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

Everyone was shocked upon hearing this.

Yang Hong quickly said, "My lord, you mustn't! Declaring yourself emperor now would give Lü Bu ammunition to launch an attack!"

Yan Xiang also said, "Yes, my lord, Lü Bu is already using the court's name to punish disloyal subjects. If you declare yourself emperor, he will have even more reason to do so!"

Yuan Shu roared, "Shut up! My mind is made up. Anyone who dares to try to dissuade me will be executed without mercy!"

Everyone fell silent, too terrified to speak further.

Everyone has seen clearly that Yuan Shu was making a last-ditch, desperate move, knowing he was doomed to defeat, in order to experience being emperor before being wiped out by Lü Bu.

Anyone who dares to oppose this will die.

……

On the 25th day of the eighth month of the seventh year of the Chuping era (196 AD), a three-zhang-high platform was built south of Pingyu City in Runan.

Yuan Shu, wearing a crown and imperial robes, ascended the platform to offer sacrifices to Heaven. Below the platform, Yang Hong, Yan Xiang, Zhang Xun, Qiao Rui, Chen Ji, Li Feng, and others knelt on the ground, shouting "Long live the Emperor!" three times.

"Heaven above, Earth below, the Han dynasty has come to an end, a new dynasty shall rise! I, Yuan Shu, a descendant of four generations of high officials, am ordained by Heaven to ascend the throne, the dynasty shall be named Zhongshi, and the era name shall be Zhongshi Year 1!"

Yuan Shu held the Imperial Seal of the State in his hand, his voice booming. He was over forty years old and overweight, but at this moment his face was ruddy and his eyes were full of excitement.

After the ceremony, Yuan Shu returned to the governor's mansion—now known as the imperial palace. He sat on the dragon throne and received the congratulations of his ministers.

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Yuan Shu laughed heartily: "All of you, rise! Today I ascend the throne and become emperor, and I hereby grant a general amnesty to the world, so that all under heaven may rejoice! Yao'er, step forward to receive your investiture."

Yuan Yaonian, who was fifteen years old, stepped forward and knelt down with a joyful expression.

Yuan Shu said, "I hereby appoint you as the crown prince, so that you may inherit the throne in the future."

Yuan Yao kowtowed: "Your son thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness!"

The courtiers cheered again.

……

When news of Yuan Shu's ascension to the throne and his declaration of himself as emperor spread, Pingyu City was in an uproar.

In the backyard of a teahouse in the south of the city, several men who looked like scholars sat around a table, discussing in hushed tones.

One person said, "Have you heard? Yuan Shu has really declared himself emperor."

Another person scoffed, "Claiming to be emperor? He's worthy! With hundreds of thousands of Lu Bu's troops ambushing him from all sides, instead of thinking about how to defend the city, he's busy indulging in his emperor fantasies?"

The third person quickly waved his hand: "Watch your words! Watch your words! Be careful, the walls may be listening!"

The first man, however, remained unconcerned: "What's there to be afraid of? Everyone in this courtyard is one of our own. Anyway, I can tell he's just going through the motions before he dies."

The second person whispered, "I heard that after Ji Ling surrendered to Lü Bu, Yuan Shu killed his entire family, including his elderly mother and two young children."

The first man sneered, "After Ji Ling surrendered to Lü Bu, he still guarded Nanyang and commanded an army of twenty to thirty thousand. Just wait and see, it won't be long before Ji Ling comes back to fight his way back."

……

In the north of the city, there is a private residence.

A middle-aged woman was washing clothes in the yard when she suddenly heard a commotion outside. She got up and opened the door, only to see several constables posting notices and making verbal announcements to the public.

The woman was illiterate, but she heard the messenger's announcement: Yuan Shu has declared himself emperor, granting amnesty to the entire realm; all should rejoice. All citizens of the city must hang lanterns to celebrate. Those who disobey will be punished for defying the imperial decree.

The woman paused for a moment, then turned and went back into the courtyard, saying to her husband inside, "My lord, Yuan Shu has declared himself emperor and ordered every household to hang lanterns to celebrate."

The lame husband, weaving straw sandals, didn't even look up: "Let them weigh themselves, what does it have to do with us?"

The woman said, "It is imperative to hang it up; those who disobey will be punished for defying the imperial decree."

The husband then looked up and said with a wry smile, "Hang lanterns? We're barely able to afford food, how can we afford lanterns?"

The woman sighed, "Is it alright if I don't buy it?"

The husband was silent for a moment, then stood up and pulled out a piece of old red cloth from the corner of the wall: "Let's use this to make a lantern, it's better than nothing."

The woman took the red cloth, looked at the faded strips, and muttered, "What kind of mess is this..."

……

Chang'an, the Imperial Palace, the Taiji Hall, a court assembly.

Liu Xie sat upright on his throne, his face grim. Although he was now a puppet, he was still the Emperor of Han. Upon learning that Yuan Shu had ascended the throne, he was naturally furious.

He glanced at the assembled officials in the hall and said, "My esteemed ministers, have you heard of the events in Runan?"

The hall was completely silent.

Liu Xie continued, "Yuan Shu has usurped the throne, proclaiming himself Emperor Zhong! This is utterly treasonous and a crime deserving of death!"

His voice trembled slightly, and by the end, he was almost shouting.

Jia Xu stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. I have received the latest military report from the Prince of Jin. The Prince of Jin is currently in Jiangxia preparing his troops and arranging the handover of Jingzhou, Yangzhou, and Jiaozhou. He will soon head north to punish the rebels."

Liu Xie nodded: "I know that Prince Jin is fighting hard abroad. But Yuan Shu's claim to the throne is a traitor to the country and must be punished. Issue an order for Prince Jin to lead the imperial army to surround and annihilate the false emperor Yuan Shu, thus restoring order to the court!"

Jia Xu cupped his hands in greeting: "Yes, sir."

Liu Xie then said, "Yuan Shu's family has held high office for four generations, receiving the emperor's favor for generations, yet he has committed such a heinous act of treason. His crimes are truly heinous. I hereby issue an edict to revoke all titles and ranks of the Yuan clan, remove them from the clan register, and announce this to the world!"

Jia Xu said, "Your Majesty is wise. I have already ordered someone to draft a proclamation denouncing the rebels. After the Prince of Jin makes his decision, it can be sent to the whole country."

Liu Xie nodded.

The urgent message, traveling at breakneck speed, sped off towards Jiangxia.

Jiangxia, Xiling.

Lü Bu was discussing matters with Xu Shu, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Dian Wei, Xu Chu, and others in the prefectural governor's mansion. Jingzhou had just been pacified, Yangzhou had submitted its allegiance, and Jiaozhou had also submitted its surrender document. Now, only Yuan Shu of Yuzhou remained.

A guard rushed in: "My lord, an urgent message from Chang'an! It's an imperial edict, a letter from Jia Pu She!"

Lü Bu stood up, took the imperial edict, and unfolded it to examine it closely.

Xu Shu and the others held their breath and waited.

After reading the imperial edict, Lü Bu handed it to Xu Shu: "Yuan Shu has declared himself emperor. The Emperor has issued an edict ordering me to punish the rebel."

Xu Shu took the imperial edict, glanced at it, and smiled, "My lord, this is a good thing. With Yuan Shu declaring himself emperor, our campaign against him will be even more legitimate."

Zhang Fei grinned and said, "Has that kid gone mad? Declaring himself emperor at a time like this?"

Guan Yu stroked his beard and said, "Even a cornered beast will fight; it's just a desperate act before death."

Lü Bu then opened Jia Xu's letter, and after reading it, he said to everyone, "Wenhe has already drafted a proclamation denouncing the rebel, which has been sent along with the imperial edict. He also suggested that all armies attack simultaneously, forcing Yuan Shu to be overwhelmed and thus securing the empire in one fell swoop."

Xu Shu said, "I second that opinion."

Lü Bu nodded: "Pass down the order, immediately draft military orders, and send them to all sides with urgent dispatch. Order Hou Cheng to lead the Luoyang army group to attack Yingchuan, Huang Zhong to lead the Yanzhou army group to attack Liang and Chen, Song Xian to lead the Xuzhou army group to attack Pei, Ji Ling to lead the surrendered Nanyang troops to attack Runan, Sun Ce to lead the Jiangdong navy to attack Jiujiang, and Zhang Yun to lead the Jingzhou navy to attack Lujiang. This time, all armies need not be cautious; they can launch a strong attack and encircle Runan as soon as possible. I will personally lead 20,000 elite troops northward from Jiangxia and strike deep into the heart of Runan."

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

Guan Yu asked, "My lord, when shall we depart?"

Lü Bu said, "Order all troops to prepare their gear and depart tomorrow morning."

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