Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

Chapter 324 Dong Zhuo enters Beijing
For Li Xiang, his father Li Ji is a strange yet familiar existence.

Strangeness means that Li Xiang has no memory of Li Ji since he can remember;
Familiarity was because almost everyone around him was talking about him. After everyone learned that he was the son of Li Ji, the attitudes of everyone in Wu County, from the officials to the peddlers, changed.

"Son of Li Ji", "Son of a Patriot"...

These two names have accompanied Li Xiang's growth almost since he was old enough to understand.

And his loving mother had been teaching him how to read and write every night since Li Xiang could remember, and she had strictly required his every word and action.

On the contrary, going to the county magistrate's mansion during the day and playing with Adou was Li Xiang's only entertainment activity.

Moreover, his uncle Liu Bei, who held a high status in the city, was also very fond of Li Xiang and would grant all his requests.

But this does not mean that Lee Sang can do whatever he wants. On the contrary, So Ji regulates his words and deeds outside. This undoubtedly makes Lee Sang's feelings towards his father Lee Ki, who caused all this, extremely complicated.

Originally, Li Xiang thought that Li Ji would be even more demanding of him, so Li Xiang was particularly careful with his words and actions today, fearing that he would be scolded by his father.

And when his father asked him questions, Li Xiang answered with great anxiety, hoping to get his father's praise and recognition.

However, what Li Xiang did not expect was that Li Ji did not approve or criticize, but instead showed an attitude that was so unexpected.

This made Li Xiang, who was originally quite unfamiliar with Li Ji, suddenly feel a trace of fatherly love.

For a moment, Li Xiang felt a surge of grievance in his heart. He opened his hands slightly, wanting to hug his father in front of him and complain about his mother's strict demands on him.

However, Li Ji was sent back by Liu Bei himself, and the gatekeeper had already rushed into the mansion to report.

Therefore, at this moment, the main gate of Marquis Zhaoting's mansion was wide open, and Zhao Ji came out in a hurry with a happy face and called out.

"Husband!"

When Li Ji heard Zhao Ji's voice, he turned his head and looked at Zhao Ji, who had not been seen for two years and whose temperament became more dignified and elegant. His eyes could no longer tolerate anything else and he quickly stood up and walked towards Zhao Ji.

This time, Li Xiang, who had just opened his arms, was caught empty-handed.

When Li Xiang reacted, he found that his father and mother were walking straight into the mansion surrounded by a large group of servants and maids, looking very affectionate.

Everyone seemed to have forgotten Li Xiang's existence for a moment.

Only when the last doorman was about to close the door did he suddenly notice Li Xiang still standing outside.

This startled the doorman, who quickly came over and asked.

"Why are you standing here and not entering the palace with the Marquis?"

Li Xiang didn't say anything, but he felt an inexplicable sense of desolation rising in his heart. He sighed slightly, and completely shattered the idea that had just arisen in his mind to complain to his father about his mother.

From this we can see that compared to himself, the father obviously cares more about the mother.

There was a look of melancholy on Li Xiang's small face, and his small figure slowly stepped into the door that had not yet been completely closed.

In the next few days, Li Ji was affectionate with Zhao Ji, who was reunited with his wife after a long absence, and tried to get Li Xiang to have another playmate so that he would not act like a little adult every day at such a young age.

On the other hand, Li Ji was looking through various documents of Wujun and Kuaiji County to confirm the development and changes of Wujun and Kuaiji County, which were now under the control of Liu Bei, in the past two years.

Commerce, farmland, official roads, craftsmen...

With sufficient fertile land as a foundation, it took two full years of stable development and recuperation.

Different from the Central Plains where natural disasters and man-made calamities occurred frequently, the people of Wu County and Kuaiji County were gradually living and working in peace and contentment, and there was already a sense of peace and prosperity.

Among them, what Li Ji was most concerned about was the population changes in Wu County and Kuaiji County.

Although it is impossible to conduct a census every year, the current population size can be roughly inferred from various side records.

The population of Wu County finally caught up with Nanyang County and broke through the two million mark. Even the population of Kuaiji County exceeded 1.3 million.

And this is just the beginning.

As people live and work in peace and contentment, the number of newborn births has almost soared year by year in the past two years, and it is expected that this year will only set a new record.

In addition, Li Ji had many guests visiting him in the past few days, including Guan Yu, Gu Yong, Xu Sheng, Mi Zhu, Jian Yong...

Interestingly, Zhang Zhao and Zhang Hong, who had made great contributions in assisting in the governance of Wu County in the past two years and were gradually called "One Li and Two Zhangs" together with Li Ji in Jiangdong, had no intention of visiting him at all.

Even a considerable number of officials from Jiangdong noble families who were very close to Zhang Zhao and Zhang Hong also did not visit them as if they had an agreement.

"Interesting, it seems that there are indeed many people eyeing my position as the county magistrate."

Li Ji said with a smile.

Standing in front of Li Ji at this moment were Guo Jia and Xiahou Lan.

Compared to the slightly immature two years ago, Guo Jia and Xiahou Lan are undoubtedly much more mature now. This makes Li Ji feel as if he has raised his children in the blink of an eye.

Among them, Guo Jia, who had frequently drunk and had fun with many scholars in the past two years, looked like a romantic and unrestrained scholar. His demeanor was also very casual, and the wine gourd hanging around his waist was more than an inch larger.

On the contrary, Xiahou Lan had completely lost her former erratic image, and her temperament was more stable and mature. Guo Jia understood what Li Ji meant almost instantly, and said.

"Perhaps the only place they can see is Jiangdong. They also think that since you have been conferred the title of Marquis of Liaoxi County, you will leave Wu County and go to Liaoxi County to take up your post soon. It is reasonable for them not to contact you at this moment."

Li Ji nodded slightly, not surprised at all that Guo Jia could give this answer, then turned to look at Xiahou Lan and asked.

"What do you think I should do?"

Xiahou Lan pondered for a while before answering.

"I think you should ignore it, sir. This will show your magnanimity and avoid making it seem like there is only one voice under your lordship."

Li Ji looked at Xiahou Lan and nodded slightly. "Mingzheng is also good. He has made great progress. It is quite good to see this."

After hearing this, Xiahou Lan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

However, Guo Jia, who was standing aside, glanced at Xiahou Lan with a look of helplessness in his eyes.

Pretty good……

What this means is that there is still room for improvement.

However, Guo Jia also knew that Xiahou Lan was only of above-average ability. Even though Liu Bei and Li Ji both focused on training him, Xiahou Lan still had some shortcomings.

Although Guo Jia and Xiahou Lan had incompatible personalities, Guo Jia secretly felt sorry for them and felt unhappy. He subconsciously picked up the gourd and wanted to take a sip.

But Guo Jia took into consideration that Li Ji did not like drinking during the day, so he hung the gourd back.

In fact, Li Ji was indeed a little disappointed, but he also understood that talent cannot be forced.

It’s not that Xiahou Lan’s answer was wrong, but that Xiahou Lan just talked about the facts, which was not enough.

Those who do not see the overall situation will inevitably miss something in one corner.

Judging from the general situation in the world, chaos is becoming increasingly apparent. For Liu Bei's group, playing a balancing game internally would be a foolish internal waste of resources.

Li Ji tolerated the existence of the two Zhangs not simply to give Liu Bei an extra voice and avoid Liu Bei's suspicion, but to allow the two Zhangs to temporarily draw out the power of the Jiangdong families.

In this way, the power of the Jiangdong aristocratic families can be gradually transformed from hidden to visible, and it will also be more convenient for Li Ji to concentrate on guiding or dealing with the aristocratic families.

Therefore, the key has never been the two Zhangs, but the Jiangdong family represented by the two Zhangs.

Of course, now is not the time for Li Ji to deal with the "two Zhangs", their existence is still of great use.

"We are all under the command of the lord, so personal conflicts are insignificant. As long as both of us serve the lord wholeheartedly, that's all that matters."

Li Ji first said something, and after determining the nature of the matter, his gaze fell on Guo Jia and Xiahou Lan again, and he spoke.

"Fengxiao, Mingzheng, you are both accomplished men, and it is inconvenient for you to waste your lives for a little book boy. I would like to arrange a future for you under the command of the Lord. Do you have any objections?"

Guo Jia and Xiahou Lan were mentally prepared for this, and they also knew that Li Ji had summoned them here specifically for this matter.

Therefore, Guo Jia and Xiahou Lan both bowed and said.

"I'd like to follow your instructions, sir."

"I have already informed my lord of this matter in advance. Fengxiao will temporarily serve as the chief clerk in the army, and Mingzheng will temporarily serve as the military commander." Li Ji said.

"Here!"

Guo Jia and Xiahou Lan both agreed directly without showing any reluctance.

However, the difference between these two positions also implicitly revealed that Li Ji valued Guo Jia slightly more.

The chief clerk is nominally responsible for managing all the military documents, but in reality he can attend and participate in the decision-making of various affairs at any time.

As for the "Military Chief", he is in charge of military law, and is responsible for the supervision and enforcement of military law. It is obvious that he is preparing to cultivate Xiahou Lan's ability to command an army alone.

As the latest information came from Luoyang, Li Ji's brows couldn't help but twitch heavily.

[Loyang was in chaos, General He Jin was killed, eunuchs such as Zhang Rang and Duan Gui took Emperor Liu Bian hostage and fled to Beimang Mountain, where he was rescued by Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo then led a large army into Luoyang and took over the garrison there...]

Before Li Ji could think about the matter carefully, Xiahou Bo was sent by Liu Bei to discuss important matters.

Li Ji knew that Liu Bei was restless because of the news that "Dong Zhuo had entered the capital", so he did not delay and went directly to the government office with Xiahou Bo.

Many officials in the government office were quite surprised by Li Ji's sudden appearance.

However, Li Ji ignored the reactions of the officials, both big and small, and went straight to the side hall where Liu Bei usually handled documents.

As soon as Li Ji entered the room, Liu Bei came up to him with a rather angry look, which made Li Ji speak subconsciously.

"My Lord, I know you are very anxious at the moment, but please be patient..."

(End of this chapter)