Chapter 27: Sharpening Swords on the Battlefield is Not Quick but Radiant

  Jiang Xianyun and He Zhanchan finally returned before dinner, bringing back a dinner from the school cafeteria for An Yi. The brothers also went out to eat one after another, and soon gathered again under the tree in front of the barracks, eating and chatting with An Yi while enthusiastically discussing the time and difficulty of the fourth exam, considering how to help their younger brother review.

  Jiang Xianyun and the other did not reveal the news that An Yi was assigned to the Engineering Corps at the meeting. Although An Yi still had to take part in the necessary exams for each subject with students from all over, An Yi's achievements and the good impression he left on the superiors were there, as long as he didn't hand in a blank paper, getting admitted was a sure thing. What Jiang Xianyun and the other were worried about was that most of their people were from the Infantry Corps, and when chatting with An Yi during daily conversations, he showed great interest in the various teaching methods and subjects of the Infantry Corps, openly hoping to enter the Infantry Corps. If they told An Yi the truth at this time, it would be hard to say whether this little brother, who appeared to be easy-going but had a strong sense of self-respect, would resist or simply quit, and it was really unknown what foolish decision he would make.

  After dinner, Hu Zongnan and others returned to their own regiment to lead the troops. The remaining dozen or so brothers sat in a circle under the tree, Jiang Xianyun sought An Yi's opinion:

  "Xiao Yi, starting from this issue, the military school has been renamed as the Central Military and Political School. After negotiations between the KMT and the CPC, it was agreed to expand the enrollment number, so many people came from various provinces to take the exam, and the time was also extended accordingly. From the end of June to the 15th of this month, three batches of students have undergone physical examinations and entrance exams, and those who were admitted have entered the school's new student team for training. The registration work for the fourth batch has ended, and the exam is scheduled for the 21st of this month. Candidates from various places must complete their physical examination and pick up their admission tickets on the 20th. Today is August 19th, and we estimate that you won't have time to prepare, so we've decided to let you take part in the fifth batch of physical examinations in early September. Therefore, you'll stay here for these short 12-13 days, every morning you'll go out for exercises with Old Zeng and others, after breakfast you'll start supplementary lessons, and later we'll discuss and arrange a schedule to provide uninterrupted tutoring on your cultural courses, no matter what, you must get in."

  All the brothers expressed their willingness to help, and as long as they had time, they all rushed here to help An Yi. Various encouragement and comfort came one after another, and when gathered together, it was just one sentence - no matter what, you must pass the exam!

  An Yi smiled foolishly at everyone and asked Jiang Xianyun in a low voice, "Boss, are the subjects for this exam still the same as before?"

  "Chinese, Politics, History and Geography, Physics and Chemistry, Mathematics, these subjects haven't changed. Starting from this period, an additional foreign language subject has been added. But don't worry, the results of this period's foreign language exam won't have a big impact on the overall score. After all, many children of workers and peasants in this period didn't have the opportunity to learn a foreign language. As for how it will be next time, it hasn't been finally decided yet. You're so clever, I believe that with more than ten days of crash learning, you'll definitely be fine."

  Jiang Xianyun loudly encouraged, but in his heart there was no small regret. His little brother was good at everything, just worried about his brush calligraphy, and coincidentally the Chinese exam had to use a brush, guessing it would be a disaster.

  An Yi thought for a moment and asked again: "Which big brother can lend me the tutorial books from the exam, I don't have any confidence if I don't take a look."

  "I have it, I'll bring it over later."

  "There's too much of it, everyone has some stored away, piled up it could crush you."

  The brothers answered in a lively and disorderly manner, from time to time bursting into joyful laughter.

  "My set is still quite complete, I estimate that in a few days I will have to report to the Fourth Army, it's useless to put it away so I'll give it to you, Xiao Yi is waiting!" Twenty-four-year-old Xu Jishen ran back to the barracks with a smile, and soon brought out more than ten books and placed them on the stool in front of An Yi.

  At this time, An Yi had no idea that his big brother, who was always smiling at himself and was sturdy and loyal, was a **ghost**, nor did he know that today's meeting would be the last time they would see each other.

  An Yi saw that a few books on the top of a stack were algebraic geometry, picked them up and flipped through them for a moment before putting them down. A chemistry book was closed after he finished browsing the catalog and put it aside. In less than five minutes, he browsed through the books like a horse looking at flowers, leaving only three Chinese books, one history book, and one geography book. He smiled happily at Jiang Xianyun and He Zhanchan, who were closest to him:

  "These are exactly the books I need. My brain is dull and I'm bad at history, I can remember some major historical events, but I have no memory of many historical figures or when they occurred. When I was young, my family was poor and didn't travel far, so I couldn't remember all these place names. Tonight, I'll finish reading these books. As the saying goes, 'even a dull knife can still shine', haha... Brothers, I want to ask you for something."

  Jiang Xianyun and others were extremely surprised by An Yi's performance, not knowing what kind of trick this guy who always made everyone guess was playing. The way he flipped through the book so quickly seemed no different from a illiterate person seeing a book for the first time. They couldn't help but feel heavy worry in their hearts, and when they heard that he had something to ask for, they felt a chill run down their spines.

  He Zonghan sighed: "Say, Xiao Yi, it's okay, if you feel like you need more time to review, we can temporarily give up this exam period. I believe that as long as you are willing to learn, you will definitely pass the next one."

  "Lao He, what are you talking about? Haha……I get it, so I'm that unworthy in the eyes of all you big brothers?" An Yi looked around at the disappointed and worried older boys, put down his book and said loudly: "Listen up, big brothers! Today I must do something awesome. What I want to ask is, can you think of a way for me to sign up for tomorrow's physical exam? That way I can make it to the exam the day after tomorrow, otherwise I'll have to wait another ten or more days and I'll be so anxious I'll get sick."

  "What did you say?"

  He Zhanchan was shocked, and with his astonished brothers, looked at each other for a long time before turning to An Yi and saying seriously: "Xiao Yi, this is not something to be taken lightly. Normally you can do as you please, big brother will let you have your way, but when it comes to serious matters that affect our future and reputation, Xiao Yi, you absolutely cannot have even a hint of carelessness..."

  "Halt!"

  An Yi knew the true thoughts of He Zhonghan and his brothers, and the pride in his bones burst out unknowingly. After thinking for a moment, he picked up a piece of tile and squatted down, quickly cleaning the ground with a few swipes. Then, he rapidly drew a three-dimensional vertebral body with several lines, and all the brothers gathered around to examine it carefully. Seeing that he could draw such precise three-dimensional shapes without using measuring tools, they were greatly surprised and their interest was piqued, all wanting to know what the young brother would do next.

  "Alright, gentlemen, I'm assuming this vertebra is made of steel with a density of 7.8. Here are three numbers: the base angle, arc length, and so on. If any of you can calculate the weight of this vertebra within ten minutes, I'll treat him to three days of drinks at Yue Xiang Lou!"

  Everyone's interest increased after hearing, but after careful consideration, they all gave up. Zeng Kuoxin, who was best at math, squatted down and scribbled for two minutes before giving up: "Xiao Yi, this is too difficult! You've mixed together functions, equations, circular calculations, and multiplication of densities - it's not just a matter of ten minutes, even an hour wouldn't be enough to solve it. I admit I'm not at that level."

  "Grandma's little Yi, you wouldn't have gotten it from somewhere on purpose to bother us, would you?" Du Yiming asked.

  An Yi burst out laughing, lowered his head and quickly wrote down the calculation steps on the ground, stood up in just six minutes, threw away the tile pieces, patted his hands proudly: "The final result is 72 kilograms! Those who don't believe can copy the contents on the ground with a pen to verify it themselves. If I'm wrong, I'll lose ten big oceans!"

  Everyone looked at the ground in disbelief, then looked at An Yi with a smug expression. Jiang Xianyun and He Zhancheng, Du Yuming, Zeng Kuangqing and several others exchanged glances for a while, unable to speak. Unexpectedly, An Yi spoke up again: "I know that all of you brothers are worried that my calligraphy is not good enough. Don't worry! If you're interested, I'll take the opportunity to show off in front of all of you today, haha..."

  Jiang Xianyun's eyebrows twitched, and he said loudly: "Pen and ink at the ready! Today we'll see just how much ink this guy has in his belly!"

  A simple writing desk was brought out, and two old men quickly spread white paper on it, waiting quietly for An Yi. However, An Yi struck a pose like an old Peking Opera actor, slowly raised his right hand, shook his sleeve slightly, made a lan flower gesture with his little finger, and scratched the top of his head: "Xiao Zeng, aren't you going to grind the ink? What are you waiting for?"

  Zeng Kuai kicked An Yi's butt with one foot: "Damn it! You dare to open a dye house just because you've been given some face? If you keep dragging your feet, I'll beat you up!"

  Everyone burst out laughing, An Yi shook his head dejectedly and muttered a few words. He smiled apologetically at Xu Jishen who had come forward to open the ink bottle: "Thanks, old Xu, you're really kind-hearted and know how to sympathize with your little brother."

  The crowd burst into laughter again, and An Yi stopped joking. He stood up straight, dipped his brush in thick ink, and with a gentle touch of the wolf's hair brush tip, he lightly scraped the mouth of the bottle twice. After a moment's thought, he began to write: "Those who are first on the battlefield and wait for the enemy are at ease; those who arrive late on the battlefield and rush into battle are exhausted. Therefore, skilled warriors make others come to them, without themselves going to others."

  A beautiful thin gold body calligraphy appears on the paper under the gaze of everyone, and An Yi, who has not yet finished his meaning, writes a row of neat small regular script signatures in the lower left corner: Autumn 1925 An Yi painted at Huangpu.

  "What's up, everyone? If I go take the exam, I'll probably just barely pass... What's going on? Why are you all staring at me? Could it be that there wasn't enough gravy for dinner tonight and you're harboring evil intentions?"

  An Yi pretended to be surprised, looking left and right, but in his heart he was delighted, thinking "Does grandma dare to look down on me?"

  "Old man, I'll strangle you, you little cheat!" The brothers came to their senses and rushed up, shouting and scolding in a chaotic mess. Poor Comrade Anyi was pinned down on the sandy ground by five or six sturdy men, screaming like a slaughtered pig. Someone shouted "Lift him up and smash his little butt!", and Anyi's limbs were immediately grasped by countless large hands, lifted into the air, and no matter how he tried to explain or plead for mercy, no one listened. His poor buttocks were smashed against the ground repeatedly amidst the synchronized shouting, and his pitiful wails were drowned out by the noise.

  Jiang Xianyun picked up An Yi's "Sun Tzu's Art of War. Chapter on Deception" and exclaimed loudly, "He not only understands calligraphy but is also familiar with the art of war, I wonder how many things this kid is still hiding from us... Junshan, let's go talk to Director Shao later and ask for his help, he won't refuse, then we can take a leave to accompany Little Yi to register and take the physical exam."

  He Zhenhan nodded, somewhat annoyed, and said: "Tonight, I won't let this kid sleep. I must dig out his guts to see them thoroughly before I can be satisfied. Otherwise, he'd better confess honestly. If not, I'll have him face the severe punishment of being brought to justice in the middle of the night..."