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

Chapter 118: Courtesy first, then attack

When Yuan Tan returned to Linzi, it was already late spring.

He left Zhang He in Hefei with 20,000 troops, and appointed Xin Pi as his military advisor.

Before leaving, he only said one sentence to Liu Bei: "Lord Liu, guard the gateway to Huainan well. The grain and military supplies of Qingzhou will not be lacking in Shouchun."

Liu Bei cupped his hands in greeting, his expression as calm as still water.

In the Battle of Huainan, Liu Bei's veteran soldiers from Youzhou were almost all killed or wounded.

The result is that Shouchun, despite its status, is still subject to constant constraints.

He didn't know whether to thank him or scold him.

The city of Linzi, after a long journey, looked somewhat unfamiliar in the afternoon sunlight.

The streets were more crowded than I remembered, with refugees, vendors, and patrolling soldiers all mixed together.

Yuan Tan didn't disturb many people; he only brought his personal guards and quietly entered the city to return to his residence.

Zhen Mi waited for him under the eaves. She was wearing a light purple ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and her hair was loosely tied up, as if she had just gotten up.

When she saw him come in, she looked up and smiled.

"My husband is back," she said.

Yuan Tan nodded and walked over.

He wanted to hug her, but his arms felt a little heavy.

In the end, he just patted her on the shoulder:

"Yes, I'm back."

Night, inside the tent.

Zhen Mi then took out the bedroom secrets from Fusang.

This caused Yuan Tan great distress.

No wonder that in history, when Yuan Xi fled Ye City,

He hadn't even considered bringing along such a beauty as Zhen Mi.

He must have been scared off by this kind of attitude.

No wonder Cao Pi initially doted on Zhen Mi, but in the end, he insisted on ordering her to commit suicide before his death.

This is probably the truth of history.

Good heavens, I've been waiting for this beauty for ages, and she actually has this kind of fetish.

Even I, a modern person who has watched countless films, find it a bit hard to stand.

Not to mention the ancients.

Well, thankfully we sent someone to find Hua Tuo beforehand.

I expect there will be news soon.

Let him develop Liuwei Dihuang Pill as soon as possible.

Otherwise, I really would die young.

A sense of unease welled up in Yuan Tan's heart, and he got up and dressed.

Stepping out of the room, the coolness of the spring night sobered him up a bit.

"My lord." Guo Jia appeared in the corridor at some point, holding several scrolls of bamboo slips in his hand.

Yuan Tan rubbed his temples:

"What is it?"

"Lü Bu has sent an envoy; he's at the post station. Also, there's been progress on the renowned physician you asked us to find; he's said to be practicing medicine in the Qiao Commandery area."

Hua Tuo.

Yuan Tan nodded: "Find him, invite him here, and treat him well. Lü Bu's envoy... See you tomorrow."

…………

When Lü Bu learned of Yuan Tan's complete annihilation of Sun Ce, he was watching Zhang Liao train his troops at the drill ground.

He remained silent for a moment, then waved for Zhang Liao to continue, and walked back into the hall.

Chen Gong was already waiting, his brows slightly furrowed.

"Yuan Xiansi, remarkable." Lü Bu sat down, grabbed a wine cup, and took a swig. "A man like Sun Bofu, gone just like that."

Chen Gong said, "Yuan Tan is cunning in his military tactics. His subordinates Yan Liang and Zhao Yun are both capable of defeating ten thousand men, and Guo Jia and Jia Xu are extremely intelligent. Now he controls Qingzhou and Huainan, and Moling has also fallen. His power is already established."

"How does it compare to my Xuzhou?" Lü Bu asked.

"Xuzhou has 200,000 armored soldiers, well-trained and well-supplied, so it is naturally stronger than them." Chen Gong paused, "However, Yuan Tan has Yuan Shao behind him. Although father and son are not on good terms, they are still family. If we are to become enemies with them, we must be wary of Hebei."

Lü Bu snorted: "Yuan Shao is fighting Cao Cao in Liyang and can't even take care of himself. Everyone knows that Yuan Xiansi and his brother Yuan Shang are at odds. If I attack Qingzhou, will Yuan Shang come to his aid?"

Chen Gong pondered, "Even if we don't send reinforcements, our army will be exhausted from a long expedition, while Yuan Tan will be waiting in comfort, which is not a good strategy. Perhaps... we should try diplomacy first, then resort to force."

"How to use diplomacy first, then force?"

"Send an envoy to Linzi to form an alliance with Yuan Tan to jointly resist Cao Cao. If he agrees, let him go and fight Cao Cao first, and we will observe the outcome. If he does not agree..."

A glint of light flashed in Chen Gong's eyes.

"This will provide a pretext for sending troops. At that time, we can issue proclamations widely, stating that he is arrogant and disrespectful, and that he despises Lord Wen. Our army will attack with anger, and morale will be high. Moreover, Yuan Tan has just gained Huainan, and his foundation is not yet stable. He cannot take care of both the north and the south at the same time, which is a good opportunity."

Lü Bu clapped his hands: "Good! Let's do as Gongtai says! Let Song Xian go, he can speak for himself."

…………

The following day, in the main hall of the Qingzhou Governor's Mansion.

Lü Bu's envoy, Song Xian, entered with his head held high, bowing respectfully without being servile or arrogant.

"I, Song Xian, have been sent by my lord, Lord Wen, to pay my respects to Lord Yuan. I have heard that you have defeated Sun Ce and your power has shaken the Jianghuai region. Lord Wen is overjoyed and has specially sent me to offer my congratulations and present you with a small gift to form an alliance with you to jointly resist Cao Cao."

Hmph! I defeated Sun Ce, what are you so happy about!

Are you trying to use me to use one tiger to devour another?

With a brain like yours, Lü Bu, you think you can outsmart me?

That's just wishful thinking.

Yuan Tan sat upright in the main seat, his smile gentle: "Lord Wen, you are too kind. Lü Bu, who holds sway over Xuzhou, is renowned throughout the land and is a hero of our time. It is my good fortune to have you think of me, Lord Wen."

Song Xian was overjoyed; it seemed there was hope.

Haha, you're so happy after just saying these two sentences?

I'm a master at manipulating emotions.

It would bring you to climax and then plunge you into despair; I bet you'd really enjoy that.

Yuan Tan changed the subject and sighed:

"However, even heroes have their times of hardship. General Song, you may not know this, but Qingzhou is a small place, and in recent years, the Central Plains have been in turmoil, with refugees flocking here. I couldn't bear to see people starving to death, so I did my best to accept them all. Now, the grain in the granary is almost gone. To be honest, General, a few days ago, I even sent people to buy grain everywhere, but the prices are so high that it's really hard to continue."

He shook his head as he spoke, looking distressed.

Song Xian's expression changed slightly, and he forced a smile, saying, "Your Excellency's benevolence is known throughout the land. However, forming an alliance to jointly resist the traitor Cao is a matter of great importance..."

"An alliance? Of course we'll form an alliance!"

Yuan Tan slapped his thigh, then immediately looked worried again.

"But what about the provisions... Ah, how about this? Please ask Marquis Wen to provide some provisions first. Ten thousand shi wouldn't be too much, fifty thousand shi wouldn't be too little. Qingzhou may not have much else, but it has enough manpower to settle refugees and reclaim wasteland. After the autumn harvest, when provisions are plentiful, Tan will surely lead a brigade to hunt with Marquis Wen under the walls of Xuchang! What do you say?"

Song Xian's face turned completely black. First they want grain, then they'll "slowly" plot against him? This isn't an alliance; it's clearly a scheme to get something for nothing, and they're treating him like an idiot.

"Your Excellency's words are somewhat... unreasonable," Song Xian said curtly.

"Oh? Is it difficult?" Yuan Tan asked in surprise. "Then forget it. We can discuss the alliance later. General Song has come a long way and must rest in Linzi for a few days and enjoy the scenery of Qingzhou."

"No need!" Song Xian rose, suppressing his anger, and said, "This humble subject takes his leave!"

"See the guest out." Yuan Tan said with a smile.

As Song Xian's angry figure disappeared, Yuan Tan's smile faded.

"Fengxiao, what do you think Song Xian will report to Lü Bu when he returns?" he asked Guo Jia beside him.

Guo Jia waved his feather fan: "They must have exaggerated, saying that our lord is arrogant and disrespectful, and that he despises Marquis Wen. Lü Bu is narrow-minded, and will surely be angered and raise an army."

"That's good."

Yuan Tan leaned back in his chair.

"I'm just afraid he won't get very angry."