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

On the first day of the seventh month of the seventh year of Chuping (196 AD), south of Chang'an City.

Twenty thousand troops were assembled and ready to go, their banners obscuring the sun and their weapons like a forest.

Lü Bu, clad in golden armor and riding a crimson horse, stood atop a high platform. Behind him, civil and military officials such as Jia Xu, Chen Gong, Zhang Liao, Guo Jia, and Xun You lined up on either side.

Below the stage, 20,000 soldiers stood in square formation, completely silent.

Lü Bulang declared, "Soldiers, since I launched my counterattack on Chang'an in the third year of the Chuping era, I have defeated Li Guo, pacified Guanzhong, destroyed the Xianbei, subdued the Xiongnu, pacified the Western Regions, and unified the north, without ever suffering a defeat! Now, Yuan Shu and Liu Biao in the south are seizing control of prefectures and counties, disobeying the imperial court's orders, and have even secretly formed an alliance to resist the royal army. This is utterly rebellious!"

"I have dispatched 100,000 elite troops, advancing in five directions, to subdue this rebellious rebellion! You who follow me into battle must fight bravely and achieve great deeds!"

"Anyone who beheads a general will be rewarded with 100 strings of cash! Anyone who kills a general, captures a flag, or is the first to charge into battle will be rewarded with 100 gold coins and promoted three ranks!"

The 20,000 soldiers shouted in unison, "Long live the Prince of Jin! Long live the Prince of Jin! Long live the Prince of Jin!"

The sound shook the heavens and could be heard for miles.

Lu Bu raised his hand and pointed south: "Let's go!"

The war drums sounded, and the bugles blared.

The 20,000-strong army, like a surging torrent, headed southeast towards Wuguan Pass.

……

Lantian County, Shangluo County, and Shang County were once the places where Lü Bu first launched his counterattack against Chang'an in the third year of Chuping. They were also the places that were most thoroughly reformed by Lü Bu's new policies, most resolutely implemented Lü Bu's policies, and had the most unwavering support from the people.

When Lü Bu led his army through the area, the people lined the streets to see him off. Even though Lü Bu repeatedly tried to silence them, shouts of "Long live the King of Jin!" were still heard. This shows that in the eyes of the people in these counties, the Han emperor no longer existed; Lü Bu was their eternal emperor.

Seeing the support of the many people along the way for Lü Bu, Xu Shu, the 28-year-old strategist who accompanied the army on this expedition, felt extremely gratified that he, along with Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, Shi Guangyuan, and others, had followed their teacher Sima Hui to Chang'an in response to Lü Bu's summons.

This move seems to have been the right one.

Lü Bu was not a simple powerful minister, treacherous hero, or usurper, but a truly great lord who personally worked to pacify the world, expand territory, and create a peaceful and prosperous world for the people.

Xu Shu, who had no attachment to the Liu family's Han court, admired Lü Bu as his lord and hoped to serve under him in order to realize his ideal of displaying his talents and bringing peace to the world.

……

Because Lü Bu had a divinely granted granary that carried provisions and equipment, his army moved much faster than the other four armies.

On the third day of the seventh lunar month, at the southern exit of Wuguan Road.

Lü Bu led an army of 20,000 men and marched swiftly along the Dan River valley.

Suddenly, a cloud of dust rose ahead, and a team of scouts sped back.

The lead scout dismounted and knelt on one knee: "Report! The city gates of Danshui County are wide open, and the magistrate has surrendered with his troops!"

Lu Bu asked in confusion, "Where are Ji Ling's garrison troops?"

The scout reported: "It is said that Ji Lingxin knew that Danshui City was small and had low walls, making it impossible to defend. Therefore, he transferred all his elite troops back to Nanyang and heavily garrisoned Nanyang."

Lü Bu nodded: "Send the order for the army to enter the city to rest and recuperate, and not to commit any offenses against the people."

"promise!"

In Danshui County, the magistrate, named Wang Cheng, was a local official in his fifties. He led the crowd in kneeling by the roadside, trembling with fear.

Lu Bu rode forward and looked down at him, saying, "Stand up and speak."

Wang Cheng rose shakily, bowed deeply, and said, "This humble official, Wang Cheng, the magistrate of Danshui County, respectfully welcomes His Highness Prince Jin. The entire populace of Danshui wishes to submit to the imperial court and begs His Highness Prince Jin to spare our lives."

Lü Bu said calmly, "Now that you have submitted, you are a subject of the Han. Issue the order that the Han army, upon entering the city, must not disturb the people. You will temporarily remain as the county magistrate, and rewards will be distributed after the battle."

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

……

On the fourth day of the seventh lunar month, the army arrived in Nanxiang.

The magistrate of Nanxiang County also offered no resistance and surrendered the city, which Lü Bu appeased as well.

Along the way, the counties of Shunyang, Xixian, and Liguo were all deserted, with no troops left by Yuan Shu's general Ji Ling, and all surrendered without resistance.

Of course, when Ji Ling withdrew his troops, he looted a lot of the people's stored grain and took away many laborers, which naturally caused some chaos. But when Lü Bu's royal army arrived, he took out grain and equipment from his storage space to provide relief to the disaster victims, which naturally won Lü Bu a lot of popular support.

……

July 10th, afternoon.

Nanyang City.

Banners fluttered densely atop the city walls, and the garrison was heavily armed. Ji Ling stood atop the city tower, gazing westward with a solemn expression.

In the distance, dust billowed up, and the banners of the Han army gradually became clear.

A large banner led the way, bearing the enormous character "晋" (Jin). Beneath the banner, Lü Bu, clad in golden armor and riding a red horse, slowly approached.

Behind him, 20,000 Han soldiers marched in formation, their armor gleaming, their swords and spears like a forest, their morale high.

Ji Ling's heart sank.

Although he had never seen Lü Bu's Bingzhou cavalry, he knew from their military bearing that they were no ordinary troops.

At this moment, a Han soldier with a loud voice spurred his horse forward, arrived at the moat, and shouted towards the city wall:

"Listen up, soldiers on the city walls! His Majesty the King of Jin of the Great Han Dynasty has ordered: General Ji Ling, the garrison commander of Nanyang, is to answer!"

Ji Ling took a deep breath, gripped the battlement, and said in a deep voice, "Ji Ling is here!"

The soldier shouted, "The King of Jin has decreed that Nanyang rightfully belongs to the Han Dynasty. Yuan Shu has usurped this right and occupied this place for many years. Now that the royal army has arrived, if General Ji opens the city gates and surrenders, his past transgressions will be forgiven, and he will still be given an important position! If he remains obstinate, it will be too late to regret it when the city falls!"

Ji Ling remained silent for a moment, then said loudly, "This humble general has received great kindness from Lord Yuan; how could I betray my lord for personal gain? Please forgive me, Prince Jin!"

The soldier turned his horse around and reported the news to Lü Bu.

Lu Bu frowned slightly, spurred his horse forward a few steps, and looked up at the city wall: "Ji Ling, I know you are loyal and righteous. But do you know that Yuan Shu has been privately governing Yu Province, seizing Nanyang in Jing Province, and even possessing the Imperial Seal of the State—a heinous crime? Do you know that he has secretly allied with Liu Biao, plotting to rebel against the court? This is an even greater crime, punishable by the extermination of nine generations of your family. And you still want to follow him wholeheartedly?"

Ji Ling's expression changed slightly, but he still shook his head: "Prince Jin, this humble general does not know these things. This humble general only knows that Lord Yuan has treated this humble general well, and this humble general cannot betray him."

Lü Bu sighed, "Ji Ling, since you know loyalty and righteousness, you should also know that the trend of the world is irreversible. I have pacified the north and subdued the western regions, and the unification of the world is just around the corner. How many days can you hold out for Yuan Shu in defending this city? When the city falls, all the soldiers and civilians will be buried with you."

Ji Ling trembled, but still gritted his teeth and said, "Prince Jin, this humble general is willing to fight!"

Lu Bu looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and slowly said, "Very well, since that's how it is, I won't force you. Tomorrow we'll attack the city; you'd better take care of yourself."

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

Watching Lü Bu's departing figure, Ji Ling felt a heavy weight in her heart.

A lieutenant stepped forward and whispered, "General, the Han army has superior numbers and strength, we..."

Ji Ling raised his hand to interrupt him: "No need for further words. Pass down the order to double the guards tonight, and prepare plenty of rolling logs, boulders, arrows, and molten metal. Tomorrow, we will fight to the death."

The lieutenant hesitated, then sighed, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes."