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

On the tenth day of the ninth month, Zhang Ji's messenger arrived in Chang'an.

The envoy was Zhang Xiu, Zhang Ji's nephew, a young man in his early twenties, full of vigor and ambition.

Lü Bu received him at the General's Mansion.

"This humble general Zhang Xiu pays his respects to the Great General!" Zhang Xiu knelt on one knee, his posture very humble.

"Stand up and speak," Lü Bu said. "What is Zhang Ji's purpose in sending you here?"

Zhang Xiu rose and said respectfully, "Uncle is delighted to hear that Li Jue and Guo Si have been executed and that the Grand General has regained control of the court. Uncle says that he was originally a general of the court, but was forced to join the rebels by Li Jue. Now that the rebel leader has been killed, Uncle is willing to lead his troops to submit to the court and obey the Grand General's orders."

The words were well-spoken, but Lü Bu understood the underlying meaning—Zhang Ji was asking for a price.

"General Zhang is very righteous, which greatly pleases me," said Lü Bu. "Here's what we'll do: appoint Zhang Ji as General Who Guards the East and Prefect of Hongnong. His officers and soldiers will all be employed in their original positions, and their provisions will be provided by the imperial court."

General Zhen Dong, one of the Four Generals of Zhen, is already a high-ranking military officer.

Zhang Xiu was overjoyed: "Thank you, General! I will report back to my uncle immediately!"

Lü Bu then asked, "Furthermore, I've heard you are brave and skilled in battle. Would you be willing to come to Chang'an to serve?"

Zhang Xiu was taken aback: "What does the General mean...?"

"I lack capable generals," Lü Bu said. "You can bring some of your personal guards to Chang'an and serve as a captain in the Imperial Guard, directly under my command. What do you say?"

This is to take hostages, and also because they really want to use Zhang Xiu—in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhang Xiu is a figure who even made Cao Cao suffer losses, and in folk legends he is Zhao Yun's senior brother, known as the King of Spears in the North.

Zhang Xiu hesitated for a moment, then said, "This humble general... obeys!"

He understood that this was the price of surrendering.

My uncle Zhang Ji was in charge of the army in Hongnong, while I was a hostage in Chang'an, so both of us were protected.

After Zhang Xiu left, Lü Bu said to Jia Xu, "Zhang Ji's situation is stable."

Jia Xu nodded: "The next step is to reorganize the remnants of the Liangzhou army in various parts of Guanzhong."

"This matter will be handled by Zhang Liao's cavalry battalion," Lü Bu said. "The main approach will be pacification, with annihilation as a secondary measure. Those willing to surrender will be dispersed and incorporated into our army. Those unwilling..."

A cold glint flashed in his eyes: "Then don't blame me for being impolite."

The news that Lü Bu had regained control of Chang'an and appointed himself Grand General quickly spread throughout the land.

Ye City, Yuan Shao's residence.

"Lü Bu? That traitor who served three masters?" Yuan Shao sneered. "He thinks he's something special just because he managed to kill Li Jue and Guo Si by sheer luck?"

The strategist Ju Shou said, "My lord, you must not underestimate him. Lü Bu is brave and fierce, and now that he has captured Chang'an, he holds the emperor hostage to command the other lords. I fear he will become a major threat to our cause."

"A major threat?" Yuan Shao dismissed it. "Lu Bu is just a military man. What does he know about governing a country? It won't be long before Chang'an is thrown into chaos. Then I can send troops to clean up the mess."

He was busy fighting Gongsun Zan for control of Ji, You, and Qing provinces, and had no time to deal with the distant Guanzhong region.

Dongjun, Cao Cao's residence.

Cao Cao frowned as he looked at the intelligence report.

"Lu Bu, even after being driven out of Chang'an by Li Jue and Guo Si, was still able to fight his way back. This man truly deserves to be called the greatest warrior in the world," Cao Cao murmured. "However, while he is brave, he is fickle and incapable of achieving great things."

The strategist Xun Yu said, "My lord, although Lü Bu is not a major concern, he controls the emperor and occupies the strategically important Guanzhong region. If given time to develop his power, he may become a great threat."

"I know." Cao Cao stood up and paced back and forth. "But right now I have to fight the Yellow Turbans and seize Yanzhou. I'm afraid I can't take care of Guanzhong for the time being."

He looked at Xi Zhicai: "Zhicai, do you think Lü Bu can amount to anything?"

Xi Zhicai pondered and said, "According to Lü Bu's past behavior, it's impossible. But according to reports from spies, Lü Bu acted quite methodically during his time in charge of the towns along the Wuguan Pass and after entering Chang'an. He pacified the people, organized the army, and recruited talented people, unlike his previous recklessness."

"Oh?" Cao Cao raised an eyebrow. "Could it be that Lü Bu has finally figured it out?"

"Perhaps a wise person has given him guidance," Xi Zhicai said. "I've heard that Jia Xu has already surrendered to Lü Bu."

Cao Cao's expression changed slightly: "I've heard of Jia Xu, Jia Wenhe. He's a man of profound wisdom and strategy. If he's truly working for Lü Bu, it will be troublesome."

"But there's no need to worry too much," Xi Zhicai said with a smile. "Lu Bu's nature is hard to change. Even with Jia Xu's assistance, it's difficult to change his suspicious and fickle ways. As long as you, my lord, pacify the Central Plains as soon as possible, then you can use your strength to defeat the weak, and Lu Bu will be nothing to fear."

Cao Cao nodded: "That makes sense."

Jingzhou, Nanyang.

Sun Ce, only 17 years old, had just lost his father Sun Jian and was in mourning, living under the protection of others. He was staying with Yuan Shu and only had Cheng Pu, Han Dang, Huang Gai and other old men left by his father by his side.

Upon hearing the news that Lü Bu had not only not wandered the world but had also successfully counterattacked Chang'an, he was filled with regret and envy: "That scoundrel Lü Bu actually killed Li Jue and Guo Si, regained control of the court, was promoted to Grand General, appointed Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, and granted the authority to command troops, wielding supreme military and political power. He's practically another Dong Zhuo. I wonder when I'll ever get to rise above others!"

Han Dang said, "Bo Fu, Lü Bu has occupied Guanzhong, and through the Wuguan Pass he can threaten Nanyang. Yuan Gonglu must be in trouble right now. But Yuan Gonglu's troubles are actually to our advantage."

Sun Ce's eyes lit up: "General, you mean...?"

"I can submit a petition to Yuan Gonglu," Han Dangdao said, "to allow you to lead an army to Danshui County to garrison and prevent Lü Bu's army from invading Nanyang, thereby gaining troops and the qualification to lead an army."

"Great idea!" Sun Ce slammed his hand on the table. "I'll go find Yuan Gonglu and ask him for troops."

At the same time, at Yuan Shu's residence.

Yuan Shu had long harbored ambitions of becoming emperor, and upon hearing that Lü Bu had seized power, he disdained him.

"Lü Bu? A mere border general, does he even deserve to rule the court?" Yuan Shu said to his men. "Once I take over Yuzhou and Yangzhou, I'll send troops to Guanzhong, depose Lü Bu and that young emperor, and become emperor myself!"

The strategist Yan Xiang advised, "My lord, Lü Bu is brave and fierce, and he is also assisted by Jia Xu. We must not underestimate him."

"What is Jia Xu?" Yuan Shu scoffed. "I have generals like Ji Ling and Zhang Xun, plenty of soldiers and provisions. What do I have to fear from Lü Bu?"

The Yuan family had held high office for four generations, with strong and powerful troops and numerous strategists under their command. They would never take Lü Bu seriously.

Qingzhou, Pingyuan County.

Liu Bei, the chancellor of Pingyuan, looked at the intelligence report and sighed deeply.

"Lü Bu is just another arrogant and domineering figure like Dong Zhuo," Liu Bei shook his head. "Grand General, Chancellor of the Imperial Secretariat, and holder of the imperial axe—he's completely treating the emperor as a puppet! His next move might very well be a coup!"

Guan Yu said coldly, "Brother, give me an army, and I will go to Chang'an to take his head."

"Yun Chang, that won't do," Liu Bei waved his hand. "Chang'an is a thousand miles away. We can barely protect ourselves, how can we attack the Lü clan?"

Zhang Fei shouted, "So we're just going to leave it at that?"

"Of course not," Liu Bei said. "But a gentleman takes his revenge even after ten years. Let's first accumulate strength and wait for the right time to settle accounts with Lü Bu and save the emperor."

In his heart, he thought: "Even though Lü Bu was driven out of Chang'an by Li Jue and Guo Si, he was still able to launch a counterattack and regain control of the court. With my second and third brothers, who are capable of defeating ten thousand men, assisting me, when will I be able to achieve a great hegemony?"