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

Lu Bu walked along the red carpet, step by step ascending the high platform. Each step was steady and powerful.

Liu Xie followed behind, his expression calm. After truly abdicating yesterday and taking off his dragon robe, he seemed to have shed all the pressure and come to terms with it.

On the high platform, Lü Bu stood facing south before the incense table. Liu Xie stepped forward, knelt, and kowtowed: "The former Emperor Xie presents the Imperial Seal of the State to the Prince of Jin, requesting that the Prince of Jin accept the seal!"

Lu Bu accepted the imperial seal, held it high above his head with both hands, and reigned supreme over the world.

Below the stage, civil and military officials, governors of various states, army commanders, envoys from various countries, and representatives of scholars, farmers, artisans and merchants all knelt down and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

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

The shouts were deafening and resounded through the heavens.

Lü Bu set down the imperial seal, faced the audience, and proclaimed loudly, "Today, I receive the abdication and ascend the throne, inheriting the great lineage. I declare that the name of the nation will remain unchanged, still Han! The year that Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang established the Han Empire will be designated as the zeroth year of the Han calendar. This year is the 398th year of the Han calendar, which is the 398th year since the founding of the Han Dynasty. Today is the first day of the first month of the 398th year of the Han calendar!"

The crowd below the stage once again shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

Lü Bu continued, "The world belongs to all people, not to one family or one clan. From now on, if any descendant of the Lü family is incompetent, any capable person in the world may take their place. But the dynasty will remain Han, and the Han calendar will continue. The Han dynasty will be forever secure, the Han calendar will continue forever, and the Han people will always be Han people!"

After hearing these words, Liu Xie's eyes welled up with tears.

He was quite worried that Lü Bu would break his word, change the country's name after ascending the throne, and abolish the Han dynasty.

Unexpectedly, Lü Bu kept his word and did not change the name of the dynasty. Instead, he used the year that Emperor Taizu founded the dynasty as the zeroth year of the Han calendar to commemorate it. In this way, the four-hundred-year foundation of the Han dynasty was not broken.

The Han dynasty did not end under his rule.

He knelt on the ground and kowtowed heavily: "Your Majesty is wise! Your subject Liu Xie is in awe!"

Xun Yu, Xun You, Ju Shou, Shi Sunrui, and others also kowtowed, their eyes filled with admiration.

Previously, they thought Lü Bu's ascension to the throne meant a change of dynasty. Unexpectedly, Lü Bu possessed such magnanimity and breadth of vision. He did not change the dynasty name, nor abolish the Han dynasty's legitimacy, and even used the founding year of Emperor Gaozu as the calendar. Such an emperor is unprecedented in history!

Although Jia Xu, Guo Jia, Chen Gong, and others already knew about Lü Bu's plans and schemes, they were still extremely excited to hear them with their own ears.

Jia Xu proclaimed loudly, "Your Majesty is wise! Long live the Han Dynasty!"

Guo Jia also proclaimed loudly, "May the Han dynasty be forever secure! May the Han calendar continue forever!"

The crowd below chanted in unison, "Your Majesty is wise! Long live the Han Dynasty! May the Han Dynasty last forever! May the Han Dynasty continue indefinitely!"

The calls grew louder and louder, resounding throughout Luoyang City.

Lu Bu raised his hand and pressed it down, and the shouts gradually subsided.

He proclaimed in a loud voice: "Issue an imperial decree, granting a general amnesty. Each elderly person over seventy years of age shall be given a bolt of silk and a bushel of rice. Widows, widowers, orphans, the lonely, and the disabled shall each be given a bushel of rice as a consolation."

Another round of cheers erupted from the audience.

Lü Bu continued, "I hereby enfeoff Liu Xie as the King of Hanzhong, with a fief of ten thousand households. His royal residence shall be located in Luoyang City, and the ancestral temple of the Han dynasty shall be preserved to worship the ancestors of the Liu family. He shall be granted five hundred catties of gold, five thousand taels of silver, and five thousand bolts of silk."

Liu Xie knelt down and kowtowed: "Your subject Liu Xie thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness!"

Subsequently, Lü Bu announced the investiture of Yan Yuan as Empress, and Diao Chan, Cao Zhi, Mi Zhen, Sun Shangxiang, Cai Yu, Aisha, Du Xiuniang, and others as Imperial Concubines. Yan Yuan led the women of the harem in bowing and expressing their gratitude.

After the coronation ceremony, Lü Bu returned to the Taiji Hall and once again received the congratulations of the officials.

Inside the Taiji Hall, everything was resplendent in gold and jade. Lü Bu sat upright on the dragon throne, dressed in imperial robes and wearing a crown, exuding an imposing aura without anger.

Inside the hall, civil and military officials lined up on both sides, each with a joyful expression on their face.

Lü Bu said, "The coronation ceremony is now complete. We will now formally appoint the cabinet and the six ministries."

The eunuch unfolded the imperial edict and read it aloud:

"The imperial edict reads: I, having received the Mandate of Heaven and ascended the throne, hereby adopt the Han calendar. I now establish the Grand Secretariat and the Six Ministries to govern the state. The investiture is as follows:"

Jia Xu, Grand Secretary and Minister of Personnel, was in charge of all government affairs and held the rank of Second Grade.

Chen Gong, Second Grand Secretary and concurrently Minister of Revenue, was a second-rank official.

Zhang Liao, Second Grand Secretary and concurrently Minister of War, was a second-rank official.

Shi Sunrui, Grand Secretary and Imperial Censor, rank three.

Ju Shou, Grand Secretary and concurrently Minister of Rites, was a third-rank official.

Cheng Lian, a cabinet minister and commander of the Imperial Guard, was a third-rank official.

Xun You, a cabinet minister, was a third-rank official.

Guo Jia, a cabinet minister, was a third-rank official.

Zhang Song, a cabinet minister, held the rank of third grade.

Zhong Yao, Minister of Justice, rank three.

Zuo Feng, Minister of Works, rank three;

The remaining officials shall remain in their posts as before; those who have rendered meritorious service shall be promoted at a later date. This is the imperial decree!

Now, the former cabinet of the Prince of Jin and the ministers of the Six Ministries have completely replaced the original central government, truly supporting the emperor and rightfully taking control of the central military and political power of the Han Dynasty.

Jia Xu and the others knelt down and kowtowed joyfully: "Your Majesty, we accept your decree and express our gratitude! Long live the Emperor!"

Lü Bu raised his hand: "All of you, rise."

Everyone stood up.

Lü Bu then said, "The governors of each province and the commanders of the army groups will remain in their posts. However, the armies of each province must be gradually reorganized, uniformly trained, and uniformly equipped. The system of private armies must be completely abolished. From now on, all the troops in the empire will be under the command of the imperial court."

Zhang Liao clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will certainly handle this matter well."

Lü Bu nodded: "Good. There's one more thing: the imperial examination system needs further improvement. From now on, the county examination will be held in March each year, the prefectural examination in October, the state examination in May every two years, and the capital examination in August every three years. A national champion will be selected every three years. All prefectures and counties must strictly follow the system and must not engage in favoritism or fraud."

Ju Shou bowed and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will certainly handle the imperial examination matter well."

Lu Bu looked around at everyone and said with a smile, "Alright, that concludes today's meeting. All of you, please proceed to the Deyang Hall in the North Palace to celebrate the New Year."

He claimed it was to celebrate the New Year, but everyone knew it was actually a grand banquet for his officials to celebrate his ascension to the throne.

Everyone shouted in unison, "Yes, sir!"

……

While Lü Bu was holding a grand banquet for his officials and celebrating in the palace, the free edition of the "Great Han Xunbao" (Great Han Ten-Day Report) for the 398th year of the Han calendar was being sent throughout the land via postal stations.

This issue of the newspaper devoted its entire front page to the news of Lü Bu's ascension to the throne, as well as his announcement of the policy of not changing the country's name and using the Han calendar for dating.

Newspaper boys, now paid, went from street to street, distributing free copies: "New Year Special Edition! His Majesty ascends the throne! The nation's name remains unchanged, still the Great Han! The year of founding the dynasty by Emperor Gaozu is designated as the zeroth year of the Han calendar! The first issue of the Great Han Ten-Day Newspaper New Year Special Edition, free to distribute!"

The people of the city flocked around, eager to take a copy.

A literate middle-aged man took the newspaper, unfolded it, and examined it closely. The headline was printed in large regular script—

"On the first day of the first month of the 398th year of the Han calendar, Lü Bu, King of Jin, ascended the throne in Luoyang, retaining the name Han as the dynasty. The year Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, established the Han Empire was designated as year zero of the Han calendar. From then on, the entire realm would uniformly adopt the Han calendar. Your Majesty declares: The realm belongs to all people, not to one family or clan. If any descendant of the Lü family proves incompetent, a capable person may replace him, but the dynasty name will remain Han, and the Han calendar will continue. May the Han dynasty be forever secure, the Han calendar perpetual, and the Han people forever be Han people!"

After the middle-aged man finished reading, his hands trembled and his eyes reddened.

An elderly man nearby asked anxiously, "Finished reading? What exactly did it say?"

The middle-aged man took a deep breath and proclaimed loudly, "His Majesty said that the name of the nation will not be changed; it will remain the Great Han! The year Emperor Gaozu founded the nation will be the Han calendar year zero, so this year is Han calendar year 398! His Majesty also said that the world belongs to all people, not to one family or clan. Even if the descendants of the Lü family are incompetent, and a capable person can take their place, the nation's name will still be Han, and the calendar will still be the Han calendar! The Han people will always be Han people!"

After listening, the old man was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst into tears, knelt down and kowtowed: "Emperor Taizu above! The Han Dynasty still exists! The Han Dynasty still exists!"

The surrounding people knelt down, some kowtowing, some wiping away tears, and some cheering.

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Han Dynasty!"

"May the Han dynasty be forever secure! May the Han calendar continue forever!"

"Han people will always be Han people!"

Cheers erupted one after another.