Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

Chapter 86: The Mi Family Enters Wu Commandery

Does Zikun like married women?

This wouldn't be a problem...

The problem is that Liu Bei couldn't think of any married woman worthy of his Zikun as his legal wife.

Moreover, Zikun has no elders or relatives in his family, and Liu Bei has always been quite anxious about Li Ji's marriage.

And when Liu Bei secretly inquired with Jia Xu, Jia Xu also suggested that Liu Bei arrange Li Ji's marriage as soon as possible, saying:

【This branch of the Li family in Longxi still needs to rely on Zikun to spread its branches and leaves. The more wives and concubines Duke Xuande arranges for Zikun, the better, so as to focus Zikun's energy on the right path.】

Of course, Liu Bei naturally didn't know that Jia Xu's suggestion was entirely to keep Li Ji busy with farming, to maintain harmony, and to prevent him from causing trouble for Jia Xu every day.

On the contrary, Liu Bei gained the support of Jia Xu, nominally as a half-elder, and naturally took this matter to heart completely.

And at this moment, Mi Zhu, Mi Fang, and Mi Yun all came to visit, and even brought Mi Yun to apologize to Li Ji.

After the banquet dispersed yesterday, Mi Zhu and Mi Fang also immediately found Mi Yun to understand the situation.

Although Mi Zhu was a little annoyed that the rumored Li Sanqian was too rude and lascivious, actually teasing female relatives on the first day of his visit.

However, if Li Sanqian intended to marry the Mi family, it would undoubtedly be a good thing for the Mi family.

However, after understanding the cause and effect from Mi Yun's mouth, Mi Zhu and Mi Fang realized that this was just a misunderstanding. It was Mi Yun who secretly ran to the main hall and ran into Li Ji, and the two sides only had a few exchanges. Instead, Mi Yun was too timid and frightened the honored guest.

It was precisely because Mi Zhu heard the words "Three thousand is hard to exchange for Li Sanqian's one night" from Mi Yun that he couldn't help but bring Mi Yun over to apologize early in the morning.

"Mr. Zikun, my younger sister was ignorant and frightened you, sir. Those inappropriate words were privately discussed by the maids who take care of my younger sister, and she accidentally overheard them. I have scolded those maids and expelled them from the mansion. Please forgive us."

Mi Zhu's attitude was quite sincere and serious, even to the point of being cautious.

After all, these matters that damage one's reputation can be considered either big or small.

"Children's words are just a joke, not to be taken seriously. Ji also didn't take it to heart, so Zizhong doesn't need to worry about it."

Li Ji quickly helped up Mi Zhu, who was bowing and cupping his hands, and then looked at Mi Yun, who was shrinking at Mi Zhu's feet and looking at him timidly, and showed a gentle smile, winking secretly.

Regarding this kind of rumors of male favorites, Li Ji naturally couldn't not be annoyed, but it was impossible to vent his anger on Mi Yun, a loli who wasn't even as tall as his knee.

At Mi Yun's age, what ability does she have to distinguish? Naturally, she believes whatever she hears.

The hateful thing is, who is creating these rumors to ruin my reputation?

This made Li Ji more determined in his heart that he would raise the priority of building the "Brocade-Clad Guard" somewhat sooner or later, which could not only investigate intelligence but also quietly guide and control various rumors.

No matter what era it is, rumors and public opinion are a great weapon, which is also a weapon that Li Ji must control in his hands no matter what.

It's just that Li Ji didn't notice that Liu Bei, who was standing aside, watched the subtle exchange of expressions between Li Ji and Mi Yun the entire time.

Doesn't Zikun clearly like those younger than himself?

Could it be that Zikun only verbally dislikes it, but his body is instinctively honest and likes the Mi family's young lady?

This made Liu Bei fall into deep thought.

And after the misunderstanding was cleared up, Mi Zhu once again warmly invited Liu Bei and Li Ji to visit the Mi family's various industries.

The Mi family is indeed a wealthy merchant in Xu Province. In this era of extremely low commercial competition, the Mi family's industries are almost involved in all aspects, all of which are visible profits.

However, this is not the free economy of later generations.

From Mi Zhu's complaints, Li Ji also understood the current difficulties and problems of the Mi family.

Whenever the Mi family's business reaches a city, the local officials, aristocratic families, wealthy clans, and other relationships need to be cleared, and most of the profits need to be distributed.

In a sense, the Mi family, lacking a background of sufficient weight, has almost become a complete tool person.

As for countering through commercial means, that is also impossible.

The commercial sector is not prosperous in the current era. The vast majority of ordinary people still maintain a self-sufficient stage of bartering. The Mi family's commercial targets are more often facing wealthy classes such as aristocratic families and officials.

Moreover, these aristocratic families and officials also have fields in their homes, and even they also have various businesses and industries. It is simply impossible to counter them from a commercial perspective, and they gradually become fish to be slaughtered.

As Mi Zhu narrated one by one, Liu Bei listened and nodded vaguely, which can be described as greatly increasing his knowledge, while Li Ji fell into deep thought.

And Mi Zhu also glanced at Li Ji from time to time, observing the changes in Li Ji's expression.

Although there has never been a saying in the rumors that Li Ji is good at business, Mi Zhu also hopes to get some guidance from Li Ji, otherwise he would not have specifically said the current difficulties of the Mi family.

Regarding this, Li Ji naturally also has some ideas in his heart...

It's just that it's not appropriate to say it for the time being.

Moreover, with the fragile commercial environment of this era, playing with commerce too much at this stage may directly collapse the entire commercial system, which would be really cool.

However, this allowed Li Ji to understand that the Mi family's real strength lies not in the money and food on the surface, but more importantly, the commercial channels that spread across several states with Xu Province as the center.

This is something that will definitely be used in the future...

‘The Mi family must be tied to the lord's chariot.’

Li Ji's eyes flickered slightly.

In the following days, Liu Bei waited for the Mi family to raise the promised money and food, and on the other hand, he conducted in-depth exchanges with Mi Zhu.

This made the relationship between Liu Bei and Mi Zhu more and more harmonious, and Mi Zhu became more and more respectful to Liu Bei.

However, when Liu Bei left the Mi family and returned, in addition to the money and food convoy arranged by the Mi family, there were also Mi Fang and... Mi Yun?

Looking at the half of Mi Yun's delicate and fair face that was carefully probing out from the carriage behind him, Li Ji turned his head to look at Liu Bei with a strange look in his eyes.

In just a few days, it's fine that Liu Bei completely won over the Mi family, and Li Ji can also understand that Mi Zhu sent his younger brother Mi Fang to personally escort the convoy to Wu Commandery and serve under Liu Bei.

However, how did Liu Bei abduct Mi Yun as well?

"Why did the lord bring Mi Yun along as well?"

Li Ji asked in a strange tone, fearing that Liu Bei had already set his sights on the young Mi lady.

This is a decline in morality, a collapse of ethics, and a disintegration of rites and music...

Liu Bei coughed lightly, looked ahead, fearing that revealing any flaws if he looked at Li Ji, and said indifferently.

"Didn't Zikun let Bei win over the Mi family as much as possible, and say that for the development of Wu Commandery, the Mi family's commercial channels may be an indispensable part?"

"Therefore, I persuaded the Mi family to move to Wu Commandery as a whole at the cost of promising to fully support the Mi family's business."

"Zifang and Miss Mi are just going to Wu Commandery with us first. As for Zizhong, he still needs to sit in Xu Province and slowly arrange various industries, clearing the commercial channels with all aspects of Wu Commandery before Zizhong can go to Wu Commandery again."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji was overjoyed and thought.

"The Demon of the Han Dynasty" is indeed well-deserved!

Lord, well done!

It would undoubtedly be the best possible outcome for the Mi family to be willing to move to Wu Commandery as a whole.

However, Mi Zhu is indeed a man of great courage and decisiveness, who feels that it is difficult for the Mi family to develop in Xu Province, and he was able to decide to follow Liu Bei to Wu Commandery in just a few days.

Although Mi Zhu himself is quite admired by Liu Bei, Mi Zhu's actions are obviously also the result of various considerations before deciding to fully rely on Liu Bei.

"Zizhong will definitely not regret this move in the future, and will definitely bring a thousandfold or ten thousandfold return to the Mi family..."

Li Ji said with emotion.

Regardless of whether Mi Zhu can follow Liu Bei to achieve success and fame and hold a high position, Liu Bei's character will inevitably not mistreat the Mi family in the future.

And the general trend of the world will inevitably be that the south of the Yangtze River will become more and more prosperous. The Mi family went to Wu Commandery at this time, and it is conceivable what kind of advantage they will occupy in developing the land south of the Yangtze River.

Even if dynasties change in the future, the Mi family will always be a behemoth standing south of the Yangtze River.

Only Liu Bei, upon hearing this, recalled the conditions for completely persuading Mi Zhu to move to Wu Commandery as a whole with a rather guilty conscience...

And with the help of the Mi family, it was undoubtedly much easier for Liu Bei to build wooden camps when camping along the official road in Xu Province.

A large number of craftsmen, carpenters, and wood, under the dispatch of the Mi family's second son, Mi Fang, were quickly transferred from the nearby counties where Liu Bei's army was marching to assist.

And these wooden camps will also be maintained by the Mi family in the future, and personnel will be arranged to distribute some barely filling food in the wooden camps.

And at Li Ji's suggestion, the Mi family replaced the originally prepared thin porridge with even lower-quality food.

It's very difficult to eat, comparable to pig food, but it's enough to greatly reduce the possibility of people starving to death.

Only such unpalatable food can prevent the hidden danger of someone pretending to be a refugee to receive food.

And in this difficult march, Liu Bei and his party finally crossed the Yangtze River in mid-September and arrived at Wu Commandery.

The humid and hot southern climate made Liu Bei, who had lived in the north for a long time, obviously uncomfortable.

Moreover, the soldiers under Liu Bei and the Taoyuan brothers also showed different degrees of discomfort, and some even began to show symptoms of acclimatization.

However, thanks to Li Ji's earlier suggestion, the Mi family had prepared a dozen or so doctors and a large amount of herbal medicine for treating acclimatization issues. This allowed many soldiers suffering from such symptoms to quickly find relief.

What followed next simply required time for gradual recovery and adaptation.

But when Liu Bei led his troops straight to Wu County, the seat of Wu Commandery, he saw only a few heads of prominent families and a handful of officials waiting at the city gate to greet him. This visibly darkened Liu Bei's expression, and he furrowed his brow, thinking to himself,

‘The Wu Commandery's local aristocratic families are far too arrogant, aren't they?’