Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

As for Liu Yan, Liu Bei knew exactly what kind of person he was, which is why Liu Bei was so surprised and uncertain that Liu Zhang would personally transport grain to Wu Commandery.

Liu Bei might not have the same abilities as Li Ji, who could be fully aware of the financial situation of Wu Commandery and easily launch large-scale "work-for-relief" programs by coordinating a large number of scholars and clerks.

However, Liu Bei was aware that this would likely leave Wu Commandery with insufficient funds.

Yet, based on his trust in Li Ji, Liu Bei did not doubt or reject Li Ji's decisions, but chose to support him silently.

Liu Bei knew very well that he was not as good as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei in battle, nor was he as good as Li Ji in planning and governing, so what he could do was to give them enough trust.

"Has Zikun already made a decision? Or does Bei need to personally welcome Liu Jiyu?" Liu Bei asked.

"Although the Lord and Liu Jiyu share the name of brothers from the same clan, Liu Zhang's purpose is unclear. Moreover, it is more appropriate for the Lord to remain in the refugee camp to oversee and gather popular support..."

Li Ji shook his head and said, then continued to add.

"Liu Jiyu will arrive in Wu Commandery in three days. I plan to arrange for Liu Jiyu to be received in Dantu, and then I will personally meet with him to confirm his purpose."

Liu Bei heard this, pondered for a moment, and then said.

"Since that's the case, then I'll have to trouble Zikun to take care of this matter. Furthermore, if Liu Jiyu, representing his uncle Liu Yan, makes any requests, Zikun can fully represent me in making decisions on the spot."

This authority was considerable.

It could almost be said that no matter what decision Li Ji made during the negotiations with Liu Zhang, Liu Bei would approve it, without placing any restrictions on Li Ji.

This made Li Ji suspect that even if he made a promise to cede Wu Commandery, Liu Bei would grit his teeth and not deny it.

"Please rest assured, my lord."

While Li Ji was touched by Liu Bei's trust, he couldn't help but feel a little ashamed of his concealment.

Although this concealment was due to the circumstances, understanding that once he revealed everything, Liu Bei, even if he had to agree for the sake of the people, would feel guilty of betraying the imperial court and letting down the emperor, so Li Ji deliberately concealed it from Liu Bei.

But, in the end, this inevitably made Li Ji feel a little ashamed.

......

Meanwhile, Liu Zhang, who was traveling down the Yangtze River, was standing on the deck looking at the river scenery, with his eyes also filled with apprehension.

Perhaps, when he first set sail, Liu Zhang was quite curious about the beautiful scenery on both sides of the Yangtze River, but as he gradually became accustomed to that scenery, the melancholy and hesitation in Liu Zhang's heart unconsciously surged up.

His father, Liu Yan, had entrusted him with two tasks.

First: In exchange for grain, inquire from Li Ji about a foolproof plan to carve out territory in Yizhou and become a king.

After all, Emperor Liu Hong had just quelled the Yellow Turban Rebellion not long ago, and his prestige was at its peak. This made Liu Yan, even with his ambitions, still hold reverence for Emperor Liu Hong.

Moreover, this matter was no different from rebellion and treason. Once it failed, it would be a crime punishable by the extermination of the family. Liu Yan had to be extremely cautious and even sent a large amount of grain just to obtain a plan.

Second: Naturally, it was to befriend Li Ji, and even better, to be able to lure Li Ji back to Yizhou.

As Li Ji's reputation grew, Liu Yan naturally became more and more aware of what a prodigy Li Ji was.

And Liu Yan even suspected that Li Ji's instigation of him to carve out territory and become a king was not without the reason of the previous injustice of the Emperor and the court towards Li Ji in the matter of the imperial staff, which led to Li Ji's dissatisfaction.

Therefore, Liu Yan was extremely eager for Li Ji to enter Sichuan and assist him, which could be said to be foolproof.

And Liu Zhang, who was in the midst of it, also had some of his own small thoughts.

If his three elder brothers didn't die, Liu Zhang couldn't sleep!

What Liu Zhang wanted to ask Li Ji was how to cleverly send his three elder brothers to the west, so that they would never have the opportunity to enter Sichuan.

Otherwise, even if Liu Yan successfully carved out territory and became a king, once those three elder brothers returned to Yizhou, especially the eldest brother as the heir, then Liu Zhang knew very well that everything he had done would become a wedding dress for his eldest brother, and even his remaining life would be imprisoned until death.

In addition to this, Liu Zhang was also quite eager to befriend Li Ji.

If he could befriend Li Ji, and Li Ji would then enter Sichuan to assist his father, then Liu Zhang believed that with Li Ji's support, his position could be firmly secured.

'But, how should I befriend Li Zikun?'

Thinking of this question, Liu Zhang's brow never relaxed.

Liu Zhang had also thought of asking Zhao Yun for information, but Zhao Yun was tight-lipped and didn't drink at all, so Liu Zhang didn't have the slightest chance to get Zhao Yun drunk.

Just then, Jiang Zhi, the vice-prefect of Ba Commandery, with a somewhat ingratiating expression, walked towards Liu Zhang and carefully reminded him. "Young master, the wind on the river is strong, it's best not to stay too long, you must be careful not to catch a cold."

Liu Zhang heard this, without any pretense of status, cupped his hands and thanked him, saying. "Thank you, Vice-Prefect Jiang, it's just that Zhang has some unresolved worries in his heart, so I want to use the river wind to calm down."

Jiang Zhi couldn't help but praise and say.

"As expected of the young master, with a frown of his brow, he considers long-term perspectives, even when traveling far down the Yangtze River, he still has the livelihood of millions of people in Shu in his heart."

These words made Liu Zhang feel a little embarrassed.

Clearly, what Liu Zhang was thinking was how to lick Li Ji, but after being said by Jiang Zhi, it seemed that there was some truth to it.

If Li Ji, as a great talent in governing the country, was willing to enter Shu, it would indeed affect the livelihood of millions of people in Shu.

"You still understand me."

Liu Zhang replied with some complacency, making the ingratiating expression on Jiang Zhi's face even more pronounced.

However, this scene was seen by a young man dressed as a clerk behind Jiang Zhi, but with a very burly physique, revealing a trace of disgust and contempt in his eyes.

"By the way, young master, this small one is afraid that you will catch a cold, so I have prepared a cloak for you to keep warm, please put it on, don't just care about the people under your rule and neglect your health."

As Jiang Zhi spoke, he gestured to the young man behind him.

Upon seeing this, the young man reluctantly stepped forward, holding a Shu brocade cloak with exquisite embroidery in both hands.

"Xingba, what are you still standing there for, quickly help the young master put it on."

Jiang Zhi urged, then carefully opened his mouth to Liu Zhang.

"Young master, this nephew of mine just came of age not long ago, and is now working as a clerk in the government office. Not only are there few mistakes in handling official duties, but he is also particularly good at bravery. It's just that he is still a bit ignorant of the rules, please don't blame him."

Liu Zhang heard this, looked at Gan Ning, who was putting the Shu brocade cloak on him with a blank expression, and naturally understood that Jiang Zhi was taking the opportunity to recommend his nephew.

Liu Zhang looked at Gan Ning's physique and found that his loose clerk's robe was stretched tightly by his muscles, and he did look a bit martial.

Liu Zhang considered that this time transporting grain was indeed troublesome for Jiang Zhi, the vice-prefect of Ba Commandery, and Jiang Zhi's performance also made Liu Zhang quite satisfied.

Not only was he quite capable, but his mouth also made Liu Zhang feel quite comfortable all the time.

With this thought in mind, Liu Zhang opened his mouth and said.

"Since that's the case, then how about Xingba temporarily acting as my personal guard? After I return to Shu, I will recommend your talent to my father."

Jiang Zhi was overjoyed when he heard this, and quickly pulled Gan Ning to salute and thank Liu Zhang.

Subsequently, when Jiang Zhi left, he still did not forget to carefully remind his nephew, opening his mouth and saying.

"Xingba, you must not let down the young master's high expectations."

After all, others may not know, but Jiang Zhi is quite clear about Gan Ning's arrogant and high-profile personality on weekdays. He is clearly a young master from a noble family, but he gathered a group of local braves and called himself "Brocade Sail Thief", wandering around.

It was only because the Gan family still had some connections in Ba Commandery that the government did not mobilize forces to attack the "Brocade Sail Thief", but it also made the Gan family wipe Gan Ning's butt countless times.

Until recently, Gan Ning seemed to have heard about the various events related to the "Yellow Turban Rebellion", and suddenly seemed to have awakened, and began to study while also intending to enter the officialdom. Then, under Jiang Zhi's command, he worked as a clerk, which was quite successful.

Now, the appearance of Liu Zhang, the son of the governor, made Jiang Zhi's mind move, understanding that this was a rare opportunity to recommend Gan Ning.

The Gan family is only a small noble family in Ba Commandery. They may still have some face in Ba Commandery, but they are not ranked in the entire Yizhou.

If he can cling to Liu Zhang, and even become Liu Zhang's confidant, then whether it is for Gan Ning himself or for the Gan family, it will be of great help.

Just when Jiang Zhi left quite excitedly and tactfully, leaving Gan Ning alone to protect Liu Zhang, he saw Zhao Yun, the Supervising Officer under Wu Commandery, appearing and quickly took the initiative to salute.

Although the Supervising Officer under Wu Commandery was only a small official in Jiang Zhi's eyes, Liu Zhang's attitude towards Zhao Yun was unusual, which naturally made Jiang Zhi treat Zhao Yun with great courtesy.

While Zhao Yun quickly returned the salute to Jiang Zhi, he stepped towards Liu Zhang, who was on the deck.

Suddenly, Zhao Yun noticed Gan Ning standing behind Liu Zhang, and the invisible aura emanating from him made Zhao Yun's eyes slightly condensed.

This was the first master who had attracted Zhao Yun's attention since Zhao Yun entered Shu.

'Actually dressed as a clerk?'

While Zhao Yun was a little surprised, he quickly moved his gaze away.

Gan Ning also turned his head to look at Zhao Yun as if he felt something, but Gan Ning looked at Zhao Yun's appearance, which was like an ordinary scholar, and didn't care too much.

'It seems that he is still a bit young. If Yun intends to attack, he is already dead... However, the future is promising! It seems that there are many strong people in Shu, so it should not be underestimated!'

Zhao Yun secretly assessed Gan Ning's level, then stepped past him and walked to Liu Zhang, cupping his hands in salute.

"Young Master Liu Zhang, Yun has received a reply from Master Zikun. Upon learning that Young Master Liu Zhang has personally come to Wu County, my lord and Master Zikun are both very pleased. Now Master Zikun has prepared a banquet in Dantu, awaiting Young Master Liu Zhang's arrival."

(End of Chapter)