Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator.

Chapter 11: In the Future, Treat Him as a National Talent

‘I could also be a Prime Minister, I could also write "Chu Shi Biao" and leave my name to the world…

Then, when Zhuge Liang is about to come out of the mountain, will he feel: Liang suddenly feels that all the ideas of his life are in the shadow of Li Zikun.’

This thought flashed through Li Ji's mind, but he also understood that Liu Yan valued him, not only because Liu Bei highly recommended Li Ji when introducing him, but more importantly, the mentality that other people's things are the best.

Just like Dian Wei and Xu Chu's martial prowess and loyalty are no less than Guan Yu's, why does Cao Cao's favor towards Guan Yu far exceed others?

In the final analysis, it is because Guan Yu is another family's beloved general. Boss Cao just likes this. Now Liu Yan seems to be a kindred spirit?

If Guan Yu had joined Boss Cao early as a commoner along with Xu Chu, Guan Yu's favor might not have been above Xu Chu's. Perhaps, with Guan Yu's arrogant personality, he might have been ignored for angering Boss Cao.

And if Li Ji remembers correctly, a considerable part of official history and unofficial history records that Liu Yan had an unclear relationship with Zhang Lu's mother.

Zhang Lu, who was originally just a Taoist priest, obtained his position as the Prefect of Hanzhong with Liu Yan's secret authorization and support.

In this chaotic world, how many Cao thieves are there?

I only hate that I have benevolence and righteousness in my heart, but my strength is insufficient, so it is not suitable for… eliminating thieves!

Liu Yan, this person who seems to have thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a kind face, is indeed a thief.

Li Ji secretly despised and "呸"ed, but on the surface, he solemnly cupped his hands and said.

“Prefect, I have no way to repay your appreciation…”

Speaking of this, Li Ji paused slightly, which made Liu Bei's heart tense up.

After all, Liu Bei is very clear about the huge gap between himself and Liu Yan now, not to mention that Li Ji has never recognized Liu Bei as his lord.

And Liu Bei cares about Li Ji's safety and is willing to keep Li Ji in the city, but it does not mean that Liu Bei is willing to let Li Ji join Liu Yan's camp.

Pain!

Too painful!

At the thought of that scene, Liu Bei was so heartbroken that he could hardly breathe, and he felt dizzy several times.

Oh, heavens, why are you so unfair to Bei?

Bei is almost twenty-four years old and has achieved nothing. Fortunately, he became sworn brothers with Yunchang and Yide, and befriended Zikun. He was about to do something, but why… why can he only watch helplessly…

Isn't this also a kind of…

At this moment, Liu Bei wanted to persuade Li Ji to stay, to give Li Ji high official positions, generous salaries, wealth and glory, and was willing to do everything to keep him, but with his empty pockets, where did Liu Bei get the confidence?

Li Ji, who completely did not notice the change in Liu Bei's expression, pondered for a while, and then said.

“It's just that Ji is not talented and has little learning, and he has an agreement with Brother Xuande to kill thieves first. A gentleman's promise is worth a thousand gold, how can he go back on his word? Therefore, Ji is afraid that he can only repay the Prefect's kindness of recognizing talent in the next life.”

Liu Bei, overjoyed!

For a while, while Liu Bei tried his best to remain calm on the surface, the corners of his mouth on both sides curled up a little uncontrollably.

When Liu Yan heard this, he couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

Yan is a place with many heroes, but few virtuous and talented people. Therefore, it is true that Liu Yan's mansion lacks staff to help him with advice, so he also intends to recruit Li Ji.

Not to mention that Li Ji has not yet recognized Liu Bei as his lord, even if he did, Liu Yan would only be more excited…

Ah, no, Liu Yan meant that if Li Ji had already recognized Liu Bei as his lord, Liu Yan would feel it would be easier to handle.

After all, in Liu Yan's eyes, Liu Bei is now just one of his subordinates. If the superior intends, the subordinate should naturally offer it.

Now, Li Ji is still a free man and refuses to speak out, but Liu Yan is not easy to force him, so as not to damage his reputation.

“So be it, since Mr. Zikun insists on this, then I hope Mr. Take care.”

Liu Yan waved his hand slightly, and then after some hypocritical words with Liu Bei to win people's hearts, he personally sent Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Li Ji, and the two thousand volunteer soldiers out of the city.

No, as Liu Bei was granted the position of Overseer of Thieves, these two thousand soldiers are no longer considered volunteer soldiers, but legitimate imperial soldiers.

At this moment, dusk was approaching, and the setting sun stretched everyone's shadows very long.

A large number of carriages and horses from Zhuo County slowly headed north, but only Liu Bei and his party went south against the current.

It's just that, unlike the fear and confusion in the hearts of those heading north, everyone heading south knows the purpose of this trip.

What they are doing is to kill thieves and save the people!

Li Ji, who was traveling with Liu Bei, suddenly heard a soft word that seemed like an illusion.

“Today you do not fail me, Bei will treat you as a national talent in the future.”

Li Ji turned his head and looked at Liu Bei. Liu Bei was still looking ahead, as if he had not said those words just now.

It's just that, under the light of the setting sun, Liu Bei's ears, which were quite conspicuous because of their size, were now even more obviously red.

Feeling that Li Ji seemed to have heard something, Liu Bei couldn't wait to immediately whip his horse and gallop away.

Now, he doesn't even have a foothold, but he said that he would treat Li Ji as a national talent. This is undoubtedly too illusory.

However, this was the strongest thought in Liu Bei's heart just now, so he unconsciously said it, intending to remind himself.

‘Zikun, you must have heard it, right?’

‘Should I explain to Zikun that what I said just now was not to him? No, no, wouldn't that be trying to cover up?’

‘If Zikun asks, how should I answer?’

Just as Liu Bei was in a mess and worried about gains and losses, Li Ji did not speak, but lowered his head and continued to read the bamboo slips in his hand.

If you want to be a national talent, you must have the ability of a national talent.

Now, Li Ji asked himself that he lacked a lot, so he was almost racing against time to read the books collected by Liu, Guan, and Zhang to enrich himself.

Soon, the darkness enveloped this land of Yan.

Fortunately, the area south of Zhuo County is mostly plains, not rugged mountain roads, and the soldiers and horses are all from Yan, and the morale of the army is available, so even marching at night did not cause any riots, and they successfully arrived at Daxing Mountain under the cover of night.

Immediately, as the leaders of these two thousand men, Liu Bei and Guan Yu found a place to set up camp.

In this process, Li Ji also silently compared what he had learned from the military books and gained a lot of insights.

Setting up camp and marching at night, both of these are obviously quite a test of the ability of the commander.

Among them, Liu Bei and Guan Yu, who also had their first experience, visibly changed from unfamiliar to skilled in Li Ji's eyes. Finally, they breathed a sigh of relief with sweat all over their bodies, and silently recalled the beauty of their first experience and the shortcomings.

“Bei is actually commanding the army for the first time, which really made Zikun laugh.” Liu Bei, covered in sweat, hurriedly walked into the camp and apologized to Li Ji.

Li Ji said with a smile.

“No, Brother Xuande deserves to have studied under Master Lu (Lu Zhi) when he was young. Although it is the first time to command the army, it is also in an orderly manner, which is admirable.”

“Really?”

Liu Bei's eyes lit up slightly, obviously taking Li Ji's approval to heart, and subconsciously asked.

This time, Li Ji was stumped.

People are just being polite, it would be impolite if you are so serious.

To be fair, Liu Bei may not be a first-class commander in the entire era, but he is definitely not mediocre.

Putting aside the most prominent personal charm and appeal, Liu Bei's other aspects are all considered small hexagonal warriors.

That is, everything is okay, but not very good.

Taking one hundred points as a full score, Liu Bei probably belongs to the kind of person whose charm is full, and the rest are hovering around eighty points.

Don't underestimate eighty points. In the entire era, there are probably no more than a hundred people who have reached eighty points or more in a single item, let alone Liu Bei, who has a level of about eighty points in all aspects.

It's just that, among the three major battles in the late Eastern Han Dynasty where the weak defeated the strong, Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Liu Bei clearly played their good cards poorly.

A fire at Yiling burned the Shu Han's dream of restoring the Han Dynasty into a wasteland, and the foundation for unifying the world disappeared into smoke overnight.

Therefore, Li Ji doesn't mind praising Liu Bei in other aspects, but in terms of commanding the army, Liu Bei should not be too confident.

These thoughts flashed through Li Ji's mind, and then he said seriously.

“Brother Xuande, Ji has a question, I wonder if Brother Xuande's ambition is to be a general who wins every battle, or a strategist who wins thousands of miles away, or an administrator who stabilizes one side and makes the people under his rule live and work in peace, or to study engineering, medicine, agriculture and other items, in order to benefit the people and leave a name in history?”

When Liu Bei heard this, he pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said.

“I learned from Master Lu when I was young. Master Lu's evaluation of Bei was not high. As a general, I am definitely not as good as Bogui, and as a strategist, I am even more foolish and incompetent. As for engineering, medicine, agriculture and other items, I have not dabbled in them much.”

“If possible, Bei is willing to govern one side, shepherd the people for the Son of Heaven, protect the people so that they can live and work in peace, and reproduce the prosperous age of the Han Dynasty.”

Li Ji nodded, and then continued.

“In that case, then Brother Xuande should not be obsessed with the way of commanding the army, but should focus his energy on controlling people.”

“Hmm?” Liu Bei.

“Have you ever heard Emperor Gaozu say: As for planning strategies in the tent and winning thousands of miles away, I am not as good as Zifang; as for stabilizing the country, comforting the people, providing military rations, and ensuring that the grain supply is uninterrupted, I am not as good as Xiao He; as for leading an army of millions, winning every battle, and capturing every city, I am not as good as Han Xin. They are all outstanding people, and I can use them, which is why I can conquer the world.”

Liu Bei was stunned on the spot, unable to recover for a long time, and then suddenly felt enlightened.

In the past, Liu Bei undoubtedly had some self-esteem and self-doubt in his heart, perhaps due to his background, or due to his ability, and because he was twenty-four years old but had achieved nothing.

Now, Liu Bei has a feeling of sudden enlightenment.

Emperor Gaozu was forty-eight years old and started from humble beginnings as a pavilion chief. Now I am only twenty-four, less than half the age of Gaozu when he started the uprising, why should I complain about myself?

When Emperor Gaozu of Han rose in revolt, he had the bravery of Fan Kuai; by my side, I have Yun Chang and Yi De. He had the strategic governance of Xiao He and Cao Can; how could I not have Li Zikun?

Zikun is my Xiao He, Zhang Liang, and Cao Can!

Emperor Gaozu of Han was able to overthrow the tyrannical Qin and establish the four-hundred-year-old Han Dynasty, and I might as well…

"Cough, cough!!"

Liu Bei coughed violently, quickly dispelling the rebellious thoughts that had unknowingly surfaced in his mind.

Li Ji stepped forward to pat Liu Bei on the back, who was suddenly coughing, and asked with concern.

"Brother Xuande, are you alright?"

After a long while, Liu Bei finally recovered and said.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Thanks to Zikun's guidance, I suddenly understood, and I was a little too excited."

"Brother Xuande, what did you understand?" Li Ji asked with some interest.

These words made Liu Bei's old face blush involuntarily, and he evaded the question, how could he dare to say that he compared himself to Emperor Gaozu?

An unfilial descendant, rebelling against the heavens.

Just then, a loud voice rang out from outside the camp.

"Big brother, I'm back."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei was overjoyed, showing great excitement, and quickly broke away from Li Ji, rushing out of the camp.

"Big brother!"

"Third brother!"

"Big brother!!"

"Third brother!!!"

Seeing Liu Bei and Zhang Fei hugging each other, Li Ji subconsciously took a few steps back.

Liu Bei and Zhang Fei had only been separated for a few days, why did it seem like a life-or-death farewell?

Could it be that the rumors are true? The saying: Cao Wei loves married women, Eastern Wu controls loli, and Shu Han is all gay.

'Wait, my name seems to be Li Ji…'

Li Ji fell into deep thought, seriously considering whether he should pack his bags and leave.

Fortunately, Liu Bei's excitement seemed to come and go quickly.

Soon, Liu Bei returned to his usual composure, bringing Zhang Fei into the camp, and Guan Yu also quickly returned to the camp upon hearing the news.

The three brothers reunited, naturally exchanging heartfelt greetings.

Then, Liu Bei's expression turned serious, and he asked about the main issue.

"Yide, it's fortunate that Master Zikun is here, quickly tell us about the situation of the Yellow Turban bandits."

"Yes, big brother."

Zhang Fei didn't mince words and went straight to the point.

Since Zhang Fei led the Eighteen Yan Yun Riders to charge into the enemy lines once, in order to delay the Yellow Turban bandits as much as possible and buy time for Liu Bei.

Relying on the advantage of their fast horses, Zhang Fei led the Eighteen Yan Yun Riders to constantly harass the Yellow Turban troops.

This also made Zhang Fei and others become a thorn in the side of the Yellow Turban bandits, who repeatedly tried to encircle and kill Zhang Fei.

Unfortunately, the Yellow Turban troops had few horses to begin with, and even if they managed to gather horses, the Yellow Turban bandits' horsemanship was difficult to compare with the Eighteen Yan Yun Riders led by Zhang Fei.

Therefore, Zhang Fei, facing the pursuit of the Yellow Turban bandits, would either escape if there were many, or counter-kill if there were few.

In these short few days, not only did the Eighteen Yan Yun Riders led by Zhang Fei suffer no losses, but they also killed over a hundred Yellow Turban bandits and seized twenty or so warhorses, allowing each of the Eighteen Yan Yun Riders to have two or three horses, making them even more flexible and swift.

It was precisely because of the advantage of having two or three horses per person that Zhang Fei was able to return to Daxing Mountain in time on the same night after hearing that Liu Bei had sent troops to prepare to station at Daxing Mountain.

As Zhang Fei finished speaking, Liu Bei couldn't help but praise him repeatedly.

"Good, good, good, Yide did well. Even if this strategy of exhausting the enemy doesn't cause any losses to the Yellow Turban bandits, it can greatly打击the morale of the bandits, letting them know that my Zhuo County is not without people!"

"That's right! How could I disgrace the reputation of Yan people."

Zhang Fei raised his head slightly, saying as a matter of course.

Just then, a voice rang out.

"What a pity, what a pity…"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei's eyes suddenly turned towards Li Ji, and he said in a loud voice. "Master Zikun, what a pity?"

Li Ji sighed and said.

"What Yide has done does have the effect of exhausting the enemy, but it has also invisibly increased the vigilance of the Yellow Turban bandits, who will inevitably be more cautious in the future. In this way, it will be even more difficult for our army to find an opportunity to launch a surprise attack and strike directly at the Yellow Turban bandits' headquarters to behead their leaders."

Immediately, Zhang Fei widened his copper bell-like eyes, his chest rising and falling constantly, looking both unconvinced and apprehensive.