Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

Chapter 139: The Name of Guo Tu

A little more?

Xiahou Lan, listening to Li Ji's humble words, wore a rather complex expression.

Only Xiahou Lan, who had personally witnessed that scene, clearly understood just how significant that "little more" truly was.

Furthermore, now that Li Ji had named this sand table exercise "Four Crossings of the Red Water," Xiahou Lan vaguely recalled it and suddenly realized that it was precisely the route Li Ji had taken to completely break the deadlock faced by the Blue side in the sand table.

However, Xiahou Lan, who had once controlled the Red side to stop Li Ji, also didn't know how Li Ji had done it, only feeling that he had been led by the nose by Li Ji throughout the entire process.

Moreover, after Xiahou Lan had completely calmed down, he realized that the decisions he had made while controlling the Red side at the time were all in accordance with military strategy, without any major mistakes or flaws.

However, when Xiahou Lan tried to control the Blue side using Li Ji's route, he felt that he was defeated even faster.

"Those who learn from the teacher live, those who imitate the teacher die!"

At this moment, Xiahou Lan completely understood this sentence, realizing that it might be the way of breaking the deadlock that only the teacher could achieve, and it was meaningless to simply copy it.

On the contrary, now that the teacher was letting him control the Red side in the sand table to play against the scholars of the world, this was undoubtedly the teacher's love and care, allowing him to constantly learn the art of war from others.

However, this humble remark in Xiahou Lan's eyes was seen by different scholars as...

"Arrogance!"

Guo Tu finally found this opportunity and shouted out loud.

In a situation where he couldn't target Liu Bei and Cai Yong, attacking "Benevolence Academy" through Li Ji was undoubtedly the best choice, especially since the reputation he could gain by defeating Li Ji in front of everyone's eyes would be immense.

Immediately, facing the gazes of many scholars around him.

Guo Tu didn't flinch at all. He reached out and slightly straightened the scholar's robe behind him, and walked towards Li Ji, who was on the high platform under the gate tower. The crowd also subconsciously made way for him.

In response, Li Ji looked at Guo Tu, who was walking towards him with a smile on his face, and then asked.

"May I ask your name?"

"Guo Tu, a famous scholar from Yingchuan, courtesy name Gongze."

Guo Tu replied loudly.

Li Ji didn't intend to suppress Guo Tu's little trick of secretly promoting his own reputation. Instead, with a flicker of his eyes, the county soldiers who were maintaining order on both sides of the crowd also repeated his name.

"Guo Tu, a famous scholar from Yingchuan, courtesy name Gongze."

For a time, the name of Guo Tu spread three miles around.

This made Guo Tu's originally deliberately maintained arrogant and indifferent expression slightly unsustainable. He was so happy that the corners of his mouth almost revealed his white teeth.

Guo Tu?

Li Ji also instantly remembered the origin of this person.

Yingchuan had many talented people, and it had nurtured many resourceful and decisive scholars.

Guo Tu was undoubtedly one of them. Regardless of his character and morals, being able to become a "famous scholar" in a place like Yingchuan, which was full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, meant that he was definitely capable. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been valued by Yuan Shao, who came from a family of four generations and three dukes.

"So it's Guo Gongze. May I ask what you want to discuss?" Li Ji asked again.

"I say you are: Arrogant!"

Guo Tu was not the kind of person who hesitated and feared for his life while trying to gain fame.

Now that he was standing on the high platform, Guo Tu also showed the demeanor that a famous scholar from Yingchuan should have. With a wave of his hand, it was as if Guo Tu was no longer an individual at this moment, but represented countless haters who hated and denounced Li Ji, and said loudly.

"Regardless of whether this sand table exercise was taught by a god or not, it is arrogant of you, Li Zikun, to use it to judge the military skills of the people of the world!"

After a pause, Guo Tu looked at Li Ji's still smiling and indifferent posture, knowing that relying on such words would not be very meaningful.

At least, Li Ji had defeated Lu Zhi, Zhu Jun, Huangfu Song, Cao Cao, and Xu You five times in a row in Julu with the art of sand table deduction, which was talked about by the world.

Although there were as many haters who thought Li Ji was the number one sand table deducer as there were stars in the sky, it was not very meaningful to attack Li Ji in this regard before Li Ji was defeated and his house collapsed.

Immediately, Guo Tu asked in a deep voice. "Do you think you can lead tens of thousands of soldiers of the Blue side to retreat? Do you think you can be compared to the Champion Marquis and the Marquis of Huaiyin?"

Li Ji would naturally not fall for this small language trap.

Gossip in the market was gossip in the market, but Li Ji would naturally not really admit such a thing.

"Master Gongze is joking. I am just a small junior who is only confident in sand table deduction. How dare I compare myself to the Champion Marquis and the Marquis of Huaiyin?"

After a pause, Li Ji continued.

"However, if Master Gongze also has some understanding of sand table deduction, you might as well try it. I would like to invite Master Gongze to be a guest and ask for advice on the art of war."

Guo Tu heard the words and asked.

"As expected, a yellow-mouthed child does not know the immensity of heaven and earth. Even the ambush formation on all sides, there are now countless ways to completely crack it. Even if the sand table you set up is dangerous and ingenious, there will be people who can crack it."

"At that time, even if a peddler or a servant girl cracks the sand table according to his method, would you, Li Zikun, treat them all as honored guests?"

Li Ji was still in that refined posture that made Guo Tu feel slightly irritable, and said.

"All things in the world can be teachers. Peddlers and servant girls may not have strengths that I can ask for advice. If one day a peddler or a servant girl cracks 'Four Crossings of the Red Water', I will also treat them as honored guests and respectfully ask for advice."

"Okay, then it seems that I, Guo Gongze, will be an honored guest of the Li family today."

Guo Tu laughed out loud when he heard this, then flicked his sleeves and walked to the side of the high platform, staring intently at the sand table's terrain, troop deployment, and various details.

However, Li Ji might not care about Guo Tu's rude and arrogant posture, but Liu Bei, who had always had a gentle smile on his face, unconsciously clenched his fists hidden in his sleeves.

Then, Liu Bei took two steps back, hid in the crowd that was blocking his view, and looked at Xiahou Bo.

When Xiahou Bo saw this, he quickly leaned to Liu Bei's side and listened attentively.

"Jichang, that Guo Gongze is really rude..."

"Understood!"

Xiahou Bo had long been upset with Guo Tu's seemingly always aloof attitude of a famous scholar, as if he was looking down on people with the corners of his eyes when he walked. He replied.

"Lord, don't worry, I will send a message to Master Wenhe. I will sink him when Guo Tu crosses the river."

When Liu Bei heard this, he couldn't help but take another look at Xiahou Bo.

During this period of time, he often borrowed Xiahou Bo, who was serving as the commander of the Brocade-Clothed Guards, to assist Li Ji in building the framework of the Brocade-Clothed Guards in Wu County. How could it seem that Xiahou Bo's behavior and temperament were more ruthless than before?

Although Liu Bei had to admit that the idea of sinking Guo Tu into the river was the most satisfying, considering the many influences and that Guo Tu did not deserve to die, he added.

"Then there is no need to do that. Now that you, Jichang, are in charge of the Brocade-Clothed Guards, arrange for someone to teach Guo Gongze a lesson so that he will be careful when he speaks in the future."

"Understood."

Xiahou Bo nodded, squinting his eyes as he stepped back, while staring in the direction of Guo Tu.

At this moment, Guo Tu was completely unaware, and Li Ji was even more unaware. He had no idea that his loyal fan, the lord, was already preparing to secretly teach Guo Tu, this hater, a lesson.

On the contrary, at this moment, when Guo Tu truly finished looking at the sand table of "Four Crossings of the Red Water", his forehead had already begun to break out in cold sweat, but he could only pretend to be calm.

The more intelligent a person is, the more he understands how desperate the situation in the sand table of "Four Crossings of the Red Water" has become.

The complex mountain and river terrain is like an open spider web, and the 30,000 soldiers of the Blue side are like small butterflies trapped in it, surrounded by 400,000 heavy troops deployed in all directions.

It's really impossible to escape!

Guo Tu had envisioned more than a dozen plans in a row, but they were all rejected by Guo Tu in an instant.

The three most important aspects of troop strength, equipment, and logistics were all at an absolute disadvantage for the Blue side.

The only two advantages of the Blue side mentioned in the details were:

First, the morale of the Blue side will always be high, and they will fight to the end;

Second, the Blue side has spies within the Red side's high command, who will periodically transmit certain intelligence about the Red side's troop deployment.

But even so, it was simply wishful thinking for the Blue side to lead 30,000 soldiers to escape. It was impossible even for 10,000. It was only possible for a small part of the troops to escape in the chaos.

But what was the point of that?

I wasn't planning to join the inner sect of "Benevolence Academy" to study. Even if the 30,000 people led could escape a few thousand, it would only be a joke.

That was not a retreat at all, but only the fish that slipped through the net after the defeat.

When Guo Tu subconsciously wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, Li Ji's voice suddenly sounded beside him, almost scaring Guo Tu to take a step back.

"Master Gongze, have you thoroughly interpreted the details above? Can we start?"

"Cough ~"

Guo Tu coughed a few times in a row, but before Guo Tu could open his mouth, Li Ji seemed to see through Guo Tu's thoughts and said.

"Master Gongze wouldn't want to pretend to be sick and ask to leave, would he?"

Almost as Li Ji's voice fell, the large number of county soldiers who were constantly repeating the conversation on the high platform repeated this sentence loudly.

Immediately, the sentence "Master Gongze wouldn't want to pretend to be sick and ask to leave, would he?" spread three miles around, forcing Guo Tu, who felt countless suspicious and contemptuous gazes, to a dead end, completely blocking any excuse for Guo Tu to slip away.

In the end, Guo Tu chose the latter between dying socially on the spot and gambling on a glimmer of hope for a miracle that he didn't know where it was.

Guo Tu flicked his sleeves, put his hands behind his back, and said as if he was calmly going to his death.

"Come on, Li Zikun."

"No, it was Xiahou Lan who conducted the sand table exercise with Mr. Gongze on behalf of the Red side."

As Li Ji spoke, he pointed towards Xiahou Lan.

Xiahou Lan also greeted everyone's attention with a bow and said loudly.

"Xiahou Mingzheng from Changshan."

However, looking at Xiahou Lan's youthful face, Guo Tu was secretly pleased that he wasn't doing the sand table exercise with Li Ji, which greatly increased his chances of winning, but he subconsciously retorted.

"It would be unchivalrous for me to win against such a greenhorn."