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

Bai Ba then shakily stood up, still bowing his head and not daring to raise his head.

Lu Bu took the wooden tray, glanced at the seal, and handed it to Qiequmitu beside him.

Then, his gaze fell on Long An and Chi Li.

Long An trembled all over, but still forced himself to say, "Lu Bu, you... kill me if you want, I, Long An, will never beg for mercy!"

Lu Bu sneered, "Not begging for mercy? That's fine, I don't intend to hear you beg for mercy."

He looked at Bai Ba: "Did you tie these two up?"

Bai Ba bowed and said, "Yes, this humble subject knows that these two are wanted criminals of the Prince of Jin, so I have specially bound them and presented them to you."

Lü Bu nodded: "Good, you know what's good for you. I'll take these two with me. The royal family of Kucha will be spared."

Bai Ba felt a sense of relief and repeatedly kowtowed, saying, "Thank you for your grace, Prince Jin! Thank you for your grace, Prince Jin!"

Lü Bu then looked at the princes, nobles, and civil and military officials kneeling on the ground and said in a deep voice, "Now that you have surrendered, you are all spared death. Go back to your residences and await your fate. When the Han army enters the city, they shall not commit any offenses and shall not cause any disturbance."

The crowd chorused, "Thank you for your grace, Prince Jin!"

Lu Bu waved his hand: "Enter the city!"

……

Five thousand Han soldiers filed into the city.

Along the streets of Yancheng, people knelt on the ground. Some peeked up furtively, some trembled, and some looked on with curiosity.

The Han army indeed did not commit any offenses, marching in formation with their eyes fixed straight ahead, which reassured the people of Kucha.

Lu Bu rode his horse forward, his gaze sweeping over the people lining the streets. These people would soon become subjects of the Han Dynasty, increasing the population of his safe zone.

Upon arriving at the palace, Lü Bu reined in his horse.

This palace was even more magnificent than the Yanqi Palace, with towering gates and majestic stone lions. Dozens of palace maids and eunuchs knelt on either side of the gates, trembling with fear.

Lü Bu dismounted and entered the palace.

Bai Ba and the others followed cautiously behind.

Upon arriving at the main hall, Lü Bu took the seat of honor. Zhang Fei, Dian Wei, and Xu Chu stood on either side. Qiequ Mitu, Hulan Di, and the other two kings sat below.

Bai Ba and the others knelt in the hall, not daring to raise their heads.

Lu Bu scanned the crowd and slowly spoke: "Bai Ba."

Bai Ba kowtowed: "This sinful subject is here."

Do you know your crime?

Bai Ba said in a trembling voice, "This sinful subject knows his crime. This sinful subject should not have taken in Long An and Chi Li, and should not have ordered Bo Mi to lead the army to resist the royal army."

Lü Bu nodded: "It's good that you confess. As I said before, if you open the city gates and surrender, I will spare your life. From today onwards, the Kingdom of Kucha is abolished and replaced by Kucha Prefecture, under the jurisdiction of the Western Regions Prefectural Government. You are no longer the king, but you can keep your family fortune and enjoy your old age in peace."

Bai Ba felt a sense of relief and repeatedly kowtowed, saying, "Thank you for your grace, Prince Jin! Thank you for your grace, Prince Jin!"

Lü Bu then said, "Nali."

Nali kowtowed: "Your sinful subject is here."

"You were formerly the Prime Minister of Kucha. Would you be willing to continue serving the Han court?"

Nali was taken aback, then kowtowed and said, "This sinful subject is willing to serve the Prince of Jin with utmost loyalty!"

Lü Bu nodded: "Alright, you will temporarily assume the position of Assistant Prefect of Kucha, assisting the Han official in taking over the administration of the prefecture. If you perform well in future evaluations, you will be promoted."

Nali was overjoyed: "Thank you, Prince Jin!"

Lü Bu looked at Bo Chou: "Bo Chou."

Bo Chou knelt on the ground, his face ashen, and clasped his hands, saying, "This sinful subject is here."

"Your brother, Bo Mi, led his troops in a stubborn resistance and was killed in battle by me. Do you resent it?"

Bo Chou trembled, remained silent for a moment, and finally kowtowed, saying, "This sinful subject dares not complain. My elder brother did not understand the will of Heaven and deserves his punishment."

Lu Bu stared at him for a moment, then slowly said, "It's good that you think this way. You were originally a general, but now you have to hand over your military power. However, you can remain as the Commandant of Kucha, in charge of the security of the commandery. If you are loyal and diligent, you will still have the opportunity for promotion in the future."

Bo Chou was taken aback, then kowtowed heavily: "Thank you, Prince Jin, for sparing my life. This sinful subject will surely repay you with my life!"

Lü Bu then looked at Qiemo Jiu, Bai Mo, and others, comforting them one by one and bestowing upon them official positions.

Finally, he looked at Rong Lu, Bo Xu, and Qie Di, who were kneeling in the corner.

"King Ronglu".

Rong Lu crawled forward on his knees, kowtowed, and said, "Your sinful subject is here."

"Are you King Lieutenant?"

Rong Lu said in a trembling voice, "Yes, the small state of Weitou dared not oppose the royal army. We were forced by Kucha to send troops to help. We beg the King of Jin to spare our lives!"

Lü Bu said calmly, "Since you have surrendered, I will spare your life. The Kingdom of Weitou will be abolished from this day forward and replaced by Weitou County, under the jurisdiction of Qiuci Commandery. Are you willing to remain as the county commandant and assist the Han officials in governing?"

Rong Lu was stunned—he thought he would lose everything, but he didn't expect to be able to retain his official position, even though it was only as a county lieutenant, it was still beyond his expectations.

He kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "This sinful subject is willing, this sinful subject is willing to serve the Prince of Jin!"

Lu Bu nodded, then looked at Bo Xu and Qie Di.

The two men immediately kowtowed.

Bo Xu said, "This humble general, Wen Su Bo Xu, pays his respects to the King of Jin, wishing to submit to the Han court and to persuade the King to do so!"

Qiedi said, "This humble general, Gumo Qiedi, pays his respects to the King of Jin, and also wishes to submit to the Han court. I will persuade the King to submit!"

Lü Bu nodded slightly: "Since you have surrendered, I will spare your lives. Tell the King of Wensu and the King of Gumo to lead their people to Yancheng and surrender within three days, and their lives will be spared. Otherwise, when the army arrives, it will be too late to regret it."

The two men kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Yes, sir! Yes, sir!"

……

Just as the meeting was being held in the palace, a courier suddenly stumbled and rushed into the palace.

"Report—Urgent military situation!"

Lu Bu frowned slightly: "What's the matter?"

The courier knelt, panting, and said, "Reporting to the King of Jin, an urgent report has arrived from the west: ten thousand Wusun cavalry have marched south, heading straight for Weitou! The capital of Weitou has been captured, and the king and his family have all been taken prisoner!"

"What?"

Rong Lu suddenly stood up, his face deathly pale.

The courier continued, "After capturing Weitou, the Wusun army did not stop. They have now turned east and are heading towards Wensu. Wensu is in dire need of help!"

An uproar erupted in the hall.

Rong Lu trembled all over, his lips quivered, and suddenly he knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly to Lü Bu:

"King Jin, King Jin, I beg you, King Jin, to avenge me! Wei Tou has already submitted to the Han court; this is Han territory! The Wusun took advantage of my misfortune, destroying our capital and abducting my family. I beg you, King Jin, to send troops to rescue me!"

Lu Bu raised his hand: "Stand up and speak."

Rong Lu dared not rise, but knelt and wept, saying, "Your Majesty, my wife, children, and elderly parents are all in the hands of the constable, their fate unknown! I beg Your Majesty to save them!"

Lü Bu looked at Nali: "Didn't you say that Wusun and Kucha are allies, and that you were asking them to send troops to jointly attack me? How could you take advantage of my predicament to attack your vassal state?"

Nali sighed, "Your Majesty, you are unaware that the Great Kunmi Dieyanhu of Wusun is extremely ambitious and has always wanted to expand his territory. Although Kucha and Wusun have an alliance, it is merely a matter of mutual exploitation. Now that Kucha is in danger, Wusun not only does not come to its aid, but also takes the opportunity to annex the three kingdoms of Weitou, Wensu, and Gumo, intending to take advantage of the situation and expand its power."

Bo Chou gritted his teeth and said, "The Wusun people are indeed untrustworthy!"

Hu Landi also said, "My lord, Wusun is the most powerful country in the Western Regions, with no less than 100,000 archers and more than 50,000 soldiers under the command of the Great Kunmi. If they were to annex Weitou, Wensu, and Gumo, their power would be even greater, and they would surely become a major threat to the Han court in the Western Regions in the future."

Lu Bu nodded slightly, pondered for a moment, and looked at Bo Xu and Qiedi: "Can your men contact the King of Wensu and the King of Gumo?"

Bo Xu hurriedly replied, "Your Highness, I can send someone back to the country by fast horse to report the situation."

Lü Bu nodded: "Immediately send envoys on horseback to Wensu and Gumo to inform their kings that the Han army has taken over Kucha, the commander has surrendered, and Wensu and Gumo have submitted as desired, thus becoming Han territory. I will personally go to their aid. Also, send another envoy quickly to the Wusun army to stop them from continuing their eastward advance!"

He paused, his gaze sharp as lightning: "Tell the Wusun general: Kucha has surrendered, and Weitou has submitted to the Han court; this is now Han territory. Order them to immediately cease their attack, withdraw from the occupied land, hand over Weitou's royal family and relatives, and plead guilty with thorns on their backs! Otherwise—"

"If I lead my royal army on a western expedition, the Wusun will be annihilated!"

"promise!"