Volume 1 Chapter 46 Who Can Be The Master?

  The Yu Nan Tai Shou Fu Dian, delicious meat and fine wine, fragrance overflowing everywhere. On both sides of the main hall, more than 20 tables were already set up, each table was filled with food, wine cups were full, the pots were fragrant, the cups were full of wine, a good banquet was set up.

  Wine and meat are ready, don't leave without getting drunk! The most enjoyable thing in life is this.

  Next, we need to wait for the arrival of distinguished guests from afar in Hebei Province.

  Looking at the already well-prepared and proper wine feast, a hint of a pleased smile appeared on Liu Bei's face.

  Rushing east and west, anxious all day, hard to get a moment of relaxation.

  Too tired, really too tired, Liu Bei felt that his current self was living a very hard life.

  Taking advantage of today's opportunity, it's also time to have a good rest.

  Yuannan County Inn

  Sun Qian rode a carriage to invite Yuan Shang for a banquet, as soon as he entered the government office, he suddenly found that the whole government office was quiet and silent, with winding paths leading to secluded places, clean and pleasant, quietly almost without any sound.

  Sun Qian felt a sense of wonder, this Yuan Shang and his group arrived at the Runan Inn until now, it's been more than two hours, how come they still haven't made a move?

  How many miles have I sprinted, how long has it been? To be exhausted to this extent, it's really impossible to guess, yeah, impossible to guess.

  Thinking of this, Sun Qian raised his hand and beckoned the attendant guarding the inn to come over, asking kindly: "Is Yuan's third son and his entourage still sleeping inside?"

  The servant heard this and shook his head, smiling: "To report to Master Sun, since Young Master Yuan entered our inn, he hasn't rested for a moment, not once lying down."

  Sun Qian was greatly surprised: "Not resting? What are they all doing then? And where?"

  The attendant smiled and said, "Young Master Yuan has been discussing something with a few trusted followers in the pavilion on the back garden for two hours, but he hasn't come down yet. I don't know what they're talking about either."

  "What? Such a thing has happened?"

  Sun Qian heard this and his interest was piqued, stroking his beard in deep thought for a moment before waving his hand at the attendant, saying: "Lead the way ahead, I'll go take a look."

  The attendant hastily replied: "Yes."

  The Houyuan Garden was newly built after Liu Bei took office, with a clear and quiet garden, stone mountains, buildings, pavilions, and terraces. Although the framework is not yet fully completed, the internal facilities are all complete.

  At this moment, Yuan Shang and others were on the second floor of one of the unfinished buildings, whispering to each other.

  The attendant led Sun Gan under the pavilion and said with a smile: "Sun from affairs, that's it."

  Sun Qian nodded and looked up at the second floor pavilion, a hint of curiosity arose in his heart...

  Yuan Shang and others hiding on this attic must have some secrets! What will they be talking about?

  Everyone is born with an unknown dark side and a curious heart, even elegant gentlemen like Sun Gan are only outwardly noble. Now that they've encountered this kind of thing, the little devil in their hearts can't help but start to stir.

  Knowing that Yuan Shang and others were having a mysterious conversation inside, Sun Gan's heart rose with a strong desire to know, and at the same time, a deep suspicion arose in his mind.

  Yuan Shao's son is secretly plotting inside, isn't he trying to scheme against our army?

  As he thought of this, Sun Qian's heart tightened involuntarily, and his desire to eavesdrop blossomed unknowingly in his heart.

  "Where is the ladder?" Sun Qian looked up at the building where Yuan Shang and his men were, then turned to ask a servant.

  The servant heard this and was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said: "To answer Mr. Sun's question, after those people including Young Master Yuan went up to the loft, they pulled the ladder into the loft, unless they themselves let it down from above, otherwise outsiders would definitely not be able to get in."

  Sun Qian's face changed color upon hearing this, and he secretly grumbled to himself: Indeed, you are cunning and full of schemes.

  This detestable little brat of the Yuan family...

  However, the more he did so, the more serious Sun Qian's suspicions and desires became. Under the influence of curiosity, Sun Qian began to circle around the pavilion step by step.

  He thought while looking for an opportunity to eavesdrop.

  But this time, Sun Gan really did measure others' hearts with his own mean heart.

  Yuan Shang and his group gathered on the upper floor, but actually they didn't have any tricks up their sleeves.

  Yuan Shang was idling in the government hostel when he suddenly had an idea to invite Zhang Song to teach him some strategies and tactics of war, hoping to enrich his mind.

  The young master's request, Zhang Jing naturally could not refuse, and several people immediately found this quiet attic in the back garden of the government office to discuss military affairs.

  To avoid disturbing others and causing a commotion, Zhang Jing retreated up the stairs in search of some peace and quiet.

  At this time, the attic was in a state of great prosperity, Zhang Jiong lectured seriously and Yuan Shang listened attentively, which perfectly embodied the four characters "good teacher and friend".

  Only then did the idle and bored Deng Zhen follow the crowd, with a look of utter boredom on his face. He was so idle that he felt itchy all over his body, and from time to time, he would snort in disdain at Zhang Jiong's explanations.

  "At this moment, Zhang Jue's face was serious and solemn as he explained to Yuan Shang and Deng Zhi: 'A general is the country's support. If the support is strong, the country will be strong; if the support is weak, the country will be weak. There are five important things: the way, heaven, earth, the general, and law.'"

  Yuan Shang listened carefully and nodded solemnly when he heard the words. Deng Zhuo, on the other hand, covered his ears with a look of discontent.

  "I say, General Zhang, what you're saying is nothing but empty words on paper. Anyone with a basic understanding of military strategy knows that repeating these things to us is no different from reciting them from a book. What's the point?"

  Yuan Shang turned his head and glared at Deng Ai, saying: "If you're not happy, then leave! Don't listen if you don't want to! What are you meddling in? Can't you see I'm in the midst of making a great effort?"

  Zhang Jie smiled slightly, seemingly unperturbed, and said: "Master Deng says I'm just talking on paper, this statement is not entirely unreasonable. The military strategies left behind by our predecessors are easy to read and remember, but it's not that simple to apply them with ease. Not everyone can do it, as it requires constant self-motivation, accumulation of experience, and years of contemplation to truly grasp the subtleties."

  Deng's eyes rolled back, and he said: "It's easy to talk, but unfortunately it's the same as not saying anything. Please ask General Zhang to tell Deng that the five elements you just mentioned - heaven, earth, general, method, and law - how would they be applied in actual combat?"

  Zhang Jing stroked his beard and said, "As a general, one must be good at creating momentum and adapting to changing circumstances. This is what is meant by 'shi' (momentum), which is the special privilege that comes from taking advantage of opportunities. The so-called 'dao' refers to the hearts of the people, 'tian' refers to the timing of heaven, 'di' refers to geographical advantages, 'jiang' refers to the general's strategy, and 'fa' refers to laws and regulations. These five things are easy to talk about, but if you want to truly grasp them, it is unknown how much heart and blood must be spent. It's not something that can be used with ease just because one has learned it."

  Yuan Shang heard this and seemed to have a slight realization, nodding his head: "General Zhang's words, I can roughly understand, but it still feels like I'm not quite getting the hang of it..."

  Zhang Jie heard this and smiled: "If you want to understand thoroughly, you need to accumulate experience over time. Young master, there's no need to rush."

  "General Zhang's words, Deng Mou does not quite agree!" Deng Chang said with a hint of sarcasm.

  Yuan Shang said discontentedly: "Do you know what respect is? I think I'm already not understanding etiquette, how can you be even more lowly than me?"

  Zhang Jie smiled calmly and said, "Never mind, I'd like to hear more about it."

  Deng Zhu Bu coughed and shook his head, saying: "General Zhang just said that the five things - Heaven, Earth, General, Method - require accumulation of experience over time to fully understand. I dare ask General Zhang, among these five things, let's just talk about Heaven and Time. The things of Heaven and Time are day and night, scorching heat and freezing cold, the changing seasons... aren't these things clear to everyone? What kind of experience is there in this? Please enlighten me, General."

  Zhang Jiao nodded and said: "Master Deng's words have hit the nail on the head."

  Turning his head, Zhang slowly came to the window and saw that outside, autumn leaves were scattered and dancing in the wind. From time to time, one or two leaves would blow into the room.

  Zhang Jiong turned his head and asked Deng Zhoubao, "Let's take a simple example. On the battlefield, the most powerful force is fire attack. However, to use fire attack, one must know the wind direction. I'd like to ask you, Deng Zhoubao, what is the wind direction at this time and place?"

  Yuan Shang and others often walked together along the corridor by the window, and the two of them felt the flow of air outside the window with Zhang Jiong.

  Deng Zhuobo raised his hand and felt around in the air, confirming: "It's a northwest wind!"

  Yuan Shang raised his hand and felt it for a moment, saying strangely: "Hmm...no, that's not right. A cup of tea ago, the wind was indeed from the northwest, but now it seems to be blowing a bit towards the southeast."

  Zhang Jue smiled and said: "Wind, in winter it is northwest, in summer it is southeast. Most people think this is the norm, but they don't know that the world is vast, with lakes, seas, rivers, and streams, all of which can change the direction of the wind. Just like here, to the southwest is the Ying River, where the river breeze blows year-round, alternating with the seasonal winds. The winds from the southeast, west, and north are all present in this place. If you want to set fire to burn the enemy's supplies and destroy their army's baggage, you need to figure out which direction the wind is stronger in. I ask you, Lord Deng, in your opinion, is it currently the northwest wind that is stronger, or the southeast wind?"

  Deng Chang heard this and was momentarily stunned, then said begrudgingly: "Do you know?"

  Zhang Jie heard this and smiled: "Isn't this easy?"

  After that, he casually picked up a fallen autumn leaf in the attic and threw it out against the wind. The autumn leaf fluttered about in the air, sometimes east, sometimes north, disorderly and without any regularity, until it slowly drifted away and disappeared from sight.

  "The northwest wind is stronger, the southeast wind comes next." Zhang Jia said with certainty.

  Yuan Shang heard this and exclaimed: "General Zhang judges which direction the wind is stronger by observing how leaves move in the wind? What a true general!"

  Zhang Jie heard this and humbly waved his hand, saying: "Young master is overpraising, this is just experience."

  Yuan Shang heard this and cupped his hands, saying: "General Zhang, to be honest, after these days of interaction, I really admire your character and military strategy. When we return to Hebei, I am willing to serve under you as a subordinate. Would General Zhang be willing to teach me?"

  Zhang Jie gently shook his head and smiled: "Zhang Jie can be a general for the young master, or an assistant to the young master, but he absolutely cannot be a teacher to the young master. The young master's generous intentions, please forgive Zhang Jie for being unable to accept."

  Yuan Shang's face changed color and he said: "General, you're not looking down on me for being stupid, are you?"

  "I dare not, it's just that the young master's temperament is mature and he is a rare talent, like a beautiful jade. How could I, with my rusty and rotten appearance, dare to corrupt the young master? With the young master's temperament, if you want to find a famous teacher, you must look for someone who is proficient in astronomy, geography, strange gates, battle formations, military strategy, and commercial politics. Otherwise, after a long time, I'm afraid it will be difficult to make the young master submit, and it will be even harder to teach."

  Yuan Shang raised an eyebrow: "Astronomy, geography, military affairs, politics... are all familiar to you? Is there such a person under the sky? Or should I say, is such a person still human?"

  Zhang Jie heard this and smiled bitterly: "At least in Hebei's four states, such a person... Mo Jiang has never even heard of it..."

  Yuan Shang was speechless.

  But neither Zhang Jue nor Yuan Shang had expected that, after returning to Hebei soon after, Yuan Shang would indeed find such a person.

  Although this person is not as excellent as expected, on the contrary, he is a bit confused.

  Deng Zhuobo on the side was delighted, pointing vigorously at his own nose and laughing: "Young master, if you want to find a good teacher, it's easy to say, isn't this one right here?"

  Yuan Shang heard this and looked around curiously, saying: "Where? Where?"

  Deng Zhuang was unhappy, and he vigorously pointed at his own nose, saying: "Young master, what kind of eyes do you have? Me, me!"

  "Who are you?" Yuan Shang sneered: "You can't even grasp the direction of the wind, yet you want to teach me? Get out!"

  Deng Zhuobo was humiliated and felt indignant, so he raised his voice and said: "Who says I don't understand the trend? Deng is not someone who likes to show off, but throwing a piece of tree leaf is nothing, who can't do it? I can do it too!"

  After saying that, Deng Xiang searched around and found a pile of unused green bricks under the wall root of the attic.

  Deng Zhuang's eyes lit up, and he picked up a green brick before strolling over to Yuan Shang.

  Zhang Jie and Yuan Shang's faces turned iron-green.

  Yuan Shang's expression suddenly turned stern: "You... what are you doing with that brick? If you dare to hit me, you're dead for sure!"

  Deng Zhuang pouted and said discontentedly: "What's so strange about throwing leaves to see the wind? Watch Deng throw bricks to cut off the wind!"

  Having said that, Deng Zhuobo took a deep breath and threw the brick out of the window with all his might. The brick drew a beautiful arc in the air before falling straight down.

  Yuan Shang and Zhang Jue faced each other in silence.

  "Can you see what's going on?" Deng Zhuobo said with a pleased smile.

  Yuan Shang wiped the sweat and said with a pale face: "What a brick-throwing wind-stopper, truly a rare sight in the world... I dare to ask Mr. Deng, what kind of wind did you cut off?"

  Deng smiled wryly and made a humorous remark: "Upward wind!"

  Yuan Shang and Zhang Jue were instantly covered in black lines.

  The humor of ancient people is really annoying.

  Yuan Shang turned his head with a wooden expression and asked Zhang Jue: "General Zhang, do you think this joke is funny?"

  Zhang Jing remained silent for a moment, then cupped his hands and said: "I don't know if it makes sense or not, but I'm feeling a chill all over my body right now."

  Deng Xiaoping: ".........."

  The story splits into two threads. Let's not talk about Yuan Shang and Zhang Jue discussing military tactics, but rather focus on Sun Jian circling around the pavilion, blindly searching for an opportunity to eavesdrop, knowing it was futile, yet feeling a hint of reluctance in his heart, trying hard to find a gap.

  The servants and attendants watched as Sun Qian bustled back and forth, circling around the pavilion, before one of them couldn't help but interrupt: "Mr. Sun, you've been walking in circles for half a day, do you want me to shout out for you, inform Young Master Yuan that he should let down the ladder for you to climb up?"

  "Hold on!" Sun Qian hastily raised his hand to stop the servant's words: "Let me take another good look."

  The attendant heard this and let out a bitter laugh, saying: "Mr. Sun, no matter how hard you look, it's useless; the entire inn has only that one ladder to climb up to the loft."

  Sun Qian heard this and slightly frowned, then involuntarily looked up at the sky and let out a long sigh.

  Looking up at the sky, Sun Gan sighed and said: "The young master of the Yuan family, what is he planning? It's so secretive, could it be related to our lord? Can't think it through... Hmm? What's that flying in the sky?"

  The attendant heard the words and raised his head, but saw a somewhat dark sky, with an unclear object coming from the air, drawing an arc and flying down quickly.

  The two attendants exchanged a glance, and one of them hesitantly said: "Mr. Sun, that seems to be a...".

  The words had not been finished, when the unidentified flying object suddenly arrived, with a very beautiful posture, precise angle, neither biased nor inclined "bang" once, and steadily hit Sun Qian's face who was looking up at the sky and sighing.

  "Bang!"

  "Ah——!" But then Sun Qian let out a shrill cry of despair and fell to the ground, covering his face.

  The servant stood there woodenly for a while, then swallowed his saliva and continued from where he left off: "Mr. Sun, I was saying that it seemed to be... a brick."