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

On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, in the afternoon, a strong stench of blood permeated the city tower of the east gate of Nanhe City.

Long An drew his knife, wiped the blood off Che Luti's fur robe, and sheathed it. He raised his head, his gaze falling on Ju Chequ and Chili.

"Che Luti wants to surrender." Long An's voice was hoarse. "If he leaves the city alive and surrenders, he will reveal our plans, and none of us will escape."

Chili clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty is right! That old codger Cheluti is a coward who's afraid of death; keeping him around is just asking for trouble!"

Long An stared at Ju Chequ: "Ju Chequ, what about you? Do you want to break through with me, or do you want to surrender like Che Luti?"

Ju Chequ looked at Che Luti's corpse on the ground, then at Long An's hand on the hilt of his knife, knowing that he had no other choice.

His kingdom of Weixu had already been renamed Weixu County by Lü Bu. With the royal court gone and the people surrendering to the Han court, even if he surrendered, he would only be a deposed ruler. What good could come of that?

"Your Majesty," Ju Chequ said, "I am willing to follow Your Majesty!"

Long An stared at him for a moment, then slowly loosened his grip on the hilt of his sword, revealing a smile: "Good, this is my brother-in-law, Long An's true brother, a good king of Wei Xu!"

Ju Chequ breathed a sigh of relief.

Chili said, "Your Majesty, there is no time to lose. We must make preparations immediately. Although Cheluti is dead, his mountain soldiers are still in the city. If the news leaks out, trouble is inevitable."

Long An nodded: "You're right."

He paused, then said to a trusted leader, "You, go immediately to the Shan Kingdom's camp and tell the Shan Kingdom army that Cheluti, the King of Yanqi, the King of Weixu, and the King of Weili are discussing military matters on the city wall. Tell them to continue training as usual and keep a close watch on the section of the city wall they are defending. If the Han army attacks, hold the line to the death!"

"Yes!" The leader accepted the order and left.

Long An then said to another guard, "Go to the palace and have the Queen and princes pack their belongings, travel light, and assemble inside the west gate in half an hour. Remember, only bring gold, silver, jewels, and essential items; throw everything else away!"

"yes!"

Long An looked at Ju Chequ and Chili: "You two go back and pack, taking your families and trusted guards. Remember, be quick, and don't disturb too many people. We won't wait until midnight; we'll leave as soon as we're done packing!"

Ju Chequ was taken aback: "Leave now? Before it gets dark?"

"The longer we wait, the more things might go wrong," Long An said in a deep voice. "Although Che Luti is dead, his mountain soldiers haven't returned to camp yet, and they'll eventually realize something's wrong. Let's leave before they realize what's happening. Once we escape the city, Lü Bu won't be able to catch us!"

Ju Chequ and Chili exchanged a glance, then clasped their hands in unison: "Yes!"

The three hurriedly descended the city wall and returned to their respective residences.

……

The Mountain Kingdom's camp is located in the northeast corner of Nanhe City, right next to the eastern section of the northern city wall that they are responsible for defending.

In the camp, the soldiers of the Mountain Kingdom gathered in twos and threes. Some were wiping their weapons, some were repairing their leather armor, and some were idly looking towards the direction of the Han army camp outside the city.

"I heard that the Han army's catapults can launch stones across the Guo Hong River and directly hit the city walls?"

"That's right, I saw it with my own eyes yesterday. A section of the east city wall collapsed, and several people were smashed to pieces..."

"How can we fight this battle? They can attack us from across the river, but our arrows can't reach the other side. We can only take the hits."

"Sigh, I wonder how the king and his men are doing with their discussions. I heard that today is the deadline they've given us; if we don't surrender by sunset, they'll attack the city tomorrow."

Just then, a Yanqi leader hurried over and shouted, "King Cheluti has ordered that he, along with the King of Yanqi, the King of Weixu, and the King of Weili, are discussing military matters on the city wall. He has instructed the Shan Kingdom army to continue training as usual and to keep a close watch on the sections of the city wall you are defending. Do not make any mistakes! If the Han army attacks, hold the line to the death!"

Upon hearing this, the leaders of the Mountain Kingdom army clasped their hands in greeting and said, "Yes, sir!"

After giving the order, the leader turned and left.

One of the leaders muttered, "Why did they summon our king alone to discuss military matters? He usually brings his guards with him."

Another leader said, "Perhaps the Han army is on the other side, and they're afraid that having too many people will attract attention and lead to a large-scale bombardment with stones? It's alright, the king will be back soon."

Without giving it much thought, everyone continued with their own tasks.

……

Half an hour later.

Inside the West Gate, in a secluded alley, the forces of Long'an, Juchequ, and Chili had gradually gathered.

Long An brought over a thousand personal guards, all trusted confidants who had followed him for many years. They were well-equipped and each carried two horses. His queen, two princes, three princesses, and a dozen concubines were all crammed into several carriages, which were filled with gold and silver utensils and silk fabrics.

Juchequ had fewer people, with only two hundred personal guards. Including their families and valuables, they barely managed to gather more than three hundred people.

Chili's forces were slightly larger than Juchequ's, with over six hundred personal guards, each one fierce and valiant. Including their families, the force numbered nearly a thousand.

The three families, together numbering about two thousand riders, crowded the streets inside the west gate, creating a chaotic scene of shouts and neighing horses.

The Yanqi garrison guarding the west gate was dumbfounded.

A centurion guarding the city stepped forward and asked, "Your Majesty, what are you doing?"

Long An said in a deep voice, "My scouts have received intelligence that the Han army plans to cross the river from the west tonight and launch a surprise attack. I will lead my troops out of the city and circle around to the west bank to set up an ambush. You guard the city gates and wait for my return!"

The centurion hesitated for a moment, then clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "Yes, sir

Long An waved his hand: "Open the city gates!"

The heavy city gates slowly opened, and the drawbridge was lowered.

Long An took the lead and charged out of the city gate. Behind him, more than two thousand riders swarmed out, their hooves trampling across the drawbridge as they galloped westward.

Dust filled the air, obscuring the sky and the sun.

……

Mountain Kingdom Camp.

A centurion from the mountain kingdom rushed into the camp, his face pale: "Something terrible has happened! I just saw the King of Yanqi, the King of Weixu, and the King of Weili leaving the city through the west gate with their families and personal guards!"

"What?" Several centurions stood up abruptly.

"Leave the city? What for?"

"I don't know! But they brought their families, and carts and wagons loaded with things. It doesn't look like they're going to war; it looks like they're running away!"

The centurions exchanged glances, a sense of foreboding rising in their hearts.

"Where is our king? Where is our king?"

Just then, another scout rushed in to report that King Chalutti might have been killed.

A centurion suddenly looked up, his eyes blazing with fury: "It was Long An! It must have been Long An! Long An must have wanted to abandon the city and flee, but the king refused, so they killed the king!"

The news spread throughout the mountain camp, causing an uproar throughout the entire camp.

"The king has been killed!"

"Long'an killed our king!"

"They abandoned the city and fled to Kucha!"

The soldiers of the Mountain Kingdom, their eyes red with rage, grabbed their weapons and surged out of the camp.

A centurion leaped onto a high vantage point and shouted, "Brothers! That traitor Long'an killed our king and fled with his men! What do we do?"

"Revenge! Revenge!"

"Yes, we must avenge Long An!"

"But Long An has already escaped; we can't catch him!"

"Then open the city gates and welcome the Han army into the city! The Han army wants to attack Kucha, which will be a good opportunity to avenge our king!"

"Yes, open the city gates!"

The enraged soldiers of the mountain kingdom surged toward the east gate.