Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

In terms of results, this deduction was pretty good. Liu Bei successfully secured the position of Prefect, but Li Ji felt an inexplicable sense of extreme displeasure.

It felt as if the fruits of Liu Bei and Li Ji's long efforts were mostly snatched away by Dong Zhuo.

Dong Zhuo, truly the number one pimp of the late Han Dynasty, pimping imperial concubines and princesses above, and adopted sons and lovers below, now even pimping Li Ji.

Although being pimped by Dong Zhuo wasn't exactly shameful, the current Han Emperor had accumulated concubines and princesses his whole life, only to have Dong Zhuo pimp them all in the end.

But Li Ji had always been the one pimping others, how could he tolerate being pimped by Dong Zhuo while lying down?

If Liu Bei hadn't launched a surprise attack on the Yellow Turban's central army at a crucial moment, killing Zhang Jiao in battle and causing chaos among the Yellow Turbans, Dong Zhuo's only outcome would have been defeat and escape, followed by imprisonment by the court, incidentally highlighting Lu Zhi's abilities.

However, due to the intervention of Liu Bei and Li Ji, Dong Zhuo turned defeat into a great victory, and in the end, he shamelessly swallowed all the war merits.

'Dong Zhuo, Dong Zhuo...'

Li Ji silently repeated the name, pondering whether there was a possibility of pimping Dong Zhuo back.

However, the conclusion was... impossible!

For the current Liu Bei, Liu Yan and Lu Zhi were his biggest backers in the court. With Lu Zhi imprisoned, there was no sufficient voice to fight for Liu Bei's military merits in the court.

Liu Yan's memorial would mention Liu Bei, but mostly to highlight his own achievements.

The only one who might be fair and impartial in fighting for Liu Bei's war merits, Lu Zhi, would instead fall into a dead end with Dong Zhuo's great victory.

At this moment, Li Ji vaguely understood the feeling of "I didn't kill Boren, but Boren died because of me." Li Ji couldn't help but feel a bit of curiosity and respect for the Northern General of the Gentlemen-at-the-Palace, whom Liu Bei always spoke of with reverence.

He didn't expect that this deduction would not only sprinkle the last handful of soil on Lu Zhi's grave but also pack it down with a shovel.

'Moreover, in this way, when Dong Zhuo spends the night in the dragon bed and defiles the harem in the future, wouldn't I be helping him from behind?'

Thinking of this, Li Ji's mouth twitched. He still felt that he absolutely couldn't let Dong Zhuo benefit, even if it meant helping him from behind, it had to be Dong Zhuo helping him from behind...

'Wait, something doesn't seem right...'

Li Ji rubbed his aching temples, feeling that the mental burden was too great, causing his thoughts to be a bit too scattered.

Then, after Li Ji calmed his mind, he took out the bamboo slip for notes again and wrote down the key information he had noticed in this deduction.

[4. If the situation is not intervened, the Northern General of the Gentlemen-at-the-Palace, Lu Zhi, will be imprisoned in June...]

When he wrote this, Li Ji paused, crossed out June, and changed it to May.

Because it was necessary to consider the round trip time for the Little Eunuch from Luoyang to Guangzong, the Little Eunuch would probably arrive in Guangzong in May, and then Lu Zhi would be officially stripped of his post and imprisoned in June.

Therefore, if he wanted to help the few remaining backbones of the great Han, he had to do something before May.

[5. Julu can affect the situation of the Yellow Turbans in Ji Province. Conversely, if Zhang Jiao is captured, Julu can be taken without bloodshed, and even the morale of the Yellow Turbans in the world can be disintegrated.]

After writing this point, Li Ji frowned and fell into deep thought.

The situation of the Yellow Turbans in Ji Province fully illustrated what is meant by interlocking links. Julu and Zhang Jiao were undoubtedly absolute keys.

'Perhaps, the goal should be placed on Zhang Jiao?'

At the thought of this, Li Ji's eyes widened involuntarily. As his thinking broadened, a large number of inspirations continued to flash in his mind.

"Bang!"

Li Ji suddenly stood up, put the bamboo slip for notes into his sleeve, and then walked straight out of the camp, heading straight for Liu Bei's camp.

However, to Li Ji's surprise, Liu Bei was not in his tent.

"Where is Xuande?"

Li Ji asked the soldier guarding the camp.

The soldier bowed and replied. "Mr. Zikun, Lord Duzei Cao personally inspects the surrounding areas these days and will return to the camp to rest around Chen time [7-9 AM]."

Hearing this, Li Ji could only return to the camp to rest first.

However, Li Ji didn't expect that Liu Bei would come over in a hurry with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei only half an hour after he returned to the camp.

"Xuande, why are you here?" Li Ji asked.

Liu Bei patted the dust off his body and replied.

"Bei once ordered the soldiers that if Zikun seeks me, report it quickly. Therefore, after Bei heard the soldiers' report, he quickly returned."

Looking at Liu Bei's dusty appearance, Li Ji couldn't help but feel a little moved by Liu Bei's importance.

Even though he didn't know what it was about, Liu Bei, who was originally inspecting the surrounding areas in person, didn't hesitate to return immediately. This importance was worth a thousand gold.

"Xuande, aren't you worried that Ji just wants to discuss something trivial with you?" Li Ji asked.

"Zikun's affairs are never trivial, and even if it's just drinking tea and chatting with Zikun, Bei can't ask for more."

After a pause, Liu Bei signaled to Guan Yu, handed over several bamboo slips, and said humbly.

"It just so happens that several groups of scouts who were sent out have already sent back some information, and I want to discuss it with Zikun."

Hearing this, the surging emotion in Li Ji's heart quickly subsided.

Li Ji originally thought that his position in Liu Bei's heart had reached that level, but he didn't expect that it was just incidental.

Incidental love, even a dog doesn't want it!

Li Ji cursed inwardly, his face straightened, and he picked up the bamboo slips and read them.

With the help of Xiahou Bo, a chivalrous man from Ji Province, the efficiency of the scouts in obtaining information has undoubtedly been greatly improved.

In just a few days, there have been gains.

Among these bamboo slips, three are confirmations and descriptions of the terrain around Julu, two are about the investigation of whether there are troops around Julu, and the last one has already found the location of Guangzong.

Immediately, Li Ji's expression froze, and he picked up the bamboo slip about Guangzong and looked at it carefully.

And every time Li Ji put down a bamboo slip, Liu Bei would pick up that bamboo slip and read it, then hand it to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei beside him.

Liu Bei had also just received the information sent back by these scouts, but he hadn't had time to read it yet, so he hurriedly brought the information back after learning about Li Ji looking for him.

"Sure enough, Zhang Jiao and the Northern General of the Gentlemen-at-the-Palace are currently in a stalemate in Guangzong County. The Han army led by the Northern General of the Gentlemen-at-the-Palace has surrounded Guangzong on three sides."

Li Ji muttered, then put down the bamboo slip and fell into deep thought.

For a time, with the support of real information, the battle situation of Julu and Guangzong was reflected in Li Ji's mind more and more clearly, instead of being mostly based on calculations as before.

And that bamboo slip about Guangzong was also circulated among Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei.

Compared with Liu Bei, who was overjoyed to know the situation of his teacher Lu Zhi, Guan Yu pondered for a while, stroked his long beard, and asked suspiciously.

"Mr. Zikun, why does the Northern General of the Gentlemen-at-the-Palace only surround three sides? If they completely encircle Guangzong on all four sides and cut off its food supply, with the number of Yellow Turbans, the food supply would be cut off in less than a month, and they would not be able to last long. At that time, they would collapse without a fight."

Hearing this, Liu Bei confidently抢答道 before Li Ji could speak.

"Second brother, perhaps this is what the 'Art of War: Military Struggle' says: 'Surround the army, must leave a gap.' If they are completely surrounded on all four sides, the Yellow Turbans will run out of food, or it will arouse their determination to fight to the death. Therefore, Master Lu only surrounds three sides, which is intentionally showing a way to survive, so that the Yellow Turbans will not have the heart to die."

Guan Yu praised. "So that's how it is, elder brother is wise."

Zhang Fei even raised his thumb and praised repeatedly. "I also think that elder brother is wise. This high-level discussion is no less than that of Mr. Zikun."

Liu Bei coughed lightly, trying to hide the pride in his heart, with a humble and ashamed expression, but his eyes couldn't help but squint towards Li Ji's direction, hoping to get Li Ji's affirmation.

However, Li Ji listened to the business mutual flattery between the three of Liu Guan and Zhang, and was so embarrassed that he didn't know how to speak.

It must be said that Liu Bei and Guan Yu's views are in line with the way of military strategy, but they are not in line much.

Seriously, Liu Bei is probably on the fifth floor, Guan Yu is on the third floor, and Zhang Fei is estimated to be staying in the underground parking lot.

However, according to Li Ji's judgment, the reason why Lu Zhi "surrounded three and lacked one" was probably on the ninth floor.

Therefore, Li Ji could only remain silent and show a trace of awkward but elegant smile.

Unfortunately, Zhang Fei obviously did not understand Li Ji's good intentions to save face for Liu Bei, and asked loudly.

"Mr. Zikun, do you also think that elder brother's analysis is very correct? How does it compare to you?"

Li Ji made a finger gesture that offended Korea with his thumb and forefinger and said.

"It's almost a little bit."

Seeing this, Liu Bei was already quite satisfied in his heart. Being able to get close to Li Ji to this extent, Liu Bei felt that he had indeed made progress under Li Ji's constant guidance.

However, Zhang Fei asked a little stubbornly. "How much is it specifically? Is there anything wrong with elder brother's analysis?"

Li Ji helplessly picked up three bamboo slips and stacked them together and said. "This is Julu."

He picked up another bamboo slip and placed it on the other corner of the table, pointing and saying.

"This is Guangzong."

"Julu is a big city, Guangzong is a small city. The analysis of Xuande and Yunchang before is not entirely wrong, but according to Zikun's opinion, what the Northern General of the Gentlemen-at-the-Palace is considering is not the Yellow Turbans fighting to the death."

"With the ability of the Northern General of the Gentlemen-at-the-Palace, the field battle against the Yellow Turbans can be described as winning streak after winning streak, and he has completely defeated the morale of the Yellow Turbans, and he no longer has the heart to fight against the Northern General of the Gentlemen-at-the-Palace, so he will shrink into Guangzong with ten times the number."

"Therefore, the North General of the Household's encirclement of Guangzong on three sides, leaving one open, was not about the gains or losses of a single city or piece of land, but rather focused on the overall situation in Ji Province."

"Given the height of Julu's walls and the depth of its moats, if the North General of the Household wanted to besiege and attack it, the difficulty would increase tenfold. Therefore, it's not that the North General of the Household couldn't conquer Guangzong with all his might, but that he didn't want to force the Yellow Turbans to abandon the small city of Guangzong and retreat to the large city of Julu."

As Li Ji's words fell, Liu Bei felt his old face flush red. Guan Yu still squinted, revealing no change in expression, while Zhang Fei widened his eyes, blinked, and smacked his lips.

"I seem to understand, but I also seem not to understand."

Li Ji asked.

"Yide, what do you think is the way to completely quell the Yellow Turban Rebellion? Is it to kill all the Yellow Turban people under heaven? Or to directly take the demonic Zhang Jiao himself? Or is it to completely shatter the beliefs that the Way of Peace upholds?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei's pair of ringed eyes revealed a trace of confusion, and he didn't react for a moment.

Li Ji sighed helplessly, then cut to the chase.

"This is precisely the brilliance of the North General of the Household. The North General of the Household doesn't care about the gains or losses of a single city or piece of land. Even if he conquered Guangzong with all his might, there is still Julu after Guangzong, which would not improve the situation."

"Therefore, the North General of the Household's encirclement of Guangzong is not about Guangzong, nor is it about Julu, but it is aimed at Zhang Jiao himself!"

"Zhang Jiao, who is known as the spokesperson of 'Yellow Heaven' and calls himself 'General of Heaven,' is suppressed by the Han army in Guangzong, not daring to move a single step for even one more day, it is a blow to the morale of the entire Yellow Turban army, and it will make more and more devout believers of the Way of Peace waver in their faith."

"The North General of the Household's encirclement on three sides, leaving one open, surrounds the Yellow Turbans, but what is opened is the breach in the faith of the Way of Peace."

After hearing this, Liu Bei couldn't help but deeply sigh with emotion.

"Lord Lu's strategy is insightful and far-reaching. I, Bei, still don't know when I will be able to grasp even one or two tenths of its essence."

As he spoke the last words, Liu Bei's gaze towards Li Ji unconsciously revealed a few more hints of fervor.

Previously, Liu Bei simply felt that Li Ji was a rare talent in this era, but there had never been a direct and clear comparison.

Now, Li Ji easily saw through Lu Zhi's strategy and the things he had calculated in his heart in an instant, based only on the information provided by some scouts.

Such wisdom is rare in the world!

At this moment, Liu Bei suddenly felt a trace of gratitude.

Fortunately, Zikun is not a member of the Yellow Turbans. If Zhang Jiao had Zikun's full assistance, he might really be able to overturn the heavens!

However, compared to the thoughts of Liu, Guan, and Zhang, Li Ji was more impressed by Lu Zhi's plan, which had the subtlety of "subduing the enemy without fighting," attacking not a single city or piece of land, but rather the hearts of the Yellow Turbans.

However, it was a pity that Lu Zhi couldn't wait to succeed.

A mere eunuch was enough to push a man like Lu Zhi, who could turn the tide, into prison. How many truly selfless and important ministers are there left in the entire imperial court?

To what extent has the entire Han Dynasty decayed?

"I understand!"

Suddenly, Zhang Fei slapped his thigh and roared, startling everyone present.

"Yide, what do you understand?" Liu Bei asked.

Zhang Fei pondered for a moment and said leisurely. "Indeed, Mr. Zikun is more capable in this regard than Big Brother."

? ?

Li Ji.

So all that I just analyzed was completely wasted?

What a Zhang Sanye, only drawing one conclusion from it: that I am more capable than Liu Bei in some aspect?

So, did the Third Master's little brain really entertain the possibility that Liu Bei's wisdom was above mine?

"Yide, you are truly a great mind!"

Li Ji gave a thumbs up and praised.

Zhang Fei grinned and said. "Big Brother, is Mr. Zikun praising me?"

"Consider... consider it so."

Liu Bei didn't dare to expose him, and was even more afraid of being evaluated by Li Ji as a "great mind" as well.

After all, Liu Bei felt that his own elaborate analysis was also a bit like a "great mind", so he didn't dare to speak up and discuss whether he was a "great mind" or not.

Guan Erye was squinting at this moment, as if he was asleep.