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

On the first day of the tenth month of the seventh year of Chuping (196 AD), in front of a bookstore in the west of Chang'an City.

Before dawn, a long line had already formed in front of the bookstore.

There were scholars in Confucian robes, merchants in silk, and commoners in coarse clothes. People from all walks of life craned their necks to buy newspapers.

"Quick, quick, open the door! Open the door!"

At the end of the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), the newspaper office doors opened, and several employees carried out stacks of newspapers, still smelling of ink. The crowd in line immediately stirred, jostling to push forward.

"Don't push! One serving per person, three copper coins!"

A middle-aged scholar managed to snatch a copy and eagerly unfolded it to read. The headline was printed in large, bold regular script—

The Jin King's southern campaign has ended, and the world is once again unified!

The scholar's hand trembled, nearly dropping the newspaper. He took a deep breath and continued reading:

"Our report: On the 22nd day of the ninth month of the seventh year of the Chuping era, the Prince of Jin personally led the imperial army and captured Pingyu City, the capital of Yu Province, which was occupied by the self-proclaimed emperor Yuan Shu. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the self-proclaimed emperor Yuan Shu committed suicide on the city tower to apologize. The self-proclaimed crown prince Yuan Yao presented the Imperial Seal of the State to the Prince of Jin and surrendered the entire city. With this, the entire southern region was pacified."

"Looking back, since the King of Jin launched his counterattack against Chang'an in the third year of the Chuping era, he killed Li Jue and Guo Si and recovered Chang'an; in the fourth year of the Chuping era, he led a northern expedition against the Xianbei and Xiongnu, beheaded Kebineng and captured Qubei, and recovered Bingzhou and Liangzhou; in the fifth year of the Chuping era, he took Yanzhou, Xuzhou, Qingzhou, Jizhou and Youzhou in the east and unified the north; in the sixth year of the Chuping era, he personally led an expedition to the Western Regions, re-established the Protectorate of the Western Regions, and intimidated the various states; in the seventh year of the Chuping era, he led a southern expedition to Jingzhou and Yuzhou, and Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou, and Yuan Shu, the self-proclaimed emperor, committed suicide, while Sun Ce, the governor of Yangzhou, and Shi Xie, the governor of Jiaozhou, surrendered."

"The thirteen provinces of the Great Han Dynasty—Sili, Yu, Ji, Yan, Xu, Qing, Jing, Yang, Yi, Liang, Bing, You, and Jiao—are now all under the control of the imperial court. Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the empire has been divided and fragmented by warlords, but now it is unified once again!"

"The achievements of the Prince of Jin will be remembered for all time! He rebuilt the Han Dynasty, a feat that will be admired throughout the world!"

After reading it, the scholar's hands trembled, and he murmured, "It's unified! The world is truly unified!"

A nearby merchant hurriedly said, "Excuse me, sir, please let me see too!"

The scholar handed him the newspaper, which the merchant took and read from beginning to end. Suddenly, he burst into laughter: "Excellent! Excellent! With the world unified and trade routes open, we no longer need to worry about being ripped off at checkpoints three or five times over!"

An old man sighed, "During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, I fled with my entire family, and three of my children died. Later, Dong Zhuo entered the capital, burning and looting, and my son-in-law never returned. Then came Li Jue and Guo Si... Alas, how many people have died over the years. Now, finally, there is peace."

The young man said, "Old man, things will be better from now on. Under the rule of the Prince of Jin, every household has surplus grain, and everyone lives in peace and prosperity!"

The old man wiped his eyes: "Yes, peaceful days are finally coming."

The news spread, and the entire city of Chang'an was in an uproar.

In the East Market, several vegetable farmers gathered together to discuss something.

"Have you heard? The Prince of Jin has pacified the south as well!"

"Really?"

"It's true! It's in the newspapers! That fake emperor Yuan Shu committed suicide, and his son even handed over the Imperial Seal!"

"The Imperial Seal of the State? That's something belonging to the Emperor!"

"Who can argue with that? The Imperial Seal is currently in the hands of the Prince of Jin, so what do you think..."

"Shh! Don't talk nonsense!"

In a tavern in the West Market, several men who looked like scholars sat around a table with a newspaper on it.

One of them whispered, "Look at what's written in this newspaper: '[Recreating the Han Dynasty, his achievements surpass the world]' What does that mean?"

The other person scoffed, "What do you mean? Isn't it obvious? They can't even grant titles of kings anymore, what can they possibly grant next?"

The third person quickly waved his hand: "Be careful what you say, be careful, walls may have ears."

The first man, however, remained unperturbed: "What's there to be afraid of? Who can't see this? The Prince of Jin is blessed with divine power, invincible in battle. He started his rebellion in Bingzhou and unified the world in just a few years. What about the descendants of the Liu family? During Emperor Ling's reign, eunuchs meddle in politics; during the late Emperor's reign, Dong Zhuo meddles; later, warlords carved up the land, plunging the world into chaos, and countless people died. Now, the Prince of Jin has unified the world, bringing peace to the people. Even if..."

He paused, then lowered his voice: "Even if dynasties change, it is the will of Heaven."

The fourth person sighed, "That's true, but we've studied the classics for so many years, and the concept of loyalty to the emperor..."

The man who spoke earlier said, "Loyalty to the emperor? Which emperor? The emperor is in Chang'an, but who conquered the empire? Without Prince Jin, the emperor would still be a puppet in the hands of Li Jue and Guo Si! Prince Jin treats scholars well, recruiting officials through the imperial examinations, allowing even those from humble backgrounds to become officials. If it were a descendant of the Liu family, would such good fortune exist?"

Everyone fell silent.

The Imperial Palace, Taiji Hall.

Liu Xie sat alone on his throne, holding a copy of the "Great Han Ten-Day Report" in his hand.

He looked at the newspaper, his face growing paler and paler.

"After the pacification of Yu Province, Yuan Shu committed suicide and presented the Imperial Seal of the State to the King of Jin."

He muttered to himself, his hands trembling.

Every word in the newspaper praising Lü Bu's achievements felt like a knife stabbing into his heart.

"Recreating the Han Dynasty, his achievements are unparalleled throughout the world."

Liu Xie gave a wry smile.

Rebuilding the Han Dynasty? Doesn't that mean the entire Han Dynasty was conquered by Lü Bu? What does that have to do with the Liu imperial family?

He put down the newspaper, stood up, and walked to the window.

Outside the window, several eunuchs were pruning flowers and trees, chatting and laughing. When they saw him looking over, they simply gave a perfunctory bow and continued working.

Liu Xie felt a deep sense of desolation.

Once upon a time, though he was a puppet, he at least had some dignity, and he had some loyal palace maids and eunuchs by his side. Now, even the eunuchs don't take him seriously anymore.

I heard soft footsteps behind me.

Liu Xie turned around and saw that it was Shi Sunrui, the head of the Censorate and the Imperial Censor.

Liu Xie's eyes were slightly red: "Minister Shisun, you've come."

Shi Sunrui knelt and kowtowed: "Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."

Liu Xie quickly stepped forward to help him up: "Minister Shisun, there's no need for such formalities. Please stand up and speak."

Shi Sunrui stood up, looked at Liu Xie's pale face, and sighed inwardly.

Liu Xie asked, "Minister Shi Sun, have you read this newspaper?"

Shi Sunrui nodded: "Your subject has read it."

Liu Xie asked, "King Jin, do you know what Lü Bu is planning?"

Shi Sunrui paused for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Jin's achievements are unparalleled, his power resounds throughout the four seas, and now he has unified the world and holds the Imperial Seal of the State. Next…"

He paused, then didn't continue.

Liu Xie, however, already understood.

He smiled wryly and said, "Next, it's time for me to abdicate and pass the throne to a more worthy successor, isn't it?"

Shi Sunrui lowered his head and remained silent.

Liu Xie paced back and forth in the hall, his voice trembling: "I know that I, the emperor, have always been a puppet. When Dong Zhuo was alive, I was Dong Zhuo's puppet. When Wang Yun was alive, I was Wang Yun's puppet. When Li Jue and Guo Si were alive, I was Li Jue and Guo Si's puppet. Now that Lü Bu is alive, I am Lü Bu's puppet. But at least I am still alive, still wearing this dragon robe, and still sitting on this throne. If..."

He turned abruptly, staring at Shi Sunrui: "Minister Shi Sun, tell me, if I abdicate, will Lü Bu spare my life?"