Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

The next morning.

Li Ji summoned a meeting of counselors and generals, mainly Jia Xu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Jiang Qin, and Gan Ning.

Originally, Li Ji was planning to bring Xu Sheng with him, but when Liu Bei forced Zhao Yun to join the army, Li Ji deliberately left the calm-tempered Xu Sheng in Wu County in order to prevent Wu County from running out of available generals.

At the meeting, Li Ji first introduced Sun Ce to everyone present, and then explained the main march plan to everyone.

The actual situation in Yingzhou is undoubtedly still unclear at the moment.

From the rough information Gan Ning has received so far, all we know is that Yingzhou is a bit like the Xia and Shang Dynasty in the Central Plains. Each region has its lords, and then the lords all respect one person as the king.

On Yingzhou, there are currently two countries: Yamatai Kingdom and Gounu Kingdom.

The Yamatai Kingdom is in the north and the Gonu Kingdom is in the south, and the two countries have been hostile to each other for many years.

Therefore, based on the route determined by Gan Ning, Li Ji's initial march plan was to first go to the port of Youzhou where a large amount of grain was stored in advance, and then go east to Yingzhou to capture a foothold to ensure the smooth flow of grain routes. .

There is nothing eye-catching about this march plan, the main thing is to be safe.

It's just that sailing on the sea is undoubtedly boring, especially since the space left by the ship for the soldiers is limited, and it puts the sailing soldiers through physical and psychological tests.

However, Li Ji carefully observed the occasional expression of worry between Gongsun Zan's eyebrows, as well as the hesitation in speaking when toasting him from time to time, and his brows couldn't help but secretly frown.

At the banquet, Gongsun Zan also gorged himself on meat, and did not regard Li Ji and others whom he had met for the first time as outsiders, but as if they were friends reunited.

"Mr. Zikun, I have written to Xuande many times before. Xuande repeatedly mentioned that Mr. Zikun has the talent to rule the world and rectify chaos. He claimed that the luckiest thing in life is to meet Mr. Zikun. Today I can meet Mr. Zikun. It can comfort you for the rest of your life.”

The two parties had worked together for several years and had a tacit understanding. Jia Xu, who also noticed Gongsun Zan's unobvious abnormality, instantly understood what Li Ji meant.

In addition, seagoing ships in this era were extremely affected by wind direction. Even though they avoided a lot of bad weather with Li Ji's warning, it still took nearly a month to reach Youzhou.

Zhang Fei was amazed by the convenience of sea ships.

Immediately, Li Ji secretly glanced at Jia Xu.

Of course, Li Ji knew better that Gongsun Zan was so close mainly because of Liu Bei's face. In recent years, Wu Jun and Gongsun Zan's war horses and cattle transactions have never been interrupted, which also allowed Gongsun Zan to secretly make a lot of money. Pen.

Immediately, Jia Xu pretended that he was too drunk and asked Sun Ce to support him before leaving the banquet.

No one has any objections to this.

When he first met this "White Horse General" who would become famous in later generations, Li Ji found that he was indeed as heroic and extraordinary as Liu Bei described, with a cheerful and heroic character unique to the people of Youyan.

Li Ji, as one of the protagonists of Gongsun Zan's banquet, naturally continued to stay at the banquet to accompany him.

By the time the banquet went into the night, except for Zhao Yun, who was always guarding Li Ji, everyone was beginning to lose their drunkenness.

When arriving at this temporary port, Gongsun Zan came to greet Li Ji personally and hosted a banquet for everyone.

However, Gongsun Zan's heroic style was very suitable to Zhang Fei's appetite, so that the two of them were the most enthusiastic about drinking.

Gongsun Zan just walked up to Li Ji holding a wine cup and said.

However, when he set foot in the familiar land of Youyan again, Zhang Fei couldn't help but express deep emotion on his face.

"General Gongsun is too praised."

If they were to march by land, even if it took three months, the 40,000-strong army might not be able to reach Youzhou all the way from Wu Commandery.

Due to the dual connection of friendship and interests, Gongsun Zan, who is now a cavalry captain and is in charge of a certain amount of military power in Youzhou, will naturally not show off in front of Li Ji.

Li Ji quickly returned the gift and said. "My lord has also said many times that his best friend in his life is General Gongsun, and General Gongsun is heroic and courageous, which is really a role model for men."

"A certain person is just a little cavalry captain and cannot be called a general..."

When he said this, Gongsun Zan's voice paused slightly and he wanted to say something, but he stopped again and turned to toast Li Ji and drank it all in one gulp.

Seeing this, Li Ji hesitated slightly, but instead of drinking the cup, he said warmly.

"Ji saw that General Gongsun kept trying to speak but hesitated. Could it be that he had something to hide? Given the friendship between my lord and General Gongsun, General Gongsun please speak freely."

"Ugh……"

Seeing that Li Ji noticed something unusual about him, Gongsun Zan sighed and spoke in a rather ashamed tone.

"Xuande sent me a message before. I know that Mr. Zikun is here to quell the rebellion in Yingzhou. I am also very appreciative of this. I just feel that Xuande is missing one or two points compared to the past. The benevolence of man knows that he should kill all the foreigners so that those despicable people will not dare to offend our strong men."

"Therefore, as for Mr. Zikun's plan to store grain here, I made a big deal with Xuande at that time and promised not to do any harm to the grain."

Hearing this, Li Ji couldn't help but feel tense. He suddenly realized something and asked. "Did something happen?"

"In recent months, the situation in Youzhou has taken a turn for the worse. Zhang Chun, the former Prime Minister of Zhongshan, Zhang Ju, the former governor of Taishan County, Goulianqiu Liju, and Wuhuan of various counties formed an alliance. They set off a rebellion, burned the city, and robbed the people. Wuhuan's captain Gong Qichou, Youbeiping County Governor Liu Zheng, Liaodong County Governor Yang Zhong and other officials were all killed..."

After a pause, Gongsun Zan's face twitched slightly, showing deep anger and hatred, and said.

"A group of people who deserve to die deserve to die. The Wuhuan rebels have become so powerful that now the Wuhuan crowd has reached more than 100,000, and they are heading towards Ji County, the seat of Youzhou, to plunder ”

"Now that the matter has come to this, Liu Yu, the shepherd of Youzhou, still wants to make peace with Wuhuan and let Wuhuan retreat on his own. He is a pedantic and incompetent person!"

Hearing this, Li Ji's heart felt cold.

This temporary port is not far from Jixian. Once Jixian is captured, this temporary port with a large amount of food stored will definitely become the leader of Wuhuan bandits.

What Li Ji couldn't understand was how the governors of Youzhou were able to lose more than half of their power in less than a month.
Are all official positions bought?

'It's really possible...'

At this moment, Li Ji once again understood what a pig teammate is.

While Gongsun Zan was angry, he sighed longly and said.

"Therefore, it may be difficult for me to fulfill my previous promise to Xuande. I have wronged Mr. Xuande and Zikun about this matter. And based on my humble opinion, Liu Yu blindly seeks peace and gentleness, and it is even more difficult to resist Wu Huan. Not only this port, but even Jizhou will be affected by the Wuhuan Rebellion."

"Mr. Zikun should quickly change the place where he stores grain. It is best to place it in Qingzhou to stay away from the Wuhuan rebellion. Now that Ji County can resist Wuhuan for some time, there should be enough time for Mr. Zikun to move the grain."

"In addition, I also hope that Mr. Zikun can lend me some grain, armor, and soldiers. If I resist Wuhuan and survive, I will definitely compensate Xuande with war horses and cattle."

After saying that, Gongsun Zan seemed to have released the sullenness accumulated in his heart in one breath, and with a bit of shamelessness to see Li Ji, he cupped his hands towards Li Ji and left the table.

This made Li Ji's face become quite serious, understanding Gongsun Zan's strong temper.

He would never break his promise unless he had to, and proactively suggested that Li Ji move the food quickly.

It can be seen that the situation in Youzhou may be much worse than imagined.

Nowadays, the main forces of the imperial court are concentrated in the Sanfu area to quell the Xiqiang rebellion. I am afraid that they will not be able to take care of Youzhou in the short term.

It can be said that the Wuhuan Rebellion and even the development of the Xiqiang Rebellion to this day are inseparable from the current emperor's selling of officials and titles.

Border officials are incompetent, otherwise how could the situation have evolved to this point?
This unexpectedly bad situation caused Li Ji and Zhao Yun to return to the temporary port and arrange accommodation for themselves, frowning almost the whole time.

In the house, Jia Xu also led Sun Ce to wait for a long time.

"Zikun, I'm afraid your plan to conquer Yingzhou will come to a halt. Wuhuan rebels. General Gongsun will most likely not be able to protect this port where grain is stored."

Jia Xu spoke bluntly and told the conclusion he had come to after leaving the meeting with an excuse and secretly inquiring about information.

Immediately, Li Ji sat down in front of Jia Xu, drank a cup of sobering soup handed over by Sun Ce, and then listened carefully to the news that Jia Xu secretly went to inquire about.

It is generally the same as what Gongsun Zan said, and even what Gongsun Zan said is much more detailed.

For a moment, the four people in the room fell silent.

At the moment, Li Ji is undoubtedly in a dilemma.

If it is purely based on Wu Jun's interests, then Li Ji's best approach is undoubtedly to quickly change the place where he stores food, and then continue to explore Yingzhou.

After all, taking the initiative to get involved in the Wuhuan rebellion would have no benefit except the loss of Wujun's troops.

In addition, the situation in Youzhou is particularly complicated. Youzhou Mu Liu Yu is the leader of the peace, but the land of Youyan has always been full of generous and tragic people like Gongsun Zan who are determined to fight back against Wuhuan.

Therefore, it is almost inevitable for Gongsun Zan to gain momentum during the Wuhuan Rebellion, but it also means that there are two conflicting factions in Youzhou that are difficult to reconcile.

If Li Ji gets involved again, the situation will undoubtedly become more complicated. Even if his original intention is just to play support, he may unknowingly become the main force.

PS: The Wuhuan Rebellion really happened in 187, and lasted until September 188, when the imperial court had enough strength to start suppressing the rebellion. Finally, it was not until March 189 that the Wuhuan Rebellion was completely put down, and it lasted for two years.

Moreover, according to records, the Wuhuan Rebellion plundered enough to affect the four prefectures of Qing, Xu, You, and Ji, causing great disaster.

However, in the original trajectory, Liu Yu only became the shepherd of Youzhou in 188, but in the book, it is a little earlier due to the influence of the protagonist.

Gongsun Zan's rise to power originated from the Wuhuan Rebellion, and the names "White Horse General" and "White Horse Yicon" were also gained during the pacification of the Wuhuan Rebellion.

In the original trajectory, Zhao Yun took the initiative to join Gongsun Zan, probably because of the Wuhuan Rebellion. (End of chapter)