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

Meanwhile, in the northern desert.

Amidst wind and snow, a cavalry unit is making a difficult march along the southern slope of Junji Mountain.

The soldiers were all dressed in thick fur coats, and the horses were wrapped in felt blankets as they trudged through the snow.

At the very front of the procession, a middle-aged Xiongnu nobleman reined in his horse and stopped, looking north.

He was wearing a black cloak and had a gold-inlaid scimitar at his waist; he was none other than Yufuluo, the Chanyu of the Southern Xiongnu.

"Chanyu, the snowstorm is too severe. Should we set up camp here?" A centurion rode forward.

Yufuluo shook his head: "No, the Jin King's army has already won a great victory in the Western Regions. If we are delayed in reaching the Western Sea and miss the opportunity to fight, allowing the remnants of Xubudanghe to escape, how can we explain this to the Jin King?"

He looked north, his gaze resolute: "Pass down the order: advance through the snow, and be sure to reach the Western Sea King's residence before the New Year."

"yes!"

Two thousand Southern Xiongnu cavalrymen braved the wind and snow and continued their northward march.

Hundreds of miles further northwest lies the Western Sea Palace, which the Left Dulu King of the Northern Xiongnu had managed for decades.

There are probably fewer than a thousand old, weak, and disabled soldiers left there, and the rest are women, children, and the sick. If he reaches the Western Sea and the remnants of the Northern Xiongnu have not yet fled, it will be a monumental achievement. Not only will he be able to prove his loyalty to the Prince of Jin, but he will also be able to wipe away the shame and avenge the long-standing feud between the Northern and Southern Xiongnu.

……

In the main hall of the royal palace in Nanhe City, Yanqi, the charcoal fire burned brightly, and wisps of smoke rose from the bronze beast-shaped incense burners at the four corners, yet they could not dispel the somber atmosphere in the hall.

King Long'an of Yanqi sat in the main seat. He was about fifty years old, wearing a golden wolf crown and a sable coat. His face was gloomy, and his brows were full of anxiety. His left hand was pressed on the bronze table in front of his knee, and his knuckles were white from the pressure.

On the table lay a scroll of sheepskin letters, which was the interrogation letter from the Han court brought by Bald Ur.

On either side of the hall, King Weixu, King Weili, and King Shan sat, each with several guards standing behind them.

The King of Weixu, whose real name was Juchequ, was in his early forties. He was wiry and had a dark complexion. At this moment, his brows were furrowed and his fingers were tapping incessantly on the wooden table in front of him.

King Yuli, whose name was Chili, was thirty-five or thirty-six years old. He was broad-shouldered and burly, with a face full of scars and a pair of fierce eyes. He was the most valiant and skilled warrior among the four kings.

The king of the mountain was named Cheluti. He was the oldest, with white hair and beard, a thin face, and wore a simple fur robe. His eyes were shifty.

Before the four men knelt a ragged, terrified Hun man—it was Tuoba Wuer.

"Explain yourself," Long An said hoarsely, "were Xubudanghe's seven thousand cavalry truly wiped out?"

Bald Ur kowtowed repeatedly: "Reporting to Your Majesty, it is absolutely true! King Xubu Danghe led his main force of 5,000 cavalry south, and later ordered me to transfer 2,000 reinforcements from Jinwei Mountain, for a total of 7,000 cavalry. In Duixu Valley, they were surrounded by Lü Bu's army, who, together with Ma Chao, attacked from both sides. More than 3,000 were killed in battle, and more than 2,000 were captured."

He paused, his voice trembling: "Later, all the prisoners were killed. Right outside Jinman City, more than two thousand people were all beheaded and their heads were used to build a mound of heads. King Xubudanghe and the commanders of a thousand men, including Tufahun and Gulichi, were all beheaded and their heads were used as a sacrifice to the flag."

There was a dead silence in the hall.

Juchequ stopped tapping, his face turning ashen: "More than two thousand prisoners, all killed?"

"Kill them all." Bald Ur pressed his forehead to the ground. "I watched with my own eyes as they were beheaded in droves, blood flowing like a river. The Prince of Jin said it was to avenge the Han soldiers who died in the Battle of Jinmancheng, and he also said..."

"What else is there to say?" Long An pressed.

"He also said that those who colluded with the Xiongnu and harmed the vassal states of the Han court would suffer the same fate as Xubudanghe." The bald man's voice grew softer and softer.

Snapped!

Long An slammed his palm on the table, causing the bronze cup to overturn and wine to splash everywhere.

"Arrogant!" He abruptly stood up and paced back and forth in the hall. "Our Yanqi Kingdom has lived in the Western Regions for centuries, and even the Han Dynasty's Protector-General of the Western Regions, Chen Mu, was killed in Yanqi! The Han Dynasty sent troops to attack, but they still couldn't destroy Yanqi. What is Lü Bu compared to us!"

Chili said in a booming voice, "Your Majesty is right, what is there to fear! Although my Weili Kingdom is small, it has three thousand strong men, each of whom is capable of fighting. Our four kingdoms combined have at least twenty thousand men, why should we fear his four thousand troops who have come from afar?"

Che Luti shook his head, his voice aged: "That's not how it works. Back then, the killing of Chen Mu required the combined strength of many kingdoms in the Western Regions. More than ten kingdoms, including Yanqi, Weixu, Weili, Shan, Cheshi, Kucha, Gumo, and Shule, joined forces, and the Han court was unable to do anything about it for a time. Later, when Ban Chao pacified the Western Regions again, weren't the royal courts of Yanqi and Weixu breached and their kings killed?"

He paused, then sighed, "Besides, Xubu Danghe has seven thousand cavalry, the elite of the Northern Xiongnu. Four of the six kingdoms of Cheshi were annihilated by them. If Lü Bu could wipe out seven thousand Xiongnu, with such fighting power, even if our rabble has twenty thousand, could we stop him?"

Chili retorted, "When Lü Bu annihilated the Xiongnu, he still had Ma Chao's forces, bringing his actual strength to over six thousand. Against the Xiongnu's seven thousand, he had the advantage in armor and weaponry, so his victory was only natural. But now Ma Chao is stationed at Liuzhong and hasn't come; we only have Lü Bu's four thousand troops, all cavalry, who are not skilled in siege warfare. If we defend the city, do you think his cavalry can fly into it?"

Ju Chequ suddenly spoke, his voice urgent: "Gentlemen, my kingdom of Weixu is located on the only road that Liu Zhong must take to the west! If Lü Bu comes, the first thing he will attack is my Weixu!"

He rose and bowed to Long An: "Your Majesty, I propose that we concentrate all the forces of the four kingdoms at Weixu City! Although Weixu City is not as large as Nanhe City, it is still a city. We can conscript more laborers to strengthen its defenses, gathering thirty to forty thousand men to defend it to the death. Cavalry are not good at attacking cities; even if Lü Bu has extraordinary abilities, he may not be able to break through the city!"

Long An frowned: "Shou Weixu?"

"Yes!" Juchequ exclaimed urgently. "With Weixu City in front, if Lü Bu goes around it, his rear will be unstable, and he won't dare to attack. If he attacks the city, we can defend it and wear him down! When his supplies run out, he will naturally retreat. Then we can negotiate. At most, he will return to the Han vassal state and pay some tribute. Our throne will still be secure, and we won't have to hand over military power like the six kingdoms of Cheshi!"

Before Long An could speak, Chi Li shook his head: "Who doesn't know your Weixu City? The city walls are barely two zhang high, and the moat is narrow and shallow. What can it defend? If it's breached, all the troops from our four kingdoms will be wiped out inside, with no way to retreat!"

Che Luti also said, "Weixu City is too small to accommodate too many troops. If we cram all the troops from the four kingdoms into it, it will be overcrowded and difficult to manage, which will only make things worse."

Ju Chequ's face flushed red: "Then what do you suggest we do? Make me, the entire Weixu Kingdom, stand at the forefront? Weixu only has three thousand soldiers; how can they possibly hold off Lü Bu's four thousand iron cavalry?"

Long An raised his hand to stop the argument.

He walked back to the main seat, slowly sat down, pondered for a moment, and said, "If we're going to defend, we'll defend Nanhe City."

Juchequ was taken aback: "Your Majesty..."

"Let me finish," Long An waved his hand. "Nanhe City is the royal court of Yanqi. The city walls are three zhang high and two zhang thick at the base, and horses can ride on them. There are moats on all four sides, three zhang wide and one and a half zhang deep, which are filled with water from the Dunhong River. The city has enough grain to last for two years, and plenty of arrows and weapons. This is a defensible city."

He looked at Juchequ and said, "Weixu City is too small, with low walls and a dried-up moat. It is indeed undefendable. Rather than wasting our troops there, we should retreat to Nanhe City, join forces there, and defend the fortified city."

Ju Chequ asked urgently, "Then what about Weixu City? Abandon the city and flee?"