Breaking Bad: Jia Xu

This book is a biographical novel about Jia Xu. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Shi Chang served in trouble and troubled the court. Generals He Jin and Yuan Shao secretly summoned Dong Zhuo to the capital to punish the officials. The counselor Jia Xu set up a poisonous plot for Dong Zhuo to induce an internal fight between the eunuchs and He Jin. Dong Zhuo took the opportunity to enter Beijing and reap the benefits. Later, Jia Xu helped Dong Zhuo persuade Lu Bu to kill his father Ding Yuan, annex the state army, thereby taking control of the court and deposing the emperor. Cao Cao showed his goodwill to Dong Zhuo by killing the eunuchs, and later acted according to the opportunity and fled Luoyang after the assassination attempt. Jia Xu had long known Cao Cao's heroic nature and had secretly left room for him. He predicted that Dong Zhuo would be defeated and suggested moving the capital to Chang'an to protect himself, while watching indifferently as Wang Yun used Diao Chan to drive a wedge between Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu. After Dong Zhuo's death, the Liangzhou army was leaderless. Jia Xu urged Li Jue and Guo Si to counterattack Chang'an and regain control of the court. However, the two violently fought internally, and Jia Xu turned to assist Zhang Ji, a fellow countryman, and planned to give Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty as a bargaining chip to Cao Cao. Although he failed, it paved the way for his future surrender to Cao Cao. Later, Jia Xu assisted Zhang Ji's nephew Zhang Xiu, who first surrendered to Liu Biao and then surrendered to Cao Cao. He made key decisions before the Battle of Guandu and helped Zhang Xiu gain a foothold in Cao Cao's camp. Jia Xu had no plans left and changed hands many times, but was finally put to good use under Cao Cao and settled down.