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

These warships were filled with soldiers. When they approached the enemy ships, they threw out hooks and sickles to hook onto the gunwales. The soldiers swarmed aboard and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the Jiangxia navy!

Seeing this, Huang Zu shouted sternly, "Ship forward and ram those warships!"

Several Jiangxia warships slowly sailed out, their massive hulls ramming into the smaller warships. With a deafening roar, several warships were capsized, soldiers fell into the water, and screams of agony filled the air.

But Zhang Yun was prepared.

He waved his command flag, and the Xiangyang navy's warships flanked them from both sides, raining down arrows upon the soldiers on the Jiangxia warships. At the same time, more warships bypassed the warships and continued their assault on the Jiangxia navy's formation.

Huang Zu gritted his teeth and personally beat the drum to cheer them on: "Kill! Kill all these traitors!"

The battle was raging fiercely when suddenly, a scout rushed into the fray in a small boat, shouting, "General, something terrible has happened! Urgent report from downstream! Sun Ce has led the Jiangdong navy to capture Zhu and E counties, and the downstream navy is unable to withstand him and is retreating towards Xiling!"

Huang Zu was shocked: "What?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than another scout arrived by boat: "Report! Urgent news from Xiling! Lü Bu has led 20,000 cavalry to the north of Xiling City and is setting up camp!"

Huang Zu's face turned deathly pale, and his body swayed.

Su Fei asked urgently, "General, what should we do?"

Huang Zu gritted his teeth and shouted sharply, "Withdraw! Withdraw to the Xiling naval camp and protect our lord!"

With the command flag waved, the Jiangxia Navy began its retreat.

But would Zhang Yun let them escape so easily?

He waved his command flag, and the Xiangyang navy gave chase with all its might, raining arrows and stones at the Jiangxia navy.

Huang Zu led his remaining troops in a rout, and Zhang Yun burned the Miankou Water Village to ashes.

Upon learning of the naval defeat, the garrison of Shiyang City dared not defend the city and fled. Zhang Yun captured Shiyang without a fight, incorporated the surrendered soldiers, replenished his supplies, and continued his eastward pursuit.

Meanwhile, in the downstream direction.

Sun Ce personally led the Jiangdong navy, with Zhou Yu as his strategist and Huang Gai, Cheng Pu, and Han Dang as his vanguard, and sailed upstream. The garrison troops of Zhu County and E County, who had already heard that Governor Liu Biao had lost Xiangyang, were demoralized. Seeing the strength of the Jiangdong navy, they offered little resistance and surrendered.

After capturing the two counties, Sun Ce pressed on westward without stopping. The Jiangxia navy in the lower reaches suffered repeated defeats and fled all the way to the Xiling naval camp.

At this point, the Jiangxia navy collapsed on both its eastern and western fronts, losing Miankou, Shiyang, Zhuxian, and Exian. Huang Zu led his remaining troops to retreat to the Xiling naval camp, daring not to engage in battle again.

……

At dusk, north of Xiling City, the Han army camp.

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

A scout entered and reported: "Reporting to the lord, General Zhang Yun reports that the Xiangyang navy has captured Miankou and Shiyang and is approaching the Xiling naval camp. They are expected to arrive at Xiling tomorrow."

Lü Bu nodded: "Alright."

Another scout entered: "Report! General Sun Ce reports that the Jiangdong navy has captured Zhu County and E County, and is approaching the Xiling naval camp. They are expected to arrive at Xiling tomorrow."

Lü Bu laughed and said, "Good! With the three armies surrounding us, Xiling is now a sitting duck."

Xu Shu stroked his beard and said, "My lord, we now have nearly 100,000 troops in three routes, besieging over 20,000 remaining soldiers in Xiling. The city will fall in no time. But I wonder, is Sun Ce truly loyal to us?"

Lü Bu said, "Yuanzhi, rest assured, I have my own way of knowing whether Sun Ce is sincere or not. We'll know the answer when he arrives."

Just then, a personal guard entered and reported: "My lord, a group of men, about several dozen in number, has arrived outside the camp. The leader claims to be Sun Ce of Jiangdong and requests an audience with you!"

Lu Bu's eyes lit up: "Sun Ce is here? Quickly, invite him in!"

Xu Shu quickly said, "My lord, we do not know whether Sun Ce's arrival is sincere. You should be careful and on guard."

Lü Bu laughed and said, "Yuanzhi, you are overthinking it. If Sun Ce had any ill intentions, why would he only bring a few dozen men? Since he dared to come, he must be sincere. Order the camp gates to be opened and invite him in."

……

Outside the camp gate, Sun Ce, dressed in a brocade robe with a sword at his waist, was followed by Zhou Yu, Zhang Zhao, and dozens of personal guards.

The captain of the personal guards whispered, "My lord, let's not bring any troops, just a few dozen men into Lü Bu's camp. What if he has malicious intentions..."

Sun Ce waved his hand: "Don't worry, although I, Sun Ce, am young, I can see the general trend of the world. If Lü Bu wanted to kill me, why would he wait until now? I treat him with sincerity, and he will treat me with sincerity in return."

Zhang Zhao nodded: "What you say is absolutely right, my lord. Although Lü Bu controls the court, he trusts those he employs and does not employ those he distrusts. Ma Teng, Ma Chao, Zhang He, Gao Lan, Yu Jin, Yue Jin, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and others are all surrendered generals who have been given important positions. If you, my lord, truly submit to him, you will surely be given important positions."

Just then, the camp gates swung open, and a personal guard clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "General Sun, the Prince of Jin requests your presence!"

Sun Ce nodded, leaving his personal guards outside the camp, and strode into the Han army camp with only Zhou Yu and Zhang Zhao.

Along the way, he saw banners fluttering in the camp, armored soldiers standing tall, swords and spears like a forest, and the army in perfect discipline. Sun Ce nodded to himself: Lü Bu's military prowess is indeed well-deserved.

A moment later, they arrived at the central command tent. Outside the tent, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Dian Wei, and Xu Chu stood on either side, looking imposing and awe-inspiring.

Sun Ce glanced at the four generals and was secretly shocked: These four men have extraordinary auras and are all capable of defeating ten thousand men!

He took a deep breath, lifted the curtain, and strode in.

Inside the tent, Lü Bu sat in the main seat. When Sun Ce entered, he rose to greet him.

Sun Ce stepped forward, knelt, and kowtowed: "Sun Ce, Governor of Yangzhou, pays respects to His Majesty the Prince of Jin!"

Zhou Yu and Zhang Zhao also knelt down and kowtowed.

Lü Bu quickly stepped forward to help Sun Ce up: "Bo Fu, please rise quickly, no need for such formalities!"

Sun Ce rose and stood respectfully, secretly observing the legendary King of Jin. He saw that Lü Bu was over thirty years old, with a tall and upright posture, a majestic aura, and deep, bright eyes that exuded authority without anger.

Lü Bu also sized up Sun Ce, noting that he appeared to be in his early twenties, spirited and imposing, indeed a handsome and capable man. He laughed, "Bo Fu, I've long heard of your reputation as the Little Conqueror; seeing you today, I can confirm it's well-deserved!"

Sun Ce quickly replied, "Your Majesty, you flatter me. I am but a mere warrior; how can I compare to Your Majesty's divine might?"

Lü Bu waved his hand, then looked at Zhou Yu and Zhang Zhao: "These two must be Zhou Gongjin and Zhang Zibu?"

Zhou Yu and Zhang Zhao quickly bowed and said, "Zhou Yu (Zhang Zhao) pays respects to the Prince of Jin!"

Lü Bu nodded: "I have long admired your names. It is an honor to meet you both today! Come, sit down and let's talk."

Everyone took their seats.

Lü Bu looked at Sun Ce: "Bo Fu, I have read your letter of surrender. I am very pleased that you are willing to sincerely submit to the court. However, there is one thing I do not understand."

Sun Ce said, "Please speak, King of Jin."

Lü Bu asked, "You previously ruled Jiangdong independently, disobeying the imperial court's orders. Why are you suddenly willing to surrender now?"

Sun Ce remained silent for a moment, then said frankly, "Your Majesty, I did indeed harbor ambitions of separatism before. But the current state of affairs is beyond human control. Your Majesty possesses divinely bestowed resources, making you invincible. Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Han Sui, the Xianbei, the Xiongnu, and the various kingdoms of the Western Regions have all been destroyed by Your Majesty. Even Liu Biao, with his fortified city of Xiangyang, could not hold it. Although I possess some courage and strength, I dare not try to stop a chariot in vain."

He paused, then continued, "Furthermore, my cousin Sun Ben once met the Prince of Jin. He returned and said that the Prince of Jin is kind and generous, and trusts those he employs. After much consideration, I believe that rather than resisting stubbornly and endangering the people of Jiangdong, it would be better to sincerely submit and protect the borders and the people. If I can gain the Prince of Jin's trust, I am willing to serve him with utmost loyalty!"