Chapter 82

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Gongsun Zan's attack on Pingyuan City the previous day ended in failure, but this did not mean he had given up on avenging his son.

Over the next ten days, Gongsun Zan launched several more attacks, including assaults on Yuan Fang's outlying camps, but all were defeated without exception.

Unable to succeed with direct attacks, Gongsun Zan, on Guan Jing's advice, sent men to the walls of Pingyuan City each day to taunt and provoke Yuan Fang, hoping to anger him and lure him out for a battle.

Yuan Fang was well aware of the disparity in forces and knew his strength lay in defending the city, not in a decisive battle in the open field.

Thus, in the face of Gongsun Zan's aggressive provocations, Yuan Fang calmly chose to endure, hanging out a "no battle" sign and refusing to send a single soldier out to fight.

According to Yuan Fang's strategy, he intended to wear Gongsun Zan down, until his forces were exhausted and he had no choice but to retreat to Youzhou.

However, plans never keep up with changes.

With Yuan Fang in command of Pingyuan City, the northern front, despite the formidable enemy, remained as stable as a mountain.

The situation on the southern front, however, was different.

Cao Bao and Liu Bei, leading an army of 30,000 from Xuzhou, launched a fierce attack on the forces of Zang Ba and Zhu Ling, creating a formidable momentum.

Unlike Pingyuan County, which Yuan Fang had already captured and whose people had submitted, his rule in Beihai was not yet stable.

In this situation, many counties that had initially submitted to Yuan Fang, fearing the might of the Xuzhou army, surrendered to Tao Qian one after another.

In a short time, seven or eight counties at the border between Beihai and Langya had defected to Tao Qian's side, with only Zang Ba still holding out in Dongwu City, refusing to surrender.

Zhu Ling, stationed in Duchang, dared not move to rescue Zang Ba due to his small force, and could only send urgent messages to Yuan Fang for help.

In Pingyuan, at the military headquarters.

Yuan Fang stared at the pile of urgent letters from Beihai, his brows furrowed deeply.

"The situation in the south is critical. It seems we need to defeat Gongsun Zan as soon as possible to deal with the southern front," Hao Zhao sighed.

Yuan Fang shifted his gaze to the map and asked, "Where is Gongsun Zan's grain supply?"

"According to the intelligence from the Mi family's merchant convoy, Gongsun Zan's main grain storage is in Nanpi City, from where nearly half of his supplies are transported south," Hao Zhao pointed out on the map.

"Nanpi is quite far away..." Yuan Fang stroked his chin, his brows forming a "川" (mountain) shape.

At this moment, Guo Jia put down his wine gourd, wiped the wine from his mouth, and said, "Nanpi is hundreds of miles away. It's impossible for our army to bypass Gongsun Zan's forces and burn his grain. You might as well give up on that idea, my lord."

Yuan Fang's expression changed, and a bitter smile appeared on his lips.

Guo Jia had guessed his intentions.

To defeat a stronger enemy, one must employ unconventional strategies.

In history, Cao Cao burned Yuan Shao's grain, which ultimately led to his victory over Yuan Shao.

Yuan Fang thought that if he could send a surprise force to burn Gongsun Zan's grain, similar to Cao Cao's strategy, he might be able to quickly drive Gongsun Zan away.

However, Guo Jia's reasoning was sound. It would be extremely difficult to conceal the movement of troops from Pingyuan, traverse Gongsun Zan's 40,000-strong army, and launch a surprise attack on Nanpi, hundreds of miles away.

"Bring me some wine," Yuan Fang slapped the table and shouted.

Rather than brood over the problem, he thought it better to drink and clear his mind, hoping a good mood might inspire a brilliant idea.

Yuan Fang then fetched some good wine and began drinking with Guo Jia.

After several rounds, both were flushed and tipsy, their spirits high.

Yuan Fang, while drinking, kept his eyes on the map, and the tipsy Guo Jia squinted as he scanned the map.

Though Guo Jia appeared relaxed, his mind was working hard, trying to find a way to defeat the enemy for Yuan Fang.

Gradually, both men's expressions became thoughtful, their wine cups suspended in mid-air, forgotten.

"I have an idea!" Both men exclaimed excitedly at the same time.

Turning to look at each other, they were both startled, then burst into laughter.

Yuan Fang dipped his finger in the wine and said with a smile, "Let's write down our ideas on the table and see if they match."

Guo Jia agreed happily, dipped his finger in the wine, and they wrote a character each at opposite ends of the table.

After writing, they looked up at each other, paused, and then burst into laughter again.

Guo Jia took a big gulp of wine and said happily, "This plan will surely catch Gongsun Zan off guard, but we need a capable general."

"Taishi Ziyi is up to the task," Yuan Fang said without hesitation.

"Taishi Ziyi..." Guo Jia pondered for a moment and nodded. "He is indeed the best choice, but besides a capable general, we need one essential item."

Yuan Fang smiled. "Don't worry, I'll send someone to Duchang to ask Mi Huan for help."

The two men finalized their secret plan and drank some more before Guo Jia took his leave.

Yuan Fang was about to write a letter to send to Duchang to seek Mi Huan's help when Yuan Gui reported that Mi Huan had already entered the city and was waiting outside to see him.

"She came uninvited, which saves me a lot of trouble. Bring her in quickly," Yuan Fang said, pleasantly surprised.

A moment later, light footsteps were heard outside, and Yuan Fang went out to greet her. Sure enough, Mi Huan was walking in with a smile.

Today, Mi Huan was dressed in a red robe, which made her look even more beautiful.

"Miss Mi, Pingyuan City is now a dangerous place. Why did you come here?" Yuan Fang asked curiously.

Mi Huan smiled faintly. "Our family has invested so much in you, of course, I need to see if our investment will be lost."

Her soft and gentle voice was soothing to the ears.

Her words implied that her family had invested heavily in Yuan Fang and did not want to see their investment go to waste.

Yuan Fang did not press the matter, only laughed and accompanied Mi Huan inside.

However, he was a bit tipsy, and his steps were unsteady. He accidentally stumbled over the threshold and stumbled forward.

"Be careful, my lord." Mi Huan, quick to react, promptly reached out to steady Yuan Fang.

As she supported him, their bodies were very close, and a faint fragrance wafted into Yuan Fang's nose, stirring his heart.

Mi Huan, holding Yuan Fang, noticed the strong smell of alcohol on him and frowned slightly. "Why do you smell so strongly of alcohol? You must have drunk a lot. Alcohol is harmful to your health; it's best to drink less in the future."

Her tone was like that of a wife scolding her husband for coming home drunk, a mix of concern and gentle reprimand.

For some reason, Yuan Fang felt a warm feeling in his heart.

Mi Huan suddenly realized the ambiguous tone of her words, her face blushing slightly, and she quickly handed Yuan Fang over to his attendants.

Entering the hall, they sat down.

Yuan Fang's thoughts soon returned to the matter at hand. "Miss Mi, you arrived just in time. I have a request for your family's help."

"What is it, my lord?" Mi Huan asked.

Yuan Fang then explained his request.

Mi Huan looked doubtful but nodded. "We can certainly help, but I'm curious about your intentions."

"Miss, you don't need to ask. You will know in due time," Yuan Fang did not reveal his plan.

Mi Huan, understanding that it was a military secret, did not press further and readily agreed to Yuan Fang's request.

Yuan Fang was delighted. Seeing that it was getting late, he ordered a small banquet to be set up to welcome Mi Huan.

Soon, the best wine was served, but Mi Huan seemed to have no appetite, looking preoccupied.

Noticing her distress, Yuan Fang smiled and asked, "I see you're not enjoying your meal. Is there something on your mind? If it's convenient, you can tell me, and perhaps I can help."

Mi Huan was taken aback, hesitated for a moment, and then sighed. "This matter is quite troubling. Not long ago, my brother received a letter from Liu Bei, who visited our family and proposed to... to..."

Mi Huan's face turned red, and she bit her lip, as if finding it difficult to continue.