After a battle where both sides knew exactly what was going on, Jia Xu tallied the losses that night and found only supplies had been depleted.
“Truly worthy of being called Zhuge Liang! The Sleeping Dragon of this era!” Jia Xu’s eyes practically sparkled as he looked at Zhuge Liang—this was far more cost-effective than fighting under Zhang Xiu.
“I dare not accept such praise,” Zhuge Liang replied with an awkward expression. From the coordination of Cao Cao’s forces, he had sensed something unusual. “Judging by how stubborn the opponent was, it likely wasn’t Xun Yu who came. Perhaps it was Guo Jia.”
That eerie, persistent style—not aiming to kill them outright, but simply proving, “Whatever you can think of, I can think of too, and I can do it even better”—that kind of attitude was unmistakably Guo Jia!
Good heavens?
Jia Xu was stunned. So top-tier strategists could actually discern their opponent’s style during a battle and deduce who it was?
After the shock came reflection. He pondered his own style and arrived at a conclusion that left even himself somewhat speechless.
He probably could only fight battles that could be planned in advance, because he was fanatically obsessed with setting traps beforehand.
Well, at least he had identified one advantage—better than nothing.
Jia Xu also realized that what could be prepared ahead of time wasn’t limited to traps. He could also devise powerful tactics—like tunnel warfare!
Jia Xu’s assessment of himself was far lower than Zhuge Liang’s estimation of him.
Some things only become clear after trying them out. Before commanding them, Zhuge Liang had merely observed that the soldiers Jia Xu had trained seemed different from ordinary troops. Now, having personally led them, it was truly exhilarating!
These soldiers responded like extensions of his own limbs. Even if someone else took command, they would still follow orders seamlessly. When Zhuge Liang issued commands, no one objected. He even suspected that if he ordered them to take hits for him, they would still not retreat in the face of enemy blades and spears. This gave him an overwhelming advantage in the battle.
From the current situation, it was clear that Jia Xu was absolutely a control-oriented strategist in terms of tactics.
Strong desire for control, coupled with enough confidence—no one else would strive to ensure soldiers remained utterly focused, executing orders without hesitation.
Jia Xu was unaware of Zhuge Liang’s high praise. He had no such tactical confidence himself; the training methods weren’t even his own idea. He was simply applying modern advanced experience, standing on the shoulders of giants.
After Zhuge Liang finished speaking, Jia Xu shifted his focus to “Guo Jia.” “Guo Jia? Isn’t he in poor health? Why would he be involved in such a surprise attack mission?”
How did he even know about Guo Jia’s health issues?
Zhuge Liang knew of Guo Jia because he had studied Cao Cao’s strategists and analyzed the battlefields they had handled. That feeling of being blocked no matter how he adjusted his tactics—sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly—that sense of stalemate was unmistakably Guo Jia!
As for Jia Xu knowing about Guo Jia, even his poor health…
Could it be that Jia Xu’s “control obsession” had driven him to investigate specifically?
Zhuge Liang was somewhat suspicious.
“Stalemate,” “thorny”—Zhuge Liang didn’t know that Guo Jia had the same assessment of him. Both felt the other was a tenacious creature that stuck like glue after being slapped.
To outsiders, the two didn’t appear to have fought a battle where both sides held back. Instead, it seemed like an evenly matched exchange, with every move calculated as if by divine foresight.
Only those familiar with them could tell from the outcome that they had been going easy.
“Strategist! Were you going easy on them? How could that pretty boy fight you to such a standstill?” Dian Wei widened his eyes, staring in disbelief as both sides clearly demarcated their positions and began clearing the battlefield.
In this battle, Cao’s camp suffered minimal losses, though their discipline wasn’t as sharp as the enemy’s. Guo Jia’s increasingly rapid commands toward the end had caused some congestion, resulting in a few soldiers twisting their ankles or bumping into each other—nothing serious, as the medics confirmed after examination.
Xiahou Yuan looked at Dian Wei, utterly astonished. This brute, who usually relied on sheer strength as if he were immune to death and pain, was actually using his brain now?
He could even tell that Guo Jia had been holding back! Xiahou Yuan himself had nearly missed it, only realizing during the loss assessment that the casualties were too light for someone like Guo Jia, who was known to trade injuries for advantage when pressed. There must have been some restraint.
Ah.
Xiahou Yuan sighed, but it made sense. Their lord needed Jia Xu—needed him unharmed and intact.
They could have launched a surprise attack, sneaked into the city, kidnapped Jia Xu, and called it a day. But now, with Jia Xu inside and them outside, controlling the situation had become tricky. Guo Jia’s current conservative approach was the best choice.
As long as they stalled until their lord’s main force arrived, they could surround Rangcheng with superior numbers and propose negotiations.
Xiahou Yuan felt he understood Guo Jia’s careful considerations. Only Dian Wei would see through it and blurt it out—so reckless.
Yet, while he understood Guo Jia, he couldn’t fathom the thoughts of that fair-faced scholar commanding from Rangcheng’s walls. The enemy hadn’t gone all out either. Was it a lack of capability?
“They were holding back too. Many of our soldiers who fell into traps weren’t further harmed, so they clearly didn’t want a head-on clash either.”
Xiahou Yuan accidentally let his thoughts slip. Guo Jia overheard and rolled his eyes fiercely, first explaining that the fellow hadn’t gone easy, then grumbling about Jia Xu.
“If he doesn’t want to fight, why not just negotiate? Putting on this show—is he trying to flaunt his training results? How infuriating!”
Then Guo Jia turned to Dian Wei, who was fuming over the “they really were holding back” revelation. “You should have snatched a squad of soldiers earlier. Then tonight, we could’ve forced them to replicate their training methods.”
“Are you two even human? I told you, I’m a dog! No—I’m not a dog!” Dian Wei was so agitated he nearly turned from the “Ancient Ferocity” into an “Ancient Ferocious Hound.” He glared at the two, itching to punch them but afraid they’d taunt him with “the hound bites”!
Damn it, only the eldest young master is a good person. Why did he have to go to bed so early?
Seeing Dian Wei’s anger seemed to transfer his own frustration onto the “hound.” With the dog properly riled up, Guo Jia calmly settled down, picked up a brush, and looked as if he were about to write something.
“What are you doing?” Xiahou Yuan didn’t understand.
“Writing a letter to request negotiations, of course.” Guo Jia glanced up at the still-fuming “ferocious hound” and deliberately raised his voice. “If we capture Jia Xu without losing a single soldier before our lord arrives, then when the main force presses down, we can directly attack Liu Biao, right? Our lord won’t blame us for the failed surprise attack, and those soldiers will be saved too.”
Can… can my men be saved?
The “ferocious hound” fell silent. He obediently watched Guo Jia’s hand, hoping this negotiation would proceed smoothly.
The November wind was like a merciless blade, cutting through clothing to chill the bones, leaving both body and spirit weary. Even a short-legged Eastern Han cat was pierced by this icy winter gale.
“Ah-choo!” Cao Cao sneezed, a snot bubble forming at his nose. The horse beneath him remained unfazed, undisturbed by the sudden outburst, continuing to hold its head high as the lead steed.
“My lord, please enter the carriage. It is too cold outside,” whispered Xiahou Dun, Cao Cao’s trusted general riding alongside him. He knew his lord rode at the forefront to boost morale, but the weather was truly frigid. What if his lord fell ill from the cold?
If the carriage had been empty except for himself, Cao Cao would have already gone inside. But…
“Ahem.” A cough came from within the carriage.
Cao Cao immediately raised his voice with concern. “Has Wenruo caught a chill? Have the army physicians prepare some medicine. We’ll brew it during our next rest stop, and you can drink it then.”
“Thank you for your kindness, my lord.” The carriage fell silent again.
Wenruo—full name Xun Wenruo—was none other than Xun Yu.
In the turbulent era of the Eastern Han, among the strategists and scholarly families, the Yingchuan Xun clan was the most renowned. Xun Yu’s abilities brought Cao Cao great reassurance.
However… the carriage not only held Xun Yu but also a pile of official documents!
Faced with the choice between handling paperwork and braving the cold wind outside, Cao Cao resolutely chose the latter. Let Xun Yu handle the work…
“It’s fine, Yuánràng. I’m not cold,” Cao Cao insisted stubbornly, unaware that the edges of his short-legged cat-like mouth were already tinged blue from the cold.
Hearing his lord’s stubbornness, Xiahou Dun could only sigh helplessly. “Prefect Xun would not force you to deal with the documents.” There was no response to this.
“Later, we should all drink some of the medicine brewed by the army physicians.” This earned a “Good” from Cao Cao.
Xiahou Dun felt he had lived long enough—why had he insisted on joining this expedition in the first place?
When Guo Fengxiao had set out ahead with his younger brother Xiahou Yuan, Xiahou Dun had originally planned to stay behind as usual, guarding his lord’s family and the main base.
But this time, of all times, his lord and Prefect Xun had quarreled.
The reason was none other than the little ancestor they had personally invited—Liu Xie.
Liu Xie had just arrived in Xudu. Before this, Xudu had never served as a royal capital, so the accommodations provided for Liu Xie, while the best available, were hardly fitting for an emperor.
Xun Yu wanted to construct a palace with some semblance of imperial grandeur for Liu Xie, but Cao Cao disagreed. Thus, a rift had formed between them.
Xiahou Dun couldn’t understand it. If anyone should know, it was Wenruo—they simply didn’t have the funds. Whatever little money they had needed to be poured into the military, a bottomless pit of expenses. How could they possibly undertake large-scale construction for a palace? Not even a temporary imperial lodge would do!
In the past, whenever the two had disagreements, Guo Jia had always been there. Xiahou Dun usually considered Guo Jia clever but unreliable. Now, with him absent, the conflict had escalated to the point where they were marching to war while still sulking. Xiahou Dun wished more than anyone that Guo Jia were here.
Save me, Guo Fengxiao! Lend me your silver tongue!
If Guo Jia had been present, he would likely have realized much sooner than Xiahou Dun that the two were no longer angry with each other. The fact that Xun Yu had come along instead of remaining in Xudu was, in truth, to set Cao Cao’s mind at ease.
After all, there had just been a conflict over Liu Xie. If Cao Cao went on the expedition while he stayed behind, he might be misunderstood by his lord as trying to use this opportunity to get close to Liu Xie—that would be more trouble than it was worth.
As for Cao Cao, he understood clearly. Persuaded by Guo Jia in the past, he had come to realize that apart from unconventional figures like Guo Jia, orthodox elites such as the Xun clan of Yingchuan and the Cui clan of Qinghe, who followed him daily, had to resolutely choose their lord amid the internal conflict between “loyalty to the Han” and “loyalty to their lord.” Occasionally, thoughts of the “Han dynasty” were simply remnants of outdated teachings.
Cao Cao regarded this incident as a foolish mistake made by Xun Yu due to his occasional lapse into such outdated thinking. After all! They truly had no money—what was the point of building a temporary palace? Even if Xun Yu weren’t foolish, he should have realized this.
Now, Cao Cao refused to enter the carriage partly to boost morale and partly because he genuinely didn’t want to deal with paperwork.
In this three-person drama, only Xiahou Dun was genuinely anxious inside.
Unlike the strange atmosphere around Cao Cao, Jia Xu and the others were quite harmonious, even finding time for a teaching session.
“Why do you exchange letters about peace talks and speak so ambiguously! Why not just say, ‘Since we both understand each other’s intentions, why not sit down and negotiate?’ Isn’t that simpler?” Zhang Xiu felt as though he had been set up. Why was he the only one here who didn’t understand what was going on?
Of course, if he were in Cao Cao’s camp at that moment, he would have discovered a fellow sufferer—another Beagle just as furious and helpless over the convoluted ways of humans.
“This way feels more authentic. If I arrived at your house, found the gate closed, and started knocking while claiming to be a good person, would you believe me?”
Jia Xu hadn’t understood at first either, but he quickly reasoned it out using his own logic.
Zhang Xiu understood Jia Xu’s example, “But, but no one forced the door open, right?”
The fighting had been quite “intense,” but Jia Xu’s training exercises included “simulated attacks and defenses” similar to this battle. Both Zhang Xiu and his deputy could see that the other side wasn’t intent on killing, which was why they cooperated.
Of course! If anyone dared to actually kill their men in battle, Zhang Xiu wouldn’t let it slide.
“If you force the door open, it’s already too late.” Jia Xu knew Zhang Xiu’s brain was working overtime, on the verge of overheating, but that was fine—he was in the same boat.
“We’re in a hurry. We can’t let Liu Biao find out about our situation here.” Zhuge Liang still remembered that his uncle had originally been Liu Biao’s strategist.
“But they’re in a hurry too.” Huang Yueying chimed in, “General Zhang captured Dian Wei, and Wenhe released him. But Dian Wei returned in front of so many people—too many know about it. They have to find a way to resolve this.”
“Kill them?” Zhang Xiu blurted out but immediately realized it was wrong, very wrong. “They can’t kill Dian Wei, nor can they kill so many soldiers. So they have to capture us before Cao Cao arrives!”
“Exactly!” Jia Xu nodded.
“This current situation is largely thanks to Wenhe releasing Dian Wei.” Zhuge Liang marveled again—Jia Xu was clever! Exceptionally clever.
When he released Dian Wei, he must have already anticipated that doing so would put Guo Jia in a difficult position, forcing him to cooperate with them.
Huh?
Jia Xu noticed Zhuge Liang’s admiring gaze but wasn’t quite sure what it meant.
Isn’t the only option to let them go? Otherwise, are we supposed to keep two beagles at home to wreck the place? Just scare them a bit and send them off. If you want to see beagles fight each other later, there will be plenty of opportunities once we join Cao Cao’s camp.
But we absolutely cannot give that beagle Dian Wei any chance of “accidentally dying here”! They have to enter Cao Cao’s camp “cleanly”!
Hmm…
Zhang Xiu pondered, Zhang Xiu thought it over again and again, Zhang Xiu had a sudden flash of insight and realized what was wrong.
“Why are all of you calling him Wenhe now!”
Only Wenhe and I are on the same side!
————————!!————————
Zhang Xiu: No, no, you, you mustn’t ruin my home!
Cats: We’re here to join this family [sparkling eyes][cat paws]