Chapter 326: The Poisonous Scholar Guo Jia?

After Li Jue suffered a great defeat, he remembered what the young official seeker had said and immediately went to find him.

This is a mansion close to the Weiyang Palace. If it were placed in later times, it would at least be a luxury house within the Third Ring Road.

Unlike the desolate scene outside, there were guards at the door and the mansion was very lively. As Li Jue walked along, he saw many officials from the capital coming and going.

"This kid is quite capable."

Making friends is also a skill.

Finally, they arrived at the backyard where Guo Jia was, only to see him surrounded by beauties, looking very comfortable with them hugging him left and right.

"The general is here."

Guo Jia waved the beauty away and asked, "General, you must want to know why you are here?"

Li Jue clasped his fists and said, "Mr. Guo, although we are not old acquaintances, I have heard that you are very wise and can see through the current situation. Today's defeat was fully expected by you. I hope you will give me some advice and point me in the right direction."

Guo Jia smiled slightly, a gleam in his eyes, and said slowly: "General, you are too kind. I am just a small minister. I will tell you everything you know, as you value me."

"Don't worry, sir. I will report to His Majesty tomorrow and confer you the title of Marquis, making you one of the Nine Ministers!"

“The general needs to maintain a keen insight and be ready to respond to various emergencies at any time.”

Li Jue suddenly understood what was going on and quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, sir. I will keep it in mind and act with caution."

Guo Jia narrowed his eyes. The court was deteriorating faster than he had imagined.

"Although being a marquis and a prime minister is an honor, it also comes with a heavy responsibility. General, feel free to ask me anything you want to know. I will tell you everything I know."

Li Jue immediately talked about the important things, and there was no need to mention some unimportant things, such as being beaten severely by Zhang Fei.

"Sir, the situation is devastating. What do you think we should do next?"

The distribution of power in the Sili region flashed through Guo Jia's mind.

Zhang Ji was defeated, and Zuo Fengyi Guo Si trapped Guan Yu. In addition to Li Jue, there were two other forces in the long run, Liu Yan and Liu Biao.

As for the imperial party, after the liquidation by Li Jue and others, it has long lost its combat effectiveness. Instead, Liu Biao, the leader of the Qingliu, and Liu Yan, who has always wanted to be a veteran silver coin, are worthy of attention.

Then, Guo Jia came up with a plan and said to Li Jue: "General, although the current situation seems chaotic, it actually hides opportunities.

If we can skillfully utilize the complexity of this situation, we may be able to turn danger into safety, or even grow stronger.”

"First, General Guo Si, he has trapped Guan Yu, which is a great help to us. We can send an envoy to have a secret talk with General Guo and agree on a common banner for the uprising."

"Secondly, although Liu Biao is a leader of the Qingliu and has a good reputation, his foundation is still shallow and it is difficult for him to pose a direct threat to us for the time being. However, if he joins forces with Liu Yan, he should not be underestimated.

General, you can secretly send envoys to ally with Liu Yan, and at the same time try to alienate the relationship between Liu Biao and Liu Yan so that they cannot join forces to fight the enemy. "

"If Liu Yan agrees to an alliance, then we will cannibalize his tribe."

Li Jue asked, "What if Liu Yan disagrees with the alliance?"

"Don't agree to the alliance?" Guo Jia said with a dangerous smile: "Then when we start a rebellion with General Guo, the person we have to deal with is Liu Yan!"

Li Jue hesitated and said, "Now, the Southern Army is pressing forward step by step. Is it unwise for us to waste time on internal strife?"

Guo Jia shook his head slightly, his eyes flashing with a deep light, and said slowly: "General, this is wrong. The Art of War says that the best strategy is to attack the enemy's plans, the next best is to attack their alliances, the next best is to attack their troops, and the worst is to attack their cities.

Although we are at a disadvantage, if we can use strategies skillfully, we may be able to turn danger into safety. If Liu Yan really does not join us, there must be something hidden behind it, either he is colluding with the Southern Army, or he is too confident of his strength to care about us. In any case, it will be our breakthrough point. "

"At this time, we need to strengthen intelligence gathering, find out Liu Yan's background, and show the outside world our determination to unite and fight against foreign enemies.

"If you want to keep the country safe before fighting the enemy, the general will not kill Liu Yan, but how do you know if Liu Yan wants to kill you?"

"It is best to keep all unexpected factors in your own hands!"

“As for the Southern Army, we need to be vigilant at all times, but we don’t need to panic too much.

The Art of War also says, avoid the enemy's vigor and attack them when they are tired. Although the Southern Army is strong, they have traveled a long distance and their men and horses are exhausted. This is the time for us to take advantage of the terrain and wait for them to tire out.

The general can order his elite troops to lurk at key points and wait until the Confederate Army is exhausted before delivering a fatal blow. "

Li Jue finally made up his mind and said goodbye and left.

Guo Jia stared toward the northeast and whispered to himself, "My Lord, I have been granted a title of nobility. I wonder when you will be granted a title of nobility."

Li Jue acted very quickly. Seeing that Zhang Fei was not pressing forward, he immediately began to contact Guo Si, Liu Yan and Liu Biao.

Liu Biao was very willing to cooperate with Li Jue, but Li Jue looked down on him.

As expected, Liu Yan rejected the requests of Li Jue and others.

On the contrary, when Guo Si received a contact letter from Li Jue and others, he immediately led his troops back to Chang'an City, Jingzhao Yin.

Halfway through the journey, he saw Li Jue sneak attacking Liu Yan, catching the other party off guard.

But Liu Yan was no pushover. Li Jue had suffered heavy casualties and had only 20,000 troops under his command, which seemed a little weak compared to Liu Yan's nearly 40,000 troops.

Soon, Li Jue found himself in a dangerous situation.

When Guo Si saw the signal for action demonstrated by Li Jue, he did not doubt it and led nearly 30,000 people to attack Liu Yan's troops.

Attacked from both sides, Liu Yan's army was defeated and he was surrounded by only 5,000 elite troops.

"Would the General dare to come out and talk?"

Liu Yan, who knew that he was doomed to fail, said, "I am blind and have offended you, General. I hope you will forgive me."

At this time, do you think of surrendering?

late!

But Li Jue still showed up, wanting to give Liu Yan some respect: "Why did the Grand Commandant do this?"

Liu Yan smiled bitterly, a trace of reluctance and helplessness flashed in his eyes, he slowly said: "In troubled times, everyone has their own plans. I wanted to borrow the land of Yizhou to appease the people and revive the Han Dynasty, but I didn't expect that the world is unpredictable. First I was forced by a kid, and now...

The general is mighty, Liu Yan admires him. But I hope the general will think of the people of the world and not let innocent people suffer from war again. "

Li Jue's expression eased a little when he heard this. He knew very well the cruelty of war and it was not what he wanted. However, it was difficult to control the Xiliang soldiers if they came too quickly, and it would be impossible to control them for a long time.

In order to ensure a smooth transition, he said in a deep voice: "Li Jue will remember the words of the Grand Commandant. I can promise the Grand Commandant that after this battle, I will restrain my subordinates, reduce unnecessary killings, and try my best to protect the people."

Liu Yan nodded, knowing full well that he was powerless to change the situation and could only hope for a bit of kindness from the other party.

"General, you are kind and righteous. Liu Yan is grateful. However, I still have 5,000 elite soldiers under my command who are unwilling to surrender easily. Please give them a chance to live."

As long as Li Jue lets 5,000 elite troops go, Liu Yan can survive. He is so calculating that the beads are about to jump onto his face.

Li Jue didn't expect Liu Yan to be so shameless. His thoughts of giving him a decent look disappeared. He said, "Taiwei, you are wrong. On the battlefield, the victory or defeat has been decided. How can we talk about survival lightly? Although I intend to reduce the killing, I also need to take the overall situation and military discipline into consideration. If we let five thousand elite soldiers go, it may become a trouble in the future, which will be detrimental to our army and the people. However, I, Li Jue, have always respected heroes. If the generals under the Taiwei are willing to surrender, I can guarantee that their lives will not be in danger. They can be incorporated into my army or sent back home. It is up to them to choose. What do you think?"

Liu Yan's face changed slightly when he heard this. Although he was unwilling, he knew that he didn't have much bargaining chips at this time. He pondered for a moment, and finally sighed and said, "Forget it, forget it. General Li has already made it clear. How can Liu Yan force it? I just hope that the general can keep his promise and treat my soldiers well."

Li Jue was relieved to see that Liu Yan finally gave in. He was well aware of the complex political and military considerations behind this battle and did not want to cause any more trouble.

So, he cupped his hands and said, "Taiwei, rest assured. Li Jue will keep his word and will not let you down. When the war is over, I will personally supervise and ensure that everything is carried out according to the agreement."

At this moment, Guo Si's troops rushed over, breaking the situation, and without saying a word, they charged towards Liu Yan.

In the end, Liu Yan died.

Seeing that things had come to this point, Li Jue no longer had the heart to blame Guo Si. He turned around and wielded his butcher knife at Liu Yan's entire family, killing them all.

After this great turmoil, the city of Chang'an was covered in blood and corpses. The people, who were pushed to the limit, rioted at will, but were finally ruthlessly suppressed.

The once populous city has now become a den of evil. Apart from the murderous soldiers, there are only the cruel officials.

Liu Xie, sitting on the throne, was sad every day and shed tears every night, but what was the use?
As Guo Si and Li Jue gathered troops, the army grew to 70,000 men, with Li Jue having 30,000 and Guo Si having 40,000.

At this point, a very realistic question is before us: who is the boss and who is in charge?

As the General of Chariots and Cavalry, Li Jue ranked above Guo Si, but everyone knew that this was just the result of Emperor Liu Xie's compromise.

Since Li Jue could be named General of Chariots and Cavalry, then Guo Si could be named General of Light Cavalry, ranking above the General of Chariots and Cavalry!

Because of this, Li Jue and Guo Si had a big fight in the court.

Li Jue was so angry that he came to Guo Jia to discuss countermeasures.

"What do you want, General?"

Guo Jia stroked the military book on the table, his eyes deep, and said slowly: "The dispute between the general and General Guo is not just about the position, but also about the will of the army and the people.

In the current chaotic world, although the military force is important, the support of the people is more important. If the general can put the overall situation first, temporarily avoid the sharp edge, find an opportunity, and win the support of the people with virtue and talent, it will be the best strategy. "

"I would like to hear the details." Li Jue asked eagerly.

Guo Jia smiled slightly and continued: “General, you can follow the example of the ancients and propose a co-governance strategy, and be on par with General Guo to discuss major plans and share power.

At the same time, he selected talented people without any restrictions, so that everyone in the army could see his broad mind and foresight, which would naturally win the support of the soldiers. "

After hearing this, Li Jue's eyes flashed with enlightenment, and he immediately bowed his hands and thanked him, "Sir, your words are like the sun that clears away the clouds, and it makes me suddenly enlightened."

But he changed the subject and said, "But I don't want to work with that reckless man forever, what can I do?"

Guo Jia chuckled and said, "The general also said that Guo Si is just an ordinary man. How can he be compared with the general?"

"General, think about this. If this continues, all the generals in Guo Si's army are recommended by you. If one day you and Guo Si disagree, then who will listen to you or Guo Si?"

Upon hearing this, Li Jue's eyes lit up even more, and a meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Sir, you are right. Although Guo Si is brave, he has no wisdom. If this continues, the people in the army will know what they want."

Guo Jia nodded in approval: "General, you have such insight. I think the title of General of Chariots and Cavalry is not worthy of your status. Only the title of General is worthy of you!"

Li Jue laughed loudly and waved his hands repeatedly, saying: "It won't be too late to discuss this matter after I take Jin Mao's head."

Guo Jia looked down on him. He thought, for a reckless man like you, even if I gave you double the military force, it would only be a matter of time before you were destroyed.

On the surface, Guo Jia remained calm and raised the wine jar, saying, "General, please drink from this jar. I wish you a successful start."

Li Jue raised the wine jar and drank it happily.

However, before Li Jue could realize his plan, Chang'an was surrounded, leaving no way out.

Guan Yu was stationed in Zuo Fengyi in the north, Zhou Yu was stationed in You Fufeng in the west, Jin Mao personally led 60,000 troops to blockade the east and south, and the devil Zhang Fei was making trouble in Chang'an City, so Li and Guo could not escape even if they had wings.

The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Jin Mao was in the east, setting up forty catapults, driving them as if he was going to blow down the city of Chang'an.

Zhou Yu was in the west. Although his twenty catapults were not as good as those in the east, he had more elite soldiers and brave generals, and should not be underestimated.

Although the north and south seem to have few soldiers, they are commanded by powerful generals, not to mention Guan Yu; in the south, there are generals such as Sun Ce, Dian Wei, and Zhu Zhi, who are proficient in fighting, charging, and ambushing.

It seems that Li and Guo's only way to survive is to the north, but Guo Si has fought with Guan Yu before and knows that this man is not weak. If they really want to break out, their chances are slim unless they do it now.

But Li Jue would never agree to break out without fighting. The quarrel in the court in Chang'an escalated and Guo Si even drew a knife on Li Jue.

In the end, although it ended in nothing, a broken mirror cannot be mended and a relationship once it has been cracked is difficult to mend.

Jinmao didn't know the inside story, but he had many wise men around him and his estimate was almost correct.

So, before the catapults started to bombard the city walls, letters and words of persuasion for surrender were delivered to the Xiliang army without missing a word.

Inside Chang'an City.

Lower-level generals such as Yang Feng and Yang Ding gathered together to plot major events.

"It is well known that the Southern Army can defeat ten enemies with one. We only have 70,000 people in total. How can we match them?"

Yang Ding set the tone for the conspiracy with just one sentence: "There is only one way left in this life: break out!"

Yang Feng hesitated and said, "If we do this, we may offend Li Jue and Guo Si."

Yang Ding said speechlessly: "If you are not afraid of death, then be buried with them. I don't want to regret it only after the knife hits my neck!"

"Who of you is willing to break out with me?"

Yang Ding originally held a higher position in Dong Zhuo's army than Li Jue and Guo Si. Now he was holding a grudge and wanted to do something big.

The other eight generals in the room lowered their heads and dared not look at Yang Ding. They were all Dong Zhuo's old subordinates and the old impression still remained.

At this time, Yang Feng suddenly said: "I have another method, which does not require us to risk breaking out. It can not only save our lives, but also help us get promoted!"

Yang Ding narrowed his eyes, looked at Yang Feng, and said coldly: "You are so good, Yang Feng, you actually had an affair with the emperor! Aren't you afraid of being discovered by Li Jue and Guo Si and being killed?"

Having an affair with the emperor, what a ridiculous thing to say, however, no one thought there was anything wrong with it.

What’s the difference between the current emperor and a puppet? You can play with him however you want.

Yang Feng's face turned serious and he said, "How could I have that ability? If it weren't for Mr. Guo's recommendation, I wouldn't even be able to see the emperor."

"Mr. Guo?" Yang Ding asked doubtfully, "Which Mr. Guo?"

"It is Mr. Guo."

Guo Jia walked out from the shadows, scaring generals like Yang Ding so much that they drew their swords one after another, not knowing when Guo Jia had hidden here.

(End of this chapter)