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

Liu Biao then looked at Wen Ping: "Zhongye, when I entered Jingzhou alone, you followed me. Over the years, you have defended Xiangyang for me and made great contributions. Today..."

Wen Ping knelt down and kowtowed heavily: "My lord, this humble general is willing to die for you! If Lü Bu comes, this humble general will make sure his blood stains the city walls!"

Liu Biao helped him up, then looked at Liu Qi and Liu Pan: "Qi'er, Pan'er, you are both members of the Liu family. What happened today... you..."

Liu Qi knelt down: "Father, I swear to live and die with you!"

Liu Pan also knelt down: "Uncle, Pan'er is willing to fight to the death!"

Liu Biao nodded, then looked at Chen Sheng: "General Chen, I once promised to guarantee you wealth and honor, and today..."

Chen Sheng clasped his hands in a fist and said, "My lord, although I am of bandit origin, I know the meaning of loyalty and righteousness! My lord has treated me well, how could I betray him? Today I am willing to fight to the death!"

Liu Biao sighed deeply, returned to his seat, and slowly sat down.

He glanced around at everyone in the hall and said in a deep voice, "Very well, in that case, we shall live and die with Xiling! Huang Zu, you lead the navy, dividing your forces into two routes: one to guard the mouth of the Han River, and the other to guard the lower reaches. You must stop Zhang Yun and Sun Ce!"

Huang Zu clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes, sir!"

Liu Biao then said, "Wenping, you will lead the infantry to defend Xiling City. Liu Qi and Liu Pan will assist you. Chen Sheng, you will guard the naval camp and support Huang Zu."

Wen Pin, Liu Qi, Liu Pan, and Chen Sheng all replied in unison, "Yes, sir!"

Liu Biao concluded, "I have already sent urgent messages to the commanderies of Lingling, Changsha, and Guiyang, urging them to send reinforcements immediately. Liu Du, the governor of Lingling, is a member of the Han imperial family and shares the same clan with me; he will surely come to our aid. If we can hold out for a few days, once the reinforcements arrive, we can launch a pincer attack and defeat the enemy!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's spirits lifted.

Huang Zu clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Rest assured, my lord, this humble general will defend Miankou to the death and will not allow Zhang Yun to set foot on it!"

Wen Ping also said, "This humble general will defend Xiling to the death and will never allow Lü Bu to enter the city!"

Liu Biao nodded: "Alright, all of you go and prepare."

Everyone left.

Liu Biao sat alone in the hall, gazing at the empty prefectural governor's mansion, and murmured, "Lü Bu... Heaven bestowed a divine granary... Could it truly be that Heaven intends to destroy my Han Dynasty?"

……

Meanwhile, on the official road leading from Lingling to Jiangxia.

An army is marching rapidly, with banners waving and bearing the character "Liu".

At the front of the procession, a large flag fluttered in the wind, with the striking characters embroidered on it—[Xing].

Beneath the banner stood a general clad in iron armor, wielding a broad axe, and riding a yellow horse, exuding an imposing aura. This man, around forty years old, with a broad back and a thick beard, was none other than Xing Daorong, the General of Lingling.

Beside him, Liu Du, the Prefect of Lingling, rode his horse. He was about fifty years old, with a thin face, wearing a blue robe and a turban, dressed like a scholar.

Liu Du glanced at the sky and asked Xing Daorong, "Daorong, how much longer until we reach Xiling?"

Xing Daorong clasped his hands and said, "Prefect, at this pace, we will arrive at Xiling in two more days."

Liu Du nodded: "Hurry, even faster! Liu Jingzhou is in imminent danger, we need to hurry on our way."

Xing Daorong said, "Governor, rest assured, my five thousand elite soldiers are the best fighters in Lingling. When we reach Xiling, I will make that scoundrel Lü Bu taste the power of our mountain-splitting axes!"

Liu Du laughed and said, "I have always known of Dao Rong's bravery and martial prowess. You have been invincible in Lingling, slaying mountain bandits and quelling outlaws, repeatedly achieving great merit. If you can distinguish yourself before Governor Liu this time, I will definitely recommend you to him and guarantee you a promotion and wealth!"

Xing Daorong was overjoyed and repeatedly clasped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you for your promotion, Prefect! I will serve you to the death!"

Xing Daorong was the son of a hunter in a remote mountain village in Lingling. He was strong and powerful from a young age and was invincible in the village.

Later, the county magistrate recruited him into the county army. He trained hard, caught thieves, and killed bandits, eventually rising to the rank of county lieutenant.

Upon hearing of Xing Daorong's illustrious reputation, Prefect Liu summoned him to the prefecture. Xing Daorong repeatedly distinguished himself in battle, killing mountain bandits, quelling bandits, and beheading Yellow Turban rebels. In his middle age, he was appointed by the prefect as the General of Lingling, overseeing the military affairs of the entire Lingling prefecture, and held a high position of power.

Now Xing Daorong is invincible in Lingling, and officials, merchants, and gentry all treat him with great respect. His parents are proud of him, and his neighbors share in the honor.

If I can achieve another great feat this time, such as killing Lü Bu, who is known as the greatest warrior in the world, I will surely become famous throughout the world and bring glory to my ancestors!

Thinking of this, Xing Daorong was filled with energy and urged his subordinates, "Hurry! Hurry! Don't dawdle! When we get to Xiling, I will lead you to kill the enemy and make meritorious contributions!"

The soldiers responded in unison, "Yes, sir!"

……

August 12th, early morning.

Miankou, the western camp of the Jiangxia Navy.

Huang Zu stood atop the arrow tower of the water fortress, gazing westward across the river. A thin mist hung over the river, and countless dark dots could be vaguely seen moving in the distance.

A scout sped up in a small boat, leaped onto the water fortress, and knelt on one knee: "Report! General, the Xiangyang navy is already ten miles away! More than a thousand warships, over thirty thousand soldiers, their banners blotting out the sky!"

Huang Zu's face darkened, and he waved his hand, saying, "Investigate again!"

The scout clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes, sir!"

Huang Zu turned to his adjutant Su Fei and said, "Pass down the order: prepare for battle! Warships in formation, archers in position, catapults loaded! Today, let that brat Zhang Yun see the might of the Jiangxia navy!"

Su Fei clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes, sir!"

Moments later, drums thundered and horns blared from the Jiangxia water fortress. One after another, warships sailed out of the fortress and formed ranks on the river. More than five hundred ships of all sizes, including warships, battleships, and tower ships, were arrayed, their banners fluttering and their weapons like a forest.

Huang Zu boarded the ship, stood at the bow, and gazed westward.

In the distance, the Xiangyang naval fleet drew ever closer. At the head of the fleet was a large banner bearing the enormous character "Zhang." Beneath the banner stood Zhang Yun, clad in iron armor, at the bow of a warship, his face stern and cold.

Huang Zu sneered and shouted, "Zhang Yun, you betrayed your master and defected to the enemy, how dare you come to see me?"

Upon hearing this, anger flashed in Zhang Yun's eyes.

He stood at the bow of the boat and shouted sternly, "Huang Zu! My uncle was Liu Biao's brother-in-law, yet he was murdered by assassins bribed by that scoundrel Liu Biao! I've come today to avenge my uncle! If you know what's good for you, lay down your weapons and surrender, and I can guarantee your life before the Prince of Jin! If you remain obstinate, today will be your death day!"

Huang Zu laughed loudly: "Zhang Yun, you little brat, you're just a junior who rose to power by relying on Cai Mao, yet you dare to act arrogantly in front of me? I, Huang Zu, have been in Jiangxia for many years and have fought countless naval battles. Why would I be afraid of a mere child like you?"

Zhang Yun's face turned ashen. He said no more, raised the command flag in his hand, and waved it forward!

"kill!"

The war drums beat, and the bugles sounded!

The Xiangyang naval fleet accelerated forward, heading straight for the Jiangxia naval fleet!

Huang Zu also waved his command flag: "Release the arrows!"

Whoosh whoosh!

Before the two warships even made contact, arrows rained down like locusts! Arrows flew across the river, and screams of agony echoed everywhere!

Standing on the warship, Zhang Yun calmly commanded: "Warships, advance and disrupt the enemy formation! Fighting ships, provide cover, archers and crossbowmen, suppress the enemy!"

The small but fast warships of the Xiangyang Navy pierced through the Jiangxia Navy's formation like arrows.