ragginovel Chapter 22: The Mystery Unraveled, Military Tactics Revealed
Chapter 22: The Mystery Unraveled, Military Tactics Revealed
Although they are traditional Chinese characters, fortunately most commonly used traditional Chinese characters are either the same as simplified Chinese characters or quite similar to simplified Chinese characters.
Even if you don't recognize it, you can still guess its meaning based on the context.
He felt extremely fortunate at that moment.
I was glad I didn't need to find someone to teach me to read, and since I was eager to understand the contents of the book, I temporarily ignored the problem.
Xuanming's gaze fell on the lonely bamboo scroll beside him, and that strange sense of familiarity resurfaced.
The sentence structure above appears to be classical Chinese grammar.
Thinking of this, Xuanming pushed the books in front of him forward, reached out and took the bamboo slips, unfolding them.
This time, he didn't start from the beginning, but quickly scanned the inscriptions.
...Warfare is based on deception.
Familiar words caught his eye, and Xuanming's heart skipped a beat.
"This is... perhaps just a coincidence."
He suppressed his rapidly beating heart and continued reading.
...attack when they are unprepared, strike unexpectedly...
...In all warfare, one should strive for peace through orthodox methods and achieve victory through unorthodox methods...
The best strategy is to attack the enemy's plans; the next best is to disrupt their alliances; the next best is to attack their army; and the worst is to besiege their cities.
...Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated...
At this point, Xuanming had no interest in reading any further.
His mind was completely consumed by the doubts in his head.
Xuanming was completely baffled as to why the contents of Sun Tzu's Art of War from the Dragon Kingdom would appear on the bamboo slips before him.
The similarity of the characters can be somewhat explained by coincidence, but the Art of War by Sun Tzu is inexplicable.
Although the full content of Sun Tzu's Art of War is unknown, it is impossible to confirm whether it is exactly the same as the one on the bamboo slips.
But the few sentences he recognized were enough to illustrate some points.
Those sentences are a complete copy-paste of Sun Tzu's Art of War, even the word order is exactly the same.
Even if ideas can be shared, the same meaning, even when written in the same language, will not be 100% identical when written by different people.
What's more, they are two completely unrelated time periods?
Why is this happening?
"By the way, Xiao Hengyi said his world is like the world in TV dramas, could this world be the same...?"
Xuanming stared blankly at the bamboo slips, his mind a jumble of speculations about the connection between the two worlds.
The more he thought about it, the more convinced he was that his guess was correct, completely unaware that the author had quietly put down his pen after reading the secrets of the heavens behind the case.
He was only awakened when a white figure blocked the light from his side and a gentle voice sounded in his ear.
"Interested in military strategy?"
Xuanming was so startled he almost jumped off his chair. His heart raced, and he frantically tried to stand up straight and bow.
"Mr. Yue!"
Yue Tianji gently raised his hand and pressed it lightly, indicating that he did not need to be so polite.
He then naturally sat down on another chair next to him, his gaze falling on the rolled-up bamboo slips.
"It seems you've been reading for a while."
What are your thoughts on this?
"I..." Xuanming was speechless for a moment, his cheeks burning uncontrollably, and his fingers unconsciously picking at the edge of the bamboo slip.
After struggling for a while, he finally spoke, "I...I don't recognize some of the words, and...I don't quite understand what it means."
His voice grew softer and softer as he spoke, almost burying his head in his chest, bracing himself for a disappointed look.
A hint of surprise, which was unusual, appeared in Yue Tianji's usually calm, light brown eyes.
"Oh? I find your speech to be clear and logical, not illiterate. This statement is rather unexpected."
"Please excuse my poor appearance, sir!"
"When I was a child, I was a wanderer in the village. I met a gentleman who was passing by and taking a break."
"He was kind-hearted and taught me for a while. I learned some characters and he also explained many principles to me."
"But he didn't stay long. I only learned a little bit and recognized some common words."
"Books like these." Xuanming pointed to the bamboo slips, his tone somewhat ashamed.
"It's too deep. There are many words in it that I've never seen before. My teacher didn't have time to teach me these things back then."
After speaking, he lowered his head deeply again, as if awaiting judgment, and his shoulders hunched slightly.
Yue Tianji listened quietly, his gaze lingering for a moment on Xuanming's face, which was filled with embarrassment and sincerity.
He already had some guesses about the boy's experiences, and what Xuanming said at this moment confirmed his own thoughts.
"It's alright. This military strategy is profound and concise, and it's perfectly normal for beginners to find it difficult to understand."
As he spoke, he pointed his long, slender fingers to the words on the bamboo slip.
"In general, the best policy in warfare is to preserve the country intact; the next best is to destroy it. The best policy is to preserve the army intact; the next best is to destroy it." This means...
Xuanming was completely stunned.
He had anticipated various reactions: contempt, disappointment, impatience, or even deeper scrutiny.
The only thing he didn't expect was that Yue Tianji would start explaining things to him so naturally.
Why would this powerful strategist waste his time on this nobody of unknown origin and worthless?
Was it just a spur-of-the-moment decision?
still is……
Any other plans?
The immense confusion and unease overwhelmed the joy of gaining knowledge.
Yue Tianji's gentle and peaceful words seemed to pass through a veil of water, vaguely reaching his ears, but not a single word penetrated his mind.
He devoted all his attention to figuring out the true purpose behind the other party's unusual behavior.
The sound of reading the heavenly secrets gradually stopped.
Xuanming simply doesn't know how to hide his emotions.
Those eyes, which always carried a hint of fear, were now clearly filled with "why".
Looking at the boy who was clearly lost in thought and looked completely bewildered, Yue Tianji felt a sense of helplessness, recalling Mu Yunzhishu's earlier joke.
Unexpectedly, Mu Yunzhishu's words hit the nail on the head, and he now truly felt a sense of unease.
"If we don't point it out, the child will probably keep dwelling on it, but if we do, the child will likely become even more worried."
After a cup of tea.
"Xuanming!" Yue Tianji spoke again, his voice still calm, yet carrying a penetrating power that pulled Xuanming out of his chaotic thoughts.
"I summoned you here because the scriptures here are extremely precious and cannot be lost, not because you are of unknown origin or know the secret of the Soul Emperor's injury."
"I am teaching you military strategy now simply because I am excited and have no other intentions."
Xuanming froze, his face turning deathly pale, as if his most secret thoughts had been exposed on the spot, leaving him utterly ashamed.
He stood up abruptly and began to apologize incoherently.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Yue!"
"I...I didn't mean to speculate about you..."
"I just...I..." He was so ashamed he wanted to disappear into the ground.
He felt extremely petty, having thought of others' kindness in such a negative light.
However, to his surprise, Yue Tianji did not get angry.
"There's no need to panic, and certainly no need to apologize." His tone was calm yet carried a convincing power.
"We've only known each other for two days, so it's only natural for us to test each other and have doubts."
"It is my fault for not explaining this to you."
"This matter is now considered settled."