Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

Noticing the sounds outside the government office, Li Ji, who had been standing in the pavilion, bowed slightly towards Liu Yu from afar, and then hurried downstairs to invite Liu Yu inside.

Liu Yu, already finding it difficult to sleep due to worries about the war, naturally wouldn't refuse. He simply followed Li Ji on a nighttime stroll through the courtyard, and then invited Li Ji to play Go in a gazebo.

Go was quite popular in the Great Han Dynasty, but Li Ji had spent many years in Wu Commandery, and the number of times he had played Go could be described as very few.

It wasn't that anyone worried Li Ji would have the demeanor of "The Great Han Chess Saint, Liu Qi," solving opponents outside the chessboard if he couldn't solve them inside. Rather, it was because they knew that even inside the chessboard, they were no match for Li Ji, so no one was willing to be humiliated.

In almost all types of board games, Li Ji was practically invincible from the start.

Therefore, even though Li Ji's understanding of Go wasn't extensive, and the number of times he had played against others was even fewer, he still gladly accepted Liu Yu's invitation.

Playing Go under the moonlight was indeed an elegant affair.

However, Liu Yu, who was skilled in the art of Go, seemed somewhat absent-minded. After making a few moves, while placing a stone, he asked as if unintentionally:

"Zikun is also unable to sleep late at night. Could it be that you are also worried about Gongsun Bogui's situation?"

Li Ji placed a stone with great interest and replied:

"That's not the case. General Gongsun is a veteran of the battlefield. Even without Ji's assistance, the Wuhuan pursuers may not necessarily be able to do anything to General Gongsun."

"Then Zikun seemed to be observing the stars in the pavilion just now? Could it be that you also possess the abilities of the Grand Astrologer (i.e., the head of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau in the Han Dynasty)?" Liu Yu asked with some curiosity.

Li Ji chuckled somewhat speechlessly and quickly explained:

"Ji doesn't have the ability of the Grand Astrologer to control the seasons and stars and communicate with the heavens. He's merely judging the weather changes for tomorrow."

"I see."

Liu Yu didn't pay too much attention upon hearing this.

Judging weather changes was something Liu Yu also knew a little bit about, such as the possibility of rain tomorrow. Therefore, he naturally wouldn't be surprised that Li Ji also knew.

Li Ji didn't specifically explain further but smiled and reminded Liu Yu that it was his turn to make a move.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yu quickly placed a stone before continuing:

"Speaking of which, fortunately, there was Zikun's brilliant plan that allowed us to divide the Wuhuan forces. Now, because they can't do anything about Ji City, they don't dare to divide their forces again to plunder southward, protecting countless commoners of You Province. I haven't thanked Zikun before, which was impolite of me."

"We are still in a stalemate with the Wuhuan. The war hasn't ended yet. It's a bit too early for Lord Liu to say this," Li Ji replied with a smile.

"Pa!"

Liu Yu placed another stone and said:

"Regardless, Zikun is kind to me and to the commoners of You Province. It's just that I'm ashamed to say that I haven't disciplined my subordinates strictly, which has allowed Xianyu Fu and others to often speak ill of Zikun."

"Recently, they have repeatedly complained to me, saying that the content of Zikun's daily military training is muddled and chaotic. However, I don't know much about military training methods and don't know how to persuade them, which is really troubling."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji's movement of placing a stone didn't pause even for a moment.

If Li Ji had just met Liu Yu, he might have suspected that Liu Yu's words were a test.

However, having interacted with Liu Yu frequently for nearly two months now, Li Ji was very clear that Liu Yu's treatment of his subordinates could be described as generous and trusting, but in reality, it had reached the point of weakness and indulgence.

In the original timeline, Gongsun Zan was gradually able to control You Province with a status other than the Governor of You Province, which was undoubtedly greatly related to Liu Yu's personality.

Liu Yu was old, and coupled with his inherently generous personality, it had reached the point where he was somewhat powerless even to manage his subordinates.

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Liu."

Li Ji said first, then continued, "As for the so-called military training methods, they have their own uses, but it's difficult to explain clearly for a while."

After a pause, Li Ji added with a smile:

"However, since General Xianyu and others want to give Ji some pointers, why not let General Xianyu come to the military camp, and Ji will personally discuss it with General Xianyu."

Upon hearing these words, Liu Yu couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

If the generals under Liu Yu, such as Xianyu Fu, were truly talented, Liu Yu wouldn't have been so helpless against Gongsun Zan.

Moreover, with Li Ji's command, they easily resisted the Wuhuan's inability to advance an inch, and Zhang Fei displayed his divine might by killing "Valley King" Nanlou and chasing "Wuhuan King" Qiuliju into abandoning his helmet and armor.

Now, Xianyu Fu and others almost all walked around Li Ji and Zhang Fei, so how dare they appear in front of Li Ji and Zhang Fei?

It was just that Xianyu Fu was worried that his military power would fall into the hands of others, so he used these petty tricks to make things difficult for Li Ji.

And Liu Yu had the idea of letting both sides coexist harmoniously, so he sincerely wanted to explain things to Xianyu Fu for Li Ji, so that Xianyu Fu would sincerely obey Li Ji's command.

"I will relay your words to Zikun."

However, under Li Ji's confident and calm attitude, Liu Yu, who had been somewhat uneasy about the war, instead felt greatly relieved and slowly focused his attention on the chessboard.

Suddenly, Liu Yu realized that he and Li Ji had been playing Go for a long time and were actually evenly matched, which instead aroused Liu Yu's interest in chess. He stopped speaking and concentrated on playing Go with Li Ji.

After fighting fiercely in this small space for about half an hour, this game of Go finally came to an end, and Liu Yu felt a burst of joy.

Ever since Cai Yong, who was also skilled in the art of Go, was exiled to the land of Wu and Kuai, Liu Yu had found it difficult to find such an opponent even in Luoyang. During the game, he often made the moves he most looked forward to, and then repeatedly made ingenious moves to turn the situation around.

As a result, after Liu Yu finished this game, he felt that he was covered in sweat, but also felt invigorated and tired.

Afterwards, Liu Yu calculated the score and found that he had only won by half a point, a narrow victory!

"Good game!"

Liu Yu couldn't help but clap his hands and praise, saying.

"I didn't expect Zikun to have such chess skills at such a young age. Even compared to your father-in-law, Cai Bojie, you are not far off. I imagine it must be because Zikun often plays Go with Bojie in Wu Commandery, and has fully inherited Cai Bojie's true teachings..."

Speaking of which, Liu Yu's voice paused slightly and said. "However, Zikun's chess style is majestic and varied, which is very different from Cai Bojie's. Could it be that you have found another way?"

To this, Li Ji smiled and said nothing. He naturally wouldn't say that among the few Go games he had played, he had forced Cai Yong to give up and surrender in the middle of the game twice.

It wasn't that he didn't give his father-in-law face, but after giving his father-in-law face once and playing a well-matched chess game that was a matter of social etiquette, it also aroused Cai Yong's interest in chess. He actually repeatedly took the initiative to find Li Ji to play Go.

Did Li Ji really have this leisure and interest?

Wouldn't it be better to spend more effort creating another granddaughter for Cai Yong?

Therefore, Li Ji used two games to completely extinguish Cai Yong's interest in chess, and since then, he had never mentioned the word "Go" in front of Li Ji again.

It was also because Cai Yong's self-cultivation was extremely good, otherwise Li Ji felt that after Cai Yong was forced to give up and surrender in the middle of the game twice, the look in Cai Yong's eyes made him feel that Cai Yong might use the Go style of "The Great Han Chess Saint, Liu Qi" and chase after him with the chessboard.

As Li Ji expected, after playing such a game of chess with Liu Yu, Liu Yu, who was originally quite fond of Go, became addicted and came to Li Ji every few days to invite him to play.

His personal relationship with Li Ji was also increasing at a speed visible to the naked eye, to the point where he almost regarded Li Ji as a friend who had forgotten his age.

The most obvious feeling was undoubtedly Xianyu Fu and others.

Previously, when Xianyu Fu and others found a reason to make things difficult for Li Ji in front of Liu Yu, Liu Yu would patiently and generously act as a peacemaker.

However, as the number of times Liu Yu went to Li Ji's residence increased, Liu Yu's attitude towards Xianyu Fu and others making things difficult for Li Ji became more and more impatient. In the end, he even said:

"Do you understand Zikun, or do I understand Zikun better?"

"Chess style reveals the mind. How could Zikun harbor evil intentions as you say? I advise you to spend less energy on judging a gentleman with the heart of a villain and more effort on improving yourselves."

These words, for Liu Yu, who had always been a good person, were undoubtedly extremely heavy rebukes, to the point where the blood drained from the faces of Xianyu Fu and others on the spot.

Afterwards, Liu Yu directly left with a flick of his sleeves, left the government office, and in a depressed mood, wanted to play another game of Go with Li Ji to calm his mood before nightfall.

However, after Liu Yu went to the residence where Li Ji lived, he was told by the gatekeeper that Li Ji had just left to go to the military camp.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yu simply went to the military camp under the protection of a group of personal guards to find Li Ji.

This was the first time Liu Yu had come to the military camp in Ji City after temporarily handing over the command of the troops in Ji City to Li Ji.

To Liu Yu's surprise, the previously chaotic and disorderly military camp in Ji City now looked exceptionally neat and orderly from afar, and the layout seemed to fit a certain aesthetic.

Moreover, when Liu Yu arrived, it seemed that all the soldiers in Ji City except those stationed on the city walls had just been gathered in the training ground.

However, Liu Yu raised his head and found that the previously clear sky had suddenly become covered with continuous dark clouds.

"It seems that it's really unlucky. Zikun just gathered the soldiers in the training ground, but the heavens are not cooperating."

Liu Yu sighed, and then didn't go forward, thinking that Li Ji would dismiss the soldiers and let them return to the camp to avoid the rain.

In this way, he could just find an elegant place with Li Ji in the city for a pleasant game of Go in the rain.

However, to Liu Yu's surprise, as the sky became more and more gloomy, Li Ji not only didn't dismiss the soldiers, but instead used the sound of drums to command the soldiers to divide into two groups and begin training.

This made Liu Yu frown. The soldiers' physiques might be much stronger than ordinary people, but training in the rain would not only make them more susceptible to injury, but also easily cause them to catch a cold, resulting in unnecessary non-combat attrition.

However, Liu Yu thought that Li Ji must have his reasons for doing so, and it would not be too late to ask later, so he did not mean to stop him, but just stood far away and watched. (End of this chapter)