novelSusiti Chapter 74 The Reason That Cannot Refuse
Chapter 74 The Reason That Cannot Refuse
Li Zhao had a unique perspective on Guo Jia.
In later generations, he heard rumors about this person more than once.
Various accounts praise his brilliant strategies, and some even say that he is incredibly resourceful.
If Guo Jia hadn't died, Zhuge Liang would never have emerged!
He really wanted to have a good talk with this person, regardless of their stance!
"I am Guo Jia, and I pay my respects to Your Excellency the Prime Minister!" Guo Jia bowed.
Despite his calm demeanor, his heart was in turmoil when he saw Li Zhao.
I had heard that a young man had caused such a commotion in Qingzhou.
I never imagined she was this young.
People like Guo Jia naturally possess their own unique pride.
"Sir, you've come from afar, no need for formalities, please come in..." Li Zhao stepped aside and gestured for him to enter.
This composed and unassuming demeanor earned him even higher regard from Guo Jia.
"Thank you for your trouble..."
"please!"
In the main hall of the Prime Minister's residence.
Li Zhao specially arranged for fresh tea and exquisite snacks to be prepared.
These are things that even under Cao Cao's command, it was not easy to enjoy.
Smelling the fragrance of the tea, and picking up a piece of rice cake made from fine rice, Guo Jia couldn't help but be moved. "It seems that the Prime Minister really has more food than he can eat."
"If you like, sir, you can take some more with you when you leave!"
"You can come anytime you want to eat here!" Li Zhao said with a smile.
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Excellency..."
"..."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Guo Jia got straight to the point, "To be honest, Your Excellency, I've come here to congratulate you on your opportunity to be appointed one of the Three Dukes!"
He didn't use a definitive tone, deliberately leaving room for interpretation.
Someone like Li Zhao might not actually fall in love.
Or perhaps... they won't agree so easily!
Guo Jia was an exceptionally intelligent man, but unfortunately, all his ways of thinking were still limited by the era he lived in.
He naturally assumed that Li Zhao would also be tempted by the allure of being ranked among the Three Dukes.
But I never imagined that this would have no effect at all!
Li Zhao picked up the hot tea beside him and took a sip, then casually asked, "Does the gentleman know what the connection is between being ranked among the Three Dukes and Yuan Shao?"
"What do you mean by that, Your Excellency?"
"Don't overthink it. What I want to say is, I don't care about either of those things!"
"In today's world, everyone says that everything they do is for the sake of the country and its people!"
Li Zhao slowly stood up, his calm voice echoing throughout the hall.
"But what is the nation and its people? Is it status? Position? Or just ordinary people?"
"Sir, in your opinion, for ordinary people, is the so-called stability of the country more important, or is it being able to eat their fill every day, not having to constantly worry about their lives being threatened, their property being stolen, and having a stable place to live?"
Guo Jia remained silent...
He certainly understood what Li Zhao meant by those words.
If we're talking about facts, ten Cao Caos today, or even all the warlords in the world combined, cannot compare to him.
But is that enough?
Do not!
That's far from enough!
If things in the world are not properly named or explained, they have no meaning at all!
"What the Prime Minister says makes perfect sense, and I fully understand!"
"But none of this is really relevant to what we're going to talk about!"
"The world is in turmoil now. Neither my lord nor the Prime Minister would want such chaos to continue to escalate, because it is the ordinary people who suffer!"
Speaking of it.
He no longer concealed his true purpose, knowing it would be futile: "Yuan Shao has great ambitions and will never be satisfied with the status quo."
"The Prime Minister surely wouldn't want to be controlled by others forever, would he?"
"And what does Mr. Yi mean?"
"If my lord can get the Prime Minister's help, he will be able to do more for the people of the world."
"If one day the imperial court is able to change the course of the world, the Prime Minister will be the greatest contributor!"
Guo Jia originally thought that these polite words would at least allow him to gauge Li Zhao's attitude.
however.
To his surprise, Li Zhao's expression changed visibly upon hearing these words.
"I originally thought that since you have come from afar and are an exceptionally intelligent person, we would have a long and fruitful conversation, but I didn't expect it to be just this meaningless nonsense."
"I have a lot of things to do, so I won't keep you company any longer. If you need anything, just tell someone else!" Li Zhao got up and walked out.
This sudden change startled Guo Jia.
He had no idea that the other party would react so strongly.
Without thinking too much, he rushed forward and blocked Li Zhao's path, "Prime Minister, please wait..."
"Is there anything else, sir?"
"I misspoke just now; it was not intentional. Please forgive me, sir!"
"What does this mean?"
Upon realizing that the other party had no intention of leaving, Guo Jia instantly understood.
This is the real test!
If I hadn't stopped him, this trip would have been over!
then.
He stopped using those flowery words and instead stated his purpose in the most straightforward way.
The hope was that Li Zhao would lend a hand; if Cao Cao and Yuan Shao really went to war, his role would be crucial.
In addition, Guo Jia also took the initiative to mention his analysis of the situation.
For some reason, he always had a strange feeling.
Li Zhao seemed to know himself and had anticipated all his actions and words.
The reason he felt uncomfortable before was because his condition did not meet his expectations.
This feeling is strange, and no one would believe it if I told you, but it's terrifyingly real.
Li Zhao's subsequent reaction perfectly confirmed this!
With a smile, he said that this was how Guo Fengxiao should behave.
There's no need for all that complicated stuff; the two of them just need to be honest with each other.
Helping Cao Cao is no problem at all; we would do anything to provide him with provisions and eliminate his worries.
But there was only one condition: that Cao Cao would target Yuan Shao instead of himself.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; I hope he thinks it through carefully.
Based on his understanding of Cao Cao, Guo Jia immediately agreed.
To show his sincerity, Li Zhao gave him a lot of grain, which he could take with him when he left.
But just as he was about to leave, Li Zhao called him back and invited him to take a test.
In the military camp.
On the training ground.
Numerous soldiers lined up neatly, enclosing a large open space.
Perhaps because they had heard that Cao Cao's men were coming, there was no need for any special arrangements.
They all stood tall and proud, presenting their best selves.
Guo Jia stayed by Li Zhao's side the whole time and witnessed all of this, which deeply shocked him.
What he cared about wasn't the soldiers' behavior, but their willingness to do this for Li Zhao...
……