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“Naturally,” Xun Wenruo admitted. “But it is sometimes best to underplay
such outcomes to avoid unwanted damage to morale, or at the very least refer to
them obliquely. Xuchang is as good a ‘far-off place’ as any for Ma Teng to flee
to, and I made no mention of which side of the Han-Yuan conflict that they
might-”
“There is no need to convince us of your insight, Uncle,” the adviser
Xun Yòu - whose courtesy name was ‘Gongda’ - interrupted. “Guo Fengxiao is
being his usual self, I think.”
“If we could have the Qiang tribes with us, that would be perfect,” Cao
Cao said sadly. “We’d have Yuan cornered then; the Qiang to the west, Zang Ba’s
agitators in Qing to the east, the fickle Xianbei tribes across the northern
border and the Han army to the south. Alas, it cannot be so: the Qiang are as
fickle as the other tribes and their ‘fee’ for assistance will doubtless be too
high to pay. In addition, we have yet to see what Liu Biao and Sun Quan’s feud
will lead to, or what meddlesome role Liu Bei will have to play in it. Oh, gentlemen, I
cannot say what I would not give to have Liu Bei’s severed head in front of me right now!
He is the sharpest thorn in my side, just as so many of you predicted!”
“Pah... how so?” Xiahou Dun scoffed. “Yeah, I don’t like him, or
his men... especially that wretched, ungrateful bastard Guan Yu... but what
can he do? Isn’t Yuan Shao, with his two-hundred-thousand men, the only real
threat now, like you said before...?”
“Mister Xiahou, you know as well as we do the adage ‘it is as when one
throws an egg against a rock’ when referring to the futility of pitting one
force against a vastly superior one, be it due to better trained men, more men
or better counsel,” Guo Jia chuckled. “You also know, as we all do from the
outcome of the encounter at Guandu, that Yuan Shao, ‘advised’ as he is now by
the likes of Guo Tu, Pang Ji and Wenruo’s brother Chen, is little more than the
owner of the world’s largest egg.”
Many of the officials laughed at Guo Jia’s dismissive response.
“Such a savage analysis, Fengxiao, that makes a toothless dog of my
former friend!” Cao Cao chuckled. “But no, Cousin Yuanrang, Fengxiao’s
statement is nonetheless true beyond the short-term. Yuan Shao needs one last
push to finish him off, and then he will bother us no more: it is Bei that is
now the long-term worry.”
“So intensify the search for Bei and kill him!” Xiahou Dun protested.
“He’s only got a little army now, and they lack proper supplies! He-!”
“He endured a year-long famine at Haixi, so resource management will be
a particular skill of his now,” Jia Xu suggested. “Further to that, he-”
“Don’t talk to me!” Xiahou Dun screamed. “Don’t you
dare talk to me, Jia Xu! Cousin Mengde might want you in his court because you’re
a shifty snake, but I’ll-!”
“Enough, Yuanrang!” Cao Cao scolded.
“No!” Xiahou Dun retorted. “He killed Dian Wei! He killed Anmin! He killed
Ang! His advice killed an emperor!”
A short, uncomfortable silence followed.
“...We... we have been through this several times already, Cousin,” Cao Cao
replied quietly. “Mister Jia was acting in the best interests of his lord. His
advice to Dong Zhuo, his orders to Dong Zhuo’s men, his advice to Zhang Xiu-”