Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

"We're almost there! When the time comes, we'll join the heroes of the land to accomplish great things and surely be able to eliminate the traitor Dong!"

Hearing this, Liu Bei, dressed in military attire, couldn't help but stand up on the chariot and gaze into the distance, hoping to see where the allied forces were gathering.

However, unlike Liu Bei's anticipation of arriving at the meeting place, Li Ji put away the map in his hand and couldn't help but cast his gaze over the army behind the chariot.

Guarding the chariot, which was emblazoned with a large banner bearing the character "Liu," were three thousand ax-wielding Yi soldiers led by Guan Yu. Behind them, ten thousand elite infantrymen marched in formation, their eyes sharp and their killing intent palpable.

In addition, Zhao Yun and Zhang Fei each led three thousand cavalrymen on either side of the army, slowly advancing to provide flank cover or to strike at any moment.

Among them, the one that Li Ji was relatively unfamiliar with was the ax-wielding Yi army led by Guan Yu.

This was Guan Yu's personal guard, trained over two or three years while he was stationed in Yizhou. He had selected a large number of strong soldiers from among the Han, Shanyue, and Yi people, based on his experience fighting the Shanyue in Fuchun Mountain.

They wielded special Yi rattan shields woven by the Yi people of Yizhou. These shields were lightweight yet extremely tough, providing excellent protection against slashing and stabbing attacks from sharp weapons, although their defense against blunt force was relatively weak, and they were particularly vulnerable to fire.

In addition to the Yi rattan shields, these ax-wielding Yi soldiers also carried an iron ax and a pu dao (a type of Chinese polearm) for close combat, as well as three small stone axes for medium-range throwing.

Li Ji was still uncertain about the effectiveness of this ax-wielding Yi army trained by Guan Yu on the plains battlefield.

However, if they were fighting in mountainous terrain or in urban warfare where it was difficult to form a formation, the lethality of this ax-wielding Yi army would undoubtedly be considerable.

With Xiahou Bo needing to stay in Wu Commandery to maintain the operation of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, this ax-wielding Yi army now served as Liu Bei and Li Ji's personal guard.

'This army can be described as mighty...'

'Apart from Dong Zhuo, there is probably no other warlord in the land who possesses so many elite soldiers at this moment!'

Just as Li Ji was sincerely uttering such admiration in his heart, Liu Bei suddenly spoke with some worry.

"Zikun, do you think bringing only twenty thousand soldiers will seem a bit insufficient in terms of strength?"

Li Ji couldn't help but turn his head and look at Liu Bei in surprise.

Twenty thousand... a bit insufficient?

My lord, when did you develop a fear of insufficient troops?

Compared to Liu Bei in the original timeline, who came to the alliance with only his two sworn brothers as a commander without any soldiers, twenty thousand... should be more than enough, right?

Moreover, these were twenty thousand elite soldiers. Even if they faced forty thousand commandery soldiers in a head-on field battle, they could rout them in a very short time.

However, Li Ji's slightly strange gaze made Liu Bei touch his face in confusion and ask,

"Zikun, is there a problem?"

"My lord, we are going to the alliance to eliminate Dong. Twenty thousand soldiers are already sufficient," Li Ji replied.

Liu Bei hesitated for a moment and slowly expressed his thoughts, saying,

"I only feel that the Han Dynasty is on the verge of collapse, and a traitor like Dong Zhuo has appeared in the world, nominally the Chancellor, but his ambition is actually aimed directly at the throne! If we don't eliminate him with thunderous force, as the prestige of the Han court declines day by day, who knows how many more people will dare to declare themselves kings and emperors in the future."

"Therefore, what I actually want is to mobilize fifty thousand soldiers from my territory to march north and eliminate Dong, instead of just bringing twenty thousand people."

As he spoke, Liu Bei looked at Li Ji with a somewhat eager expression, as if hoping to gain Li Ji's approval and consent.

At this, Li Ji's gentle and refined expression couldn't help but twitch slightly.

'Even though I, Li, am in charge now, my lord can't be so extravagant...'

After completing the military system reform in Liu Bei's territory, the initial effect was that the number of soldiers that could be mobilized almost instantly soared.

The number of military households represented the number of soldiers that Liu Bei could mobilize at any time.

After nearly five years of resettlement of refugees in Wu and Kuaiji Commanderies, the population of the two commanderies had exceeded three million, a number close to the population of the entire Yang Province before the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

(PS: Before the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the population of Yang Province was one million households, about four million people.

In history, after more than ten years of war, the Eastern Wu, which occupied only Yang Province, could still send 50,000 troops to resist Cao, even with a considerable number of troops left to guard the borders against the Shanyue and Southern Barbarians.

Therefore, I personally believe that the ratio of population to soldiers in this era is generally reasonable between 30:1 and 50:1. In extreme chaotic situations, this ratio can even reach 15:1.)

Therefore, even with a certain number of soldiers left to guard the borders, Liu Bei could easily mobilize more than 50,000 soldiers without any problem.

However, not to mention that Li Ji had other uses for keeping a large number of soldiers in Wu Commandery, more importantly, if Liu Bei led 50,000 elite soldiers out from one commandery, the warlords of Guandong who harbored ambitions at this alliance would immediately regard Liu Bei as a threat second only to Dong Zhuo.

Therefore, the number of soldiers to bring required not only considering the issue of eliminating Dong, but also the reaction within the allied forces.

Now that Liu Bei had brought up this matter again, it was because he understood the convenience of transporting troops by sea, and it was still possible to mobilize more troops from Wu Commandery again.

"Has my lord heard of the saying that a tree that stands out in the forest will be blown down by the wind?"

Li Ji reminded him in a low voice.

Liu Bei, who was still immersed in the emotion and excitement of the heroes of the land gathering to eliminate the national traitor, paused slightly. With his unspoken understanding with Li Ji, Liu Bei instantly understood what Li Ji was referring to.

"Zikun is saying that if the number and elite strength of the soldiers I lead surpasses the other warlords, they may disregard Dong Zhuo and secretly harm me instead?"

"My lord, the chaotic world has arrived."

Li Ji sighed softly, reminding Liu Bei to change his mindset in time.

This was not a possibility, but a certainty that they would harm their own people first!

Sun Jian in the original timeline did not change his mindset in time, believing that the Han law still existed, which led to Yuan Shu cutting off his military supplies from the rear, almost causing the entire army to be wiped out.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Li Ji said gently,

"My lord, those waiting for you at the alliance site ahead are not all like-minded people who only want to restore the Han Dynasty!"

"Among them, there is no shortage of people like Dong Zhuo, but they simply don't have Dong Zhuo's opportunities and strength, so they have come together here, plotting to take advantage of the campaign against Dong to gain fame and benefits."

At this moment, the expectant look that had originally appeared on Liu Bei's face had completely disappeared. After thinking deeply for a while, he cupped his hands towards Li Ji.

"Fortunately, I was reminded by Zikun, otherwise, if I were careless and unaware, I would have been harmed by others without knowing it."

Li Ji replied humbly. "Assisting my lord is the duty of a subordinate, and I dare not claim credit."

Immediately, Liu Bei did not continue to speak, but sat down with a slightly furrowed brow, slowly adjusting his mindset.

The chaotic world... has arrived!

The decline of the Han Dynasty is also a foregone conclusion.

'How to revive the Han Dynasty is what I should be considering and doing now...'

Only a trace of confusion flashed in Liu Bei's eyes, which was replaced by complete determination.

After a long time, Liu Bei asked in a low voice.

"Since that's the case, Zikun, what do you think I should do after arriving at the Suanzao alliance site?"

Li Ji smiled and said,

"Nothing else. Leading the strength of the warlords to eliminate Dong is the primary task. Secondly, my lord may not want to stand out in the forest, but he should also make friends with warlords from all directions, so that my lord's name can be heard in the ears of the warlords."

"I am a little worried that I will not be taken seriously by the warlords," Liu Bei said with some concern.

This made Li Ji unable to tell for a moment whether Liu Bei's words were humility or pretense. Liu Bei was not only a member of the Han imperial clan, but also a commandery administrator in charge of 20,000 elite soldiers, and he had a reputation for benevolence and virtue that had spread throughout the Central Plains for four or five years.

This was different from Liu Bei, the impoverished member of the Han imperial clan who was only a commoner in the original timeline.

At this moment, Liu Bei, a member of the Han imperial clan who held heavy troops and whose name of benevolence and virtue was widely spread, was already considered courteous to the inferior even if he did not despise the other small warlords. He still needed to worry about not being taken seriously by the other warlords.

However, Li Ji looked at Liu Bei, who was still under thirty years old, and suddenly realized something.

In the end, Liu Bei was still just a weaver and sandal seller five or six years ago. Even if he had cultivated his character for five or six years as a commandery administrator, he was still only entrenched in a corner, and had not had the opportunity to truly meet with a group of warlords, nor had he truly come into contact with the top aristocratic families of the world.

And the position of commandery administrator alone was not eye-catching in the entire Han Dynasty.

Therefore, it was normal for Liu Bei to have some doubts.

To put it in simpler terms, Liu Bei had been silently starting a business in a corner for five or six years, and had never moved his nest to participate in any top-level meetings. He had no idea what level he was at in the world today, and could not temporarily distinguish his position.

However, Li Ji saw it very clearly. If it was during the reign of Emperor Ling Liu Hong, unless Liu Bei was prepared to rebel, no matter how elite his troops and sufficient his food were, he would only be a small commandery administrator who could be manipulated by others.

But now that the chaotic world had arrived, money, food, and soldiers were symbols of status, and even if Liu Bei was only a commandery administrator, he was enough to dominate the four directions.

Li Ji pondered for a moment, feeling that it was better to let Liu Bei experience for himself what kind of status he was in when he was surrounded by 20,000 elite soldiers, rather than directly explaining it to Liu Bei.

"My lord, please rest assured. I will always accompany you during this alliance, and you only need to communicate with the warlords according to your thoughts."

Immediately, Liu Bei felt a surge of confidence in his heart.

With Li Ji accompanying him and backing him up, the situation was naturally very different.

Liu Bei might have some doubts about his status, reputation, and charisma, but he had full confidence in Li Ji.

"If that's the case, then I, Bei, have no worries. When the time comes, if there are any shortcomings, I hope Zikun will remind me in time to help me identify and rectify any omissions," Liu Bei said.

Li Ji smiled gently and nodded, then pointed to the faint black dots visible ahead and said.

"Lord, we have arrived at the place of the Suanzao Alliance." (End of this chapter)