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

After making the arrangements, Lü Bu instructed Cheng Lian to take Ma Chao to the personal guard camp to report for duty, and Meng Cheng to take Han Ping to the Grand Herald's office.

On the way, Ma Chao asked Cheng Lian, "General Cheng, is the Great General's martial arts truly as formidable as the rumors suggest?"

Cheng Lian glanced at him and said calmly, "Zhang Xiu is known as the King of Spears in the North, but he only lasted three moves against the General. What do you think?"

Ma Chao was startled.

He knew of Zhang Xiu's reputation; his marksmanship was unparalleled and widely known in Xiliang.

Such a master could only withstand three moves from Lü Bu?

Is Lu Bu, the legendary number one in the world, really that ridiculously strong?

"This humble general wishes to see it with my own eyes," Ma Chao said.

Cheng Lian smiled: "The General will be at the training ground tomorrow morning. You'll see for yourself then."

The next morning, at the drill ground of the personal guards.

Ma Chao arrived early, changed into the black armor of his personal guard, and stood in the ranks, holding a standard-issue spear.

He looked around and saw that the soldiers of the personal guard were all tall and strong, with sharp eyes and upright posture, clearly elite troops.

"Are you Ma Chao?" a voice came from behind.

Ma Chao turned his head and saw a young general in his early twenties walking towards him. He was wearing a captain's armor, had a handsome face, and his hand seemed to have an injury, but he had an extraordinary aura.

"This humble general Ma Chao greets Colonel Zhang!" Ma Chao clasped his hands in greeting—he guessed that this man was Zhang Xiu.

Zhang Xiu sized him up and nodded: "Indeed, a handsome man. I heard you'd like to spar with me?"

"I have long admired the name of the Northern Spear King, and I would like to ask for your guidance."

"Alright, let's have a competition after our morning exercise," Zhang Xiu said. "Now line up, the General is coming."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than footsteps echoed from the entrance of the training ground.

Lu Bu walked over dressed in simple training clothes, followed by generals such as Cheng Lian and Zhang Liao.

The entire personal guard stood at attention: "Greetings, General!"

Lu Bu walked to the center of the field, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, lingering for a moment on Ma Chao, before saying, "Begin training!"

The morning exercise consisted of simple activities: weighted running, weapons drills, and formation coordination.

But its strength is extremely high.

Ma Chao was confident in his martial arts skills and stamina, but after training with the personal guards for an hour, he couldn't help but be slightly out of breath.

These personal guards were all battle-hardened elites, well-trained, and worked in perfect harmony.

After finishing their morning exercise, Zhang Xiu said to Ma Chao, "Now, shall we spar?"

Ma Chao's spirits lifted: "Please!"

The two men, each wielding a long spear, faced off in the arena.

Not only the personal guards were watching, but even Lü Bu, Zhang Liao, Cheng Lian and others stopped to watch.

"Wen Yuan, who do you think will win?" Cheng Lian asked.

Zhang Liao pondered, "Ma Chao is young and impetuous, while Zhang Xiu is a seasoned spearman and injured. The outcome is uncertain. However, I bet on Zhang Xiu."

In the arena, Ma Chao made the first move.

He thrust out his spear with lightning speed, the tip aimed directly at Zhang Xiu's throat.

Zhang Xiu remained calm and composed, parrying the incoming spear with a flick of his long spear, and then counter-stabbing with a backhand thrust.

The two fought on one side.

Guns flashed and metal clanged.

Ma Chao's spear technique was fierce and swift, full of youthful vigor; Zhang Xiu's spear technique was steady and experienced, with each strike perfectly timed.

Twenty rounds passed in the blink of an eye, and the score remained tied.

Ma Chao fought with increasing ferocity, his spear like a dragon, his attacks like a tidal wave.

Zhang Xiu had an injury on the tiger's mouth of his hand, so he dared not fight head-on. He used skill to overcome strength and defended himself without leaving any gaps.

After another ten rounds, Zhang Xiu spotted an opening and thrust his spear like a venomous snake, aiming straight for Ma Chao's wrist.

Ma Chao hurriedly changed his move, but was a fraction too slow. The tip of his spear grazed his wrist, leaving a bloody mark.

"Stop!" Zhang Xiu sheathed his gun.

Ma Chao looked at the bloodstains on his wrist, remained silent for a moment, then clasped his hands and said, "Captain Zhang's spear skills are superb; this humble general has lost."

Zhang Xiu shook his head: "I am a few years older than you after all. Given time, you will surely surpass me."

Although he lost the contest, Ma Chao was very pleased to hear Zhang Xiu say this, and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Captain Zhang."

Lü Bu then walked over and looked at Ma Chao: "Well, are you convinced now?"

Ma Chao gritted his teeth: "Captain Zhang is indeed formidable, but this humble general would like to seek guidance from the General!"

Everyone was taken aback.

Zhang Xiu frowned: "Ma Chao, don't be rude!"

Lü Bu laughed: "Good, you have guts! Bring me my halberd!"

The guards carried in the halberd.

Ma Chao stared at the enormous halberd, his pupils shrinking slightly—this halberd was a size larger than ordinary halberds and looked extremely heavy.

The two confronted each other in the arena.

Ma Chao took a deep breath and poured all his strength into his spear.

He knew how powerful Lü Bu was, so he used a deadly move right from the start.

The spear transformed into several afterimages, stabbing at Lü Bu from different angles.

Lu Bu remained unmoved until the spear tip was almost upon him, at which point he suddenly swung his halberd.

"clang!"

A loud bang.

Ma Chao felt an irresistible force coming at him, his spear flew out of his hand, and he was shaken back seven or eight steps, his tiger's mouth split open and blood flowed freely.

The entire room fell silent.

one move.

Ma Chao was defeated, and defeated even more miserably than Zhang Xiu—Zhang Xiu lasted at least three moves. (The reason is that Lü Bu's various skill attributes have recently been improved.)

Ma Chao stood there blankly, looking at his trembling hands and then at the long spear on the ground, his heart churning with turmoil.

He was confident in his martial arts skills and had never been defeated in Xiliang. Even his father was no match for him.

But today, he was first defeated by Zhang Xiu, and then defeated by Lü Bu in one move.

"Are you convinced now?" Lu Bu's voice came.

Ma Chao looked up at Lü Bu's calm face, and all his arrogance vanished.

He knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This humble general is convinced! Your Majesty's might is beyond my reach!"

Lü Bu helped him up, saying, "You are still young, and it is already remarkable that you possess such martial arts skills. With diligent practice in the future, you may very well become a renowned general."

Ma Chao nodded emphatically.

At that moment, most of his hostility towards Lü Bu dissipated, replaced by a sense of awe, even worship, for the strong.

In the days that followed, Ma Chao trained diligently in his personal guard camp.

As promised, Lü Bu frequently instructed Ma Chao in martial arts. Although his words were few and far between, they always hit the nail on the head, greatly benefiting Ma Chao.

He gradually discovered that Lü Bu was not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also had unique insights into training and using troops.

The training methods and equipment configuration of the personal guard battalion far surpassed those of the Xiliang army.

Especially that thing called a stirrup—Ma Chao was amazed when he first used it.

With it, cavalrymen's stability on horseback is greatly increased, allowing them to wield weapons with both hands and slash with all their might, more than doubling their combat effectiveness.

"Was this invented by the General?" Ma Chao asked Zhang Xiu.

Zhang Xiu nodded: "Not only the stirrups, but also the horseshoes and high-bridged saddles were all the General's ideas. Now, the heavy cavalry of the Imperial Guard are unstoppable in a charge."

Ma Chao was deeply shocked.

Lu Bu was not only unparalleled in personal martial arts, but also knowledgeable about these engineering machines?

Little did he know, this was all the knowledge accumulated by the time traveler.

Ma Chao wanted his personal guards to send this secret back to Xiliang so that his father would know, but the guards were captured and beaten half to death before they even left the guard camp.

Ma Chao was also confined for three days and received a personal warning from Lü Bu that if he committed another offense, he would be executed.

Ma Chao felt a chill run down his spine and no longer dared to entertain the idea of ​​stealing secrets to send back to Xiliang.

Hostages are no joke. Lu Bu's usual good attitude towards them doesn't mean he's completely unprepared.