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

It was midnight.

In the backyard of the pseudo-emperor's palace in Pingyu, a small door quietly opened.

More than twenty dark figures filed out, the leader of whom was none other than Yuan Yao, the Crown Prince of the Zhong family.

He was dressed in plain clothes, wearing a bamboo hat, and carrying a brocade box in his arms containing the Imperial Seal of the State.

Behind him, Qin Yi was accompanied by twenty guards, all disguised as ordinary civilians. Each of them had a short knife hidden at their waist and a bag on their back.

Qin Yi whispered, "Young Master, let's go quickly."

Yuan Yao glanced back in the direction of the palace, his eyes slightly red: "Father..."

Qin Yi sighed, "Young Master, the Master wants you to leave for your own good. Only if you live can the Yuan family bloodline continue. Go quickly, or it will be too late."

Yuan Yao gritted his teeth, nodded, and followed Qin Yi into the night.

……

Originally, the imperial army occasionally encountered resistance from Yuan Shu's forces during their seven-pronged attack, but as soon as Yuan Shu issued the order to withdraw his troops, the defenses of Yuzhou collapsed one after another.

Yuan Shu's original intention was for the garrison to take their provisions and supplies to Runan, and rely on the mountains, rivers, passes, and towns along the Huai River, Ru River, Ying River, Queshan, and Leshan to build a defensive line to resist the imperial army's attack.

Unfortunately, everyone was not stupid. They all knew that Yuan Shu had declared himself emperor, the imperial army had besieged Yuzhou with seven routes, and the unification of the world was imminent. Yuan Shu's defeat and death were inevitable.

Therefore, many of Yuan's troops did not retreat at all, but surrendered to the attacking imperial army on the spot. They even became guides, helping to lead the way and persuade the garrison troops of towns and passes along the way to surrender, hoping to gain merit and be rewarded.

Even the retreating garrison was in a hurry and had no organization or discipline. They were afraid that if they were too slow, they would be caught by the imperial army and treated as Yuan Shu's accomplices in the rebellion. They would either take the opportunity to burn, kill, and loot before retreating. As a result, the suffering people hated Yuan's army to death. When they saw the imperial army, they were overjoyed and wept, welcoming the royal army with great joy.

Although the armies of Hou Cheng, Huang Zhong, Song Xian, Sun Ce, Zhang Yun, Ji Ling, and others did not have the divinely bestowed granaries of Lü Bu to carry provisions and supplies, they still advanced rapidly towards Runan at a speed of dozens of miles per day, encountering virtually no significant resistance along the way.

Yuan Shu's army of over 100,000 suffered a crushing defeat.

As for Lü Bu himself, needless to say, given his speed in carrying provisions, supplies, and cavalry, even if Yuan's army surrendered, or even if they didn't, or even tried to escape, carrying so much food, supplies, and baggage, they couldn't outrun Lü Bu's army and would be quickly caught up and annihilated.

On the third day of the ninth month of the seventh year of Chuping (196 AD), in Suiyang, Liang State.

When Huang Zhong led 20,000 troops from the Yanzhou army to the city, the defending troops on the city walls were already in chaos.

On the city wall, Liang Guoxiang Chen Ying leaned against the battlements, his face deathly pale.

Behind him, several generals were arguing fiercely.

"Chancellor Chen, Yuan Shu's claim to the throne is courting death. Why should we be buried with him?" a captain shouted sternly.

Another person chimed in, "Yes, Huang Zhong's army numbers 20,000, while we only have 10,000 defenders, and they're a motley crew with low morale. How can we possibly resist? We might as well surrender!"

Chen Ying gritted his teeth: "But our families are all in Pingyu..."

The captain sneered, "Prime Minister Chen, even if you defend Suiyang to the death, Huang Zhong will break through the city. Even if you die, you won't be able to save your family! You might as well surrender now. Perhaps the Prince of Jin will be merciful and find a way to rescue your family."

After a long silence, Chen Ying finally sighed, "Open the gates and surrender."

The city gates were wide open, and Chen Ying led his officials to kneel by the roadside.

Huang Zhong rode his horse into the city and looked down at Chen Ying: "Prime Minister Chen, you do know how to be pragmatic."

Chen Ying kowtowed: "This sinful subject is willing to surrender, and begs the general to spare my life."

Huang Zhong nodded: "Rise. Now that you have surrendered, you are an official appointed by the court. Issue the order: do not commit any offenses against the people, and anyone who dares to plunder will be executed!"

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

That same evening, in Yangdi, Yingchuan.

When Hou Cheng led 20,000 troops from the Luoyang Group to the city, he also found himself in complete chaos.

At the city gate, soldiers and civilians crowded together, scrambling to escape the city. Cries, curses, and the sound of horses' hooves mingled together.

Hou Cheng frowned and asked his adjutant, "What's going on?"

The deputy general sent scouts to investigate, and they reported back shortly afterward: "General, Yuan Shu has ordered a retreat, and the garrison commander of Yangdi is preparing to lead his troops back to Runan. However, the people in the city, upon hearing that the imperial army has arrived, have flocked out of the city to welcome the royal army. The garrison commander tried to stop them, but could not, and a conflict broke out between the two sides."

Hou Cheng grinned and said, "Good! Issue the order: the entire army must advance at full speed and enter the city!"

The Han cavalry charged forward with a roar. Seeing this, the Yangdi defenders dared not resist. They threw down their weapons and knelt down to surrender.

Hou Cheng captured Yangdi without a fight. The first thing he did after entering the city was to post notices to appease the people.

"Listen, people of Yingchuan! The imperial army has arrived. From this day forward, you are subjects of the court. Taxes will be reduced, farming tools will be distributed, and you will be treated the same as the people of Guanzhong!"

The people cheered with joy upon hearing this.

In the east, in Xiang County of Pei State.

When Song Xian arrived with 20,000 troops from Xuzhou, the gates of Xiang County were wide open, and the defending general had already fled. Officials and civilians in the city knelt to welcome the imperial army, and Song Xian entered the city smoothly.

On the fifth day of the ninth month, in Liyang County, Jiujiang Prefecture, which was formerly the seat of Yangzhou Prefecture.

Sun Ce led over 30,000 men and more than 800 warships from the Jiangdong navy to the outskirts of Liyang. The Liyang garrison commander initially intended to resist, but upon seeing the overwhelming number of warships on the river, he lost his courage and surrendered.

On the same day, Hefei was pacified by a proclamation and surrendered without a fight.

Sun Ce divided his forces, sending 10,000 troops ashore, led by Huang Gai and Cheng Pu, and advanced on Shouchun by land.

September 6th, Shuxian County, Lujiang.

Zhang Yun led over 30,000 men and more than 1,000 warships from Jingzhou to Wancheng. The governor of Lujiang opened the city gates and surrendered with his troops. Zhang Yun captured Shuxian without a fight, incorporated the surrendered soldiers, and replenished his military supplies.

On the seventh day of the ninth month, in Chen County, Chen State.

When Huang Zhong led his army to the city, the garrison of Chen County had already fled, and the people of the city opened the gates to welcome the royal army. Huang Zhong entered the city smoothly, posted notices, and reassured the people.

On the eighth day of the ninth lunar month, at the border of Runan and Jiangxia, on the upper reaches of the Huai River.

Lü Bu led 20,000 elite cavalrymen to the north bank of the Huai River.

This area is within the territory of Anyang County, and the garrison consists of only two to three thousand men. They constructed simple fortifications on the north bank in an attempt to prevent the imperial army from crossing the river.

Lu Bu rode his horse to the riverbank and looked at the opposite side. He saw that the defending troops were sparse and their morale was low; some were even squatting behind the fortifications, dozing off.

Lu Bu raised his hands as if to make a gesture, and huge stones appeared out of thin air and were thrown into the river to serve as bridge piers. In less than half an hour, a large wooden bridge was erected across the river.

The Han cavalry swarmed across the river, and the defending troops on the opposite bank dared not resist. They abandoned their weapons and knelt down to surrender.

Subsequently, the royal army entered the city, and the magistrate of Anyang County knelt before Lü Bu's horse, trembling as he said, "This sinful subject is willing to surrender."

Lu Bu looked down at him: "You're quite sensible."

The magistrate kowtowed: "The King of Jin is so powerful that this sinful subject dares not resist."

Lü Bu waved his hand: "Get up. Now that you have surrendered, you shall temporarily remain the county magistrate. Issue the order that you shall not commit any offenses against the people."

The magistrate was overjoyed and kowtowed repeatedly.