Jiangnan.
On the ancient road, a carriage came slowly from south to north. The driver was an extremely handsome young man, with a hint of elegance between his brows, like a poet stepping out of a painting.
"Your Highness, we have entered the territory of Jiangnan."
"Ahem!"
There was a violent cough in the carriage. Ning Chen quickly took out a handkerchief from his arms and covered it in front of his mouth. A trace of blood stained the white handkerchief scarlet.
"Your Highness?"
The carriage came to a sudden stop. Ning Rulai opened the bed curtain, looked at the blood-stained handkerchief, and her expression changed immediately.
"what happened?"
"It's okay!" Ning Chen squeezed out a smile and said with a slightly pale face: "It's just that I'm a little tired from the long journey."
"Keep on going!"
"Your Highness, let's take a rest, shall we?"
"No!" Ning Chen shook his head: "This place is still hundreds of miles away from Jijia Village. At our speed, we may not be able to make it in seven days."
"Speed up!"
"yes!"
Ning Rulai had a look of helplessness on her face, let out a long sigh, and continued to ride on her horse.
They traveled all the way from Dali to the southern border, and then around to the south of the Yangtze River. They traveled nearly a thousand miles. Under the fatigue of traveling and traveling, His Highness King Sheng was physically exhausted. He had never recovered his health. Unexpectedly...
"Your Highness, after this trip, let's go back to Beijing!"
"Um!"
Ning Chen responded and said softly: "My younger brother is currently living in Huainan. I'm afraid it's not very peaceful in the capital."
"I'm a little worried when I heard that the imperial court is preparing for a decisive battle with Donghuai!"
"Why don't we go to the Eastern Territory first?"
"Your Highness!"
Ning Rulai's expression immediately changed, and she persuaded softly: "With your current body, what will happen even if you go to the Eastern Territory?"
"Besides, the emperor's wife is pregnant. If you make any mistakes again, wouldn't you regret it for the rest of your life?"
"My father means that you should go back to Beijing to rest for a while."
"That's fine!"
…
Jijiazhuang!
Outside the school, two small wooden houses were built with the help of the villagers. The small courtyard made of fences was full of flowers and greenery.
A simple stone case and four stone benches are the residences of Bai Qi and Ning Yao.
"Sir, it is said in "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu that the first step is to defeat the enemy, the second is to attack the enemies, and the third is to attack the city. What does this mean?"
"War is meant to capture cities and territories, plunder resources, and use large armies to attack the territory, either to seek wealth, land, or people. Why is there such a thing as attacking with troops?"
Ji Jiu held Sun Tzu's Art of War in his arms and looked at Bai Qi, who was farming not far away. The latter put down the shovel in his hand, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and looked at Ning Yao, who was copying a book.
"Girl, what do you think?"
"Master, I think the meaning of this sentence is that when two armies fight, they first use strategy to defeat the enemy, and the second is to use diplomacy to defeat the enemy. The next strategy is to send out troops to attack the city and capture the territory."
"The so-called best strategy is to obtain benefits or achieve goals through strategy. To defeat enemies lies in the combination of vertical and horizontal forces, such as the strategy of distant friendship and close attack, and the inferior strategy is to use the most barbaric means to fight life and death and arrange troops..."
After Ning Yao's explanation, Bai Qi nodded slightly, then smiled and said: "The science of military strategy is not just about attacking cities and territories, fighting on the battlefield, it's as simple as life and death!"
"War can never be separated from politics, and politics can never be separated from diplomacy!"
"In ancient times, there was a prime minister named Su Qin. This man was not a military strategist, but he used the method of joining forces to lobby the six countries, and cooperated with the six countries to establish seals, so that our great Qin... made one of the most powerful countries at that time ten years old. I dare not send troops to fight for five years!"
"This is the way of diplomacy. As far as the art of war is concerned, arranging troops and attacking cities and territories can make you a good general!"
"As for a commander, his first consideration is not the gains and losses of a war, how many cities he captured, how many enemies he annihilated, but the overall situation of the country and the court, weighing the pros and cons and calculating the gains and losses!"
"Which is how you fight, how you win, how you lose, how you attack, how you retreat!"
"This is the key!"
"The first step is to attack and plan, which is to defeat the enemy without fighting. The second step is to attack enemies, which is to join forces and vertically and horizontally. The second step is to attack the city, and to form troops in formation!"
“The best strategy can win a country, the middle strategy can win a battle, but the worst strategy can only win one!”
Bai Qi held the hoe and opened his mouth. Ning Yao and Ji Jiu both looked thoughtful.
"You two, if you want to become good generals, with your current talents, you only need to practice on the battlefield to lead an army. But if you want to become a famous commander!"
"Just reading a few military books is not enough."
"Economy, politics, diplomacy, and even vertical and horizontal affairs, only by combining them can you control one side!"
After hearing Bai Qi's words, Ji Jiu nodded heavily. For a moment, he seemed to understand what he meant.
In the battle in the west, their army was completely defeated, but the imperial court's plan really frustrated Da Yan, so much so that he still dared not move eastwards.
This should be called "going up to attack with troops"!
"Sir, what do you think of the battle in the Western Region?"
"Battle in the West!"
Bai Qi pondered for a moment and gave his own evaluation: "A stroke of genius!"
"Appreciate further details!"
"Just now, the three strategies from the upper, middle and lower levels will come out, and the three strategies from the imperial court will come out at the same time!"
"Luring the enemy deep, please enter the urn, join forces in all directions, and ambush from all sides!"
"First, we used the 100,000 defenders of Xuanjian Pass as bait to lure Da Yan's 500,000-strong army to attack fiercely. Then we abandoned Xuanjian Pass, luring the enemy in depth, and then deployed heavy troops to inflict heavy damage."
"Then send envoys to Dali to divert the war!"
"Such a great victory will ensure that the Western Territory will be worry-free for three years."
After Bai Qi finished speaking, Ji Jiu looked extremely complicated and murmured: "Do all the 100,000 comrades in Xuanjian Pass deserve to die in battle?"
"Boy Ji!"
"Remember, kindness does not command troops!"
"In this battle, one hundred thousand soldiers from the Western Territory died, but they were spared the disaster of three years of war in the Western Territory. Dayu paid the minimum price in exchange for the greatest victory!"
"They deserved their death!"
Bai Qi said in a sonorous voice: "You were lucky enough to survive the battlefield. Your comrades died in the battle. You are deeply saddened. But for them, dying on the battlefield is their destination!"
"If you give them a chance to choose, they will also choose this ending, do you believe it?"
"I……"
Ji Jiu hesitated for a long time and nodded heavily. If he was allowed to go to Xuanjian Pass and defend it, in exchange for victory in a great battle and saving the Western Territory from war for several years, he would nod without hesitation!
"Thank you sir for your advice!"
"Boy, can you become your teacher?"
Ji Jiu looked at Bai Qi sincerely, stepped forward and knelt on the ground.
Bai Qi shook his head slightly, continued to wave the hoe in his hand, and said calmly: "It's enough for Bai to accept one disciple in his life!"
"gentlemen!"
Ji Jiu knocked his head deeply on the ground and said with a painful expression: "Young man, I dare not forget the entrustment of the generals during the deadly battle at Xuanjian Pass!"
"His Royal Highness King Sheng also personally said that if there is a chance, let the boy reorganize the Zhenxi King's army, sir, please teach me the art of war!"
…
