The Three Kingdoms: The entire Cao Cao camp thought I was weak and frail.

Finally, Xun Hao's fingertip fell heavily. "This place is called 'A Line of Sky.' The mountains on both sides are steep, with only a narrow valley passage through the middle. If the reinforcements want to reach Shou Zhang within two days, this is the only way, and the only shortcut. In their rush, they certainly won't scout it carefully."

He raised his head and looked at Cao Cao: "We can set up an ambush here in advance and wait for the enemy to tire themselves out."

"Yuan Rang!" Cao Cao made a decisive decision, his eyes no longer showing any panic. "I order you to immediately lead your most elite light cavalry, march day and night, and reach the 'One Line Sky' valley to ambush them before the Yellow Turban reinforcements arrive!"

"This subordinate obeys!" Xiahou Dun accepted the military order, turned around and strode away without uttering a single unnecessary word.

"Wait! The mountains on both sides of the valley have long been weathered, with many huge rocks. With the help of felled logs, sharpened stakes as levers, and ropes to secure them, the rocks can be rolled down the valley." Xun Yu discovered that the terrain here was more suitable for using rocks to assist in the attack than Luoyang.

As soon as Xun Yu finished speaking, Guo Jia, who had been leaning lazily against the wall, suddenly spoke up, his voice carrying a hint of nonchalance: "Block the valley entrance with rolling stones and logs to obstruct their path. Then, at the valley end, where the enemy enters, light the prepared firewood to create a wall of fire, cutting off their retreat. They will surely be slaughtered without exception."

No sooner had Guo Jia finished speaking than Xun Hao blurted out almost instinctively, "No!"

The denial came swiftly and abruptly. The atmosphere in the council hall, which had just become lively because of Guo Jia's plan, instantly cooled down again.

Cao Cao was somewhat surprised. Although Xun Hao was young, he was deep in thought and always planned carefully before acting. He rarely showed his emotions so openly.

Guo Jia raised an eyebrow, looking at Xun Hao with a hint of inquiry: "Why not? A fire attack will surely throw the enemy into chaos, minimizing our casualties. Does Yanruo have a better method?"

"Fire attacks are cruel and harmful to the natural order." Xun Hao lowered his eyes, his voice returning to its usual coldness, but the fingertips clenched tightly in his sleeves betrayed the turmoil in his heart.

He recalled some unofficial historical anecdotes he had read somewhere, which said that Zhuge Liang, the prime minister of Shu Han, was a man of perfect strategy throughout his life, but because he burned the rattan armor soldiers and killed too many people, he damaged his virtuous conduct and ultimately shortened his lifespan.

He had never believed in such vague and unfounded claims before. But now, however, it concerned Guo Jia.

Who was Guo Jia? He was a genius, clearly recorded in history books, who died young at the age of thirty-eight. The mere thought of those few lines of record weighed heavily on Xun Hao's heart, making it hard to breathe. He couldn't allow any variables that might affect Guo Jia's lifespan to occur before his eyes.

"Is this against the natural order?" Guo Jia was taken aback at first, then chuckled softly.

"Yanruo, Yanruo, we are both strategists, calculating the hearts of men, the course of war, and the general trend of the world." Guo Jia stopped laughing, his tone tinged with a hint of mockery. "In this chaotic world, human life is as worthless as grass; we don't know what tomorrow will bring. The greatest 'harmony with Heaven' is to end a war as quickly as possible, save more soldiers, and appease more people. As for those few years of life..."

He paused, then said lightly, "Who can guarantee they'll live to a ripe old age? To live life to the fullest in this chaotic world, to drink the strongest liquor, to see the most beautiful scenery, and to achieve unparalleled feats—that's enough for a life well-lived. What's a little lifespan compared to that?"

"Guo Fengxiao!"

Xun Hao suddenly raised his head and shouted sharply. His chest heaved violently, his eyes were red-rimmed, and he stared intently at Guo Jia, his eyes filled with anger and pain that Guo Jia had never seen before.

"I won't allow you to say that!" He said, each word trembling, "What do you mean by 'not worth mentioning'? You may not care about your life, but I do!"

The entire council chamber was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Xiahou Dun stared blankly at this person, then at that person, his face utterly bewildered. What...what's going on? Should they set the fire on or not?

Cao Cao was also taken aback. He looked at the furious Xun Hao, then at the equally stunned Guo Jia, and for a moment he didn't know how to smooth things over.

These two are usually as close as family, how did they end up like this over a joke?

He cleared his throat, trying to mediate: "Yanruo, Fengxiao is doing this for the greater good. Besides, Cao Cao cares a lot about Fengxiao's life."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Xun You suddenly reached out and tugged at his sleeve.

Cao Cao looked over in confusion, only to see Xun You lower his voice, his tone full of helplessness: "My lord, at this time, you shouldn't add to the trouble."

"Cough cough..." A cough broke the suffocating silence.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Xi Zhicai, who had been silently drinking tea, put down his bowl. "Calm down, everyone. Fengxiao's mouth needs to be kept in check. He dares to say anything out loud. But Yanruo, don't take it too seriously. That's just his personality."

He slowly stood up, walked to the map, pointed to the narrow passage, and said, "Actually, there's no need to burn them to death. General Xiahou's primary objective is to block reinforcements, not to annihilate them. We have limited manpower to begin with. If we trap thousands of enemy soldiers in the valley and force them to fight back desperately, it will also be a loss for our army."

Although his voice was weak, it was clear and concise, instantly bringing everyone's thoughts back to the battle itself.

"What does Mr. Wenruo think?" Xi Zhicai looked at Xun You, who had remained silent to the side.

Xun Yu put down his teacup and finally spoke.

He didn't look at the two arguing, but calmly bowed to Cao Cao: "What Mr. Zhicai said is very true. It is better to guide than to block. In my opinion, General Xiahou can follow the original plan, only blocking their front and not their rear. With a wall of fire in front of the enemy and rolling stones constantly falling from their sides, they will definitely flee back the way they came. General Xiahou can decide whether to pursue them based on the opportunity."

"In this way, we can completely scatter this reinforcement army, rendering it incapable of fighting, and also avoid our army from getting into a deadly battle with a cornered beast, thus preserving our forces to the greatest extent possible."

"Yuanrang, let's proceed according to Mr. Wenruo's plan!"

"Understood, Your subordinate!" Xiahou Dun felt as if he had been granted a pardon. All he wanted now was to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible. He accepted the military order, clasped his hands in a fist salute to the crowd, and rushed out of the council hall as if fleeing.

Cao Cao adjourned the meeting, and before leaving, he gave the two locked in a stalemate a meaningful look, leaving the council chamber to them.

Xun Yu wanted to stay, but Xun You grabbed his wrist. Xun Yu was not as strong as his nephew, and was pulled back, staggering. He was somewhat annoyed: "Gongda, why are you pulling me?"

"Uncle, what's the point of you staying to deal with their affairs?" Xun You's tone was full of helplessness. "Are you helping Yanruo or Fengxiao?"

"Of course I'll help Yanruo!" Xun Yu answered without hesitation. "Why would I help Guo Fengxiao?"

Xun You sighed and continued dragging him out: "Explain for Yan Ruo how much he cares about Guo Fengxiao's life?"