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

At the end of Hai hour (before 23:00), outside Chang'an City, at Lü Bu's army camp.

The camp was built along the outside of the moat, brightly lit, with patrolling soldiers coming and going in an endless stream.

Inside the central command tent, Lü Bu was taking stock of his current resources.

The battlefield spoils from the Battle of Bahe, the grain and fodder sent by Yang Feng after his surrender to the Liangzhou army, plus the daily output from the system's safe zone, had left his supplies piling up like mountains.

"A level four safe zone, 4 skill points per day, thousands of bushels of grain per day, and countless other supplies—more than enough to support an army of 100,000," Lu Bu thought to himself.

In times of chaos, food is the foundation of an army.

Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun; with soldiers, you have everything.

If he can successfully control the entire Guanzhong Plain after taking Chang'an, his population will surge to over 100 million, and the security zone level will be upgraded by another level.

At that time, the daily output of supplies in the Level 5 security zone will be enough to support an army of millions.

It is no exaggeration to say that we will sweep across the world at that time.

"General." Cheng Lian's voice came from outside the tent.

"Come in."

Cheng Lian entered the tent, bowed, and said, "The patrol of the camps is complete, and there are no incidents in any of them. However, we have captured a man who secretly slipped out of Chang'an City. He claims to be an envoy from Hu Feng and has important business to discuss."

Lu Bu's eyes lit up: "Bring him in."

"promise!"

Before long, a man dressed in ordinary soldier's uniform but with a sharp and capable appearance was brought in.

Upon seeing Lü Bu, he immediately knelt and bowed, saying, "I am Li Wu, and I have come to pay my respects to Marquis Wen on the orders of Hu Feng, the Commandant of the City Gate."

Lu Bu sat upright and said calmly, "What brings Hu Feng here?"

Li Wu took out a silk scroll from his bosom and presented it with both hands: "This is a letter in the handwriting of Commandant Hu. Please take a look, Marquis Wen."

Cheng Lian took it first, checked it and then handed it to Lü Bu.

Lü Bu unfolded the silk scroll.

"General Hu Feng kowtows a hundred times: Li Jue and Guo Si committed tyrannical acts and held the Emperor hostage, deserving ten thousand deaths. Now that these two traitors have been executed, it is truly the will of Heaven. I, the guilty general, was coerced by them in the past and aided and abetted their evil deeds, but now it is too late for regrets. I am now willing to surrender Chang'an City to atone for my crimes. There are still stubborn and unrepentant people in the city, such as Wang Fang, Li Meng, Yang Ding, and Jia Xu, who intend to take the Emperor and flee west. I have been secretly monitoring them. If Lord Wen promises to protect me, Fan Chou, Li Xian, and our families, I am willing to bind these traitors and open the city to welcome the royal army. This matter is of great importance, and I humbly beg Lord Wen for your guidance."

Lu Bu was overjoyed after reading it, but he remained outwardly calm.

He placed the silk scroll on the table and looked at the envoy Li Wu: "Is what Hu Feng said truly sincere?"

Li Wu kowtowed and said, "It's absolutely true! Commandant Hu, General Fan Chou, and Young Master Li Xian have all made their arrangements and are just waiting for Marquis Wen's reply."

Lü Bu nodded: "Go back and tell Hu Feng that if he can surrender the city, thus preventing Chang'an from falling into war again, protecting the emperor, and sparing the people from the suffering of war, it will be a great achievement. I, Lü Bu, keep my word and will not hold past grievances against him. The same applies to Fan Chou and Li Xian."

He paused, then emphasized, "However, I need to hand over the defense of Chang'an to trusted generals. Hu Feng can be transferred to another position, but will still receive his salary. In addition, Jia Xu must be captured; this man must not be allowed to escape."

Li Wu kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Lord Wen is so magnanimous! I will certainly convey your message truthfully!"

Lü Bu added, "When surrendering the city, we can invite the emperor, all officials, and all the soldiers and civilians of the city to witness it. In this way, with everyone watching, I will not break my promise."

Li Wu's eyes lit up: "Lord Wen has thought things through thoroughly. With this in mind, Commandant Hu and the others can feel even more at ease."

Lü Bu had Cheng Lian bring him silk, brush, and ink, and personally wrote a reply, affixing the seal of General Fenwu before handing it to Li Wu.

"Bring it back carefully, and don't let the word get out."

"I understand!"

Li Wu carefully hid the letter on his person, then kowtowed and took his leave.

Cheng Lian saw him off from the camp and arranged for his personal guards to secretly escort him back to the walls of Chang'an.

Inside the tent, Lü Bu was in a good mood.

To subdue the enemy without fighting is the best strategy.

He summoned his personal guards: "Go and invite Generals Zhang Liao, Wei Xu, Song Xian, and Hou Cheng to come for a meeting."

"promise!"

Inside Chang'an City, at Hu Feng's residence.

In the secret room, Hu Feng, Fan Chou, and Li Xian sat around, looking at Lü Bu's reply.

"Lord Wen has agreed!" Li Xian exclaimed excitedly. "Not only will he not pursue the matter, but he's also given a position equivalent to a colonel, guaranteeing him wealth and honor. General Fan and I have also made arrangements!"

Fan Chou also breathed a sigh of relief: "Although Lü Bu has a bad reputation, when we bring the emperor and all the officials to welcome him into the city and make a promise in front of everyone, he should not go back on his word."

Hu Feng nodded: "In that case, we should not delay. Tomorrow, under the pretext of a military meeting, we will summon Wang Fang, Li Meng, Yang Ding, and Jia Xu to our residence and capture them all in one fell swoop."

Fan Chou said, "Wang Fang and the other two are easy to deal with. Most of their troops are trapped at the Ba River or have escaped or gone missing, and they don't have many personal guards in the city. Jia Xu is cunning, so we need to send more men."

Hu Feng said, "I have ordered my trusted men to monitor Jia Xu's residence. He has injured his left arm and cannot go far."

The three discussed the details for a while longer, and did not part until after 01:00 AM.

The following day, August 30th.

At dawn, Hu Feng, under the pretext of discussing strategies for defending the city, sent someone to invite Wang Fang, Li Meng, and Yang Ding to his residence.

Meanwhile, another team of personal guards was dispatched to Jia Xu's residence to invite him to the meeting.

Wang Fang and his two companions, unsuspecting, each arrived with several of their personal guards.

Upon arriving at Hu Feng's residence, they were led into the main hall.

As soon as the three men sat down, Hu Feng said, "Generals, after much deliberation last night, we believe that Mr. Wenhe's plan is feasible. We have invited you here today to discuss how to gather provisions and prepare for our return to the west."

Wang Fang was overjoyed: "Commander Hu is brilliant! This should have been done long ago!"

Li Meng said, "There are many noble and wealthy households in the city. We can order our soldiers to collect grain from each household. Those who refuse will be punished as traitors!"

Yang Ding nodded: "We can also 'borrow' grain from the palace. The emperor and his officials always have some grain reserves."

As the three were talking, they suddenly heard a commotion of footsteps outside the door.

"What's going on?" Wang Fang stood up alertly.

The hall door was suddenly pushed open, and dozens of armored soldiers rushed in, wielding swords and knives, and surrounded the three.

Fan Chou and Li Xian, clad in armor and armed with weapons, emerged from behind the screen, their faces grim.

"Captain Hu, what do you mean by this?" Wang Fang shouted angrily.

Hu Feng slowly rose and sighed, "Generals, I'm sorry. We have already decided to surrender the city to Marquis Wen. To avoid further conflict, we have no choice but to ask you three to do this."

Wang Fang's eyes widened: "Hu Feng, how dare you betray us!"

Li Meng drew his sword: "Let's fight them!"

Yang Ding also drew his sword.

But the three personal guards had been blocked outside the hall, leaving only the three of them inside. How could they possibly stand a chance against dozens of armored soldiers?

In a short while, Wang Fang, Li Meng, and Yang Ding were subdued and tied up tightly.

"Hu Feng, Lü Bu is a fickle and treacherous man. If you surrender to him, you will surely die a horrible death!" Wang Fang cursed.

Hu Feng frowned: "Take him away and keep a close watch on him."

The soldiers took the three men away.

Fan Chou asked, "Where is Jia Xu?"

Hu Feng looked towards the door and saw the captain of Jia Xu's personal guards rush in, his face grim: "Captain, Jia Xu is not in the mansion! His family said that he went out last night and has not returned."

Hu Feng's expression changed: "What? Weren't you ordered to monitor me?"

The captain knelt down: "I have failed in my duty! There was nothing unusual at Jia Xu's residence last night, but when I went to invite him this morning, I found that he was already gone."

Fan Chou exclaimed anxiously, "Oh no! Jia Xu must have sensed something amiss with us and fled beforehand!"

Li Xian panicked and said, "Lord Wen specifically requested Jia Xu. If we can't capture him, how will we explain ourselves?"

Hu Feng forced himself to remain calm: "His left arm is injured; he can't have gone far. Immediately seal off all gates and launch a city-wide search! Notify our men to conduct thorough questioning and interrogation; we must find him!"

"promise!"