Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

In that instant, such a coincidence and the current situation couldn't help but make Liu Zhang's mind race.

Currently, as the Emperor's selling of official positions became increasingly blatant, even to the point of being completely unconcealed, more and more people across the land grew dissatisfied with the court.

Moreover, after the "Yellow Turban Rebellion," the Emperor still showed no restraint, and this trend only intensified. This caused many insightful individuals to gradually realize the situation and begin to question whether the court could last.

Liu Yan was also someone who felt the more he pondered, the greater the opportunity.

At this moment, Liu Zhang, reminded by Li Ji's words, couldn't stop his mind from wandering.

"Could it be that Master Zikun means that my father is in Shu, and you are in Wu, waiting for the opportune moment to act?" Liu Zhang cautiously asked.

"Unspeakable, unspeakable..." Li Ji mysteriously waved his hand, feeling that he lacked a feather fan to truly sell the act with proper flair.

Immediately afterward, Li Ji continued, "However, Jiyu must know that the land of Yi Province possesses the natural advantage of the Shu mountains, forming a self-contained kingdom that is easy to defend but difficult to attack, but also difficult to leave Shu."

"Even if a rebellion occurs in Shu, the court only needs to send an army to block Hanzhong and order Jing Province to lock down the Yangtze River. Even if Shu has millions of soldiers and countless supplies, it will be difficult to achieve anything."

"Therefore, without external support, Shu is just a trapped beast fighting to the end..."

As he finished speaking, Li Ji's tone carried a hint of lament and emotion.

What he lamented and felt emotional about was Zhuge Liang's seven expeditions to Qishan!

Could it be that Zhuge Liang didn't know that the chances of success were extremely low and that leaving Shu was difficult?

It was just that Zhuge Liang deeply understood that he couldn't give up. Even if there was only a one in ten thousand chance, for the sake of restoring the Han Dynasty and repaying the late Emperor's kindness, he could only embark on northern expeditions again and again.

Otherwise, once Shu Han also gave up, it would mean that the Han Dynasty had completely become a historical term.

Han didn't fall in 189 AD due to Dong Zhuo's rebellion, nor in 220 AD when Cao Pi ascended the throne, but in 263 AD when Liu Shan surrendered.

However, hearing these words, Liu Zhang felt that Li Ji was lamenting and feeling emotional about the predicament of Yi Province.

Instantly, Liu Zhang seemed to fully understand why Li Ji would act in this way!

Presumably, Li Ji was also greatly dissatisfied with the Emperor and the court, but he knew that relying solely on Wu Commandery would be difficult to achieve anything.

While Yi Province might be rich in resources and easy to defend, it would also be difficult to leave Shu without allies to respond from the outside.

In an instant, Liu Zhang felt that his vision had suddenly broadened. He stepped back from the chessboard and began to view the entire Han Dynasty as a game, realizing that Shu's best ally was Yangzhou.

The two sides could connect through the Yangtze River, both converging in Jing Province to jointly advance north, and separately attack Hanzhong and Xu Province, launching a three-pronged offensive with great potential!

Gradually understanding many things, Liu Zhang quickly bowed and saluted Li Ji, saying, "I am grateful for your guidance, Master Zikun."

Li Ji nodded, not caring what Liu Zhang had understood, and directly asked, "In that case, perhaps I also have the intention to enter Shu, but Jiyu should understand why I must continue to stay in Wu Commandery."

"Master Zikun has profound foresight and a comprehensive view of the situation, which Zhang admires," Liu Zhang replied.

Then, Liu Zhang paused and asked, "But, I wonder if that is also what Brother Xuande intends?"

Li Ji smiled and said, "My lord and Liu Yizhou are both members of the Han imperial family, both descendants of Emperor Gaozu. Their thoughts and intentions are all focused on restoring the Han Dynasty, so don't worry too much."

This struck a chord with Liu Zhang.

No matter what, it was all within the family.

"Master Zikun is right!" Liu Zhang cupped his hands and then asked softly, "Master Zikun, my father also intends to clear the Emperor's court of treacherous officials and restore a bright and clear world to the Han Dynasty, but I ask Master Zikun to teach us how to do it specifically."

Li Ji pondered for a while, remaining silent for a long time, which made Liu Zhang's heart tighten.

Now that Liu Zhang believed he had a comprehensive view of the situation, what he worried about most was that Li Ji would propose excessive conditions, or even that when both sides rose up, Liu Bei would take the lead.

This was undoubtedly completely unacceptable to Liu Zhang and Liu Yan.

Did they really think it was just about clearing the Emperor's court of treacherous officials?

They were aiming for the throne! Did they really just want to kill treacherous officials?

Rebellion was a capital crime. Anyway, as members of the Han imperial family, they weren't afraid of being pursued and having their nine generations exterminated. With the same crime and punishment, Liu Yan and Liu Zhang naturally wanted the name of righteousness even more.

Liu Zhang gritted his teeth and directly revealed his bottom line, saying, "Master Zikun, I know that Brother Xuande's position in Wu Commandery is not yet stable. I am willing to provide 500,000 dan of grain to show my support."

Li Ji showed no emotion on the surface, but his heart skipped a beat.

500,000 dan of grain?

Really?

Bro!

Li Ji's bottom line was to get the 300,000 dan of grain that Liu Zhang brought, and then find a way to trick Liu Zhang, hoping to swindle a little more if possible.

He didn't expect that Liu Zhang, this wealthy magnate, would add 200,000 dan as soon as he opened his mouth!

Worthy of being the son of Liu Yizhou, who possessed the Land of Abundance! For a moment, Li Ji felt that Liu Zhang, who was a little annoying, now looked so cute and pleasing no matter how he looked at him.

This wasn't just a little fatty; this was clearly our national treasure from Shu!

That round belly, round face, round eyes, and mouth...

"500,000 dan of grain?" However, Li Ji's composure was remarkable. On the surface, he remained calm and repeated the number Liu Zhang had said, in case Liu Zhang had made a slip of the tongue and wouldn't admit it.

However, Li Ji's calm voice sounded to Liu Zhang as if it faintly revealed a hint of dissatisfaction.

This made Liu Zhang grit his teeth and say in a deep voice, "Master Zikun, 600,000. Yi Province is willing to provide 600,000 dan of grain to Wu Commandery. This is already the maximum extent that Zhang's ability can give."

Li Ji's eyebrows subtly twitched, and he quickly suppressed the joy that flashed between his brows, calmly replying, "Very well, I also feel Liu Yizhou's intentions. Perhaps these grains are of little use to me, but Wu Commandery has a vast land but a sparse population, with few soldiers and a shortage of food. Storing them up will likely be useful in the future."

"Thank you, Master Zikun!" Liu Zhang was overjoyed and quickly said, "Master Zikun, the fleet that came with me now contains 300,000 dan of grain. This will be considered a deposit given to Wu Commandery. The remaining 300,000 dan of grain will need to be transported gradually after I return to Yi Province and report to my father."

"Ji still trusts Liu Yizhou's credit," Li Ji waved his hand, seemingly not too concerned about a mere 600,000 dan of grain, but rather the overall situation.

"Then..." Liu Zhang rubbed his hands, indicating.

"Come closer and listen," Li Ji said.

Immediately, Liu Zhang quickly moved closer to Li Ji, perking up his ears.

As Li Ji spoke, Liu Zhang's expression constantly changed.

After Li Ji finished speaking, Liu Zhang still couldn't fully digest the content.

Afterward, Liu Zhang bowed to Li Ji and praised, "Master is truly talented. If this plan is carried out, my father can both protect himself and maintain his status as a loyal minister. He can retreat to defend his territory, and advance to clear the Emperor's court from Hanzhong."

However, Liu Zhang suddenly thought of a problem, and his face became unsightly.

Previously, Liu Zhang and Liu Yan had considered being completely defined as rebels by the court, directly splitting the land and declaring themselves kings.

But in Li Ji's plan, the situation was undoubtedly much more缓和, allowing the court to completely lose control of Liu Yan while maintaining a certain amount of face.

In this way, the court would naturally not directly kill Liu Yan's three hostages remaining in Luoyang.

This was a great thing for Liu Yan, but it might not be the case for Liu Zhang.

If those three older brothers returned to Yi Province, wouldn't that harm their brothers and cause infighting? This was a situation that Liu Zhang, as a filial son, didn't want to see.

For a moment, Liu Zhang's expression changed constantly, which could be described as extremely wonderful.

Seeing this, Li Ji asked, "Is there anything you don't understand?"

"Master Zikun's plan is naturally wonderful, but... but..." Liu Zhang's mouth蠕动for a while, but he didn't know how to accurately express his meaning.

Luoyang is happy; the three older brothers shouldn't miss Shu!

Immediately, Liu Zhang gritted his teeth and bowed again in front of Li Ji, saying, "Master Zikun, I still have questions in my heart. If Master Zikun can help me solve them, I will definitely repay you generously in the future."

"Jiyu, why are you performing such a great礼? Please rise quickly. If you have any difficult problems, just say it directly, and Ji will definitely tell you everything he knows," Li Ji quickly helped his little national treasure up and said.

However, Liu Zhang, as a坨, stubbornly趴on the ground, and Li Ji couldn't pull him up. Then, he raised his head and cautiously asked, "That is... Zhang intends to inherit his father's will. How should he do it?"

Liu Zhang said these words politely.

What does it mean to inherit one's father's will?

Since it's called inheriting one's father's will, then naturally, one needs to inherit all of the father's inheritance together; otherwise, how can it be called inheriting one's father's will?

Therefore, Li Ji naturally understood Liu Zhang's intentions in an instant.

Li Ji released his hands that were扶着Liu Zhang and摩挲his chin.

Then, under Liu Zhang's somewhat nervous gaze, Li Ji踱back and forth five steps in the room,骤然stopped, and said, "This matter is easy."

"Please teach me, Master," Liu Zhang said with狂喜.

Li Ji slowly said, "Although Liu Yizhou is貴as the Governor of Yi Province and holds the military and political power of Yi Province, he is, after all, an外来者to the Yi Province世家. Therefore, presumably, Liu Yizhou, in order to further稳住the Yi Province世家, is probably already着手安排a marriage alliance between Jiyu and the Yi Province世家."

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhang felt that Li Ji was truly remarkable.

This matter was just a casual remark Liu Yan made before Liu Zhang's departure, yet Li Ji, from thousands of miles away, had predicted it so accurately.

"So, does Jiyu understand now? If Jiyu can gain the full support of the Yizhou aristocratic families, then inheriting his father's ambitions will naturally be easy," Li Ji continued.

"So... more marriages?" Liu Zhang was a bit confused and felt a premonitory ache in his lower back.

"Not so!"

Li Ji said with some helplessness, then continued, "At this moment, there is an excellent opportunity placed before Jiyu."

"Where is the opportunity?" Liu Zhang quickly asked.

"To quickly seize military and political power in Yizhou, Liu Yizhou naturally needs to assert his authority over the aristocratic families. Jiyu only needs to bestow more kindness, how can he not win the hearts of the Yizhou aristocratic families?"

Li Ji first set the tone before continuing.

"Now, the bandit Gan Ning intends to assassinate Jiyu, which is instead an opportunity to bestow grace. Jiyu only needs to pursue the bandit Gan Ning, without involving the Gan family or others, and can even slightly win over the Gan family with money and goods."

"In this way, in the eyes of other aristocratic families in Yizhou, even to those families who intended to harm Jiyu, Jiyu can still show such great kindness. Wouldn't those who loyally follow Jiyu receive a thousandfold or ten thousandfold reward?"(End of Chapter)