Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

Looking at Zhao Yun's upright appearance, Li Ji naturally knew that Zhao Yun was not the type to bend the rules.

Or rather, within the entire Liu Bei group, including Liu Bei and Li Ji, everyone was capable of bending the rules, except for Zhao Yun, who would never even entertain the thought.

"Zilong, what I mean is that you can secretly release Gan Ning," Li Ji said.

Zhao Yun finally understood upon hearing this.

However, Zhao Yun, recalling Gan Ning's behavior, said, "Mr. Zikun, I'm afraid that even if we release Gan Ning, he may not necessarily run."

"Let's test him," Li Ji said after pausing for a moment.

"If Gan Ning runs, then let him go. It will clear Wu Jun's relationship with this matter, as if Gan Ning never appeared before me. If Gan Ning doesn't run, then he might still have some value to be pulled in."

"Yes."

Zhao Yun nodded and then went down to arrange the matter.

Releasing Gan Ning directly would be too obvious.

However, just give the guards watching Gan Ning a chance, and with Gan Ning's martial prowess, escaping from the cage would be an easy task.

Soon, Zhao Yun came back to report to Li Ji: Gan Ning had escaped!

"Then so be it," Li Ji said nothing more.

In fact, Li Ji couldn't help but have some doubts and tension in his heart.

What if Gan Ning was still loyal to Liu Zhang, and everything Gan Ning had done was instructed by Liu Zhang to test Li Ji?

Although Li Ji didn't think Liu Zhang was capable of such a thing, having been in contact with Jia Xu for a long time and knowing his style, Li Ji still subconsciously chose to guard against this possibility.

Therefore, if Gan Ning ran with the flow, then so be it. Li Ji didn't care too much.

Even with long-term considerations, Wu Jun still had a huge shortage in naval generals, but it was not necessary to subdue Gan Ning.

Therefore, Li Ji didn't feel any regret. After putting down the military book he was reading during some spare time, he went to bed and fell asleep.

However, the next day, when Li Ji habitually got up early and opened the door, he saw Gan Ning kneeling in the courtyard.

Zhao Yun was guarding Li Ji's door, silently watching and guarding against Gan Ning.

When Li Ji opened the door, Zhao Yun quickly bowed to Li Ji.

"Zilong has been guarding here all night?" Li Ji asked in surprise.

Zhao Yun replied.

"Gan Ning arrived here at the third watch last night, and Yun woke up. In order to prevent Gan Ning from doing anything out of line, Yun guarded outside Mr. Zikun's door. I hope I didn't disturb Mr. Zikun's sleep?"

"Zilong's work is really reassuring," Li Ji said with emotion, then added.

"Thank you for your concern, but Yun is fine. Not to mention not sleeping for one night, Yun was once ordered by my master to continuously practice with the spear without rest in order to break through the limit, and I practiced for two days and two nights and was still energetic, but my master was so sleepy that he had to stop."

When Zhao Yun mentioned this past event, his tone contained some helplessness, as if he felt deeply guilty for not being able to break through the limit.

However, when Li Ji heard these words, a sentence couldn't help but appear in his mind: The physiques of people cannot be compared.

Zhao Yun's physique looks similar to Li Ji's, but what kind of monster is hidden inside?

No wonder he can enter and exit seven times among a million troops. If he didn't have such an unimaginable amount of energy, he would have been exhausted to death.

With this thought, Li Ji gave up the idea of persuading Zhao Yun to rest, and instead looked at Gan Ning kneeling in front of him and said in a deep voice.

"Gan Xingba, since you escaped last night, why did you return here? Do you really think my Li Zikun's knife is not sharp?"

At this moment, Gan Ning's eyes were full of bloodshot, and there were many wounds and bloodstains on his body, obviously having experienced a fight last night. He supported himself on the ground with both hands and said.

"I know that Mr. Zikun deliberately let me leave last night. I didn't escape to save my life, but wanted to return to the fleet to inform my uncle and all my brothers to escape…"

"However, my uncle and brothers have already been captured, and that Liu Zhang child has set up an ambush. I fought hard and killed more than ten people before jumping into the river to escape."

"However, Gan Ning can run, but how can my uncle, brothers, and family members still in Ba Jun survive?"

"I beg Mr. Zikun to have mercy. As long as you can save my uncle, brothers, and family members still in Ba Jun, Gan Ning is willing to be driven by you for the rest of his life, and will be a slave without any hesitation."

In the end, Gan Ning's face was already full of remorse, and then he kowtowed to Li Ji without saying a word.

After a moment, Li Ji walked up to Gan Ning and asked, "So, you regret assassinating Liu Jiyu?"

Gan Ning pondered for a long time before gritting his teeth and saying.

"I don't regret it. That Liu Zhang child humiliated me so much, treating me like discarded shoes. If I don't kill him, I, Gan Xingba, would be a useless man!"

"What I regret is using a sword dance to assassinate him. Such a petty act of an assassin, how could it be something that I, Gan Xingba, should do? I should have gathered my men and then taken advantage of the night to attack and kill him."

Li Ji couldn't help but curse, "You really deserve to be called the Brocade Sail Thief. Your thoughts and actions are no different from those of a thief!"

"I, Gan Xingba, am the Brocade Sail Thief of Ba Jun!"

When he mentioned this name, Gan Ning still proudly said.

Li Ji didn't know what Gan Ning was proud of for a moment. Is being a thief something to be proud of?

After Gan Ning was proud, he realized his situation and immediately dared not say anything again, but silently lowered his head again.

Now, Gan Ning had already thought of all kinds of possibilities, but he also understood that the only way to protect Jiang Zhi and the three hundred Brocade Sail Thief brothers from Liu Zhang was to ask for help from this Li Ji, who Liu Zhang flattered.

Otherwise, Gan Ning could only try to attack and kill Liu Zhang again, in order to successfully attack and kill Liu Zhang, and then take advantage of the chaos to rescue Jiang Zhi and the three hundred Brocade Sail Thieves, and then return to Ba Jun to take their families away and escape Yizhou.

However, Gan Ning knew that under the circumstances that Liu Zhang was prepared, the possibility of attacking and killing Liu Zhang was very small, far lower than asking Li Ji.

So…

Just as Gan Ning felt his heart gradually sinking, Li Ji's voice finally sounded, saying.

"I won't accept you, and the lord won't accept you. Wu Jun doesn't have a place for thieves, but Ba Jun is too small. Since it can't accommodate you, you might as well take your three hundred Brocade Sail Thieves to the sea to stir up trouble."

Gan Ning looked up at Li Ji in a daze, but couldn't react for a moment.

However, Li Ji didn't continue to explain, but directly walked past Gan Ning and out of the small courtyard.

When Li Ji's back was about to disappear from sight, Gan Ning quickly kowtowed in the direction of Li Ji.

Being able to take three hundred Brocade Sail Thieves to the sea to stir up trouble undoubtedly meant that Li Ji was willing to help…

However, if Wu Jun didn't want to antagonize Yizhou, then Wu Jun obviously couldn't take in Gan Ning.

However, Li Ji's original plan was to let Gan Ning go to the sea to stir up trouble and make some noise.

Without thieves, there is naturally no need for soldiers.

Previously, Li Ji intended to establish a navy, but it was easy to be criticized and may also cause some suspicion.

However, if Gan Ning ravaged the sea, then it would be quite natural for Wu Jun to establish a navy to defend against pirates.

This is not that Wu Jun has other ambitions, but only to protect the territory and secure the people, and prevent the people from being looted and harassed by pirates.

As for whether there is a possibility that Wu Jun is raising bandits to gain self-importance, that is even more impossible!

Gan Ning is a native of Ba Jun, Yizhou, and has no connection with Wu Jun at all. Moreover, Gan Ning often called himself the "Brocade Sail Thief" in Yizhou, and openly assassinated Li Ji when Li Ji hosted a banquet for Liu Zhang…

Isn't it natural for such a wicked thief to escape to the sea and degenerate into a pirate to wreak havoc everywhere?

Thoughts kept appearing in Li Ji's mind, understanding that Gan Ning was the best chess piece for Wu Jun to develop a navy in a legitimate way through "raising bandits to gain self-importance."

And Gan Ning attaches great importance to those he recognizes. As long as the Gan family is settled in Wu Jun, then there is no fear that Gan Ning will have rebellious thoughts.

The next question is how to clear Wu Jun's relationship with Gan Ning and persuade Liu Zhang to let go of Jiang Zhi, the Brocade Sail Thieves, and the Gan family.

While Li Ji was thinking, a clerk came to report that Liu Zhang had come to visit.

Immediately, Li Ji ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard to take Gan Ning away from the back door of the county government office, temporarily settled Gan Ning in a secret place in the city, and then hurriedly took Zhao Yun to meet Liu Zhang.

As soon as Liu Zhang saw Li Ji, his enthusiasm was like seeing a relative, repeatedly greeting him and asking about Li Ji's rest and sleep last night.

This made Li Ji a little surprised. Coming over to greet him early in the morning, even Liu Zhang's usual filial piety to Liu Yan might not be so diligent, right?

Filial piety!

Too filial!

Even though Li Ji and Liu Zhang were about the same age, this kind of filial piety made Li Ji a little unaccustomed, but it had to be said that it was difficult to refuse.

After Li Ji led Liu Zhang into the house to sit down, Li Ji conveniently asked Liu Zhang about his sleep last night. Liu Zhang suddenly said with some horror and unease.

"Mr. Zikun, I was scared to death last night. After returning to the post, the more I thought about it, the more I felt something was wrong. That Gan Xingba seemed to be performing a sword dance for fun, but he was actually trying to do what Jing Ke did."

"Last night, that wicked thief Gan Xingba also sneaked back into the fleet and killed more than ten people in a row. He was truly brutal and fierce. Therefore, I came over early to ask Mr. Zikun to issue a document to arrest this wicked thief."

Li Ji pretended to be surprised and said.

"Oh? Is that so! Isn't Gan Ning Jiyu's bodyguard? During the banquet last night, I thought it was a sword dance specially arranged by Jiyu, and that the assassination attempt was purely for a temporary program effect. I didn't expect there to be such an inside story."

"Indeed, indeed!" Liu Zhang said, his face also full of bewilderment.

"That Gan Xingba is truly hateful. I treated him quite well, yet I don't know when he developed such sinister thoughts. If it weren't for Zilong's timely intervention, I might have already been covered in blood last night. That's why I came early today, to express my gratitude to Zilong."

(End of Chapter)