Chapter 193

【Seventh Place Among the Ten Great Strategists of History: Guo Jia】

【Era: Late Eastern Han Dynasty → Three Kingdoms】

【Titles: Ghost Talent, Heaven-Envied Genius, The Sharpest Blade of the Cao Camp】

As the list appeared, the light and shadow on the left condensed into the image of a young strategist.

He looked younger than Fang Xuanling, Xun Yu, or Jia Xu; his face was refined and handsome, his brows and eyes carried a hint of wildness and lethargy, and the corners of his mouth often held a half-smile, as if he saw through everything yet found it all amusing.

Sometimes he would lean on his forehead as if dozing, and other times he would point out the lay of the land on a map.

Beside the image, seal script characters danced like dragons and phoenixes:

"With wise eyes he pierces the netherworld, with strange stratagems he decides life and death. He calculates all affairs under heaven, yet struggles to calculate his own fate."

"Guo Jia? Ghost Talent?"

This title immediately sparked interest.

Ying Zheng also sat up slightly, wanting to see what was so extraordinary about this young man whom Cao Cao called a "miraculous assistant."

The heavenly voice resonated, this time with a tone that became light, sharp, and possessed a rhythmic quality like the narration of a legend, even carrying a faint trace of regret:

【Guo Jia, courtesy name Fengxiao. A peerless genius who streaked across the night sky of the late Han like a meteor, yet erupted with the most dazzling brilliance of intellect in the shortest amount of time.】

【He was not a cornerstone like Xun Yu, nor a survivor like Jia Xu.

He was a blade—the sharpest, most precise, and most "wicked" blade in Cao Cao's hand.

Once unsheathed, it must see blood; once a strategy was set, it must reach its end.

His stratagems often defied convention, pointing straight to the essence, and even carried a touch of madness: "I have calculated it—do you dare to believe it?"】

【Act I: The Youth of Yingchuan, Waiting for the Right Price】

The scene shifts to Yingchuan, a place of beautiful mountains and waters.

The young Guo Jia (courtesy name Fengxiao) socialized with talented peers from his hometown, often making startling remarks and predicting the state of the world.

Someone recommended him to Yuan Shao. Guo Jia went to see him, but upon returning, he told his friends: "Lord Yuan merely wishes to imitate the Duke of Zhou in honoring scholars, yet he does not know the mechanism of employing people. He has many plans but lacks focus, and he is fond of plotting but lacks decisiveness. To attempt to save the world from great disaster with him and establish the foundation of a hegemon—that is difficult!"

In just a few words, he dissected Yuan Shao's essence—outwardly generous but inwardly jealous, indecisive and hesitant—to the fullest extent.

"A good bird chooses its tree to nest in; a good minister chooses his lord to serve. I, Guo Fengxiao, will not sell myself to a mediocre master."

He hung up his cap and left, living in seclusion at home, waiting for his true lord.

In the scene, Guo Jia is fishing by the water, looking leisurely, yet his gaze is cast far toward the north.

【Act II: The Meeting in Yingchuan, A Gathering of Wind and Clouds】

In 196 AD, through the strong recommendation of Xun Yu, Cao Cao summoned Guo Jia.

The two talked behind closed doors, from the grand trends of the world to the methods of warfare, from the hearts of the people to future layouts.

The more Cao Cao listened, the more surprised and delighted he became, slapping his palm and sighing: "The one who will help me achieve great things is surely this man!"

Guo Jia also bowed and said: "Truly my lord!"

Sovereign and subject were in perfect harmony, as if they had known each other for a lifetime.

"When others interview, the examiner asks the questions; when Guo Jia interviews, he is the one conducting a strategic assessment of his future boss—and he passed."

The voice-over carried a hint of humor.

The scene freezes on Cao Cao and Guo Jia holding hands and looking at each other, light shining in both their eyes.

【Act III: Ten Victories and Ten Defeats, The Argument That Settled Hearts】

200 AD, Guandu.

In Cao Cao's camp, the atmosphere was oppressive. Yuan Shao's power was great, the generals were all fearful, and even Cao Cao himself lacked confidence.

Guo Jia stepped out from the crowd, speaking eloquently, and threw out the famous "Essay on Ten Victories and Ten Defeats":

"Yuan Shao is burdened by elaborate rituals and ceremonies, while you, General, follow nature—this is the victory of the Dao. Yuan Shao acts against the flow, while you, General, act in accordance with righteousness to lead the world—this is the victory of righteousness. The late Han government failed through excessive leniency; Yuan Shao uses leniency to remedy leniency, hence he lacks control, while you, General, correct this with firmness, so superiors and subordinates know their place—this is the victory of governance. Yuan Shao is outwardly generous but inwardly jealous, employing people while doubting them, appointing only relatives and clansmen, while you, General, are outwardly simple but inwardly clear-sighted, employing people without doubt, using them according to their talents regardless of distance—this is the victory of measure..."

He systematically argued that Cao Cao must win and Yuan Shao must lose from ten aspects: Dao, Righteousness, Governance, Measure, Strategy, Virtue, Benevolence, Clarity, Culture, and Martial Prowess.

This was not a tactical analysis; this was a strategic sedative, a spiritual atomic bomb.

With these words, Cao Cao and his generals were filled with burning passion, and all their doubts vanished.

In the scene, Guo Jia's speaking pace is not fast, but every word carries the weight of a thousand jun. Accompanied by his gestures, it is as if he is constructing an indestructible fortress of confidence in everyone's hearts.

【Act IV: The Rapid Attack on Xiapi, Flooding Lu Bu】

A bit earlier, in 198 AD, Cao Cao besieged Lu Bu at Xiapi.

Lu Bu was fierce, the city walls were solid, and the Cao army had attacked for two months without success. The soldiers were exhausted, and Cao Cao was worried that Zhang Xiu and Liu Biao would raid his rear, so he thought of retreating.

Guo Jia strongly urged: "In the past, Xiang Ji fought over seventy battles without ever being defeated, yet he lost his life and his state in a single moment because he had courage but no strategy."

"Now Lu Bu is defeated in every battle, his energy is depleted, and he has lost control both inside and out. Lu Bu's power does not match Xiang Ji's, yet his predicament is worse. If we take advantage of our momentum to attack, he will surely be captured."

He saw that Lu Bu had courage but no strategy and had been abandoned by his followers; he was already at the end of his rope.

He then offered the plan to divert the Si and Yi rivers to flood the city.

Cao Cao followed this, flooded Xiapi, Lu Bu's subordinates Song Xian and Wei Xu rebelled, captured Lu Bu and Chen Gong, and pacified the great threat in the east.

"Guo Jia's strategy is often such that while others are hesitating over 'whether to fight,' he has already seen 'how to win.'"

【Act V: The Divine Judgment of Sun Ce, A Prophecy Fulfilled】

At the most critical moment of the stalemate at Guandu, shocking news arrived:

The Little Conqueror of Jiangdong, Sun Ce, had pacified Jiangdong and was sharpening his weapons, intending to take advantage of the standoff between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao to cross the river and raid Xudu!

The Cao camp was shaken, and hearts were filled with panic. If Sun Ce really came, Cao Cao would fall into the desperate situation of being attacked from both sides!

Amidst this panic, which felt like Mount Tai pressing down, Guo Jia laughed—he laughed easily, and even with a hint of... disdain.

He said to the worried Cao Cao: "Sun Ce has just annexed Jiangdong, and those he killed were all heroes and men of great talent who could command the loyal service of others."

"However, Sun Ce is reckless and unprepared. Even with a million troops, it is no different from walking alone in the Central Plains. If an assassin lies in wait, he is but a match for one man. In my view, he will surely die at the hands of a commoner."

He concluded that Sun Ce would surely die at the hands of an assassin!

The reason?

Sun Ce had killed many local powerful clans, creating many enemies, and his excessive confidence in his personal martial prowess led to lax security.

This judgment sounded more like the speculation of a wandering fortune-teller than the analysis of a court strategist.

But Cao Cao believed him.

The result?

Not long after, while hunting in Dantu, Sun Ce was assassinated by three retainers of Xu Gong, the Administrator of Wu Commandery, and died of his wounds at the age of only twenty-six.

The threat vanished into thin air.

"This is no longer strategy; it is a premonition bordering on the 'supernatural.' Guo Jia seems able to see through the weaknesses of the human heart and the hidden threads of fate."

In the scene, when Guo Jia says these words, he is lazily leaning against an armrest, even yawning, completely out of place with the tense atmosphere in the tent.

【Act VI: A Thousand-Mile Raid on Wuhuan, A Final Plan to Pacify Liaodong】

In 207 AD, after Yuan Shao's defeat and death, his sons Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi fled to Wuhuan, colluding with Chanyu Tadun and repeatedly causing border trouble.

Cao Cao wanted to campaign against them, but all the generals feared that Liu Biao would send Liu Bei to raid their rear, so they opposed the long-distance expedition.

Cao Cao hesitated. Guo Jia stood up again, throwing out a combo-punch analysis:

1. The Hu people rely on the distance and will certainly not be prepared.

(The enemy thinks we don't dare to come, so they have no defense.)