Dafeng Night Watchman

Chapter 436: Literary Gathering

Chapter 436: Chapter 436: Literary Gathering

The literary meeting was held at Lu Lake in the imperial city. A canopy was built by the lake to create an area that could accommodate hundreds of people.

The late summer sun was still scorching, but there was a cool breeze by the lake.

Originally, the literary meeting was held by the Imperial College, and most of the participants were students from the Imperial College.

But Pei Manxilou made such a big fuss, and the people attending the literary meeting were immediately different. Students from the Imperial College could still participate, but they were on the periphery and could not enter the canopy.

The literary meeting was held at noon, because in this way, the officials in the court could use the one-hour break time to participate openly.

As noon approached, the students of the Imperial College, wearing Confucian robes and Confucian hats, were stopped on the periphery by the imperial guards in armor.

"This is a literary gathering held by our Imperial College. Why can't we enter?"

"How can the host-guest relationship be reversed?"

"Not only are the imperial guards controlling the scene, but even the sorcerers from the Imperial Observatory are here to prevent people with ulterior motives from sneaking into the literary gathering. Could it be that Your Majesty wants to attend the literary gathering?"

As they were talking, carriages drove in and stopped at the square outside Lu Lake. The nobles and military generals got out of the carriages.

They should have nothing to do with the literary gathering. They all came for the four words "learning the art of war".

Not only did they come, but they also brought their wives and children.

"Look, the gentlemen are here, the six ministers, the assistant ministers, the palace and the cabinet..."

"I guessed that there would be some big shots coming, but I didn't expect so many? Why is it so difficult for a literary gathering?"

"Brother, you don't understand this. A literary gathering is naturally impossible, but behind this literary gathering, it is still a matter of negotiation. There is no trivial matter between the two countries. The gentlemen are here to build momentum and put pressure."

"A mere barbarian dares to come to the capital to discuss the truth. He doesn't know how high the sky is and how deep the earth is. Let's see how the great scholar Zhang Shen teaches him a lesson later."

After the military generals, there are the court officials above the third rank, such as the minister of the Ministry of Justice, the minister of the Ministry of War, and the palace and the cabinet.

Some of the bigwigs in the court also brought their female relatives, such as the famous Wang Simu, who was wearing a light pink lady's dress, with delicate makeup, dignified and beautiful.

"The nobles from the Hanlin Academy are here too. Interesting. These scholars claim to be unparalleled in their knowledge. They will definitely attack Pei Manxilou in a group later..." The eyes of the students from the Imperial College lit up.

A group of young officials in green robes entered the venue with a haughty look.

The Hanlin Academy is a place where academic masters gather. Although these nobles have no power and are young, they are definitely one of the most knowledgeable groups in Dafeng.

They are in their prime, and their memory, understanding, and sharp thinking are at the peak of their lives.

With their entry, the students from the Imperial College have doubled their confidence.

After the nobles of the Hanlin Academy took their seats, they talked in low voices:

"I have read "The Great Book of Hokusai", and it is of a certain level, but it is not refined."

"It is indeed not refined for us, but it is very profound for students all over the world."

"This person is really amazing. We can beat him in a single field. In terms of the breadth of his knowledge, we are ashamed of ourselves."

"By the way, if we talk about the art of war, no one in our Hanlin Academy can surpass Cijiu."

Instantly, a lot of eyes looked at the handsome young man.

Sitting behind the desk, Xu Xinnian clearly noticed that not only his colleagues in the Hanlin Academy, but also the nobles and officials not far away also came to see him.

Of course, my major is the art of war... He was about to nod when he heard a sneer from the nobles: "Pei Man went to the West Tower to ask for advice from the great scholar Zhang Shen. The teacher can't be worse than the student, right?"

Xu Xinnian was a little annoyed and said loudly: "The sage said that there is no age difference in learning, and the most accomplished ones come first. Who says that students must be inferior to teachers?"

The nobles and generals laughed. Knowing that he was Xu Qian'an's cousin, some of them laughed particularly wantonly, with ridicule written on their faces.

This Xu Xinnian has knowledge, but except for his ability to curse, he is not very outstanding in other fields in the Hanlin Academy.

He actually said that the student can beat the teacher, which is ridiculous.

Hmm? Curse?

The nobles and generals reacted and their laughter suddenly stopped.

Xu Xinnian drank a sip of tea and stood up with dignity.

........

Xu Qian'an, wearing light armor and a standard sword on his waist, followed Huaiqing and Lin'an's carriage to the venue. The luxurious carriage slowly stopped by the roadside. Huaiqing and Lin'an, wearing simple palace clothes and fiery red long skirts, got off the carriage at the same time.

Then, they all raised their hands to block the strong sunlight.

The princess was afraid of the sun, so she covered her hands with shade... A certain guard thought of this sentence, and then saw the eunuch holding a canopy to block the sun for the two princesses.

Bian Bian turned around and searched in the crowd. Her watery peach blossom eyes were confused. She didn't know who the dog slave had disguised himself as.

The disguise was pretty good... Bian Bian was a little disappointed, because she often saw the description of "people who like each other will have a tacit understanding" in the storybooks.

As soon as the two princesses entered the venue, they saw Xu Xinnian standing by the table, expressing his feelings, speaking sweetly, pointing at a group of nobles and scolding them.

The nobles and generals were furious, and they attacked Xu Xinnian one after another. The latter was not afraid, quoting classic sentences and speaking sharply.

Many generals have begun to roll up their sleeves.

The gentlemen drank tea and watched the show leisurely.

Huaiqing frowned and scolded: "How dare you!"

Her appearance when she was furious was full of majesty, which was extremely deterrent. Not only did Xu Xinnian stop scolding, but even the generals who were screaming in anger also stopped.

The nobles and nobles stood up and bowed: "Meet the two princesses."

Huaiqing snorted coldly, took Biao Biao and two guards to take their seats.

Xu Xinnian took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, and then looked at Wang Simu who was sitting on the upper left seat, and the other party happened to look at him.

Yesterday, Wang Simu specially looked for him, hoping that he could show his talent at the literary meeting, gain a good reputation and increase his prestige.

Miss Wang didn't expect Xu Erlang to be able to shock everyone at the literary meeting.

Because Zhang Shen was present, Mr. Zhang was Xu Erlang's teacher, and his presence was enough.

Xu Erlang smiled at her, just as he smiled calmly after listening to her yesterday.

At this time, students and guards shouted respectfully from the outside: "Meet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, meet the Third Prince, the Fourth Prince..."

Everyone in the pavilion looked sideways and saw the Crown Prince supporting a white-haired old man with a cane, walking towards the pavilion along the passage surrounded by the imperial guards.

"Grand Tutor?"

Huaiqing blurted out in surprise.

And Bian Bian shrank her head subconsciously. She had been slapped on the palm of her hand by this stinky old man since she was a child, and it had been beaten for many years.

The Grand Tutor was not targeting Lin'an, but the poor students.

The Crown Prince supported the Grand Tutor into the pavilion.

All the gentlemen stood up and saluted respectfully.

In terms of seniority, everyone present is the junior of the Taifu.

Xu Xinnian saluted in unison with his colleagues, looking at the old man supported by the prince. Although his hair was white, it was still thick, which was really enviable.

His face was full of wrinkles, his skin was seriously loose, and his eyes were slightly turbid, but the temperament of this old man was very unique.

He remembered that Dean Zhao Shou said that the Taifu was the only scholar in the contemporary era who had cultivated a noble spirit.

The three officials of this dynasty were all first-class, but they had no real power. The Taifu was originally expected to take charge of the cabinet, but his father practiced Taoism and ignored the government. The Taifu wanted to beat his father with a bamboo stick, but was stopped. After that, he had no chance of official career, so he concentrated on studying in the palace.

I didn't expect that even the Taifu would come......Xu Xinnian thought.

The Grand Master snorted coldly, looked at the Imperial College's chief priest, and said lightly: "I have lived in seclusion for many years, and only then did I find that the Imperial College is getting worse and worse."

The chief priest blushed.

The gentlemen who also came from the Imperial College were also a little embarrassed.

The face of the court is their face.

A young barbarian shines in the capital. If it is martial arts, it will be fine. Barbarians are crude warriors. But he is famous for his knowledge.

You know, the greatest pride of the human race is culture. Everything is inferior, only reading is high.

Confucianism is the system of the Central Plains human race, a unique cultural treasure, and the pride of countless people.

Seeing that the atmosphere was somewhat tense, Huaiqing stood up, pushed the prince away from the Taifu, helped him sit down, and said in a cold voice:

"Taifu, Pei Manxilou is amazingly talented. If we only talk about the Four Books and Five Classics, the Grand Priest is not inferior to him. It is very rare to have a person who has learned a lot and is able to be profound. But don't worry, with Zhang Shen's presence, I think everything will be safe."

The Taifu patted Huaiqing's hand and smiled a little:

"If your highness were a man, how could that barbarian have the opportunity to show off in the capital? This time I came to join in the fun , I just don't believe in evil. There are so many outstanding people in my Dafeng literati, and there are countless rising stars. No one can suppress him, a barbarian who has learned a little from the saints? "

At this time, a chuckle came from outside the pavilion, with a bit of leisure, retorting:

"The saint said that there is no distinction in teaching. The master kept saying barbarians on the left and barbarians on the right. Did he remember the saints' teachings in his heart? "

Outside the pavilion, Pei Manxilou, with his white hair, brought the charming Huang Xian'er and the cold-tempered boy with vertical pupils into the pavilion.

They were obviously foreigners and guests, but they put on a relaxed attitude of strolling in the garden, as if they were the masters of the literary meeting.

They didn't care about the presence of the nobles and generals, and they didn't show any fear.

The students of the Imperial College, the nobles of the Hanlin Academy, the officials present, the nobles and military generals... all stared at Pei Manxilou in silence, this barbarian with amazing talent and profound knowledge.

No one responded, but they quietly straightened their backs and calmed their emotions, as if they were facing a great enemy.

"I am the Baishou Department, the eldest son of the Pei Man family, Pei Manxilou, meet you all!"

Pei Manxilou used his knowledge to create the image of a brilliant scholar, and his goal has been achieved.

In this literary gathering, he plans to push his reputation to a peak again and pave the way for subsequent negotiations.

........

Xu Mansion.

Chu Yuanzhen sat in the courtyard, beside the stone table, holding a wine glass in his hand, and Lina, Li Miaozhen, and Xu Lingyin sat beside him.

"Why can he enter the imperial city? What is he going there for? Isn't he afraid that Emperor Yuan Jing will chop off his dog head?" Chu Yuanzhen said sourly.

He was very envious of the literary gathering. As a swordsman born in a scholar family and a former top scholar, this kind of literary gathering with peak confrontation was a fatal temptation for Chu Yuanzhen.

But he could not enter the imperial city, let alone attend the literary gathering in public. All this was because of Xu Qian'an. If it had not been for helping him, how could he be so miserable.

So he came to him to drink and complain.

Unexpectedly, the instigator himself went in.

Chu Yuanzhen felt sour in his heart as if he had eaten a lemon.

"I want to go too."

Xu Lingyin said crisply.

"The literary gathering is just a group of scholars discussing boring things. You don't want to go. This kind of place has nothing to do with us, master and apprentice. It's better to eat cakes and drink sweet wine at home."

Lina took the opportunity to educate her apprentice. She was still very capable and hoped that her apprentice would gradually become capable.

"Master, there are a lot of delicious food in the meeting. Last time Daguo fought with the monks, I followed an uncle and ate a lot of delicious food."

Xu Lingyin delivered a fatal blow.

"Oh, I didn't expect that there would be delicious food and wine in the meeting." Lina's eyes sparkled.

The angle is very tricky... Chu Yuanzhen touched Xu Lingyin's head and thought this silly girl was quite cute, and then remembered the nightmare tutorial in Yunlu Academy that day.

He silently withdrew his hand.

Li Miaozhen said: "That barbarian has been very arrogant recently. I feel uncomfortable watching him, and I can't help but want to stab him with a sword."

You stab anyone you are unhappy with. Are you really the saint of Tianzong?... Chu Yuanzhen thinks that Li Miaozhen is the one with the most complaints in Tiandihui.

Number one is unknown, number three Xu Cijiu is a gentleman, number six Hengyuan is compassionate, and number five Lina is not smart and loves to eat, but she has no defects that make people want to "spit it out".

Number 7 and 8 have been "missing" for many years.

Taoist Master No. 9 Jinlian has a gentle temperament and is a respected elder. He cultivates merits and has a character that deserves recognition, and he has no bad habits.

Only Li Miaozhen is the most helpless. She is the saint of Tianzong, and she should be indifferent and cold. As a result, she went down the mountain to train for two years and trained herself into a female hero Feiyan who is eager to do good and eliminate evil.

"The scholars in the Imperial College are so unbearable that we have to rely on the scholars in Yunlu Academy to deal with him." Li Miaozhen said.

Chu Yuanzhen smiled and nodded: "Zhang Shen's "Six Commentaries on the Art of War" is exquisite. With him, the barbarian will not be arrogant for long. However, this person can write "Beizhai Dadian", which is enough to establish a school and become a famous scholar of a generation."

Li Miaozhen frowned. She heard that Chu Yuanzhen was not optimistic about Zhang Shen, and said, "Is this barbarian so powerful?"

Chu Yuanzhen nodded.

"If it's a comparison of poetry, Xu Ningyan should be better, right?" Li Miaozhen asked cautiously.

Chu Yuanzhen sneered.

Li Miaozhen frowned and said, "It's uncertain?"

Chu Yuanzhen shook his head and laughed, "No, Xu Ningyan's poetry is unprecedented, but the literary gathering is not a poetry gathering. Besides, Xu Ningyan can't appear."

......

In the market.

Although ordinary people cannot enter the imperial city, they are very much discussing the literary gathering and are looking forward to the results.

Even the hard-working peddlers, sitting at the stall eating a bowl of noodles, can hear the neighbors discussing the literary gathering, pointing out the world, and writing passionate words.

"This reminds me of the fight last year. It was such a sensation. In the end, our Xu Yinluo stepped forward and turned the tide." A peddler in a blue coat said loudly, slurping a mouthful of noodles.

"The literary gathering is not a fight, but it's a pity that Xu Yinluo is not a scholar and can't help." His companion responded with regret.

The noodle stall owner opened the hot pot, cooked noodles, and said indignantly: "The scholars of the Imperial College are really useless. They actually lost to a barbarian. I feel ashamed for them."

The diners at other tables couldn't help but say: "It would be great if Xu Yinluo was a scholar."

In the eyes of the common people, Xu Yinluo is an omnipotent hero, a legendary figure of Dafeng, and a great man with a real conscience.

So they have a blind worship of him and think that Xu Yinluo is omnipotent. But reason tells them that Xu Yinluo is not a scholar, and his knowledge is definitely not as good as that barbarian.

So they can only sigh: It would be great if Xu Yinluo was a scholar.

The noodle stall owner handed the noodles to the customer and smiled: "But this barbarian dared to challenge the great scholar of Yunlu Academy. He is simply ignorant of the height of heaven and earth."

The diners laughed.

......

In the palace, in the bedroom.

Emperor Yuan Jing sat lazily on the couch, flipping through the Taoist scriptures. The sound of footsteps came, and the old eunuch returned in small steps, whispering:

"There is news from the literary meeting. Pei Manxilou and the adults of the Hanlin Academy discussed the meaning of the classics, policy essays, people's livelihood, farming, history... and were not inferior."

"If I am not inferior, it will be a disgrace to my Dafeng." Emperor Yuan Jing said without any expression.

The old eunuch knew that the emperor was unhappy when he saw this expression.

In the final analysis, Pei Manxilou was so arrogant, and the most embarrassed was the king of a country.

"Did he discuss poetry?" Emperor Yuan Jing suddenly said.

The old eunuch shook his head.

"He is self-aware." Emperor Yuan Jing sneered, and just as he laughed, he suddenly frowned and snorted.

After a pause, Emperor Yuan Jing said, "Zhang Shen hasn't come yet?"

The old eunuch bowed his head and said, "Mr. Zhang is not here yet."

Emperor Yuan Jing nodded slowly, "No hurry, the literary gathering has not yet entered the main topic. Although the scholars of Yunlu Academy are annoying, they have never disappointed people in terms of scholarship."

He looked quite relaxed.

........

What is the main topic of the literary gathering?

It is the war, the war that took place in the north.

Among the representatives of the Imperial College, a student stood up and made an indignant speech:

"The barbarians have been harassing the border for many years, killing the people of Dafeng, causing far-reaching harm. Now that they have been crushed by the iron hoofs of the Northeast Jingguo, they shamelessly come to Dafeng for help.

"Barbarians are barbarians, shameless. "

Students from the Imperial College outside responded one after another, angrily scolding the barbarians for being "shameless".

Huang Xian'er smiled and paid attention to all the concerns, twisting her hair with her fingers.

The boy with vertical pupils was full of anger, trying his best to suppress the brutal and bloodthirsty nature of snakes, and glanced at the student with vertical pupils coldly.

Pei Manxilou remained calm, even laughed, and said:

"The Wushen Cult dominates the northeast of Kyushu, and there are only three states adjacent to Dafeng. With the population and military strength of Dafeng, it will cost a certain price to block them outside the three states."

He paused for a moment, and seeing the expressions of approval from the officials and generals, he continued:

"But if the northern territory is also occupied by the Wushen Cult, the Jingguo cavalry can go south and attack the capital directly. Kangguo and Yanguo will attack from the east again, echoing each other from a distance. Dafeng will be in danger.

"As we all know, there are endless grasslands in the north. If Jingguo gets the northern territory, it will be able to raise more cavalry. By then, even if Dafeng has artillery and crossbows, it will not be able to stop this group of "invincibles" on land."

"So, Dafeng's troops are not to help my God Clan, but to help itself. My God Clan has difficulty in reproduction and a low population. Even if it sometimes harasses the border, it does not have the troops to go south, and the threat to Dafeng is limited. But the Wushen Cult is different. "

No one objected.

The top students in the Hanlin Academy, the students in the Imperial College, and even the officials in the court actually agreed with what he said.

The Northeast, which is controlled by the Wushen Cult, is rich in resources. It can hunt and farm, and the farming civilization has the most prosperous population.

The population of the Wushen Cult is far less than that of Dafeng, because the area is limited.

If the northern territory falls into the hands of the Wushen Cult, and some of the population is moved to the north, the population of the Wushen Cult will double in at most 20 years, at least double.

Pei Manxilou said in a deep voice: "By then, the present of my God Clan will be the future of Dafeng. "

Xu Xinnian watched silently.

This group of idiots, unknowingly, was taken over by the other party. What you want to discuss, shouldn't it be asking for bargaining chips? Why are you discussing the necessity of sending troops? It must be sent, this is beyond doubt... Uh, discussing bargaining chips seems to be something to do at the negotiation table, it is the business of the gentlemen, it is indeed not appropriate to discuss at this time.

The core of this literary meeting is actually that Dafeng wants to destroy Pei Manxilou's image and his prestige.

But the situation is not optimistic, this The guy is good at speaking and has great eloquence, and he also holds the "righteousness" that requires troops to be dispatched.

Xu Xinnian turned his eyes and found that many generals were eager to try, and seemed to want to say something, but finally frowned and remained silent.

They are still self-aware. These generals are careless when scolding people. Debate? Even if they have rich experience in leading troops, they can't argue with Pei Manxilou. Bah, a vulgar warrior......

"Aren't the Dukes always sharp-tongued in the court? When the Grand Tutor hit the palm of my hand, wasn't he eloquent? Why don't you say anything?" Bia Bia said anxiously.

"How can the Grand Tutor go down? He is a respected senior, and there is a huge difference in seniority. Even if he wins, it will not be glorious. People will only say that I, Dafeng, bully the weak. The same is true for you gentlemen. Moreover, if you gentlemen come to the stage, I can guarantee that Pei Manxilou will take the initiative to compete with them in knowledge......"

Huaiqing rarely said a lot of words to explain to his stupid sister:

"Except for a few university scholars, the knowledge of you gentlemen has been abandoned."

Biao Biao opened his eyes wide and murmured, "What should I do? It's so annoying."

The students of the Imperial College looked heavy-hearted, and the academic masters of the Hanlin Academy were also facing a great enemy, and their faces were not good.

Wang Shoufu sighed: "Pei Manxilou's talent is amazing, it's really surprising."

The young officials of the Hanlin Academy were full of confidence when they entered the venue, and there was a clear gap with their silent and serious attitude now.

Wang Simu frequently looked at Xu Erlang, expecting him to stand up and perform.

Wang Shoufu noticed his daughter's eyes and said, "Why is Erlang so silent today? "

Wang Simu frowned.

Just when everyone was speechless and thinking hard about countermeasures, a clear light flashed in the sky above Lu Lake, and Zhang Shen, wearing a Confucian robe and a Confucian cap, appeared out of thin air.

Then, he fell towards the lake.

The clear light flashed again, and Zhang Shen appeared in the shed, with a little fear in his expression.

He must have boasted: I am not in Yunlu Academy, but in Lu Lake. So I almost fell into the lake...Xu Qian'an complained wildly in his heart.

"Mr. Zhang is here."

"Mr. Zhang is finally here, I knew Mr. Zhang would not be absent."

The students on the periphery cheered, relieved.

The gentlemen laughed, and those who had a friendship with Zhang Shen said, "Brother Jinyan, you are here."

Zhang Shen nodded indifferently, and then saw the Taifu, and hurriedly bowed: "Student Zhang Shen, meet the Taifu. "

The Grand Tutor said "hmm", and finally smiled on his stern face: "Zhang Jinyan, this young man from the White Head Department wants to learn from you about the art of war, you can give him some pointers."

In the pavilion, the atmosphere suddenly became high.

Zhang Shen looked around, looked at Pei Manxiluo with white hair like snow, and said: "Are you the Pei Manxiluo who wrote "Beizhai Da Dian"? "

Pei Manxiluo stood up for the first time, bowed and said: "Student meets Mr. Zhang."

Zhang Shen waved his hand: "No need to be polite, you want to fight me in the art of war? "

The room was quiet for a moment, and everyone was looking forward to it.

Huang Xian'er sat up straight, squinting her eyes, staring at the scholars of Yunlu Academy.

The boy with vertical pupils restrained his arrogance. This fourth-grade master of the Confucian system was the "enemy" of Brother Pei Man in this literary gathering. Although he looked down on scholars, the scholars of Yunlu Academy were not in his contempt.

Even though the Confucian system has declined for many years, its prestige is still there.

"My student is not very knowledgeable, and I would like to ask you for advice." Pei Manxi smiled gently, confident.

Zhang Shen rolled his eyes:

"Aren't you being a hooligan? I haven't led troops for more than 20 years, and I almost forgot the taste of sleeping with weapons on my head. I've been talking about the same thing for more than 20 years, so what military strategy are you talking about?

"Why don't you discuss the art of war with Wei Yuan? This old man is in charge of the court, and his secret agents are all over the world. He has been planning for twenty years without stopping, just waiting for the day when his accumulation of experience will be released."

Pei Manxilou laughed and said, "Sir, isn't this also a hooligan?"

The vertical pupil boy couldn't help but interrupt, snorting, "Why don't you let Brother Pei Man fight with the Supervisor?"

This time, Pei Manxilou didn't scold the boy, and asked with a smile:

"Then I won't ask you about the art of war. In fact, I have admired your military books for a long time. I heard that you are proficient in the art of war, and your "Six Commentaries on the Art of War" is widely circulated and praised by everyone.

"I am a humble student, and I have also written a book on the art of war. This book took several years to write. It not only incorporates the Central Plains art of war, but also the art of war of the barbarian cavalry. Please teach me, sir. "

Speaking of this, he looked at the boy with vertical pupils beside him.

Xuan Yin opened the small wooden box at his feet and took out a thick book: "Bei Zhai Bing Juan"

In Dafeng, everyone looked at each other in surprise. They really didn't expect that this person was not only proficient in military tactics, but also wrote a military book?

Scholars pay attention to writing books and biographies. Even those with profound knowledge are very cautious about writing books. A book will be revised for many years before it is announced to the world and widely publicized.

As for some essays and notes, at this time, they can't actually be called "books".

For example, Xu Qian'an read in Yunlu Academy That "Da Zhou Shi Yi" is just a note, not a book.

Therefore, everyone was half-believing and half-doubting Pei Manxilou's words.

The face of the Grand Tutor was obviously gloomy.

The faces of the old officials such as Wang Shoufu also became solemn, and they had a bad premonition.

Out of respect for the book, Zhang Shen took it with extremely serious hands. The breeze from the lake blew, and the pages of the book rustled and turned quickly.

Zhang Shen's face changed, and everyone in the room saw it. They were stunned at first, then admired, and finally excited.

Pei Manxilou asked: "What do you think of this book, sir?"

Zhang Shen did not answer immediately. He pondered for a while and sighed: "Wonderful."

"The whole book is divided into three volumes. The first volume is about the way of war, which discusses what is the art of war and what is war. Even people who are not familiar with war can understand what war is and give a general outline.

"The second volume discusses strategy. The military has no constant situation, and water has no constant shape. It is a very good description. The twelve strategies of attack are amazing.

"Even more rare is the third volume, which studies the deployment of troops and provides many formations for the cooperation of warriors and ordinary soldiers, which greatly maximizes the use of ordinary soldiers."

Pei Manxilou is indeed a brilliant scholar. In the art of war, Zhang Shen lost. Confucianism emphasizes the communication of ideas, and he can't do such a thing as a dead duck.

Besides, the biggest shame of losing the literary meeting is Emperor Yuan Jing and the court. Yunlu Academy has long been expelled from the court. He doesn't need to go against his conscience for the sake of the face of the group of drunkards in the Imperial College.

Zhang Shen sighed: "My "Six Commentaries on the Art of War" is not as good as your "Beizhai Art of War". I admit that I am inferior."

"It is said that the scholars of Yunlu Academy are of noble character and their reputation is well-deserved. "

Pei Manxilou laughed, laughing heartily.

Why did he choose Zhang Shen as a stepping stone? There are three reasons: Zhang Shen is famous enough; Zhang Shen has lived in seclusion for more than 20 years; Zhang Shen is a scholar in Yunlu Academy, speaks his mind directly, and has guaranteed moral character. As long as his military book can convince the other party, he will not suppress him against his conscience.

A gentleman can be deceived by his tactics, that's the truth.

There was silence in the pergola, and everyone lost their expression.

The vertical pupil boy Xuanyin laughed hoarsely: "It is said that Dafeng is prosperous in literature and art, and it is full of seeds of reading. It seems that none of them are as good as my brother Pei Man. Brother, when you return to the north, you will be Xu Yinluo of our God Clan. "

He meant someone as beloved as Xu Qi'an.

Hearing this, the students of the Imperial College outside the pavilion felt ashamed and angry. They wanted to refute and curse, but they were too embarrassed to speak. Cursing would only make them more embarrassed, and they gnashed their teeth in frustration.

The academic masters of the Hanlin Academy looked embarrassed.

In other academic fields, they could still discuss and debate with each other, but in terms of fighting, the academic masters had never even been to the battlefield and had no say. Talking about war on paper would only make people laugh.

Huang Xian'er laughed softly, not knowing whether she was happy or mocking.

"This literary meeting is meaningless. I wouldn't have come if I had known." A female family member complained.

They came with expectation and enthusiasm. What they wanted to see was the barbarians being humiliated, not Yang Wu and Yang Wei defeating the scholars of Dafeng.

Huaiqing sighed. She was a girl, and it was not easy to leave in such an occasion, otherwise it would be a slap in the face of the scholars. Moreover, she had only read some military books on the art of war.

Pei Manxiluo was the young master of the Baishou tribe. He had been through many battles and was very experienced. His level was definitely much higher than hers.

"Help me back!"

The master held the cane, paused three times, and growled.

The old man was disappointed.

........

In the bedroom.

The old eunuch ran in quickly, his face apprehensive.

The curtains were lowered, and on the couch, Emperor Yuan Jing glanced at him and said nothing.

The old eunuch whispered: "Zhang Shen, I admit defeat..."

"Pah!"

Emperor Yuan Jing threw the book on the old eunuch's face.

......

By the Lu Lake, in the pergola.

Pei Manxiluo bowed to all directions, with a gentle smile, and an attitude of neither arrogance nor discouragement: "Thank you all for your advice. Dafeng is indeed a place where literature and Taoism flourish, and it makes people yearn for it."

To everyone, these words sounded like a mockery, no, it was a mockery.

The Grand Tutor's face was as gloomy as water, and he quickened his pace.

The gentlemen stood up one after another, silently left the table, and planned to leave.

"Dunk!"

The sound of the wine glass being placed on the table was a little heavy, attracting the attention of the people around.

Xu Erlang stood up gracefully and said loudly: "My elder brother has a poem: I can't bear to see my son become a new noble, so I go to the ring and fight again."

The voice spread.

The Grand Tutor stopped and looked back.

The gentlemen and the nobles and generals looked over.

The students of the Imperial College looked over.

Pei Manxilou looked at the young official of the Hanlin Academy in astonishment.

Xu Xinnian looked at the white-haired barbarian and said lightly: "I will discuss the art of war with you."

As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar.

"Farewell to the old!"

The colleagues of the Hanlin Academy signaled him with their eyes, asking him not to be impulsive.

Xu Cijiu has a good reputation in the officialdom, all of which was accumulated during the Chuzhou massacre when he blocked the Meridian Gate and cursed the King of Huai.

This reputation was hard-earned. It would be a pity if it was destroyed because of a moment of indignation and impulse.

"Mr. Zhang is his teacher. Even he lost. Xu Cijiu thought he could win?"

"Why bother to embarrass himself again? Even the great scholar Zhang was ashamed of the military book written by Pei Manxilou and praised it highly."

"We are also indignant, but, Xu Cijiu is too reckless."

The students of the Imperial College discussed it.

Pei Manxilou suspected that he had heard it wrong. He stared at Xu Xinnian for a moment and suddenly remembered that this was Zhang Shen's disciple.

But... the teacher has lost, and the student still wants to turn the situation around?

The vertical pupil boy Xuanyin sneered, while Huang Xianer played with the wine glass in boredom, saying lightly: "Boring."

Wang Simu widened her eyes in surprise. She didn't expect Xu Xinnian to hold back for a long time, just for this moment?

Acting on impulse! Wang Shoufu was furious.

"Master Xu, have you ever trained soldiers?" Pei Manxilou asked with a smile.

Xu Xinnian shook his head.

"Have you ever been on the battlefield?" Pei Manxilou asked again.

Xu Xinnian still shook his head.

The scholar who was born in the barbarian tribe shook his head slightly, "Although you majored in the art of war, you only talk about it on paper. How can you discuss the art of war with me?"

The vertical pupil boy Xuanyin laughed and said: "Did you also write a book on military affairs, and you want to take it out to compete with my elder brother?"

Seeing Xu Xinnian being laughed at by the barbarians, everyone felt ashamed.

Zhang Shen looked at his proud disciple in surprise, thinking that this kid was confused? As a teacher, I am ashamed of myself, why did he jump out? To avenge me?

However, it would be good for him to suffer a setback. Xu Cijiu had a smooth life. Whether it was his family background, studies, or officialdom, he had never suffered too much setbacks.

Xu Xinnian raised his chin and said proudly: "Yes, I do have a military book here. Brother Pei Man, please give me some advice."

"!!!"

Including Zhang Shen, everyone stared at Xu Xinnian in a daze, their eyes were extremely confused. Like Pei Manxiluo, they suspected that there was something wrong with their ears.

Xu Xinnian ignored everyone and took out a thread-bound book with a light brown cover from his arms.

Pei Manxiluo saw four words written on the cover: The Art of War by Sun Tzu.

He was well-read, and he had no impression of this name. It was not a military book circulated in the world, nor was it the military book that the court had just compiled and presented to him.

But he was a book lover and would not despise any book because of its title. He raised his hand to take it and smiled and flipped through it.

"War is a major event for a country, a place of life and death, a way of survival and destruction, and it must be carefully considered..."

The opening is pretty good, simply stating the importance of war, which is quite to the point.

Continue reading:

"Therefore, we should go through five things, check them with strategies, and seek their truth: one is the way, two is the sky, three is the earth, four is the general, and five is the law."

Pei Manxiluo nodded slightly, putting away some of his contempt and scrutiny in his heart. The author of this book is really capable.

When he saw "War is a trick", he was finally moved, and his pupils shrank slightly: "Wonderful, wonderful! This is a wonderful saying."

Pei Manxiluo read on eagerly, gradually immersed in the ocean of knowledge, lingering and ignoring everything around him.

This book has twelve Chapters, and the content is profound. It not only describes the theory and experience of war, but also summarizes the laws of war.

This book has transcended the scope of strategy. What is explained in the book is not limited to simple strategies and tactics, but something more macroscopic and higher-level.

For example, the book says that politics is an important factor in determining the victory or defeat of a war. The level was raised all of a sudden, and Pei Manxilou felt like he had been enlightened.

The barbarians fought only to plunder, and Pei Manxilou also believed that fighting was fighting. Factors outside the battlefield were certainly important, but the victory or defeat of a war was ultimately the difference in combat power between the two sides.

The number of words in the military book is not large, and it seems extremely simple compared to his thick book. But every word is a pearl, and every sentence is worth thinking about for a long time.

On the other hand, I copied each battle and tried to analyze the details with words. Summarize various camps and emphasize the importance of soldiers...... It is a laughing stock.

Of course, this book also has flaws, such as it does not mention the role of warriors throughout the book, and how to use warriors.

After a long time, Pei Manxilu finally broke free from his immersive reading and sighed with satisfaction: "Benefited a lot, benefited a lot..."

Then, he found that the people of Dafeng around him were staring at him.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

The series of changes in Pei Manxilu's expression just now fully showed them words such as "ecstatic", "amazing", and "hungry".

It makes people extremely curious, what is written in the book that makes a talented person react like this.

Pei Manxilu glanced at Xu Xinnian, then at the Art of War in his hand, hesitating, struggling, and finally sighed and bowed deeply:

"Master Xu, I lost.

"I have no other request, I just want to ask Master Xu to let me copy this book, and I am willing to perform the etiquette of a disciple and call you Mr. "

This book is indeed far better than the "Beizhai Art of War" he wrote, so it is meaningless to be stubborn.

The vertical pupil boy Xuanyin, his eyes were wide open: "Brother, you, you......"

The charming and enchanting Huang Xian'er, at this moment, her pretty face finally lost her lazy and casual self-confidence, and her face changed slightly.

The uproar sounded, like a pot boiling.

Pei Manxiluo admitted defeat and felt inferior.

Moreover, in order to copy the military book written by Xu Cijiu, he did not hesitate to regard himself as a student.

The nobles and generals stared at the military book in Pei Manxiluo's hand, as if it was the most tempting thing in the world.

Wang Shoufu looked deeply at Xu Erlang, his eyes and expression were frozen.

? ?Si Mu Fang's heart was pounding wildly, and she looked at Xu Erlang standing proudly in the field with fascination.

The Taifu took two steps forward with a cane, squinted his eyes, looked up and down, and then he tapped his cane twice, stroked his beard and laughed:

"This is the scholar of Dafeng, this is the real rising star."

The third princess and the fourth princess looked at Xu Cijiu, their eyes shining.

"The Xu family is really a family of two heroes. Xu Qi'an is already dazzling, and this Xu Cijiu is not inferior at all." Someone sighed.

Zhang Shen took the military book from Pei Manxiluo and read it with deep confusion.

His expression changed, just like Pei Manxiluo just now.

When he finished reading, he was dumbfounded.

"No, that's not right. Who wrote this military book? Cijiu, who wrote it? "Zhang Shen asked excitedly.

How could he not know the level of his own disciple? Xu Cijiu was outstanding in the art of war, but it was absolutely impossible for him to write such a great military book.

The author of this military book was someone else.

Zhang Shen couldn't wait to know who the original author was. There was such a person in Dafeng.

Xu Xinnian nodded slowly: "This military book was indeed not written by me."

The whole hall was in an uproar, and everyone looked at him blankly and confusedly, and then looked at Zhang Shen.

Gradually came to their senses, this military book that impressed Pei Manxiluo, the author was someone else?

"Is it Wei Yuan, isn't it Wei Yuan?" Zhang Shen asked again.

One after another, eyes fell on Xu Erlang.

Wei Yuan... Pei Manxiluo muttered to himself.

Wei Yuan! Everyone suddenly realized.

"What does this have to do with Duke Wei? "

Xu Erlang frowned, a little unhappy, and swept his eyes over the crowd, raising his voice: "This is the military book written by my eldest brother."

In an instant, inside and outside the pergola, by the reed lake, it was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.