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

In less than an hour, all four gates of Nanhe City surrendered.

Lü Bu led his army into the city and marched along the streets.

The streets were lined with kneeling soldiers and civilians from the four kingdoms of Yanqi, Weixu, Weili, and Shan. They kept their heads down, not daring to raise their heads, and only their whispers could be faintly heard.

The officers and soldiers were discussing:

"That's the Prince of Jin of the Han Dynasty? He's so young..."

"I've heard he possesses a divinely bestowed granary, capable of conjuring things out of thin air. Is that true?"

"Didn't you see those catapults outside the city? They weren't there before; the Prince of Jin just conjured them up with a wave of his hand!"

"There was also the flood at Zheliu Valley. It is said that the King of Jin blocked the river, used the divine granary bestowed by Heaven to store water, and then released the water to flood the area. Two thousand soldiers were wiped out overnight."

"Amazing!"

"We were right to surrender. Fighting gods is suicide, isn't it?"

Among the crowd, some people from Yanqi were secretly gossiping:

"Why did the king run away?"

"It's good that you ran away. Now that you've run away, no one will care about us. We can open the gates and surrender, and stop fighting the Han army. If you hadn't run away, and Your Majesty had insisted on resisting to the end, we would all have died."

"But what will we do then?"

"I heard they have submitted to the Han court and will be governed by counties. Haven't the rear of Cheshi and Weixu already been established as counties? I also heard that the Han army is distributing food to the people and is not robbing or killing them."

"real?"

"If that's what the soldiers in danger said, how could it be false?"

……

Before the palace, Lü Bu reined in his horse.

Yanqi was a major power in the central part of the Western Regions. Although the palace of the King of Yanqi was not as magnificent as the imperial palace in Chang'an, it was still quite imposing among the kingdoms of the Western Regions. On both sides of the palace gate, stone lions were carved with bared teeth and claws, and copper nails were inlaid on the vermilion gate.

Several Yanqi nobles knelt in front of the palace gate, led by Qiequ Mitu, who had previously guarded Zheliu Valley and had narrowly escaped with a piece of wood.

"Your humble servant, Qiequ Mitu, along with the remaining members of the royal family and ministers of Yanqi, respectfully welcome Your Highness the Prince of Jin!"

Lü Bu dismounted and walked up to him: "And is that Qu Qu Mi Tu? The garrison commander of Liugu Valley?"

Qu Mi suddenly trembled, his forehead touching the ground: "This sinful subject is incompetent and deserves to die!"

Lu Bu said calmly, "You guarded Zheliu Valley under the orders of Long An, each serving their own master. Now that Long An has fled, if you surrender, I will spare your life. Get up."

Moreover, Qu Misu dared not rise, remaining prostrate on the ground, saying, "Thank you, Prince Jin, for sparing my life. This sinful subject is willing to serve you like a dog or a horse!"

Lü Bu asked, "When Long An and his men fled, how many troops did they take with them? And in which direction did they go?"

Qu Mi suddenly said, "Your Majesty, I have inquired with the guards at the west gate. The three families of Long'an, Juchequ, and Chili led a total of more than two thousand cavalrymen, each with two horses, and went west after leaving the city. Judging from the direction, they should be heading to Kucha."

"Kucha?" Lu Bu frowned slightly.

Hu Landi stepped forward and said, "My lord, the Kingdom of Kucha is located west of Yanqi, about 800 li away. It is a large country with a population of over 200,000 and an army of 20,000 to 30,000. When Chen Mu, the Protector-General of the Western Regions, was killed, Yanqi and Kucha were both the masterminds. Later, when Ban Chao pacified the Western Regions, although he killed the King of Kucha and installed a new pro-Han king, the Han court's control over the Western Regions has weakened in recent years, and the military and political power of Kucha has fallen back into the hands of the anti-Han faction."

Qu Mitu then added, "What King Hulandi said is absolutely right. The current King of Kucha is named Bai Ba, a descendant of the king killed by Ban Chao. He outwardly respects the Han, but in reality, he harbors resentment for his ancestor's death and has many dealings with Yanqi, Weixu, and Weili. If Long An and the others flee to Kucha, Kucha will surely take them in."

Zhang Fei roared, "Take them in? They wouldn't dare!"

Guan Yu stroked his beard and said, "If Kucha dares to take them in, they will be making an enemy of the Han court. My lord, you should punish them all at once."

Lü Bu nodded, then asked Qiequ Mitu, "How many troops are left in the city?"

Qu Mi suddenly said, "Reporting to King Jin, apart from the troops taken away by Long An, Ju Che Qu, and Chi Li, the four kingdoms still have about 20,000 troops, and they are all willing to submit to King Jin."

Lu Bu's eyes flickered slightly.

With 20,000 troops, plus the soldiers from the six kingdoms of Cheshi, the Western Regions Prefectural Government could quickly muster an army of around 30,000. Even if not as elite as the imperial army, it would still be a formidable force in the Western Regions, capable of attacking and controlling more countries and regions.

"Issue the order: All officers and soldiers who surrendered from the four kingdoms shall be pardoned. Those who wish to continue serving in the army shall be incorporated into the 9th Army of the Western Regions Prefectural Governor's Office and reorganized by Ma Chao; those who wish to retire and return to their hometowns shall be given travel expenses and sent back to their original places to farm and herd livestock."

"promise!"

Lü Bu then said, "Summon all generals of the four kingdoms who are commanders of a thousand or above. Two hours later, convene them at the royal palace for a meeting. Also, send men to inventory the city's grain, weapons, and treasuries, register them, and report back to me."

"promise!"

……

Two hours later, in the royal palace hall.

Lu Bu sat on the king's throne, with Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Dian Wei, and Xu Chu standing on either side, and the three kings Hu Lan Di, Himita, and Du Lu Jian sitting below him.

More than twenty people were kneeling in the hall, all of whom were generals from the four kingdoms of Yanqi, Weixu, Weili, and Shan. The highest-ranking among them was Qiequ Mitu.

Lu Bu scanned the crowd and slowly spoke: "You four kingdoms colluded with the Xiongnu, slaughtered the Cheshi, and brought disaster to the Han soldiers. You should all be executed as a warning to others."

Upon hearing this, all the generals bowed their heads, trembling with fear.

Lü Bu then changed the subject: "However, the chief culprits are Long An, Ju Chequ, and Chili, as well as the deceased Cheluti. Although Cheluti was involved, he repented at the last moment and wanted to lead the Shan Kingdom to surrender, but was killed by Long An. His crime can be forgiven, and his loyalty is commendable. I have already ordered that he be buried with the rites due to a vassal lord."

"As for you, although you were acting under orders and have the merit of opening the gates and surrendering the city, you may be spared the death penalty, but you cannot escape punishment. From this day forward, the four kingdoms will abolish their royal titles and be replaced by prefectures and counties. All counties will be directly under the jurisdiction of the Western Regions Chief Administrator's Office and will be governed by Han officials."

"The troops of the four countries were all dispersed and incorporated into the 9th Army of the Western Regions Prefectural Governor's Office, with unified training, command, and pay. Only Chinese language and Chinese law were spoken in the army."

"Your original official positions are hereby demoted. Those who remain loyal to their duties and work diligently will still have opportunities for promotion in the future. Those who harbor disloyal intentions, secretly collude, or plot treason—"

Lu Bu's voice turned cold: "The mounds of gold outside the city are the end result!"

There was a dead silence in the hall.

The generals bowed their heads, not daring to utter a sound.

After a long silence, Qu Mi suddenly kowtowed first: "This sinful subject respectfully obeys the King of Jin's command and is willing to die for the King of Jin!"

Others followed suit, saying, "We obey the King of Jin's command and are willing to die for him!"

Lü Bu nodded slightly: "Get up. Qiequ Mitu, you will temporarily assume the post of Commandant of Nanhe County, assisting the Han official in taking over the city and reorganizing the troops. The rest of you, return to your camps and restrain your troops to prevent any trouble. Reorganization will begin tomorrow."

"yes!"

The generals left the main hall in trepidation.

……

Only Lü Bu, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Hu Landi, and others remained in the hall.

Zhang Fei said, "My lord, those three scoundrels from Long'an have escaped. When should we pursue them?"

Lü Bu looked at Hu Landi: "How far is the Kingdom of Kucha from here? What is the terrain like along the way?"

Hu Landi stood up, walked to a crude map hanging on the side of the hall, and pointed to the location marked on it: "My lord, please look, Nanhe City is west of the East River (Tarim River), and it will take seven or eight days to reach it."

Himido added, "There is a city on the eastern border of the Kingdom of Kucha called Wulei. It is an important town in eastern Kucha and the seat of the first Protectorate of the Western Regions. It is currently garrisoned by several thousand Kucha troops. Long An and the others will definitely go to Wulei first when they escape to Kucha."

Lu Bu pondered for a moment and said, "Our army has been marching for days and is exhausted. We need to rest for a few days. Moreover, the four kingdoms have recently surrendered, so we must secure our rear before advancing westward."

He looked at Guan Yu: "Yun Chang, what do you think?"

Guan Yu stroked his beard and said, "What my lord says is absolutely right. If Kucha takes in Long An and the others, it will be an enemy of Han. Our army should rest for a few days and wait for Ma Chao in the rear to reorganize the six kingdoms of Cheshi. Then we will lead a large army westward to pacify Kucha in one fell swoop, capture Long An, Juchequ, and Chili, avenge General Huo Gu, and establish our prestige in the Western Regions."

Lü Bu nodded: "Good. Issue the order for the entire army to rest for five days. After five days, leave a portion of the troops to garrison Nanhe City, while the main force advances westward to conquer Kucha!"

"promise!"