It was truly laughable.
But... for Liu Xie, this was also an excellent opportunity!
Chapter 46: Boiling Wine to Discuss Heroes
The moment Liu Xie saw Guo Jia's expression, he knew the fellow was secretly plotting something again, so he asked him outright.
"Fengxiao, do you have any thoughts?"
Guo Jia gathered his thoughts and looked up. "Your Majesty, though Yuan Shu's proclamation of himself as emperor is an act of outrageous treason, I believe it works to your advantage."
"Yuan Shu is the Yuan family's legitimate son. By doing this, he has destroyed every scrap of reputation the family accumulated over more than a century. And as Yuan Shu's elder brother, Yuan Shao is bound to suffer greatly as well."
"At the very least, the family prestige he once relied upon-Four Generations of Three Excellencies-will no longer carry much weight."
The halo around Yuan Shao came, first, from his identity as a son of the Yuan family;
second, from his achievements in campaigning against Dong Zhuo and rooting out traitors;
and third, from his own personal charisma.
Together, these had made Yuan Benchu a "model for all under heaven."
But once Yuan Shu proclaimed himself emperor, more than half that halo would shatter. Yuan Shao was not merely a member of the Yuan Clan, but Yuan Shu's elder half brother as well. This would become a stain he could never wash away.
"I don't think it will affect him quite that much."
Liu Xie rubbed his smooth, stubble-free chin, feeling that Guo Jia was exaggerating. "After all, Yuan Shao isn't the one who proclaimed himself emperor. Once he wakes up, he'll surely distance himself from Yuan Shu immediately."
"Besides, damage to his reputation doesn't weaken his actual strength. Would his advisers and generals really abandon him over this?"
Reputation was not the same as strength. A powerful man would remain powerful.
Yet Guo Jia merely smiled, tucked his hands into his sleeves, and said unhurriedly, "Your Majesty is correct. Damage to Yuan Shao's reputation does not diminish his strength, nor will his advisers and generals abandon him."
"But he is no longer 'perfect.'"
"As a model for all under heaven, no one would have suspected him of harboring disloyal intentions. Now, however, that is no longer certain. At the very least, the soldiers will begin to doubt him."
Under what banner had Yuan Shao recruited soldiers and gathered forces?
Upholding the Han Dynasty and campaigning against traitors.
Now his own younger brother had proclaimed himself emperor. What would those soldiers think?
Could the two brothers be jackals from the same den?
For most soldiers, joining the army meant either securing a meal or earning military merit to gain rank and wealth. Rebellion had never crossed their minds.
"So that's how it is."
Only after hearing Guo Jia's explanation did Liu Xie understand.
In the eyes of most soldiers, Yuan Shao had originally been a loyal subject through and through, so obeying Yuan Shao was equivalent to obeying the Son of Heaven.
The later appearance of Liu Xie, the false Son of Heaven, had only reinforced that impression.
But Yuan Shu's actions had brought Yuan Shao's image crashing down, and his words no longer carried their former conviction.
So if Liu Xie now went into the army, raised his arm, and declared Yuan Shao a traitor too, quite a few soldiers would probably believe him and be willing to follow him.
"Clever men really are clever. They see so much deeper."
All he could say was that a strategist was a strategist. Guo Jia saw much further ahead than an ordinary transmigrator from the future like him.
As Liu Xie and Guo Jia chatted, a light drizzle began to fall. March had arrived, and in the early spring, the peach blossoms in the rear garden were just opening, making a lovely sight.
Liu Xie summoned a maid and had her bring some wine to ward off the chill, then sat with Guo Jia in the pavilion, admiring the blossoms and chatting.
"It's already March."
Gazing at the peach blossoms blooming in the rain, Liu Xie spoke with a touch of wistfulness.
Before he knew it, five months had passed since he came to this world.
Though he had now fully adjusted to everything here, he still occasionally missed his life before transmigrating, and the friends and family he had left in the future.
But he would probably never have the chance to return in this lifetime.
At that thought, melancholy settled over Liu Xie, and he silently drank a cup of wine.
"Is something troubling you, Your Majesty?"
Noticing Liu Xie's low spirits, Guo Jia asked.
Liu Xie waved a hand. "Nothing. I merely miss my hometown and the people I knew. Come, come, drink with me."
As he spoke, he poured Guo Jia some wine.
Guo Jia pondered his words for a moment, then suddenly set down his cup and asked Liu Xie, "Your Majesty, do you know how a dragon transforms?"
"Hm?"
Liu Xie paused in the middle of pouring and looked up at Guo Jia, his face full of confusion.
Dragons? What the hell was he talking about?
Guo Jia raised his cup toward the heavens and pointed at the dark clouds rolling low overhead. "A dragon can grow large or small, rise aloft or remain hidden. When large, it summons clouds and breathes mist; when small, it conceals its scales and hides its form. When it rises, it soars through the cosmos; when it hides, it lurks beneath the waves."
"Now that spring has come, the dragon transforms with the season, just as a man who fulfills his ambitions ranges freely across the four seas."
Guo Jia's voice grew increasingly impassioned. Then he turned to Liu Xie and declared resoundingly, "Your Majesty is like a true dragon, hidden here for the moment. Once the winds rise and the clouds gather, you will soar straight into the heavens!"
"Then your dragon's roar will thunder across the nine provinces, and all under heaven will submit!"
After listening to Guo Jia's stirring helping of "chicken soup for the soul," Liu Xie sat stunned for a moment before understanding.
Guo Jia had actually mistaken his homesick melancholy for a loss of fighting spirit and had delivered this speech specifically to encourage him.
Was this how cultured men spoke?
But why did those words sound so familiar?
Liu Xie wondered inwardly, but obligingly put on a moved expression. "You are absolutely right, Fengxiao! I shoulder the great task to Restore the Great Han. How can I indulge in such girlish sentiment? I must pull myself together!"
"As long as Your Majesty understands."
Guo Jia nodded in satisfaction, then continued, "In truth, Your Majesty need not worry excessively about the future. Though the realm appears divided among mighty contenders, they are really nothing more than mediocrities."
"Yuan Shu of Huainan has ample troops and provisions, vast lands, and many generals, but he craves grand achievements and empty glory. Now that he has recklessly proclaimed himself emperor, he is merely dry bones in a tomb."
"Yuan Shao of Ji Province comes from a family with Four Generations of Three Excellencies and has many former protégés and officials attached to his house. He now crouches like a tiger over Ji Province, with numerous capable men beneath him. Yet he is fierce in appearance and timid at heart, full of schemes but lacking resolve. He guards his life when great deeds call, yet forgets it at the sight of petty gain. He is no great menace and gives no cause for concern."
"As for Liu Biao of Yi Province, his empty reputation has no substance. Sun Ce of Jiangdong borrows his father's fame. Though Liu Zhang belongs to the imperial clan, he is merely a dog guarding its gate. Once he sees Your Majesty, he will surely submit."
"As for the likes of Zhang Xiu, Zhang Lu, and Han Sui, they are even more insignificant-plodding little men hardly worth mentioning!"
Guo Jia assessed the various lords who had carved up the realm one by one, his words dripping with disdain and contempt. He did not take any of them seriously at all.
His arrogance was simply beyond measure!
After finishing his judgments of those men, Guo Jia paused, then solemnly told Liu Xie, "A true hero harbors great ambitions and sound plans, possesses designs that encompass the cosmos, and aspires to swallow and breathe out heaven and earth."
"Of all the men in the realm today, I believe only two besides Your Majesty belong in that category."
"One is Liu Bei, and the other is Cao Cao. These two alone truly deserve Your Majesty's vigilance and attention. None of the remaining lords can pose a threat to you!"
Guo Jia spoke with absolute conviction, his tone utterly certain.
Meanwhile, Liu Xie, sitting opposite him, was completely dumbstruck.
What the hell was this supposed to be now?!
Besides, Lü Bu had beaten Liu Bei so badly that he was asking Yuan Shao to lend him troops. Why did Guo Jia place so much importance on him?
Chapter 47: I Have Three Strategies to Bring the Han Dynasty from Darkness Back into Light
Liu Xie had never imagined that Boss Cao and Liu Bei's discussion of heroes over warmed wine and green plums would actually take place between him and Guo Jia.
Could Guo Jia have first given Boss Cao this assessment of the realm's heroes, and then Boss Cao used it to sound out Liu Bei?
Liu Xie speculated inwardly, feeling that it really was quite possible.
Otherwise, how could he explain their words being exactly the same?
Still, none of that mattered. Liu Xie cleared his throat lightly and said, "Mm... you are quite right, Fengxiao. I too believe that only Liu Xuande and Cao Mengde can be called heroes in today's realm."
"But right now, I am under Yuan Shao's control. I think it is more important to consider how we can use Yuan Shu's proclamation to further weaken Yuan Shao and free me from his grip."
"What insights do you have, Fengxiao?"
Liu Xie hurriedly steered the conversation toward dealing with Yuan Shao.
He feared that if he kept talking with Guo Jia, the Longzhong Plan might pop out next. That would be far too jarring.
After hearing him out, Guo Jia raised three fingers.
"Over this period, I have devised three strategies: an upper, a middle, and a lower. Which would Your Majesty like to hear first?"
Looking at Guo Jia's smiling face, Liu Xie felt a pain in his balls.
Fine, fine, fine. The classic upper-middle-lower strategy multiple-choice question.
Did every strategist under heaven like pulling this routine?
For example, suppose you logged onto a porn site late at night using a certain C browser, only for the browser to announce that the page was dangerous and pop up three options.
First, return to a safe website.
Second, proceed anyway (strongly discouraged).
Third, refuse access and purchase a safe-browsing security package.
With your hand wrapped around your nearly exploding dick under the covers, which option would you choose?
The answer was obvious.
So generally speaking, of the upper, middle, and lower strategies, the upper was something the ruler could not do, and the lower was something the ruler did not want to do. Only the middle was something the ruler wanted to do-and what the strategist genuinely recommended.
As for the other two, they were merely there to tell you that you had the right to choose. The plans had been offered; which one you picked was your business.
Before you continue