Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

Entering the study, Li Ji pondered the words spoken with Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei while drinking wine in the snow yesterday, falling deep into thought.

The matter of the island barbarians can be entrusted to Guan Yu, leading a contingent of soldiers composed of Han Chinese and Shanyue people.

With Guan Yu's capabilities, supplemented by strategies such as military settlements, even if this contingent of soldiers is isolated overseas, there is no need to worry about safety and morale, and the consumption of money and grain will not be excessive.

However, Li Ji did not particularly value the remnants on the island.

At this time, the island barbarians had hardly undergone any development. According to Li Ji's estimate, the total population of island barbarian remnants living on the entire island would probably only be between 150,000 and 200,000.

It should be known that the area of the island barbarians is comparable to that of Wu Commandery, so the low population density is conceivable.

However, considering that the island barbarian remnants still mainly rely on gathering and hunting for a living, and have not yet fully entered the agricultural era, productivity can indeed only maintain this level of population.

Therefore, the soldiers led by Guan Yu to the island barbarians are not so much going to conquer, but rather to bring the culture, technology, and knowledge of the Han Dynasty, so that those island barbarian remnants can return to the Nine Provinces and truly become a part of the Han Dynasty.

Although the population density of the island barbarians is extremely low, in fact, even in later generations, it has the title of "Treasure Island", and even in terms of natural resources, it has great potential.

Especially the gold, silver, copper, and iron mineral resources that the Han Dynasty is currently in short supply of, all have ore vein distributions on the island barbarians.

In Li Ji's consideration, it would take Guan Yu at least three to five years to make the island barbarian remnants completely recognize the Han Dynasty and allow the Han Dynasty to completely gain a firm foothold among the island barbarians.

After that, when the chaotic world arrives, Li Ji will be able to truly begin to recklessly develop various mineral resources without having to worry about the imperial court.

A step ahead, a step ahead in everything!

Without sufficient mineral resources, not to mention gold, silver, and copper, which can be used as hard currency, without mastering enough iron ore, wanting to dominate the world is almost a pipe dream.

Without iron, how can weapons be forged? How can armor be made?

Why was Yuan Shao able to become the overlord of the north in a very short period of time in the original trajectory, claiming to have hundreds of thousands of armored soldiers and thousands of generals under his command?

That is the amazing foundation of those aristocratic families. No one knows how many various resources they secretly control.

Although Liu Bei actually controls two commanderies and has more than two million people under his rule, in fact, he still lacks a lot in all aspects.

Reality is not a game. It is not just a matter of clicking to conscript soldiers with one click. In fact, the things that need to be considered at every step are countless.

Even in the Battle of Red Cliffs in the original trajectory, Dong Wu still had the problem of a shortage of arrows, which then evolved into the allusion of "borrowing arrows with straw boats."

It is conceivable how troublesome and important it is to manufacture military equipment. That was something that Dong Wu, who had completely occupied Yangzhou at that time, was unable to do.

This visible gap actually made Li Ji feel anxious and uneasy.

This is also the first time that Li Ji has truly experienced the feeling of why three years of hard work can be comparable to hundreds of years of family inheritance.

Therefore, what Li Ji valued from the beginning was not the population of the island barbarians, but the various resources it contained, and even if possible, directly turning the island barbarians into a large granary for the Liu Bei Group hidden overseas.

As long as the seagoing ships are developed enough, transporting grain from the island barbarians to Wu Commandery is even more convenient than transporting grain from Kuaiji Commandery to Wu Commandery by land.

However, these are just Li Ji's plans for the future of the island barbarians, and it will take a long time to implement them little by little.

At this moment, what Li Ji is thinking about is how to make the matter of the "remnants of the tyrannical Qin" a reality.

Where are the so-called "remnants of the tyrannical Qin"? How could Li Ji not know?

Where are the large gold and silver mines? Li Ji also knows clearly.

However, Liu Bei is a benevolent ruler, and Liu Bei probably would not do things of unwarranted conquest, at least Liu Bei would not go to extremes.

If you want Liu Bei to make up his mind to go to extremes, then you need a sufficient reason.

For example, the remnants of the tyrannical Qin who intend to counterattack the Han Dynasty are a very good reason. This is a reason that no one can accuse. Even if this reason is made a reality, then the area of Yingzhou is theoretically supposed to belong to the Han Dynasty since ancient times.

After all, the Han Dynasty was built by destroying the Qin Dynasty, and the regime established by the remnants of the tyrannical Qin overseas should also be replaced by the Han Dynasty.

As for whether the Liu Bei Group currently has the strength to take down Yingzhou, this is not within Li Ji's main consideration.

As long as only the Liu Bei Group owns the ocean-going ships, then even if it does not have this strength now, the initiative to attack at any time is always in the hands of the Liu Bei Group.

If Yingzhou cannot be taken down today, then wait until the Liu Bei Group is stronger and continue to take it down.

Therefore, the important thing is... a reason!

For example: "Console the people and punish the criminals, and exterminate the remnants of the tyrannical Qin!"

This is the reason that Li Ji can think of that can make the Liu Bei Group united from top to bottom.

And this reason is naturally not something that can be fabricated out of thin air. It requires a lot of evidence and details to supplement it, so that everyone believes that Yingzhou is the remnant of the tyrannical Qin, and still yearns for the Great Qin, and always wants to oppose the Han and restore the Qin!

In the study, Li Ji stayed for a while, then took a bamboo slip and wrote a secret letter, preparing to hand it over to Jia Xu.

Xu Fu's eastward crossing was nearly four hundred years ago. Although there are still many ancient books recording this event, Li Ji has consulted many ancient books, but has not really found accurate information recording that Xu Fu arrived in Yingzhou and established himself.

Therefore, to completely confirm Xu Fu's whereabouts, it is necessary to find Xu Fu's sailing trajectory.

Starting from Xu Fu's hometown, Donghai Commandery, and going southeast all the way to the island barbarians, and then going north along the island barbarians, finally reaching Yingzhou directly.

This is a sailing route designed for him by Li Ji based on the relevant records of Xu Fu's voyage to the sea that year.

Whether the facts are like this is not important!

What is important is whether Li Ji can find enough evidence to supplement this route to the point where no one suspects it.

And this kind of thing is undoubtedly most suitable to be handed over to Jia Xu and Gan Ning in Kuaiji Commandery.

"Wenhe should know what is on my mind."

After Li Ji sealed this secret letter bamboo slip and handed it over to Li Qin to send it to Kuaiji Commandery through the channels of the Brocade-Clothed Guards, he set off to go to the government office to clock in.

Before leaving, Li Ji did not forget to gently remind Cai Zhaoji to rest more at home, and not to forget the time by immersing herself in reading and writing books like in the past.

"Husband, please rest assured and go to the government office to work. This concubine is taken care of by Li Shu and Li Qin at home, and will not be tired."

Cai Zhaoji sent Li Ji all the way to the door, and only turned back to the mansion after watching Li Ji disappear around the corner of the street.

Because Li Ji likes the snow scene very much, and does not like the discomfort of the carriages of this era, he has almost become accustomed to walking to the government office.

...

The secret letter was quickly sent to Jia Xu, who lived in the government office of Kuaiji Commandery, through the layers of channels of the Brocade-Clothed Guards.

Unlike Li Ji's leisurely state every day, Jia Xu simply lived in the government office with his son Jia Mu for safety reasons, and also sent heavy troops to garrison around the government office.

When Jia Xu received the secret letter, Jia Xu was wrapped in sable fur and roasting by the stove.

Logically speaking, with Jia Xu's physique, who grew up in Liangzhou since he was a child, he should not be afraid of this little bit of cold.

It's just that I don't know if he has gained weight, or if he has been too comfortable in the south of the Yangtze River for more than a year, so that Jia Xu is inexplicably a little afraid of the cold this year.

"Ah sneeze~~"

Jia Xu, who had just pushed open the door to take the secret letter bamboo slip, couldn't help but sneeze several times in a row.

This made Jia Mu quickly care about him. "Father is probably chilled by the cold wind. I will ask someone to add another stove."

"No need!"

Jia Xu returned to his position and lay down comfortably, raised the bamboo slip in his hand, and said.

"According to my father, sneezing is definitely not due to the cold wind, but this volume of bamboo slips sent urgently by Li Zikun, which must contain some troublesome things."

After saying that, Jia Xu opened the bamboo slip and read it carefully.

Throughout the whole process, Jia Xu's face did not change at all, but after reading it, he rolled up the bamboo slip in his hand and threw it directly into the stove in front of him.

Jia Mu stared wide-eyed and asked in confusion. "Why is Father doing this? This is Mr. Zikun's secret letter. Burning it like this may make Mr. Zikun hate it."

"This secret letter cannot be tolerated in the world."

Jia Xu said lightly, but he didn't say the specific reason at all.

The content of the secret letter is actually very simple, that is, to ask Jia Xu to fabricate Xu Fu's sailing trajectory eastward, and according to the sailing trajectory provided by Li Ji.

Starting from Donghai Commandery and going down the road to Yongning County, Kuaiji Commandery, then turning east to reach the island barbarians, and then going north along the Ryukyu Islands from the island barbarians.

Jia Xu naturally has a way to fabricate this kind of thing.

Is it enough to have the testimony of people who have seen Xu Fu's fleet passed down by word of mouth from ancestors?

Is it enough to have some Qin Dynasty related objects buried in the sailing trajectory after making them old?

Jia Xu even thought of tampering with some local chronicles in Yongning County, Kuaiji Commandery, and then fabricating them again on the island barbarians according to the island barbarian remnants' way of recording things.

With the resources that Jia Xu can use now, it is actually not difficult to do it.

What makes Jia Xu cautious and frown is that this matter is quite sensitive, and the hidden meaning behind Li Ji...

No one can be sure whether Xu Fu's fleet really took this route back then, but once Jia Xu fabricates this kind of evidence, it will become a conclusion in the history books.

Li Ji would definitely not go to such great lengths for something that is not beneficial to the Liu Bei Group and Wu Commandery, and even for the sake of a mere alchemist of the pre-Qin period.

'Going north along Ryukyu from the island barbarians...'

Jia Xu narrowed his eyes, watching the bamboo slips gradually being burned into ashes in the stove, Jia Xu gradually realized something.

A remnant of the tyrannical Qin?

In a sense, this term was on the list of those that the Great Han Dynasty had to conquer.

The Great Han had stood upon the lands of the Nine Provinces for four hundred years. If the Great Qin still existed, what did that mean?

It was a challenge to the authority and legitimacy of the Great Han.

‘So, Li Zikun isn’t thinking of forcibly labeling some small overseas country with this title and then destroying it, is he?’

At this thought, Jia Xu, sitting by the brazier, felt a chill run through his limbs.

‘Li Zikun wouldn't be so ruthless, would he?’

(End of Chapter)