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

Doumo's hands trembled as he raised them above his head to receive the bronze seal, his voice choked with emotion as he said, "Your humble servant kowtows to thank the Prince of Jin for his great kindness!"

Hundreds of Cheshi survivors knelt before him, many weeping with sorrow, while others wept with joy. They were saddened by the demise of the rear Cheshi, but overjoyed at having submitted to the powerful Han court and become Han citizens. With the main force of the Northern Xiongnu wiped out and no external enemies, they believed they could finally live a period of peace.

Lu Bu looked around at the crowd and said in a deep voice, "King Aluoduo of the Later Cheshi Kingdom has perished, and the Later Cheshi Kingdom is effectively destroyed. However, Doumo led you all to submit to the Han court. Heaven has the virtue of cherishing life, and I have granted your request. From this day forward, you are no longer homeless people without a country to rely on, but rather the people of Wutugu County under the jurisdiction of the Western Regions Prefectural Administration of the Great Han. Wutugu County's taxes will be reduced by half for three years, and the people in the county will be registered as households, allocated land and livestock, and winter rations will be provided by the Western Regions Prefectural Administration."

He paused, then said, "Doumo, although you are not the king, you are an official appointed by the Han court. If you can govern the county well and bring peace to the people, you will be promoted to a minor post in the Western Regions Chief Administrator's Office in three to five years, or even transferred to an official post in the interior. I hope you will be diligent in your duties and bring peace to the people, so that Wutugu County can recover its vitality as soon as possible."

Doumo kowtowed again and said, "Your subject will obey the King of Jin's command!"

The three kings, Hulandi, Himita, and Dulujian, stood not far away, witnessing this scene with complex expressions.

Himido whispered, "Perhaps what Doumo did was the right thing."

Hu Landi sighed, "Although he has no throne, he wields real power. A county magistrate in the Han court is at least a seventh-rank official with a salary of 720 shi (a unit of grain), in charge of the administration of a county, and doesn't have to worry about food and provisions. My former Cheshi tribe is called a kingdom, but its administration is constantly hampered by the Western Regions Governor's Office of the Han court. I, as the king, am not as free as a county magistrate like him."

Du Lujian, being old, saw things more clearly: "Moreover, Doumo has set a precedent for submission, and the King of Jin will surely treat him well to encourage others to follow suit. This is a case of spending a fortune to buy a horse's bones. In the future, many countries in the Western Regions will probably follow suit, making it even more difficult for us to cope."

The three kings looked at each other and remained silent.

……

The army continued its eastward march.

Guan Yu rode closer and said softly, "My lord, Doumo is a man who knows how to advance and retreat, and is a useful talent. However, if you treat him so generously, the kings of the Western Regions will surely become wary."

Lu Bu nodded slightly: "I want them to be wary."

He gazed ahead and slowly said, "The kingdoms of the Western Regions are nominally vassals of the Han, but in reality, they are semi-independent. Each kingdom has a king, ministers, an army, and taxes. The Han court's chief clerks are merely nominal supervisors, without any real authority. When the Xiongnu invade, each kingdom fights its own battle and is easily defeated one by one. This situation must be changed."

Guan Yu stroked his beard: "Does my lord intend to follow the example of Emperor Wu and re-establish the Protectorate of the Western Regions?"

"Not only that." Lü Bu's voice was deep and solemn. "Although the Protectorate of the Western Regions governs various kingdoms, it still mainly operates under a system of indirect rule, with each kingdom having hereditary thrones and its own army. What I want is to gradually abolish the kingdoms, establish prefectures and counties, appoint officials, take away military power, compile household registers, and unify taxes. From then on, the Western Regions will no longer be a vassal state, but part of the territory of the Han Dynasty."

Guan Yu was moved.

He knew his lord had lofty ambitions, but he hadn't expected him to have planned this far.

"This matter cannot be accomplished in a day," Lü Bu continued. "Therefore, I first appointed Doumo as the magistrate of the county, setting an example for the kingdoms of the Western Regions. Those who are willing to submit will retain their wealth and status even if they lose their throne; those who resist..."

He didn't finish speaking.

But Guan Yu and the others all knew this.

……

On the 18th day of the 11th month, the army returned to Liuzhong City.

Although the city where the Western Regions Chief Administrator's Office was located had been attacked and destroyed by Xubudanghe, it was still usable.

Lü Bu entered the city and went straight to the main hall of the Chief Clerk's residence.

After they were seated, Lü Bu got straight to the point: "Chief Clerk Su, how many years have you been in the Western Regions?"

Su Yan bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I was ordered to go on a mission to the Western Regions in the fourth year of the Xiping era (175 AD), and later served as the Chief Secretary. It has been twenty years since then."

"Twenty years," Lü Bu repeated. "And what was the salary?"

Su Yan replied: "The rank of the Chief Clerk is equivalent to 600 shi, and the salary is the same as that of a county magistrate. However, the court has not allocated grain and salary for more than ten years. I and the other officials in the Chief Clerk's office rely on the military farms for self-sufficiency and the partial grain and salary support from the Cheshi Kingdom."

Lü Bu nodded and then asked Wei Bing, "How many years has Colonel Wei been garrisoning the Gaochang Pass?"

Wei Bing clasped his hands in a fist and said, "In the second year of Jianning (169), I followed my father to guard the border. After my father died in battle, I succeeded him as the Commandant of Wuji, and it has been twenty-six years since then."

Twenty-six years.

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Lu Bu stood up, walked to Su Yan, and bowed solemnly.

Su Yan was shocked and quickly dodged, saying, "My lord, you mustn't! What virtue or ability do I possess...?"

"This bow is on behalf of the court to thank you." Lü Bu straightened up. "The court owes too much to the soldiers and officials stationed in the Western Regions. For more than ten years, you have not received your pay, yet you have remained steadfast and have not abandoned the Han banner. Such loyalty deserves any honor."

Su Yan's eyes reddened, her throat tightened, and she couldn't speak.

Wei Bing lowered his head, his nose also stinging with tears.

Lu Bu returned to his seat and said solemnly, "Today I announce three matters."

Everyone fell silent.

"Firstly, the Western Regions Chief Administrator's Office is being upgraded. The original Chief Administrator's rank was equivalent to 600 shi, which was only equivalent to a county magistrate in China. He had little power and a low rank, making it difficult for him to govern the various states in the Western Regions. From this day forward, the Western Regions Chief Administrator's Office will have one Chief Administrator, equivalent to a prefect of a county in China. The first Chief Administrator, Ma Chao, will continue to concurrently serve as the commander of the 9th Army and will be in charge of all military and political affairs in the Western Regions."

Ma Chao knelt on one knee: "This subordinate obeys the order!"

"Mengqi, your task in this post is to use the elite troops of the 9th Army that have just left the pass as a base, and recruit young and strong soldiers from the Western Regions to expand the army to 10,000, to guard the Western Regions and protect the Silk Road. The remaining troops of the 9th Army in Liangzhou will be left to you in terms of organization, but the soldiers will be used to train new soldiers and build another army."

"promise!"

Lu Bu continued, "In addition, the Chief Clerk's office has one Assistant Clerk, a sixth-rank official, who assists the Chief Clerk in handling government affairs. The first Assistant Clerk is Su Yan."

Although he lost great power in his previous position, he was promoted three ranks. Su Yan knelt and kowtowed, saying, "Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your promotion!"

"Wei Bing has served in the Western Regions for more than 20 years and has made meritorious contributions. He has been promoted to staff officer of the 9th Army, which is also a sixth-rank official, and assists Meng Qi in military affairs."

With tears welling in his eyes, Wei Bing kowtowed heavily, saying, "This humble general will fight to the death!"

Lu Bu looked at the three men and said, "Ma Chao is young and has just taken charge of the Western Regions. You two have been stationed on the frontier for a long time and are familiar with the situation. You must assist him diligently. In two or three years, when the Western Regions are pacified, I will transfer you two back to the interior, either to serve as prefects or to be promoted to the Six Ministries, so that you can enjoy wealth and honor."

Su Yan choked up: "I do not seek wealth and honor, but only wish that in my lifetime I may see the Western Regions forever secure and the Han flag never fall."

"You will see it," Lu Bu said with certainty.