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

Hu Feng, the captain of the Chang'an city gates, cleared his throat, breaking the silence: "Gentlemen, Lü Bu's army is already at the city gates. He has sent letters urging us to surrender and is trying to demoralize our troops. Please feel free to speak your mind on how to respond."

Wang Fang was the first to speak, his voice booming: "What else can we do? Fight! Chang'an is a high-lying city with deep moats and a garrison of 20,000. Although the city's food supplies are not plentiful, after some scavenging, it should be enough to last for a month or two. How can Lü Bu, with only a few thousand men, possibly break through?"

Li Meng chimed in, "That's right! We will defend the city to the death. If Lü Bu launches a strong attack, he will suffer heavy losses. In time, his supplies will run out, and he will retreat on his own."

Yang Ding nodded: "Lu Bu is a traitor who has served three masters, a tyrannical and ungrateful wretch. How can we easily believe his promises? If we open the city gates and surrender, we will lose our military power and become fish on a chopping block, at his mercy!"

Hu Feng frowned hesitantly: "But the city's food supplies are indeed running low. Yesterday, the defeated soldiers returned, saying that the Baling granary had been lost, and the city's food supplies could only last for a month at most. Moreover, Lü Bu has heavy cavalry and powerful bows. In the Battle of Ba River, both my uncle and General Guo were shot dead by him. This man is brave and fierce, beyond human strength to defeat!"

He then looked at Li Xian and asked, "Brother Xian, you personally experienced the Battle of Ba River, what do you think?"

Li Xian trembled, raised his head, and his fear remained in his eyes: "Brother Feng, it's not that I'm trying to boost their morale, but that Lü Bu is truly no ordinary man!"

"His heavy cavalry, both men and horses, were heavily armored and impervious to swords and spears. When they charged, they advanced like a wall, and our army simply could not stop them."

"What's even more terrifying is Lü Bu himself. His new halberd is heavier than the one he used in Chang'an, estimated to be around 100 jin. He has no equal among his men; anyone who touches him dies instantly."

"From more than two hundred paces away, an arrow pierced through his uncle's helmet, killing him instantly. General Guo also died from the arrow wound."

"Such archery skills are unheard of!"

At this point, he swallowed hard. "The army's morale is low, and the soldiers are terrified of Lü Bu. If we forcefully defend the city, I'm afraid the city will fall into chaos before Lü Bu even attacks it."

Hearing Li Xian say this, Wang Fang was displeased: "Li Xian, why are you boosting the enemy's morale? No matter how brave Lü Bu is, he's still just one person! We have 20,000 troops; if we defend the city, we can wear him down!"

Li Meng chimed in, "Even if we can't hold the city, we can still break through. We can head west out of the city and return to Liangzhou. If Lü Bu wants to control Chang'an and Guanzhong, he won't be able to spare a large force to pursue us."

Yang Ding nodded: "Li Meng is absolutely right. We can even kidnap the emperor and travel with him. With the emperor in our hands, Lü Bu will be hesitant to pursue us, fearing he might harm the emperor."

Jia Xu, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke, his voice calm but tinged with coldness: "Commander Hu, what Wang, Li, and Yang have said is indeed a wise and experienced way of governing the country."

Everyone looked at him.

Jia Xu slowly rose, his brow furrowing slightly at the wound on his left arm, but his tone remained calm: "Lu Bu is a fickle man. He killed Ding Yuan and joined Dong Zhuo, then killed Dong Zhuo and joined Wang Yun. Can his promises be trusted?"

He looked at Hu Feng: "Colonel Hu is General Li's nephew, and he has slaughtered many of Lü Bu's former subordinates in the past. Even if Lü Bu doesn't kill you, will his subordinates Zhang Liao, Wei Xu, and others tolerate you? Once you hand over your military power, your life and death will no longer be in your own hands."

He then looked at Fan Chou and Li Xian: "General Fan once followed Guo Si in the campaign against Lü Bu, and Young Master Li Xian is General Li's nephew. Do you two really think Lü Bu will truly let you go?"

Fan Chou and Li Xian turned pale.

Jia Xu continued, "On the contrary, if we hold the city and defend it to the death, or take the emperor back west with us, we will have military power and can advance or retreat at will. Although Lü Bu is brave, he has few soldiers and cannot besiege it for long. Once he retreats, or we return to Liangzhou, regroup, and may be able to make a comeback."

Wang Fang slammed his hand on the table: "Mr. Wenhe is absolutely right!"

Li Meng and Yang Ding both nodded in agreement.

Hu Feng hesitated, then looked at Fan Chou: "What does General Fan think?"

Fan Chou's eyes flickered, and after a moment's hesitation, he said, "Mr. Wenhe's argument is indeed reasonable. However, the city's food supplies remain a problem."

Jia Xu said, "There are many civil and military officials, princes, nobles, and wealthy households in the city. We can 'borrow grain' to supply the army. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures."

Hu Feng took a deep breath, seemingly having made up his mind: "If that's the case, then..."

"Report—" A personal guard rushed in, kneeling on one knee. "Reporting to the Commandant, Lü Bu has sent men to besiege Chang'an. Lü Bu's troops are outside the city walls everywhere, urging surrender. Their shouts are deafening, and the defending soldiers are in an uproar, their morale is low!"

Hu Feng's expression changed.

Wang Fang angrily said, "Lü Bu has gone too far! Commander Hu, please order the severe punishment of those who undermine morale, as a warning to others!"

Hu Feng nodded: "Send orders to all gates: anyone who dares to speak of surrender again will be executed!"

"Yes, sir!" The guard withdrew.

Jia Xu looked at Hu Feng and said, "Colonel Hu, the most urgent task right now is to stabilize the morale of the troops. You can order the soldiers to pile up rolling logs and stones on the city walls to make it look like they are holding out to the death. At the same time, secretly collect food and fodder from the city to prepare for a breakout."

Hu Feng nodded: "As you say, sir."

He paused, then looked at everyone: "Let's leave it at that for now. Everyone, return to your headquarters, enforce discipline, and be on high alert against Lü Bu's sneak attacks. As for whether to defend or retreat, I will discuss that with General Fan later."

Wang Fang, Li Meng, and Yang Ding exchanged glances. Although they were dissatisfied, their subordinates had either been killed or wounded in the Battle of Bahe or had deserted, leaving them with few men. At this time, Hu Feng held real power in Chang'an, so they could only bow and say, "Yes, sir."

The three left.

Jia Xu also cupped his hands in greeting: "I am injured, so I will return to my residence to rest first."

Hu Feng hurriedly said, "Sir, please take good care of your injuries. As for whether to stay or leave, we will need your advice."

Jia Xu smiled slightly, then turned and left.

Only Hu Feng, Fan Chou, and Li Xian remained in the hall.

Hu Feng gestured to his personal guards to close the hall door and whispered, "General Fan, why did you agree with Jia Xu just now?"

Fan Chou smiled wryly: "Captain Hu, with Wang Fang and the others present, what can I say? Should I bluntly say that I want to surrender?"

Hu Feng's eyes lit up: "General, you truly share my sentiments!"

Li Xian also breathed a sigh of relief: "With my uncle dead, the Liangzhou army is leaderless. Lü Bu's power is overwhelming, and a direct confrontation will only lead to death. Surrendering the city might save our lives, or even give us a chance at a better future."

Fan Chou nodded: "Exactly. Commander Hu, you now have the most and best-trained troops in the city, and you are in charge of the city's defense. If you can surrender the city, it will be a great achievement. Lü Bu promised not to hold past transgressions against you in the surrender letter. If he were to shoot the letter into the city in front of the entire army, with everyone watching, he would surely lose credibility with the world if he went back on his word."

Hu Feng pondered, "However, Wang Fang, Li Meng, Yang Ding, Jia Xu and others advocate war, and they also have some troops under their command. If we surrender the city, they will definitely stop us."

A ruthless glint flashed in Fan Chou's eyes: "Then let's strike first!"

Hu Feng was startled: "What does the general mean?"

Fan Chou lowered his voice: "Secretly contact Lü Bu and agree to surrender the city. Then, under the pretext of discussing matters, lure and capture Wang Fang, Li Meng, Yang Ding, Jia Xu, and others, and hand them over to Lü Bu together. In this way, we will eliminate future troubles and gain merit."

Li Xian exclaimed excitedly, "This plan is brilliant!"

Hu Feng thought about it and agreed it was feasible: "However, how do we contact Lü Bu? The city is already surrounded."

Fan Chou said, "You are the Commandant of the City Gates, and the defenses of Chang'an are under your control. It's easy to secretly let one or two people out of the city. Select trusted assassins to lower them down the city wall at night and head to Lü Bu's camp."

Hu Feng nodded: "Okay, I'll arrange it right away."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "However, just in case, we need to get a guarantee from Lü Bu. Not only must he forgive our past transgressions, but he must also give us official positions and guarantee us wealth and honor."

Fan Chou said, "That's natural. We deserve to be rewarded for our service in surrendering the city. However, Lü Bu will definitely entrust the defense of Chang'an to his trusted confidants, so you probably won't be able to become the city gate captain."

Hu Feng sighed, "I'll be content as long as I can survive, have a quiet job with a salary, and keep my family safe."

The three discussed the details again until late at night.