Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

Chapter 247: Difficult to Achieve Greatness, Liu Xuande

(PS: In response to suggestions from some readers, the 'War Deception Department' in the previous text has been renamed to 'Vertical and Horizontal Department'. 'Vertical and Horizontal Department' does sound less abrupt. Thanks for the suggestions.)

As soon as Guo Jia said this, Liu Bei's expression changed noticeably. He almost subconsciously wanted to get up, but Li Ji held him down and whispered.

“My lord, be patient and listen to the end.”

“That Guo Fengxiao is truly shameless, daring to slander Zikun’s reputation like this. It is tolerable, but what is not tolerable?”

Liu Bei said angrily in a low voice.

However, due to soundproofing issues, Li Ji couldn't explain much and could only comfort Liu Bei with his eyes.

As for the room next door, it seemed to be a gathering place for haters. Guo Jia's words seemed to deeply touch the hearts of those scholars, causing a burst of noisy and excited voices.

“You, Li Zikun, are nothing more than mediocre, just good at armchair strategy and earning a lot of fame.”

“I didn’t expect Fengxiao to become Li Zikun’s page. There is such a reason behind it. It can be seen that Li Zikun is extremely shameless, deceiving gentlemen with his methods and forcing Fengxiao to work for him.”

“I have also heard about the Shanyue rebellion. Could there be other secrets involved?”

“Brother Guo, please explain to us so we can expose Li Zikun’s true face of deceiving the world and stealing fame.”

However, Guo Jia seemed to realize that he had misspoke and evaded the scholars' questions, saying, “Discussing people behind their backs is not the act of a gentleman.”

Immediately, Guo Jia refocused the topic on the chessboard deduction. After the wine and dishes were served, he acted as if he only wanted to talk about romance and beautiful scenery.

However, this was like Pan Jinlian throwing a pair of her original silk stockings at Ximen Qing's head, completely hooking up the curiosity of these scholars.

Not to mention that these scholars who were intentionally invited by Guo Jia were either pure haters or suspected spies from various forces.

Therefore, intentionally or unintentionally, many scholars almost took turns toasting Guo Jia, praising him with various compliments that were almost never repeated.

After a few rounds of wine, Guo Jia looked completely drunk and hazy.

Immediately, another scholar probed while toasting.

“Back then, how high-spirited Brother Gongze was, but he suffered a setback when he first encountered the 'Four Crossings of the Red Water', and was humiliated in the city. It is truly regrettable. Now, Brother Guo and Brother Gongze are from the same clan, and it can be regarded as winning back a breath for Brother Gongze.”

“That’s right!”

Guo Jia said with a drunken posture, slurring his words.

“Everyone, you don’t know, but among the Guo clan of Yingchuan, I have the best relationship with Guo Gongze!”

“Guo Gongze and I are not only from the same clan but also confidants. Even if we call each other brothers, loved ones, and close friends, it is not an exaggeration! Moreover, at that time, I learned that Guo Gongze was humiliated in Wujun, so I came to avenge Guo Gongze.”

Immediately, the scholars present couldn't help but nod, which could be regarded as resolving some of their previous doubts.

Many people knew that Guo Jia was a collateral member of the Guo clan of Yingchuan, so in the eyes of many scholars, Guo Jia represented the face of Yingchuan.

Seeing Guo Jia showing his drunkenness, even saying some things about the Guo clan, a scholar immediately asked.

“Fengxiao clearly came to avenge Brother Gongze, so why did he become Li Zikun’s page? What is the reason for this?”

Guo Jia heard this and said with some resentment.

“When I first arrived in Wujun, I learned that there were Shanyue rebels. In order to avenge my clan brother, I took off my robe and wrote 'I have a wonderful plan to defeat the Shanyue' on the march, intending to provoke Li Zikun and compete with him.”

“Unexpectedly, Li Zikun only knew to send heavy troops to defend Fuchun Mountain. The Shanyue bandits were hiding in the mountains and would not come out. Even if there were wonderful strategies, they would be useless.”

“Moreover, I was careless and conceited at the beginning and fell for Li Zikun’s sophistry. I claimed that I had not come up with a plan to defeat the Shanyue, which was considered a failure. It is hateful that Li Zikun only knew to defend and did not defeat the enemy, but I could only abide by my promise and be his page, suffering his humiliation every day.”

In the end, Guo Jia seemed to completely explode with the resentment in his heart, even kicking over the table in front of him, knocking the delicacies on the table to the ground.

This action shocked everyone present, and they began to persuade and appease Guo Jia.

However, some people who were well-informed asked.

“That’s not right, Brother Guo. I heard that the Shanyue have already submitted to Wujun, and I can occasionally see Shanyue people working in Wujun, and even in the nearby market, there are occasional Shanyue people selling strange things from the mountains.”

“Heh, everyone only knows one thing, but doesn’t know the other…”

Guo Jia hiccuped and said.

“Rather than saying that the Shanyue have submitted to Wujun, it is better to say that Wujun is unable to resist the Shanyue. Even Fuchun Mountain has been occupied by the Shanyue. With the southern barrier of Wujun lost, Wujun has no choice but to sign various treaties that humiliate the prestige of our great Han…”

“It is just that Li Zikun is concerned about his face and conceals the true content, then beautifies and modifies it for external publicity.”

“Otherwise, why would I claim that Li Zikun’s actual talent is only mediocre, and he is actually an ambitious but incompetent person.”

As soon as this was said, many scholars almost subconsciously chose to believe it.

After all, Guo Jia was, in a sense, a true insider, knowing many secret and important news that many scholars simply did not know.

With Guo Jia saying this, many scholars immediately seemed to realize the blind spot, feeling enlightened or suddenly realizing something.

“If you ask me, Li Zikun is just a person with a false reputation. Even Liu Xuande, who has a reputation for benevolence, is too benevolent, so he only has benevolence but no heroic spirit or great ambition.”

Immediately, a scholar curiously asked, “Oh? Why do you say that, Brother Guo?”

Guo Jia, who was showing his drunkenness, was now pointing out the country, saying.

“Think about it carefully, if Liu Xuande hadn’t been so benevolent and spared no expense to use up the government treasury to resettle the refugees from the Central Plains, how could Wujun have been humiliated by the Shanyue but unable to fight back?”

“Moreover, our great Han should have the spirit of 'Better to be a broken jade than a whole tile', but Wujun signed various treaties with the Shanyue. Isn’t it because Liu Xuande pitied the people of Wujun who would suffer the Shanyue’s swords and soldiers?”

“However, the Shanyue are bandits. If we appease and raise them, they will definitely become a disaster for Wujun in the future.”

It must be said that Guo Jia’s set of seven-point true and three-point false rhetoric is perfect.

Except for the starting point and the conclusion being wrong, almost all the processes are true and verifiable by the outside world.

Even some haters had already deduced part of Guo Jia’s words with a “conspiracy theory”, which further confirmed that Guo Jia seemed to be telling the truth.

However, even some haters who were dissatisfied with Li Ji were sincerely convinced by Liu Bei’s benevolent reputation of caring for the people.

Seeing that Guo Jia seemed to be saying too much, he secretly reminded him.

“Brother Guo, you are drunk!”

“I’m not drunk!!”

Guo Jia stood up unsteadily and said.

“I’m just giving a fair evaluation. That Li Zikun has a false reputation, not as good as me…”

“That Liu Xuande only has benevolence, and is always appeasing and compromising with the outside world, repeatedly trusting Li Zikun. It is okay for a prefect to sit in one place, but I am afraid it will be difficult to achieve great things.”

These words were obviously more direct and explicit.

Before the other scholars could speak, Guo Jia then raised his wine cup and said.

“Only when the three-year period is over, I will no longer have to be Li Zikun’s page and regain my freedom. When I expose Li Zikun’s true face in a dignified manner, you will know that what I said is true.”

Immediately, seeing Guo Jia's spirit, there was naturally a chorus of cheers on the field.

Especially a few scholars who were also from Yingchuan felt a sense of honor.

However, after the cheers subsided, a scholar sang a different tune, as if deliberately fishing.

“It can’t be said that Lord Liu has done nothing. I heard that Lord Liu also ordered the construction of a shipyard and built some sea ships. It is rumored that Gan Ning, the Brocade Sail Thief who hijacked Lord Guo of Kuaiji, seems to have a certain relationship with that shipyard.”

As soon as this was said, Guo Jia, who was full of drunkenness, and Li Ji, who was sitting in the next room, frowned slightly.

The shipyard is a highly classified place in Wujun, and much information is not allowed to circulate outside.

It seems that some forces are indeed quite concerned about Wujun, and spies have even begun to infiltrate the shipyard.

“Impossible!”

Guo Jia waved his hand decisively and said.

“Speaking of that shipyard, it was completely built by Li Zikun’s excessive imagination and spending a lot of money and food.”

“I have been to that shipyard with Li Zikun before. The largest sea ship built is only slightly larger than ordinary storied ships. It is okay for fishing near the coast, but it is not as huge as the Brocade Sail Thief Gan Ning’s ship.”

“Moreover, recently, because the Brocade Sail Thief Gan Ning often loots in Yang and Xu provinces, it has had a great impact on fishing in Wujun. Li Zikun sighs every day but is helpless and can only constantly urge the shipyard to build sea ships that can compete with the Brocade Sail Thief Gan Ning as soon as possible.”

“What’s ridiculous is that, as far as I know, the craftsmen at the shipyard replied that it is impossible to build such a large sea ship without three to five years of research.”

These inside stories that were constantly being revealed from Guo Jia’s mouth made the scholars present almost excited. Immediately, another scholar asked.

“But doesn’t Wujun often transport refugees to Kuaiji by sea ships? And it seems that there are a lot of people fishing in the sea in Wujun.”

"That's why I say the seagoing ships built by the Wu Commandery shipyard are only good enough for fishing. If you want to actually use them for naval warfare or anything like that, who knows how long we have to go..."

Speaking of this, Guo Jia couldn't help but smile contemptuously, and said.

"It's a pity that Li Zikun has spent so much of the people's hard-earned money on it. Relying only on the one or two fish caught, when will it be enough to offset the money and grain spent?"