Chapter 42: Assessment (Part 1)

  Chapter 42: Assessment (Part 1)

  Yue Fei saw that Zong Zigao's expression changed suddenly after reading the letter, and he slapped the table and scolded him. He didn't know what was wrong and asked in confusion: "Sir, Yue Fei doesn't understand why you're angry. Is it because Liu's words offended you? You said that I bribed Liu with money, what's going on? How come I don't understand at all?"

  "Yue Fei, I'm asking you, why did you change from being a Huangwu warrior to a Tangyin warrior? You're still young, why does Liu Duiyuan care about you so much? The other day he wrote me a letter saying how great you are. Now he's written another letter telling me to take good care of you and show concern for you. Tell me, Liu Duiyuan has no relation to you, why does he value you so highly? Unless he's accepted bribes from you and is helping you out." said Zong Liushou with a serious expression.

  "Sir, you have wronged Liu Doyuan and wrongly accused me, Yue Fei. To be honest with you, I am originally from Xiaotun Village, Yonghe Township, Tongyin County. When I was seven years old, our village suffered a flood and then a plague, leaving only one or two households intact in Xiaotun Village. My father, Yue He, contracted the plague and, fearing he would infect his family, threw himself into a river. After my mother sold our ancestral home to bury him, she took me with her to beg for food on the road. We begged our way to Qilin Village, Neihuang County, where we were taken in by Mr. Wang Ming, who gave us shelter. A few years later, I and my mother rescued an injured old man named Zhou Tong, who took me as his adopted son and taught me martial arts. He stayed in Qilin Village to recover from his injuries and, to thank the three gentlemen of Qilin Village, agreed to teach me and several sworn brothers martial arts for many years. My four brothers and I passed the local examination in Neihuang County with flying colors and were recommended by Magistrate Li to take the imperial examination in Xiangzhou. Thanks to Liu Doyuan's kindness, he ordered the magistrate of Tongyin County, Xu, to build a house for my family in our hometown and allowed us to return home. When we went to the capital, we stopped by Xiangzhou to bid farewell to Liu Doyuan, who gave me 50 taels of silver as travel expenses before we left. Sir, I am poor and have no money to offer gifts. It was actually Magistrate Xu and Liu Doyuan who gave me silver."

  Zong Ze listened to Yue Fei's heartfelt words, shocked and thought: "I've long heard of Zhou Tong's great name, like thunder in my ears. He is the number one teacher under heaven, who practiced martial arts at Shaolin Temple in his early years and obtained the military book of Jiang Wei, the prime minister of Shu State during the Three Kingdoms period. His martial arts skills are excellent, and his disciples Lin Chong and Lu Junyi are all extraordinary figures. It seems that this Yue Fei, being Zhou Tong's adopted son, naturally has good kung fu skills. Let me test him, if he is indeed an outstanding young man as Liu Duiyuan said, I will exceptionally recruit him and promote him."

  "Yue Fei, you claim to be a disciple of Zhou Tong. Let me test you. If you really have some skills, I will naturally take care of you. But if you are just seeking fame and fortune, don't blame me for being ruthless." said Zong Ze.

  "Everything depends on your decision, I will follow whatever you decide." Yue Fei readily agreed.

  "All right, follow me to the Arrow Hall," said Zong Ze, leading Yue Fei to the Arrow Hall.

  In the arrow hall, various bows and arrows were displayed. Zong Ze sat down and said to Yue Fei: "Yue Fei, go choose a bow and shoot it for me to see."

  Yue Fei took the order and went forward, arriving at the bow rack. On the bow rack were placed many bows. Yue Fei selected them one by one but did not find a good bow. "How is it? Are you afraid to compete?" asked Zong Ze.

  Yue Fei knelt down with a thud and said: "Sir, these bows are too soft and cannot shoot far."

  "What kind of bow do you usually use?" Zong Ze asked curiously.

  "Reporting to Your Excellency, the bow and arrow I normally use were given by my master, an iron bow with a strength of nearly three hundred jin. One arrow shot out has at least more than two hundred steps away." Yue Fei said.

  Zong Ze was shocked and hastily ordered the military school to bring the divine arm bow.

  "Yue Fei, this bow is fully three hundred catties in strength, I don't know if you can pull it?" Zong Ze said.

  "Let me try," said Yue Fei.

  The military school brought out the divine arm bow and carved feather arrow and placed them under the steps. Yue Fei walked over, picked up the divine arm bow and pulled it with force, shouting: "Good bow!" He loaded the carved feather arrow and "whoosh whoosh whoosh" shot nine arrows in a row, each arrow hitting the center of the target.

  "Good! Good archery!" The crowd of military schools cheered in unison.

  Yue Fei put down his bow and arrow to meet Zong Ze. Zong Ze was overjoyed, asking: "Yue Fei, what kind of weapon are you used to using?"

  "General, Wu Song followed his master to learn martial arts, and he has practiced with every kind of weapon. However, the one he is most skilled with is the spear." said Yue Fei.

  "All right! I also like to use a gun, you just use my pointed steel gun to show off a few moves and let me see. Military school, bring me my gun." Zong Ze said, instructing the military school to fetch his gun.

  The military school took the gun over, Yue Fei held it in his hand, stepped down from the stage, and weighed the gun on the arrow field. He strode horizontally and vertically, with a left pick and a right hook. One move was "Danfeng Chaoyang", one move was "Back to the Moon", one move was "Nezha Probing the Sea", and one move was "Horizontal Sweep of Thousands of Troops". Every move was fierce and mysterious, transcending the ordinary.

  Zong Ze watched and cheered repeatedly, with the military schools on both sides cheering continuously.

  Yue Fei finished his spear moves, his face changed color, he didn't breathe heavily, and gently put down his spear, then came forward to kneel down and pay respects.

  "Yue Fei, I see you are indeed a hero, just as Liu Dianyuan said. If the imperial court were to appoint you as a general in the future, how would you lead your troops? How would you deploy them and arrange your battle formations? How would you attack cities and capture territories?" asked Zong Ze.

  "If in the future, I can fulfill my lifelong ambition, I will make sure to give clear orders and prohibitions, reward and punish fairly, maintain strict military discipline, and boost our military's prestige and morale. A strong military presence can shake mountains, and strict discipline can boost soldiers' spirits. The key to victory lies not in bravery but in strategy, not in the number of soldiers but in their quality. When stationed on high ground, be cautious of being besieged; when stationed on low-lying land, be cautious of flooding. A commander should lead by example, care for his subordinates, and use both kindness and severity appropriately, without seeking personal gain or fame. The principles of warfare are: to preserve the nation is best, to destroy it is secondary; to preserve the army is best, to destroy it is secondary; to preserve the five elements is best, to destroy them is secondary. Therefore, the highest form of warfare is to defeat the enemy's strategy, the next best is to defeat their army..." Yue Fei spoke with conviction.

  Zong Ze was overjoyed and walked forward, helping Yue Fei up with both hands. "Noble brother, please get up," he said. "I thought you were trying to bribe your way in, but it turns out you really have true talent and learning. I spoke too harshly earlier, so I hope you can forgive me on account of my friendship with Liu Duiyuan." Zong Ze said with a smile.

  "It's normal for the Grand Old Master to have some doubts, what crime is there? It's just that in the future, Yue Fei will still have to rely on the Lord of the Guard to take care of him." Yue Fei said.

  "This is natural. Come with me," Zong Ze said and took Yue Fei into the inner room.

  "Xian Qi, don't be polite, sit down, let's have a good chat." Zong Ze said and ordered the servants to bring in tea.

  Yue Fei made a bow to Zong Ze and then sat down.

  After a while, the tea was brought in from both sides. Zongze ordered them to withdraw and close the door. Sitting at the top, they sipped their tea on one side and discussed the tactics of marching and deploying troops on the other.

  "Xianqi's martial arts skills are exceptional, have you ever studied the tactics of deploying troops and arranging battle formations?" Zong Ze asked.

  "Following the diagram to find the steed, and reciting from the original text, is an inflexible method that cannot be taken. During the Warring States period, Zhao Kuo was well-read in military books, but only knew how to recite from the original text, and did not know how to adapt to changing circumstances, resulting in the painful lesson of the Battle of Changping. In the Three Kingdoms period, Ma Su only knew how to talk about military strategy on paper, exaggerating his abilities, resulting in Shu losing Jieting, and the gate being wide open. Past events are lessons for future ones, Yue Fei remembered this in his heart."

  "What's your view on how to deploy our troops?" asked Zong Ze.

  "Deploying troops and arraying them is like a good doctor diagnosing an illness, with countless changes in the disease comes countless changes in the treatment. The situation on the battlefield changes by the minute, only through concrete analysis of specific situations can one make the best decisions."

  "So you're saying the wisdom of the ancients is useless to people today?" Zong Ze asked back.

  "Of course, it's useful. We can use it as a reference, based on the terrain, topography, and the comparison of the strengths of both sides on the battlefield. To win, we must also be familiar with the terrain, understand the opponent's movements, as the saying goes: 'Know yourself, know your enemy, and you will win every battle.'"

  Challenge