Reincarnation in the Three Kingdoms Era with a System

A few days later, in Shouchun City.

The magnificent imperial palace and the residences of the ministers were gleaming and spotless…

In contrast, other areas were dilapidated, as if the wealth of other places had been concentrated here, creating this stark contrast between rich and poor.

The crumbling city walls had not yet been repaired; everywhere bore the marks of war.

Few able-bodied men remained in Yangzhou; they had all fled.

The once prosperous Yangzhou had been ruined by Yuan Shu’s tyrannical rule. Selling children and even cannibalism were commonplace.

Yuan Shu’s crimes were heinous; such a man deserved to die.

Zhuge Jin rode alongside Lü Bu into Shouchun City. He had been instructed by his younger brother on his mission to Shouchun; this time, he had to succeed.

“General Lü, Shouchun is one of the most fortified cities in the land. The King of Qin has placed high hopes on you both by sending you here.”

Lü Bu, after much deliberation, finally had to become Lu Ming’s subordinate. His temper had been completely worn down.

He didn’t really want to go back, but he had personally offered his wife and daughter to Lu Ming for his pleasure years ago. He’d heard that the mother and daughter each had a daughter, and how could his daughters address each other?

Only after Lu Ming personally received him, had a long talk with him, and shared drinks did his inner turmoil subside. He knew he couldn’t win in a fight, so he might as well join him.

Now the situation was clear. After Lu Ming conquered Jingzhou and Jiangdong, he could declare himself emperor.

At that time, with Lu Ming as emperor, Lü Bu could be considered the emperor’s father-in-law, a source of pride. Unless provoked, no one would reveal that Lü Bu’s wife had been defiled by his son-in-law. Everyone tacitly knew it happened, but no one would say it openly.

To say it face-to-face would mean a complete breakdown in relations.

“The King of Qin has his sights set on the entire world; what is this small city of Shouchun? As for you, Zhuge Jin, whether you can persuade Yuan Shu to surrender depends on you. I’ll only focus on the battles; don’t call on me for anything else.”

Lu Bu didn’t like Zhuge Jin, even suspecting he had ulterior motives.

Because the Zhuge family’s diversified investments, not putting all their eggs in one basket, were widely condemned.

Zhuge Jin smiled, unconcerned. He and Zhuge Liang were brothers, and their mother was Lu Ming’s wife; they were all equally matched, and neither should laugh at the other.

Private disagreements were acceptable, but official business was handled officially—that was the rule. Private matters could be handled however they pleased; even a bloody fight wouldn’t matter to anyone.

“There will surely be drinking and revelry then, and it would be perfect for the general to accompany us.”

“Have you lost your mind? Drinking is forbidden during military campaigns! That’s a rule. Are you trying to make me break it?”

Lu Bu’s eyes widened, and he snorted.

Rules in the military camp are rules. Even veterans dare not break them. One mistake, and you’re immediately dismissed, starting as a squad leader. Orders must be obeyed; that’s the rule.

Someone tried it before—it was Lu Ming’s brother-in-law, Ma Chao. He was relegated to the second half of the year without promotion, and no one’s word mattered.

Upon learning of the delegation’s arrival, Yuan Shu still amassed a considerable amount of wine and supplies to entertain them.

He was truly afraid, terrified by the defeats inflicted by Cao Cao and Liu Bei.

His 200,000-strong army was utterly annihilated after being attacked from both sides. Now, only 20,000 remained guarding Shouchun, dejected and spineless. Having suffered a defeat, they were unable to raise their heads, lacked morale, and crumbled at the slightest provocation; they were merely figureheads.

A month later, in Liaodong.

Gongsun Du received King Yeon Gaesomun of Goguryeo at his capital. Since Lu Ming had decided to wage war against Liaodong, there had been relatively few battles in the south.

Cao Cao, allied with Liu Biao, holed up in a small county town outside Xiangyang, using it as a bridgehead against Pang Tong.

Sun Ce, meanwhile, had stationed his troops in Jianye, using it to confront Zhuge Liang.

Yuan Shu surrendered and became a wealthy man, handing over Shouchun and Yangzhou to Lu Ming.

Now, it was a period of waiting and torment.

This tit-for-tat confrontation was, in effect, a feeling of waiting to die.

Therefore, many in the ranks of Cao Cao, Liu Biao, Huang Zu, and Sun Ce had already written letters seeking peace, hoping to survive even after defeat.

The battle hasn’t even begun, and people are already thinking about fleeing; there’s no way they can fight back.

Gongsun Du’s previous offense was because his son, greedy for money, stole materials from the Youzhou construction team.

This immediately angered Ju Shou, who dispatched troops to patrol the border. Tian Feng also sent reinforcements, along with Zhang He and Gao Lan.

Having already defeated Gongsun Du’s youngest son, Gongsun Gong, the situation was actually quite favorable.

Now that spring has passed, it’s summer time to wage war. With the arrival of the Liangshan heroes, supplies and baggage are in place, and the attack on Liaodong is about to begin.

This time, with Zhang Liao and Gao Shun assisting, and Mi Heng as strategist, taking Liaodong shouldn’t be a problem. With the fall of Donglai County, Gongsun Du’s attempts to make peace have been rejected; the intention is to eliminate him.

Liaodong is cold and harsh, and has never been developed.

This wasn’t the major granary region it would become in later years, so Gongsun Du had no choice but to bring in Goguryeo, with whom he had already suffered several defeats, as reinforcements.

Although Gongsun Du was furious at Yeon Gaesomun’s exorbitant demands, he had no choice but to swallow his pride and accept them.

Just then, enemy activity appeared in Pyongyang, so he replenished Yeon Gaesomun’s supplies and provisions, sending him to deal with the emerging navy.

Lu Ming didn’t go to Jixian to join the main army. Instead, he personally led the newly assembled Yellow River Fleet, setting off from the North Sea, crossing the Bohai Sea directly, and heading straight for Pyongyang. His plan was to attack Gongsun Du’s homeland from the rear.

Although the Bohai Sea is an inland sea, it is still an ocean. With the guidance of a compass, they didn’t deviate from their course.

However, the storms at sea were the real danger, but Lu Ming possessed astronomical skills that allowed him to alter the weather and wind direction. Therefore, the fleet reached Pyongyang smoothly with favorable winds and currents in just two days.

Pyongyang was the capital of Lelang Commandery, and to the east lay Goguryeo.

Perhaps due to the lack of war for many years, Pyongyang showed no reaction even after the fleet’s soldiers landed.

After half a day of rest, Lu Ming personally commanded the siege. Compared to the city walls of the Central Plains, which ranged from seven or eight meters to twelve or thirteen meters, Pyongyang’s walls were not high, only five or six meters, sufficient to deal with Goguryeo and bandits.

That day, the Pyongyang garrison commander, Gongsun Yuan, was still asleep in his young concubine’s bed when his subordinates rushed in shouting that the enemy had entered the city.

This infuriated Gongsun Yuan. He was preparing for his morning exercise, and being interrupted was bound to anger. However, by the time he saw the Qin soldiers, it was too late.