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

In Chang'an, soup kitchens were set up.

Every morning and evening, officials would carry large cauldrons and distribute porridge throughout the city.

The porridge was thick, not watery soup, but a real millet porridge with salt added.

"Line up! Line up! Everyone gets a share!" The officers maintained order.

The starving people lined up in long queues, holding bowls, their eyes filled with gratitude.

"I heard this was an order personally given by the General."

"Yes, if it weren't for the General, I don't know how many people would have starved to death this winter."

"My house collapsed under the weight of the snow, and the government vacated the City God Temple for us to stay in, and even provided us with bedding."

"I joined the snow-clearing team. They provided two meals a day and gave me ten coins. Although it was cold, my heart was warm."

Similar conversations can be heard throughout Guanzhong.

Hongnong Prefecture, Shanxian County.

Looking at the 5,000 shi of grain and 1,000 sets of bedding transported from Chang'an, Zhang Ji was filled with emotion.

"General, you truly keep your word." He said to his subordinates, "Pass down the order: open the granaries and distribute grain to the disaster victims as instructed by the General. Anyone who dares to embezzle funds will be dealt with according to military law!"

"promise!"

The last trace of doubt in Zhang Ji's heart also dissipated.

Lü Bu not only gave him an official position, but also sent him disaster relief supplies at this time, showing that he truly cared for him.

Meanwhile, in Liangzhou...

Ma Teng and Han Sui also received "extra disaster relief grain" from Lü Bu.

Each person received 5,000 shi (a unit of grain), supposedly to help the people of Xiliang get through the cold winter.

In Ma Teng's residence, he looked at the grain carts with a complicated expression.

"Father, Lü Bu is trying to win people's hearts," said the second son, Ma Xiu.

Ma Teng shook his head: "Whether it was bribery or not, this grain can indeed save many lives. Issue the order to allocate half of it to disaster relief."

"And the other half..."

"We'll use it as military rations." A glint of light flashed in Ma Teng's eyes. "If Lü Bu gives it to us, we'll take it. Only with grain can we feed more soldiers."

He looked eastward, thinking to himself: Lü Bu, you are powerful now, I'll tolerate it. But in the future…

In Jincheng Commandery, Han Sui reacted similarly.

He collected the grain, used it to provide disaster relief and win over the people, and expanded his army.

Both of them thought they had hidden their true feelings well.

However, what they didn't know was that the population of Liangzhou was not included in Lü Bu's system's safe zone, which meant that Ma Teng and Han Sui were not truly surrendering.

The General's Mansion, Study.

Lu Bu looked at the system panel and sneered.

The fact that Ma Teng and Han Sui's populations were not included in the safe zone proves that these two men had ulterior motives. However, the fact that the entire population of Hongnong Commandery was included in the safe zone proves Zhang Ji's genuine allegiance.

"Ma Teng and Han Sui still harbor ulterior motives," Lü Bu bluntly told Jia Xu.

Jia Xu pondered, "Xiliang is a remote region, and the Ma and Han families have been cultivating it for generations, making it deeply entrenched. It will not be easy to win their sincere allegiance in a day."

"It's alright," Lü Bu said calmly. "They need my provisions right now, so they won't dare to turn against me. I can deal with them when I have more time."

Jia Xu nodded and said, "General, this heavy snow is a disaster, but it is also an opportunity."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

"Now, the people of Guanzhong are grateful to the General for saving their lives, and their hearts are with him. Many refugees who fled to remote mountain villages have returned to Guanzhong after hearing of the General's benevolent rule. Since October, the population of Guanzhong has increased by no less than 100,000."

Jia Xu paused, then lowered his voice: "Even people from Liangzhou, Bingzhou, and the Qiang and Hu regions have come to seek refuge. Among these people are many able-bodied men who can serve in the army."

Lu Bu's eyes lit up.

In times of chaos, population is a resource.

People are the foundation of soldiers.

"We welcome all who come to join us. All who come to surrender will be settled. The able-bodied can join the army, and the elderly, women, and children can be allocated land to cultivate. The imperial court will provide seeds and farming tools, and we will be exempt from taxes for three years."

"promise!"

Amidst the heavy snowfall, news of people starving and freezing to death was reported daily throughout Guanzhong.

However, thanks to Lü Bu's all-out relief efforts, the death toll was kept to a minimum.

In contrast, in places like Jizhou, Youzhou, and Bingzhou, due to the constant warfare, the warlords were only concerned with vying for supremacy and neglected the people's livelihood, resulting in countless people freezing to death or starving to death.

In the twelfth lunar month, the wind was biting cold, and the snow on the streets of Chang'an had not yet melted before it was covered by new snow.

In previous years, at this time, the streets and alleys around Chang'an would have been littered with corpses of the starving, with countless people freezing or starving to death.

But this year is different.

At the West Market entrance, long queues formed in front of the porridge stalls set up by the government.

Seven or eight large pots were placed on the fire, and the millet porridge inside was bubbling and steaming, the aroma of rice mixed with the heat wafting far and wide.

"Line up! Everyone gets a share!" Several constables maintained order. The refugees in the line looked on expectantly. Although they were hungry, they had hope and did not cause any chaos.

Everyone who lines up can get a bowl.

Hot porridge not only satisfies hunger but also dispels some of the winter chill.

Not far away, several well-dressed people stood on the street corner, looking at the scene in front of the soup kitchen with complicated expressions.

The leader was a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing a brocade robe and a mink cloak, clearly a wealthy man.

"Manager Wang, look at this..." a tall, thin man whispered, "Are we still going to sell the grain we've stockpiled?"

Manager Wang's face was gloomy: "Sell it. I see that the Price Control Bureau has plenty of food and can even provide free porridge. We can't wait for the Price Control Bureau to run out of food."

"But we bought it for 1,800 coins per stone. After deducting storage costs, losses, and labor costs, we only made 2,000 coins per stone. We didn't make any money at all," another person complained.

"We have to sell even if we don't make a profit," Manager Wang gritted his teeth. "If we keep hoarding it, the costs will only go up. Selling it now will be enough to break even. Haven't you seen it? Grain carts are coming and going from Taicang every day. It's like the grain will never run out."

The tall, thin man frowned: "That's the strange thing. Logically speaking, with years of war and this year's heavy snow, the roads are impassable, and grain merchants from all over can't transport grain. Chang'an's grain reserves should be very tight. But look, the government is not only distributing porridge, but also selling large quantities of grain through the Price Equalization Bureau, keeping the price firmly at two thousand coins per shi (unit of dry measure). Where on earth did Lü Bu get so much grain?"

Manager Wang shook his head: "I can't figure it out either. When Dong Zhuo was in power, the price of grain in Chang'an rose to three or four thousand coins per shi (a unit of dry measure), and there were often no buyers even when the price was right. But now, Lü Bu seems to have gotten so much grain from somewhere. Not only can he pay the salaries of the government officials on time, but he can also provide free porridge and unlimited supply of affordable grain."

"There are rumors," the tall, thin man leaned closer, lowering his voice, "that Lü Bu possesses sorcery and can conjure up food and military supplies out of thin air."

"Nonsense!" Manager Wang instinctively snapped, but then he couldn't help but wonder, "Don't be so sure, if it weren't for sorcery, where would Lü Bu get so much grain? We all know the imperial taxes; these few counties in Guanzhong can't collect much at all. The tributes from other prefectures and counties have long since stopped. Who cares about the court in Chang'an anymore, Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, and those other people?"

The group looked at each other, all seeing confusion in each other's eyes.

Such doubts and rumors circulated not only among merchants, but also among court officials, princes, and nobles.