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

Looking at the original owner's family, perhaps influenced by the original owner, Lu Bu felt a surge of warmth and a sense of responsibility.

He patted Lü Qiling's head and nodded to Yan Yuan and Diao Chan: "I'm sorry to have worried you. The pursuers have been defeated, and we are safe for now."

Meng Cheng, being perceptive, immediately stepped forward and said, "General, you must be tired from your journey and the battle. I have already ordered people to prepare food. Although it is not lavish, I hope it will satisfy the hunger of Marquis Wen and all the soldiers."

Lu Bu was indeed hungry; the original owner's body had been greatly depleted after the intense battle. He nodded, "Thank you for your trouble, Magistrate Meng."

The group moved to the canteen belonging to the county government office, where the food was served quickly. It was not particularly refined; it mainly consisted of millet rice, accompanied by some pickled vegetables, a little dried meat, and hot soup.

But for Lü Bu and his personal guards, who had been starving for most of the day, this was an unparalleled delicacy.

Lu Bu disregarded all etiquette and ate heartily like everyone else, finding it sweeter than any delicacy he had ever tasted in his previous life.

After a delicious meal, Lü Bu had his family sent home to rest, leaving only Meng Cheng, Cheng Lian, Zuo Feng, and several of his personal guard captains to discuss matters in the county government hall.

Lü Bu first asked Meng Cheng, "Magistrate Meng, what is the current situation in Lantian County? How many provisions, people, and able-bodied men are there?"

Meng Cheng was prepared. Upon hearing this, he sighed, a worried expression on his face: "Lord Wen, Lantian County is a small, impoverished place. Coupled with years of famine and war, the people are devastated. The county seat itself has a population of just over three thousand. The total population of all the townships and villages under its jurisdiction is less than ten thousand. Young and able-bodied men are even scarcer. Excluding the elderly, weak, women, and children, there are less than a thousand able-bodied men who can be conscripted, and most of them are farmers who have not been trained and are of little use. Moreover, once these able-bodied men are taken away, the remaining elderly, weak, women, and children will basically be unable to survive."

He paused, then continued, "The treasury is also short of supplies. With the intense fighting in Chang'an, Minister Wang (Wang Yun) has repeatedly ordered grain requisitions, and the treasury's reserves are nearly depleted. If we were to supply the army now, it would be difficult to sustain the effort."

Lu Bu nodded silently; the situation was even worse than he had anticipated. In chaotic times, population and food were the most fundamental things.

At this moment, Meng Cheng changed the subject, his tone becoming earnest: "Lord Wen, I am not exaggerating, but Lantian County truly does not possess any strategic value for defense."

He walked to a simple map of Guanzhong hanging on the wall, pointed to the location of Lantian County, and explained: "You see, although Lantian is south of the Ba River, there are many small paths trodden out by villagers in the surrounding mountains, which can be bypassed to reach the county town. If the enemy arrives, there is no need to launch a strong attack on Baqiao. They can simply divide their troops into several groups and infiltrate along these paths. Our forces are limited and cannot defend against them. They will be easily surrounded."

His finger moved south, landing on a pass marker in the Qinling Mountains: "In my humble opinion, our army should retreat south immediately and defend Yaoguan! This pass is the northern entrance to the Wuguan Pass in the Qinling Mountains, a natural fortress that can hold off ten thousand! As long as we hold Yaoguan, even if Li Jue and Guo Si have an army of 100,000, they will find it difficult to easily set foot on the Wuguan Pass. At that time, our army can then calmly advance south along the Wuguan Pass to Nanyang County in Jingzhou, temporarily relying on Yuan Shu or seeking an opportunity to establish ourselves independently. This is the best strategy!"

After Meng Cheng finished speaking, he bowed deeply.

These words were clearly the result of his careful consideration. As a civil servant familiar with the local situation, his suggestions sounded reasonable and full of awareness of the current predicament and consideration of seeking stability.

Cheng Lian and Zuo Feng nodded in agreement.

Cheng Lian clasped his hands and said, "General, Magistrate Meng is absolutely right. We are currently short of troops and supplies, and holding onto this isolated city is not a good strategy. If we can hold Yaoguan Pass and preserve our strength, then heading south to Jingzhou is indeed a way out."

Zuo Feng nodded in agreement, saying, "I also believe that retreating to Yaoguan and heading south to Wuguan is the safest course of action."

All eyes were on Lü Bu, awaiting his decision.

Based on Lü Bu's past character, after the defeat at Chang'an, he would likely adopt this relatively safe suggestion.

However, Lü Bu shook his head, his tone calm yet unwavering: "I appreciate your good intentions, gentlemen. But going south to Jingzhou and relying on Yuan Shao is not my wish."

He stood up, walked to the map, and pointed heavily at the location of Chang'an: "Li Jue and Guo Si are nothing but Dong Zhuo's old subordinates, a rabble of defeated Qiang and Hu soldiers and bandits from Liangzhou. What are they worth mentioning? The loss of Chang'an this time was not due to a lack of skill, but rather to the mutiny of the Shu troops within the city! In terms of open field battles, have my Bingzhou iron cavalry ever feared such a rabble?"

Recalling the massive amount of supplies the system had dropped during the Battle of Baqiao today, and the double rewards from purifying zombies (and capturing prisoners), he felt even more confident: "Today's Battle of Baqiao is proof enough! Thousands of pursuing troops were no match for my 800 elite Bingzhou soldiers! Now that Li Jue and Guo Si have just entered Chang'an, they must be busy vying for power and controlling the court. They won't be able to deal with us with all their might in the short term. This is a golden opportunity!"

Lu Bu traced a line between Chang'an and Lantian with his finger: "Why should we be trapped in an isolated city or flee south in panic? We should use Lantian as our base, the Ba River as our shield, and launch a preemptive strike! We should utilize the strength of our Bingzhou cavalry to conduct guerrilla warfare around Chang'an! If the enemy outnumbers us, we should avoid them; if they are few, we should annihilate them, burning their supplies, raiding their camps, and constantly weakening their strength!"

The more he spoke, the clearer his thinking became. The foresight of a time traveler and the confidence brought by the system allowed him to display a strategic vision ahead of his time: "We will not fight a decisive battle, nor will we engage in a major offensive. Like a cheetah hunting its prey, we will strike and retreat, accumulating small victories into a major triumph! At the same time, we can send people to contact the scattered former Bingzhou troops, gather the defeated soldiers, and gradually strengthen ourselves!"

Looking at the astonished crowd, he finally revealed his ultimate goal: "When they are exhausted from internal strife and our army is strong enough, we can seize the opportunity to counterattack Chang'an, defeat traitors like Li Jue and Guo Si, rescue the imprisoned emperor, and restore order to the court!"

"Of course, Bu is not acting recklessly. To ensure a safe retreat, we must not only occupy Lantian and control Baqiao, but also, as Magistrate Meng said, guard Yaoguan and Wuguan at the southern end of the Wuguan Road! Relying on the natural barrier of the Qinling Mountains, and using the cities and passes along the Wuguan Road, such as Lantian, Shangluo, Shangxian, Danfeng, Shangnan, Danshui, and Xixian, as our base, we will establish our stronghold!"

His finger traced the Wuguan Road line on the map: "In this way, we can advance or retreat as needed. If things don't go well, our army can retreat calmly into Jingzhou; if the time is right, we can march north and take Chang'an directly! Isn't that a hundred times better than fleeing south in panic, living under someone else's roof, and having to act according to their wishes?"

Lu Bu's long speech resounded like a thunderclap in the county government hall.

Meng Cheng, Cheng Lian, Zuo Feng, and all the personal guards and generals present stared in disbelief at Lü Bu, as if they didn't recognize him.

A counterattack on Chang'an? With a mere two thousand or so remnants (of whom fifteen thousand had just surrendered), how could they possibly contend with Li Jue and Guo Si, who commanded over a hundred thousand troops? And they even planned to establish a base in the Qinling Mountains? This was utterly fanciful and unheard of. Had Wen Hou gone mad?

Meng Cheng was the first to react. He was so anxious that sweat beaded on his forehead, and disregarding the hierarchy, his voice trembled slightly: "General, please reconsider! This plan is far too risky! Although Li Jue and Guo Si are fighting amongst themselves, they still command over 100,000 troops! Once they recover, even if they only send 30,000 to 50,000 men, they could overwhelm us with overwhelming force. How can our army withstand that? While open field battles may be advantageous, the disparity in troop strength is so great. How can we engage in skirmishes without engaging the enemy? We fear we will be overwhelmed in an instant!"

He pointed at the map, his fingers trembling: "Moreover, the counties along the Wuguan Pass are all barren mountain areas, sparsely populated and lacking in food. How can they support a large army? If Li Jue and Guo Si, in the name of the imperial court, order Yuan Shu of Nanyang to launch a pincer attack from the north and south, blockading Wuguan and Yaoguan, our army will be isolated in the mountains, without reinforcements or supplies. Within a few months, we will surely be trapped and die in the Qinling Mountains! General, this is a dead end; we cannot linger here!"

Cheng Lian also looked worried. Although he was brave, he was not stupid: "General, Magistrate Meng is right. We should preserve our strength now. It is too difficult to counterattack Chang'an! It is not that I am afraid of fighting, but I do not want to see you and my brothers fall into a deadly situation again!" He recalled the tragic scene of the bloody battle to break out of Chang'an and felt lingering fear.

Zuo Feng similarly advised, "Lord Wen, Yuan Shu is ambitious but incompetent, and narrow-minded. Back when the eighteen warlords of Guandong formed an alliance, he sabotaged Sun Jian, causing his defeat. If Li Jue and Guo Si offer him benefits in the name of the court, he is very likely to send troops to help him and blockade the southern route. At that time, we will be attacked from both sides, and we will be in grave danger!"