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

One sentence left Xun Yu speechless.

He glared at Xun You, lowered his voice, and continued to defend himself: "I mean that the plan is against the will of Heaven! Historical records show that those who implement cruel and ruthless strategies rarely have a good end. Yan Ruo is still young and of pure heart. He can accept fighting on the battlefield, but he strongly opposes this kind of ruthless fire attack strategy."

The council chamber was completely silent.

The hall, which had been bustling with noise just moments before, was now empty except for Xun Hao and Guo Jia.

Xun Hao remained standing, his chest rising and falling slightly from the excitement he had just felt.

Guo Jia maintained his lazy posture, leaning against the armchair, but the usual slight smile on his face had long since vanished without a trace.

He had never seen Xun Hao like this before.

That boy who was always aloof and distant, yet always relied on him; that boy with a deep mind, who could set up a trap while laughing and joking, yet would feel guilty alone afterward.

Just a moment ago, Xun Hao's eyes flashed with panic and confusion.

"I was wrong."

Guo Jia looked at his tense profile and slowly said, "I'm used to talking nonsense and acting as I please. I always feel that life is short, so we should enjoy ourselves while we can, and that life and death are predestined, so there's no need to worry too much. What I said just now was frivolous."

He didn't defend his strategy, nor did he discuss the bigger picture. He simply apologized for his attitude.

Xun Hao remained silent.

Guo Jia reached out and grabbed Xun Hao's wrist.

Xun Hao struggled, but couldn't break free.

"You still haven't told me," Guo Jia's voice was a little hoarse as he stared into Xun Hao's eyes and stubbornly asked, "Why?"

Xun Hao lowered his head; he didn't want to answer the question because he didn't know how.

What could he say?

You say I come from 1,800 years in the future, that I've seen your ending, and that I know your brilliant life will ultimately end at the cold age of thirty-eight.

Although he is changing history, he has not yet crossed the line between life and death, so we must never let our guard down.

If I told Guo Jia, would he believe me? He'd probably just think I was delirious and talking nonsense.

Seeing that he remained silent, Guo Jia's patience seemed to have run out. He tightened his grip slightly, pulling Xun Hao closer. "Look at me, Xun Yanruo."

Guo Jia rarely addressed him by his full name in such a serious tone.

"'It's against the will of Heaven'? You might use that to fool Brother Wenruo, and he might believe it. But you think you can use it to fool me?" Guo Jia's lips curled into a mocking smile. "When you were ten years old, you dared to set fire to a carriage outside Jinan Prefecture, scaring away the bandits. Back then, why weren't you afraid of 'it's against the will of Heaven'? At Hulao Pass, you advised General Xiahou Yuan to shoot and wound Lü Bu, causing him to fall from the altar of war. Did you hesitate for even a moment when that arrow was fired? And most recently, there was the Fire Ox Plan, which you perfected step by step."

With each word he spoke, Xun Hao's face paled a little more.

"Since we met, the strategies you've offered have been ingenious, risky, or ruthless, but every single one has hit the nail on the head, never hesitating. You are not a soft-hearted person, nor are you a foolish believer in ghosts and gods. So, what are you afraid of today in the council chamber?"

What is he afraid of?

I fear he might, as history records, fall ill and die in Liucheng on his return journey from the northern expedition against the Wuhuan. I fear all his talent, all his brilliance, would ultimately amount to nothing more than Cao Cao's sorrowful cry after his defeat at the Battle of Red Cliffs: "If Fengxiao were here, I wouldn't have come to this!"

"I..." Xun Hao avoided Guo Jia's gaze, "I'm not afraid of anything."

"Still being stubborn." Guo Jia suddenly released his grip and gently stroked Xun Hao's reddened eyes with his fingertips.

"Yanruo, do you know that when you lie, you can't look people in the eye?"

Xun Hao's body stiffened.

"If you won't tell me, then I'll guess." Guo Jia withdrew his hand and put it behind his back. "Aren't you afraid of damaging my reputation? If that were the case, you wouldn't have watched me use Sun Jian as bait to scheme against the entire coalition in Suanzao. You're not really superstitious about divine retribution either, otherwise you wouldn't have devised a plan to drive away Yu Du in Dongjun and use someone else to do your dirty work, all for the sake of helping our lord seize Yanzhou."

"I'm not against using fire. However, the terrain of 'A Narrow Gorge' only allows for one path. Your suggestion to block their advance and cut off their retreat would trap thousands of people alive in the valley, leaving them to be burned alive. They wouldn't even have the chance to kneel and surrender. That's why I oppose it."

Xun Hao spoke slowly, and every word was crystal clear.

"We're all compatriots, why go to such lengths to exterminate us? The last expert who loved to set fires everywhere was Dong Zhuo. After he died, he would surely be burned alive."

Before he could finish speaking, Guo Jia's expression changed, and he swiftly reached out and covered Xun Hao's mouth.

"Shh-"

A warm palm touched his lips, silencing Xun Hao's words. He looked at Guo Jia with some confusion.

"You can't say things like that carelessly." Guo Jia lowered his voice, put his other arm around Xun Hao's shoulder, and led him away from the center of the council hall, towards a shady corner. He leaned close to Xun Hao's ear, his warm breath brushing against his earlobe, "Walls have ears. Dong Zhuo still holds immense power in Chang'an. If word gets out that you're cursing him like that, it will be a disaster."

Xun Hao then realized what was happening.

Cao Cao took control of Yan Province a little earlier than he did in history. At that time, Dong Zhuo was probably still firmly in the position of Grand Tutor, enjoying his immense power.

However, without Diao Chan from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, how did Wang Yun persuade Lü Bu in history?

Xun Hao's thoughts drifted away involuntarily.

Guo Jia covered his mouth and waited for a long time, but there was no reaction from the person under his palm. He looked down and saw that Xun Hao's eyes were wandering and he wasn't looking at him at all. He was obviously distracted again.

An unnamed anger surged within Guo Jia; he felt his patience being slowly worn down by this unromantic person.

He always felt that he and Yanruo were about to confess their feelings, but in the blink of an eye, he seemed to be lost in thought again.

He released his grip, his tone tinged with a helpless resentment: "Who are you thinking about now?"

When asked this question, Xun Hao subconsciously blurted out the thought that had been swirling in his mind: "Lü Bu."

"Lü Bu?! It's Lü Bu again! Xun Yanruo, do you have some kind of grudge against him?"

Xun Hao was taken aback by his shout, but then he realized what he meant and frowned slightly. "You were the one who brought up Lü Bu first."

He was referring to Guo Jia's analysis of his past strategies, in which Guo Jia mentioned the incident of shooting and wounding Lü Bu at Hulao Pass.

This time, it was Guo Jia's turn to choke.

It seems that he did indeed bring it up first.

The logic was sound, but the anger in his heart didn't subside at all. He felt like he had punched cotton; not only did his opponent not take the hit, but he also calmly pointed out the flaws in his boxing technique.

This made him even angrier.

"I brought him up because I'm talking to you about serious matters!" Guo Jia retorted unreasonably. "You brought him up because you were daydreaming! How can that be the same thing?"