Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

As the atmosphere seemed to quiet down for a moment, Zhang Fei gradually realized something and his gaze wandered between Liu Bei and Li Ji.

Li Ji naturally knew Liu Bei's dilemma, as this matter violated Liu Bei's inner principles.

People are always multifaceted, and Liu Bei was no exception.

Benevolence was him, ambition was him, and loyalty was also him.

Even in the original timeline, when the Han Dynasty was declining, the emperor had become a puppet in Cao Cao's hands, and the Han Dynasty relatives who were serving as governors in various places were watching indifferently, only Liu Bei was running around, carrying the banner of restoring the Han Dynasty, which was enough to prove Liu Bei's inner principles.

Perhaps in the eyes of many people, that was just a slogan Liu Bei used to gild himself.

However, the truth was that Cao Cao, Sun Quan, Liu Biao and other separatist warlords all admitted it, and even the emperor himself placed his hopes on Liu Bei, allowing Liu Bei to participate in the "Blood-Stained Decree".

And now, Li Ji was undoubtedly giving Liu Bei a big problem, choosing between the people and the court, between benevolence and loyalty.

This was not something a subject should do, but Li Ji understood that this was something Liu Bei would have to face sooner or later.

As Wu Commandery began to develop by leaps and bounds, details in various aspects would inevitably begin to appear that were not like what a loyal subject would do.

Li Ji's ambition was not to save this decaying Han Dynasty from collapse, but to create a new Han Dynasty for the millions of people, with the benevolent ruler Liu Bei as emperor, to reproduce the glory of China, and not the tragedy of the Five Barbarians invasion.

With one heart and one mind…

In the past, Li Ji felt inexplicably guilty every time Liu Bei mentioned this phrase, but at this moment he also wanted to talk to Liu Bei frankly.

Liu Bei's silence this time was unprecedentedly long, so long that Zhang Fei couldn't stand the tense atmosphere, and said.

"Brother, say something."

"Yide…"

Finally, Liu Bei spoke, and then continued in a slightly hoarse voice.

"Yide, please go outside the door, your brother has something to discuss with Zikun."

Zhang Fei pointed at himself in surprise, never expecting that there would be something that his brother would need to hide from him one day.

However, Zhang Fei looked at the unprecedentedly heavy gaze between Liu Bei and Li Ji, and also understood that there might be a major disagreement between Liu Bei and Li Ji.

"Brother, Mr. Zikun, then I'll wait outside the door, call me in when you're done."

Zhang Fei said in a muffled voice, and then walked out of the door.

And Xiahou Bo looked at Zhang Fei being kicked out, his expression was shocked…

After all, as Liu Bei's personal guard, Xiahou Bo knew very well how good the relationship between Liu, Guan, and Zhang was. Last night, Liu Bei and Zhang Fei even slept with their feet touching, it would not be an exaggeration to say that he regarded Zhang Fei as a true brother.

"What's so good to see."

Zhang Fei glanced at Xiahou Bo, and then stood on the other side of the door, his ears unconsciously listening to the movement in the house, considering who he should help if Liu Bei and Li Ji started fighting in the house later.

Helping his brother, it seems there is no need for that, Mr. Zikun can't beat his brother anyway;

But helping Mr. Zikun, it's not good to attack his brother.

But if he doesn't help either side, Zhang Fei has the feeling of watching his left hand hit his right hand and can only feel anxious.

'It would be great if Second Brother was here, it would be most appropriate for me and Second Brother to hold one each…'

While Zhang Fei could only listen at the door and think wildly, in the room with only two people left, Liu Bei asked Li Ji with a solemn expression.

"Zikun, your idea is a bit dangerous. Ostensibly, it is to supervise Guo Yi, but in reality, it is to seize the real power of Kuaiji Commandery. This is not what a loyal subject should do. Has anyone instigated or bewitched you behind your back?"

Li Ji's expression changed slightly, and after sighing, he said.

"My lord, there may be someone in this world who can surpass me in strategy, but absolutely no one can bewitch me. I… am very clear about what I just said."

This made Liu Bei's face twitch obviously, his eyebrows were twisted into a ball, as if anger was about to erupt and scold Li Ji, but he reluctantly endured it, and said.

"Zikun, we are Han officials, we eat Han salaries, how can we do such things of Han traitors? It must not be done! Zikun's words just now, I, Bei, will take them as the drunken words of last night, and must not be mentioned again in the future."

"My lord! !"

Li Ji suddenly raised his voice, understanding that things had come to this point, there was no reason to retreat!

"Isn't the premise that you and I are Han officials that we must first be Han people? In my lord's heart, is the great Han the great Han of one person, or the great Han built by the people of the world?"

"Now, can my lord see how many Han people are displaced and have no place to live? Is such a great Han still the strong Han that is famous in all directions? Is it still the strong Han that Emperor Gaozu established by overthrowing the tyrannical Qin?"

"Today's great Han, how is it different from the tyrannical Qin of the past? Moreover, I, Ji, am not a Han traitor, nor do I want to steal the Han, but I want my lord to imitate Emperor Guangwu and save the great Han again!"

These words undoubtedly revealed Li Ji's ambition nakedly, and even shocked Liu Bei's expression greatly, his fingers pointing at Li Ji with some trembling, and said.

"Zikun, Zikun, do you know what you are saying?"

"Why must it come to this?! Today's emperor is only temporarily deceived by treacherous people, and with Zikun's ability, it may not be possible to realize the great ambition of governing the world with one commandery."

"Previously, there was such a great disaster in the Central Plains. Under the joint efforts of Bei and Zikun, countless refugees were also resettled, giving them the opportunity to live and work in peace again, didn't we?"

"As long as we do this for ten or twenty years, if you and I work together to develop the south of the Yangtze River, it will be enough to make the people of the world have enough food and clothing."

Li Ji slowly shook his head, and looked at Liu Bei honestly, and said.

"My lord, you and I don't have twenty years, not even ten years, at most five years… The current emperor's body, hollowed out by wine and women, will not be able to support it."

"Only when the emperor dies, with the current chaotic situation, even my lord should be clear that the two young princes will inevitably be unable to suppress the chaotic situation, and a chaotic world… will inevitably come!"

These words made Liu Bei's pupils shrink, and he subconsciously grabbed Li Ji's shoulder suddenly, and said.

"Zikun, do you know what you are saying? What nonsense are you talking about?"

Li Ji looked at Liu Bei's somewhat ferocious expression in front of him, and understood very well the huge sense of loss in Liu Bei's heart at this moment.

In Liu Bei's eyes, this world was originally full of difficulties. Fortunately, he had the assistance of two sworn brothers and Li Ji, who fought with their lives all the way to exchange for a place in Wu Commandery to realize his ambitions.

Moreover, under Li Ji's governance, the land of Wu Commandery was rising almost at a visible speed. Once the water conservancy transformation of Wu Commandery was completed, the arable land that could be reclaimed would be more than ten thousand hectares, enough to support countless people.

Perhaps, after realizing the ambition of "governing the world with one commandery", countless prefectures and commanderies south of the Yangtze River would definitely compete to follow suit. Repeating this, it would not be impossible to reproduce a prosperous age.

In Liu Bei's eyes, the world might be broken, but it was developing towards a hopeful future little by little…

However, the hopeful world in Liu Bei's eyes was torn to pieces by Li Ji in an instant. Li Ji announced with a certain and naked tone that the emperor would die within five years, followed by a chaotic world where heroes would compete.

Liu Bei… never doubted Li Ji.

Li Ji's predictions were always accurate, and his deductions of the future were always correct, which made Liu Bei have almost a kind of blind confidence in Li Ji.

Even with such a rebellious conclusion against the emperor, Liu Bei still did not have the slightest doubt, and almost subconsciously believed Li Ji's conclusion.

And this allowed Liu Bei to find an excuse for Li Ji, who was loyal and virtuous, to have the idea of "imitating Emperor Guangwu and recreating the great Han" in the first time almost in an instant.

At this moment, Liu Bei even felt a little sorry for Li Ji.

How far-sighted was the future that Li Ji saw, and how much did he bear alone without anyone to share it with him?

It was natural for Liu Bei not to want to be a Han traitor, but Liu Bei would naturally not resist imitating Emperor Guangwu, and even felt a bit of complacency and satisfaction in his heart.

Being compared to Emperor Guangwu by Li Ji, in Liu Bei's opinion, was an extremely high evaluation and honor.

'So, is my image in Zikun's heart so great?'

With this thought, Liu Bei unconsciously straightened his chest slightly.

And the suspicion of Li Ji wanting to secretly seize the real power of Kuaiji Commandery in Liu Bei's eyes before, also turned into Li Ji knowing that a chaotic world was coming, so he was accumulating strength to revive the Han Dynasty.

Even without Li Ji explaining, Liu Bei had already found an excuse in his heart for Li Ji's rebellious actions just now.

However, Liu Bei thought for a while, and tried to ask.

"Zikun, is it impossible to stop the coming of a chaotic world? With Zikun's ability, is there no ability to turn the tide?"

Li Ji sighed and said.

"My lord, I, Ji, am just a mortal, not an immortal. Even seeing my lord governing Wu Commandery, accepting refugees, and creating the Ren Virtue Academy, and the name of Ren Virtue is rising, the Yuan family still secretly sent Xu You to collude with Guo Yi, intending to attack and plunder the southern counties in order to ruin my lord's virtuous name."

"It is conceivable how dangerous the political struggle within the current court is, and how can we, who have no foundation, intervene?"

"And the chaos of the world lies not only in the officials and aristocratic families of various parties, but also in the court, but even the court cannot intervene in the slightest, so how can we talk about stopping the chaos and turning the tide?"

Hearing this, Liu Bei's originally raised expression obviously became dim again.

Li Ji and Guo Yi have been in a stalemate for more than two months. Even if the arrangement of the Brocade Guard Division in Kuaiji Commandery is not enough, such a long time is enough to find out Xu You's existence.

Following the clues, it is easy to judge which force is behind the promotion.

The Ten Attendants and the famous Yuan family all participated.

This undoubtedly allowed Liu Bei to gradually see through the corrupt imperial court, and he spoke with a mix of sorrow and hatred.

"Detestable are the officials of the court, all of them traitors to the Han. They live off the Han's bounty, yet know nothing of the Han's grace. They burden my people, leaving them without a place to stand or a home to dwell in!"