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

Cai Xun quickly replied, "Your Highness, you are wise. My elder brother and the two gentlemen of the Kuai family have long desired to submit, and are only waiting for the right opportunity. If Your Highness does not believe me, we can agree on a date. At that time, fires will be lit in Xiangyang as a signal, and my elder brother and the two gentlemen of the Kuai family will lead their retainers to attack the governor's mansion, capture Liu Biao, and present him to Your Highness!"

Lü Bu remained silent, lost in thought.

Xu Shu, standing nearby, said, "My lord, if Cai Mao, Kuai Liang, and Kuai Yue truly submit, it will indeed save us a lot of effort. Xiangyang is a high-lying city with deep moats; a direct assault would inevitably result in casualties, and rebuilding the damaged walls and buildings would be a laborious task. With Cai Mao, Kuai Liang, and Kuai Yue as our inside helpers, we can achieve twice the result with half the effort by attacking from both inside and outside."

Lü Bu looked at Cai Xun: "When do you plan to make your move?"

Cai Xun said, "My brother's intention is to follow the instructions of the Prince of Jin. Once the Prince of Jin sets a date, my brother and I will act accordingly."

Lu Bu thought for a moment and said, "In that case, I will send an envoy tomorrow to persuade Liu Biao to surrender. If Liu Biao is sensible and opens the city gates to surrender, thus avoiding a war, that would be best. If he does not surrender, then we will take action three days later. Go back and tell your elder brother and the two gentlemen of the Kuai family that three days later, at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), I will light a fire on the north bank as a signal, and they will then rise up in the city. At that time, I will cross the river to meet them."

Cai Xun was overjoyed and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you, Prince Jin! I will report to my elder brother as soon as I return!"

Lü Bu added, "However, you need not worry about crossing the river. I have my own way of crossing, and I do not need your navy to assist me."

Cai Xun was taken aback: "The Prince of Jin doesn't need a navy? Then how will he cross the river?"

Lü Bu smiled and said, "With a divinely bestowed granary, surely I can store enough boats to cross the river?"

Cai Xun suddenly realized what was happening and was shocked. He had heard about the divine granary bestowed by heaven before, but had always been skeptical. Now, hearing Lü Bu say it himself, he had no choice but to believe it.

He dared not ask any further questions, but simply kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty's divine might is truly admirable! In that case, I shall take my leave. I must hurry back to the south bank tonight to avoid being discovered."

Lu Bu nodded: "Go ahead, be careful on the road."

Cai Xun kowtowed again, rose and withdrew, disappearing into the night with his entourage.

After Cai Xun left, Zhang Fei grinned and said, "My lord, Cai Mao is quite sensible; he knew he couldn't beat us, so he surrendered beforehand!"

Guan Yu stroked his beard and said, "Third brother, we must not underestimate the enemy. Liu Biao has been managing Jingzhou for many years. How could he be unprepared? Although Cai Mao, Kuai Liang, and Kuai Yue are inside agents, Liu Biao also has Wen Ping, Deng Ji, and others by his side, all of whom are loyal to the death. If word gets out, it will be disastrous."

Lü Bu nodded: "Yun Chang is right, this matter must be kept secret. Send word that tonight's events must not be revealed. Tomorrow, send an envoy as usual to persuade Liu Biao to surrender, and see how he reacts."

The generals replied in unison, "Yes, sir!"

……

On the 27th of July, a small boat sailed out from the north bank, a white flag flying on it, and slowly rowed towards the south bank. Standing at the bow was a scholar, Feng Zhi, the envoy sent by Lü Bu.

At the north gate water gate of Xiangyang, the garrison soldiers, seeing a small boat approaching, immediately drew their bows and arrows, shouting sternly, "Halt! If you go any further, we'll fire arrows!"

Feng Zhi stood at the bow of the ship, cupped his hands, and said, "I am Feng Zhi. I have been ordered by the Prince of Jin to request an audience with Governor Liu to discuss important matters!"

The garrison dared not delay and immediately sent someone to report.

A moment later, the water gate slowly opened, and the small boat sailed into Xiangyang City.

……

Xiangyang City, the governor's residence.

Liu Biao sat in the main seat, his face grim. Below him, Wen Ping, Deng Ji, Kuai Liang, Kuai Yue, Cai Mao, and others sat on either side.

A guard entered and reported: "My lord, the Han army envoy Feng Zhi has arrived outside the mansion and requests an audience."

Liu Biao snorted coldly: "Lu Bu's envoy? Let him in."

A moment later, Feng Zhi entered the hall, bowing respectfully and saying, "Feng Zhi, advisor under the King of Jin of the Great Han Dynasty, pays his respects to Governor Liu."

Liu Biao asked calmly, "Mr. Feng, what brings you from so far?"

Feng Zhi said, "I have come on the orders of the King of Jin to persuade Liu Jingzhou to surrender. The King of Jin has said: Jingzhou originally belonged to the Han Dynasty, and Liu Jingzhou is a member of the Han imperial family, having received the emperor's favor for generations. He should be loyal to the king. However, Liu Jingzhou has seized control of the prefecture and disobeyed the court's orders, which is a great act of treason. Now, the King of Jin, by the emperor's order, is leading the royal army south. Wherever the heavenly army goes, it is utterly defeated. If Liu Jingzhou is sensible and surrenders, the King of Jin can spare his life and property, and he can still serve as the governor of a prefecture. If he remains obstinate, it will be too late to regret it when the city falls!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Biao's face turned ashen. He abruptly stood up, pointed at Feng Zhi, and shouted, "Shut up! Lü Bu is a traitorous minister who controls the court, bullies the emperor, and disrupts the moral order! I am a member of the Han imperial family; how can I associate with such a rebel? Go back and tell Lü Bu that I would rather die than surrender! Let him come at me; I will be waiting for him in Xiangyang!"

Feng Zhi remained expressionless and said calmly, "Since Liu Jingzhou is so determined, I have nothing more to say. However, I must remind Liu Jingzhou of one thing: The King of Jin possesses a divine granary bestowed by heaven, capable of conjuring objects out of thin air, building stone platforms, and ambushing enemies from hundreds of paces away. Fancheng fell in a single day, and Xinye was breached in half a day. How many days does Liu Jingzhou think he can hold Xiangyang? When the city falls, all the soldiers and civilians will be buried with Liu Jingzhou for his foolish loyalty. Liu Jingzhou, please reconsider."

Liu Biao was furious: "Insolence! Guards, throw this madman out!"

Several guards stepped forward, lifted Feng Zhi up, and pushed him out of the mansion.

Feng Zhi did not resist. He simply glanced back at Kuai Liang, Kuai Yue, and Cai Mao, nodded slightly, and was then pushed out of the mansion.

After Feng Zhi left, Liu Biao was still furious and paced back and forth in the hall.

Wen Ping rose, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "My lord, please calm your anger. Feng Zhi is merely a mere persuader; why be so furious? This humble general is willing to defend Xiangyang to the death and fight Lü Bu to the bitter end!"

Deng Ji also said, "My lord, although I lost Xinye and Fancheng, it was due to Lü Bu building stone platforms to bombard the cities, not a fault of our own. Now, in defending Xiangyang, I am willing to atone for my mistakes under General Wen's command, and I swear to fight to the death!"

Liu Biao nodded: "Good, with the two of you here, I am at ease. Issue the order to strengthen the city's defenses and prepare more defensive equipment. Increase patrols along the Han River. De Gui, you will lead the navy to patrol the river day and night, and be vigilant against Lü Bu crossing the river."

Cai Mao stood up, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Yes, sir!"

Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue also stood up and said, "Rest assured, my lord, we will do our utmost to procure provisions and pacify the people."

Liu Biao's anger subsided slightly, and he waved his hand, saying, "All of you, go down and do your duties."

Everyone left.

……

In Kuai Liang's residence.

Kuai Liang, Kuai Yue, and Cai Mao dismissed their attendants and held a private conversation.

Cai Mao whispered, "Brother Zirou, Lü Bu sent an envoy today, but Liu Biao refused to surrender. It seems he's determined to fight. When should we make our move?"

Kuai Liang pondered for a moment and said, "Since Liu Biao refuses to surrender and the King of Jin has already set the time to act in three days at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), let's proceed according to the plan."

Kuai Yue said, "Brother, Brother Cai, this matter must be kept secret. Although Liu Biao does not suspect us, Wen Ping, Deng Ji, and others are very wary of us. Especially Deng Ji, who lost Xinye and Fancheng and is looking to redeem himself through merit. If he finds out, it will ruin everything."

Cai Mao nodded: "What Yidu said is absolutely right. I have already ordered my cousins ​​Cai He and Cai Zhong to take control of the naval camp. When the time comes, we will first eliminate the generals in the navy who are loyal to Liu Biao and Wen Ping. I will personally lead my family retainers and troops to attack the governor's mansion."

Kuai Liang said, "My Kuai family has also sent all its servants to join De Gui in the attack."

The three discussed the details again until late at night before parting ways.