Chapter 191: Historical Top Ten Strategists No. 8: Jia Xu!

Xun Yu's tragic grandeur and Cao Cao's awakening still stir in the hearts of the myriad realms.

The scene where the Heavenly Dao elixir healed deep ailments and reconciled ruler and minister was so shocking that countless people glimpsed the near‑"defying Heaven and altering fate" possibility behind the list.

It is no longer merely an inventory and reward, but more like quietly casting stones at certain points in the river of history that can alter its course.

At the Xianyang training ground, murmurs buzzed like a swarm of bees.

Ying Zheng's fingers unconsciously tapped the throne's armrest, his gaze profound.

Li Si lowered his head, yet his heart seemed like crashing waves against a shore.

Meng Yi and other generals also gained a brand‑new, wary and yearning understanding of the word "strategist"—

It turns out that a true top‑tier strategist can not only decide battles from afar but also sway a nation's fate, even… influence the ruler's heart.

On the high platform, Gu Shanhe remained unmoved by the eight winds.

He knows clearly that the chain reaction triggered by Xun Yu's inventory and rewards has only just begun.

And the two about to appear have styles completely different from Xun Yu's "Prime Minister's Lament".

They will showcase another side of the "strategist" even more vividly, even… send chills down one's spine.

The golden list did not keep anyone waiting long.

Under the breath‑held, focused gaze of the myriad realms, the brilliance flowed and the scene abruptly changed.

It was no longer the fierce clash of ideals and reality in the Xudu court where Xun Yu stood, but a descent into a darker, more treacherous mire seemingly littered with lethal traps.

The backdrop is the desolate Liangzhou frontier, the chaotic ruins of Chang'an, and the treacherous gaps between rival factions.

A breath mingling bloodshed, scheming, and extreme indifference spreads through the image.

【Historical Top Ten Strategists Rank 8: Jia Xu】

【Era: End of the Eastern Han → Three Kingdoms (Cao Wei)】

【Title: Poisonous Scholar, Lone Wolf of Turbulent Times, Master of Survival Who Calculates Human Hearts】

The instant the list text appeared, the figure formed by the left‑hand light made many feel a sudden chill.

It was neither a fervent loyalist nor a refined scholar with feathered fan and silk kerchief, but a middle‑aged literati in dark robes, slender‑faced, with eyes calm to the point of indifference.

Beside the image, the seal script appears: "Strategy can overturn heaven and earth, the body can evade axe and halberd. Calculating every peril of the human heart, walking alone between disaster and fortune."

"Jia Xu? Poisonous Scholar?"

Ying Zheng slightly frowned; the title already sounded far from benevolent.

Li Si whispered, "Your Majesty, this person… seems famed for self‑preservation and stirring trouble."

Heavenly tones rang out; this time the voice lacked some passionate lament, adding a few cold analyses and a barely perceptible playfulness, as if narrating a subtle yet ruthless survival game.

【Jia Xu, styled Wenhe. In the boiling oil pot of the late Han and Three Kingdoms, he not only avoided being scorched, but refined himself into the slickest, most lethal old oil stick.】

【He cares not for loyalty or treachery, does not covet hollow fame, and even pays little heed to who his lord is.】

His lifelong pursuit is simply the two words "survival" and "profit".

His scheming is the sharpest dagger in chaotic times and also the sturdiest shield; to achieve his aims, he will not hesitate to drag the whole world into a deeper sea of blood.

Yet he himself can always stand on invincible ground, laughing as the tides rise and fall.

【Act One: Liangzhou's Cold Blade, First Test of Edge】

The scene shifts to Wuwei, Liangzhou, where wind and sand fill the sky.

The young Jia Xu (styled Wenhe) entered officialdom through the "Outstanding Filial and Incorrupt" recommendation, and soon, due to his extraordinary insight, was recruited as a gentleman official.

But he quickly perceived the court's decay and the frontier's turmoil, decisively resigning and returning home to watch the changes.

Soon, Dong Zhuo entered the capital, and the world fell into chaos.

Jia Xu allied with Dong Zhuo's son‑in‑law Niu Fu, serving as a Colonel of the Anti‑Barbarian Campaign, without making himself conspicuous.

"Liangzhou's bitter cold, its people's fierce customs; those born and raised here learn the first lesson: see reality clearly and survive."

The off‑screen voice seems to be his inner monologue.

【Act Two: A Word Topples Heaven, Chang'an's Bloodied Night】

In 192 AD, Wang Yun and Lu Bu assassinated Dong Zhuo, purging his remnants.

Li Jue, Guo Si and other Western Liang commanders were terrified, seeking to disband their troops and each fled back to their hometowns in Liangzhou.

In the scene, the massive camp tents echo with desperate wails.

At that moment, the ever‑silent Jia Xu stepped forward.

His voice was not loud, yet like an ice spear piercing each person's eardrum:

"If you all abandon the army and act alone, a single pavilion commander could capture you and hand you over to the authorities."

"Better to gather the troops, march west on Chang'an, and avenge Lord Dong."

"If successful, we will use the state to conquer the world; if not, it's not too late to retreat."

Li Jue and Guo Si, as if doused with enlightenment, immediately complied.

They gathered the remnants, allied with Dong Zhuo's former subordinates Fan Chou, Zhang Ji, and others, to counterattack Chang'an.

Wang Yun fell, Lu Bu fled, and the Han court suffered devastation again.

Chang'an fell into chaos and slaughter even worse than Dong Zhuo's under Li Jue and Guo Si, with countless civilian deaths.

And Jia Xu, who offered this "poisonous scheme", when he saw the beacon flames rise over Chang'an, merely brushed his sleeve lightly, as if sweeping away a speck of dust.

The name "Poisonous Scholar" thereafter resonated throughout the world.

The close‑up shows Jia Xu's calm, unruffled gaze contrasted bizarrely with the towering flames of Chang'an behind him.

【Act Three: Wancheng's Ghostly Plot, Dian Wei's Demise, Cao Ang's Fall】

After internal strife between Li Jue and Guo Si, Jia Xu shifted allegiance to Zhang Xiu.

In 197 AD, Cao Cao marched south against Zhang Xiu, who surrendered.

However, Cao Cao, overconfident, forcibly took Zhang Xiu's widowed aunt, Zou Shi.

Zhang Xiu, ashamed and angry, desires to rebel.

Jia Xu sets a deadly trap for him.

First, under the pretext of moving camp, he moves the troops to an advantageous position.

Then, using the excuse "few carts but heavy, beg soldiers each carry armor", he has the soldiers don armor and approach Cao Cao's central army.

Finally, he suddenly launches an attack!

The scene depicts that heart-pounding night:

Cao Cao, caught off guard, flees in panic; the great general Dian Wei guards the gate, fights to the death; Cao Cao's eldest son Cao Ang and nephew Cao Anmin all die in battle; Cao Cao himself escapes by luck thanks to the Shadow-Leap Horse.

Jia Xu's scheme almost wipes out Cao Cao, his successors, and his trusted beloved generals in one sweep; it can be called Cao Cao's most painful loss in his military career.

In the scene, Jia Xu stands in the shadows, coldly watching the Cao army in utter chaos, slightly nodding.

【Fourth Act: Infallible Plans, Again Thwart Cao Mengde】

Cao Cao, after feeling the pain, next year again attacks Zhang Xiu.

This time he is much more cautious, slowly retreating.

Zhang Xiu wants to pursue; Jia Xu stops him: "Do not pursue; pursuing will surely lose."

Zhang Xiu does not listen, and indeed returns after a great defeat.

Zhang Xiu returns, disheveled; Jia Xu says: "Now you can pursue; pursuing will surely win."

Zhang Xiu, half-believing, half-doubting, gathers his remaining troops and pursues again; indeed he crushes Cao Cao's rear army, capturing abundant spoils.

His grasp of Cao Cao's psychology and marching tempo has reached its peak.

In the scene, Jia Xu explains to Zhang Xiu: "When Cao Gong initially retreats, he will surely cut off his rear; although the general is brave, he is no match for him, hence defeat."

"Having routed the pursuers, he thinks himself safe, speeds ahead with light troops, leaving no strong general to guard the rear, thus can be attacked and defeated." Zhang Xiu bows in respect.

【Fifth Act: Abandon Yuan, Join Cao, a Shocking Leap】

In the year 200 AD, before the Battle of Guandu, Yuan Shao sends envoys to recruit Zhang Xiu.

Zhang Xiu is inclined, but Jia Xu, in front of the envoy, tears Yuan Shao's recruitment letter to shreds, shouting:

"Returning thanks to Yuan Benchu, brothers cannot coexist, yet can they tolerate all the heroes of the world?"

(You Yuan Shao can't even handle your own brothers, how can you tolerate heroes of the world?)