Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator.

The beginning of troubled times wasn't just marked by the emergence of numerous strategists and fierce generals, but also by countless aristocratic families who knew they had no hope of dominating and began to place their bets.

Yuan Shao was undoubtedly the most dazzling warlord at the beginning of the late Han Dynasty.

Background, prestige, ability…

Any advantage that a ruler could possibly have, Yuan Shao possessed in absolute abundance.

Even though Liu Bei rose like a meteor and dominated the Jiangdong region, Yuan Shao was still seen by the world as a potential powerhouse no less impressive than Liu Bei.

One must know that after Yuan Shao fully gained power, he was said to have thousands of generals and countless strategists, so one can imagine just how many talents he gathered.

Therefore, Yuan Shao's victory in breaking through the predicament and occupying half of Ji Province was secondary; what was important was that his great prestige would attract talents from all directions to assist him, and countless aristocratic families would inevitably rush to invest in Yuan Shao.

The wealth of the aristocratic families in Yang Province already made Li Ji click his tongue in amazement from time to time.

The aristocratic families in the Central Plains undoubtedly had a much deeper foundation.

As such, one can imagine that Yuan Shao's strength would inevitably expand rapidly.

Han Fu was no longer a match for Yuan Shao, and even Gongsun Zan, who roamed the border, would eventually be defeated by Yuan Shao once he was dragged into a protracted war.

Liu Bei had always trusted Li Ji's conclusions, which made Liu Bei frown and ask.

"Zikun, the stability of You Province not only affects the trade of warhorses and farming cattle from Jinmen Port, but also Bo Gui has a very deep personal relationship with me and has repeatedly supported and assisted me in the past. Is there any way to help Bo Gui now?"

Li Ji heard this and fell into a moment of contemplation before saying.

"I have three strategies, superior, medium, and inferior, that can be used."

"Please, tell me," Liu Bei's spirit perked up, and he quickly asked.

Li Ji held up a finger and said.

"The best strategy is for you, my lord, to advise Gongsun Bo Gui to abandon Han Fu and retreat to You Province, and then create a scorched-earth policy for fifty miles along the border between You Province and Ji Province. This will be enough to prevent Yuan Benchu from looking north towards You Province for ten years."

Liu Bei, who was originally from You Province, pondered for a moment and understood the meaning of this.

The border between You and Ji provinces had a large plain, and given the vast land and sparse population of You Province, it would not be difficult to relocate and settle the remaining people even with a scorched-earth policy.

And located in the plains with a large area of uninhabited land, unless Yuan Shao chooses to build fortified villages at regular intervals when attacking You Province to ensure the safety of the supply lines, otherwise Yuan Shao's supply lines will inevitably suffer countless raids by cavalry that come and go like the wind.

In a sense, this would maximize the characteristics of You Province's cavalry coming and going like the wind.

Putting himself in his shoes, if Liu Bei controlled Ji Province, he would also need to consider whether it was worth betting countless manpower and resources to try to take You Province? Or would it be more prudent to cross the Yellow River and attack the fertile Central Plains?

However, Liu Bei sighed and said.

"As early as in Luoyang, when Bo Gui was appointed as the governor of Bohai Commandery, I reminded Bo Gui that it was not appropriate to get too involved in the affairs of Ji Province, but Bo Gui was unable to listen at the time."

"Now that Yuan Benchu has formed a bloody feud with Bo Gui and has occupied Bohai Commandery, which Bo Gui should rightfully have, according to my understanding of Bo Gui, he is probably unwilling to retreat and return to You Province to defend a territory even if it means death."

Li Ji was not surprised by this outcome.

Everyone knows that the best strategy is good, but people inevitably have personality tendencies, which means that it is impossible to make absolutely rational decisions.

From Liu Bei's standpoint, in a situation where restricting Yuan Shao was already impossible, preserving You Province in the hands of Liu Yu and Gongsun Zan, who were still on good terms with Liu Bei, was undoubtedly the best outcome.

The existence of You Province could not only restrict Yuan Shao's rapid expansion of power but also always guarantee Liu Bei a horse-breeding ground.

Although in this stage where there were no horseshoes or stirrups, the cavalry was almost all light cavalry, and the power of the cavalry was far less terrifying than in later generations, the cavalry also had many advantages that infantry could not match.

"Zikun, what about the medium and inferior strategies?" Liu Bei asked again.

"The medium strategy is for you, my lord, to send a strategist, and then lead a partial army to You Province under the pretext of learning."

"This can not only compensate for the lack of strategists under Gongsun Bo Gui to avoid falling into a trap to a certain extent, but also have a partial army to protect Gongsun Bo Gui in times of need," Li Ji replied.

Liu Bei heard this, thought for a while, and then asked. "What about the inferior strategy?"

Li Ji slowly said.

"The inferior strategy is based on the medium strategy, you, my lord, should also mobilize seagoing ships to transport elite armored soldiers, find an opportunity to land in Bohai Commandery, and attack the rear of Ji Province, making Yuan Benchu unable to attend to both ends."

"However, such an undeclared war is not only greatly detrimental to your reputation, my lord, but will also put Yang Province in a two-front war."

"Even if a great victory is achieved in Ji Province, for you, my lord, it is just gaining a piece of land surrounded by wolves. Please, my lord, act cautiously."

Liu Bei couldn't help but reveal a wry smile, understanding that Li Ji had foreseen the hesitation in his heart in advance.

Liu Bei, who was mindful of friendship, had been hesitating about this.

Officially, Liu Bei wanted to maintain the warhorse and farming cattle trade in You Province;

Privately, Liu Bei was even more mindful of his many years of friendship with Gongsun Zan.

More importantly, Yang Province undoubtedly had the strength and conditions to participate in the war. As long as Liu Bei found an opportunity to sneak attack Bohai Commandery, the threat to Yuan Shao would be almost fatal.

However, undeclared war was a bad reputation.

And who were the "wolves surrounding" that Li Ji vaguely mentioned?

Han Fu and Gongsun Zan were probably among them.

When Gongsun Zan defeated Yuan Shao, he might also develop great ambitions. At that time, Liu Bei, who would divide Ji Province into three after defeating Yuan Shao, would also block Gongsun Zan's path south.

Gongsun Zan might also be loyal and righteous, but Li Ji was also not sure whether people's hearts would change.

Therefore, Li Ji listed this as the inferior strategy, which was almost a direct opposition to Liu Bei joining the Ji Province battlefield at this moment.

Sending a partial army to Gongsun Zan's army in the name of learning and exchange would be enough.

In fact, Li Ji believed that it might not be a bad thing for Gongsun Zan to lose a battle and completely extinguish his idea of dominating the Central Plains.

This kind of straightforward and strong-willed Han man from the north, if he really entered the Central Plains, would really not be enough for a group of cunning villains to play with.

"Only the medium strategy is the most stable and feasible."

Liu Bei took a long breath and made a final decision, saying. "It's just that for the selection of the partial army to be sent to Bo Gui's place, do you have any recommendations, Zikun?"

"Zilong and Gongsun Bo Gui have a very good personal relationship and get along well, so Zilong should go."

After a pause, Li Ji stroked the fan bone and said.

"As for the selection of the military advisor, Guo Fengxiao is already able to take charge of his own affairs."

"Guo Fengxiao?"

Liu Bei pondered for a while, with a bit of hesitation on his face.

Since Guo Jia officially entered the service, perhaps assisting Li Ji in handling military affairs has been quite appropriate, but at the moment, he has not shown any dazzling points that can compare to Li Ji.

And the most important thing for the selected person to be sent is a wise man, who needs to face the group of advisors under Yuan Shao whose reputation is gradually becoming apparent.

However, considering that Guo Jia is also nominally Li Ji's disciple, Li Ji probably knows his abilities best.

With this thought in mind, Liu Bei nodded and said.

"Since that's the case, then I'll act according to Zikun's suggestion."

(End of this chapter)