Chapter 58: Guo Jia's Sincerity

  Guo Jia, known as a genius, joined Cao Cao and made brilliant calculations, achieving great success many times, earning the title of Cao Cao's chief strategist. If he hadn't died young, who would have been able to surpass Zhuge Liang's later achievements? At the Battle of Guandu, Guo Jia presented Cao Cao with ten victories and ten defeats, which made Cao Cao praise him endlessly, and was passed down through the ages as a legend. Later generations wrote poems praising Guo Jia.

  Born Guo Fengxiao, a hero among heroes.

  In his belly, he hides the classics; in his chest, he conceals a sharp sword.

  Strategic planning is like Fan Li's, decision-making is like Chen Ping's.

  Alas, he died prematurely, and the pillar of the Central Plains collapsed.

  At this time, Guo Jia was just a young man of similar age to himself, who was in his prime, full of energy and ambition, and eager to make a name for himself. Although Xu Feng had many capable generals under his command, he lacked a strategist, let alone one as exceptional as Guo Jia. Xu Feng had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Guo Jia, hoping that he could assist him in sharing his worries and providing guidance. However, as the commander-in-chief of the three armies, Xu Feng also knew that it was unlikely for a noble family to easily accept him, let alone attach themselves to him, especially someone as astute as Guo Jia, who would surely carefully consider his options and choose the best master to serve.

  Guo Jia smiled slightly and nodded, then shook his head again. Guo Jia asked, "May I ask about your ambitions, General?"

  Has he arrived? As soon as Xu Feng heard these words, he knew that Guo Jia was not being sincere. Xu Feng said seriously: "Of course, follow the Lord, lead the Yellow Turbans, sweep away the chaotic world, restore the mountains and rivers, and plan a peaceful and prosperous era for the poor people."

  "Not bad, the ambition of a general is not something that ordinary people can compare to. You have great aspirations, grand vision, courage and charisma. Your future prospects are boundless!" Guo Jia nodded lightly, his tone was very calm, seemingly neither praising nor criticizing Xu Feng's answer, as if he was satisfied, yet also slightly disappointed.

  On the screen, a painting of a fierce tiger perched on a mountain peak, looking up at the sky and letting out a long roar. In the air, an eagle soared, flapping its wings and diving down towards the ground. Guo Jia nodded and looked at Xu Feng with curiosity, "Just like the painting on the screen, General, do you want to be the fierce tiger in the mountains or spread your wings and soar high like the eagle?"

  Xu Feng glanced at the screen in the room and thought to himself, "Tiger, king of the forest, could it be a sign that he wants me to become a lord and dominate one side?"

  "Haha, the fierce tiger is majestic and powerful, with an aura of dominance, proudly roaming the mountains and forests, the king of beasts. Not bad, not bad." Seeing Guo Jia's eyes light up and a hint of joy on his face, Xu Feng continued, "However, proudly roaming the mountains and forests is still just being content in a corner, dominating one region, far inferior to the majestic eagle, soaring through the skies, gazing down at the vast expanse, receiving the reverence of all living things. Therefore, I would rather be an eagle, spreading my wings to achieve greatness."

  "When you... first heard that Xufeng was going to be a heroic eagle, Guo Jia let out a faint sigh. But then he thought about it and suddenly realized, could it be that Xufeng is not content with being the leader of one region, but wants to learn from the heroic eagle, to be revered by all things? All things... all things... the heroic eagle is revered by all things, isn't that person revered by all people?"

  Kwok Ka was extremely surprised, and Xu Feng hurriedly shook his head with a smile, saying "I just said it casually, don't take it seriously."

  "It seems that this trip is not in vain, by the way, there's something I need to inform the General about. Guo Tu has been acting suspiciously these past few days, sneaking around, and I'm afraid it might be detrimental to the General. I've come specifically to remind the General, hoping that in the future, innocent people won't get dragged into this. I've already informed the General of the sincerity of the Guo family, and I hope the General can understand."

  "Haha, I already know about this matter. So, I'd like to ask Brother Guo, since the Guo family has shown their sincerity, what about your sincerity?" Xu Feng looked at Guo Jia with a hint of urgency, his eyes burning with anticipation. In his heart, Xu Feng really wanted to say "Guo Jia, stay and help me out, I'll even kneel down and lick your boots if that's what it takes." (Just kidding)

  Guo Jia smiled and didn't answer directly, instead he looked up at the night sky and sighed softly "The starry sky is dim, the stars are dull, when will they shine brightly again? Guo Jia is looking forward to it."

  After finishing, Guo Jia rushed to Xu Feng, cupped his hands and swung his sleeves, floating away. Xu Feng was stunned for a moment, thinking about what Guo Jia had said, after a while, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth "Guo Jia, could it be that you have already seen through the mystery, guessed that the world will soon be in chaos, and the heroes will rise to power, I don't know if Huangjin can hold on until then, so you didn't easily agree? Indeed cunning, rest assured, I won't let you see my joke."

  As he was about to leave, Guo Jia suddenly turned around and said with a different meaning: "A tree that stands out in the forest will be felled by the wind. General, take care."

  Xu Feng nodded "Perhaps before that, we can treat wine as a song, speak of it with joy, and be kindred spirits who appreciate each other's company."

  "Isn't it now?" Guo Jia asked back with a smile.

  "That's right." Xufeng nodded and smiled.

  "It's getting late, it's time to take action. Tonight, let me Xufeng avenge the dead and wounded Yellow Turban soldiers, turn the tide for the precarious Yellow Turban army, boost military morale, and lift our spirits." The defeat at Wan City, Zhao Hong's death, the crisis at Hu Lou, Bo Cai being trapped - even in Ji Zhou, Xufeng had an ominous feeling. So this battle was crucial, no room for error. Otherwise, the bright prospects of the Yellow Turban army would be repeatedly frustrated, and the situation would become perilous.

  "Are you all ready?" Guo Tu asked anxiously as he summoned Guo An to his study.

  "Master, you can rest assured. I, Guo An, lead the private soldiers of the Guo Manor. My brothers under my command will not disobey my orders." Guo An said with a confident pat on his chest.

  "Alright, after this is done, the position of Grand Steward of the Guo Manor will be yours and yours alone." Guo Tu patted Guo An's shoulder and said with a smile.

  "Thank you, young master, for your support. I, Guo An, am absolutely loyal to you, as clear as the sun and moon. Whatever orders you give, even if it means death a thousand times over, I will not bat an eyelid." Guo An hastily expressed his loyalty.

  "However, young master, Hou Tai has been out for two days and there's no news from him yet. I hope nothing unexpected happened?"

  "Hmph, he must have taken my reward money and run off to indulge in pleasures somewhere. Don't worry, I've already received the news that the government troops outside the city have received my letter. Tonight at midnight, when you see the flames as a signal, you must quickly seize the North Gate and lead the soldiers into the city. Did you understand?"

  "Sir, you can rest assured now, I'll take care of this matter."

  "Hmm, I must not be careless, when the time comes, old and new hatreds, I will settle accounts with Xu Feng together. I will make him kneel down in front of me, begging for mercy, and call me his ancestor. Let him taste the humiliation of being scolded in public." Guo Tu's eyes flashed with a hint of gloom, gritting his teeth and laughing coldly, as if he had already seen Xu Feng kneeling on the ground, shouting for mercy.

  But will it really go as he wishes?

  Outside the north gate, in the dense forest, there were occasional faint rustling sounds. If one didn't listen carefully, they would have thought it was just the movement of wild beasts and birds in the mountains. No one could have imagined that hidden within the entire forest were three million imperial soldiers under the command of Huangfu Song and Sun Jian. Fortunately, the forest was lush and dense, and fortunately, tonight's night sky was dark and overcast. Looking up at the sparse stars in the sky, Huangfu Song smiled faintly, "The heavens themselves are helping us, what a heaven-sent opportunity!"