The Three Kingdoms competed for supremacy, and heroes emerged in large numbers. For all kinds of heroes, having a good counselor is crucial. As we all know, as soon as Zhuge Liang came out of the mountain, Liu Bei's fortune changed. From the embarrassing state of relying on others to success, he finally established a foundation. On the contrary, Cao Cao's group began to decline due to the early death of one person, which ultimately led to Cao Cao's ideal of unifying China not being realized. Mao Zedong once greatly admired this man, praising him as "superb intellect, resourcefulness, making plans, and outstanding achievements." He was Guo Jia, the core figure of Cao Cao's early military think tank. Guo Jia is one of Cao Cao's favorite and most effective counselors. Cao Cao has said many times that he will entrust his son to Guo Jia in a hundred years. It is a pity that Guo Jiaying died young, otherwise, the halo he left in the sky of history would definitely be comparable to Zhuge Liang.

Knowing the Lord with Wisdom Eyes

Guo Jia was born in Yingchuan, which is today's Yuzhou area in Henan. This place was the largest talent pool during the Three Kingdoms period. At that time, sixty-seven out of ten counselors who advised heroes from all walks of life came from this place. Guo Jia showed extraordinary wisdom in his youth. He liked to talk with elders and often had unique insights, which often made the elders feel inferior. As time goes by, Guo Jia, who is well-read in poetry and books, grows up in an instant. He is thin and handsome, and has a pair of clear and deep eyes. Guo Jia is confident and aloof. He likes to be unrestrained and is very picky about making friends. He only associates with people with lofty ideals in his mind. But he is very sincere and enthusiastic towards his friends and likes to drink and talk all night long. When Guo Jia was 21 years old, he defected to Yuan Shao's tent at the instigation of his friend Tian Feng and others. Yuan Shao was called "the hero of the world" at that time. He respected Guo Jia and others very much and treated them with courtesy. But after dozens of days, Guo Jia realized that Yuan Shao did not know how to employ people and was not a man who could achieve great things. Therefore, Guo Jia left Yuan resolutely. Guo Jia left Yuan Shao when he was at his most prosperous. This not only required great courage, but also extraordinary vision. In this way, Guo Jia has been unemployed for 6 years. In 196 AD, Xi Zhicai, a counselor whom Cao Cao valued very much, passed away. Feeling sad, Cao Cao wrote to Xun Yu and asked him to recommend a counselor who could succeed Xi Zhicai. Therefore, Xun Yu recommended his friend Guo Jia to Cao Cao. Cao Cao was overjoyed and welcomed Guo Jia into his camp, where he discussed world affairs. The importance of this meeting is no less than that of the later "Long-Zhong pair". Guo Jia is 15 years younger than Cao Cao, but he seems to know Cao Cao's great ambitions well. When Cao Cao asked Guo Jia about the situation in the world, Guo Jia revealed the key point and took advantage of Cao Cao's plan to take advantage of Yuan Shao to attack Gongsun Zan and eliminate Lu Bu first. This will not only expand the strength of Cao's army, but also prevent Lu Bu from threatening Cao's army from the flanks during the decisive battle between Cao and Yuan. Cao Cao asked Guo Jia again, what is the most critical quality as a counselor? Guo Jia said that war is like playing chess. No war is planned in advance. Being familiar with the art of war is just an introduction. The strength of a strategist lies in adapting to the situation. Guo Jia's clear and thorough analysis allowed Cao Cao to see a bright future. After hearing this, Cao Cao sighed, "This is the person who can accomplish great things by himself." After Guo Jia left the camp, he was overjoyed and said, "He is my true master." From then on, Guo Jia became Cao Cao's military staff officer - Military Advisor. Liquor, he made suggestions and served loyally for Cao Cao's four-party campaign.

Made great achievements many times

At that time, various princes were separatist and had no ambition to swallow up the whole world. In this case, Guo Jia's accurate judgment of the psychological state of each opponent often became the key to Cao Cao's victory. In 197, when Cao Cao was worried that he did not have the ability to compete with Yuan Shao, Guo Jia put forward the famous saying of "ten wins and ten losses." He cited ten reasons in a row to prove that "the public has ten victories and Shao has ten defeats." Guo Jia's analysis was very convincing. It not only boosted the fighting spirit of Cao Cao's soldiers, but also helped Cao Cao formulate long-term and short-term combat goals. At the same time, Guo Jia also formally established his core position in Cao Cao's military intelligence group. In September 198, Cao Cao adopted Guo Jia's plan and sent troops to attack Lu Bu who was in Xuzhou. Cao Jun first defeated Pengcheng, then Lu Bu, and finally besieged Xiapi. Lu Bu couldn't hold on. The battle lasted for more than half a year. Cao Cao saw that his soldiers were tired and was ready to give up. At this time, Guo Jia saw a chance to win.

Because of Guo Jia's ingenious plan, the battle was won easily and smoothly.

Tian is jealous of Yingcai

In 207, Yuan Shang fled to Wuhuan, which is now the Jinzhou area of ??Liaoning. All the generals of Cao's army said, "Yuan Shang is like a lost dog, and the barbarians outside the pass will not support them. If there is another expedition, Liu Bei will definitely provoke Liu Biao to attack Xuchang. What if something changes?" At this time, after several years of hard work, Liu Bei After recuperating, he accumulated considerable strength by Liu Biao's side in Jingzhou. Based on Cao Cao's understanding of Liu Bei, he had reason to worry that Liu Bei would attack behind his back when he went on an expedition alone. At this time, Guo Jia put forward another opinion that was different from others: "Ming Gong, you can go on the expedition with peace of mind and leave an empty Xudu. I am sure that Liu Bei will not be able to cause you trouble. It's not that Liu Bei doesn't want to cause trouble, but that someone has I will stop him on your behalf, and this person is Liu Biao." Amid the uproar, Guo Jia analyzed in detail the feasibility and significance of the Ping Wuhuan campaign. Attack will definitely destroy them. Yuan Shao is kind to the Hu people. If Yuan Shang is still alive, they will definitely help. Sooner or later, they will be a hidden danger. The influence of the Yuan family is still great at this time. If the Hu people take action, our The rear is not stable.

But Liu Biao is a politician who only knows how to sit and talk. He knows that he is not capable of controlling Liu Bei, so he must be on guard against Liu Bei's expedition. , there will be no future troubles." Guo Jia's point of view hit the nail on the head. After hearing this, Cao Cao was enlightened and immediately marched into Liaodong. Cao Jun unexpectedly attacked Wuhuan's main camp at Bailang Mountain and captured more than 200,000 people. Desperate, Yuan Shang defected to Xiangping Gongsun Kang. When Cao Cao's army arrived at Yicheng, Guo Jia felt that the speed of advancement was still too slow, so he added: "Soldiers need speed. Now there is a potential expedition, there is too much baggage, and the movement is slow. If the opponent notices it, it will inevitably take precautions. It is better to stay. Use heavy baggage and light troops to advance quickly and attack the enemy unprepared." Later, this battle became a classic example of "the superiority of troops, speed and surprise in victory" in the history of Chinese wars. After setting up some illusions of withdrawal, Cao Cao secretly led a group of lightly-armed elite troops, led by a guide, to suddenly appear behind King Tadun, the leader of Wuhuan. Sergeant Wuhuan was caught off guard, and leader Tadun was also killed. The road conditions during this march were extremely bad, and there was a drought and no water for 200 miles along the way. When the food was exhausted, Cao's soldiers had to kill thousands of horses to satisfy their hunger before reaching their destination with difficulty. In the autumn of the same year, Gongsun Kang, the governor of Liaodong, came to surrender with Yuan Shang's head. Based on Guo Jia's strategy, Cao Cao finally completely pacified the north and unified the entire area north of the Yellow River Basin. On the way back from Liucheng, Guo Jia died of illness due to the unsuitable climate, harsh weather, and overwork due to traveling day and night. In this way, a unique genius fell like a meteor.

The king and his ministers know each other

Among Cao Cao's many advisers, only Guo Jia knows Cao Cao best, and the two have a close relationship, just like friends. It is reported that the two of them traveled in the same car and sat at the same table, which shows their closeness. In Cao Cao's camp, who was strict in managing the army, Guo Jia had many unconventional behaviors. However, in the eyes of Cao Cao, who favored him, "this is an extraordinary person and should not be restrained by common sense." There was a disciplinary inspection official under Cao Cao named Chen Qun, who once fined Guo Jia for his lack of discipline. However, while Cao Cao praised Chen Qun for his report, he ignored Guo Jia. Not only that, Cao Cao also secretly applauded Guo Jiayi for still maintaining his old style of life. During his long campaign career, Cao Cao always brought Guo Jia with him so that he could discuss matters at any time and act according to the situation. Some historians say that Guo Jia was lucky. Only a man of great talent and strategy like Cao Cao dared to use someone like Guo Jia who despised etiquette and introduced him as a "confidant". Whenever there was a major military or national event, Guo Jia's strategies were never miscalculated. Cao Cao placed unlimited hopes on the young Guo Jia, and planned to entrust Guo Jia with the affairs of governing the country after his death.

Guo Jia's important position in Cao Cao's group cannot be replaced by anyone. Cao Cao's military career can even be divided into two parts based on Guo Jia's death. During his lifetime, Guo Jia helped Cao Cao unify the north: Guo Jia played the most important role in Cao Cao's battles to annihilate Lu Bu, Yuan Shao and other troops.

After Guo Jia's death, Cao Cao basically stagnated except for some achievements in the war against grassroots warlords such as Ma Teng and Han Sui in the northwest. After the Battle of Chibi in 208, the world was left with a helpless ending. Cao Cao himself had a deep understanding of this, otherwise he would not have lamented like a lone ape on the way back after his defeat in Chibi: "Guo Fengxiao (Guo Jia) is here, so I won't be alone here."

Thank you for your filial piety! What a pain! Filial piety! Alas for filial piety!