Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

Li Ji pondered for a moment and then said,

"If it's only limited to the river surface, then let a trusted, expendable subordinate drill a hole in the bottom of the boat, causing everyone to fall into the water, and then have Bo Fu rescue them."

Li Xiang was stunned upon hearing this and subconsciously replied,

"But… but doing so would cause hundreds of people to fall into the water. Even if the surrounding boats come to rescue them, some people will inevitably die in the river."

"So?" Li Ji asked.

"So what?"

"Wouldn't that make it seem more like an accident? Wouldn't it reduce the amount of suspicion and questioning?" Li Ji asked.

Li Xiang was speechless, but as he pondered, he understood that what Li Ji said was correct.

If the entire ship sank into the Yangtze River, and the expendable subordinate committed suicide, then the truth would be completely hidden in the turbulent river, unknown to anyone. The possibility of suspicion falling on Li Xiang would be minimal.

Sun Ce, being on the same ship, rescuing Li Xiang would seem perfectly reasonable. Sun Ce might even rescue more people, making everything appear natural.

"The existence of a plan is to achieve a certain goal. Sacrifices are inevitable in this process. One can choose which groups to sacrifice, but one must be extremely cautious about sacrificing oneself…"

Li Ji lowered his eyes slightly and said softly.

Originally, Li Ji didn't want to teach Li Xiang these things so early, but since Li Xiang had already begun to learn to scheme at such a young age, then some things had to be exposed to him.

Moreover, the level of scheming can be improved, but the thinking must be correct.

A strategist entering the game personally seems impressive, but in reality, it's often the last resort when there are no other options.

Not every plan should involve oneself. That's not called entering the game; that's called being a suicide bomber.

This was the reason why Li Ji was educating Li Xiang so seriously.

After thinking for a long time, Li Xiang said with some discouragement,

"I understand, Father."

"Then now you can answer my initial question. How did Xiang'er initially plan to rescue Bo Fu?" Li Ji asked.

Li Xiang asked with some confusion,

"How did Father know that the drowning rescue wasn't my initial plan?"

Li Ji sipped his tea and said,

"Bo Fu was first sent back to Wu County, and then there was the relocation of the administrative center. Since you didn't come up with the drowning rescue on a whim, then before the relocation was decided, you must have had other plans. Tell me about them."

Li Xiang hesitated for a long time before weakly saying,

"It's, it's nothing much. I just wanted to create the illusion of sneaking out to sea with the help of the young master."

"Generals Jiang Qin and Gan Ning are both not in Yangzhou. The one who knows the most about going to sea is Brother Bo Fu. Uncle will naturally have to rely on Brother Bo Fu to find someone."

Li Ji's expression stiffened upon hearing this.

With A Dou's cover, Li Xiang could indeed accomplish quite a few things.

It was conceivable that if Li Xiang had really done that, the entire Yangzhou would probably have become lively. A thousand ships racing to the sea would be a light consequence.

Even Liu Bei, fearing something might happen, would have to contact Li Ji to return from Jingzhou in advance.

Immediately, Li Ji's tone, still with some fatherly affection, pointed towards the door and said,

"Xiang'er, go fetch the thing placed outside the door for Father."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiang quickly got up and ran to the door, where he found a strip-shaped object wrapped in red cloth.

Li Xiang carefully picked it up and, while handing the strip-shaped object to Li Ji in the room, did not forget to ask,

"Could this be a gift for Father from someone?"

Li Ji shook his head, unwrapping the red cloth while asking, "Does Xiang'er have any appointments with anyone in the next few days?"

"Yes, the young master has arranged to come and play with me tomorrow, and there's also Sun Ren…"

Before Li Xiang could finish speaking, Li Ji interrupted,

"Cancel them all."

"Why?"

Li Xiang blurted out the question, and at the same time, he saw what was revealed after Li Ji unwrapped the red cloth: a rattan cane as exquisite as a work of art.

This made Li Xiang's pupils shrink, and he felt an ominous premonition.

Li Ji, while nodding in satisfaction at the rattan cane in his hand, said,

"Does Xiang'er know where this thing comes from?"

"No… I don't know."

Li Xiang, vaguely sensing what was coming, couldn't help but take a step back.

Li Ji, while nodding approvingly at the rattan cane in his hand, said,

"It was made by a craftsman I commissioned, using rattan that had been soaked in tung oil for three years, to be a disciplinary whip for my son. Before it was sent to the residence, it was first sent to Zhang Zhongjing for disinfection and coated with a layer of powder that won't leave scars when it injures."

Li Ji naturally coveted the "rattan armor" of the legendary rattan armor soldiers. Not to mention its lightness, its defensive performance was also extremely high.

Even with the disadvantage of being afraid of fire, it could be used as rain gear.

Therefore, Li Ji had people research rattan armor early on, but unfortunately, the results were not satisfactory. Instead, it was simple to try making a rattan cane, and it felt very good in his hand.

Seeing signs of fatherly love collapsing like a landslide, Li Xiang immediately turned around and ran towards the door, shouting,

"Mother…"

However, just as Li Xiang's short legs were about to step over the threshold, a large hand grabbed the back of Li Xiang's neck, directly pulling Li Xiang back and closing the door.

In Li Ji's opinion, rational persuasion and emotional rattan canes complemented each other to form a complete education.

Soon, the sound of rattan cane contacting flesh, accompanied by Li Xiang's cries, brought a different kind of vitality to the mansion.

…

In the front yard of Liu Bei's residence, a barbecue grill was lit, all kinds of ingredients and seasonings were prepared properly, and the fine wine was also warmed.

However, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei were not in a hurry to start the small banquet, but were patiently waiting for Li Ji's arrival.

Li Ji, who was late by a full cup of tea, arrived belatedly, his face full of apologies, explaining,

"Disciplining that rebellious son took a little longer. I broke a sweat and had to change my clothes. I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting."

"It's alright, it's alright."

Zhang Fei quickly invited Li Ji to take a seat, and smelling the fragrant wine, he drooled and asked Liu Bei,

"Big brother, can I start eating yet?"

Liu Bei ignored Zhang Fei, but asked with concern,

"Zikun, Xiang'er didn't really make a mistake. And at his age, being so intelligent and valuing loyalty is not easy. Don't beat Xiang'er too badly."

"It's alright, it's alright, it was just a small punishment as a warning. Xiang'er also knows he was wrong and is preparing to reflect on his mistakes for the next few days," Li Ji replied with a smile.

Seeing that Li Ji was unwilling to elaborate, Liu Bei was helpless. After deciding to visit Li Xiang tomorrow, he began this small banquet where the brothers had rarely gathered.

As the wine flowed, the four people who had reunited after nearly a year seemed to have endless wonderful stories to tell each other.

At this moment, Liu Bei didn't seem like the benevolent and majestic hegemon of Jing and Yang in the eyes of outsiders, and Li Ji didn't seem like the wise man who was considered to have infallible plans.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei also had no prestige to speak of, but were more like two younger brothers who had a rare reunion with their older brothers.

(End of chapter)