Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

Liu Bao's eyes shone with excitement as he knelt carefully before Li Ji, his every movement cautious, fearing to be impolite in the Marquis's presence.

By the bright lamplight, Liu Bao clearly saw Li Ji's face, and his eyes involuntarily welled up.

This man, who had lurked in the palace for many years, even using his cunning and skills to become a trusted attendant relied upon by Lu Lingqi, Liu Bao, could not control his emotional outburst.

“Why does a great man act like a maiden?”

Li Ji rebuked Liu Bao somewhat sternly. Liu Bao did not retort but instead smiled foolishly.

For a man who had been castrated, Liu Bao had never felt the warmth of parents since he could remember. Even before he was swept up by the Yellow Turban Army, Liu Bao had been driven out of his home by his family and wandered around.

Even after becoming a member of the Taoyuan Group and being raised, Liu Bao was always worried that his secret would be discovered, leading to disdain and disgust from his companions, or even being driven away directly.

However, no matter how careful Liu Bao was, it was impossible to hide it forever in such a collective environment.

Because the Ten Attendants controlled the court, eunuchs were undoubtedly the most despised people.

Even within the Taoyuan Group, Liu Bao was unsurprisingly met with a lot of disdain until one day, a refined and gentle voice came from behind Liu Bao, who was hiding in a corner and sobbing.

“Why does a great man act like a maiden, weeping incessantly?”

For Liu Bao, the Marquis had given him a sense of self-respect, still regarding him as a true man, and even scolding many children for it.

Unlike most of the children in the Taoyuan Group who preferred to be close to Liu Bei, Liu Bao always regarded himself as a loyal follower of the Marquis, willing to serve the Marquis to the death without regret.

And in order to be able to serve the Marquis as soon as possible, Liu Bao almost frantically absorbed and learned everything useful.

Li Ji, looking at Liu Bao's silly smile, felt a little guilty that he had not shown enough concern for some of the children in the Taoyuan Group, and asked.

“Having returned to Shouchun, are you settling in well?”

Liu Bao answered truthfully. “It’s a little too peaceful and boring. Every day, it's just martial arts and reading…”

Speaking of this, Liu Bao paused and asked, “Could it be that there is something again where Liu Bao can be of use?”

Hearing this, Li Ji felt a bit more hesitant.

In Li Ji's original plan, Liu Bao had made such a great and unpublicized contribution that it was enough for him to enjoy the rest of his life.

Therefore, after Liu Bao safely left Sili, Li Ji did not make any arrangements for Liu Bao, simply letting Liu Bao begin to adapt to a peaceful new life away from the palace.

However, Liu Bao spent his days reading or practicing martial arts, clearly still having ambition.

So, Li Ji was thinking that perhaps in the future, he could recommend Liu Bao, who was already a eunuch, to Liu Bei as a close attendant.

Not that Liu Bao would wield any power, but he could also be one of the eyes and ears under the Embroidered Uniform Guard system to monitor the interior of the palace and spend the rest of his life in the palace in peace.

But at this moment, Li Ji thought of a more suitable destination for Liu Bao.

Liu Bao's eagerness to learn had made him one of the few in the Taoyuan Group who had studied navigation and ship handling.

“Liu Bao, if I were to let you go to sea to explore sea routes, would you be willing?”

Liu Bao stood up, knelt on one knee, and replied solemnly. “As long as the Marquis gives the order, Liu Bao will not hesitate even if it means being smashed to pieces. Going to sea is even more so.”

“This is asking about your intentions and thoughts, not testing your loyalty. Answer truthfully,” Li Ji scolded.

“The Marquis's command is Liu Bao's direction!” Liu Bao replied without hesitation.

Li Ji sighed and said.

“Then go to sea and open up a long-distance sea route for the Han Dynasty. Once you succeed, you, Liu Bao, will become a great man whose name will be etched in history.”

Li Ji naturally knew Liu Bao quite well.

In addition to his tenacity and loyalty, his only remaining obsession as a eunuch was to become a true man.

Now, this was undoubtedly an opportunity.

It was true that the maritime transport in Yangzhou had been booming, but after all, they were just short-sea voyages, reaching as far north as Yingzhou and only as far south as Lin Yi.

If one truly wanted to realize the blueprint of deploying feudal lords overseas, then undoubtedly, a series of preparations had to be made in advance.

Among them, finding a westward long-distance sea route and figuring out the intelligence of friendly countries along the way was undoubtedly the top priority.

With the state-level sea ship experiment having achieved initial success, although the conditions for long-distance voyages still seemed crude, it was not without feasibility.

However, the risk was undoubtedly extremely high, with voyages lasting several years, and even the possibility of the fleet being buried in the seabed in foreign lands.

But as long as Liu Bao succeeded, then his merits would inevitably lead to ennoblement, and no one would dare to criticize the problem of his physical defects again.

Finally, Li Ji stared at Liu Bao, giving Liu Bao another chance to repent, and asked.

“Now, I ask you again, are you willing to go?”

Liu Bao pondered for a moment, then spoke.

“I have only one request, I hope the Marquis will grant it.”

“Speak without hesitation,” Li Ji replied.

Liu Bao bit his teeth and boldly spoke his heart's desire. “If I don’t return, I wonder if the Marquis can erect a cenotaph for me.”

Li Ji's entire body paused, and he couldn't help but raise his hand and pat Liu Bao, who was a round younger than him, and said.

“Would you be willing to change your surname to Li? If you don’t return, then there will be a cenotaph for you on the left and right of the tomb I erected after my death, sharing the incense of future generations with me, how about that?”

“Li Bao, I am willing!”

Li Bao excitedly agreed, and then kowtowed to Li Ji on the spot.

“I remember you haven’t taken a courtesy name yet, let me give you one,” Li Ji asked.

“Please, Marquis, bestow a courtesy name,” Li Bao said with a happy face.

Li Ji pondered for a moment, and then said. “Li Bao, then take ‘Sanbao’ as your courtesy name, hoping that you will protect the Han Dynasty, protect the people, and also protect yourself.”

Of course, Li Ji also hoped that this name could bring good luck to Li Bao, allowing Li Bao to return smoothly from his long voyage and bring back a sea chart that could lead the Han Dynasty in a different direction.

Li Bao, who had received the courtesy name from Li Ji, was extremely happy, chanting it softly several times in a row, his face still full of smiles.

The next day.

Li Ji personally took Li Bao to meet Liu Bei, explaining that he was going to take Li Bao as a member of the family and change his surname.

Liu Bei would naturally not object to such a trivial matter, but was quite surprised.

However, after Li Ji stated that he was going to let Li Bao lead the long-distance fleet to explore the route, Liu Bei also understood and agreed quite actively.

Of course, the establishment of a long-distance fleet is by no means easy.

Even the preparatory work requires a considerable amount of time, and Li Bao also needs to further familiarize himself with and master a large number of maritime matters.

(End of this chapter)