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

July 11th, afternoon.

The city gates of Wancheng, the seat of Nanyang Commandery, were opened wide, and Ji Ling led his generals to kneel and welcome King Lü Bu of Jin into the city.

The people of the city flocked out to watch.

They had thought that Ji Ling would shrink his defenses and hold Nanyang alone, which would surely lead to a bloody battle, but they never expected it to end so easily.

Ji Ling followed behind Lü Bu's horse, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He had thought that Lü Bu would strip him of his military power or transfer him away from Nanyang. Unexpectedly, Lü Bu not only allowed him to continue guarding Nanyang, but also preserved his troops, requiring only that he change his allegiance.

This trust moved him deeply, yet also filled him with trepidation. It also demonstrated the Prince of Jin's immense self-confidence.

If he dares to change his mind, he will surely be struck down with lightning speed. Next time, he won't have this chance to surrender, survive, and be reinstated.

Upon arriving at the prefectural governor's residence, Lü Bu sat in the main seat, while Ji Ling and his generals knelt below the steps.

Lü Bu said, "General Ji, stand up and speak."

Ji Ling stood up, bowed, and said, "Prince Jin, this humble general has a request."

Lü Bu said, "Speak."

Ji Ling said, "I have 20,000 soldiers under my command, all of whom are locals from Nanyang. If the Prince of Jin wants to call them up for the expedition, could I please appease them first to prevent any unrest in the army?"

Lü Bu nodded: "You will still lead your troops and temporarily defend Nanyang. I will not transfer them elsewhere, but I will send two supervisors to oversee military discipline, ensuring there are no rebellions or disturbances to the people. After the south is pacified, we will reorganize them."

Ji Ling was overjoyed and quickly kowtowed, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Prince Jin!"

Lü Bu then said, "From today onwards, your soldiers will be paid according to the new army standards set by the imperial court."

Ji Ling nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes!"

……

That evening, Ji Ling summoned the generals of the Nanyang garrison and announced the matter.

The generals were initially uneasy, worried about being laid off or transferred. But when they heard that not only would their troops be retained, but they would also be paid according to the standards of the new imperial army, they were overjoyed.

A centurion said, "General, is the King of Jin really giving us rations? I've heard the Han army's rations are very generous; even a private receives fifteen shi (a unit of dry measure) per month!"

Another person said, "I heard there's also a change of armor and weapons, all top-notch equipment!"

Ji Ling nodded: "The Prince of Jin's word is law, he certainly wouldn't deceive us. Tomorrow we'll send someone to the Han army camp to collect it. From now on, we'll be part of the imperial army. Following the Prince of Jin won't be a loss."

The generals all nodded in agreement.

……

July 12th, early morning.

Outside Nanyang City, the Han army camp.

Ji Ling led a group of personal guards to the camp gate.

The camp gates swung open, and a Han army major stepped forward to greet them: "General Ji, the Prince of Jin requests your presence."

Ji Ling followed the major into the camp, where she saw that the food and fodder prepared for them were piled up like mountains, and the military supplies were neatly stacked in boxes.

Lu Bu was in his camp when he saw him arrive. He smiled and said, "General Ji, you've come at the right time. All the supplies are ready. Take an inventory and send someone to transport them back."

Ji Ling was deeply shocked as he looked at the mountains of grain, military pay, weapons, and armor.

He roughly estimated that these supplies would be enough to feed an army of 20,000 for several months!

"Your Highness, this...this is too much!" Ji Ling said in a trembling voice.

Lü Bu laughed and said, "It's not much. Use it for now, and come back for more if you need more. I have a divine granary, and I can get countless rations every day, so this little bit won't make a difference. Remember, as long as you follow me, you will never lack food, supplies, or military provisions. The outside world is vast. After the country is pacified, I will lead you to expand our territory and continue our conquests. We will never lack battles."

Ji Ling knelt down and kowtowed heavily: "This humble general is willing to die for you!"

Lü Bu helped him up: "Get up, and do a good job. I need to continue my southern campaign. You will be a great contributor if you can defend Nanyang and prevent Yuan Shu from launching a counterattack."

Ji Ling clasped his hands in a deep fist salute: "This humble general obeys!"

……

The Prefectural Governor's Office of Nanyang.

Lü Bu summoned his generals and listened to military reports from all sides.

Guan Yu spoke first: "My lord, General Wei Xu has sent a military report from Yizhou: the Yizhou army of 20,000 men departed from Yizhou at the end of June and is advancing eastward along the Yangtze River. They are expected to reach Wu County and enter the territory of Nan Commandery in Jingzhou by the end of July."

Lü Bu nodded: "Tell Wei Xu to proceed cautiously and steadily, without being rash. Liu Biao has been building up his power in Jingzhou for many years, and he has a considerable force defending Nan Commandery. Tell him that if he encounters a fortified city, he should not launch a direct assault, but rather besiege it and attack any reinforcements, thus tying down the southern forces of Jingzhou. Once I have captured Xiangyang, the other counties and commanderies of Jingzhou can be taken without a fight."

Guan Yu clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Yes."

Zhang Fei reported: "My lord, General Hou Cheng has sent a military report: The Luoyang army group, numbering 20,000, departed from Luoyang on the second day of the seventh month and marched south to attack Yingchuan County. They arrived at Yangcheng on the seventh day, and the garrison commander surrendered. It is expected that they will reach Yangdi, the capital of Yingchuan County, by mid-July."

Lü Bu said, "Yingchuan is the shield of Runan, and the garrison will be considerable. Tell Hou Cheng to take Yangdi first, then divide the troops to attack the other counties. If we encounter a strong enemy, we should try to persuade them to surrender if possible; if not, we should besiege the city, but not launch a direct assault. My five-pronged army is currently on a southern expedition, attacking from multiple directions. They can keep the enemy forces occupied. The main offensive battles will be carried out by me and the Tianshou Divine Granary."

Zhang Fei clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Yes."

Dian Wei said, "My lord, the 20,000-strong army of Yanzhou set off from Jiyin in early July to attack the states of Chen and Liang. They arrived at the border of Chen on the 8th, and the garrison commander is currently gathering his troops. It is expected that the attack can be launched in mid-July."

Lü Bu said, "Chen and Liang are the northern shield of Yu Province, and Yuan Shu must have a large army there. Tell Huang Zhong to proceed cautiously and not to advance rashly. After I have captured Xiangyang, he can then coordinate with Hou Cheng to launch an attack."

Dian Wei clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes."

Xu Chu said, "My lord, the Xuzhou army of 20,000 set off from Xiapi on the first day of July to attack Pei and Jiujiang. They arrived at the border of Pei on the seventh day, and the garrison commander is holding the city. It is expected that the city will be breached by mid-July."

Lü Bu nodded: "Tell Song Xian to be careful of the navy. Jiujiang Commandery is located by the river, and Yuan Shu has a navy, so we cannot underestimate them. The Jiangdong navy may also be unpredictable, so we must be on guard."

Xu Shu said, "My lord, rest assured, General Song Xian has brought several naval commanders with him, so there should be no problem."

Lü Bu said, "Alright."

……

At that moment, a scout rushed in and knelt on one knee: "Report! Urgent report from Jiangdong!"

Lü Bu said, "Speak!"

The scout reported: "Sun Ce's army and Huang Zu's army are engaged in fierce fighting in Jiangxia, with both sides suffering heavy casualties. Liu Biao's army has attacked Yuzhang from Changsha, capturing several counties in succession. Yuan Shu's army has attacked Jiangdong from Lujiang and Jiujiang, and has already crossed the river to Wuhu. Sun Ce is attacked from three sides and is suffering repeated defeats. He has once again sent messengers to request reinforcements, asking the King of Jin to send reinforcements immediately!"

Upon hearing this, the generals in the tent began to discuss it amongst themselves.

Zhang Fei laughed heartily, "Sun Ce took the initiative to attack, and now he's caught in a pincer movement between Liu Biao and Yuan Shu. He can't win, so he needs Your Highness's help. He's both incompetent and loves to play around. But we've already captured Nanyang, surely Sun Ce knows we've already sent troops?"

Guan Yu said, "Their messenger courier service isn't as fast as ours, so they probably haven't received the news yet."

Lü Bu looked at Xu Shu: "What does Yuanzhi think?"