Professor Ning Yan glanced at the boy before him, then pointed to the map on the wall behind him and said, "Mark the marching route for the war to annihilate the Shang Kingdom on this map, starting from the crossing of the Yellow River. If you mark a single line wrong, I won't explain a single word to you today."
The boy nodded, grabbed a charcoal pencil, held a torch, and walked to the wall to carefully mark the route.
Ning Yan had once been Luo Yao's advisor, making invaluable contributions to the war to annihilate the Shang Kingdom. However, his ancestors had committed a grave crime, and the late emperor decreed that he would never be employed as an official. Therefore, although he had achieved great merit, he did not receive much of what he deserved. Of course, his greatest gain was being freed from slavery and becoming an ordinary person who could hold his head high again.
During the war to annihilate the Shang Kingdom, Luo Yao's army was always at the forefront. They were unstoppable. The Shang Kingdom's army, boasting a million soldiers, could not withstand Luo Yao's left vanguard. Many strategies originated from Ning Yan's suggestions. Luo Yao held him in high esteem and petitioned the Emperor three times to bestow a title upon him, but each time the Emperor rejected the petition. The Sui Dynasty valued filial piety, and the late Emperor's dying wish could not be easily overturned.
However, the Emperor had his own way of rewarding him. The late Emperor had forbidden the Ning family descendants from holding official positions. Therefore, the Emperor transferred Ning Yan back from the Left Vanguard and sent him to the Martial Arts Academy. The professors at the Martial Arts Academy held no official rank or title, yet they were still respected.
Luo Yao was very reluctant to let Ning Yan leave, but he could not disobey the Emperor's will. When Ning Yan left Yongzhou, Luo Yao personally saw him off for thirty li before bidding him a reluctant farewell.
At the Martial Arts Academy, Ning Yan was always the lecturer on military strategy. His classes were frequently attended by high-ranking military officers. Among them were powerful military figures such as General Xu Xiaogong and Yu Manlou, and Yu Manlou even ordered all generals of the Left Martial Guard to attend Ning Yan's military strategy classes during their free time. Of course, this only applied to Ning Yan's military strategy courses.
Now, this master had become like Fang Jie's private tutor, secretly leaving the Martial Arts Academy every so often to enter this secret cell within the Imperial Guard's quarters and lecture a prisoner.
Initially, Ning Yan was very dissatisfied. In his view, a prisoner should naturally receive the treatment due to a prisoner, not have a professor from the Martial Arts Academy come all the way here to give a lecture. But when he entered the stone chamber and saw that this special student was none other than Fang Jie, he couldn't help but be surprised. He already knew that Fang Jie was cultivating in the back mountains, but he never expected that this once-in-a-century genius of the Sui Dynasty would become a prisoner.
After just one lesson, his initial dissatisfaction vanished. This seemingly disheveled young man indeed possessed remarkable talent.
Fang Jie could grasp many things after only a little explanation. He could even derive many unbelievable yet insightful ideas from what Ning Yan said. Ning Yan greatly appreciated this unconventional learning style. He never believed that a good student was simply one who could mechanically copy what the teacher taught.
"Sir,"
Fang Jie said, marking the map as he went, "Initially, the army split into four routes heading southwest: one through Jiangling, one through Songzhou, one through Dongjun, and one through Lingnan… But I think that if the troops that went through Lingnan had split into another to attack Luokoucang, the Shang army's defenses would have been breached, allowing General Luo Yao's vanguard to penetrate directly and threaten Yongzhou."
Ning Yan didn't disagree, but simply said, "Mark your thoughts as well."
Fang Jie nodded and marked what he considered a reasonable route. After finishing, he turned back respectfully and said, "Sir, it's finished."
"Do you know why we didn't split our forces to attack Luokoucang?"
Ning Yan stood up, walked to the map, and asked.
Fang Jie studied the map carefully for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Could there be an ambush?"
Ning Yan nodded, "Don't think you're so clever. How many elites were gathered in the army that marched south? The generals leading the troops were all far more insightful than you! Luokou Granary was the largest granary in the Shang Kingdom; one granary could supply a million-strong army for thirty years. Attacking Luokou Granary would inevitably throw the Shang army into chaos… But the generals at the time unanimously decided not to attack Luokou Granary, precisely because they saw through the Shang Kingdom's scheme."
"Luokou Granary was built on Xingluo Mountain, with the Zhen River flowing through its foot. This Zhen River was originally the Shang Kingdom's waterway for transporting grain. You haven't seen Xingluo Mountain..." "Grounds suggest that Luokou Granary isn't difficult to attack... Luokou Granary is built on the south side of Xingluo Mountain, while the mountains to the north are mostly cliffs. To attack Luokou Granary, the army must first cross the Zhen River and circle around to the south side of the mountains. This would take at least half a month."
"When attacking a key enemy granary, speed is paramount. A swift and decisive victory is crucial. Fifteen days... Even disregarding potential ambushes along the way, the journey is so long that the Shang army is already well-prepared. With just five thousand men holding the strategic points, even a hundred thousand troops couldn't conquer it in a short time. It's the Shang's largest granary; they have nothing to fear from a siege without an attack." "The entire army besieging the mountain starved to death, while the Shang army defending it could eat eight meals a day for centuries."
"The Shang army deliberately created an opening, leading their main force to attack Luokou Granary at Xingluo Mountain, just to delay their advance... If the main force heading south is blocked by Xingluo Mountain, General Luo Yao's vanguard will become an isolated force. Even if the general is a skilled warrior, with only 30,000 to 40,000 men, they will be doomed if surrounded by hundreds of thousands of Shang troops. It must be said that the Shang army devised this strategy precisely to eliminate General Luo's left vanguard."
"If the left vanguard is slaughtered in one battle, the morale of the Shang army will be greatly boosted. If this battle is won well, the Shang people may well be able to..." "To reverse the decline."
"It was my ignorance, student."
Ning Yan said, "You must remember, for a general, simply looking at a map is not enough. A map may only mark a mountain, but do you know what kind of mountain it is? The terrain has six aspects; how to deploy troops must not be based on assumptions."
"I understand."
Ning Yan hummed in agreement, glanced at the map, and said, "I only explained it once, yet you drew the route perfectly. Not bad… I have a military record I wrote myself back then. Take a look when you have some free time; it might be helpful."
"Thank you, sir!"
Fang Jie bowed respectfully, accepting the military record written by Ning Yan himself with both hands. The war to quell the Shang Kingdom was the most recent major war for the Sui Dynasty. For over twenty years afterward, the Sui Dynasty had not waged war against other countries. It can be said that this war undoubtedly offered many lessons for the people of the Sui Dynasty. ...
...
Fang Jie's life was tiring but fulfilling. Besides Professor Qiu Yu, the Martial Arts Academy would occasionally send other professors to guide his studies, such as Professor Ning Yan, and even Mo Wanwu, the man who indirectly killed Liu Shuang and the other two on Half-Moon Mountain that day. Fang Jie didn't actually harbor much hatred for this man. He knew the deaths of Liu Shuang and the others were unexpected. Crescent Moon Pool was the largest water source on Half-Moon Mountain, with a treacherous terrain and many places to hide; Chen Ya and the others were very likely hiding there.
Even if Zhihui and Chen Ya weren't hiding there, Mo Wanwu had led Fang Jie and Zhang Kuang up the mountain first; they were the ones who attracted Zhihui and Chen Ya.
But even so, Mo Wanwu's responsibility was undeniable.
Fang Jie didn't curse or argue; he remained silent. Mo Wanwu sat in the stone chamber for half an hour before getting up and leaving, saying only one sentence as he left.
"Human lives are debts, ones I can't repay right now. But remember them for them, don't forget."
With that, he walked out of the iron gate, his figure desolate.
Fang Jie had to endure Qiu Yu's almost demonic training. Such intensity would have exhausted anyone else. But Fang Jie's recovery speed was far faster than the average person; often, a good night's sleep would restore most of his strength. In Qiu Yu's words, "I don't know how to make you grow the fastest, but I know a simple method."
The so-called simple method was to constantly push Fang Jie's potential. His muscle strength far exceeded that of ordinary people, so he needed to continuously develop that strength. Only through constant pushing could Fang Jie make his body stronger. As a pure martial artist, he couldn't draw upon the energy of heaven and earth. To fight and win against cultivators, his only hope was his body.
After collapsing to the ground again, Qiu Yu picked Fang Jie up and casually tossed him onto the stone bed.
"I still can't see through your body."
Qiu Yu sat down in a chair, looking at Fang Jie earnestly, and said, "Your acupoints have opened six more than before you were imprisoned, but there's no Qi Sea. I don't know what use your acupoints are. These past few days, I've noticed that the more intense the training, the faster your acupoints open. Three opened in the first two months, and three in the last seven days… If you keep this up, perhaps it won't be long before you open all thirty-six acupoints."
"Normally, a person who can open thirty-six acupoints can barely cultivate… Let's wait and see. Maybe when your thirty-six acupoints open, your Qi Sea will suddenly appear."
Fang Jie lay on the stone bed, panting, and said, "Sir… don't you…" "Do you think that's a very irresponsible statement?"
Qiu Yu shrugged. "I was just giving you hope. You should know very well that without a Qi Sea, what good is it even if all 128 acupoints are opened?"
"Then what would happen if there was a Qi Sea and all 128 acupoints were opened?"
Qiu Yu thought for a moment and replied, "Such a person, one day of cultivation is equivalent to ten days of cultivation for others. One year of cultivation might make them stronger than ten years of cultivation for others."
"Damn it!"
Fang Jie couldn't help but curse, "That's unfair!"
"Where in this world is there so much fairness?"
Qiu Yu said calmly, "However... such people are extremely rare. In all my years at the Martial Arts Academy, I've only seen one."
"Who?"
Fang Jie asked curiously. "What's the point of asking so many questions? It has nothing to do with you, no matter who it is. And it's precisely because such people exist that a piece of trash like you needs to work even harder. You've already fallen far behind from the start; if you don't run faster, how will you catch up?"
"I understand..."
Fang Jie nodded: "Let's try again!"
...
...
The largest Taoist temple in Chang'an City.
A stunningly beautiful woman, sitting cross-legged on a futon, slowly opened her eyes, looking at the twenty lit candles lined up on a table three meters away. Her eyes were bright, as if they could speak. Her appearance was difficult to describe in words; if one had to try, perhaps only the words "flawless" would be most appropriate.
Her Taoist robe was light gray, indicating that her status in the temple was not high. However, she was the fifth disciple of Master Xiao; her four senior brothers were now all high-ranking officials in the Taoist sect.
Her name was Mo Ningzhi.
Originally, she was just a puppet, a scapegoat. But fate is always cruel. Fang Jie hadn't had a smooth journey since leaving Fan Gu, while she, on the other hand, had received the favor of heaven.
To become Master Xiao's disciple—what more could one dream of?
As she slowly opened her eyes, suddenly, the twenty burning candles went out almost simultaneously. Without her making any move, the candles all mysteriously extinguished.
Mo Ningzhi frowned slightly, her eyes suddenly sharpening.
The atmosphere in the room abruptly became chaotic, like dozens of small but sharp knives swirling within. After a series of crackling sounds, all twenty candles were severed. It seemed the candles had broken themselves, even more eerie than the previous extinguishing.
Mo Ningzhi looked at the wall. The air was stirred again, and soft sounds emanated from the wall, leaving dozens of shallow marks.
A hundred meters away from her room, in the pavilion...
Master Xiao glanced subconsciously at Mo Ningzhi's room, then sighed softly, "She is the first among my Dao Sect's countless disciples to achieve minor mastery of the Eye Blade. All one hundred and twenty-eight acupoints are open... truly extraordinary."