High Martial Arts Three Kingdoms: The Incompetent Strategist

By the time it was Tang Ke's turn, the sun was high in the sky.

Cao Cao led the way, not exchanging any words with Tang Ke, his expression full of respect, completely devoid of his previous imposing demeanor.

Tang Ke followed closely behind, wanting to ask about the conversation several times, but swallowing his words back.

After leading Tang Ke to the door, Cao Cao finally added a word of advice: "General He is waiting for you inside. Be careful what you say."

Tang Ke entered the inner hall and saw a middle-aged man wearing a tall hat, dressed in fine clothes, and exuding an air of authority sitting in the main seat.

Tang Ke hurriedly stepped forward to pay his respects, quite surprised. He hadn't expected that He Jin would have such a refined air, completely unlike the burly butcher depicted in the novel.

He Jin quickly came over and helped him up, saying with a smile, "Ziyou, there's no need for such formalities. Mengde has already introduced your resume to me. You are a man of both literary and martial talents. It is a great honor for you to come to my He family to apply for a position."

"What kind of genius am I, capable of both literary and martial arts? I didn't even graduate from university!" Tang Ke couldn't help but blush.

"I'm here today for no other reason than to have a casual chat and get to know each other better. There's no need to be nervous."

"Hmm, don't be nervous. General, please feel free to ask me anything you'd like to know." Tang Ke took a deep breath, feeling a bit like he was in a modern job interview.

He Jin nodded and said, "Then let's get straight to the point. What is Ziyou's view on the current state of the world?"

This problem is not difficult. Tang Ke has analyzed it countless times when he was in Taiping Dao. He carefully revised his wording.

"With the current Holy Emperor on the throne, aided by a wise empress at home and assisted by generals abroad, the country should be at peace and prosperous, and his achievements should rival those of Emperors Ming and Zhang. However..."

"Then what?" He Jin leaned forward unconsciously.

Tang Ke continued speaking while observing He Jin's expression.

"However, the Ten Attendants are vying for power, forming cliques in the court to deceive the emperor, bullying officials, and allowing their relatives to tyrannize the people in the provinces. This has led to chaos in the government and widespread suffering among the people. If this continues, the consequences could be dire."

"Bang!" He Jin slammed his hand on the table and said angrily, "These bastards, I'll make them my victims sooner or later."

Realizing he had lost his composure, he gave an embarrassed laugh and asked, "Then, Ziyou, what do you think I should do?"

Judging from his appearance, Tang Guan knew that Bao had hit the jackpot. After all, He Jin was a butcher by trade and had not read many books. Although he tried to cultivate a humble and refined image, he wore his heart on his sleeve and was easily impulsive.

He knelt down in one swift motion, staring intently at He Jin, and said sincerely, "General, you should be like Yi Yin, and never follow in the footsteps of Dou Xian and Dou Wu."

"I come from a humble background as a butcher, and my official rank is no more than that of a court attendant. I dare not compare myself to Yi Yin. I am merely a subject of the emperor's bounty, and it is my duty to eliminate powerful eunuchs for His Majesty."

He Jin's pupils contracted slightly, a glimmer of hope appearing in his eyes: "However, the Ten Attendants are not so easy to deal with. Do you have a good plan, sir?"

"Triggering task: Eliminate the Ten Attendants; Target of advice: He Jin; Completion conditions 1: The plan is adopted; Condition 2: The plan fails; Time limit: One month. Do you accept?"

The long-absent system voice finally sounded in Tang Ke's mind, and he accepted the mission without hesitation.

“The eunuchs’ power comes from His Majesty. If we can make them break their promise to His Majesty, then they are not far from death.”

He Jin smiled wryly: "This is easier said than done. His Majesty has even said things like, 'Zhang Changshi is my father, and Zhao Changshi is my mother.' How could he possibly distrust them so easily?"

"What if they're plotting a rebellion?"

He Jin gasped: "They have already reached the pinnacle of power and wealth, and they are eunuchs, how could they possibly rebel?"

"Is that not necessarily true? Didn't General Cao just intercept a secret letter from the Taiping Dao? That letter is quite significant."

"Is there much to discuss, or is there room for making a big fuss?" Cao Cao burst through the door with a loud laugh, interrupting their conversation.

"Today is just an inspection, there's no need to go into too much detail. It's already noon, let's fill our stomachs first."

He Jin immediately arranged lunch, and Chen Lin and Kuai Yue also ate together. The group talked at length about romantic matters until 1 p.m.

The results for the position of Chief Clerk of He Jin were not released for three days. Two people were recruited through an exception, and to Tang Ke's great surprise, he was the only one of the three who failed to be selected.

Cao Cao explained that the three men shared the same stance on dealing with the Ten Attendants, but Chen Lin and Kuai Yue offered more aboveboard strategies, making them suitable for serving in the He family.

Tang Ke suggested a despicable scheme of framing someone, a plot only suitable for subordinates to devise. Regardless of its success or failure, it's not appropriate to involve General He.

Of course, the monthly salary was still distributed by Cao Cao according to the standards for a chief clerk.

This matter left Tang Ke both amused and exasperated. It turned out that all his efforts to become a registrar were in secret. Nevertheless, he still seriously devised a detailed plan to deal with the Ten Attendants and secretly presented it to He Jin.

The plan was simple and straightforward: half a month later, on He Jin's birthday, they would first switch the secret letter that Cao Cao had intercepted, changing its content to say that it was written by Taiping Dao to Zhang Rang requesting cooperation in assassinating Emperor Ling of Han, and then write a reply in imitation of Zhang Rang's handwriting.

Then, through Empress He, Emperor Ling of Han was invited to attend He Jin's birthday banquet. On the day of the banquet, a group of assassins were arranged to carry fake replies and pretend to assassinate him.

The core of the whole plan is to frame someone else. The logic is not rigorous and it is extremely difficult. First of all, someone must be able to imitate other people's handwriting, and this person must be trustworthy.

Tang Ke didn't expect his proposal to be adopted. After submitting it, he immediately asked Cao Cao for a large sum of money in advance and bought a house of more than 300 square meters in the west of Luoyang. He would practice his martial arts in the courtyard whenever he had free time.

He Jin's reply came on the third day, and the plan was actually adopted!

The message came from Cao Cao, who instructed him to go to He's residence the next day to discuss the specifics. The moment Tang Ke received the news, the task conditions in his mind immediately showed that they were completed.

In contrast, condition two seems less difficult, and the chances of this strategy succeeding are not high.

The next morning, he learned his lesson and went to the side hall of the He residence early to wait. Besides Cao Cao, Chen Lin was also called over to discuss the matter.

After everyone had arrived, they went to the inner hall to discuss the matter.

Cao Cao took out the intercepted secret letter, opened it in front of everyone, and passed it around for them to read.

Tang Ke's heart rate soared. He already knew the contents of the letter. Although the recipient was not written on the letter for the sake of secrecy, it was marked with secret marks. It was originally sent to the two eunuchs, Feng Xuan and Xu Feng.

Both men were followers of the Way of Peace, and their families were in Jizhou. The letter asked them to cooperate with Ma Yuanyi, who had come to the capital, to launch a mutiny when the Way of Peace rose up. The letter contained many threats.