Chapter Six: Guo Jia's Thoughts

  Guo Jia's face showed a hint of understanding after listening, and he thought to himself: "So Wen Ruo has also noticed it." However, although Cao Zhi had changed the chessboard and the rules, the style of playing chess in this era had not changed. At the end of the Han Dynasty, Go was like a small battlefield, but it was still within the realm of entertainment. Therefore, people's style of play was straightforward and honest, stopping at the right moment, and would never be as aggressive and persistent as Cao Zhi's later tactics. Xun Yu had apparently noticed that Cao Zhi's chess moves lacked the elegance of a gentleman, but for some reason he did not speak out about it.

  Xun Yu didn't say anything, so Guo Jia also stopped talking. The two of them continued to play chess, taking turns making moves. However, as time went on, Guo Jia took longer and longer to make each move, and his face grew increasingly pale.

  Later on, Baisi's momentum was overwhelming, and Heizi was killed in all directions. Another hour or so later, Guo Jia actually conceded defeat.

  When Guo Jia raised his head to look at Cao Zhi, he saw that his face was calm and didn't have the excitement of a child who had just won a game of chess. Seeing this, Guo Jia's eyebrows furrowed even deeper as he looked at Cao Zhi's youthful face and the two childish braids on his head, shaking his head silently.

  Cao Zhi felt Guo Jia's gaze and waved his small hand, asking somewhat puzzled: "Mr. Fengxiao, what's wrong?"

  Guo Jia coughed dryly, covering up his own embarrassment. Cao Zhi saw this and smiled: "Master Fengxiao need not be agitated, for Teacher Xun often loses to me as well."

  Guo Jia looked at Cao Zhi's eyes with a sincere expression, not sarcastic at all, and touched his nose secretly: "No wonder he was so calm after winning the chess game. It turns out that he has won too many times. However, with your chess skills, there are indeed only a few people in the world who can win against you. Only..." Guo Jia sighed as he thought of this.

  Two men were collecting chess pieces when unexpectedly Le Jin walked over and said in a low voice: "Mr. Guo, the master has summoned you."

  Cao Zhi heard this and smiled, saying: "Mr. Fengxiao, you can go see Father first, I'll take care of things here."

  Guo Jia smiled faintly and nodded, then looked towards the military camp outside the city, thinking somewhat worriedly: "It seems that I really need to talk to the lord about the fourth young master." After thinking for a moment, he said softly to Yue Jin: "Let's go."

  ……

  "Haha, Xiaoxiao, I heard you played against that kid, what was the outcome?" A bright and cheerful laughter echoed from within the large tent.

  In the account, Guo Jia sat slanted in front of the desk and smiled bitterly: "Jia's chess skills are not good, lost to Fourth Master."

  "Ah? I didn't expect even the talented Guo Fengxiao to lose." As he spoke, Cao Cao's face revealed a pleased smile, clearly very satisfied with Cao Zhi.

  Guo Jia waved his hand indifferently and said: "Master, you've long known that the Fourth Young Master's chess skills are exceptional, even Wen Ruo isn't a match for him."

  As soon as Cao Zhi was mentioned, Cao Cao's face lost its sternness and he smiled warmly, nodding his head: "This mediocre son only has this chess skill that is still impressive."

  When he saw Cao Cao, although his mouth was derogatory, the triumphant smile on his face could not be concealed. How could Guo Jia fail to guess that Cao Cao was actually very satisfied with this so-called inferior son? Seeing this, Guo Jia turned his eyes and said: "The fourth master is talented and intelligent, and even if Gan Luo were reborn, he would not be better than this. As long as the lord trains him, he will surely become a great talent in the future."

  Cao Cao's face showed joy and he smiled, saying: "What Filial Piety has said is indeed true. This Wen Ruo also once spoke to me about it. Although this inferior son is clever, he is not completely fearless. Just now, when Miao Zai spoke to me, this inferior son saw the murderous aura of Miao Zai and was dancing with joy. And you, Sir Lian, also said that when this inferior son went up to the city head, he walked very hastily."

  "What's the hurry? Why the sudden rush?" Guo Jia muttered to himself after hearing, then exclaimed in surprise: "Fourth Master has always been calm and composed, how could..."

  Before he could finish speaking, Cao Cao burst out laughing and said: "This little brat is scared now!"

  As for Cao Cao's answer, Guo Jia furrowed his brow even deeper. He had originally intended to remind Cao Cao, but unexpectedly got this answer instead. In his heart, he thought: "Chess can reveal a person's character, and with the Fourth Young Master's chess moves being ruthless and merciless everywhere... could it be that the Fourth Young Master actually has such profound cunning? But if he indeed has such cunning, why would he want to show off his sharp edges?" Guo Jia, who was usually skilled at guessing people's hearts, had for the first time failed to see through someone, and that someone was just a five-year-old child.

  Guo Jia attaches great importance to those who are not transparent. At this time, he no longer beats around the bush and solemnly says to Cao Cao: "Your Excellency, the fourth son is a rare talent with exceptional intelligence, but his sharp edges are too revealing, and I think Your Excellency needs to cover up one or two aspects."

  Cao Cao was not displeased, and with a self-assured smile he nodded his head: "Fengxiao's words are reasonable. As the saying goes, 'a small success is not necessarily a great one.' This inferior son indeed cannot be overly indulged."

  Guo Jia saw Cao Cao's intelligent and confident expression, and could only nod his head in agreement: "Your Excellency has thought this through." Although he said so with his mouth, a seed of curiosity about Cao Zhi had already been planted in his heart.

  ……

  Just as Cao Cao and Guo Jia were discussing in the tent, there came a loud noise from outside. Cao Cao frowned and said to Dian Wei, who was standing beside him, over eight feet tall and extremely ugly: "Dian Wei, go and see what's going on outside."

  "Yes!" Without another word, Dian Wei walked out of the tent with an expressionless face. Before long, he returned and reported to Cao Cao: "My lord, it is the Fourth Prince who has brought the people of Guangwei to deliver grain in front of the military camp, causing a commotion among the soldiers."

  "Dispatching grain? What's going on?" Cao Cao's face showed a look of surprise as soon as he heard it.

  Dian Wei shook his large head and said in a deep voice: "Sir, I don't know about this."

  Just as Cao Cao was in a state of uncertainty, Guo Jia chuckled and said: "Your Excellency need not guess, go take a look and you will know."

  Cao Cao burst out laughing and said, "What Fengxiao said is quite right. Fine, let's go take a look at what kind of tricks this little guy has up his sleeve." After finishing speaking, he led the way out of the big tent, with Guo Jia and Dian Wei following closely by his side.

  Before arriving at the gate, Cao Cao saw a large group of soldiers holding wooden bowls and chopsticks, lined up in three rows. At the gate, there were civilians responsible for distributing food.

  Cao Cao was seeing this method of lining up to receive food for the first time, and he shouted in a somewhat surprised tone: "Who came to tell me about this? What's going on?"

  Cao Cao's arrival had naturally caught the attention of the soldiers, and the clever ones immediately went to report. So after Cao Cao asked, Xiahou Yuan had already come to Cao Cao's side, cupping his hands and saying: "General, it is the Fourth Lord bringing food and supplies from Guangwei City to treat our army."

  Cao Cao raised an eyebrow and muttered, "Tire the army? What's this kid doing?" He pointed at the soldiers with his hand and asked, "Miaocai, what's going on here. Why are they lined up in three rows?"

  When Cao Cao asked the question, Xiahou Yuan's face flashed with a hint of praise, and then he said: "General, this is the method that the fourth son thought of. When the laborers first arrived, the soldiers in the army were in chaos, scrambling for food. Although I scolded and directed them, the effect was not great. At this time, the fourth son happened to arrive, letting the soldiers line up in three rows to wait for food, and if there were those who did not respect the rules, they would be dealt with by military law, and as a result, the order of the soldiers in the army immediately improved."

  Guo Jia's eyes lit up beside him, and he smiled at Cao Cao: "My lord, the fourth son is able to coordinate and command a large army at such a young age, which is truly not easy."

  "Hmm." Cao Cao responded with a noncommittal grunt, then turned to Xiahou Yuan with a stern expression: "Bring that little brat here."

  Xiahou Yuan was well aware of Cao Cao's temperament and knew that he was displeased as soon as he saw his face, but he couldn't guess what the reason was. He could only respond with a sound, go forward, pull out Cao Zhi who was assisting the people to distribute food, and bring him in front of Cao Cao.

  When Cao Zhi arrived, before he could even pay his respects, Cao Cao sternly shouted: "Rebellious son, do you think your father won't punish you, that's why you dare to repeatedly violate military rules?"

  Cao Zhi was happily distributing food to the people when Xiahou Yuan dragged him out, still unclear about what had happened. He was then scolded by Cao Cao, who rebuked him harshly. However, he felt somewhat stifled in his heart. Taking a deep breath and lifting his head, he asked: "May I ask, Father, what crime have I committed?"