Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator.

As Li Ji charged out with his sword, Gan Ning, Zhou Yu, and Xu Chu followed closely behind.

However, the trio's actions appeared somewhat peculiar.

Gan Ning persistently pleaded for Sun Ce, attempting to step forward and protect him, but Zhou Yu subtly and continuously blocked Gan Ning's path, preventing him from reaching Sun Ce.

Even the Han sword that Li Ji wielded was drawn from Zhou Yu's waist.

As for Xu Chu, he blindly chased after them with large strides, solely focused on protecting Li Ji and preventing Sun Ce from injuring him in a desperate counterattack.

This scene stunned not only Wei Yan but also the Tiger Guards who were originally stationed outside the main tent, causing them to tense up instinctively; some Tiger Guards instinctively gripped their weapons, ready to intercept Sun Ce for the sake of the Commander.

However, as meticulously trained soldiers, the Tiger Guards were absolutely obedient and disciplined.

Without an order from Commander Li Ji or Commander Xu Chu, they were strictly forbidden from taking any rash actions unless faced with an enemy attack.

Therefore, each Tiger Guard gripped their weapons tightly, watching Li Ji and Xu Chu, awaiting their commands.

Yet, Li Ji had no real intention of executing Sun Ce on the spot; while raising his sword and chasing after Sun Ce, he naturally wouldn't truly order the soldiers to capture him.

Otherwise, not only Sun Ce but even Lu Bu wouldn't be able to charge out of a camp garrisoned by countless elite soldiers single-handedly.

The Tiger Guards' inaction, however, caused Wei Yan, who was rapidly closing the distance to Sun Ce, to tense up instinctively.

The sudden turn of events left Wei Yan little time to think; as his body instinctively took a step toward Sun Ce, various thoughts raced through his mind.

'Should I stop Sun Ce?'

'This might be a great opportunity to curry favor with Lord Li, perhaps even becoming his confidant…'

'Such a chance is rare…'

Watching Wei Yan approach him, Sun Ce's expression subtly changed, his heart sinking.

Sun Ce would willingly accept being killed by Li Ji without a single complaint.

However, Wei Yan was someone Sun Ce had brought back to Chaisang to recommend; in fact, Wei Yan wasn't yet a general under Liu Bei, and could even be considered to have some personal ties with Sun Ce.

If Wei Yan were to intervene and stop Sun Ce at this moment, wouldn't he be no different from a treacherous person who betrays a friend for personal gain?

As the distance between them narrowed, Wei Yan's face subtly shifted.

Just as Sun Ce was about to come within five steps, Wei Yan lowered his gaze, sighed, and stepped aside, clearing the path.

In the end, Wei Yan abandoned the opportunity to stop Sun Ce and curry favor with Li Ji.

Wei Yan dreamed of advancement, but he wasn't a heartless man.

Sun Ce had not only spared Wei Yan's life but had also offered to recommend him; furthermore, during their journey back to Chaisang from Ba Commandery, Wei Yan had interacted with Sun Ce on multiple occasions and had been won over by Sun Ce's generosity.

Of course, Wei Yan couldn't overcome the "righteousness" in his heart, but he also lacked the courage to risk his life to stop Li Ji; he even subconsciously lowered his head to avoid Li Ji's gaze as he approached, fearing that Li Ji would remember him.

However, Wei Yan's facial features, which bore some resemblance to Guan Yu, allowed Li Ji to recognize him immediately.

Immediately, Li Ji gave Wei Yan a deep look before continuing to chase after Sun Ce.

At that moment, Li Ji had almost thought that Wei Yan would stop Sun Ce, both to distance himself from the seemingly doomed Sun Ce to avoid being implicated and to offer proof of his loyalty.

'Wei Yan…'

Li Ji pondered while continuing to angrily denounce Sun Ce's crimes, ordering the rebellious disciple to stop and accept his death.

At this point, even if Sun Ce was oblivious to human affairs, he gradually pieced together the cause and effect, realizing that his teacher was putting on a good show for the world.

Sun Ce's act of killing Liu Biao to avenge his father, an act of filial piety, might not be inherently flawed.

However, it was necessary to find a way to distance himself from Liu Bei; otherwise, it would easily invite criticism and be detrimental to his reputation.

After all, Liu Bei's banner was "Restoring the Han Dynasty"; once implicated in the murder of a fellow provincial governor, it would undoubtedly tarnish the reputation of "Restoring the Han Dynasty".

Therefore, having realized this, Sun Ce intentionally ran towards the more crowded areas of the camp, even deliberately slowing down to prevent his teacher from falling behind.

And this chase…

Li Ji's physical fitness was decent, but clearly incomparable to a fierce general like Sun Ce, who could be considered at the pinnacle of human physical prowess.

After chasing Sun Ce around the camp for about two miles, Li Ji already felt like he couldn't run anymore.

'Rebellious disciple, why are you running so fast?'

Panting, Li Ji was truly getting frustrated and couldn't help but curse under his breath.

Finally, as the commotion grew louder, Zhang Fei, Jiang Qin, Zhou Tai, and others, who had been notified in advance by Li Ji, arrived.

Zhang Fei, like an iron tower, stood in front of Li Ji and began to plead.

"Zikun, Zikun, don't be impulsive! Even if Bofu has committed some wrong, it's not a crime punishable by death!"

Zhang Fei's voice was so loud that it almost echoed throughout the entire camp.

However, while Zhang Fei was trying to stop him, he didn't dare to actively grab Li Ji.

Seeing this, Li Ji simply grabbed Zhang Fei's arm, creating the appearance of being reluctantly restrained by Zhang Fei in front of the many soldiers, while pointing his sword in Sun Ce's direction and shouting angrily.

"Violating military orders, acting recklessly, and assassinating a provincial governor—which of these doesn't warrant execution in front of the masses?"

Zhang Fei, seeing Li Ji seemingly held firmly by him, was somewhat taken aback but subconsciously pleaded for Sun Ce.

Among the Peach Garden Three, Zhang Fei was the purest, caring only about brotherhood.

Military law and rules were all nonsense to Zhang Fei, not as important as brotherhood.

Sun Ce had become Li Ji's disciple around the age of ten, making him Zhang Fei's junior, and had also fought alongside Zhang Fei in the conquest of Dongying; their relationship was undoubtedly close.

What did it matter if that damn Liu Biao was killed? How could it compare to the life of his own junior?

"Mr. Zikun, I can't argue with you; I only know that what you say is reasonable, but this is a disciple you've taught by your side for nearly ten years!"

"Besides, even if Bofu has violated military law and committed some serious mistake, he hasn't signed any military pledge. Even if he's at fault, he should be sent back to Wujun to be punished by our elder brother. How can you just kill him like this?"

Zhang Fei said repeatedly, using the same address as when they first met in Zhuo County ten years ago.

(End of this chapter)