Chapter 146: Scoundrel

At this moment, Fang Nian's facial expression was exceptionally vivid. If Zhou Cang, whom he had encountered earlier, belonged to the second tier of Three Kingdoms generals, and Chen Deng was a negative first-tier military strategist, then Jia Xu, whom he encountered now, was unquestionably a top-tier military strategist of the Three Kingdoms era.

Jia Xu, courtesy name Wenhe, was a native of Guzang in Wuwei Commandery. He was a representative figure of the Liangzhou faction, a renowned strategist and military tactician from the late Eastern Han Dynasty to the early Three Kingdoms period, and a founding contributor of the Cao Wei state. He eventually rose to the office of Grand Commandant of Great Wei, ranking at the head of the Three San Gong, served as the imperial tutor to the Emperor Wen of Wei, and was enshrined in the temple of Emperor Wen of Wei after his death.

Dong Zhuo had originally been a military Sima under Zhang Huan, the Administrator of Wuwei Commandery, and Jia Xu had been a subordinate general under Dong Zhuo. Following Dong Zhuo's death, Jia Xu devised the strategy for Li Jue and Guo Si to counterattack Chang'an. After the failure of Li Jue and his cohorts, Jia Xu defected to his fellow townsman Duan Wei, and through twists and turns, became a strategist for another fellow townsman, Zhang Xiu. Zhang Xiu had utilized his strategies to defeat Cao Cao twice, and before the Battle of Guandu, Jia Xu persuaded Zhang Xiu to surrender to Cao Cao.

During the Battle of Guandu, Jia Xu strongly advocated for a decisive battle against Yuan Shao. Prior to the Battle of Red Cliffs, he argued that the populace should be pacified rather than mobilizing a massive army to campaign against Jiangdong. Cao Cao refused to listen and consequently suffered a severe defeat. When Cao Cao was locked in a stalemate with the Guanzhong coalition forces at Weinan, Jia Xu proposed a scheme of alienation to disintegrate Ma Chao and Han Sui, enabling Cao Cao to pacify Guanzhong in a single stroke.

Regarding the determination of Cao Cao's successor, Jia Xu used the examples of Yuan Shao and Liu Biao to subtly hint to Cao Cao that the order of seniority should not be bypassed by favoring the younger over the elder, thereby covertly assisting Cao Pi in becoming the heir apparent. In the first year of Huangchu, Cao Pi ascended the throne and appointed him as Grand Commandant, enfeoffing him as the Marquis of Shoushang in Wei.

Cao Pi once asked Jia Xu whether Shu or Wu should be subjugated first. Jia Xu advised that the state should first be well-governed before resorting to military force. Cao Pi ignored this advice and predictably returned without success after campaigning against Wu.

In the fourth year of Huangchu, Jia Xu passed away at the age of seventy-two, with the posthumous title of Muzhen, later changed to Suhou.

Looking back at Jia Xu's life, one can observe that every choice he made throughout his lifetime was correct. In an era as turbulent as the Three Kingdoms, the fact that he could live to such an advanced age is sufficient proof that his abilities were beyond ordinary comparison.

Jia Xu was also a figure whom Fang Nian believed had been underestimated during the Three Kingdoms period. Yet meeting him here now was truly...

"Wait, isn't Jia Xu's courtesy name Wenhe? Why did that Miss Cai call him Mr. Yuwen?" (Actually, the author made a mistake...)

Miss Cai helped Jia Xu up, a trace of desolation instantly rising across her already beautiful face.

"Mr. Wenhe, your wife's illness is a terminal disease. I have sought out renowned physicians everywhere, but none can cure it. This must be the will of heaven; please grieve with restraint and take care of yourself."

Jia Xu's gaze was vacant, completely lacking the demeanor of a generation's top strategist. Looking at the countless people before him, he rose and walked away in a staggered manner, as if he hadn't heard Miss Cai's words at all. Miss Cai also looked at Jia Xu with a gaze brimming with sorrow, sighed helplessly, boarded her sedan chair, and departed with the general surnamed Zhang.

Fang Nian stood in place and pondered for a moment, vaguely understanding some things. Jia Xu's wife must have contracted a severe illness, which was why he was so desolate due to the inability to cure it. In this era, if calculated according to the timeline of Fang Nian's own era, Jia Xu should have been serving under Cao Cao and ought not to have appeared in this remote northern region.

Yet now, it seemed that all of this was simply arranged arbitrarily by the world-builder, so Fang Nian saw no need to dwell on it. It just so happened that Fang Nian's current squad lacked personnel, and therefore, Fang Nian was determined to recruit Jia Xu into his group.

With this thought, Fang Nian pulled Zhou Cang along and followed Jia Xu, wanting to see what kind of illness his wife actually had—just in case he could cure her! No matter what, the current Fang Nian could still be considered a doctor, right?

Jia Xu's dwelling was extremely crude, bearing no resemblance to the grand gates and spacious courtyards Fang Nian had imagined; instead, it was a thatched cottage, a solitary reed-thatched hut standing alone amidst an expansive plot of empty land.

As Fang Nian watched Jia Xu tidy his garments before entering the doorway, he knew that Jia Xu did not wish for his wife to know about him drowning his sorrows in alcohol.

Without hesitation, Fang Nian followed Jia Xu into the house. However, upon entering, Fang Nian discovered that Jia Xu's wife seemed to have suffered a sudden relapse: she was coughing up fresh blood mouthful by mouthful, her face was deathly pale, and her breathing was so rapid she was on the verge of suffocation.

Jia Xu had not expected his wife's condition to suddenly deteriorate to such a severe degree either. Unable to care about anything else, he shoved aside the old woman guarding the bedside, fell to his knees in the pool of blood, and wept bitterly.

"My wife, what is wrong with you? Hold on, my wife, I will go find a physician for you."

His wife possessed exceptionally striking features. Although her face was haggard, one could still discern that she was a classic beauty. Yet now, it appeared she had truly reached the end of her tether, struggling even to sustain her breath.

Recalling the *Sacred Ancient Medical Classic* he had previously read, Fang Nian instantly diagnosed the nature of Jia Xu's wife's condition. Unable to hesitate further, he rushed forward, pulled Jia Xu aside, and began taking his wife's pulse.

Taking the pulse is a diagnostic method of feeling the pulse at different parts of the human body to observe changes in the pulse condition. Clinically, one must mainly master the timing of pulse diagnosis, the patient's posture, the physician's fingering technique and the weight of digital pressure, and limit the duration of each pulse-taking to no less than fifty beats per side. At the same time, one must understand the variations in the pulse condition of a healthy person in order to perform pulse diagnosis correctly.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, taking the pulse is essentially observing internal bodily changes based on the rhythm, frequency, and wave patterns of the pulse beats.

Fang Nian's action momentarily stunned Jia Xu, who only regained his senses a moment later.

"Who are you? How did you get in?"

Ignoring Jia Xu, Fang Nian continued to meticulously analyze the pulse condition, hoping to uncover the root cause of his wife's illness.

Seeing that Fang Nian ignored him, Jia Xu stepped forward to stop him, but before he could even touch Fang Nian, Zhou Cang's massive physique blocked his path, shielding Fang Nian behind him.

Although Jia Xu was hailed as one of the top ten military strategists of the Three Kingdoms, in terms of brute physical strength, he was certainly no match for Zhou Cang, and seeing this, he was completely helpless.

After checking the pulse of Jia Xu's wife, Fang Nian quickly pinpointed the cause of the illness and asked Jia Xu, "Has your wife suffered any external injuries recently?"

Jia Xu was taken aback, only then realizing that Fang Nian was actually treating his wife. Moreover, having instantly identified the root of her illness, a spark of hope was reignited within him as he hurried over and said, "Yes, just half a month ago, my wife was pricked by a branch while gathering firewood on the mountain. But that was already half a month ago, and the wound had already healed."

"Those physicians who diagnosed my wife said that her illness could not have been caused by external injuries, and that it was most likely a problem with her internal organs."

Hearing Jia Xu's words, Fang Nian did not even look at him, but merely replied coldly, "They said? Did they cure her?"

"This..."

Stunned by Fang Nian's retort, Jia Xu was momentarily left speechless. Indeed, Fang Nian's words constituted the most powerful refutation.

Without further ado, Fang Nian ignored him, directly lifted the quilt, and pulled back the clothing of Jia Xu's wife to examine her lower abdomen.

Seeing such audacious behavior from Fang Nian, Jia Xu instantly flew into a rage, lunging forward as he demanded, "What are you doing? You impudent scoundrel!"

Fang Nian froze for a second, then realization dawned on him.

"Ah right, this is ancient times."