Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

Listening to Jiang Zhi's praise for Li Ji, Gan Ning became quite curious and asked Jiang Zhi a probing question.

“Is Mr. Zikun very famous?”

???

Jiang Zhi.

This question completely stumped Jiang Zhi.

Seeing his reaction, Gan Ning asked again, “As fellow Prefects, how does his ability compare to Uncle's?”

After all, in Gan Ning's eyes, although his uncle was prone to flattery, Gan Ning actually recognized his uncle's ability and respected him.

Otherwise, Gan Ning would not have been dissatisfied with Liu Zhang's disdain for Jiang Zhi while showing extreme deference to Li Ji.

However, facing Gan Ning's persistent questioning, Jiang Zhi couldn't help but smile wryly and said,

“How can there be any comparison? Even though we are both Prefects, if Mr. Zikun is the bright moon in the night sky, then I am merely a tiny firefly in the fields.”

“Uncle is exaggerating,” Gan Ning said, somewhat disbelieving.

“Xingba, you really need to pay more attention to information from the outside world, and not confine yourself to this small corner of Ba Commandery,” Jiang Zhi said, shaking his head helplessly.

“Li Zikun, since coming out of seclusion just over a year ago, has risen from obscurity with Liu Xuande, who was merely a weaver and sandal seller. At the beginning of their campaign, they had only two thousand soldiers and less than ten days' worth of provisions, yet they achieved a great victory against an enemy several times their size…”

“Then, from the lands of You and Yan, he fought his way south for thousands of miles, winning battle after battle, traversing the million-strong Yellow Turban territory as if strolling through a garden. Coordinating with General Lu, the North Central Commander, he decisively intercepted the Taiping Taoist Zhang Jiao at Boluojin, ultimately forcing the Taoist Zhang Jiao to self-immolate, completely establishing the victory in suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion.”

“After that, Mr. Zikun used a sand table to deduce five battles and five victories at Julu, causing General Lu to sigh in admiration: 'There may not be a single person in this world who can match him.' Later, Mr. Zikun followed Liu Xuande south to govern Wu Commandery. In just over half a year, I've heard that Wu Commandery has undergone earth-shattering changes.”

Jiang Zhi became more and more excited as he spoke, and his praise for Li Ji made Gan Ning feel incredible.

Even, as Jiang Zhi spoke, he took out a piece of cloth from his bosom, saying.

“It is said that Mr. Zikun was guided by immortals and enlightened in a dream, obtaining a sand table called 'Four Crossings of the Chishui River,' which can be used to measure the level of military strategy of scholars in the world. I recently managed to purchase a simplified diagram of the 'Four Crossings of the Chishui River' from a merchant for fifty gold.”

As Jiang Zhi spoke, he carefully opened the cloth, pointing to the roughly drawn terrain changes and troop deployments, saying.

“It is said that no one has yet been able to break through to the third standard measured by Mr. Zikun. If I can reach the third standard of 'Four Crossings of the Chishui River' in this life and become a guest of Mr. Zikun, this life will be enough…”

Suddenly, Jiang Zhi realized something and sternly said to Gan Ning, “Xingba, you must not mention to your aunt that I bought this map for fifty gold.”

Gan Ning, who had not had a chance to interject the entire time, could only nod repeatedly.

Jiang Zhi looked at the lines on the cloth with some obsession before carefully wrapping the cloth again and putting it back into his bosom, as if it was a treasure.

At this point, Gan Ning finally realized that Li Ji seemed to be a little more famous than he thought, even his own uncle admired Li Ji so much.

“In that case, Mr. Zikun is truly a genius!”

Gan Ning muttered to himself, still somewhat disbelieving.

Jiang Zhi slowly exhaled before continuing, “Xingba, you are not a scholar, so it is not surprising that you do not know Mr. Zikun's name. Moreover, you were not born into a poor family, so you do not understand the path that Mr. Zikun has taken, which has been praised by countless poor scholars.”

This era, in a sense, is the era of aristocratic families.

Money and grain can buy official positions!

However, the money and grain of this era are undoubtedly concentrated in the hands of aristocratic families and wealthy merchants.

Even if a mere merchant buys a high-ranking official position, how can he sit firmly in that position without a matching background?

As for the poor families, they have neither the money nor the grain to exchange for an official position, nor the connections to support them.

Therefore, the way out for the poor families… is extremely difficult!

It is difficult to study, even more difficult to enter officialdom, and even more difficult to realize one's ambitions.

Only Li Ji, once taking advantage of the situation, made the world know him!

He truly did everything that countless poor scholars did not dare to think of. When Jiang Zhi heard about the establishment of the "Rende Academy", he couldn't help but burst into tears for his past hardships in seeking a book.

Therefore, Li Ji's reputation among the scholars is extremely high, and his prestige in the hearts of the poor scholars is like the sun in the sky.

Perhaps Gan Ning thought that Jiang Zhi was flattering Liu Zhang in order to be promoted, so he accompanied and served Liu Zhang all the way as the Prefect of Ba Commandery, but in fact, Jiang Zhi followed the ship more because he heard that Liu Zhang was going to visit Li Ji on this trip, in order to see the face of Li Ji, whom he admired in his heart.

Listening to Jiang Zhi's high praise for Li Ji, Gan Ning suddenly said, “Uncle, why don't you go to sea with me?”

“Hmm?”

Jiang Zhi looked at Gan Ning with some surprise, not understanding his intention.

“What are Uncle's plans for the future?” Gan Ning asked.

Jiang Zhi pondered for a moment and replied.

“After the Gan family moves to Wu Commandery, I will either manage the Gan family's property for you, or try to find a channel to become a minor official, or go to the 'Rende Academy' to see it to satisfy my inner yearning.”

A few glints of wisdom flashed in Gan Ning's eyes, and he said.

“Then Uncle, why don't you go to sea with me? I heard Mr. Zikun's intention, which is actually to secretly use me as a bandit. He must have far-reaching plans. Why worry about not having the opportunity to make meritorious achievements in the future?”

The world thinks that Gan Ning is just a reckless water bandit, but in fact, Gan Ning believes that he is not reckless at all, but sometimes he likes to act according to his own temperament, but his grasp of the situation and timing has always been extremely decisive and keen.

When attacking and killing Liu Zhang, Gan Ning's judgment was that it would be a big deal to kill Liu Zhang, and then take advantage of the information gap to gather three hundred Jinfan bandits to hijack the fleet in the chaos. With food, soldiers, and ships, it would be great to dominate the Yangtze River.

Moreover, seventy or eighty percent of the ships in Yizhou are in Gan Ning's hands, so even if he swaggered back to Ba Commandery to pick up his relatives and clansmen, who could stop him? Wouldn't it be better to become a hegemon of the Yangtze River than to nest in Ba Commandery as a small aristocratic family?

However, Zhao Yun's appearance undoubtedly broke Gan Ning's idea.

After that, Gan Ning did not act rashly, nor did he fight to the death, but was well aware of the unfavorable situation. The only hope was pinned on Li Ji, who made Liu Zhang lower his voice.

Moreover, Li Ji also intentionally helped Gan Ning out at the banquet, which made Gan Ning keenly perceive that trace of goodwill, and then firmly grasped the opportunity.

Now, Gan Ning calmly and constantly thinks about the situation, and in Jiang Zhi's constant praise for Li Ji, Gan Ning suddenly realized that perhaps letting him go to sea as a bandit and publicize his name is definitely not as simple as ordinary thinking, just to打击政敌 or plunder one side.

Opportunity!

Perhaps it is an opportunity to make great achievements!!

Gan Ning touched his chin with one hand, increasingly feeling that this might be an opportunity that must not be missed.

Moreover, Jiang Zhi, who became the Prefect of a commandery from a poor family with the status of a son-in-law, and whose identity and status were nominally equal to Li Ji, is not the kind of mediocre person.

Under Gan Ning's reminder, Jiang Zhi also realized the key point.

“Did Mr. Zikun have any special instructions?” Jiang Zhi asked.

“Mr. Zikun only gave me a bamboo slip, ordering me to act accordingly,” Gan Ning replied, and then took out the bamboo slip from his sleeve. Just as he was about to open it, he was stopped by Jiang Zhi.

“Success is achieved in secret, how can it be opened in such a crowded place?”

Jiang Zhi scolded Gan Ning lightly, and then ordered Gan Ning to first appease the Jinfan bandits under his command, before pulling Gan Ning into his room.

This scene was seen by Liu Yang.

However, Liu Yang did not have any reaction. Besides silently recording it, he did not mean to stop it.

'Professional things should be left to professional people to do…'

'If you are ordered to supervise someone in the future, but as long as it does not violate military orders or damage the interests of the lord, no obstruction or excessive words are allowed.'

'Remember, you are the Embroidered Uniform Guard, not eunuchs!'

These are all teachings from the textbooks written by Li Ji, and Liu Yang dare not forget them.

After Gan Ning and Jiang Zhi entered the room and opened the bamboo slip, they found that the bamboo slip was not a secret order, but a warrant, a warrant that could be used to take away several ships from the shipyard.

However, there was a piece of cloth sandwiched in the bamboo slip. On this cloth was written that Gan Ning should quickly adapt to the sea within a month of going to sea, and he needed to draw a detailed map of the coast of Wu Commandery within a month.

Sea map?

Gan Ning's eyes suddenly widened. As a typical representative of someone with intelligence but not using their brain, Gan Ning knew nothing about drawing sea maps, but Gan Ning was very familiar with the large and small waters and river networks of Ba Commandery, even the wrinkles in them.

Immediately, Gan Ning looked up at his uncle, who used to be omnipotent except for force, and asked.

“Uncle, do you know how to draw sea maps?”

“I know a little,” Jiang Zhi said, smacking his lips.

“When I was young, it was difficult to find a volume of serious Confucian classics, but when I traveled around, I had some knowledge of many miscellaneous subjects, and I also know a little about sea maps.”

“Uncle, so Mr. Zikun didn't include you on the ship from the beginning, right?”

Gan Ning suddenly raised this assumption, and for the first time felt that Li Ji seemed a little scary.

However, Jiang Zhi's eyes widened and he said excitedly, “Really? Did Mr. Zikun really notice me?”

Immediately, without waiting for Gan Ning to answer, Jiang Zhi continued to talk to himself, saying.

"Indeed! Indeed! With Mr. Zikun's strategic brilliance, I imagine he has already grasped everything. Perhaps even my dabbling in drawing nautical charts is already known to Mr. Zikun."

"In that case, I certainly cannot let Mr. Zikun down. I must draw the nautical chart of the waters near Wu Commandery as soon as possible."

(End of Chapter)