Chapter 54: Schemes Shorten One’s Life

Everyone turned toward the voice, and it was Guo Jia, seated at the back, holding the letter in his hand, a trace of confident smile upon his face.

Since the failed assassination attempt on Sun Ce, Guo Jia had been unusually silent, speaking only when directly questioned by Cao Cao himself; he rarely volunteered anything. Now that he had finally spoken up of his own accord, many curious eyes fixed upon him.

“Fengxiao, how can you vouch for Xu You, who is far away in Yuan Shao’s camp?” Clearly, Cao Cao was also intrigued by the matter. When he first saw Xu You’s letter, he was dubious, which is why he gathered everyone to confer. Yet upon seeing Guo Jia’s confidence return, some inexplicable reassurance settled within him.

“I cannot vouch for Xu You’s actions, but I can confirm that Xu You’s younger brother was indeed targeted in Ye City by Shen Pei. Xu You is fiercely protective of his kin. He pleaded with Yuan Shao to release his brother and punish Shen Pei, but Yuan Shao refused. I suspect it is precisely under such circumstances that Xu You, in his anger, made this choice.”

After Guo Jia finished, a look of sudden understanding appeared on the faces of those present.

“If that’s the case, then it seems there have long been Fengxiao’s agents within Ye City and Yuan Shao’s forces?”

“There are indeed informants. Our own army likely harbors Yuan Shao’s spies as well. Yet how one uses such agents is an art.” As Guo Jia spoke, everyone realized this was entirely his orchestration—a calculated play designed to force Xu You into the ranks of Cao’s army, tailored specifically to Xu You’s temperament and his relationships with Yuan Shao’s other advisors.

“Excellent! Since Fengxiao has made this happen, let us accept Xu You. I know his character—he would never come to my camp and freeload without contributing. If he arrives, he will surely bring with him a generous gift!”

Cao Cao well understood the kind of man Xu You was, and he looked forward to Guo Jia’s scheme with much anticipation.

Once the matter was settled, everyone dispersed, leaving only Cao Cao and Guo Jia in the room. Normally, Guo Jia would not linger after such occasions, but earlier Cao Cao had signaled him with a glance, so Guo Jia remained.

“Fengxiao, the failed assassination of Sun Ce was not your fault. All you’ve done for me in secret—I remember it well. Whether successful or not, your strategies are always sound.”

Cao Cao understood Guo Jia. Though outwardly Guo Jia seemed indifferent to success or failure, when a scheme failed, it struck him harder than any other advisor. Unlike the others, who plotted for their own status, Guo Jia simply wished to use his intellect to change the world.

Such a man could devote himself wholly to Cao Cao, knowing that Cao Cao understood him. Their conversations were few, but sometimes they spoke heart to heart.

“Lord, it’s not that I don’t wish to speak of certain strategies, but whether assassinating Sun Ce or coercing Xu You through his brother, these are not good plans—they are dead ends. My abilities are not unmatched beneath heaven; it’s just that I do not mind if a plan is desperate. Yet too many such schemes invite heaven’s wrath. I merely wish to spare you from unnecessary entanglement.”

Cao Cao looked at Guo Jia and shook his head, silent for a long while.

“You need not worry. As an advisor, if I can help you unite the Central Plains within my lifetime, I will have no regrets.”

Guo Jia smiled to comfort Cao Cao, though Cao Cao could not bring himself to smile in return.

“Fengxiao, after this battle, refrain from devising such desperate strategies. With our military strength alone, we can contend for supremacy. You are but thirty—surely you will see me unite the realm.”

“I hope so as well. I do not fear Yuan Shao, who is not a wise ruler. Your greatest enemy will be Jiangdong in the future. Sun Ce, at twenty-five, has already unified Jiangdong, and even after this battle, many foes remain for you to deal with. Moreover… His Majesty’s journey this time is peculiar; he has likely concealed his abilities from you these past years. When he cast Dong Cheng and Liu Bei out of the court, it was likely to mask Zhang Hong’s secret actions.”

Guo Jia had never shared these thoughts with Cao Cao before, for the outcome of the struggle with Yuan Shao was still uncertain. But now, with Xu You’s arrival imminent, Cao Cao would gain new leverage.

Under such circumstances, Guo Jia felt it was time to share his thoughts on Liu Xie.

“So you mean that His Majesty was not abducted to Jiangdong by Zhang Hong, but that he himself was involved in the plot?”

Cao Cao was clearly skeptical of this theory. He’d controlled the Han court for four or five years now and knew Liu Xie’s character well. To suggest Liu Xie had hidden his true nature for so long without slipping seemed incredible—a person of such cunning would be truly terrifying.

Moreover, Liu Xie was only eighteen or nineteen—a mere youth. Cao Cao would not believe he possessed such deep calculation.

“I could not be certain before, but this situation is most unusual. Based on Liu Xie’s prior behavior, he would never have spoken out about Dong Cheng in court. From that moment, they must have been plotting!”

Cao Cao quietly analyzed the matter, then nodded unconsciously.

Clearly, looking back as an observer, they had all been distracted by Dong Cheng’s audacious ‘belt decree,’ failing to notice that the true key to the matter was Liu Xie’s own provocation.

“If we can heavily cripple Yuan Shao this time, Jiangdong will become my greatest rival!”

Previously, though Sun Ce had pacified Jiangdong, Cao Cao had never considered him his chief opponent—not even second or third. Sun Ce, by age, was a generation apart; even his father Sun Jian had not been regarded highly, let alone Sun Ce.

But now, the state was so serious about the matter that Cao Cao understood: with Liu Xie in their hands, Jiangdong would become the legitimate successor to Han. If Liu Xie issued a proclamation against him, he would truly become a traitor to the nation.

Meanwhile, in Wu Commandery, things were not as Cao Cao imagined. The subtle contest between Sun Ce and Liu Xie was only just beginning.