socalfunplaces Page 463
Page 463
Military administration, quelling unrest, undercover investigation, military training...
Li Chang'an only wrote six out of thirty-six chapters, but that was enough to make Zhang Shen sweat profusely.
"Young friend... no, no, Brother Li, you've been to the battlefield?"
After reading the six drafts, Zhang Shen completely abandoned the idea of taking Li Chang'an as his disciple, because he knew the weight of the manuscript in his hand, and that the military and political insights contained therein were even more profound than his own.
Such a statement could not be written without years of combat experience.
The fact that the elderly Confucian scholar addressed Li Chang'an as "Brother Li" and treated him as an equal was already quite astonishing to everyone.
Li Chang'an chuckled, "I went to the battlefield in my dream and fought for several years, which is why I gained this knowledge."
The Thirty-Six Chapters on Military Affairs and Politics are the same Thirty-Six Chapters on Military Affairs written by Zhuge Liang in his previous life, and Li Chang'an also put a lot of effort into them.
These arguments and insights are the result of real-world experience and are not just theoretical discussions by ordinary students.
Seeing Zhang Shen's flustered state, Yang Yan asked curiously, "Mr. Zhang, how skilled is Brother Li in military strategy?"
Zhang Shen gave a wry smile, "I dare not comment. Why don't you ask Lord Wei to judge?"
Then, he turned to Li Chang'an and said, "Brother Li, there are only six chapters in this manuscript. Where are the other thirty?"
"Mr. Zhang arrived before I even finished writing it," Li Chang'an said calmly.
Yang Yan immediately asked, "Brother Li, may I borrow this manuscript so that I can take it back and have Lord Wei review it?"
Li Chang'an had to have a reason for not accepting Wei Yuan's invitation. If the manuscript was really as miraculous as Zhang Shen said, perhaps he could explain it to Wei Yuan.
Li Chang'an's ambition lay in military strategy, and he was unwilling to join the night watchman's office; his true intentions lay elsewhere.
Li Chang'an said, "Of course, but remember to return it."
His calligraphy is very valuable; he can't just give it away casually.
At this moment, Zhang Shen held the manuscript tightly and said, "Brother Li, this is a wonderful piece of writing. We should take this manuscript back to Dean Zhao first. If Dean Zhao likes it, he might present it to the Princess."
Everyone watched as Yang Yan grew impatient and was about to argue with Zhang Shen.
"Why are you two in such a hurry? Just take three articles each."
In the end, Li Chang'an made the final decision. Yang Yan and Zhang Shen each took three manuscripts, then hand-copied the other three, and rushed back.
The crowd quickly dispersed, except for Xu Pingzhi, who stayed behind to say goodbye to his daughter; everyone else left.
Yunlu Academy.
Holding Princess Huaiqing's letter in his hand, Zhao Shou was somewhat puzzled as to why the arrogant princess would instruct him to recruit Li Chang'an.
He had read Li Chang'an's admonition to his disciples, but a single article couldn't prove anything, and it might not even have been written by Li Chang'an.
How did the eldest princess determine that Li Chang'an was definitely a talented person? Was it a woman's intuition?
Before long, a fluctuation of energy appeared before his eyes, and Zhang Shenyan appeared at the door of the dean's room.
"Dean Zhao, I have an urgent matter to attend to!"
Zhao Shou opened the door and saw Zhang Shen standing at the door, looking travel-worn.
"Jinyan, what's the matter that you're in such a hurry?"
Zhang Shen handed the six manuscripts to Zhao Shou, his eyes brimming with excitement.
"A remarkable person! What a remarkable person! Li Chang'an is truly a remarkable person!"
The two had worked together for many years, and Zhao Shou had never seen Zhang Shen lose his composure like this before.
However, as his gaze fell upon the manuscript at the top and he saw the vigorous and unrestrained handwriting, his expression changed.
No wonder the princess was so eager; judging solely from his handwriting, Li Chang'an was a calligrapher of unparalleled talent.
Subsequently, Zhao Shou also fell into the same state as Huai Qing, becoming engrossed in appreciating the handwriting rather than reading the content.
"Dean, read the contents, don't just look at the words, hurry up..."
Zhao Shou swallowed hard and said to Zhang Shen with a hint of reproach, "You're in such a hurry again!"
Such a remarkable piece of writing should be savored slowly.
Zhang Shen said, "Yang Yan also took the manuscript to Wei Yuan..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Shou had vanished without a trace, disappearing in an instant.
The night watchman's office.
Yang Yan and Nangong Qianrou immediately sought an audience with Wei Yuan, who also received a letter from the Eldest Princess.
The question in his mind was almost the same as Zhao Shou's: what exactly was it about Li Chang'an that attracted Prince Huaiqing?
"Lord Wei, this is Li Chang'an's theory on military policy. Zhang Daru said that the content is very good."
As Wei Yuan took the manuscript, he asked, "Didn't Li Chang'an agree to your request?"
Yang Yan said, "He said he would consider it. Minister Wang of the Six Doors and Master Zhang of Yunlu Academy both tried to recruit him."
"But Li Chang'an didn't agree to any of them. Instead, he said he needed to consider it. Generally speaking, saying that means he's waiting for a better price..."
Then, Nangong Qianrou nudged Yang Yan with her elbow, revealing that Wei Yuan was already deeply engrossed in the manuscript.
Wei Yuan was a military strategist. Like Zhang Shen, although he thought the handwriting was beautiful, he would first look at the content and not get caught up in appreciating the font.
"The way of a general is to follow the will of Heaven, adapt to the times, and rely on the people in order to achieve victory..."
"There will be five virtues and four desires. The five virtues are: being good at understanding the enemy's situation and being good at knowing how to advance and retreat..."
"There will be five strong and eight wicked individuals. Lofty character can inspire virtue, and filial piety and brotherly love can bring fame..."
As Wei Yuan read on, he found himself reading it aloud without realizing it, because the sections on military strategy coincided with his experience in governing and leading troops, and were summarized from a higher perspective.
Gradually, Wei Yuan's hands began to tremble, and the calm expression on his face, which had remained unchanged for many years, gradually turned into excitement and agitation.
Yang Yan and Nangong Qianrou looked at each other in dismay. Wei Gong, who remained calm even when Mount Tai collapsed before him, was actually somewhat out of control. This scene was exactly the same as Zhang Shen's bewitched state.
"Excellent! This is truly brilliant! This argument is exactly what I've been thinking about for years!"
Yang Yan felt that Wei Yuan was just as impatient as his subordinates were about to enter the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution).
"What about the next one?"
After reading six chapters, Wei Yuan looked intently at Yang Yan and asked, "Where do we go next?"
Yang Yan stammered, "That's all... that's all."
After he finished speaking, he felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't figure it out for a while.
Then, Yang Yan and Nangong Qianrou saw a blur before their eyes, and Wei Yuan jumped directly off the observation deck on the top floor of Haoqi Pavilion.
Then the renowned Wei Qingyi transformed into a streak of green, leaping and bounding towards Li Chang'an's residence.
In the courtyard of Li Chang'an's residence, Xu Pingzhi was still giving Xu Lingyue some instructions before the two parted ways.
"Daughter, you must be diligent while serving Lord Li, and don't sleep until noon like you do at home..."
"As you can see, the guests at Lord Li's residence are all distinguished; we cannot afford to make any mistakes!"
Xu Lingyue nodded solemnly; she had already witnessed the scene just now.
Xu Pingzhi continued, "Now that I've brought you here, I can't back out. You must be careful, or you might end up in jail..."
Xu Lingyue shrank her neck nervously; she had never imagined going to jail.
Just then, a man's voice came from the doorway, "Mr. Li, Mr. Wei invites you to sit down at the night watchman's office."
Xu Pingzhi's legs suddenly went weak. When he saw a figure in green at the door, he almost knelt down. Wei Yuan had come in person!
Xu Lingyue's heart skipped a beat. "Are they here to arrest Lord Li?"
Immediately afterward, another voice rang out, "Wei Yuan is ten steps behind me!"
Ten steps in front of Wei Qingyi, an old scholar appeared. "Mr. Li, why don't you go and take a look at Yunlu Academy first?"
Xu Pingzhi and his daughter then calmed down, realizing that the two men had invited Li Chang'an to be their guest.
Wei Yuan lightly touched the ground with his feet and instantly leaped in front of Zhao Shou. "Dean Zhao, I was here first."
Zhao Shou scoffed, chuckling, "Wei Yuan is a hundred paces behind me!"
A surge of energy swept past, and the two separated by a hundred paces again. Zhao Shou was the first to enter Li Chang'an's gate.
Wei Yuan's face darkened. "The Confucian scholars are truly not human!"
Chapter 277 Brother Li, you're already a night watchman!
Zhao Shou and Wei Yuan entered Li Chang'an's courtyard one after the other, and Xu Lingyue left Xu Pingzhi behind and ran to meet them.
"My lords, the young master said that if any more guests arrive, please come to the study for a chat."
Afterwards, Xu Lingyue led the two important figures toward Li Chang'an's study. The six-courtyard compound was quite large, and it took quite a while to walk there.
Xu Pingzhi hid in a corner, mingling with the servants, and didn't show himself at all.
It's best for insignificant people without real power to avoid associating with those who wield too much power, otherwise a single word from them could determine their fate.
This is the philosophy of life of Xu Pingzhi, a seventh-rank centurion. It is best to avoid any contact with a powerful and terrifying figure like Wei Yuan.
Zhao Shou and Wei Yuan entered Li Chang'an's study and saw Li Chang'an writing. The characters flowing from his pen were the follow-up content of the Thirty-Six Chapters on Military and Political Affairs.