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

A moment later, Long An, Ju Chequ, and Chili entered the hall and knelt on the ground.

Long An kowtowed: "Your sinful subject Long An pays his respects to the King of Kucha."

Bai Ba waved his hand: "Stand up and speak. You have fought against the Han army. Tell me in detail about Lü Bu's situation."

Long An stood up and recounted the details of the siege and defense of Nanhe City.

From the flooding of Zheliu Valley in a single day, to Lü Bu launching catapults across the river to bombard the city, to the killing of Che Luti and the surrender of the Shan Kingdom, the final statement reads: "Your Majesty, Lü Bu indeed possesses supernatural abilities, capable of conjuring objects out of thin air. Those catapults outside Nanhe City were created from nothing by him. And the flood in Zheliu Valley was also caused by him damming the river and storing water. This man cannot be defeated by force; only by strategy can he be defeated."

Bo Chou scoffed, "Take things out of thin air? Prince Long'an, do you think we're three-year-olds?"

Long An said urgently, "General Bo Chou, everything I said is true. That Lü Bu really is—"

"Alright," Bo Chou interrupted him. "You lost the royal court, so naturally you want to exaggerate the enemy's strength, as if they were no ordinary people, to save face for yourself, which I understand. But this is Kucha, not Yanqi. Your words have no effect here."

Long An opened his mouth to argue, but Ju Chequ quietly tugged at his sleeve, forcing him to shut up.

Nali said calmly, "Prince Long'an, you may go and rest. The outcome will be clear once our army faces the Han army."

Long An and the other two had no choice but to take their leave.

After leaving the palace, Juchequ whispered, "Your Majesty, they don't believe us, what should we do?"

Long An gritted his teeth: "If they don't believe it, they won't believe it. They'll believe it after they suffer losses."

Chili sighed, "I'm afraid that by the time they suffer the consequences, it will be too late."

The three looked at each other, speechless.

Inside the hall, Bai Badao said, "Gentlemen, now that the matter has been decided, let's act quickly. Prime Minister Nali, draft the official letter; General Bochou, mobilize the troops; Marquis Bai Moxi, prepare the provisions and supplies. We must deliver the reinforcements before the Han army arrives at Wulei."

Everyone shouted in unison, "Yes, sir!"

The next day, troop after troop of Kucha cavalry galloped out, heading east. Closely following behind were caravans laden with provisions and supplies, stretching for miles.

The people in the city stood on the street watching and discussing it.

"Is war about to break out?"

"I heard that the Han army has attacked. The Xiongnu and Yanqi have been defeated, and the Cheshi kingdoms have submitted to the Han court. The four kingdoms of Yanqi have even been abolished and replaced by counties."

"The Han army? Hasn't the Han court been in chaos for decades? How can they still launch an attack?"

"Who knows? Anyway, with the king and the general protecting us, why should we ordinary folks worry about it?"

……

On the sixteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, in Wulei City.

General Bo Mi stood atop the city wall, gazing eastward.

He was about forty-five or forty-six years old, broad-shouldered and burly, with a full beard, clad in iron armor, and with a long sword at his waist. As the fiercest general of Kucha, he fought for twenty years and had a distinguished record of military exploits.

Behind him, Long An, Ju Chequ, and Chi Li looked solemn.

"General," Long An said, "the Han army may arrive tomorrow. I dare to offer another piece of advice: do not underestimate the enemy; Lü Bu is indeed a man of extraordinary abilities."

"Alright." Bo Mi waved his hand impatiently, "King Long'an, you've said these things eight hundred times. What do you mean by taking things out of thin air, what do you mean by flooding the valley? I'm sick of hearing it."

He turned and looked down at Long An: "I ask you, does Lü Bu have three heads and six arms?"

Long An was taken aback: "No, not at all."

"Then he's just a human being," Bo Mi sneered. "Humans die, get tired, and get hungry. He has six thousand soldiers, I have twenty thousand. He's come from afar, I'm well-rested and ready. He's worried about supplies, I have plenty. What makes him think he can win?"

Long An said urgently, "General, he truly possesses miraculous abilities..."

"Enough!" Bo Mi interrupted sharply. "If you dare to spread rumors and undermine morale again, don't blame me for dealing with you according to military law!"

Long An's face turned ashen, but he dared not say another word.

Ju Chequ tugged at his sleeve, and the three of them silently withdrew.

Back at their lodgings, Chili sighed, "Your Majesty, this Bo Mi is arrogant and conceited, and he won't listen to any advice. What should we do?"

Long An gritted his teeth: "What else can we do? Just wait and see him suffer. Once he's suffered, he'll naturally believe it."

Juchequ smiled bitterly: "I'm afraid that the losses he suffers will destroy Kucha and drag us down with him."

……

That evening, at the General's Mansion in Wulei City.

Bo Mi summoned his generals for a meeting.

"The scouts report that the Han army will reach Wulei tomorrow." Bo Mi pointed to the map. "Our army of 20,000, if we defend the city, will be enough to hold them off. But this general does not want to just defend the city."

The generals were taken aback.

Bo Mi grinned and said, "The Han army has come from afar and has not yet established a firm foothold. If we launch a night raid on their camp, we will surely achieve a great victory."

Lieutenant General Hu Yanqing frowned: "General, Long An said that Lü Bu possesses extraordinary abilities, and the camp may be in danger..."

"It's Long An again!" Bo Mi slammed his fist on the table. "That coward is a coward himself. He lost the royal court, and now he wants us to cower in the city like turtles? This general refuses!"

He stood up and looked around at his generals: "When the time comes, I will personally lead five thousand elite cavalry to raid the camp outside the city. You all guard the city well and await my triumphant return!"

The generals exchanged bewildered glances, but dared not offer any advice, and could only clasp their hands in a fist and say, "Yes, sir!"

……

The 17th day of the twelfth lunar month, in the afternoon.

A few miles east of Wulei City, Lü Bu stood on a small hillside, followed by Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Dian Wei, Xu Chu, Qiequ Mitu, and others.

Ahead, the majestic city of Wulei stood tall. The city walls were about three zhang high and more than two zhang thick at the base, built of bluestone, and exceptionally sturdy. Banners fluttered atop the city walls, and the garrison could be vaguely seen patrolling back and forth.

Guan Yu stroked his beard and said, "My lord, this city is even more fortified than Nanhe City. The defending army numbers at least 20,000, making a direct assault difficult."

Lü Bu nodded: "No rush, let's set up camp and rest first. Let the soldiers get a good night's rest, and we'll discuss the strategy for attacking the city tomorrow."

Qu Mi suddenly said, "My lord, I once came to Wulei with a merchant caravan. The city's commander is the Great General Bo Mi of Kucha. He is brave and skilled in battle, but arrogant, ambitious, and disdainful of others. If we use a provocation tactic, we might be able to lure him into battle."

Lu Bu's eyes flickered slightly: "Arrogant? Ambitious?"

He smiled slightly: "Pass down the order to deliberately create an opening when setting up camp. Make the camp simple, with fewer barricades and antlers, and shallower trenches. Let the defenders think that we have come from afar, are exhausted, and that our camp is simple and poorly defended, thus luring them out of the city to attack our camp."

Zhang Fei grinned: "Is our lord trying to fish?"

Lü Bu laughed and said, "Whether we can catch anything or not, we'll know once we try."

……

Half an hour later, the Han army camp was set up five miles east of Wulei City.

The camp was indeed rudimentary: the wooden palisades were sparse, the moats were shallow and narrow, there were only a few rows of chevaux-de-frise, and even fewer deer antlers. The tents in the camp were in disarray, with wisps of smoke rising from the chimneys, and the soldiers were resting in twos and threes, showing no signs of vigilance.

On the city wall, Bo Mi gazed into the distance, listening to the news gathered by his scouts, and laughed loudly: "This is the Han army that destroyed the four kingdoms of Yanqi? A complete rabble!"

Long An said urgently, "General, we must not underestimate the enemy! Lü Bu is definitely feigning weakness to lure you into battle!"

Bo Mi glanced at him sideways: "Show weakness? Do you take me for a three-year-old? They've been marching for days, exhausted men and horses, how could they possibly have the energy to fortify their camp? If not now, when?"

He turned and ordered, "Pass down the order: tonight at midnight, five thousand elite cavalry will follow me out of the city and raze the Han camp to the ground!"

Long An wanted to persuade him further, but Bo Mi glared at him, so he had no choice but to shut up.