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

Lu Bu rode Red Hare along the main street of Chang'an.

The streets were lined with kneeling people, many of whom secretly glanced at him with eyes full of fear and curiosity.

Three months ago, when Lü Bu was driven out of Chang'an by Li Jue and Guo Si, he had only eight hundred remaining soldiers by his side.

Now he has returned with an elite army, and has even killed Li Jue and Guo Si. The emperor was forced to come out of the city to welcome him.

This is changing too fast.

Instead of going directly to the palace, Lü Bu went to his former residence, the Marquis of Wen's Mansion.

The mansion gates were tightly closed, and some of the paint on the gates was peeling off.

The guards went up and knocked on the door, and after a long while, an old servant opened the door tremblingly.

"General...?" The old servant recognized Lü Bu and knelt down with a thud.

"Get up." Lü Bu dismounted. "How many people are left in the manor?"

"Reporting to the general, only this old servant and three servants remain. Li Jue and Guo Si have taken all the valuables, and what remains is dilapidated."

Lu Bu nodded: "Pack up, I'll stay here tonight."

Cheng Lian whispered from the side, "General, aren't you staying in the palace?"

Lu Bu glanced at him: "What's the rush? The palace isn't going anywhere."

He knows history all too well.

Dong Zhuo moved into the palace, which made him the target of everyone's hatred.

Cao Cao held the emperor hostage to command the other warlords, but he always allowed the emperor to live in the Xuchang Imperial Palace while he himself built a separate residence to conduct his business.

This is the proper measure a powerful minister should have—as long as he holds real power.

Lü Bu said to his old servant, "Go find some people to clean the mansion thoroughly. Pay them at market rate; don't use them for free."

"Yes, yes!" the old servant replied repeatedly.

At this moment, Zhang Liao rode up and asked, "General, what should we do about the palace and the emperor?"

Lü Bu said, "Let the Emperor return to the palace first, but the gates of the palace must be guarded by our men. Today all officials are on holiday, and tomorrow at 08:00 AM, I will hold a meeting in the front hall of Weiyang Palace."

"Yes, sir!" Zhang Liao accepted the order and left.

Lü Bu then said to Wei Xu, "Take the Trapped Army camp to take over the armory and granary. Inventory and register all weapons and provisions, and no one is allowed to use them without authorization."

"Hou Cheng, your archer battalion will take over the defense of the twelve gates of Chang'an. The original garrison will be dispersed and incorporated into our army, led by veteran soldiers."

"Song Xian, the infantry battalion is to patrol the city and maintain order. Anyone who takes advantage of the chaos to loot, kill, or commit arson shall be executed on the spot."

As orders were issued, the generals of each unit accepted them and went about their duties.

Lü Bu then entered the Marquis of Wen's residence.

The mansion was indeed dilapidated, with tables and chairs overturned and dusty on the ground.

But the skeleton is still there; it can be moved into after some repairs.

"General, Magistrate Meng has arrived from Lantian," a personal guard reported.

"Let him in."

Meng Cheng, travel-worn, entered the mansion and bowed to Lü Bu, saying, "General, I have heard that Chang'an has been pacified, and I have come here to await your command."

"You've come at the perfect time," Lü Bu said. "Chang'an has just been pacified, and everything needs to be rebuilt. You will take the lead in government affairs. Start with three things: First, appease the people and issue a proclamation to reassure them, stating that under my rule, Lü Bu, there will be no looting of grain, no conscription, and taxes will be lenient. Second, conduct a household registration check in Chang'an and count the population. Third, implement a work-for-relief program, recruiting people to repair the city walls and clean the streets, providing them with meals and wages."

Meng Cheng hesitated and said, "General, Chang'an has a large population, and this work-for-relief program will cost..."

"I have plenty of money and provisions," Lü Bu waved his hand. "Just go and do it."

Meng Cheng, recalling the warehouses in Lantian and Shangluo that could never be fully inventoried, asked no further questions: "This subordinate understands."

"Furthermore," Lü Bu added, "send someone to deliver a message to the wealthy merchants and nobles in Chang'an, saying that I, Lü Bu, invite them to my residence for a chat tonight."

"Will they come?"

"They will come," Lu Bu sneered. "A smart person knows what to do."

After Meng Cheng left, Lü Bu summoned Zuo Feng and said, "Go and do something for me. Secretly investigate who in Chang'an is close to Li Jue and Guo Si, who is the most ruthless in exploiting the people, and who has the worst reputation. Make a list for me."

Zuo Feng's eyes lit up: "Is the general going to make an example of someone?"

"Yes, someone has to be held responsible for the chaos that happened before," Lu Bu said calmly. "To appease the people, we need to give them an explanation."

Zuo Feng understood immediately: "Understood!"

The Imperial Palace, a side hall of Weiyang Palace.

The eleven-year-old Emperor Liu Xie sat on the couch, his hands still trembling.

Grand Commandant Yang Biao, Minister of Works Zhao Wen, and Minister of Public Works Zhang happy stood below, their expressions solemn.

"Grand Commandant Yang," Liu Xie's voice trembled, "will Lü Bu become like Dong Zhuo or Li Jue?"

Yang Biao was silent for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, Lü Bu is brave and skilled, but his character is unpredictable. In the past, he killed Ding Yuan and joined Dong Zhuo, then killed Dong Zhuo and joined Wang Yun, showing his fickle nature. Now he has killed Li Jue and Guo Si and regained control of Chang'an; his ambition is not small."

Zhao Wen sighed, "At least on the surface he still observed the proper etiquette of a subject, did not move directly into the palace, and did not show any disrespect to His Majesty."

"That's because he knows he can't be too hasty," Zhang happy said in a low voice. "The death of Dong Zhuo and the defeat of Li Jue and Guo Si are lessons from the past. No matter how reckless Lü Bu is, he should learn his lesson by now."

Liu Xie's eyes reddened: "I...I, the emperor, am nothing but a puppet."

The three senior officials remained silent.

They were well aware of this, but in chaotic times, it was already difficult enough to preserve one's life and the reputation of the Han dynasty.

"Lu Bu wants to hold a meeting tomorrow," Yang Biao said. "Let's see how he acts before making any plans."

Hu Feng's residence.

Hu Feng, Fan Chou, and Li Xian gathered together, with wine and dishes laid out in front of them, but no one touched their chopsticks.

"Lord Wen has asked us to go to the palace for a meeting tomorrow," Li Xian said anxiously. "Could it be...?"

"Don't overthink it." Hu Feng took a sip of wine. "Lu Bu said he would forgive and forget in front of the whole city at the city gate. He won't turn his back on me so quickly."

Fan Chou shook his head: "Even if we don't turn against each other, we will definitely lose our military power. I went to the military camp today and saw that our old subordinates have been scattered and incorporated into Lü Bu's army, and all the officers have been replaced by Lü Bu's men."

"Just surviving is a miracle," Hu Feng said with a wry smile. "You still want to continue leading troops?"

The three remained silent.

Yes, being alive and having a sinecure with a salary is already better than Wang Fang, Li Meng, and Yang Ding. Those three are still imprisoned in Lü Bu's camp, their fate unknown.

Inside a large mansion in the West Market of Chang'an.

Several wealthy businessmen gathered in a private room, discussing in hushed tones.

"Manager Wang, what do you think Lu Bu wants to do by inviting us to a banquet tonight?" a fat merchant asked.

The middle-aged man, known as Manager Wang, stroked his beard and said, "There are only two options: either money or grain."

"When Li Jue and Guo Si were in power, we were forced to offer them plenty of tribute," another thin merchant said with a worried expression. "If Lü Bu were to investigate..."

"He won't pursue the matter," Manager Wang shook his head. "If Lü Bu really wanted to punish us, he could just send troops to arrest us. Why bother asking us to go? I think he's trying to win us over. After all, governing Chang'an requires money and supplies. And those are in our hands."

"Shall we go or not?"

"Yes, of course I'll go," said Manager Wang. "Not only will I go, but I'll also bring generous gifts. In chaotic times, following the right person is the way to survive."

In the homes of ordinary people.

An old farmer said to his son, "When Marquis Wen entered Chang'an, the government posted notices recruiting workers to repair the city walls and clean the streets starting tomorrow. They'll provide meals and pay. Are you going?"

"Go ahead, why not?" the son said. "There's not much work to do in the fields anyway, I can earn some money to supplement the family income."

"Do you really think Lu Bu can just not rob grain or conscript laborers, and even provide food and wages for workers?" the old farmer asked skeptically.

"Who knows? At least it sounds good now. When Li Jue and Guo Si were in power, our family was robbed three times. How much worse could things get?"

"Too……"