Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

Chapter 25: Arrangements for the Yellow Turban Crowd

Shorten his lifespan?

Li Ji, who had been pondering some matters, was somewhat taken aback and asked in confusion.

"What are you saying, Yunchang? The Yellow Turban bandits are mostly tyrannical, causing many plundered people to die tragically. Among them, there must be many young boys and girls with no one to rely on. Therefore, I intend to raise and care for them, which should be a great act of kindness."

In an instant, Guan Yu immediately realized that his thinking had slipped!

When Li Ji looked up at Guan Yu, he suddenly noticed that Guan Yu's face was glowing red, and his energy was so abundant that it was almost overwhelming.

"I... I was impolite!"

Guan Yu stammered, then hurriedly covered his face and fled.

Li Ji looked at Guan Yu's back with considerable suspicion, but he didn't have the mind to delve into it. Instead, he took a blank bamboo slip and began to write with some excitement.

Previously, most of Li Ji's energy had been focused on the first step of his rise, and the limited resources, connections, money, and food had forced Li Ji to abandon any ideas he had.

Now that Liu Bei had truly and meaningfully accumulated his "first pot of gold," some things needed to be prepared in advance.

He who does not plan for the ages is not fit to plan for a moment; he who does not plan for the whole is not fit to plan for a part.

Therefore, although Li Ji was quite tired, he still braced himself and wrote on the bamboo slip.

...

The next day, early morning.

As the sky was just beginning to brighten and the city gates had just opened.

Guan Yu, feeling ashamed to face Li Ji after his lapse in thought, instructed the Eighteen燕云 Riders to protect Li Ji well. Then, before Li Ji, who had been burning the midnight oil the night before, had gotten out of bed, he hurriedly led the remaining cavalry away from Zhuo County and headed straight for the direction of Mount Daxing.

In the river滩 between Mount Daxing and the Juma River, Liu Bei, who had been awake all night, was standing on a high point, gazing in the direction of Zhuo County.

Zhang Fei shouted from afar in a loud voice.

"Brother, Brother, it's windy here. Why did you come here?"

"There is dense forest blocking the view below, so I fear I will not be able to spot Zikun's return in advance. I tossed and turned, unable to sleep, so I climbed up high to observe," Liu Bei said with a sigh, his eyes still fixed on the direction of Zhuo County, murmuring.

"Yesterday, Commandant Zou Jing came to investigate the situation, so Zikun must have reported the results to Uncle. Therefore, Uncle sent the Commandant to confirm the situation."

"Presumably, whether the negotiations succeed or fail, Zikun will be able to return this morning, so why is he so late in appearing?"

"That Commandant Zou Jing, I don't know when he offended him, but he is unwilling to reveal any information at all. What misery."

Listening to Liu Bei's murmurings, almost every sentence of which mentioned Li Ji, Zhang Fei, who was holding a robe he had specially brought to prepare for Liu Bei, suddenly felt that he seemed a bit superfluous. He shouldn't have been in the carriage; he should have been lying under the carriage.

"Doesn't Brother miss Second Brother?"

Zhang Fei used Guan Yu as an allusion to himself, wanting Liu Bei to look at him more, and said.

It would have been better if Zhang Fei hadn't said anything, but as soon as he said this, Liu Bei's expression became even more melancholy and anxious as he said.

"Zikun once said that Yunchang's martial prowess is top-notch in the world, so I am not worried about Yunchang. I only fear that Zikun will encounter danger."

"You must know that Zikun doesn't even have a sword at his waist, so he probably isn't good at swordsmanship. If he encounters danger, how will he protect himself?"

After a pause, Liu Bei suddenly thought of something and turned to Zhang Fei, saying.

"Yide, why not send someone on horseback back to Zhuo County to investigate the situation, what do you think?"

"No horses."

Zhang Fei's loud voice actually had a hint of sourness as he said, "The horses were all taken by Second Brother."

"Who said there are no horses? Don't Yide and I still have two horses?"

Liu Bei retorted.

Zhang Fei said anxiously, "Brother, those are our mounts. If something unexpected happens, Brother and I will only be able to fight on foot..."

But before Zhang Fei could finish speaking, Liu Bei, who had been watching the direction of Zhuo County out of the corner of his eye, suddenly noticed that at the end of the dense forest on that side, a dark shadow seemed to be approaching from afar.

"He's back, he's back," Liu Bei said excitedly, then lifted the hem of his robe with both hands and rushed down the mountain.

However, after running ten steps or so, Liu Bei remembered that he had left his third brother behind. He turned his head towards Zhang Fei, who was still stunned in place, and urged.

"Yide, what are you still doing standing there? Quickly follow me to welcome Zikun."

After a pause, Liu Bei noticed the robe in Zhang Fei's hand and praised.

"Yide is still thinking carefully. It's very cold in the early morning, and Zikun is traveling early, so this robe will be just right for Zikun to use to warm up."

Zhang Fei.

At this moment, Zhang Fei completely confirmed one thing.

In the oath of the Peach Garden, he only got the body of his brother, but his brother's heart had been stolen by Li Ji at some point.

Zhang Fei couldn't help but feel a little sour in his heart, but he didn't hold a grudge against Li Ji. In Zhang Fei's view, Mr. Zikun's talent was indeed worthy of these courtesies.

It was just that when the time came, Zhang Fei still wanted to fight for it, but then he suddenly realized that his brother's love had long disappeared.

"He's here, he's here..."

Zhang Fei's voice seemed to be a little subdued for the first time, and he responded weakly, following Liu Bei's impatient footsteps.

After hurriedly descending the mountain, Liu Bei couldn't even wait for them to arrive. He and Zhang Fei rode out alone to meet Guan Yu and the others.

Looking at Liu Bei's figure galloping from afar, Guan Yu was filled with emotion. He quickly reined in his horse and stopped, then dismounted and knelt on one knee, bowing his head in shame.

"What merit do I have that I should trouble Brother to welcome me like this?"

However, Guan Yu, kneeling on the ground, waited for a long time but did not receive a response from Liu Bei. When he looked up, he found that Liu Bei, who had stopped in front of him, seemed to be searching for something in the crowd.

After a moment, Liu Bei retracted his gaze with some suspicion and anxiety, then dismounted and helped Guan Yu up, saying.

"You and I are brothers who are inseparable, so there is no need for such ceremony. But why don't I see Zikun?"

Without thinking much, Guan Yu replied, "Mr. Zikun is still in Zhuo County."

Instantly, Liu Bei's face darkened obviously, and he slowly squeezed out a sentence from between his teeth.

"Could it be that Uncle deliberately detained Zikun?"

"No," Guan Yu said quickly upon hearing this, then carefully recounted the events after returning to Zhuo County, and finally mentioned that Li Ji had said that he had formed a political alliance with Liu Yan on behalf of Liu Bei, and that Liu Yan would prepare a series of money, food, warhorses, and the like for Liu Bei.

"If that's the case, then why doesn't Zikun return?" Liu Bei still frowned tightly, saying worriedly.

"Mr. Zikun said that if he leaves Zhuo County at this moment, he fears that Liu Yan will have doubts..."

Guan Yu replied, then continued.

"Furthermore, since everything has been settled, rather than having Mr. Zikun camp out in the open with us on Mount Daxing, it would be better for him to stay temporarily in Third Brother's mansion and wait for us to return."

Hearing this, the tense expression on Liu Bei's face eased, and he said.

"That's very good. Yunchang's thinking is quite right. Since everything has been settled, it is indeed better for Zikun to stay in Third Brother's mansion."

Seeing this, Zhang Fei asked with some incomprehension, "Why doesn't Brother like the money, food, and warhorses that Liu Yan is about to give, but only likes the safety of Mr. Zikun?"

"If I can get Zikun's help, a mere amount of money, food, and warhorses can be obtained with a flip of the hand. What is there to like? Zikun's well-being makes me even happier than obtaining a thousand troops and ten thousand horses," Liu Bei replied matter-of-factly.

This left Guan Yu and Zhang Fei somewhat unable to refute. With Li Ji's talent, it was indeed not something that a mere amount of money, food, and soldiers could be exchanged for.

Afterward, Liu Bei asked, "When Yunchang returned, did Zikun have any instructions for me?"

Guan Yu pondered slightly, organizing his words, and replied.

"Mr. Zikun repeatedly reminded us that for the sake of the livelihood of the more than 50,000 Yellow Turban soldiers, we must fully cooperate with the officials Liu Yan sends later and resettle the Yellow Turban soldiers back to their hometowns as soon as possible to resume spring plowing."

"Therefore, Mr. Zikun suggested that we can use Brother's influence to organize the Yellow Turban soldiers properly according to their respective counties, townships, villages, and hamlets before the officials arrive."

"In this way, we can avoid those officials wasting a long time confirming their respective homelands and can directly have the officials lead them to their hometowns for quick resettlement."

Liu Bei thought for a while about the details and tricks, and immediately felt that Li Ji's words were very good and were indeed a mature and prudent method.

Having come from the bottom himself, Liu Bei naturally knew very well what kind of virtues and practices most of the low-level officials had.

If Liu Bei threw those Yellow Turban soldiers to the officials appointed by Liu Yan to be responsible, those officials would probably just set up two or three tables and have the Yellow Turban soldiers line up to register.

And according to the practices of those officials, they would probably register and inquire slowly, and one table might not be able to register hundreds of people in a day.

What's more, some officials might even think about taking the opportunity to squeeze some money from the Yellow Turban soldiers.

The method taught by Li Ji completely avoided these troubles, allowing these Yellow Turban soldiers to be divided into their respective counties, townships, villages, and hamlets first, and then the officials could directly lead the Yellow Turban soldiers from different regions back to their hometowns.

Perhaps there were still loopholes to exploit, but it was undoubtedly the best and most efficient way at present, allowing the Yellow Turban soldiers who were returning home to be resettled in time for the major event of spring plowing.

"If Zikun were to govern a region, he would definitely be a virtuous minister who could bring peace to the world. Second Brother, Third Brother, in the future, you must find more opportunities to ask Zikun for advice. Even if you learn one or two things, it will be of endless benefit," Liu Bei praised repeatedly.

Guan Yu nodded in approval, while Zhang Fei felt a little sour in his heart but did not refute.

Mr. Zikun is a rare talent in the world.

This conclusion had now been completely recognized by the three Liu, Guan, and Zhang brothers.

Although Liu Bei was eager to begin dividing up the Yellow Turban troops, he patiently confirmed, "Yun Chang, besides that, did Zikun have any other instructions?"

Guan Yu recalled again, his face inexplicably flushed, but fortunately, Guan Yu's face was naturally crimson, so it wasn't obvious, and he said,

"Mr. Zikun said that while the大哥 (dà gē, eldest brother) can recruit brave men from the Yellow Turban troops, he should also take in all the homeless young boys and girls and send them to Mr. Zikun."

Liu Bei paused and asked, "Did Zikun explain the purpose of taking in the young boys and girls?"

Guan Yu narrowed his Danfeng eyes, avoiding Liu Bei's gaze, and replied,

"Mr. Zikun seems to simply be kind-hearted, unable to bear the thought of those young boys and girls being homeless or unable to support themselves and becoming destitute refugees again."

"大哥 (dà gē, eldest brother), Second Brother, I roughly calculated that there are probably at least two thousand young boys and girls among the Yellow Turban troops. Most of these young boys and girls probably don't have any farming skills. If we support them for a long time, the money and food consumed will be a considerable amount," Zhang Fei said.

"Why don't we send someone to ask Mr. Zikun? If it's just out of kindness, we can give them some extra food when we send them back to their hometowns."

Liu Bei pondered for a moment, waved his hand, and said,

"Let's do as Mr. Zikun says. Since Mr. Zikun has made such a decision, he must have his own profound meaning. It would be bad if we delay Mr. Zikun's plan."

As a member of a wealthy family, Zhang Fei was undoubtedly more concerned and sensitive about money and food, and he reminded,

"大哥 (dà gē, eldest brother), but you still need to recruit soldiers to go south to Ji Province to quell the Yellow Turbans. Although we seized a lot of money and food from the Yellow Turban bandits, we still need to be careful with our calculations."

Liu Bei shook his head and firmly said,

"It's fine, it's fine. Furthermore, I, Bei, can now have a slight advantage, thanks to the help of my two sworn brothers, and Zikun also has made great contributions. Not to mention a little money and food expenses, even if it consumes more, that is Zikun's deserved share."

Hearing this, Zhang Fei gave up the idea of ​​continuing to persuade Liu Bei.

In Liu Bei's view, although his small group is now headed by himself, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are the most important original shareholders, and Li Ji is the same.

Moreover, Li Ji has a benevolent heart and cannot bear to see those young boys and girls unable to support themselves. Liu Bei felt a sense of camaraderie in his heart and became more and more appreciative and admired Li Ji.

Immediately, Liu Bei assigned tasks to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

Liu Bei, who was the most approachable, personally gathered those homeless and helpless young boys and girls;

Guan Yu was responsible for recruiting brave men from the Yellow Turban troops to serve as soldiers;

Zhang Fei, who had the loudest voice and was the most threatening, recited the names of the counties under Zhuo Commandery, first dividing the Yellow Turban troops according to the county area, and then further subdividing them step by step according to the villages.

Fortunately, Liu Bei won the hearts of a large number of Yellow Turban troops through the favor of a bowl of porridge and a piece of meat, and announced that he was preparing to resettle them back to their hometowns.

Therefore, although there were occasional cries from children among the Yellow Turban troops, all the Yellow Turban troops understood what was good and bad and tried their best to cooperate with Liu, Guan, and Zhang's arrangements.

Moreover, many local brave men, deeply grateful for Liu Bei's benevolence or having lost their families in the war, responded to the recruitment and were willing to follow Liu Bei.

As for those young boys and girls who were already homeless, they were even more grateful to Liu Bei, so that after Liu Bei, this good uncle, wandered around, he was followed by more than two thousand young boys and girls over the age of eight and under the age of fourteen.

Afterwards, Liu Bei didn't mean to delay, fearing that Li Ji had other important uses for these young boys and girls.

Therefore, as the order of the Yellow Turban troops became more stable, he immediately ordered Guan Yu to lead fifty cavalry and two hundred men to protect these young boys and girls back to Zhuo County early the next morning, preparing to first settle them in Zhang Fei's peach garden on the outskirts of Zhuo County.