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

On the north bank of the Ba River, the air was thick with the stench of blood. Lu Bu suppressed his discomfort and, together with his generals, supervised the soldiers and prisoners as they cleaned up the battlefield.

Although exhausted, the Bingzhou cavalrymen wore expressions of triumphant excitement. They confiscated the prisoners' belongings, then drove them to strip the still-usable leather armor and iron armor from the corpses, picked up the scattered ring-pommel swords, spears, and bows and arrows, and looted the dry rations or money.

During the cleanup of the battlefield, Lü Bu suddenly saw a prisoner skillfully peel off the leather armor from the corpse, then remove the clothes, trousers, and cloth shoes. Then, his hand actually reached for the corpse's last pair of trousers (underwear)!

Upon seeing this, Lü Bu's pupils constricted sharply, and he blurted out, "Stop! What are you doing?"

His shout instantly drew the attention of everyone nearby.

The prisoner trembled with fear and immediately knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly: "General, spare my life! General, spare my life! I was just tidying up my underwear."

Lu Bu said, "Why are you even going to take off my last pair of underwear?"

The prisoner was bewildered and didn't know how to answer. The prisoners around him, whether they were soldiers from Bingzhou or prisoners from Liangzhou, also showed expressions of confusion and bewilderment.

A military captain from Bingzhou asked in confusion, "General, what's wrong with this? Isn't this how we always clean up the battlefield?"

The implication is that, let alone underwear, anything of any use will be snapped up.

In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, after experiencing floods, droughts, locust plagues, epidemics, the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the chaos caused by Dong Zhuo, and the chaos caused by Li Guo, the whole country was short of resources. When the armies won battles and cleaned up the battlefield, they would not let go of even a piece of hemp cloth.

The original owner was a reckless man, and his army was undisciplined. Looting and plundering were commonplace, and they would even take a single feather from a passing goose when cleaning up the battlefield. Having absorbed the memories, Lü Bu also knew that this kind of battlefield cleanup was the norm.

But he was, after all, a soul from the modern world. Although he had accepted the cruelty of the chaos and bloodshed of the world, he found it hard to accept this act of stripping the dead of their last shred of dignity.

Instead of punishing the prisoner who knelt and begged for mercy, Lü Bu turned to the surrounding soldiers and prisoners and raised his voice:

"Gentlemen!" His gaze swept over the familiar and unfamiliar faces. "I know, in the past we were all like this, wishing we could strip the corpses naked, leaving not a single thread. Why? Because of poverty! Because of hunger! Because we couldn't survive!"

His words resonated with many people present, especially the prisoners, many of whom subconsciously touched their empty stomachs and tattered clothes.

"However!" Lu Bu's tone shifted, becoming serious. "When people die, it's like a lamp going out. They were our enemies in life, each fighting for their own master. Seizing their weapons, armor, and belongings is necessary for the battlefield, and there's nothing wrong with that."

He pointed to the corpse, now only wearing a pair of underpants: "However, if even this last shred of modesty is stripped away, leaving the body naked and exposed to the light of day, to be pecked at by birds and beasts, and to be pointed at and gossiped about by people, wouldn't that be going too far? This is not a benevolent act, and it goes against the natural order!"

"Respect for the dead is paramount!" Lü Bu declared resolutely. "Even if they were once enemies, their sins are absolved now that they are dead. Our victory is based on wisdom and courage, not on dishonoring the remains of the dead!"

Both the Bingzhou and Liangzhou soldiers looked at each other, slightly puzzled, but subconsciously felt that what Lü Bu said made sense. They wouldn't have done this if they weren't so desperate for supplies. Since the general wanted to be righteous and leave a pair of underpants for the corpse, then so be it.

Then, Lü Bu continued, "There's also the matter of dealing with the corpses. It's already June (lunar calendar), and the weather is hot. If these hundreds of corpses are left to rot in the wilderness, they will surely start to stink and breed disease within two or three days! Once a plague breaks out and spreads, it will inevitably affect us. Do you all still remember the horrors of the great plagues of previous years?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression immediately changed.

The Yellow Turban Rebellion was caused by both floods and droughts, as well as plagues. Zhang Jiao won people's hearts by curing diseases with talismanic water. People had naturally witnessed the horror of plagues, which were more terrifying than thousands of troops, killing many at once.

Everyone nodded in agreement, indicating their approval of Lü Bu's judgment.

Having initially persuaded his generals, Lü Bu formally issued the order:

"Issue my order! From this day forward, all those who clean up the battlefield may do so by collecting weapons, valuables, armor, and outer garments. However, the last pair of underpants must be preserved for the deceased as a sign of righteousness, to preserve their final dignity!"

"Then, find a low-lying area, dig a large pit, throw all the enemy soldiers' corpses into the pit, bury them all, and tamp the soil down to prevent the spread of disease!"

He turned his gaze to Zhong Huan's corpse and continued, "As for Zhong Huan, the enemy's commander-in-chief, although he was the enemy's leader, he was also the commander of an army. Bury him separately in a chosen spot next to the mass grave, and erect a wooden tombstone!"

He summoned a literate soldier and said, "Find a wooden board, flatten it, and carve the words '[Tomb of Zhong Huan, Marquis of Liangzhou]' on it. Let him rest in peace, and that will preserve his dignity."

Lu Bu's series of orders surprised everyone on both sides.

Especially those prisoners from Liangzhou, they originally thought they were lucky to have survived and never expected that their comrades' bodies would be disposed of.

Leaving their bodies exposed in the wilderness, or being devoured by wild beasts, was the most common fate for the defeated in this chaotic world.

Unexpectedly, Lü Bu, who was known as a "slave of three surnames" and "tyrannical and unrighteous", actually ordered that the deceased's underwear be kept, that a pit be dug to bury them, and that their military commanders be given separate graves!

A slight commotion and whispers arose among the prisoners. Many people looked at Lü Bu with a mixture of pure fear and complex emotions, including surprise, doubt, and a hint of gratitude.

The former generals of Bingzhou, such as Zhang Liao and Hao Meng, were also greatly shocked.

They exchanged glances, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.

"Lord Wen seems different from before?" Hao Meng gestured to Zhang Liao with his eyes.

Zhang Liao nodded slightly, his gaze fixed intently on Lü Bu's retreating figure. He thought to himself, "Could the defeat at Chang'an have truly awakened the general, causing a drastic change in his character? If so, it is truly a blessing for us!"

The soldiers of Bingzhou felt that following such a lord who was both brave and invincible and who was beginning to awaken to "benevolence and righteousness," their future seemed less bleak.

At least, their lord began to consider the dignity of his subordinates and the dead, which made them feel that the person they were loyal to was not entirely that reckless brute who only knew how to act bravely but was also fickle.

Once the order was given, under the watchful eyes of the Bingzhou army, the prisoners began to act.

They gathered the corpses scattered across the battlefield on the north bank of the Ba River and, as Lu Bu had requested, kept each corpse's last trousers to cover their shame.

Then they dug a mass grave in a low-lying area and threw the bodies of the Liangzhou soldiers into it to bury them.

Of course, if the corpses were those of Bingzhou soldiers, each would have a separate small grave, indicating a clear distinction between friend and foe.

Treating the enemy's corpses well not only helps prevent the spread of plague, but also earns him a reputation for benevolence and righteousness, improving the bad impression that Lü Bu had left on the world.

Sure enough, just as the burial was completed, a simple epitaph was erected in front of Zhong Huan's small grave. A Liangzhou soldier wearing a sergeant's uniform and with a scar on his face, along with five other equally ragged prisoners, walked up to Lü Bu, who was discussing military matters with Zhang Liao.