengqi's words are reasonable. In the past, when the Marquis of Champion drove the Xiongnu north, he also needed to encircle them from multiple directions and cut off their retreat before he could annihilate them. If our army advances hastily now, it will be no different from driving sparrows into the forest, and we will not be able to capture them all."

Zhang Fei scratched his head: "So we're not going to fight? Let those remnants of the Northern Xiongnu continue to have a peaceful winter in the Western Sea Kingdom?"

"It's not that we won't fight, but that we'll postpone it for now," Lü Bu said, his voice steady. "I have already dispatched the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu Yufuluo with two thousand elite cavalry to march north from Bingzhou and directly attack the residence of the Western Sea King of Xubudanghe."

"Yufuluo was the Chanyu of the Southern Xiongnu, and had a long-standing feud with the Northern Xiongnu, slaughtering each other and fighting for the grasslands and tribes."

"A hundred years ago, when the Northern Xiongnu migrated westward, those who remained at Jinwei Mountain, such as Xubudanghe, were not the main force, but they claimed to be the legitimate successors of the Xiongnu and regarded the Southern Xiongnu as traitors of the grasslands and lackeys of the Han court."

"The two tribes have been at war with each other for generations, and their deep-seated resentment is even greater than that between the Xiongnu and the Han."

He pointed to the map: "The two thousand cavalrymen led by Yufuluo are all elite Southern Xiongnu soldiers, resistant to cold and skilled in battle. They march north from Yinshan, cross the desert, ford the Xiongnu River, and head straight for the Western Sea King's residence. Although this route is long, it avoids the Northern Xiongnu scouting cavalry south of Jinwei Mountain monitoring the Western Regions. According to the latest reports, Yufuluo has already crossed the northern desert and is advancing towards Junji Mountain. If there are no unforeseen circumstances, they should reach the Western Sea before the end of the year."

Lu Bu raised his eyes: "When Xubu Danghe went south, he brought five thousand main troops, and later he drew two thousand reinforcements from his old base, which we wiped out in one fell swoop. How many troops does the King of Xihai have now? In my judgment, at most a thousand, and most of them are old, weak and disabled soldiers, or women and children left behind. Yufuluo's two thousand elite troops are enough to raze his base to the ground."

Ma Chao continued, "By then, the Northern Xiongnu's stronghold in the Western Sea will be destroyed, and the remaining troops will either be killed or captured, with all their provisions and supplies falling into the hands of Fuluo. Even if a few scattered soldiers escape, they will no longer pose a threat. Our army can rest and reorganize here, avoiding the need for a long expedition through wind and snow, and also deterring the Western Regions. This achieves two goals at once."

Zhang Fei suddenly realized, grinning, "So our lord had already made arrangements! Then I won't rush. Let that brat Yufuluo go and earn merit, while we drink and eat meat in the Western Regions and wait for news!"

Guan Yu shook his head: "Yide, don't think about drinking every day in the army."

Zhang Fei chuckled but didn't respond.

Lu Bu looked outside the tent: "Order the entire army to break camp and return to Liuzhong in two days."

Everyone shouted in unison, "Yes, sir!"

……

That night, at the prisoner-of-war camp on the west side of Jinman City.

Bald Ur huddled in a corner, wrapped in a tattered sheepskin. He was not killed with the other Xiongnu prisoners, but he was not freed either. Instead, he was imprisoned in solitary confinement, guarded day and night by four Han soldiers.

The tent flap was lifted, and Lü Bu slowly walked in.

Bald Ur was jolted awake, flipped over and knelt down, his forehead touching the ground: "This humble servant pays his respects to His Highness Prince Jin!"

Lü Bu looked down at him, not urging him to rise, but simply said, "You offered me the plan to persuade the four kingdoms of Yanqi, and I will spare your life. Have you thought through what you should say to the kings of Yanqi these past few days?"

Bald Ur prostrated himself on the ground, his voice trembling: "The four kingdoms of Yanqi colluded with the Xiongnu, massacred the Cheshi, and brought disaster upon the Han army. They deserve to die a thousand deaths..."

"That's not all," Lü Bu interrupted him. "You must also tell the people of Yanqi that Xubu Danghe's seven thousand iron cavalry have been completely annihilated, and more than two thousand Xiongnu prisoners were all killed in Jinman City to build a Jingguan (a mound of corpses). I have given them two options: one is to come to Liuzhong in person to plead guilty, hand over the mastermind, compensate the six kingdoms of Cheshi and the Han army for their losses, and become a vassal state of Han forever; the other is for me to personally lead the royal army to Qinhai and slaughter the four kingdoms of Yanqi."

Bald Ur kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "I will remember, I will remember!"

"The Xubudanghe tribe has been wiped out, and you have nowhere to go. If you succeed in this mission to Yanqi, I may spare your life and allow you to serve in the army of the Western Regions Chief Administrator." Lü Bu's tone was calm. "But if you dare to desert halfway, or secretly communicate with Yanqi..."

He didn't finish speaking.

Bald-haired Ul was terrified: "I wouldn't dare! I would never dare betray the Prince of Jin!"

Lu Bu said no more and lifted the curtain to leave.

Outside the tent, a biting wind howled, and Dian Wei and Xu Chu stood like two iron towers.

"My lord, is this man trustworthy?" Dian Wei asked in a low voice.

"Untrustworthy." Lü Bu walked with his hands behind his back. "But he's afraid of death. Those who are afraid of death are often the most obedient when a blade is at their throat."

Dian Wei seemed to be deep in thought.

Xu Chu asked in a deep voice, "Then, after he's finished using it, should we kill him or spare his life?"

Lü Bu snorted coldly: "Xu Bu Dang He killed my Han soldiers guarding the border of Jinman City. All the Xiongnu people were accomplices and deserve to die."

He didn't say anything more, but his meaning was clear.

……

Two days later, the army finished its rest and reorganization, broke camp, and set off back to Liuzhong City.

When the army passed through Wutu Valley, Doumo led the remaining people of the Cheshi tribe to kneel and see them off by the roadside.

This Cheshi nobleman, who voluntarily relinquished his throne and requested to submit to the Han court, has now changed into a Han-style robe, and the sword he wears at his waist is no longer a Western Region scimitar, but a Han-style ring-pommel sword.

Lü Bu halted his horse and summoned Dou Mo to come closer.

"I have granted your request. Wutu Valley, the royal court of the Later Cheshi Kingdom, will be renamed Han County, and the name Wutu Valley will remain. You will be the first magistrate." Lü Bu took out a bronze seal. "This is the county seal cast by the Western Regions Chief Administrator's Office. From this day forward, Wutu Valley County will be directly under the jurisdiction of the Western Regions Chief Administrator's Office, and the Later Cheshi Kingdom will cease to exist."