Chapter Forty-Three Examination - Worries and Delight

  Chapter 43: Assessment - Worries and Delight

  Zong Que heard the theory of war by Yue Fei and was quite satisfied. In order to further examine him, he asked many difficult questions, and Yue Fei answered them calmly, expressing his own views.

  "Xian Qi, I'll ask you another question. Suppose the enemy is numerous and powerful, and suddenly attacks, how should we respond?" asked Zong Liushou.

  "If the enemy suddenly attacks, with a large number of troops, do not panic at first. Remain calm and either defend in place or break through to create a bloody path. Everything depends on the changing situation on the battlefield. If surrounded on all sides, there is no time to arrange troops in formation. The only option is to hold high ground, eliminate the enemy's vanguard, find the weak point in their defenses, and launch a surprise attack, catching them off guard. Then break through the encirclement. Or, rally the soldiers for a final, desperate fight, as the saying goes: 'break the cauldron and sink the boat,' 'back to the water and fight.' This is the principle of putting oneself in a situation where one must either win or die.

  Looking at history, the outcome of battles where the few defeat the many does not depend solely on some particular military book or wise general. The most important factors are the alignment of heaven, earth, and human forces. Of these three, human forces are more important than geographical advantages, which in turn are more important than weather conditions.

  The Battle of Longyou was won by the State of Lu because they launched a single, unified attack. The Battle of Julu was won by Xiang Yu because he broke through the enemy lines with a desperate fight. The Battle of Guandu was lost by Yuan Shao because he underestimated the enemy and lost the support of his troops. The Battle of Red Cliffs was lost by Cao Cao because he did not understand the waterways and lost both geographical and weather advantages.

  The Battle of Fei River was won by the Jin dynasty because they had all three advantages: heaven, earth, and human forces. The wind howled and the trees creaked, causing the enemy to be frightened before the battle even began.

  The key to victory in war is to use unorthodox tactics, making it impossible for the enemy to discern our true intentions. Only then can we grasp victory."

  Zongliu Shou listened and sighed in admiration.

  "Xian Qi is indeed a pillar of the state, and Liu Du Yuan can be said to have an eye for heroes. It's just that Xian Qi came to Beijing this year to take the exam, but it's not the right time." Zong Liushou said.

  "Zong Jun said so, is it because this year's imperial court cancelled the exam?" Yue Fei asked curiously.

  "The Emperor did not cancel the Imperial Examination, but now a vassal king has arrived in the capital. His surname is Chai and his name is Gui, he is a direct descendant of the Later Zhou Emperor Chai Shi Zong, garrisoned in Yunnan, and was enfeoffed as 'Little Liang King'. A few days ago, Little Liang King came to the capital to pay respects to the Emperor, but somehow got it into his head that he also wanted to take part in the examination. This Little Liang King is quite skilled and aims to win the top spot in the Imperial Examination. Xian Qi's abilities are naturally not inferior to his, but Little Liang King has a powerful backer. The Emperor appointed four chief examiners: one was Grand Preceptor Zhang Bang Chang, one was Minister of War Wang Dang, one was Right Military Commissioner Zhang Jun, and one was myself. That Little Liang King sent each of us a letter and a gift. Those three accepted the gifts, and Grand Preceptor Zhang agreed to his request, I think the Prime Minister also agreed, and Minister Wang and Commissioner Zhang should have no objections either. Although I did not accept the gift, those three agreed to the examination, and I alone cannot do anything about it. I think the top spot will likely fall to Little Liang King, and there's nothing I can do." Zong Liu Shou said with a worried expression.

  "Sir, Wu Sheng has no money and no power. If he wants to achieve a good reputation, it depends on his own ability. Hearing you say this, doesn't that mean that Yue Fei has no hope of achieving fame?" Yue Fei asked.

  "It's not necessarily so, Xiaoliang Wang Zhi is still a top scholar, and there are also other talents like Bangeyan and Tanhua who can be sought after for their future prospects. In order to select the best talents for the country, it is necessary to choose the most outstanding and learned martial artists, but to achieve fairness and justice, it's likely to require great effort. Don't worry, old man will definitely speak up for you in front of the emperor, even if it means risking my own life." said Zong Ze.

  Yue Fei was deeply moved and hastily knelt down to kowtow.

  "Xian Qi, no need for excessive courtesy. You and I should have a long conversation today, but the imperial court has many eyes and ears now. If we stay too long, it may arouse suspicion from others and lead to gossip. So, I won't keep you here any longer. Please return to your residence, and before the examination, I will notify you separately." Zong Ze said.

  Yue Fei bid farewell and left, walking out of the government office, his brothers swarmed around him, asking this and that.

  Yue Fei's face was clouded with worry, and he didn't say a word.

  "Big brother, what did the governor do to you? Why does your face look so bad? Were you bullied? Wait for me, I'll go teach that ignorant official a lesson." Niu Gao said angrily, and then he rushed inside.

  "Niu Gao, stop right there!" Yue Fei bellowed.

  Niu Gao immediately stopped in his tracks and curiously asked, "Big brother, what's going on? Speak quickly! We brothers have been taking care of things for you outside, but as soon as you come out, you're putting on a fierce face and not saying a word. How are we supposed to feel?"

  Yue Fei felt that he was somewhat in the wrong after hearing Niu Gao's words. A man should be able to put things up and down, not narrow-minded, and shouldn't be bothered by trivial matters.

  "Brothers, I was wrong just now and made you worry. I apologize to you here. That Zong Liuguang has been very good to me, we are like old friends who have forgotten our ages. It's just that this time when we came to the capital for the exam, we encountered some troublesome things. Let's go back first and talk about it later. There are many people on the road and it's not convenient to speak." Yue Fei said.

  The five brothers walked together in silence and returned to their dormitory, which was already after noon.

  Jiang Zhenzi saw the several brothers of Yue Fei return and welcomed them upstairs, immediately arranging wine and dishes.

  "Uncle Yue, the dishes don't quite suit my taste, please forgive me. You all take your time drinking, I have many other guests to attend to downstairs, so I'll take my leave first." Jiang Zhenzi said and went downstairs.

  Yue Fei saw Jiang Zhenzi go downstairs, so he told his brothers in detail about everything that had happened at the gate of the Imperial Palace. He didn't dare to tell them about the dispute between Xiao Liang and Wang Zhi over the title of Zhuangyuan, fearing that they would get anxious and do something foolish.

  The brothers listened to Yue Fei's account and were overjoyed.

  "Big brother, since Zong Ze is so concerned about you, why are you still so downhearted? Have you encountered some difficult situation? You might as well speak out and let us brothers share the burden together." Zhang Xian saw that Yue Fei was still downhearted and felt puzzled, so he couldn't help but ask.

  "There's nothing difficult about it, I've just been away from home for some days now. I'm worried about my old mother at home, I don't know if she's in good health?" Yue Fei said with a sudden movement of his mind.

  The brothers listened and felt at ease in their hearts.

  In the evening, the people who stayed at the government office sent over five sets of wine and dishes, saying it was inconvenient to invite them to the mansion for a meal, so they specially sent them over to entertain the five guests.

  Yue Fei gave two taels of silver and sent the man away.

  "Brother, this Magistrate Zong is indeed a good official, he's even sent us wine and dishes. Since it's from the yamen, we don't need to return the courtesy, so let's not eat for free." Niu Gao said as he started eating and drinking heavily.

  The crowd of brothers saw Niu Gao eating first and followed suit, eating and drinking lavishly.

  "Brothers, drinking like this is no fun, if we make a wine order and drink according to it, that's what I call enjoyable." Wang Gui said.

  "Right, we brothers will play a drinking game. This wine was given to us by Lord Luogu as a favor to Brother Yue, who is the host of today's banquet. He'll start and Cowang will end, anyone who can't keep up will be penalized with three cups of wine." Tang Huai echoed in agreement.

  "Big brother, you take the lead! The younger brothers are all waiting for the drinking order." Zhang Xian urged.

  "Everyone is a hero, today I'll make heroes the topic, and tell you an ancient story of a heroic drinker. Since I'm the host, let me start: Guan Yu's solo journey to the gathering can be considered heroic, warming up wine to behead Hua Xiong can also be considered heroic." Yue Fei said, and then took a big gulp.

  "Good!" The brothers all cheered in unison.

  "I won't make any promises, I only know that Cao Cao cooked wine to discuss heroes. The stories of Wu Song getting drunk and hitting the Temple of the Heavenly Gate God and Wu Song fighting a tiger can be considered heroic?" Zhang Xian said.

  "Of course it's a hero. Come on, let's drink." The brothers raised their glasses and downed them in one gulp.

  "Liu Jizi got drunk and killed a snake, he can be considered a hero." Tang Huai said.

  "Well said! Cheers!" Everyone said and had another drink.

  "Can Runtu's fists hitting the town of Guanzhong be considered heroic?" Wang Gui said.

  Everyone cheered again and downed another glass.

  When he arrived at Niu Gao's place, he picked up his wine cup and drank three cups in a row, saying: "I, Niu Gao, am an unrefined person, I don't know those ancient people, but I do know that Zhou Dang is a hero, my elder brother is a hero, and when I drink, I'm also a hero."

  Everyone burst out laughing.