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

The 22nd day of the twelfth lunar month, in the afternoon.

Lü Bu led his army to Luntai City.

This was a small city, with walls no more than two zhang high and a garrison of just over a thousand men. From a distance, the banners on the city walls were sparse, and the number of soldiers was small.

Qu Mi suddenly rode forward: "My lord, we have arrived at Luntai. This humble general is willing to go and persuade them to surrender."

Lu Bu nodded: "Go."

Qu Mi suddenly rode his horse to the city walls and shouted, "Listen up, defenders! His Highness the Prince of Jin of the Great Han Dynasty has led his royal army here. Wulei City has fallen, Bo Mi is dead, and all 20,000 defenders have surrendered! If you open the city gates and surrender, we will not harm you in the slightest; if you close the gates and resist, on the day the city falls, not even a chicken or a dog will be spared!"

A commotion broke out on the city wall.

A moment later, the city gates opened wide, and an official dressed in Kucha attire led dozens of people out to greet them, kneeling by the roadside.

"Lord Qiemo Jiuqi of Luntai City, leading all the officials and people of the city, respectfully welcomes His Highness Prince Jin!"

Lu Bu rode forward and looked down at the man: "You do know how to seize the moment."

Qiemo Jiuqi kowtowed and said, "Your humble servant has long admired the might of the King of Jin. Wulei City fell in a single day. How dare I resist? I am willing to lead the people of Luntai to surrender to the Han court and beg the King of Jin to spare my life!"

Lü Bu nodded slightly: "Get up. Since you have surrendered the city, you are a meritorious official. Issue the order that the Han army must not disturb the people when entering the city. You will continue to lead the defense of Luntai City for the time being, until the Western Regions Prefectural Governor's Office sends someone to take over."

Qiemo Jiuqi was overjoyed and repeatedly kowtowed, saying, "Thank you for your grace, Prince Jin! Thank you for your grace, Prince Jin!"

When Lü Bu led his army into the city, as predicted, they did not commit any offenses.

The people in the city were initially terrified, hiding behind their doors to peek. But seeing that the Han army was orderly, neither looting nor killing, they gradually became bolder, and some even went to the street to watch.

"These are the Han soldiers? They seem quite friendly."

"I heard they don't steal things, is that true?"

"Look at those soldiers, walking down the street with their eyes straight ahead, they don't look like they're robbing anyone."

"It is said that the King of Jin was blessed with a divine granary, which could not only store grain and military supplies for his long marches, but also provide enough grain for millions of people every day. They had no interest in plundering the people."

"That's great! From now on, we'll be under the Han court's jurisdiction?"

"Let them return. It doesn't matter who's in charge, as long as they don't rob or kill, and they get some food."

Qiemo Jiuqi followed behind Lü Bu's horse and saw that the Han army was indeed disciplined, which put his mind at ease. He had originally worried that the Han army would plunder after entering the city, but now it seemed that the army led by this King of Jin was a true royal army and would not be as barbaric as the Xiongnu and other foreign enemies in the Western Regions.

That night, Lü Bu rested in Luntai City. The next morning, after leaving dozens of Han soldiers to supervise Qiemo Jiuqi, he continued westward.

……

On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the army arrived at Quli.

Quli was slightly larger than Luntai, with a garrison of over two thousand men. The garrison commander was named Qiedimi, a nobleman from Kucha. Upon hearing the news of the fall of Wulei and the death of Bomi in battle, he was already terrified and at a loss.

Upon seeing the Han army flags appear in the distance, Qidi Mi surrendered the city without saying a word.

Lü Bu appeased him as before, ordering him to temporarily lead the defense of Quli City, and leaving dozens of Han soldiers to supervise him, pending the takeover of the city by the Chief Clerk's office.

Overwhelmed with gratitude, the Dimi sent his trusted confidants to guide the army westward.

Along the way, several small towns or passes surrendered upon seeing the enemy.

Wherever Lü Bu's army passed, the city gates opened wide, and people lined the streets. The Han army did not commit any offenses, and some soldiers even distributed porridge to the poor outside the city—all of which were provisions that Lü Bu had obtained from the system, inexhaustible and readily available.

The people were filled with gratitude and knelt down in worship:

"The Prince of Jin is benevolent and virtuous!"

"Long live the Great Han!"

The three kings of Hulandi were in the army and witnessed this scene with their own eyes, and were filled with emotion.

Himita sighed, "Even Ban Chao's pacification of the Western Regions didn't happen this quickly."

Du Lüjian said, "Ban Chao used barbarians to control barbarians, which took him thirty years. With the help of the Divine Granary, the Prince of Jin surrendered wherever his army pointed. In just one or two months, Cheshi, Yanqi, and the eastern part of Kucha all fell into Han hands."

Looking at Lü Bu's retreating figure in the distance, Hu Landi murmured, "The Han Dynasty will rise strong again."

……

The 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, in the afternoon.

Outside the east gate of Yancheng, a cloud of dust rose.

Five thousand elite Han cavalrymen marched in formation.

Banners blotted out the sun, and swords and spears formed a forest. At the forefront was a large banner bearing the enormous character "[Han]". Beneath the banner, Lü Bu, clad in golden armor and riding a red horse, slowly advanced, wielding his halberd.

Behind them, Zhang Fei, clad in black robes and iron armor, was followed closely by Dian Wei, Xu Chu, and Qiequ Mitu, each wielding a weapon.

Five thousand men, though not many, were incredibly imposing.

On the city wall, King Bai Ba of Kucha was deathly pale.

He was about thirty years old, with a fair complexion and no beard. He wore a magnificent royal robe and a golden crown, but at this moment his hands were trembling, and he could barely hold onto the battlements.

Behind him were high-ranking officials such as Chancellor Nali, General Bochou, Grand Shaman Qiemojiu, and Marquis Baimo.

Further behind were King Ronglu of Weitou, General Boxu of Wensu, and General Qiedi of Gumo. They had come to support Kucha, but were now trapped in Yancheng, unable to advance or retreat.

The Han army drew ever closer to the city walls, stopping about three miles away.

A Han soldier with a booming voice rode forward to the moat and shouted towards the city walls:

"Listen up, defenders on the city walls! His Majesty the King of Jin of the Great Han Dynasty commands: King Bai Ba of Kucha, please answer!"

Bai Ba took a deep breath, gripped the battlements, and said in a trembling voice, "I, I am here."

The soldier shouted, "King Jin has decreed that the Kingdom of Kucha has committed the crime of murdering Lu Mu, the Protector-General of the Western Regions. Now, it has also harbored the criminals Long An, Chi Li, and Ju Che Qu (who have already died in Wu Lei City) from Yanqi, and sent General Bo Mi to lead troops to resist the royal army, causing casualties among our Han soldiers. These three crimes deserve the destruction of the kingdom!"

A commotion broke out on the city wall.

The soldier continued, "However, the King of Jin is merciful and considers that you are from a small Western Region country and do not understand the overall situation. He will grant you a way out: Before sunset tomorrow, King Bai Ba of Kucha, along with his nobles, officials, and civil and military officers, shall open the city gates and surrender. Bound Long An and Chi Li and bring them out of the city, and Bai Ba's life will be spared!"

"If they remain obstinate, when the Han army attacks the city and it falls, Bai Ba, along with the royal family and relatives of Kucha, will be exterminated!"

"Your decision on where to go is up to you!"

Having said that, he turned his horse and rode back.

The city walls were deathly silent.

Bai Ba swayed and almost fell, but was caught by Bai Mo.

"Your Majesty!" Bai Mo exclaimed urgently.

Bai Ba steadied himself, his face ashen. He looked down at the Han army below the city, then at the officials on the city walls, and felt a chill in his heart.

Even with 20,000 to 30,000 troops at Wulei City, they couldn't stop the Han army. Bo Mi died in battle, and he knew that Yan City would most likely fall as well. But he couldn't bear to give up his throne and still wanted to talk to the Han army to try to retain his kingship and even his military power.

Unexpectedly, Lü Bu didn't even bother to talk, and went straight to issuing an ultimatum.

Bo Chou gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, we cannot surrender! If we surrender, you will lose your throne!"

Nali sighed, "General, if we don't surrender, how can we hold out? Wulei City, with its 20,000 troops, fell in a single day. Even with the reinforcements from Weitou, Wensu, and Gumo, we only have a little over 10,000 men. Lü Bu possesses supernatural abilities; he can build stone platforms and conjure objects out of thin air. What can we possibly use to defend ourselves?"

Bo Chou angrily retorted, "Na Li! As the prime minister, instead of devising a strategy to repel the enemy, you're trying to persuade them to surrender?!"

Nali shook his head: "I'm not trying to persuade you to surrender, I'm just telling the truth. If the general has a good plan, please speak it."

The words on the silk were suffocating.

What good ideas does he have?

Bo Mi was his own brother, a brave and skilled warrior, yet he still died in battle. For him to go would be nothing short of suicide.

Bai Ba looked at the Great Wizard Qiemo Jiu: "Great Wizard, you, you calculate, what are the celestial phenomena like?"

Qiemo Jiu closed his eyes for a long time and murmured, "Your Majesty, this old minister observed the stars last night, and purple clouds soared into the eastern sky, indicating that a sage will be born. That King of Jin, Lü Bu, is probably truly a man chosen by Heaven."

Bai Ba was utterly desperate.