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

The governor's mansion is now Lü Bu's temporary headquarters.

Lü Bu sat in the main seat, with Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Dian Wei, Xu Chu, Xu Shu, and others sitting on either side.

Xu Shu said, "My lord, now that Xiangyang has fallen, we should quickly send envoys to all the counties of Jingzhou, ordering them to submit. We need to send people to pacify the counties of Nanjun, Jiangxia, Wuling, Changsha, Lingling, and Guiyang."

Lü Bu nodded: "Yuanzhi is right. Issue the order to draft a proclamation immediately and send messengers to each prefecture. Tell them that if they surrender early, they can be assured of wealth and honor; if they remain obstinate, it will be too late to regret it when the army arrives."

Xu Shu clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes, sir."

In the east of Xiangyang City, in front of a large mansion.

This is Cai Mao's residence, where white banners are hung high and the sound of weeping fills the air.

Cai Mao's wives, concubines, and children knelt before the mourning hall, weeping uncontrollably. Cai He, Cai Zhong, and Cai Xun knelt to one side, their faces filled with grief and indignation.

Lü Bu, along with Xu Shu, Dian Wei, and others, arrived at the front of the mansion, dismounted, and went inside.

Upon seeing Lü Bu arrive, Cai Mao's wife immediately led her sisters to kneel and greet him, saying, "This humble woman pays her respects to His Highness the Prince of Jin!"

Lü Bu helped her up: "Ladies, please rise. I am deeply saddened by De Gui's loyalty to the country. I have already ordered that De Gui be posthumously granted the title of Marquis of the Township, and his eldest son shall inherit the title. In addition, I have bestowed upon him one million coins and one thousand bolts of silk to comfort his family."

Lady Cai wept and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Prince Jin!"

Lü Bu then looked at Cai He, Cai Zhong, and Cai Xun: "The three of you followed De Gui in his uprising and have rendered meritorious service to the court. I hereby appoint Cai He as the Commandant of the Navy, and Cai Zhong and Cai Xun as Colonels of the Navy, to continue commanding their original troops and assisting the court in reorganizing the Jingzhou Navy."

The three men quickly kowtowed, saying, "Thank you, Prince Jin!"

Lu Bu offered a few more words of reassurance before leaving the Cai residence and heading to the Kuai family.

The Kuai Liang residence was also filled with sorrow.

Kuai Yue's body lay in the mourning hall, while Kuai Liang, his severed arm wrapped in bandages, knelt to the side, his face deathly pale.

Lü Bu entered and helped Kuai Liang up: "Zirou, please accept my condolences. Although Yidu is dead, he died a worthy death. I have already ordered that Yidu be posthumously granted the title of Marquis, and his eldest son will inherit the title. I will also bestow upon him 500,000 coins and 500 bolts of silk as a reward for his family."

Kuai Liang kowtowed: "Thank you for your grace, Prince Jin!"

Lü Bu said, "Zirou, although you have lost an arm, your wisdom remains. I appoint you as the Prefect of Jingzhou to assist the court in governing Jingzhou. After Jingzhou is pacified, you will be given another important position."

Kuai Liang wept and said, "Your subject kowtows to thank the Prince of Jin! Your subject will do everything in his power to repay the Prince of Jin's kindness!"

……

The second day of the eighth lunar month, early morning.

Outside the south gate of Xiangyang, 20,000 elite Han cavalrymen stood in formation, ready to depart.

Kuai Liang led the surrendered officials and generals of Xiangyang to kneel and see Lü Bu off.

Lü Bu said to Kuai Liang, "Zirou, I entrust Xiangyang to you. As the Prefect of Jingzhou, you will temporarily manage the affairs of Xiangyang and the surrounding counties. If there is any emergency, send an urgent message to me immediately."

Kuai Liang kowtowed: "Your subject obeys! May the Prince of Jin's expedition be victorious, and may Jiangxia be pacified swiftly!"

Lu Bu nodded and waved his hand: "Let's go!"

The war drums sounded, and the bugles blared.

Twenty thousand iron cavalry, like a rolling torrent, headed southeast towards Jiangxia County.

Lü Bu's army traveled by land, from Xiangyang to Caiyang County, through Zhangling County and Sui County into Jiangxia territory, then through Nanxin City (the full name is Nanxin City County, not the current city-level administrative division), Anlu County, and finally to Xiling County, the capital of Jiangxia Commandery.

In addition, due to Cai Mao's death, Zhang Yun, the former deputy admiral of the Xiangyang Navy, was promoted by Lü Bu to the position of admiral of the Xiangyang Navy. This time, he also led 3 Xiangyang Navy soldiers in nearly a thousand warships southward along the Han River, passing through Yunmengze and the Yangtze River, to Xiling to seek revenge against Liu Biao, Wen Pin, and Huang Zu.

Accompanying Zhang Yun in the army were Cai Zhong, Cai He, and Cai Xun.

It is important to know that Cai Mao was not only Zhang Yun's maternal uncle, but Zhang Yun's mother was Cai Mao's older sister (both Cai Mao's sister and Liu Biao's wife, Lady Cai, were Cai Mao's sisters, and Liu Biao was Zhang Yun's step-uncle after his aunt remarried). Moreover, Zhang Yun was almost entirely raised and nurtured by Cai Mao.

Not only were they blood relatives, but they also had the grace of raising and nurturing each other. Because Zhang Yun was more capable, Cai Mao did not give the position of Deputy Commander of the Xiangyang Navy to his own younger brother Cai Zhong and others, but to Zhang Yun instead.

This shows how much Cai Mao valued Zhang Yun.

Given this close relationship, it's easy to imagine Zhang Yun's fury when Cai Mao was killed by assassins bribed by Liu Biao. Therefore, he volunteered to lead the Xiangyang navy to Jiangxia to avenge Liu Biao, Huang Zu, and others, and to contain the Jiangxia navy.

If Liu Biao, Huang Zu, and others dare to escape by boat again, he can use the Xiangyang navy to pursue them and prevent them from escaping again.

Lü Bu naturally wouldn't refuse and readily agreed. Therefore, the imperial army now attacking Jiangxia consists of a total of 5 troops, deployed by both land and water.

Huang Zu of Jiangxia, with a total force of only about 30,000 men by land and water, was also facing off against Sun Ce's Jiangdong army on the eastern front. It's easy to imagine how few troops he had left to deal with Lü Bu's combined land and water attack.

……

Jiangxia Prefecture, Xiling City.

Inside the prefect's residence, Liu Biao sat in the main seat, his face gloomy.

Below the hall, Huang Zu, Wen Pin, Zhang Hu, Chen Sheng, and others sat on either side.

Huang Zu was about fifty years old, a burly man with a menacing face. He clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Rest assured, my lord, Jiangxia has 20,000 naval troops and 10,000 infantry. This humble general will ensure that Lü Bu never returns!"

Wen Ping said, "General Huang, you must not underestimate the enemy. Lü Bu possesses a divinely bestowed granary, which allows him to build stone platforms and bombard the city from a high vantage point. Even the high walls and deep moats of Fancheng were breached in a single night; I fear the cities of Jiangxia will not be able to withstand it either."

Huang Zu sneered, "General Wen, you're boosting the enemy's morale while diminishing your own. Even if Lü Bu builds a stone platform, he'd have to be close to the city wall. Jiangxia is full of water; if he dares to come, I'll use my navy to cut off his retreat. Let's see how he builds his stone platform then!"

Liu Biao nodded: "Prefect Huang is right. Jiangxia has the advantage of a navy. Although Lü Bu is brave, he may not be able to win. Issue the order to strengthen the defenses of all cities and prepare more defensive weapons. The navy should patrol the river day and night to prevent Lü Bu from crossing."

Huang Zu, Wen Pin, and the others replied in unison, "Yes, sir!"

Liu Biao then said, "Zhang Hu and Chen Sheng, you two will lead troops to guard the east bank of Yunmeng Marsh. If Lü Bu comes from the northeast by land, you will be responsible for intercepting him."

Zhang Hu and Chen Sheng clasped their hands in greeting: "Yes, sir!"

After everyone had left, Liu Biao sat alone in the hall, his expression shifting between light and dark.

He recalled the betrayals of Cai Mao, Kuai Liang, and Kuai Yue, and his heart was filled with unbearable hatred.

"Cai Mao, Kuai Yue, you deserve to die! Kuai Liang, losing an arm is retribution for your actions!" Liu Biao muttered. "Lü Bu, I will not let you succeed so easily!"

Subsequently, Liu Biao sent proclamations to various counties and prefectures via courier, requesting them to send troops and provisions to support Xiling in order to jointly resist Lü Bu.

The news of Lu Bu's courier service in Xiangyang and Liu Biao's courier service in Xiling spread to almost every county and prefecture in Jingzhou. Most of the officials in these counties and prefectures were from prominent local families in Jingzhou.

Seeing that the Cai and Kuai families had surrendered to the court, they naturally dared not oppose the powerful Lü Bu. Therefore, most of them chose to submit to Lü Bu's court, no longer obeying Liu Biao's orders, and would not send troops or supplies to support Xiling.

Only a few counties, whose chief officials were trusted confidants of Liu Biao, attempted to send troops and supplies to support Xiling, but another force on the way blocked their way, preventing them from quickly providing assistance to Xiling.

Liu Biao was destined to rely solely on Huang Zu's forces to stop Lü Bu's attack.