Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

Can't be completely uncivilized...

If people were completely uncivilized, they would have to be forced to pick cotton with chains and whips.

If they had just started to become civilized, this level would be just right. The influence of religion on them would be infinitely magnified, and the positive initiative of the Japanese people could be fully tapped.

Especially since Yingzhou is now promoting a caste system, which will further amplify the influence of religion to the extreme.

As for whether cotton planting will lead to a reduction in the arable land area within Yingzhou and further reduce grain production, these are minor problems.

The arable land in the Jiangnan region is still being reclaimed, grain production is still increasing, and the fishery industry has also been booming in recent years with the continuous innovation of fishing vessels.

At least, for now, there will be no food shortage problem in the Jiangnan region.

On the contrary, the granaries in Wu County had a backlog of old grain year after year.

In the future, these old grains can be sent to Yingzhou as a gift from the Han Dynasty in exchange for cotton and shipped back to Wujun. It is only necessary to ensure that Yingzhou does not suffer from large-scale famine to a certain extent and can barely fill the stomach.

Of course, if food consumption increases due to natural disasters, wars, etc., then the Japanese will have to suffer temporarily and go hungry for the development of the Han Dynasty.

After Li Ji had initially decided on all aspects of cotton in his mind, an obvious smile appeared on his face.

This smile was caught by Chen Gong, who was sitting opposite him, and he asked sharply.

"What makes Mr. Zikun so happy?"

Li Ji came back to his senses slightly and answered.

"To be honest, my wife was pregnant before I left for the war. I thought that if the court meeting went smoothly, I could catch up with my wife by marching back to Wujun, so I couldn't help but feel happy."

When Chen Gong heard this, he suddenly understood something.

If Cai Zhaoji was pregnant, then it seemed reasonable for Li Ji to pay special attention to his wife.

Immediately, Chen Gong followed up with his congratulations.

"Congratulations, Zikun, maybe you'll have another son."

"I already have a son, but I hope to have a daughter this time."

When he said this, Li Ji's tone clearly revealed a hint of anticipation.

It’s not that Li Ji dislikes Li Sang, but Li Sang was educated by Cai Zhaoji to be independent and sensible at a young age, which makes Li Ji feel a little uncomfortable sometimes. He feels that Li Sang is born without the need for fatherly love.

"Or maybe I returned to Wujun too early? If I had waited a few more years, Li Xiang might have cried and asked where my father had gone..."

Occasionally, such a thought would even flash through Li Ji's mind.

Therefore, Lee Ki, who could not find any sense of accomplishment as a father in Lee Sang for the time being, naturally came up with the idea of ​​starting over, and he was obsessed with having So Ji give birth to a lovely daughter.

Li Ji felt like his heart was about to melt when he thought that his daughter might look similar to the usually dignified, elegant and bookish Cai Zhaoji, but a well-behaved, clingy, cute and adorable version of her.

"Don't be a son anymore..."

Li Ji looked forward to it silently.

In Li Ji's view, the existence of Li Xiang was enough to accomplish the political task anyway. Having more sons would only be to divide the family property with Li Xiang. It would be better to have more daughters first.

On the contrary, Chen Gong, who held the mainstream concept of "preferring sons to daughters" at that time, looked at Li Ji's expectant expression and felt that Li Ji was really an extraordinary man.

"Then I hope your wife will give birth to a daughter this time."

After saying this, Chen Gong immediately felt weird...

Looking through history books, there is probably no precedent of wishing someone to have a daughter in advance. This statement is often used for sarcasm or insults.

However, facing Chen Gong's blessing, Li Ji was quite happy. He took Chen Gong's hand and began to discuss how to name his daughter by citing classics.

Chen Gong didn't want to dampen Li Ji's interest, so he could only respond to Li Ji's comments in a daze.

It was not until they arrived outside the Nangong Palace Gate that Li Ji ended his discussion with Chen Gong with some reluctance. He and Chen Gong got off the carriage and waited outside the palace gate for the court meeting to end.

This also made Chen Gong convinced of something, that is, the famous "national scholar" Li Ji was actually an extremely family-oriented person, especially when he mentioned his wife and daughter, he was very excited. The kind of excitement that seemed to be excited from the inside out could not be faked, let alone acted.

In the carriage, Li Ji even came up with more than 20 alternative names in one breath and discussed them one by one with Chen Gong.

This forced Chen Gong's head, which was already filled with all kinds of exotic flowers and plants, to be stuffed with a large number of female names and related classics.

So much so that after Chen Gong got off the carriage, he stood there in a daze, feeling inexplicably like he was having indigestion.

However, Li Ji and others did not have to wait long outside the palace gate. The court meeting that had lasted for nearly half a day finally ended, and the princes, many with smiles on their faces, strode out of the palace gate.

Obviously, the result of this court meeting allowed most of the princes to obtain the benefits they wanted.

Only Yuan Shu and Cao Cao, both with gloomy faces, walked out. After leaving the palace, they didn't even want to communicate with other princes. They got into the carriage and hurried away under the protection of their personal soldiers.

Among all the princes, Liu Bei had the most smiling face, and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei who followed him were even more obvious.

Guan Yu's already red face was as if he had drunk several pounds of fake wine. His face was directly covered with a layer of red light, and even when he walked, he felt dizzy.

Zhang Fei grinned widely, revealing all his neat and white teeth, and looked so happy that he couldn't stop smiling.

However, before Li Ji opened his mouth to ask about the harvest, Liu Bei walked up to Li Ji and spoke.

"Congratulations, Zikun."

Li Ji immediately guessed something and asked, "Could it be that I will also be rewarded?"

Immediately, Liu Bei didn't waste any words. He took out an imperial edict from his sleeve and handed it to Li Ji, saying mysteriously.

"Zi Kun will know it at a glance."

Li Ji took the imperial edict and opened it. The first thing that caught his eye was "granting the title of 'National Scholar Marquis', and the tributary of the Township Marquis..."

This made Li Ji a little confused, as this was obviously a special title.

Just like Huo Qubing in the past, Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, with a stroke of his pen, directly conferred the title of "Marquis of Guanjun" on Huo Qubing, which means "the most meritorious among the entire army", which is equivalent to a county marquis.

Of course, the value of Li Ji's work is definitely much lower than that of Huo Qubing.

Among the three levels of marquis, the order from small to large is: Tinghou, Xianghou, and Xianhou.

This time, Li Ji's title of "Guoshi Hou" was merely a county marquis.

"Marquis of Guanjun" is equivalent to marquis of a county, which is the highest rank among all marquises. The next level up is the duke or king, which are exclusive to the princes.

"This……"

Li Ji was also caught off guard by the title and felt it was a hot potato.

As far as Li Ji knew, during the Han Dynasty, only three people were honored with special titles: "Marquis of Guanjun" Huo Qubing for his unrivaled military achievements, "Marquis of Changping" Wei Qing for his long-lasting peace, and "Marquis of Bowang" Zhang Qian for his broad vision.

Li Ji knew that his apparent achievements were far from being comparable to those of Huo Qubing, Wei Qing and Zhang Qian, and being conferred the title of "National Marquis" was actually putting himself on the spot.

"What virtue and ability do I have to deserve this title?" Li Ji said helplessly.

Zhang Fei almost blurted out, "If those three-surnamed slaves dared to receive the title of 'Unparalleled Marquis', why can't our Mr. Zikun receive the title of 'National Marquis'?"

"Hmm? Wushuang Hou?"

Li Ji widened his eyes, not daring to imagine that Lu Bu really dared to flatter himself!

Was this Chen Gong's idea? Or was it that Lu Bu was just getting too cocky?
Wushuang Hou, its meaning is undoubtedly "unparalleled in the world".

"I see……"

Li Ji thought about it and understood the connection.

"I'm afraid Lü Bu was worried that if I received the title of 'Unparalleled Marquis', I would be criticized by the world, so he took the initiative to give me the title of 'National Marquis'." (End of this chapter)