Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

Liu Bao's eyes were filled with excitement, and he knelt carefully in front of Li Ji, unable to hide his excitement. He was extremely careful throughout the whole process, fearing that he would be disrespectful in front of the Marquis.

With the help of the bright light, Liu Bao saw Li Ji's face clearly and his eyes became moist unconsciously.

Liu Bao, who had been lurking in the palace for many years and had even used his scheming to become Lu Lingqi's trusted attendant, had an expression that was difficult to control.

"Why would a man behave like a girl?"

Li Ji scolded Liu Bao sternly, but Liu Bao did not refute. Instead, he smiled foolishly.

For a eunuch, Liu Bao had never felt the warmth of his parents since he could remember. Even before he was taken hostage by the Yellow Turban Army, Liu Bao had been driven out of the house by his family and wandered around.

Even though he was raised as a member of the Taoyuan people, Liu Bao was always worried that his secret would be discovered, which would lead to his companions' contempt and disgust, or even direct expulsion.

However, no matter how careful Liu Bao was, he couldn't keep it secret forever in that collective environment.

Since the Ten Eunuchs controlled the government, eunuchs were undoubtedly the most despised people.

Even among the people in Taoyuan, Liu Bao unsurprisingly received a lot of cold stares, until one day when a gentle and elegant voice came from behind Liu Bao who was sobbing in the corner.

"Why would a man be crying like a girl?"

For Liu Bao, it was the Marquis who gave him self-respect and still regarded him as a real man, even scolding many children for this.

Unlike most of the children in Taoyuan who like to get close to Liu Bei, Liu Bao has always regarded himself as a die-hard fan of the Marquis and is willing to die for him without regrets.

In order to serve the Marquis as soon as possible, Liu Bao absorbed and learned everything useful almost frantically.

Li Ji looked at Liu Bao's silly smile and felt a little guilty that he didn't care enough about the children in Taoyuan, so he asked.

"Are you able to adapt to the living conditions in Shouchun?"

Liu Bao answered truthfully. "It's a bit too comfortable and boring. Every day, I practice martial arts and read books..."

At this point, Liu Bao paused and asked, "Is there anything else that Liu Bao can be used for?"

After hearing this, Li Ji felt more hesitant.

In Li Ji's original plan, Liu Bao's great achievement, which could not be made public, was enough for him to enjoy the rest of his life.

So after Liu Bao safely left Sili, Li Ji did not make any arrangements for Liu Bao. He simply let Liu Bao adapt to the peaceful new life away from the palace.

However, Liu Bao spent his days either studying or practicing martial arts, and it was obvious that he still had ambition.

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

Although Liu Bao did not seek to gain any power, he could still be one of the spies under the Jinyisi system who monitored the palace and spend the rest of his life in peace in the palace.

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

Liu Bao's love of learning made him one of the few people in Taoyuan who had studied navigation and ship handling.

"Liu Bao, if I ask you to go out to sea and explore new routes, would you be willing?"

Liu Bao stood up, knelt on one knee, and answered solemnly, "As long as the Marquis gives the order, Liu Bao will not hesitate even if it means being torn to pieces, and going out to sea is a piece of cake."

"This is a question about your intentions and thoughts, not a test of your loyalty. Answer truthfully," Li Ji scolded.

"The Marquis's order is Liu Bao's direction!" Liu Bao answered without hesitation.

Li Ji sighed and spoke.

"Then you should go out to sea and open up a long-distance voyage route for the Han Dynasty. Once you succeed, you, Liu Bao, will become a great man who will go down in history."

Li Ji naturally knew Liu Bao quite well. In addition to his strong character and loyalty, as a eunuch, his only remaining obsession was to become a real man.

Right now, this is undoubtedly an opportunity.

It is true that Yangzhou's shipping had flourished before, but after all, they were all near-shore voyages, not going any further than Yingzhou in the north and Linyi in the south.

If you really want to realize the blueprint of deploying princes overseas, then you must undoubtedly start making a series of preparations in advance.

Among them, finding a long voyage route to the west and obtaining intelligence on friendly countries along the way is undoubtedly the top priority.

Immediately, Li Ji told Liu Bao in detail about his plan to let Liu Bao lead a long-distance fleet to try to open a route to the west.

Now that the state-level sea vessel tests have been initially completed, the conditions for long-distance voyages, although still rough, are not impossible.

However, the risks are undoubtedly huge. Once you are away, it may take several years, and there is even the possibility that the fleet will be buried on the bottom of the sea in a foreign country.

But as long as Liu Bao succeeds, then his merits will certainly lead to him being awarded a title of nobility, and no one will dare to criticize his physical disability anymore.

Finally, Li Ji stared at Liu Bao, gave Liu Bao another chance to regret, and asked.

"Now, I ask you again, are you willing to go?"

Liu Bao thought for a moment, then spoke.

"I only have one request, I hope the Marquis will agree to it."

"You can say it at will," Li Ji replied.

Liu Bao gritted his teeth and boldly expressed his wish. "If I never come back, I wonder if the Marquis can build a tomb for me."

Li Ji paused for a moment, and couldn't help but raise his hand to pat Liu Bao, who was a generation younger than him, and said something.

"Would you like to change your surname to Li? If you never come back, then there will be a cenotaph for you to be buried beside me after I die, so that you and I can share the incense of future generations. How do you think?"

"Li Bao, yes!"

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

"I remember you haven't chosen a name yet. Let me choose one for you." Li Ji asked.

"Please give me a calligraphy, sir." Li Bao said with joy on his face.

Li Ji pondered for a moment, then said, "Li Bao, I'll take 'Sanbao' as my name. I hope you can protect the Han Dynasty, the people, and yourself."

Of course, Li Ji also hoped that this word would bring good luck to Li Bao, so that Li Bao could return safely from his voyage and bring back a nautical chart that could lead the Han Dynasty in a different direction.

Li Bao, who received the name given by Li Ji, was extremely happy. He recited it in a low voice several times with a smile on his face.

The next day.

Li Ji personally took Li Bao to meet Liu Bei and made it clear that he planned to take Li Bao as a member of the family and change his surname.

Naturally, Liu Bei would not object to such a small matter, but was rather quite surprised.

However, after Li Ji made it clear that he was going to let Li Bao lead the long-distance fleet to open up new routes, Liu Bei also understood and agreed quite actively.

Of course, forming a long-distance fleet is by no means easy.

Even the preparation work will take quite a long time, and Li Bao also needs to further familiarize himself with and master a lot of navigation matters. (End of this chapter)