Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

Chapter 90: Countermeasures

The aristocratic families still need to be retained.

Based on considerations from all aspects, aristocratic families cannot be absent at this stage.

Compared to the first option, 'rooting out the weeds,' the second option, 'appeasement,' is undoubtedly another extreme.

Perhaps, at this moment, if Liu Bei chooses to appease the aristocratic families, he will inevitably gain the full support of the local aristocratic families of Wu Commandery.

However, even though this choice would undoubtedly bring extremely considerable benefits to Liu Bei's group at this stage, Li Ji is unwilling to see it happen in the long run.

Once Liu Bei chooses to appease the aristocratic families wholeheartedly, it is very likely that Liu Bei will become the second 'Emperor Guangwu'.

Perhaps Liu Bei can rely on the power of the aristocratic families to revive the Han Dynasty again, but he will step into another similar cycle, and even the aristocratic families will further accumulate and transform into 'clans'.

'The Great Han does not allow such powerful existences!'

Li Ji's eyes narrowed.

Perhaps as Li Ji's status rises, the aristocratic families have also become a kind of human resource in Li Ji's eyes.

However, once this human resource of aristocratic families transforms into clans, it will be shareholders in a sense, and the price to be paid to remove them again will be much greater.

Therefore, unless Liu Bei's group has collapsed to the point where it must be sustained by the aristocratic families' milk to survive, Li Ji will take a sip fiercely, otherwise he will never adopt a strategy of pure appeasement.

Then...

[After careful consideration, you believe that both 'rooting out the weeds' and 'appeasement' are too extreme, and you decide to choose the method of 'severing their foundation'.]

[And what is 'severing their foundation'? In your opinion, it is to cut off the substantial influence of the local aristocratic families of Wu Commandery on the local area, so as to ensure that the policies you implement in Wu Commandery will not be hindered in any way to the greatest extent.]

[Subsequently, you did not rush to send troops to suppress the bandits. Instead, you adopted a defensive posture of showing weakness. Heavy troops defended Wu County, the seat of the commandery, and secretly sent people to widely publicize that Liu Bei's soldiers were only three thousand, and most of them were disabled veterans who had retired from the Central Plains battlefield.]

[Under your series of confusing tactics, the bandits of Wu Commandery gradually believed this statement. Not only did they not escape from Wu Commandery, but their greedy thoughts were stirred up again, and they set their sights on the remaining aristocratic families in Wu Commandery.]

[For a time, the aristocratic families and bandits of Wu Commandery were each other's hunters and prey in your eyes.]

[Also, taking advantage of the threat of the bandits in Wu Commandery, in order to protect themselves, the remaining aristocratic families in Wu Commandery had no choice but to move to Wu County, the seat of the commandery, in a hurry, and then be appeased one by one by the 'Great Han Enchantress' in your eyes.]

[And as the aristocratic families of Wu Commandery all moved to Wu County, you also secretly and quickly dispatched the scholars Liu Bei had recruited in Julu as officials to various counties to gather power and smooth out the influence of the various aristocratic families as soon as possible.]

[Soon, the bandits of Wu Commandery were defeated in one battle under your tactics, and on the surface, the remaining aristocratic families of Wu Commandery were also treated favorably by Liu Bei and settled in Wu County.]

[However, you are very clear that from now on, they will only be human resources in your hands.]

[Strategy Evaluation: This strategy is a conspiracy that takes advantage of the situation. The aristocratic families of Wu Commandery may have people who see through it, but there is no plan to dismantle it. They can only move into Wu County as you wish.]

[Perhaps, there are also hidden dangers.]

[However, with Liu Bei's charisma and your ability, you are confident that no matter how many thoughts the aristocratic families gathered under your nose have, the aristocratic families who cannot control and influence the local area are not worth worrying about.]

After the deduction in his mind was completely completed, a smile could not help but appear on the corner of Li Ji's mouth, and he already had a decision in his heart.

"Severing their foundation" means concentrating all the remaining 30% of the aristocratic families in Wu Commandery in Wu County in the name of protection.

As long as the aristocratic families move in with their families, it will not be so easy to leave Wu County.

Perhaps, the aristocratic families gathered together will also have some good activities.

But unfortunately, Liu Bei is not a昏庸之主(fatuous ruler). These aristocratic families cannot control Liu Bei, nor can they instigate the relationship between Liu Bei and his civil and military officials.

Therefore, no matter how good the activities of the caged bird are, they are just chirping.

After Li Ji stated that bandits must be suppressed and the hearts of the people in Wu Commandery must be gathered, otherwise Wu Commandery could not be developed at all, everyone in the hall, except Jia Xu, began to think about how to wipe out the bandits in Wu Commandery.

It's just that everyone has just arrived in Wu Commandery, and they are not familiar with the local customs, topography, climate, etc. in Wu Commandery, and they know nothing about the intelligence of the bandits in Wu Commandery.

For a time, with Li Ji and Jia Xu not saying anything, everyone else felt a little unsure of where to start.

In the end, Liu Bei, who was in a high position, decided to activate his "external brain" and asked.

"Zikun, in your opinion, how should these bandits in Wu Commandery be suppressed?"

"Suppression is necessary, but it must not be rushed..."

Li Ji, who already had a plan at this moment, replied.

"The Lord also knows why the aristocratic families in Wu Commandery were previously slaughtered and looted by bandits. It was actually because a large number of aristocratic family servants and young men gathered to encircle and kill the remnants of the Yellow Turbans, which led to the family's defenses being empty and difficult to resist the bandits' looting."

"Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that the bandits in Wu Commandery... have experts!"

As soon as this statement came out, Liu Bei's expression immediately became serious.

The words "have experts" undoubtedly made Liu Bei instantly vigilant.

As someone who has been assisted by Li Ji all the way from a shoe seller to the current Prefect of Wu Commandery, how could Liu Bei not know the difference between having great talents to help?

In the past, Liu Bei still won against 60,000 Yellow Turban soldiers with 2,000 righteous soldiers. Now, how many bandits are there in Wu Commandery, and how can they only number 2,000?

"What Zikun said is very true, we must not be careless."

Liu Bei said with deep agreement.

"Furthermore, now that we have just arrived in Wu Commandery, we know very little about the top and bottom of Wu Commandery. If we act rashly and are ambushed by bandits and Wu County is captured, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"That's right, Lord."

Li Ji echoed.

"Our soldiers are all northerners, and they have not yet fully adapted to the climate and soil of Wu County. Moreover, the topography of Jiangdong has always been known as seven mountains, two waters, and one field. There are countless hills and mountains. Our army is also not proficient in mountain warfare. If we rashly go deep into the mountains, I am afraid there will be losses."

As Li Ji listed the unfavorable conditions one by one, the faces of everyone present became solemn.

"Then, according to Zikun's opinion, what should we do now?" Liu Bei asked.

Li Ji said in a calm tone.

"It is advisable to first defend Wu County, train soldiers, integrate the commandery soldiers, and send officials to the remaining counties to supervise and inspect, gather the commandery soldiers, and guard against bandits."

"Then, on the one hand, secretly investigate the movements and lair distribution of the bandits, and on the other hand, after the soldiers have adapted and integrated the commandery soldiers, gradually wipe out the bandits one by one. This is the best strategy."

Liu Bei nodded in agreement after hearing this, but still asked.

"Does anyone have any additions to Zikun's words?"

Obviously, Liu Bei already had a tendency in his heart, but he still patiently planned to listen to the opinions of all parties.

Although the generals present felt that Li Ji seemed a little too cautious, most of the bandits were just a rabble, and their frontal combat power was even inferior to the commandery soldiers. Against the current 3,000 elite soldiers under Liu Bei, I am afraid that one charge would solve the problem.

However, now Liu Bei's old capital is only 3,000 elite soldiers, and the number is at an absolute disadvantage compared to the seemingly numerous bandits in Wu Commandery. Indeed, he cannot be careless.

As for Jia Xu, he glanced at Li Ji. Although he was still a little unclear why Li Ji had changed his attitude and was not in a hurry to wipe out the bandits and recover the money and food, he also understood that Li Ji must have a deep meaning, so he did not mean to object at all.

On the contrary, Jian Yong hesitated slightly and reminded.

"Lord, Mr. Zikun's words are naturally prudent, but we also need to consider those aristocratic families. Moreover, the Lord previously stated that he would definitely wipe out the bandits. If we blindly stay put, I am afraid it will cause dissatisfaction among the aristocratic families."

"And if another aristocratic family is attacked and destroyed during this period, it will also damage the Lord's reputation."

"This..."

Liu Bei's brows furrowed, and he was a little tangled.

After all, Liu Bei had said a lot of good things in order to appease the aristocratic families who came to greet him.

At this moment, blindly defending the city, in Liu Bei's view, was indeed a little inappropriate.

It's just that now Liu Bei has only 3,000 troops that can be mobilized, and he also needs to take care of all aspects. He can't disperse his forces.

"Lord, this matter is exactly what I want to say."

Li Ji took the conversation and said.

"The bandits' actions are abnormal, and they seem to know a lot about the internal situation of the aristocratic families in the attack and looting. It is very likely that there are people from the aristocratic families who are internally colluding with the bandits. This matter must be guarded against, and the aristocratic families cannot be completely trusted."

"However, since the Lord has promised to protect the aristocratic families of Wu Commandery, it is not appropriate to break his promise. The Lord can let the aristocratic families from all over Wu Commandery move to Wu County, and the Lord can also send elite soldiers to protect them along the way, so that there will be no mistakes."

Jian Yong shook his head and said. "I'm afraid the aristocratic families may not be willing."

"It doesn't matter, just do your best and listen to fate. In this way, we can show that the Lord has the heart to protect the aristocratic families, and it will not lead to taking care of one thing and losing sight of the other, protecting the aristocratic families and harming the city being broken by bandits and causing the people to suffer."

Li Ji said nonchalantly.

Of course, Li Ji is very clear that the vast majority of aristocratic families will definitely agree.

Not to mention that the current situation of the aristocratic families in Wu Commandery is just one word—"danger"!

At the critical moment of life and death, when the lips are dead, the teeth are cold, some bottom lines of the aristocratic families are almost equivalent to the節操(integrity) of politicians. Not to mention breaking through, even going in and out is no problem.

What's more, it is not letting the aristocratic families move away from Wu Commandery, but only moving to Wu County, where the Wu Commandery government is located, which is not considered leaving their hometown.

If a few more of the surviving aristocratic families are destroyed, Li Ji is afraid that they will rush to move to Wu County for protection.

As for Li Ji's complex thoughts and plans, Liu Bei is not yet aware of them, but on the surface, Li Ji's suggestions have undoubtedly taken care of all aspects, and Liu Bei naturally gladly adopted them.

Subsequently, Liu Bei ordered Guan Yu to reorganize the soldiers and adapt to the climate and environment of Wu Commandery as quickly as possible. Zhang Fei led the cavalry to inspect the security of various county towns, while Zhao Yun integrated and commanded the Wu Commandery soldiers to quickly form a fighting force.

As for Xiahou Bo, he led a team of elite soldiers to patrol within Wu County, maintaining security and preventing bandits from infiltrating the city to cause trouble.