Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

The system said: "Congratulations to the host for obtaining Li Jing, Li Ji, Su Lie, Yue Fei and the Beiwei Army (approximately 1.6 fully organized, including 8000 elite cavalry), Qi Jiguang and the Qi Family Army (approximately 2 fully organized)."

"???"

Liu Ce was stunned.

Li Jing? Li Ji? Su Lie? Yue Fei? Qi Jiguang?

The Beiwei Army? The Qi Family Army?

What does this mean?

This is like sending him the most outstanding commanders in Chinese history and several armies!

Holy crap?

Holy crap! ...

He was internally screaming "Holy crap!" but he had to keep a straight face, since everyone in the room was watching him.

But that expression... it just wouldn't stay natural!

Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Guo Jia, Xun Yu and others were having a heated discussion when they suddenly heard Liu Ce exclaim "Holy crap!" and they all turned to look at him.

That look in his eyes: My lord, what's wrong?

Liu Ce quickly waved his hand and said, "It's nothing, it's nothing. I just suddenly thought of something happy. You guys continue."

Everyone looked at each other.

Guo Jia asked in a low voice, "My lord, what could possibly make you so excited about something so 'happy'?"

Liu Ce didn't answer, but he was overjoyed inside.

The group looked at him suspiciously, then turned back to continue their discussion.

Liu Ce took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

But my heart was in turmoil!

Li Jing! The military genius of the Tang Dynasty! The one who destroyed the Eastern Turks and the Tuyuhun, forcing the Turkic Khan to kneel and beg for mercy!

Li Ji! One of the Twenty-Four Founding Heroes of Lingyan Pavilion...

Su Lie! Su Dingfang! The one who destroyed three kingdoms, captured three rulers, and utterly crushed the Western Turks, Baekje, and Goguryeo!

Yue Fei! Yue Wumu! The Beiwei Army...

Qi Jiguang! The Qi Family Army! The nemesis of Japanese pirates! The Mandarin Duck Formation! The one who struck fear into the hearts of the Japanese pirates!

This lineup, this setup, this...

[Name]: Li Jing/Li Ji/Su Lie

Gender: Male

Age: 25

[Strength]: 91/95/105

[Command]: 99/97/96

[Politics]: 95/94/75

[Intelligence]: 98/96/94 (Military)

...

[Name]: Yue Fei/Qi Jiguang

Gender: Male

Age: 25

[Strength]: 107/92

[Leadership]: 98/96

[Politics]: 75/90

[Intelligence]: 97/95 (Military)

Liu Ce took a deep breath, then another.

He originally wanted to take his time, slack off, and watch the show.

Now?

I'm coming clean! I'm not pretending anymore!

I'm going to make dumplings! I'll eat them all!

He suddenly stood up, startling everyone.

"My lord?"

Liu Ce looked at them, his face bearing an expression that said, "I've decided to do something big."

"I've made up my mind... I'll fucking kill them!"

Everyone looked at each other.

Guo Jia tentatively asked, "My lord, when you say 'dry,' what do you mean...?"

Liu Ce waved his hand and said, "All troops, attack! Advance in three columns!"

He walked up to the map, pointed at it, and said:

"First, go and fight the coalition against Dong Zhuo!"

—————————————Sandwiching Dumpling Making

"The second route: Go and take down Dong Zhuo!"

"The third route: attack Luoyang and Chang'an!"

Everyone gasped.

Fang Xuanling said anxiously, "My lord! If we launch a three-pronged attack, do we have enough troops? Besides, what's the pretext? What will the people think if we attack them without cause?"

Liu Ce smiled.

That smile carried a hint of cunning, a hint of smugness, and a hint of "you just wait and see."

"Nominal? Simple."

He held up one finger and said:

"First, in the name of Empress Dowager He, inform the world that she does not recognize the emperor installed by Dong Zhuo. Liu Xie was installed by Dong Zhuo, therefore he is a false emperor and his name is invalid!"

He held up his second finger and said:

"Secondly, in my name as the Prince of Yan, I declare to the world that I do not recognize the emperor and court established by Dong Zhuo. Who am I? I am the Prince of Yan, General of Chariots and Cavalry, and Governor of Youzhou, personally appointed by the late emperor, and I also hold the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat! I have the right to refuse to recognize him!"

He held up his third finger and said:

"Third, those nineteen allied forces assembled a large army without the consent of the Empress Dowager and me, the General of the Cavalry and concurrently Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. What is this? This is treason! As the General of the Cavalry and concurrently Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, I am acting on the Empress Dowager's orders to suppress the rebellion, which is perfectly justified!"

Everyone was stunned after hearing this.

This reason...

That seems to make sense?

Guo Jia realized what was happening and slapped his thigh, exclaiming, "Brilliant! My lord, this is a brilliant move! Absolutely brilliant! We're not going to fight them, we're going to quell the rebellion! We're going to restore the Han Dynasty! Anyone who dares to resist is a true traitor!"

Xun Yu frowned and said, "My lord, if we launch a full-scale attack, what will happen to our home base? Youzhou is vulnerable; what if..."

Liu Ce waved his hand and said, "Come with me."

He led the group out of the Prince of Yan's residence and rode to the outskirts of Zhuoxian County.

Everyone wondered: What are they trying to do?

After waiting for a short while, suddenly billowing smoke and dust appeared in the distance!

The sound of horses' hooves thundered! The orderly footsteps shook the heavens and the earth!

An army is heading towards Zhuoxian!

The military bearing, the imposing presence, the perfectly synchronized movements...

"This...this is..."

Guo Jia rubbed his eyes, thinking he had misread it.

Fang Xuanling murmured, "The troops in Youzhou are all stationed near Zhuoxian. Where did this army come from?"

Du Ruhui roughly counted and said, "There are at least tens of thousands of people..."

Xun Yu took a deep breath and said, "My lord, these are...?"

Liu Ce smiled but didn't say anything.

The army is getting closer.

At the very front were several generals.

The man at the forefront, with a resolute face and piercing eyes, rode a magnificent steed, his armor gleaming coldly in the sunlight... Li Jing!

Behind him stood Li Ji, Su Lie, Yue Fei, and Qi Jiguang, lined up in a row!

Behind them was a dark, imposing army!

The Beiwei Army! Eight thousand elite cavalry, both men and horses clad in heavy armor, their warhorses powerful, their riders fierce, exuding a chilling aura! Infantry...

Qi Family Army! Twenty thousand infantrymen, armed with specially made weapons, stood in neat formation, their steps perfectly synchronized. Their tacit understanding and discipline were clearly those of battle-hardened elite troops!

Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Xun Yu, Guo Jia, and others stared wide-eyed.

Guo Jia swallowed hard and said, "My lord... are all these yours?"

Liu Ce smiled and nodded.

The army had completed its formation outside the city gate.

Li Jing dismounted, strode to Liu Ce, and knelt on one knee, saying:

"This humble general, Li Jing, greets my lord!"

"This humble general, Li Ji, greets my lord!"

"This humble general, Su Lie, greets my lord!"

"This humble general, Yue Fei, pays his respects to my lord!"

"This humble general, Qi Jiguang, pays his respects to my lord!"

Liu Ce helped them up one by one, then turned to look at the stunned crowd:

"Come on, let me introduce you."

He pointed at Li Jing and said, "This is Li Jing, courtesy name Yaoshi..."

Pointing to Li Ji, he said, "This is Li Ji, courtesy name Maogong..."

Pointing to Su Dingfang, he said, "This is Su Lie, courtesy name Dingfang..."

Pointing to Yue Fei, he said, "This is Yue Fei, courtesy name Pengju..."

Pointing to Qi Jiguang, he said, "This is Qi Jiguang, courtesy name Yuanjing..."

After hearing this, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

These names... I've never heard of them before?

But their military bearing, their imposing presence, their murderous aura—it was absolutely genuine!

Guo Jia leaned close to Liu Ce and asked in a low voice:

"My lord, where did these people come from?"

Liu Ce smiled and said:

"Heavenly secrets must not be revealed."

...