The Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Tan, intercepted Guo Jia's...

Chapter 11 Gift of a Dancer

In Ye City, in Yuan Tan's house.

Inside the study, the charcoal fire was burning brightly.

Yuan Tan, Guo Jia, and Xin Pi sat around a small table.

It was covered with maps and documents.

The journey to Qingzhou will be a tough one, and many details need to be carefully planned.

"My lord!"

Xin Pi pointed to the border between Qingzhou and Xuzhou on the map.

"Lu Bu is brave and fierce, but he has just acquired Xuzhou and his foundation is not yet stable. He also has conflicts with both Liu Bei and Cao Cao. Our army has just arrived, so we should prioritize stability. We can send envoys to feign compliance and temporarily slow down his advance..."

Just then, a report came from General Cen Bi outside the door.

"Young Master! Prefect Shen has sent someone to deliver congratulatory gifts, congratulating you on your appointment to an important post in Qingzhou."

snort!

Is he really that kind?

It's probably like a weasel paying New Year's greetings to a chicken!

Yuan Tan's lips curled into a cold smile, and he said loudly:

"Quickly, invite them in!"

People are rushing to give gifts, and no matter what they give, there's no reason to turn them away on the spot.

Moreover, the cost of going to Qingzhou is astronomical.

If we can swindle as much as possible, that would be ideal.

The door opened, and several servants from Shen Pei's household carried in two heavy trunks, followed by a middle-aged man who looked like a steward, his face beaming with smiles.

"Congratulations, young master! Congratulations!"

The butler bowed.

"My master said that the young master's journey to Qingzhou is arduous and far-reaching, so he specially prepared a small gift to wish him a safe journey. These are just some local products and trinkets, nothing more than a token of his respect."

He gestured to his servants to open the chests. One chest contained brocade and jade, while the other contained bamboo slips and writing implements.

Yuan Tan stepped forward and took a look, then couldn't help but purse his lips.

These things are hardly worth much.

For a prestigious family from Jizhou to be so stingy with gifts is just too much.

"Take it!"

Yuan Tan waved his hand, and immediately servants carried the two large boxes to the backyard.

He glanced at the butler again and said:

"Is there anything else?"

The butler was stunned. He had given gifts for so many years, and he had seen polite people and also been turned away. This young master was the first person to ask for gifts from others.

People say the eldest son is dissolute and licentious, but now it seems he's even worse.

Thinking of this, the steward felt even more contempt for Yuan Tan.

But his words became increasingly respectful:

"Of course, it does!"

As he spoke, he gestured towards the door, and immediately two girls dressed in barbarian attire timidly entered the courtyard.

The two girls were about sixteen or seventeen years old. They both had high noses and deep-set eyes, and their skin was as white as snow, with a rosy glow. They were so tender that you could almost squeeze water out of them.

Moreover, there were two enormous things in front of him.

She perfectly embodies the word "skinny".

He really is a beauty!

Shenpei really went all out this time.

Yuan Tan understood Shen Pei's intention without even thinking.

A honey trap, is it?

That's so obvious!

Throughout history, those who tried to use beautiful women to bind heroes have all ended up throwing good money after bad.

Cao Cao wanted to use his daughter to bind Emperor Xian, but in the end, Cao Jie still sided with the enemy.

Women are all drawn to strength!

"This is……"

Yuan Tan stared intently at the two sisters.

The butler sneered and lowered his voice:

"These are two confidantes carefully chosen by the master for you, young master. The elder sister is Wu Lian, and the younger sister is Wu Yu. They have been raised with great care since childhood, and are skilled in singing and dancing, and moreover... are extremely considerate. Young master, you will be lonely on your journey, and with their company, you can find some relief from your worries."

"Haha! The inspector really understands me!"

Yuan Tan rushed up to the twin sisters, his fingers even lightly lifting the chin of the elder sister, Wu Lian, which felt smooth to the touch.

"This gift is very much to my liking! Please convey my gratitude to the Prefect for his kindness!"

His eager and lustful appearance made him look exactly like a spoiled brat who had suddenly gained power and was indulging in sensual pleasures.

A smug smile flashed in the butler's eyes as he respectfully took his leave.

As soon as the courtyard gate closed, Yuan Tan had Qiqi bring the two women into the side room to stay temporarily.

Xinpi frowned and said urgently:

"My lord! This is a sugar-coated poison, a beautiful woman with deadly poison! Shen Pei's plan is extremely vicious! He intends to use beauty to erode your will, make you indulge in pleasure, and neglect military and political affairs! These two women must be carefully trained spies. My lord, you must not accept them. You must find an excuse to send them back immediately!"

This Xinpi is indeed intelligent, but he's a bit too black and white.

I first gathered the two women and then retreated.

That would be an insult to Shen Pei.

Won't he be even more wary of me in the future?

Before Yuan Tan could answer, Guo Jia chuckled softly.

"What Brother George said is one point, but I have not seen the second or third point."

Guo Jia's voice was not loud, but it was clear and cold, like ice beads falling onto a jade plate.

"Shen Zhengnan is a cunning old fox. How could he only use a honey trap? This is a three-pronged scheme, each step fraught with danger."

He held out three fingers:

"This first tactic is the 'beauty trap' that Brother George mentioned, which is meant to 'destroy one's will.' If our lord falls for it, the trap will naturally collapse on its own."

"The second plan is also extremely insidious and vicious."

Guo Jia retracted one of his fingers.

"Although our lord has captured Qingzhou, the state of our granaries is unknown. Shen Pei will surely manipulate the supply of provisions and weapons. He may provide some initially, but will then use excuses such as the Yellow Turban Rebellion or unsafe roads to delay and cut back on supplies. This will leave our army with soldiers but no provisions, unable to advance or retreat."

"Thirdly, I suspect that Shen Pei will not follow the lord's orders and give us three thousand elite soldiers."

He retracted his last finger and glanced at the officers who had come to Yuan Tan's residence to report that morning.

"I estimate that among the three thousand troops allocated to the lord this time, many are former subordinates of Qu Yi, as well as scoundrels with a history of bad deeds in the army."

These men may be brave in battle, but they are unruly and disregard military discipline. Our lord has just arrived, showing neither kindness nor authority; how can he be controlled?

This is not an aid, but rather a source of internal strife! Shen Pei intends to trap our lord in internal strife before he even faces external enemies!

Upon hearing this, Yuan Tan was taken aback.

He had long anticipated that Shen Pei would make things difficult for him, and was still pondering what methods the other party would use, but he did not expect that Guo Jia would have already seen through Shen Pei's entire plan simply by dissecting the clues.

Sinpi felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.

If what Guo Jia said is true, then before they could drive Lü Bu away, Qingzhou would already be in turmoil.

Yuan Tan took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and said in a deep voice:

"Now that Fengxiao has seen through it, is there a way to break it?"

Guo Jia picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said calmly:

"Solve it? Why bother? He'll just send us the plan, we'll turn the tables and use it against him."

"Oh? How about we turn the tables on them?"

Yuan Tan and Xin Pi were both invigorated.

Guo Jia remained calm and analyzed the situation step by step:

"The food shortage can be resolved in the short term. Brother George, I would like to ask you to utilize the Xin family's connections with the friendly families in Hebei to secretly procure a batch of food supplies for emergency use. In addition,..."

He looked at Yuan Tan.

"I've heard that the Zhen family of Wuji in Zhongshan is extremely wealthy and has a long-standing relationship with the Yuan family. My lord could send someone to secretly contact them and persuade them to hand over military provisions. In the long run, we should emulate Cao Cao and implement the military-agricultural colony system!"

After arriving in Qingzhou, they recruited refugees, distributed them with wasteland, and encouraged them to both fight and cultivate the land, thus securing their foothold and ensuring they were no longer dependent on others.

"The danger of an arrogant army must be addressed by both establishing authority and appeasement. Jia then went to the army, using the lord's name to reiterate military discipline and make an example of one to deter others."

At the same time, once the lord arrives in Qingzhou, he must win the first battle and be fair in rewarding and punishing.

Only by winning their hearts with merit and generous rewards, and by deterring them with strict laws, can defeated soldiers be transformed into elite troops.

"As for this honey trap..."

Guo Jia's lips curled into a meaningful smile.

"It's even simpler. My lord might as well pretend to be infatuated with beauty, keep these two beauties by his side, accompany them everywhere, and even... indulge in nightly revelry."

When the news reaches Ye City, Shen Pei, Yuan Shang, and others will surely think that their plan has succeeded, become complacent, and lower their guard.

In this way, the resistance to your lord's military reorganization, governance, and expansion in Qingzhou will be greatly reduced. This is a brilliant use of feigning weakness to the enemy and biding your time!

"What a brilliant example of turning the tables!"

Yuan Tan clapped his hands in admiration, his eyes shining brightly.

"Fengxiao's schemes are beyond the comprehension of even the gods and spirits! Let us proceed with this plan!"