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

After several rounds of drinks, Jia Xu took out a document from his sleeve and presented it with both hands: "My lord, this is a genealogy research document sent yesterday by the clan chief of the Lü clan in Wuyuan County."

Lu Bu took it and unfolded it for a closer look.

As he looked at it, his brows furrowed.

The genealogy states: The Lü clan of Wuyuan County are descendants of Lü Ze, the Marquis of Zhou Lü, son of Lü Wengong in the early Han Dynasty. Lü Ze had a son born to a concubine. When the Lü clan was executed, the son was taken to the north by trusted retainers, and later the Lü clan of Wuyuan branched out from there…

Lü Bu put down the document and looked at Jia Xu: "Wenhe, is this true?"

Jia Xu said, "It's true. The elders of the Lü clan in Wuyuan are all willing to testify to this."

Lu Bu was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "Wenhe, are you trying to get me to curry favor with Empress Lü?"

Jia Xu said, "My lord, Emperor Gaozu of Han rose to power entirely with the support of Lü Wengong and Empress Lü, who mobilized their entire family. It can be said that the Lü family deserves half the credit for the Han dynasty. In recent years, the descendants of the Liu family have been incompetent, leading to chaos throughout the land. Now that you, my lord, are a descendant of the Lü family, you can restore order, replace the Han with the Lü family, and revitalize the court."

Guo Jia continued, "My lord, Wenhe's words are reasonable. The Liu family has lost its virtue, and the Lü family should restore order. My lord has unified the world, the people are loyal to you, and you have the Imperial Seal in your hands. Ascending the throne and becoming emperor is an act in accordance with Heaven and the people."

Chen Gong also said, "My lord, now that the world is at peace, it is time for a change of dynasty. If you hesitate any longer, it will only give unscrupulous people an opportunity to take advantage of the situation."

Lü Bu looked at Zhang Liao: "Wen Yuan, what do you think?"

Zhang Liao clasped his hands and said, "My lord, I am a rough man and do not understand those grand principles. I only know that over the years I have followed you to conquer a peaceful world, where the people have food to eat and clothes to wear, and no longer have to fight. Your ascension to the throne is the will of the people, and I am the first to support you!"

Cheng Lian also said, "My lord, we started our rebellion in Bingzhou and fought our way to this point. What has it all been for? Isn't it to bring peace to the land and allow the people to live a good life? Now that the Han dynasty is incompetent, it is only right and proper for you, as a descendant of the Lü clan, to restore order and take its place!"

Lü Bu then looked at Shi Sunrui, Ju Shou, and Xun You.

These three men were all former officials of the Han Dynasty, especially Shi Sunrui, who had been secretly protecting Liu Xie.

Shi Sunrui remained silent for a moment, then rose and knelt: "My lord, I dare to speak frankly. Since childhood, I have studied the classics, and all I have learned is loyalty to the emperor and service to the country. But in recent years, I have witnessed with my own eyes the decline of the Han dynasty, which is beyond saving. Your Majesty has unified the world and brought peace to the people; this is an unparalleled achievement. I... I wish to assist Your Majesty in creating a prosperous era."

Ju Shou and Xun You also rose and knelt down: "Your subjects are willing to assist our lord!"

Lu Bu looked at the three people kneeling on the ground and nodded: "Get up, all of you."

Everyone stood up.

Lu Bu pondered for a moment and said, "There's no rush for the ascension to the throne. I have something I'd like to hear your opinions on."

Jia Xu said, "Please speak, my lord."

Lü Bu said, "Throughout history, dynasties have risen and fallen, lasting anywhere from a few decades to a few centuries, before their fate is sealed and the world descends into chaos. Tell me, why is this?"

Everyone was taken aback, not expecting Lü Bu to ask this question.

Guo Jia thought for a moment and said, "In my opinion, in the early years of every dynasty, the emperor and his ministers were of one mind, the people were able to recuperate and thrive, and the country's strength increased day by day. In the middle period, land was annexed, powerful families grew stronger, social classes became rigid, the court's taxes decreased day by day, and the burden on the people increased day by day. In the later period, the officials became corrupt, the people suffered, and with the addition of natural disasters and man-made calamities, the country fell into chaos."

Lü Bu nodded: "Fengxiao is right. Then tell me, how can a dynasty be ensured to last forever and not decline?"

The group looked at each other, unsure how to respond.

Lü Bu said, "I have thought about this for a long time. For a dynasty to last, there are only two things: a sound system and talented people."

"The system must be improved to restrain the powerful and wealthy, and to give children from poor families a chance to rise up. Talented people must be selected so that truly capable people can serve the country and speak out for the people."

"I have already implemented the imperial examination system. But the imperial examination system alone is not enough. We also need a supervisory system to ensure that the Censorate can truly function, supervise officials, and punish corruption. We also need a system of national land ownership to prevent land annexation and ensure that farmers own their land."

"These things cannot be accomplished overnight. Therefore, there is no rush for the ascension to the throne. Let's perfect these systems first, and then talk about changing dynasties."

After hearing this, everyone was filled with admiration and respect.

Jia Xu sighed, "Our lord's wisdom and foresight are beyond our reach."

Guo Jia also said, "What my lord is considering is a plan for a thousand years. I am willing to do my utmost to assist my lord and create an everlasting peace!"

Lu Bu waved his hand: "Alright, we can talk about these things later. Today is the first day of the grand banquet, let's go out and have a couple of drinks and share the joy with the people."

Everyone shouted in unison, "Yes, sir!"

In late October, the locust trees lining the streets of Chang'an had lost all their leaves, their bare branches stretching towards the gray sky. But the faces of the city's inhabitants were filled with rare smiles.

The world is at peace.

These four simple words carry immense weight for ordinary people who have experienced the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the Dong Zhuo Rebellion, and the fragmentation of the country by warlords.

Lü Bu has been extremely busy these days.

The four southern provinces—Jingzhou, Yangzhou, Jiaozhou, and Yuzhou—have just been pacified, and everything is in need of rebuilding. The appointment of officials, the reorganization of the army, the inventory of household registrations, and the determination of taxes—none of these can be separated from the decisions of him, the de facto ruler of the Han Empire.

In the council hall of the Prince of Jin's mansion, after finishing dealing with a large pile of official documents, Lü Bu stood up, walked to the window, looked at the bare ginkgo tree in the courtyard, and remained silent for a long time.

Jia Xu and Guo Jia exchanged a glance but remained silent.

They had followed Lü Bu for so many years and knew that their lord would silently contemplate before making any major decisions.

After a while, Lü Bu turned around and said, "Wenhe, Fengxiao, I have an idea and would like to hear your opinions."

Jia Xu cupped his hands and said, "Please speak, my lord."

Lü Bu said, "According to custom, when a dynasty changes, the name of the country must be changed. I am now the King of Jin, so if I ascend the throne, the name of the country will naturally be Jin. But after thinking about it, I feel that something is not quite right."

Guo Jia asked in confusion, "What's wrong with it?"

Lü Bu said, "I'm thinking, when a dynasty changes, must the name of the country be changed? Must the era be changed? Changing the name of the country and the era tells the world that the old dynasty is gone and the new dynasty has been established. But if that happens, those who are loyal to the old dynasty will not be able to get over that hurdle in their hearts."

He paused, then said, "The Han Dynasty has stood for nearly four hundred years. In the hearts of the people, the Han has long been synonymous with the entire world. If I were to change the name of the dynasty, it would be tantamount to telling the world that the world has changed its master. Those who regard the Han Empire as the world will inevitably feel sad. If I do not change the name of the dynasty, will it be possible for these people to accept my ascension to the throne more calmly?"

Jia Xu and Guo Jia frowned, unsure of what their lord meant. A change of dynasty—wasn't that just changing the name of the state and the era name?