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

That morning, Guo Jia had just found an interesting book, "A Study of Strange Beasts in the Illustrated Book of Mountains and Seas," in a corner of the library. He was engrossed in reading it when he caught a glimpse of a small, thin figure silently approaching.

It's that pretty little sickly girl.

"Brother Fengxiao." Xun Hao held a scroll of bamboo slips and stood three steps away from him. His voice was not loud, but it was enough for him to hear.

Guo Jia raised his head, his peach blossom eyes narrowing slightly: "Ah Hao? What brings you here?"

He handed over the bamboo slips in his hand, saying, "This is a book my brother asked me to bring along, saying it's the one you wanted to read the other day."

Guo Jia took the bamboo slip, glanced at it, and saw that it was "Wu Zi's Art of War". He had indeed mentioned it before, but he did not expect Wenruo to be so meticulous and still remember it.

Xun Hao officially became a student of Ying Academy a few days ago. Although he knew that the Yellow Turban Rebellion was not far away and that Ying Academy would have to temporarily suspend classes, even just one day in the academy would allow him to consider himself a classmate of these top strategists.

Just like the Whampoa Military Academy in later generations, alumni are also natural allies.

The two walked one after the other. Xun Hao deliberately lagged behind by half a step, staying within a one-meter radius of Guo Jia's "charging circle," feeling the warm current that made him feel comfortable.

Ah, it feels so good... that empty feeling in my body has been somewhat restored.

He took a deep breath without making a sound, and the fatigue from reading for days was swept away.

Having gained experience from his first success, Xun Hao became bolder.

The Qingtan Conference at Yingchuan Academy was a grand gathering where students criticized current affairs and exchanged knowledge.

Today's topic is the "Rebellion of the Ten Attendants".

Inside the pavilion, Xi Zhicai was debating with several students, and the atmosphere was somewhat tense.

"The eunuch faction is wreaking havoc on the court, deceiving the emperor, and causing the people to suffer. We scholars should jointly submit a petition to cleanse the court of corrupt officials and execute the eunuchs!" A radical student declared passionately.

As soon as Chen Qun sat down, he echoed in a deep voice, "Indeed. We are deeply indebted to the Emperor and receive his bounty; it is our duty to share the nation's burdens. If Your Majesty fails to understand, we will kneel at the palace gates and die to prove our loyalty!"

Xun Yu also spoke up: "Remonstrating to the death is not the best policy. The most urgent task is to unite with loyal and upright officials in the court, such as Minister Lu and Grand Commandant Yang, to accumulate strength and wait for the right time to act. This is the most foolproof strategy."

Their views represent the mainstream thought of the scholar class at that time.

Loyal to the Han dynasty, hating the eunuch faction, yet placing hope in the self-correction within the court.

Guo Jia yawned, poured himself a full cup of wine, and leaned lazily against a pillar, looking as if he hadn't slept well. Xi Zhicai glanced at him: "What brilliant idea does Fengxiao have?"

All eyes turned to them.

Guo Jia swirled his wine glass and chuckled softly, but there was no hint of a smile in his peach blossom eyes.

"Insightful opinion? I have no insightful opinion."

He downed the wine in his glass in one gulp, then slammed the glass down on the stone table with a crisp sound.

"I just feel that all of your prescriptions are good, but unfortunately, you've treated the wrong illness."

Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback.

"What do you mean by that, Fengxiao?" Chen Qun frowned. "Isn't the scourge of eunuchs the most serious ailment of our time?"

"These are symptoms, but not the root cause." Guo Jia shook a finger. "Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong, and their ilk are merely a few festering sores on a chronic illness. You all only think about cutting out these sores with a knife, but don't consider why they appeared in the first place? Even if you cut out one batch, won't new ones grow back?"

These words caused the atmosphere in the pavilion to freeze.

Chen Qun's expression changed slightly, and he remained silent in thought.

Xun Yu also looked solemn. Although Guo Jia's metaphor was crude, it hit the nail on the head.

"In Fengxiao's opinion, what is the root cause of the illness?" Xi Zhicai pressed.

Guo Jia did not answer directly. He simply picked up the wine pot, poured himself another cup, and slowly said, "The root of the problem... the root of the problem is that this disease has been dragging on for too long. Many people have forgotten what it was like when they were healthy, and even think that having a few boils is no big deal as long as they are not fatal."

These ambiguous words made the hearts of the intelligent people present sink.

They understood Guo Jia's unspoken meaning. The problem wasn't with the eunuchs themselves, but with the entire court system that tacitly allowed their existence, and even at higher levels.

"Brother Fengxiao's analogy is quite apt. However, I think that instead of discussing how to cut out the sore, we should think about how to get through this winter."

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was Xun Hao, the young master of the Xun family, who had been sitting quietly in the corner as if he didn't exist.

He slowly stood up, and because he had been sitting for a long time, he swayed slightly, and Guo Jia beside him helped him up.

He addressed the crowd, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"Brothers, have you noticed the refugees outside the city? A year ago, less than one in ten survived; six months ago, three to five out of ten survived; and now, seven or eight out of ten survive. If this continues, a heavy snowfall could leave the Central Plains littered with corpses of the starving."

His voice still carried the clear, youthful quality, but the content of his words completely destroyed the elegant atmosphere of the pavilion, leaving only cold reality.

He turned to the scholar who advocated submitting a memorial to the emperor even at the cost of his life.

"Brother, your willingness to die for your country is commendable. But if you die, will the refugees outside the city have enough to eat? Will those covetous Qiang and Hu barbarians retreat because of your loyalty?"

He then looked at Chen Qun and Xun Yu.

"Brother Changwen and my elder brother intend to unite with the court officials and gradually make their plans. But can the refugees wait? Can the people who are freezing to death by the roadside wait? When they can no longer survive, they will not care who is a loyal minister and who is a treacherous official. They will only pick up hoes and follow whoever gives them a bite to eat to smash everything in front of them."

With each word he spoke, the faces of the people in the pavilion grew paler.

These scions of noble families had seen refugees before, but they never associated those ragged, emaciated "people" with important matters of the court.

Xun Hao looked around one last time and, in a calm tone that was almost like stating a fact, delivered his final conclusion.

"Sores are not fatal, but starvation is. You are discussing the diseases of the court, but the diseases of the world have long since disappeared into the depths of the common people."

After he finished speaking, the entire pavilion fell into a deathly silence.

Guo Jia's hand, which was supporting Xun Hao's shoulder, tightened unconsciously.

He lowered his head and looked at the boy beside him, who only reached his chest, with a completely new and inquisitive gaze.

How could this shy and introverted child possess such astonishing insights?

"Well said," Guo Jia said, breaking the silence in the pavilion.

"Starving will kill people; even a three-year-old understands this. Yet, all the officials in the court seem to have forgotten it. Instead of arguing about how to heal a dying body, you should think about how to prepare yourselves for the winter."

Xun Hao was referring to "the ills of the world," reminding them to pay attention to people's livelihoods.

Guo Jia then directly sentenced this "body" to death.