Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

Chapter 68: Loyalty to the Emperor and Love for the Country… Jia Wenhe?

Li Ji heard this and showed no embarrassment at having his thoughts exposed, but instead asked a question.

"Jia Wenhe, now that you are in my estate, your life and death are in my hands. If I truly wanted to wrongly kill you, why would I go to such lengths?"

"Even if I were to stab you to death with my sword and then leave you in a remote part of Julu City, I could easily find a few Yellow Turban remnants to pin the crime on. Why would I need evidence to prove anything to anyone?"

Jia Xu's expression shifted slightly upon hearing this.

Since being brought back to the estate by Zhao Yun and temporarily escaping danger, Jia Xu had been pondering and noticed several illogical points.

If Li Ji truly harbored resentment, his reaction upon first hearing the name Jia Wenhe would have been more than just a hint of shock.

During the conversation at the banquet, Li Ji's face showed no resentment from beginning to end. Otherwise, Jia Xu would not have rashly left the side hall with him.

More importantly, Jia Xu knew that if he had been the one to devise such a poisonous scheme, the current situation would be very different…

Not eliminating the root of the problem?

Jia Xu was certain that this was not his style. Not to mention, he would never intentionally leave a blood-written name in the baby's swaddling clothes.

Sixteen years ago, Jia Xu was already twenty-one years old. Even at eleven years old, he would not have done something so disastrous.

Therefore, after eliminating all the inhuman possibilities, Jia Xu was left with only two possibilities: either an enemy was framing him, or Li Ji was talking nonsense.

And an enemy framing him wouldn't have targeted only a swaddled infant, so…

Li Zikun is talking nonsense!

Jia Xu sneered. Although Li Ji's words were logical, they did not align with human nature.

When logic contradicts human nature, Jia Xu trusts human nature more, understanding that the overall illogicality is simply because he is being misled about certain information.

"Master Zikun, you and I are both wise men, so why continue playing these games? Just speak plainly," Jia Xu said.

"Master Wenhe, too much intelligence can lead to a short life," Li Ji replied.

"If one is stubbornly foolish, this place might very well be Jia Wenhe's burial ground," Jia Xu retorted.

Li Ji asked back.

"In that case, why did Master Wenhe hide in Niu Fu's army, pretending to be crazy and selling foolishness? Were you not afraid of being treated as a discarded pawn and dying in a foreign land?"

"This is one situation, that is another."

Jia Xu stroked his few long whiskers and said.

"Under Dong Zhuo, one should deeply conceal their brilliance. Although he is not a wise ruler, he does take care of Niu Fu. And Dong Zhuo has a rising momentum, so why worry about danger?"

"On the contrary…"

Li Ji shook his head, then stood up, cupped his hands towards Jia Xu, and bowed, saying.

"Ji apologizes for my previous rudeness during the banquet, but there was a reason. My intention was to save Master Wenhe's life, unable to bear seeing Master Wenhe unknowingly in a sea of fire and knives."

"Oh?"

At this moment, Jia Xu, understanding that his life was in Li Ji's hands, was not in a hurry and responded.

Li Ji then continued.

"Dong Zhuo! In my opinion, Dong Zhuo truly has the heart of a jackal and wolf. Now that he has not gained power, he still has some humility and heroic demeanor, but when he gains power one day, he will surely deceive the emperor and disrupt the court, leaving a bad name for centuries."

"At that time, not to mention whether Master Wenhe's posthumous reputation will also be tainted. More importantly, how can such a person last long? As a scholar under Dong Zhuo, can Master Wenhe be able to protect himself and retreat completely after Dong Zhuo's death?"

These words caused Jia Xu's eyes to widen slightly as he looked at Li Ji in surprise.

Even though Jia Xu had accompanied Niu Fu to visit Dong Zhuo many times, it took him several months to determine Dong Zhuo's jackal-like heart.

It was hard to imagine that Li Ji could see through it at a glance?

It should be known that Dong Zhuo, now the Inspector of Bing Province and the Administrator of Hedong Commandery, has an excellent reputation in the outside world, being seen as a loyal and patriotic brave general.

Furthermore, Dong Zhuo had long joined the Yuan clan, who had held high positions for four generations, so he lacked neither foundation nor connections.

Therefore, Jia Xu concluded that Dong Zhuo had a great rising momentum. As long as the Yuan clan did not fall, there was no need to worry about Dong Zhuo losing power and collapsing.

(PS: The *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* does not mention the relationship between Dong Zhuo and the Yuan clan, but in fact, Dong Zhuo joined the Yuan clan during the Xiping years, and was recruited by the Minister Yuan Wei as a clerk. In the following few years, he achieved a three-level jump and was appointed as the Inspector of Bing Province and the Administrator of Hedong Commandery.

This fully explains why Yuan Shao specifically recommended Dong Zhuo to the General-in-Chief He Jin to lead troops into Luoyang, because in the eyes of He Jin and Yuan Shao, Dong Zhuo was a staunch member of their own.

After that, Dong Zhuo wreaked havoc in Luoyang, and all the other officials were in danger, but Yuan Shao was the only one who could confront Dong Zhuo face-to-face and still leave Luoyang safely, and Yuan Wei could still sit firmly in the Three Dukes position afterwards.

It was not until Yuan Shao gathered the Eighteen Route Princes to讨 Dong that the two sides completely tore off their masks.)

However, today was only the first time Li Ji had met Dong Zhuo, yet Li Ji had so accurately judged Dong Zhuo's character?

Moreover, Li Ji had also judged that Dong Zhuo possessed a rising momentum?

Suddenly, Jia Xu recalled that the only two people Li Ji had spent a considerable amount of time communicating with at the banquet, besides himself, were with Xu You.

At that time, Jia Xu had even glanced at Li Ji and Xu You a few times.

'Could it be that he judged that Dong Zhuo had the potential to rise with the help of the Yuan clan, based solely on the information he obtained from communicating with Xu You?'

In just a moment, Jia Xu had sorted everything out clearly.

It was precisely because of this that Jia Xu was even more shocked by Li Ji's discerning eye, which made Jia Xu believe a bit more that Li Ji wanted to pull him out of the fire pit.

"So, in Master Zikun's opinion, Liu Xuande is more valuable?" Jia Xu sharply retorted.

"Hahaha…"

Li Ji laughed a few times and said.

"Master Wenhe, how can you compare my lord to Dong Zhuo? Do you not know that fireflies cannot compete with the bright moon?"

"Jackals and wolves are fierce and ruthless, and can show temporary power, but one must know that the soaring dragon will regret it if it goes too far. Such a person, even if he gains power one day, will surely end up with no place to be buried."

"And my lord, Liu Bei, has benevolence in his heart, great ambitions, and cares for the people of the world. He possesses the bloodline of the Gaozu Emperor and has pacified the Yellow Turbans. Even without family connections, his position is as stable as Mount Tai. He can sit in one corner and watch the world move. At that time…"

Li Ji suddenly stood up, waved his long sleeves, pointed straight up, and said loudly.

"My lord, can advance to restore the Han Dynasty, continue the Great Han, pacify the chaotic world, and leave his name in history; retreat…"

Li Ji's finger casually drew a circle in front of his chest and said with a smile.

"My lord can also protect the people in one area, and there is no need to worry that my lord will have the unyielding spirit of a tyrant, unwilling to cross the Wujiang River and commit suicide after defeat. He will surely allow his subordinates to live and work in peace, for a long, long… time…"

When he said the last words, Li Ji raised his eyebrows at Jia Xu.

The words "long, long time" undoubtedly struck a chord in Jia Xu's heart.

Naturally, what Jia Xu was thinking about was not a long-lasting relationship, but that his own life could be long and lasting, without having to worry about dying unexpectedly one day.

Li Ji spoke with great righteousness, but in fact, Jia Xu only heard one sentence from it: "Advance to seize the world, retreat to protect one area, standing in an invincible position."

Honest people don't speak secret words!

A strategist and wise man of Jia Xu's level could not fail to see that the Han Dynasty was already deeply troubled and that its complete collapse was foreseeable.

Therefore, Jia Xu was once recommended as a Filial and Incorrupt Official and appointed as a Lang Guan, but he resigned on the pretext of illness because he did not want to be involved in the vortex of the court.

Li Ji's answer was implicitly answering some of Jia Xu's doubts.

That is, even if the Han Dynasty unexpectedly remained strong, with Liu Bei's meritorious service in pacifying the Yellow Turbans, as long as he didn't act recklessly as the Administrator of Jiangdong, he could almost lie on his laurels and eat for the rest of his life without worrying about being deprived of his position by the court.

Staying away from the political vortex, staying in Jiangdong, waiting for the right time to advance or retreat…

These advantages, which Li Ji could not openly declare at the banquet, undoubtedly made Jia Xu's heart flutter.

Jia Xu chooses a master, completely disregarding whether the lord is a waste, and undoubtedly cares about whether he can protect Wenhe.

Currently, in Li Ji's words, Liu Bei undoubtedly completely fits Jia Xu's image of a perfect lord, highlighting that following Liu Bei seems to have foreseeable safety.

In comparison, Dong Zhuo, if he gains power one day, will indeed have the possibility of dying without a burial place as Li Ji said, which will inevitably implicate me, Jia Wenhe.

However, as Jia Xu's thoughts moved, a hint of helplessness appeared on his face, and he said.

"I thank Master Zikun in advance for his love and recommendation, but I have already received the kindness of General Niu Fu, so how can I easily switch to Liu Xuande's command?"

After a pause, Jia Xu continued.

"Furthermore, although I am not talented, I also have some loyalty to the Emperor and love for the country. Joining Dong Zhuo's command is not impossible to try to dissuade General Dong Zhuo and make him support the Han Dynasty."

Loyalty to the Emperor and love for the country… Jia Wenhe???

This description is completely comparable to the resourceful Zhang Yide.

It's fortunate that Jia Xu is shameless enough, otherwise how could he say such shameless words with such a gentle and refined demeanor?

Immediately, Li Ji said faintly.

"Master Wenhe is not even willing to call General Niu Fu his lord, so how can it be considered switching to someone else's command? Furthermore…"

Li Ji scanned Jia Xu up and down and then said.

"I can tell at a glance that Dong Zhuo is not a human being, but a jackal and wolf. How can I not see what kind of person Jia Wenhe is? Master Wenhe just said that we can be frank with each other, but now you are teasing me instead?"

As Li Ji spoke, he seemingly inadvertently placed his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

Instantly, a surge of anger welled up within Jia Xu, but it was fleeting, replaced by a genuine smile on his face.

After all, the sword at Jia Xu's waist had long been taken away by Zhao Yun. Now unarmed, and with the two sides separated by no more than a zhang, Jia Xu naturally wouldn't want to test whether he could catch a blade bare-handed with one hundred percent certainty.

“How could I possibly make fun of Master Zikun? It's just that Master Zikun, in the name of harming my entire clan, forcibly brought me here. Even if I, Jia Wenhe, don't care about reputation, I fear Liu Xuande would still harbor many misgivings. How could he possibly accept me?”