Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator.

It was around noon.

After sending Jia Xu, Gan Ning, and Jiang Qin with their ten thousand marines to advance to Yingzhou as a vanguard and to scout the current situation there, Li Ji also promptly set off for Ji County.

Zhao Yun remained at the temporary port to oversee the garrison and begin a gradual reorganization of the troops.

After nearly a month at sea, the thirty thousand soldiers needed at least three to five days of rest to fully recover their combat strength.

Zhang Fei, leading the remaining twelve of the Eighteen Yan Cloud Riders and a hundred elite cavalrymen, escorted Li Ji along the way.

To save time, Li Ji did not take a carriage but chose to ride a horse towards Ji County.

“Mr. Zikun, are we going to take Liu Yu down when we get to Ji County?” Zhang Fei asked in a loud voice.

？ ？ ！ ！

Li Ji.

Looking at Zhang Fei, who was completely unaware that he was loudly plotting, and in Youzhou of all places, Li Ji was almost scared into a cold sweat by Zhang Fei's sudden question.

Fortunately, they were in the wilderness, and there was no one else around.

Li Ji quickly shook his head and said, “Of course not.”

“Then why are we rushing to Ji County? Back then, that Liu Yan was unwilling to send troops to resist the rebels. I think this Liu Yu must also be a coward, only knowing how to defend the city. No matter what I say, I can’t provoke him.”

Clearly, Zhang Fei's impression of the Han imperial relatives, other than Liu Bei, was not good, and his words were full of contempt.

“These two cannot be compared in the same breath…”

Li Ji shook his head, finding it difficult to explain the intricacies to Zhang Fei.

Currently, all of Li Ji's knowledge of the Youzhou war situation came from Gongsun Zan's one-sided account. It wasn't that he suspected Gongsun Zan's information was false, but that Gongsun Zan's biased and fierce personality might not have given him a complete picture.

In comparison, Liu Yu, as the current Governor of Youzhou, undoubtedly possessed more information.

Furthermore, since forcibly controlling Liu Yu required careful consideration, Li Ji needed to personally visit Liu Yu out of both personal and rational considerations.

Personally, Liu Bei and Liu Yu were both Han imperial relatives and shared some kinship;

Rationally, the Wu County troops' assistance to Youzhou in resisting the Wuhuan was a good thing, but it should also be supported and recognized by Liu Yu, who nominally held military and political power in Youzhou, to avoid a loss of righteousness.

After all, the 30,000 Wu County troops would eventually be impossible to hide from Liu Yu as long as they fought in the You and Yan regions.

In addition to this, Li Ji also wanted to try to contact Liu Yu personally to confirm his thoughts and find a way to peacefully integrate the Youzhou forces.

“Yide, on this trip to Ji County, stay by my side at all times, speak less and act cautiously, and act according to the situation. Do not act impulsively without my permission,” Li Ji reminded.

“Don’t worry.”

Zhang Fei patted his chest and assured.

The temporary port was located near the estuary of the Gu River, effectively on the coast of Yuyang County and adjacent to Guangyang County.

Therefore, even with a full-speed horse ride, the journey from the temporary port to Ji County was still nearly two days.

Of course, this was largely because Li Ji's horsemanship was not as good as Zhang Fei and the others, otherwise, it could have saved a lot of time.

When he arrived at Ji County, the seat of Youzhou, Li Ji looked at this large city, which originated in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty and was later established as the capital, and couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.

Ji County was indeed a large city, accommodating nearly two hundred thousand people, firmly rooted in the northern region.

During the sensitive period of the Wuhuan rebellion, the appearance of Li Ji's group of over a hundred riders of unknown origin almost instantly alarmed Ji County.

Before Li Ji's group could get close, the city gates, which had been somewhat open to traffic, quickly closed, and many of the defending soldiers had already drawn their bows and aimed at Li Ji's group.

However, after Li Ji stated his identity and handed over the seal he carried with him, he waited patiently for a while.

The tightly closed city gate opened, and a young man in a scholar's robe took the initiative to greet Li Ji at the city gate, saying.

“I am Qi Zhou, an official here. Are you Li Zikun from Longxi, whose name is known throughout the world?”

Li Ji quickly dismounted, cupped his hands in return, and said, “Indeed, I am. Greetings, Officer Qi.”

Qi Zhou carefully sized up Li Ji for a while, then observed the cavalry around Li Ji, confirming that there were no Wuhuan people among them, before he was completely relieved and returned the seal to Li Ji.

“Mr. Zikun, Youzhou has recently suffered from war, so we have been a little cautious. Please forgive any offense,” Qi Zhou said with a hint of apology, his sincerity making it difficult for anyone to feel the slightest dissatisfaction.

“It’s nothing. This only proves that Lord Liu governs the army strictly, which is a blessing for the people of Youzhou,” Li Ji replied with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Qi Zhou's impression of Li Ji improved even more, knowing that he was a man of propriety, and then cupped his hands and said, “The Governor knew of Mr. Zikun's arrival and has specially prepared a banquet in the government office. Please, Mr. Zikun, grace us with your presence.”

Li Ji, who had originally intended to see Liu Yu, naturally would not refuse.

However, Qi Zhou was obviously somewhat wary of Li Ji's group of fierce and strong cavalry, so he only allowed Li Ji to bring a dozen or so followers into the city, while the rest of the cavalry could temporarily reside in the barracks outside the city.

When Li Ji led Zhang Fei and the Eighteen Yan Cloud Riders into the city and arrived at the government office, he was greatly surprised to see an old man in official uniform, standing meticulously at the entrance of the government office.

Liu Yu had actually come to the entrance of the government office to greet him.

Regardless of his position or reputation, Liu Yu was one of the most prominent members of the Han imperial family.

Before he became the Governor of Youzhou, Liu Yu held the position of Grand Master of Ceremonies, one of the Nine Ministers, which shows his high reputation and status among the Han imperial family.

In contrast, Li Ji was just a small county official.

Upon seeing this, Li Ji quickly dismounted and bowed to Liu Yu, saying, “Li Ji from Longxi, pays respects to Governor Liu.”

Liu Yu did not stand on ceremony, but took Li Ji's wrist and helped him up, saying.

“I often heard of Mr. Zikun's name from Lu Zigan when I was in the court. I am very pleased to meet you today.”

Immediately, Liu Yu personally led Li Ji into the government office, and the banquet was a private one, with only two or three trusted aides accompanying them besides Liu Yu and Li Ji.

After some humble pleasantries, Liu Yu finally opened his mouth and said, “However, shouldn't Mr. Zikun be assisting Xuande in Wu County? Why are you in Youzhou?”

“I am under the command of my lord to take a warship to Yingzhou to investigate matters of the Yingzhou Woguo. Passing through Youzhou, I am here to pay a visit to the Governor on behalf of my lord.”

With that, Li Ji gave Zhang Fei a look, and Zhang Fei quickly had the Eighteen Yan Cloud Riders bring up the gifts that had been prepared in advance.

The gifts were not precious items, mostly local products from Wu County, so as not to make Liu Bei suspected of bribery in a time when corrupt officials were rampant.

Therefore, after listening to Li Ji introduce the gifts one by one, and finding that there was no gold or silver, Liu Yu's expression towards Li Ji became much gentler, knowing that these were gifts from a junior of the same clan to an elder.

After Liu Yu had his men take the gifts one by one, he couldn't help but praise, saying, “Very good, very good, Xuande is indeed thoughtful.”

“Previously, I often heard in the court that Xuande had done many benevolent deeds, caring for the people, and with Mr. Zikun's assistance, he cleared the banditry in Wu County in just a few years, reclaimed countless fertile fields, and also pacified the mountain Yue troubles, which shows that he is a practical and benevolent man.”

Liu Yu praised with a smile. “It's a pity that Xuande is still young, otherwise I would definitely strongly recommend him to His Majesty and let Xuande take on more burdens.”

“If my lord knew that he could receive such praise from Governor Liu, he would be very happy and work harder to govern,” Li Ji replied.

“Good, good, good…”

After a pause, Liu Yu did not forget to inquire about the affairs of Wu County in detail, and Li Ji naturally answered one by one, picking out some less sensitive matters.

Especially regarding the Rendé Academy, Liu Yu was also very curious, asking many details and praising it constantly, believing that given enough time, the Rendé Academy could cultivate a large number of talents to serve the court.

To this, Li Ji naturally agreed wholeheartedly, and he also had such expectations for the Rendé Academy.

For a time, the two sides were said to be enjoying themselves, but Zhang Fei, who was watching from the side, was full of doubts, always feeling that the two sides did not seem to be discussing serious matters, and were only trying to close the distance with each other.

It was not until after three rounds of wine and the banquet was about to end that Li Ji got up to bid farewell, but Liu Yu was still trying to persuade him to stay.

“Mr. Zikun, why not stay in the city for a few more days? I will have someone clean up a residence for Mr. Zikun, so you don't have to stay in the post house.”

“I thank Governor Liu for his kindness, but I am trusted by my lord and am leading 30,000 soldiers to Yingzhou. Now those soldiers are temporarily stationed at a temporary port by the sea, and I really dare not leave for long…”

After a pause, Li Ji's face showed a hint of embarrassment as he said. “Besides, I still have a request.”

With a look of entanglement and hesitation on his face, Liu Yu casually replied. “Mr. Zikun, please speak freely.”

Li Ji sighed and said with shame.

“That is, the situation in Yingzhou is unclear, and along the way, when marching at sea, we encountered a lot of heavy rain, and the leaking cabins soaked a lot of supplies, so that now there is a slight shortage of grain. I hope Governor Liu can support us with some grain, and my lord will definitely return it in full in the future.”

Hearing this, Zhang Fei's ring-shaped eyes blinked repeatedly, completely not remembering encountering any heavy rain or strong winds on the way, clearly it was basically sunny all the way, and wasn't there a large amount of supplies and grain piled up at the port?

Hearing Li Ji's request, Liu Yu seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and said.

“It's a small matter! We are all serving the court, why do we need to talk about borrowing? Why don't I allocate a place for Mr. Zikun to store grain, and it can also be used for training troops.”

"Excellent, in that case, I, Li Ji, will thank Envoy Liu on behalf of my lord." Li Ji said with a joyful expression as he bowed.

Liu Yu helped Li Ji up and then said in a low voice, "It is nothing, but I also have a matter to ask of you. Could I trouble Mr. Zikun to follow me to a secluded place to discuss it?"

(End of Chapter)