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

Ulan Beg sighed, "What You Daqiequ said makes sense. I personally witnessed Lü Bu's army at the foot of Wensu City. Those several thousand elite Han cavalrymen were gleaming in armor, sharp in weapons, and high in morale, far superior to our Wusun cavalry. If a real battle were to break out, I have no certainty of victory, not to mention Lü Bu's unexpected and miraculous divine abilities."

Commandant Xi asked, "So, in your opinion, should we just admit defeat like this?"

Huyan explained, "It's not about admitting defeat, but about assessing the situation. Don't forget, we still have the Little Kunmi, the Northern Xiongnu, Kangju, Dayuan, and Dayuezhi to the west. If we fight the Han army head-on, even if we win, it will be a Pyrrhic victory; if we lose, the Little Kunmi and the Northern Xiongnu will immediately pounce on us and devour us alive!"

After listening to Hu Yanjie's analysis, Die Yanhu nodded slightly.

Hu Yanjie's words struck a chord with him.

The greatest enemies of the Wusun were never the Han court in the east, but the Xiao Kunmi and the Northern Xiongnu in the west.

In the past, the Wusun were divided into two, the Greater and Lesser Kunmi, who fought each other for hundreds of years. The Greater Kunmi occupied the east and south, while the Lesser Kunmi occupied the northwest and colluded with the Northern Xiongnu, always wanting to annex the Greater Kunmi.

Over the years, the Great Kunmi has been able to barely maintain its position on both the eastern and western fronts by skillfully maneuvering and avoiding becoming mortal enemies with any country.

Now, Lü Bu's western expedition has conquered Cheshi, Yanqi, and Kucha, and all the kingdoms of the Western Regions have come under the rule of the Han court. The strength of the Han court is far superior to that of the other kingdoms of the Western Regions.

If Wusun were to go to war with Lü Bu, they would be attacked from both sides by the Han court and Xiao Kunmi, facing enemies on both sides, and would surely die.

Dieyanhu looked at Huyanjie: "Right Daqiequ, in your opinion, what should be done?"

Hu Yanjie clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that we should cease hostilities with Lü Bu and return to the Han court as vassals."

Die Yanhu frowned: "Return to vassalage? Wouldn't that mean surrendering military power and accepting Han officials' rule, like the Cheshi states?"

Huyanjie shook his head: "Your Majesty misunderstands. What I mean is that we can exchange the condition that Wusun help the Han court guard the western part of the Western Regions and resist the Xiao Kunmi, the Northern Xiongnu, Kangju, Dayuan, and the Yuezhi, in exchange for the Han court allowing Wusun to continue to maintain its independence, retain its royal family and army, and that the Han court will not send officials to govern it."

He paused, then continued, "In this way, the eastern front will be secure, and Your Majesty can transfer all troops to the western front to focus on dealing with Little Kunmi. If managed properly, we might even be able to unify the entire Wusun territory!"

Dieyan Hu's eyes lit up.

Ulan Beg replied, "Right Grand General, that may be true, but would Lü Bu agree to that? He abolished the kingdoms of Yanqi and Kucha and made them into counties. At most, the kingdoms of Cheshi will retain their kings to govern the people, but their military power will still be taken away by the Han court. Would he allow us to retain our thrones and armies?"

Hu Yanjie said, "The kingdoms of Cheshi, Yanqi, and Kucha are just small countries that Lü Bu can swallow whole. Wusun is different. We are the largest country in the Western Regions, with 100,000 archers. Although Lü Bu has extraordinary abilities, he has come from afar and his forces are limited. If he pushes us too far, our elite cavalry will scatter, and instead of engaging him in a decisive battle, we will plunder the towns and post stations under his command. He won't come out on top either."

He paused, then continued, "Besides, keeping us here would also benefit him. The King of Jin has not yet unified the country, and the Western Regions are so vast that he cannot personally handle everything and expend energy governing Wusun. With us helping him guard the western front and defend against the Little Kunmi, the Northern Xiongnu, and the Kangju Kingdom, he can save time and effort. If it were me, I would agree as well."

Die Yanhu pondered for a long time, then looked at the other ministers: "What do you all think?"

Zhuanqu sighed, "Although I am unwilling to bow down to the Han court, what You Daqiequ said makes sense. Under the current circumstances, peace is the best policy."

The Commandant also said, "I second that opinion. It would be extremely fortunate if we could negotiate with the Han court and preserve the royal family and the army."

Ulanbok clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This humble general also agrees with the peace talks."

Seeing that the ministers were in agreement, Dieyanhu finally nodded: "Very well, then let it be as Right Grand General Qiequ said. Right Grand General Qiequ, you are the special envoy. Go to Wensu immediately to meet with the Prince of Jin and discuss peace talks."

Hu Yanjie clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your subject obeys!"

Dieyanhu then said, "Ulan Beg, you must immediately prepare for the withdrawal of troops and return some of Ronglu King's family members to the Han army as a sign of sincerity. There must be no mistakes!"

Ulanbok clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes!"

……

The fifth day of the first lunar month, Wensu City.

Lu Bu sat in the main seat of the city lord's mansion, listening to the scouts report the latest news.

"The Wusun army is preparing to withdraw from Yutou. Several family members of King Ronglu of Yutou have been sent back and are now on their way to Wensu. Wusun's special envoy, Huyan Jie, has also arrived outside the city and requests an audience with King Jin."

Lu Bu nodded slightly: "Let him in."

A moment later, Huyanjie entered the hall and bowed: "Huyanjie, the Right Grand General of the Wusun Great Kunmi, pays respects to His Majesty the King of Jin of the Great Han."

Lü Bu raised his hand: "No need for formalities, please take a seat."

Huyan Jie thanked him and sat down beside the hall.

Lü Bu cut to the chase: "Huyan Jie, Weitou has already submitted to the Han court and belongs to Han territory. The Wusun have invaded our Han borders, attacked our vassal states, and killed our people. Now we have sent you here; do you wish to fight or to make peace?"

Huyan Jie stood up, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Your Majesty, Wusun is willing to make peace."

Lu Bu said calmly, "Want peace? Then why did you send troops in the first place?"

Huyan explained: "King Rongbing of Jin, when Kucha sent envoys to request aid, asking Wusun to send troops to assist. The Great Kunmi was misled by Kucha's slander and sent troops. Later, upon learning that Kucha had surrendered and other states had submitted, the Great Kunmi immediately ordered Ulan Beg to withdraw his troops and returned the royal family of Weitou intact. I hope King Rongbing of Jin will understand the misunderstanding."

Lu Bu sneered: "Misunderstanding? Then your attack on Weitou and the killing of my vassal state's soldiers and civilians, that's also a misunderstanding?"

Huyan Jie hurriedly said, "The loss of the commander was indeed the fault of the Wusun. The Great Kunmi is willing to compensate for the loss and guarantees that he will never invade Han territory again."

Lu Bu stared at him for a moment, then slowly said, "Speak, how do you want to make peace?"

Hu Yanjie felt relieved and quickly explained the agreed-upon conditions one by one:

"The Great Kunmi's intention: Wusun wishes to return to the Han court's vassal state, offering a thousand fine horses annually as tribute, and to guard the western border of the Western Regions for the Han court, resisting invasions from the Lesser Kunmi, the Northern Xiongnu, Kangju, Dayuan, and Dayuezhi. He requests that the Han court allow Wusun to retain its royal family and army, without sending officials to govern. The various states of the Western Regions and Wusun shall never again invade each other."

After listening, Lü Bu remained silent in thought.

The generals in the hall exchanged glances.

Zhang Fei said in a low voice, "My lord, these conditions are quite good. We don't need to spend our energy governing Wusun and dealing with relations with the western countries."

Dian Wei nodded in agreement: "The fact that Wusun is willing to submit and even offer warhorses is better than fighting a battle. Our lord has not yet unified the country, so it is not advisable to spend too much energy on the Western Regions."

Lü Bu nodded slightly.

Seeing that Lü Bu was interested, Hu Yan added, "If the King of Jin agrees, the Great Kunmi wishes to form a marriage alliance with the Han court. The Great Kunmi has a younger sister named Die Lanzhu, who is sixteen years old and as beautiful as a flower. She wishes to marry the King of Jin as Consort Ping, so that they may be united in marriage forever."