Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

Unlike the torrential rains in Linyi, Wu County had been enjoying rather pleasant weather these past few days.

With the "Grand Military Exercise" drawing near, the various lords and family representatives who had been invited were also arriving in Wu County one after another.

With Liu Bei's prestige as "Deputy Alliance Leader" not yet completely dissipated, coupled with Liu Bei's lightning-fast control of Yang Province, he had undoubtedly leaped to become one of the leading lords of the era.

Before the lords of the land completely broke face and entered a state of chaotic war, the various lords naturally wouldn't deny Liu Bei some face.

Therefore, the various lords and families sent either direct descendants or high-level core members.

Yuan Tan, Cao Ang, Gongsun Xu, Liu Qi, Ma Chao…

For a time, Wu County became a gathering place for the second generation of lords from all over the land.

Moreover, the fame of Wu County's prosperity gradually spread throughout the entire Han Dynasty, and many people undoubtedly came with the intention of witnessing and exploring the changes in Wu County.

At this time, the benefit of having a son early was reflected.

Compared to the second generation of lords, A Dou was still at the age of running errands and often playing with small gold beans as marbles.

Under Li Ji's influence, the teahouses, which originally had rather limited functions, also flourished in Wu County into a teahouse format.

In addition to drinking tea, there were also storytelling, operas, ditties, and other forms of entertainment, which on the one hand could meet the needs of a large number of scholars, and on the other hand, could be used to subtly influence some ideological aspects.

For example, the teahouse that Li Ji was currently sitting in was performing an opera that had undergone a leapfrog development under Li Ji's instructions.

The name of this piece was "Romeo and the Mountain Yue Girl," which praised the tortuous story of the Mountain Yue people leaving the mountains, breaking prejudices, and bravely walking to the end with Han men.

This piece was very popular in Wu County today; the Han people loved to listen to it, and the Mountain Yue people loved to listen to it even more.

Only Li Ji listened with his hand on his forehead, while Jia Xu, who was sitting opposite Li Ji, listened with relish.

Compared to a month ago, Jia Xu's skin had noticeably darkened by several shades, and even the person had lost several circles of weight.

After learning that he needed to participate in the Grand Military Exercise, Jia Xu, who neither wanted to lose face nor was worried about his life, ran directly to the military camp to train for a month, barely picking up the horsemanship and swordsmanship that he had lost for many years.

Born in Xiliang, Jia Xu was not a weak scholar; in fact, as a Xiliang person, Jia Xu could be described as proficient in archery and horsemanship.

Otherwise, when Jia Xu walked alone in Xiliang in those years, he would have been killed by the rampant horse thieves and bandits.

Jia Xu's gaining weight and becoming fat were all nurtured after joining Liu Bei's group.

When Li Ji first met Jia Xu, he was a lean man.

Just then, two scholars, one fat and one thin, walked in at the entrance of the teahouse, followed by four or five close-fitting guards.

"Liu Qi? Liu Zhang?"

Li Ji took a sip of tea, and a look of inquiry appeared in his eyes.

Because Li Ji was sitting in the uppermost private room that was not open to the public, and there was also a thin gauze screen, even if Liu Qi and Liu Zhang were sitting in the next best upper seats, they could not see Li Ji clearly.

On the contrary, Li Ji, who was sitting high up, could have a panoramic view of Liu Qi and Liu Zhang's behavior and reactions.

Noticing Li Ji's gaze, Jia Xu also looked over.

While looking at the performance below again, Jia Xu casually asked.

"Is there a problem?"

"There is indeed a bit of a problem; these two… are a little too close."

Li Ji replied.

The Brocade-Clad Guards would naturally closely monitor the representatives of the various lords and families who set foot in Wu County.

As far as Li Ji knew, the relationship between Liu Qi and Liu Zhang was not good in the anti-Dong Alliance before.

Because Liu Biao in Jing Province was blocking the passage from Yi Province to the outside, Liu Biao and Liu Yan were also mutually tense and vigilant, which also led to little contact between Liu Qi and Liu Zhang.

However, after Liu Zhang arrived in Wu County, Liu Qi frequently invited Liu Zhang to travel around Wu County.

This was quite abnormal…

"Is Zikun worried about an alliance between Yi and Jing Provinces?"

Jia Xu raised his eyebrows and then smiled.

"This is impossible; neither Liu Biao nor Liu Yan are fools who are willing to be subordinate to others. Moreover, Liu Biao would never dare to let Liu Yan leave Sichuan, lest he destroy Guo on the pretext of passing through; Liu Yan would never dare to let Liu Biao enter Sichuan, as this would be a death wish."

"The two can only fight each other; there is absolutely no possibility of forming an alliance."

Li Ji also quite agreed with Jia Xu's conclusion.

However, what Li Ji was puzzled about was not only Liu Qi's abnormal reaction but also Liu Zhang's trip to Sichuan.

As far as Li Ji knew, Liu Yan had already begun to pave the way for Liu Zhang in Yi Province, so Li Ji thought that Liu Zhang would most likely not come to Wu County in person.

"Furthermore, Liu Zhang can still come to Wu County in person at this moment; could it be that Liu Yan's serious illness is fake news?"

"It is also possible to do the opposite and deliberately bluff people."

Jia Xu said another possibility.

"After all, even though Yi Province has natural dangers, it is not stable. There are remnants of the Dong thieves eyeing it covetously in front, and Jing Province blocking the exit to the river in the back."

"Especially since the remnants of the Dong thieves are shrinking in the Three Auxiliary Regions, but still have a large number of Xiliang iron cavalry, with strong soldiers and horses; the best choice would be to enter Sichuan to seize Yi Province as a foundation, accumulate strength, and plan for future plans."

"Therefore, Liu Yizhou's current situation is somewhat like being surrounded by a pack of wolves, not daring to show the slightest weakness."

Li Ji nodded and said, "There is no need to guess about this matter; there will soon be a conclusion."

This made Jia Xu stunned.

Whether Liu Yan was seriously ill or not was far-reaching and involved a great deal. Liu Yan had also fully blocked all relevant news and could only speculate from the few pieces of information that had been investigated. How could there be a conclusion?

After Liu Qi and Liu Zhang were seated downstairs, an ugly-looking scholar whispered a few words to Liu Zhang. Liu Zhang, whose attention was completely attracted by the performance below, waved his hand absentmindedly, meaning to go quickly and come back quickly.

Immediately, the ugly-looking scholar left in a hurry. After turning a corner, he went straight to the top floor.

After seeing Li Ji sitting on the top floor, a look of joy flashed in the ugly-looking scholar's eyes. Just as he was about to speak, he closed his mouth again after noticing Jia Xu sitting opposite Li Ji.

"It doesn't matter; this is Jia Wenhe from Wuwei. Like Ziqiao, he is also my friend."

Li Ji got up and greeted him with a smile.

Hearing this, Zhang Song could no longer hide the excitement on his face and said, "It's been several months since we last met. Is the Marquis well?"

Li Ji responded, and then invited Zhang Song to sit down.

Zhang Song looked excited and honored and sat down next to him, treating Jia Xu as a transparent person, without even meaning to greet Jia Xu, impatiently chatting with Li Ji.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, under Jia Xu's astonished gaze, Li Ji directly asked.

"I heard that Liu Yizhou is seriously ill? I wonder if this is true or false."

?

?

?

Jia Xu.

This is too direct, isn't it?

Zhang Song is at least Liu Zhang's confidant. Even if Li Ji and Zhang Song have a close personal relationship, if you want to pry such important information from Zhang Song's mouth, you should at least ask indirectly.

Asking so directly, even a fool would be wary and remain silent.

However, what made Jia Xu's expression slightly stiff was Zhang Song's unhesitating answer.

"It's true!" (End of this chapter)