Chapter 192: A Poisonous Strategist, Peaceful Death

Jia Xu then urged Zhang Xiu to surrender to Cao Cao, giving three reasons:

First, Cao Cao holds the emperor and commands the lords, giving him legitimacy.

Second, Cao Cao's power is weak and he needs assistance; he will treat the general generously to show the world.

Third, "One who aspires to be a hegemon will set aside personal grudges to display virtue across the four seas."

(A person with hegemonic ambition will abandon private feuds and demonstrate his moral conduct to the world.)

Zhang Xiu obeyed and surrendered to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao was indeed overjoyed, clasped his hand in a celebratory feast, and arranged for his son Cao Jun to marry Zhang Xiu's daughter, forging a kinship.

Jia Xu's move not only secured the safest refuge for Zhang Xiu, but also gave him an excellent "atone and earn merit" foothold within Cao Cao's faction.

He knew that he bore the blood debt of Cao Ang and Dian Wei, and only by offering the crucial token of allegiance when Cao Cao most needed it could he resolve this deadly feud and showcase his unparalleled worth.

This was a political gamble executed with utmost precision, and he won.

【Act Six: Divide at Weinan, Pacify Xiliang】

After joining Cao, Jia Xu acted low‑key, yet never missed a critical moment.

In 211 AD, Cao Cao launched a western campaign against the Ma Chao and Han Sui coalition at Weinan.

Ma Chao was valiant, the coalition strong, and Cao's forces could not break them after a prolonged assault.

Jia Xu presented a "divide‑and‑conquer scheme."

The scene shows the two armies facing off; Cao Cao and Han Sui, old acquaintances, meet before the lines, exchange long conversation about old capital memories, clap and laugh, never mentioning military matters.

Later, Cao Cao personally penned a letter to Han Sui, deliberately smearing and altering it at crucial points.

Ma Chao grew suspicious, demanded to see the letter, and upon seeing numerous edits, became even more convinced that Han Sui and Cao Cao were colluding.

Jia Xu then had people spread rumors.

Ma Chao and Han Sui indeed grew distrustful of each other, leading to open conflict.

Cao Cao seized the opportunity to launch a fierce attack, crushing the Xiliang coalition and pacifying Guanzhong.

"To subdue the enemy without fighting," Jia Xu took this to the ultimate level of scheming.

In the scene, Jia Xu watches from afar as the Xiliang troops slaughter each other, his expression unchanged.

【Act Seven: Secretly Assist Cao Huan, Stay Apart】

In his later years, Cao Cao wavered between Cao Pi and Cao Zhi.

Cao Pi sought Jia Xu's counsel.

Jia Xu did not offer a direct plan; when Cao Cao asked, he calmly replied, "Think of Yuan Shao and Liu Biao and their sons."

(Recall the affairs of Yuan Shao and Liu Biao and their sons.)

Both Yuan Shao and Liu Biao appointed younger heirs over the elder, sparking internal strife that led to the collapse of their foundations.

Cao Cao heard this and laughed heartily, then appointed Cao Pi as heir apparent.

Jia Xu's remark seemed to say nothing yet said everything, pinpointing the crux without directly entering the succession dispute, staying outside the vortex while influencing the grand scheme—a perfect blend of self‑preservation and statecraft.

In the scene, Jia Xu, when Cao Pi consulted him, simply closed his eyes to meditate, and only opened them when Cao Cao personally asked, delivering this earth‑shattering yet offhand line.

【Act Eight: A Peaceful Death, Enduring Blessings】

After Cao Pi proclaimed himself emperor, Jia Xu rose to the rank of Grand Commandant and was ennobled as Marquis of Shouxiang.

Yet he grew increasingly low‑key, shutting himself away, withdrawing from private connections, and his children married no prominent families.

In 223 AD, Jia Xu died peacefully at home at the age of seventy‑seven, posthumously titled Marquis Su.

His sons Jia Mu, Jia Fang, and others all held distinguished positions.

In the Three Kingdoms era, when many strategists met untimely ends:

(Xun Yu was forced to commit suicide, Guo Jia died young, Yang Xiu was killed, Xu You, Lou Gui and others were punished for their words.)

Jia Xu, however, survived through the reigns of Dong Zhuo, Li Jue, Zhang Xiu, Cao Cao, and Cao Pi, repeatedly devising lethal schemes, making countless enemies, yet ultimately enjoyed a long, peaceful death and a flourishing family—a miracle and the pinnacle of his self‑preservation wisdom.

Finally, the scene shows an elderly, white‑haired Jia Xu on his bed, smiling as he passes away; sunlight streams through the window, his descendants gathered around, forming a stark, absurd contrast to the blood‑soaked turmoil he once unleashed.

【Sky Curtain Summary: "XU possesses the marvels of Liang and Ping, but his scheming is almost demonic."】

【His stratagem is the most practical survival manual in chaotic times, also the most dangerous Pandora's box. To achieve his goals, he can disregard the masses and push the situation into deeper chaos.】

【Yet you cannot help but admire him. When everyone is swept by the tide and powerless, he always precisely finds the lifesaving driftwood, even… stepping on others' corpses to reach shore.】

【He may not be a moral paragon, but he is the ultimate master of survival in chaotic eras. He pushes the strategist's "self‑cunning" to the extreme, ensuring his absolute safety before scheming against others and the state. Such cold rationality and flawless self‑preservation are rare in history.】

【Ranked eighth on the History's Top Ten Strategists list—Jia Xu, assessment complete!】

【Heaven's Blessing: add thirteen years of longevity (total ninety)! Three generations of family protection! Strategic insight blessing (future schemes favor fortune, avoid disaster)!】

(Note: Jia Xu's lifelong desire was merely a good end and a lasting family. Heaven's blessing perfectly matches his core aim, extending his life, protecting his clan, strengthening his schemes—truly "getting what he seeks.")

The blessed pillar of light descends, a grayish glow edged with solid gold, as if capable of shielding against all calamities, falling into the Three Kingdoms timeline.

The reactions outside varied sharply upon seeing Jia Xu's assessment.

Literati and officials often scorned his "poison" and "lack of decorum", yet could not deny his "wisdom" and "fortune".

Many caught in chaotic times or power vortices felt a complex resonance with Jia Xu's survival philosophy, even a secret desire to learn it.

The Three Kingdoms plane.

Cao Cao looked at the sky curtain, his mood complex.

He had already experienced Jia Xu's "poison" and even paid a painful price.

Yet Jia Xu's later submission and merits were also concrete.

Especially that line "Think of Yuan Shao and Liu Biao and their sons", a single phrase that could decide fate.

He looked at the upright Jia Xu standing with hands at his sides; Jia Xu lifted his gaze, his eyes calm and still.

Cao Cao suddenly felt that having such an all‑calculating "poisonous strategist" nearby, who even accounted for his own safety, might not be a bad thing—at least it was reliable and truly handy.

Great Qin, Xianyang.

Ying Zheng snorted coldly: "No lord, no father, only seeking one's own self; even with wit and schemes, it is not the proper conduct of a minister."

He is rather displeased with such a completely disloyal, self‑preserving "slickhead."

Li Si thought silently: "Yet his ability to survive in chaotic times, with a distinguished family, also marks him as a great talent. For a minister, intelligence, loyalty, and fortune are all indispensable."

He thought of himself…

Before the debate over the "poisonist" could ferment, the Jinbang could not wait any longer and lifted the veil on the next candidate.

This time, the scene abruptly jumps from Jia Xu's dim worldly affairs to a completely different, even somewhat "detached" atmosphere.

The backdrop still has beacon fires and scheming, yet now carries a few more flamboyant, unrestrained, all‑calculating "show‑off" vibes.

It feels as if a peerless swordsman decapitates a general among a million troops, not because he must, but because he can, and finds it…cool.