Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator.

Upon being questioned by Li Ji in such a manner, Liu Bei, who was originally about to inquire about Li Ji's military deployment plans, paused.

Liu Bei naturally didn't believe that someone as intelligent as Li Ji wouldn't know about Lu Bu's assassination of the emperor in the streets, nor that he wouldn't be aware of who he was preparing to send troops against.

To ask knowing the answer was a form of opposition.

Liu Bei, with a slightly沉着的 face, pressed further.

"Does Zikun also intend to oppose the dispatch of troops?"

After Liu Bei had repeatedly confirmed the information about the regicide with disbelief and was about to mobilize all his forces to punish the traitor, all the civil and military officials in Shouchun voiced their opposition.

Even confidants like Xu Shu and Xiahou Bo repeatedly advised against it.

For no other reason than that anyone with eyes could see that the Yangzhou army was already quite exhausted after years of continuous warfare, and the reserves of grain were also showing signs of strain.

Moreover, Liu Bei had only recently swallowed the lands of Yu, Xu, and Jing provinces, all of which needed time to digest.

Therefore, Liu Bei's insistence on sending troops to attack Lu Bu naturally met with almost unanimous opposition from top to bottom.

However, no matter how much opposition there was, it clearly couldn't shake Liu Bei's resolve. He prepared for the dispatch of troops despite the pressure, and even moved into the military camp himself to show his determination to attack Lu Bu.

Liu Bei urgently summoned Li Ji back, not only because he also lacked confidence in attacking Lu Bu, but more so because he hoped to gain Li Ji's support and thus be able to persuade the group of civil and military officials.

At this moment, Li Ji met Liu Bei's gaze and said solemnly.

"Regarding the matter of the lord's decision to attack Lu Bu, Zilong has already informed me on the way, but..."

Li Ji's voice grew louder as he cupped his hands and asked, "Ji still dares to ask the lord, is this dispatch of troops to attack Lu Bu for personal gain or for the greater good?"

The same action, with different starting points, often leads to different results.

Li Ji's secret promotion of Lu Bu's regicide was for the sake of the greater good, not personal desire, so even if he did it behind Liu Bei's back, he could still face the heavens and earth without shame.

For the revival of the Han Empire, Liu Xie would only be an obstacle.

Li Ji had a bond of loyalty with Liu Bei, but what he pursued was the resurgence of this land's glory, never again to be trampled by the iron hooves of foreign tribes.

Therefore, Li Ji would not hesitate to act, even if it meant concealing small details from Liu Bei.

And at this moment, facing Li Ji's inquiry, Liu Bei almost blurted out the answer.

"The traitor Lu Bu assassinated the emperor in the streets, disregarding our Great Han, disregarding the Han Dynasty. If we don't send troops to punish and kill him, wouldn't everyone follow suit? It is for the greater good."

"Does the lord not know that relying on strength to attack is called force, raising troops in anger is called rigidity, and mobilizing the masses when the country is in chaos and the people are exhausted is called rebellion? If the lord is raising troops to punish the traitor for the sake of the greater good, why use force, rigidity, and rebellion?"

"Once the momentum is reversed, and you are defeated, the lord will become a sinner of the Great Han!"

Unlike the other civil and military officials who could only carefully advise Liu Bei, Li Ji almost unceremoniously retorted in a deep voice.

These words made Liu Bei's face stiffen, feeling somewhat embarrassed, and he retorted.

"Why speak of sin?"

Li Ji said loudly.

"Now the Han Dynasty is crumbling. First, there was the traitor Dong Zhuo, and now there is the traitor Lu Bu, who is acting against all morality, ruining the court, and disregarding the Han Dynasty. Now, he is even committing the heinous crime of assassinating the emperor in the streets."

"The four-hundred-year-old Han Dynasty is hanging by a thread, and it is entirely dependent on the rise of the lord to protect some semblance of the Han name."

"But the lord, disregarding the exhaustion of the people and the instability of his rule, is raising troops in anger to attack, which will inevitably be futile. Once something goes wrong, the four provinces that are barely maintained will disintegrate in an instant. Where will the Han Dynasty be?"

"If what the lord is doing is for the sake of the greater good, and not personal anger, for the sake of the Han Dynasty, and for the sake of the people, you should temporarily abandon the idea of raising troops."

As Li Ji's voice fell, the others in the tent also cupped their hands and bowed, repeating in unison.

"For the sake of the Han Dynasty, for the sake of the people, please, lord, temporarily abandon the idea of raising troops."

After a moment, Liu Bei raised his still trembling hand, grabbed Li Ji's arm, and asked again with reluctance.

"Can we really not attack Lu Bu?"

Li Ji gave his answer.

"If we don't attack Lu Bu, within five years, the lord might be able to pacify the chaos and revive the Han Dynasty;"

"Once we attack Lu Bu, the best outcome would be nothing more than mutual destruction, and if there are any further mistakes, this chaos may drag on for ten or even twenty years."

Previously, Lu Bu was frightened by Li Ji, who had deliberately deployed troops on the border, and not only did he not refute "spreading the fields into mu" in the name of the imperial court, but he even used a series of official positions and titles to appease Liu Bei.

But that was because Lu Bu didn't want to lose Yan Province.

Now, rebellions are breaking out in Lu Bu's territory, and the Liang Province coalition forces are launching an attack from the west. If Liu Bei sends troops to attack again, Lu Bu can only abandon Yan Province and retreat to Xiong Pass, such as Hulao Pass.

In this way, how much force can Liu Bei, whose rear is also unstable, forcibly break through Hulao Pass? The best outcome is nothing more than mutual destruction, spending a lot of time and energy governing the territory.

Cao Cao, who is entrenched north of the Yellow River, might take the opportunity to intervene. It is not impossible for Liu Bei, who is sending troops, to repeat the defeats of Chibi and Yiling in the original trajectory.

At that time, it will undoubtedly greatly dampen the spirit of Liu Bei's group, and it may even take many years to recover.

Cao Cao was weakened for many years due to the defeat at Chibi, and it took Shu Han a long time to barely recover from the defeat at Yiling. These are bloody lessons for Li Ji.

The closer you seem to be to the door, the easier it is to go astray.

Now that Liu Bei is gradually forming the climate to unify the world, if he also experiences this, Li Ji might be so angry that he vomits blood on the spot.

Fortunately, for Liu Bei, he may not listen to the words of others, but he can listen to Li Ji's words.

More importantly, Liu Bei's desire to send troops to attack Lu Bu is indeed for the greater good, and he is angry at Lu Bu's humiliation of the Han Dynasty, not because he has a deep relationship with Liu Xie.

At this moment, Liu Bei had been completely persuaded by Li Ji and gave up the idea of sending troops immediately, but he still asked with some reluctance.

"Then when does Zikun think we can attack Lu Bu?"

"Three years!"

Li Ji held up three fingers and answered decisively. "Three years. Three years later, the lord will not only be sending troops to attack Lu Bu, but it will also be the beginning of unifying the world."

Three years!

This time is neither long nor short.

As long as Li Ji is given three years, with the iron-fisted methods that are rarely restrained in the chaotic world, Li Ji can not only completely digest the three provinces of Yu, Xu, and Jing, but also truly implement a series of reforms in every corner of his rule, laying a solid foundation for great governance after the chaos.

More importantly, there is three years to slowly accumulate troops. At that time, what can be used is not only the Yangzhou army, but a truly meaningful army that can sweep across the world in one go, sweeping away the heroes with thunderous force and avoiding the suffering of continuous wars for the Han people.

These words not only filled the originally somewhat unwilling Liu Bei with excitement, but also made the civil and military officials in the tent couldn't help but reveal expressions of excitement. (End of this chapter)