Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

Chapter 4: What Plan Can We Devise?

In later generations, saying "I swear on my integrity" would only elicit cheerful laughter.

But in this era, Li Ji's self-attestation, gambling on his integrity in a certain sense, undoubtedly carried immense credibility!

At least, before the "Oath of the Luo River" appeared, this kind of self-attestation, gambling on integrity, was even more convincing than gambling on one's life.

"Ten days, Brother, what do we do?"

Zhang Fei, at a loss for ideas, subconsciously looked towards Liu Bei, whom he trusted the most. Liu Bei, with a burning gaze, looked at Li Ji and bowed.

"Zikun, I beg you to save the people of Zhuo County. I am endlessly grateful."

Li Ji, hearing this, said helplessly, "Ji is just a commoner scholar. Even if I have the heart to kill the bandits, my strength alone is extremely weak. How can I save them?"

"I, along with my sworn brothers Yunchang and Yide, are forming a righteous army. We already have five hundred men, which can be of assistance," Liu Bei said repeatedly.

"Five hundred?"

Li Ji's eyes lit up, and his gaze towards Liu Bei seemed to change, as he asked.

"So, Brother Xuande has long had the heart to save and protect the people, and has already taken the first step in forming a righteous army. Ji admires you."

Liu Bei tried hard not to let the corners of his mouth rise, and said humbly.

"Now that we have Zikun's warning, if we quickly join forces with the Prefect and gather the troops from all over Zhuo County, we may not be unable to resist."

But Li Ji pondered for a moment, shook his head, and said.

"Moreover, as far as I know, Zhuo County has few generals and few soldiers. Even if a large number of righteous troops join as a vital force, there is still a fatal problem."

"What problem?" Liu Bei asked.

Li Ji raised his head, looked at Liu Bei, and slowly said.

"Currently, the one in charge of the military affairs of Zhuo County is Colonel Zou Jing, the Vanquisher of Bandits. This man is suitable as a vanguard, but has absolutely no talent as a commander. Furthermore, the Prefect of Zhuo County, Liu Yan, has already been frightened out of his wits by the Yellow Turban bandits, and I'm afraid he will only be willing to hold the city and defend it to the death."

"The Yellow Turban bandits are not good at attacking cities. At that time, the people in the city may be able to survive, but the large number of people outside the city will inevitably suffer the disaster of the Yellow Turbans."

Hearing these words, Liu Bei felt his hair stand on end, as if he could vaguely see the overwhelming Yellow Turban bandits like locusts, engulfing the entire Zhuo County, and even spreading to the entire You Province.

Perhaps, in the eyes of Prefect Liu Yan, as long as the city is not broken, then he will have rendered meritorious service and will not have to worry about the imperial court punishing him for this reason.

But Liu Bei, who also lived at the very bottom of this era, knew even more clearly that once the large number of people living outside the city were looted by the Yellow Turban bandits, they would either starve and become refugees, or they would only be able to join the Yellow Turbans and be assimilated into them.

The common people at the bottom are too miserable and too difficult!

They spend their days buried in the fields, and must also pray for favorable weather to ensure that they have enough food to survive the coming year, unable to withstand the slightest impact.

Just then, a cold and arrogant voice came from outside the house. Guan Yu, with a face like a heavy jujube and a long beard like a waterfall under his jaw, stepped in and asked.

"Prefect of Zhuo County, Liu Yan, is also a dignified member of the Han imperial clan. Why do you assert that he has been frightened out of his wits?"

Seeing Guan Yu's arrival, Li Ji's heart subconsciously trembled, fearing that Guan Yu would say, "Have you read the Spring and Autumn Annals?"

However, Li Ji remained calm on the surface and casually said.

"Looking at the thirteen states and one hundred and four counties of the Great Han, I am afraid that Liu Yan is the only prefect who, upon hearing of the arrival of the bandits, hastily issued a notice calling for righteous armies from the people to respond, which is enough to show that he has lost his composure."

Hearing these words, Liu, Guan, and Zhang were immediately speechless.

Previously, Liu, Guan, and Zhang had not understood the absurdity in Liu Yan's announcement, but at this moment, they suddenly reacted.

The Yellow Turban bandits are essentially also righteous armies. Liu Yan is now placing his hopes on another group of righteous armies, which can be described as grasping at straws.

More importantly, Liu Yan's announcement gives these righteous armies legitimacy, which is extremely likely to create a situation of separate regimes.

Therefore, in Li Ji's view, Liu Yan is either stupid or evil!

From the perspective of the Great Han Dynasty, whether it is Liu Yan's announcement of righteous armies or the later proposed state pastoral system, the damage caused to this sunset dynasty is no less than the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

Of course, now, as a member of the Han imperial clan who is truly recognized by the imperial court, Liu Yan has an excellent reputation and is highly respected by the world. Therefore, Li Ji did not fully express his inner evaluation, only implying that Liu Yan had lost his composure, and inferred Liu Yan's subsequent plans to deal with the Yellow Turbans.

However, even so, in Li Ji's few words, he completely analyzed the originally hazy situation clearly in front of the three brothers Liu, Guan, and Zhang, who were only filled with enthusiasm.

"Bang!"

Zhang Fei slammed his fist on the wall violently and said indignantly.

"That birdman is also a member of the Han imperial clan, so unwise and cowardly, afraid before the battle. Are we just going to let the Yellow Turban bandits wreak havoc in Yan Prefecture?"

"Third Brother, the Yellow Turbans are powerful. Perhaps the Prefect is just trying to take the overall situation into consideration," Liu Bei said.

But his clenched fists and tense cheeks were enough to show that Liu Bei's heart was far from as calm as it appeared on the surface.

For Liu Bei and Zhang Fei, Zhuo County was their hometown, and those who were about to suffer were all their fellow villagers.

Now, Liu Yan lightly wants to treat a large number of fellow villagers as abandoned children, how could Liu Bei and Zhang Fei not be angry.

"Could it be that there is really no way to do anything?" Guan Yu stroked his long beard, and also said with considerable reluctance.

"Brother, no, I cannot stand by and watch the people suffer. If that birdman Liu Yan really intends to hold firm and not go out, I will also go out of the city and fight the Yellow Turban bandits to the death."

Zhang Fei said angrily.

"Third Brother, Guan will go with you," Guan Yu also replied in a deep voice.

"Second Brother, Third Brother, war is a major affair of the state, the land of life and death, the way of survival and extinction, and must be carefully observed. We should plan before acting, how can we act only with a burst of courage?"

Liu Bei, also with a grim face, reprimanded Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's behavior, and then said.

"Moreover, it is not yet the point where we need to put ourselves in a desperate situation. There are still ten days, and there may be a turning point."

"Brother, what turning point can there be? To persuade that birdman Liu Yan to actively resist the Yellow Turbans? Or to arrange for the people outside the city to enter the city as soon as possible to take refuge?" Zhang Fei retorted.

This sentence undoubtedly made Liu Bei silent.

Even though Liu Bei claimed to be a member of the Han imperial clan, he had not had any contact with Prefect Liu Yan before, otherwise he would not have been reduced to making straw sandals for a living.

As for arranging for the people outside the city to take refuge, not to mention whether those people would be willing to give up all their belongings with just a few words.

More importantly, the space inside the city is limited, and in order to avoid the possibility of Yellow Turban spies mixed in, Liu Yan would never let the people enter the city.

For a time, Liu Bei's heart unconsciously sank, feeling a burst of powerlessness at the difference between ideals and reality. They had sworn brotherhood and formed a righteous army to protect the people of Zhuo County.

Now, they can only watch a large number of people outside the city be abandoned?

"A turning point, it's not that there isn't one."

Suddenly, a calm voice entered the ears of Liu, Guan, and Zhang, and then they quickly looked towards Li Ji, who was standing by the window, looking into the distance, seemingly having a well-thought-out plan.

"Zikun, what plan can we devise?" Liu Bei asked urgently.

"Is there charcoal?" Li Ji asked.

Liu Bei was stunned for a moment, and then looked towards Zhang Fei.

Understanding, Zhang Fei hurried away, and when he returned, he directly held a large amount of charcoal and placed it in front of Li Ji, ready to light a fire for Li Ji.

???!

Li Ji.

Zhang Fei's somewhat silly behavior could not help but make Li Ji smile wryly, and then he stopped Zhang Fei's behavior, casually picked up a moderate piece of charcoal, and began to draw on the wall behind him.

Soon, under Li Ji's drawing, mountains and rivers gradually appeared in front of Liu, Guan, and Zhang.

"Brother, what is he doing? The Yellow Turban bandits are coming, and he is still painting?"

Listening to Zhang Fei's muttering, Liu Bei looked at the mountains and rivers drawn on the wall, but his eyes unconsciously lit up, and he said in shock.

"Topographical map! This is a topographical map of the entire Zhuo County!"

Hearing these words, Guan Yu's squinting phoenix eyes also unconsciously widened a little.

For the wars of this era, the importance of topographical maps is self-evident, enough to allow one side to firmly occupy the initiative of geographical advantage among "favorable weather, geographical advantage, and harmony among the people."

In Liu Bei's eyes, the most amazing thing was that Li Ji was actually drawing the topographical map of the entire Zhuo County out of thin air.

What Liu Bei didn't know was that Li Ji had been preparing for this moment for two and a half years, walking around the vast Zhuo County with his own feet.

More importantly, Li Ji used to be a fine arts student!

Do you understand the gold content of a history-loving and failed fine arts student? It is natural to draw topographical maps by hand.

At this moment, not to mention whether Li Ji's other inferences were correct, this hand alone completely convinced Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, and their eyes towards Li Ji truly had a few more points of respect.

In less than a moment, a topographical map including the entire Zhuo County was drawn by Li Ji on the wall with a piece of charcoal.

Li Ji threw away the remaining half of the charcoal in his hand, turned his back to the topographical map behind him, and looked at Liu, Guan, and Zhang in front of him and said.

"Before this, I don't know if the three of you know why the Yellow Turban bandits invaded You Province?"

These words undoubtedly made Liu, Guan, and Zhang fall into deep thought, but they did not know how to answer.

Li Ji continued to speak.

"The Yellow Turban bandit leader Zhang Jiao's base camp is located in Julu, Ji Province. To the north is You Province, and to the west is Luoyang. However, the Yellow Turban Rebellion's intention to directly attack Luoyang has obviously been frustrated, and it must have been blocked by the imperial army, unable to advance an inch."

"Therefore, Zhang Jiao sent a detachment to attack Youzhou, firstly to attract the imperial court's attention, and secondly to use the Yellow Turban bandits' unique method of coercing more civilians, attempting to occupy Youzhou in a snowball effect, and then return to Ji Province, overwhelming the imperial army with absolute numbers."

This clear and logical analysis undoubtedly enlightened Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, allowing them to understand the current situation and marvel at Li Ji's ability to sit in Zhuo County and yet be so well-informed about the general trend of the world.

Subsequently, Li Ji drew a circle on the southern part of the map, and said.

"According to my deduction, this group of Yellow Turban bandits is probably within this range, and because their goal is to coerce more civilians into a massive force, their route will be…"

Li Ji's finger slowly drew a line on the map, its endpoint pointing directly to Zhuo County, the seat of Zhuo Commandery.

"Mr. Zikun, how should we respond?"

At this moment, even the most arrogant Guan Yu unconsciously used an honorific when addressing Li Ji, asking.

"Firstly, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. The Yellow Turban bandits will coerce a large number of civilians along the way. These civilians are both the Yellow Turban bandits' weapons and shields, and consumables in the eyes of the Yellow Turban bandits, so confirming the location and number of the Yellow Turban bandits' main force is particularly crucial."

After a pause, Li Ji asked, "I wonder how many horses you have at your disposal now?"

"Mr. Zikun, twenty-two horses," Zhang Fei replied quickly.

Zhang Fei's honorific made Li Ji pause slightly, then he continued, "In my humble opinion, Yide should find nineteen righteous men, each with a horse, to act as scouts, searching for the Yellow Turban bandits along the route I mentioned, in order to grasp the specific information of the Yellow Turban bandits as soon as possible."

"Mr. Zikun, leave this matter to me!" Zhang Fei patted his chest and agreed.

"Secondly, recruit soldiers!"

Li Ji continued, "Five hundred men! That's too few! Not to mention that the number of Yellow Turban bandits easily exceeds ten thousand, more importantly, the number of righteous soldiers is too small, how can we make Governor Liu Yan take us seriously?"

These words made Liu Bei look embarrassed.

Liu Bei and Guan Yu were poor.

The only true wealthy person present was Zhang Fei.

Maintaining five hundred righteous soldiers had already caused Zhang Fei to sell most of his family property.

Wanting to recruit more brave men, even if Zhang Fei was willing to sell all his property, it would probably be a drop in the bucket.

Liu Bei said somewhat helplessly and ashamed, "Zikun, it's not that I'm unwilling to do this, it's just that the military funds are currently provided by my third brother, and he has already exhausted everything. Recruiting more brave men is really beyond our means."

Not every army can achieve complete annihilation without collapsing, relying solely on faith and will.

Money! Food!

These are the most basic conditions for maintaining an army. This is the reality, the true reality.

"Xuande, how long is the supply of these five hundred men prepared for?" Li Ji asked.

"Half a year," Liu Bei replied.

Li Ji couldn't help but feel a sense of shock in his heart upon hearing this.

This rich guy is really rich.

The cost of maintaining five hundred people for half a year is no small amount. Zhang Fei is indeed a wealthy clan in Zhuo County.

However, when he thought of how Cao Cao, when he was讨董 (joining the coalition against Dong Zhuo), was easily able to raise five thousand men with the financial support of his father, Cao Song, and his friend Wei Zi, Li Ji felt the gap even more.

This is also why, among the warlords in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Bei was the only one who could be considered of humble origins.

The difference in family wealth was too great!

Even if Zhang Fei exhausted his family property, it would probably be just pocket money in Cao Cao's eyes, let alone compared to Yuan Shao, who came from a family with four generations of high officials.

However, these thoughts only flashed through Li Ji's mind, and his face returned to that calm smile as he said.

"Xuande, you have entered a misunderstanding. Why keep half a year's worth of money and food? It is enough to guarantee ten days' worth."

Liu Bei was stunned at first, then suddenly reacted.

Indeed, if they were not victorious after ten days, more money and food would only be supplying the enemy.