pappabearbooks Chapter 15 Guo Jia: I am willing to assist my lord in ascending the throne as emperor!
Chapter 15 Guo Jia: I am willing to assist my lord in ascending the throne as emperor!
Although Li Qing's tone was calm, it contained boundless ambition and aspirations, which were as shocking as thunder!
These are the words of the sage!
Dong Zhong's body jolted violently.
He muttered to himself, trying to understand the deeper meaning behind those words.
The voice wasn't low, and Li Qing didn't intend to avoid it.
Almost everyone on the street could hear it.
But most of them are illiterate; they're lucky if they can even write their own names.
These people could not possibly understand the lofty aspirations expressed in these four sentences.
However, upon hearing this, a thin scholar immediately raised his head.
His eyes flashed with light.
His body even trembled slightly with excitement.
Immediately afterwards, he suddenly stood up and strode over to Li Qing.
Li Yuan's expression changed drastically. He immediately stepped forward and drew the long sword from his waist!
His duty is to protect Li Qing's safety; he cannot allow Li Qing to be harmed, even at the cost of his own life!
"Who are you!"
He questioned loudly.
The thin scholar neither heard the question nor noticed the gleaming blade.
He stared intently at Li Qing, his gaze sharp as a blade, capable of seeing through everything.
Li Qing frowned deeply.
Suddenly, the thin scholar threw his head back and laughed wildly, coughed violently, and flailed his arms and legs, appearing as if he had gone mad.
"To establish a moral compass for Heaven and Earth, to secure a destiny for the people, to inherit the teachings of the sages, and to create lasting peace!"
"Excellent! For a county magistrate to have such ambitions, this frontier truly is a place where hidden talents abound!"
"Guo Fengxiao, your journey to the frontier has been incredibly fruitful. You witnessed the fierceness of the battlefield, saw how the Han cavalry defeated the Xianbei, and even encountered a sage who had come to understand the world!"
Li Yuan frowned, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.
He couldn't understand the arrogant words of this thin scholar, and felt that he was abnormal and might have ill intentions towards his lord.
As a bodyguard, Li Yuan had to eliminate this threat.
At this moment, he stepped forward, raised his long sword, and prepared to strike.
Suddenly, my shoulders felt incredibly heavy.
Li Qing reached out and pressed him down, his voice low: "Shude, don't be rude!"
Li Yuan was taken aback, but then resolutely carried out his lord's order, sheathing his sword and standing respectfully.
Li Qing looked up at the thin scholar and called out softly, "Guo Fengxiao?"
At the same time, an attribute panel appeared in front of Li Qing.
Strategist Guo Jia, SSS rank, with a favorability rating of 100.
Intelligence 99, Leadership 82, Strength 13, Politics 97.
This seemingly sickly scholar was actually Guo Jia, the legendary genius who shook the world and a top strategist whom Cao Cao regarded as a confidant.
Guo Jia, Guo Fengxiao!
He came from a prominent family in Yingchuan and served under Yuan Shao and Cao Cao. According to historical records, he should not have appeared on the border of Bingzhou.
Guo Jia's face flushed, and he calmly bowed deeply after performing the proper greeting.
"I am Guo Jia, courtesy name Fengxiao, from Yangdi, Yingchuan."
"The emperor frequently fell ill, He Jin seized power, eunuchs disrupted state affairs, the country faced collapse, and the Han Dynasty had fallen into chaos."
"In recent years, I have traveled all over the country and observed many prefects and governors, in order to find a lord to whom I can devote all my efforts."
"On the way, I saw that Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou, was weak, and Zhang Yi, the governor of Bingzhou, was inactive and powerless."
"Han Fu, the governor of Ji Province, is ambitious but incompetent, and Liu Dai, the governor of Yan Province, neglects state affairs. Neither of them is worthy of my loyalty."
"I once wondered, in our great Han Dynasty, across its thirteen provinces, could there not be a single true hero?"
Guo Jia coughed twice as he finished speaking, his emotions clearly agitated.
"But the Han Dynasty still has Linrong, and Linrong still has you, Magistrate Li. This is our good fortune."
"Fengxiao has an accurate eye for character; Magistrate Li possesses the potential to be a powerful and ruthless leader!"
As Guo Jia spoke, his gaze was fixed on Li Qing, carefully observing his reaction.
His temperament was nothing like that of a weak and sickly scholar; he was more like a fierce lone wolf.
However, what he said violated taboos!
The emperor's health, General He Jin, and the Ten Attendants who interfered in politics in the palace were all topics that were strictly forbidden to be mentioned.
Here, no one dares to talk about it casually, let alone in public!
But Guo Jia spoke frankly and in a relaxed manner.
In his opinion, all officials, including kings and generals, were mediocre!
This detached attitude is the hallmark of a top strategist.
Therefore, it is no surprise that he became one of Cao Cao's most crucial strategists in history.
Li Qing remained expressionless; Guo Jia's rude remarks were not directed at him and had nothing to do with him.
Dong Zhong was terrified.
He sternly shouted, "Shut up! Do you even know what nonsense you're spouting?!"
At the same time, his sharp eyes urgently signaled to Li Yuan.
Li Yuan immediately understood, strode forward, and drove away all the surrounding people.
Soon, only a few of them remained on the street.
Guo Jia gave a cold laugh.
"I know exactly what I'm saying!"
"I am speaking of the overall trends of the world, the will of the people, and the rise and fall of the nation!"
"To be honest, I've been to Luoyang and seen the emperor sitting on the throne with my own eyes!"
"He was pale and near death!"
"Once the emperor dies, there will be no more checks and balances between the emperor's relatives and the eunuchs!"
"At that time, a conflict will inevitably break out between General He Jin and the Ten Attendants, and the result will certainly be that both sides suffer heavy losses!"
"At that time, with no central leader and no authority in the court, chaos will surely ensue!"
These words are logically clear and straightforward.
They showed no respect whatsoever to the current Han emperor, and even directly stated the emperor's death date!
Dong Zhong's face was deathly pale, and his hands were trembling.
As a native scholar of the Eastern Han Dynasty, his awe of the emperor was deeply ingrained.
He was extremely shocked to hear such an insult.
Li Yuan, however, remained unperturbed and showed no change in expression.
He came from the system and only had eyes for Li Qing, his lord, having no interest in the emperor.
Even if Li Qing ordered him to assassinate the emperor, he would act immediately.
Li Qing stared intently at Guo Jia, his eyes filled with admiration.
He came from the future and knew the history of the Three Kingdoms like the back of his hand.
It is now the fifth year of the Zhongping era. In April of next year, Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, will pass away!
Next, He Jin and the Ten Attendants will fight for power and will both be killed.
The chaos has begun!
Guo Jia's analysis and predictions of the situation were completely consistent with actual history.
He is indeed a top-notch strategist!
When I read the history of the Three Kingdoms before, I felt that those strategists were just talking on paper and had no practical use.
Now that I've met Guo Jia in person, I realize that my past ideas were completely wrong.
A truly top-tier strategist can discern the big picture from the smallest details and foresee the future trends of the world.
This is terrifying!
Guo Jia's eyes were arrogant as he spoke seriously.
"I, Guo Jia, was attacked by Xianbei cavalry while I was here. Fortunately, I was rescued by Magistrate Li's army, which saved my life!"
"These days, I've noticed that although Linrong County is close to the border, the people live a peaceful and comfortable life, which is clearly the result of Magistrate Li's good governance!"
"Today, I personally heard Magistrate Li recount his aspirations: to achieve lasting stability. This is truly the ambition of a sage!"
"These favors and insights are enough to make my country determined to devote myself wholeheartedly!"
"If Magistrate Li is willing to accept, I am willing to join your team!"