Disclaimer: Characters belong to history, likeness goes to Koei

-Interview with Jia Xu-

It's hard to say I made any friends in Wei.

But if there was one that I was closer to than anyone else, it was Guo Jia. He was handsome, young, and very clever. He had a promising future as well as a well-established present. He and Xun Yu were Cao Cao's favorites. He treated them well, giving them gifts of horses, rice, and land every time they batted an eye.

Well…Xun Yu was the flirtatious one.

Guo Jia was the sweet talker.

Together, they were a very attractive duo.

And…well, as you see me…

I could not compare in either looks or intellect, but I could be very sly.

I still maintained my position with the help of Guo Jia.

Understand that he was very aware of himself, whereas Xun Yu thought himself invincible. As such when Guo Jia realized that his illness was not going away, he made no mental excuses to himself. Though he tried to make it appear the sickness did not affect him, he struggled. He often could not make it through the long nights of studying or planning. But if I helped him, he would help me.

A nice symbiotic relationship.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't after his position. I knew, as his sickness grew worse and worse, that someone would be his replacement as soon as he retired or…

But I am not heartless. After Guan Du, his sickness was almost crippling, and I did not like seeing Guo Jia suffer so much. Sure, he would smile and tell us he had it under control, but I could tell that every day was a chore to even live. There were points where I wanted to tell Guo Jia to just die so he could be rid of his own suffering.

"My body is the culprit, Jia Xu," he told me once. "My mind is just as it is. Alas, if only I were just a head and not this wasting body."

It was true. As sick as he was, he was still clear and sharp-witted as ever.

Little did I know that Cao Cao had some concerns.

I was making my way down the halls of Cao Cao's compound, ready to find my horse and ride to my lodging for the night. I passed by Cao Cao's office, noticing the candles were lit and he was speaking quite passionately to someone.

I was curious to know what had Cao Cao so riled up. I peeked through the door, seeing Guo Jia standing in front of Cao Cao's desk. I could only see his back but I could see Cao Cao clearly. His brow was furrowed, brow knitted together. It looked like concern, but who knows what it was. They went back and forth.

Cao Cao said,"I am very aware of your short comings, Guo Jia…"

To which, Guo Jia replied, "My lord, it is nothing—"

Cao Cao yelled, "NO! It is not nothing. I've had more men die under my watch due to illness instead of battles. I can shield men from warfare, but gods help me, I cannot stop the blight."

After and awkward silence, Guo Jia said, "Believe me, my lord, my sickness is my own. Not yours. But my mind and work is. Have you noticed any distinct issues with my work as of late?"

Cao Cao apparently could not answer. At least not immediately. But the look he gave him was not unlike that of an Imperial administrator questioning the work of the treasurer's accountant. Wind blown analogy, I know, but bear with me. That was the first thing I could think of to describe Cao Cao's face.

Needless to say, it was a very scrutinizing look.

He said, "You are missing the main point, Guo Jia."

I held my breath, waiting to hear what that point would be, but I heard a heavy relenting sigh.

"You are very valuable to me, Guo Jia. I don't want your selfless aid to me result in your death," said Cao Cao.

Yet, Guo Jia was adamant and he worked for Cao Cao loyally and tirelessly until his dying breath.

When I heard of his death, I remember racing to his home and found that several of Cao Cao's soldiers and doctors were at his deathbed. All were silent.

I was glad Cao Cao wasn't there. The disease had taken Guo Jia with a fury, consuming his body in purple welts and angry boils. There was nothing soft and beautiful about his dead body. I admit that was shocked that such a handsome man died so disfigured. Well, Guo Jia's suffering ended.

And I should give Guo Jia a fair amount of respect. The man had incredible ability and he written a letter of recommendation for me to Cao Cao, and I was placed in higher esteem.

Xun Yu was now Cao Cao's right-hand advisor of political affairs, while I was his advisor on military acts. And yet, Xun Yu frequently overstepped his boundaries. He stepped on my toes when it came to call for military action. I suspect, because of the man's youth, he had more bloodlust than I. I told Cao Cao on every occasion that with the death of Guo Jia we must proceed carefully. Xun Yu attested that not much could stop our lord and if anything, he finally grew to fear it.

As brilliant as Xun Yu was, I saw fear and greed in his eyes. Luckily with the defeat of his best friend and the death of his trusted advisor, Cao Cao took some time to reorganize before attacking. When he attacked, it was with ambition. He thrust forward with determination, Xun Yu trying to dissuade him. I did not try to stop him. There was no reason to. He thrust himself upon the highest pedestal he could go as Prime Minister.

I went along for the ride, feeling that Cao Cao was driven by some deep emotion that he rarely conveyed to us. I knew better than to sway a man's emotions. I shifted troops from the northern border down further south and west, facing the two largest territories that were yet not under Cao Cao's jurisdiction. At first, there was no push to invade either territory. The territory to the south and east had a mix of Han Chinese districts and independent provinces; therefore it was risky to touch them at the moment. The territory to the west held the supporters of Liu Bei, a supposed rightful heir to the Han throne. That man never ceased to raise Cao Cao's hackles. Liu Bei had a growing amount of support and too much support could undermine the Emperor's decisions, including the appointment of Cao Cao as Prime Minister.

It was no secret that ever since Guan Du, Cao Cao had been pursuing Liu Bei. Liu Bei had been mulling around Jing Province for a tad too long, and Cao Cao had clear sights on him.

As much as I agreed that pursing Liu Bei had very little risk, there was this thing gnawing at the back of head of something else. Does that make sense? No? Well, I kept on checking on those soldiers in the east and south, compulsively asking for any news of leaders from that area. They kept saying that there was not much activity. I believed them sure, but my gut churned every time I found myself looking to the southeast. I kept thinking we were overlooking something. Something big. Something…dangerous.


A/N: As always, R&R. I already noticed some timeline issues and I've been trying to cover them up, hopefully it will be better. On that note, Dynasty Warriors 8 has been announce. That is all.