Chen Fan followed his father to the study. In his sleeve pocket was the "Nineteenth Road Theory" that he had prepared a long time ago. He was not in a hurry to show it to his father, but started talking with his father. The chessboard they used was still the Seventeenth Road. , Chen's father's level is between the sixth and seventh levels, and Chen Fan's self-assessed level is between the fifth and sixth levels. Through the game with his father, Chen Fan's previous conjecture seemed to be verified, and there was no suspense about his victory.

"Fasheng, your chess skills have improved again. You used to beg your father to give up your son, but now you can win and become your father. Not bad." Although Chen's father lost the chess game, he still felt very relieved and said.

"Thanks to my father for your teaching. I have been studying chess records during this period and I have gained something occasionally. I met Master Han and Master Li at the teahouse with my classmates a few days ago. I also played a game of chess with Master Han and luckily won." Chen Fan said this not to show off, but to make his father have confidence in himself and make early plans to go to the capital to compete. Who said that the book "Zuo Wang Sutra" had extraordinary appeal to Chen Fan. Wait until Chen Fan's father After expressing his opinion, Chen Fan continued: "I found that the reason why I was able to win is related to my research on increasing the chessboard lines from seventeen to nineteen. Father, look." After saying that, Chen Fan He took out "Nineteen Paths" from his pocket and handed it to his father.

"Yes, the article is easy to understand and the discussion is sufficient, but some parts use vernacular. Why?"

"Firstly, it is so that most people can understand it; secondly, it is to use vernacular to attract attention, and a controversial article is often easier to spread; thirdly, when most people oppose vernacular, they often It is easy to overlook that opposing the 19th Route itself can reduce the resistance to the promotion of the 19th Route." Chen Fan feels that in this matter, it is nothing to reflect a little cleverness. There are so many smart people in this era.

"Very good, what can I do for you as a father?"

"There are three things I want to ask my father for help with."

"Oh, there are so many three? Tell me."

"The first thing is to find someone to spread the article "Nineteen Paths". The key point is that this article was written by a fifteen-year-old boy. Although the article has flaws, it is commendable and has good intentions. I have asked Ma Bo to send "Nineteen Road Theory" to Tianshui College to see if Tianshui College can try to use the Nineteen Roads to play chess. There is another person named Liang Xiu who also agreed to spread it in Suzhou, but I still have to ask My father helped to expand the scope, especially in the capital."

"Okay, that's no problem. What about the second one?"

"The second thing is to find someone to make some 19-way chessboards. It's best to start with merchants. When they sell chess, they can sell 19-way chessboards. Make some more and give them to some chess academies to expand the "19th-way" chess board. The influence of "Road Theory"."

"This is fine, I promise you."

"Thank you, Father. This third thing is the most difficult. Last time I heard from my father that this chess match was entrusted by His Majesty the Emperor to Master Liu Hui. I think this Master Liu Hui must be a very famous person and is deeply favored by His Majesty the Emperor. trust."

"Wait a minute, you don't want Master Liu Hui to help you implement the Nineteen Ways Theory, do you?"

"How could it be possible? Father, what are you thinking about?" Chen Fan glanced at his father, and then continued: "We just need to let Master Liu Hui know that this is written by your son and me. In case we go to the capital, To participate in the finals, Master Liu Hui only needs to know that there are two of us."

Father Chen nodded and asked, "What do you want to do?"

"My father is more familiar with the officialdom than me, I wonder if there is any way?" Chen Fan decided to inspire his father to think for himself first, and then improve on his father's plan. It would be better than telling his own plan directly.

"This is a bit difficult. You can't let my father go to the capital and take "Nineteen Paths" to Master Liu Hui and say that it was written by my son. Please give me some advice, right?"

This really left Chen Fan speechless. His father was a sixth-rank official. Chen Fan decided not to say anything and just stared at his father to see what else he was going to say.

Seeing his son staring directly at him, Chen's father probably couldn't find a way out, so he continued: "However, I can write a letter to your uncle and ask them to convey it to you."

"How to convey it?"

"Just say that they have a nephew who wrote a "Nineteen Paths Theory" and asked Mr. Liu to evaluate it."

"Then why doesn't father write a letter directly to Master Liu?"

"My father's level is not high enough. Anyone who writes a letter can get it into Master Liu's hands."

This is true, it seems that this is indeed a trouble.

"Father, has Master Liu Hui ever practiced chess? Has he reached the innate realm?"

"The way of chess must have been practiced, but it is not clear whether it has reached the innate state. The innate state is not so easy to achieve, especially through the way of chess."

"Why is it not easy to pass the chess path?"

"It is said that the reason is because chess is a small way and only focuses on spiritual cultivation. Only through feedback of spiritual power to the physical body can one enter the innate. But how to feedback, no one can tell a reason. Unlike martial arts, which cultivates the physical body and condenses the spirit at the same time, both

The two combine to enter the innate, so there are only a few people who can reach the innate through the way of chess."

"Father, I want to find someone to make a chessboard first. This chessboard should be expensive and made of the best silk. The lines on the chessboard should be sewn with gold thread. I wonder how much it will cost to make?"

"If you want to use gold thread, it will cost at least twenty taels of silver. And this is not something ordinary people can do."

Very good. This is the effect we want. The price of things should not be too expensive. Twenty taels is just right. The key is to be clever. If others find out about the chessboard as a gift, it won’t be a big deal, Chen Fan thought. Then he said: "Father wrote

I wrote a letter to Master Liu Hui, saying that since the start of the Go competition, there have been an overwhelming number of applicants in our county, and everyone's love for Go has been unprecedentedly high. My son is fifteen years old this year and loves Go. After passing the county competition and county competition, he was lucky enough to participate in the Beijing competition.

During the finals, he also proposed the idea of ​​increasing the chessboard to nineteen ways, which aroused heated discussion among the people. I am not very happy to be a father for the rest of my life. I am attaching Quan'er's "Nineteen Ways Theory" and a chessboard.

I hope the master can consider using the nineteen-way chessboard as the rules of the competition. I would be very grateful! The main content is written like this, and my father will consider the specific aspects."

"Did you pass the county competition?"

"Father, prepare this letter first. If I pass the county competition, I will send it out. If I don't pass the county competition, then nothing will be mentioned. But in the meantime, father can contact my uncle and listen to my uncle.

Regarding the idea of ​​sending this letter, the county competition will not start for some time, but we need to start preparing now."

"That's fine. If you send it after the county competition, it's still too late. I'll discuss it with your mother to see what we can do and try to get it done."

"Okay, thank you father." Opportunities are sometimes earned by oneself rather than given by others. You must plan as early as possible, Chen Fan sighed in his heart.

The busy time is quick. On the third day after the Go match, on the morning of August 13th, the 17th year of Tianjian, Master Jia came. This time Master Jia was not the only one who came. There was also a swarthy man accompanying him.

The man was about eighteen or nineteen years old. Master Jia only said that he was the son of an old friend. His surname was Tie, Tietang. Although he looked dull, he was strong and powerful.

When Master Jia arrived this time, he did not stay too long in the Chen Mansion. After lunch, Master Jia was about to leave. Father Chen invited Master Jia to stay one night before leaving, but Master Jia said that he had already made an appointment with someone to go on the road together.

We waited at the city gate without any further delay. Chen's father did not force him to stay, but fortunately the boat was ready and could set off at any time.

Chen Fan listened and secretly wondered. It turned out that Master Jia had already planned to return to Gusu and had made arrangements. Wasn't he trying to avoid something? But since he had taken precautions, there was no problem in safety.

Due to his responsibilities, Chen's father could not leave without permission. This time he did not accompany him. Instead, he sent Chen Fasheng's eldest brother to accompany him. Xiao Qing and Huang Shi followed. Chen Fan and Hou Feng naturally wanted to go. Master and Tietang,

The salutes carried out by the few people were simple. Only the eldest brother had a lot. Fortunately, he brought four followers, each carrying a burden. Most of them were the apprenticeship ceremony prepared by Chen's father, which he had to bring.

The group of people left the Chen Mansion, and four carriages were prepared in front of the door. They boarded the carriages and went straight to the dock. The eldest brother, Chen Fan, and Hou Feng took a carriage together and got on the carriage. Chen Fan couldn't help but asked: "Brother, why don't you take a ride?"

Can the carriage go directly to Suzhou?"

"This is what Master Jia said to his father before, to go faster by water. If we go by land, we have brought so many salutes, the carriage cannot go fast, and it is easy to encounter bandits. If we bring too many followers, there will not be so many horses.

If you rely on walking, you can't reach more than two hundred miles in one or two days. If you travel by boat, you can arrive in three or four hours, and you won't be tired." The eldest brother explained.

Those who rely on walking must be slow. It takes a day or two. Chen Fan can understand this. A normal person can walk ten miles in an hour without rest. The distance of more than two hundred miles requires more than twenty people.

If you keep walking for hours, you definitely need to rest in between. It really takes a long time. If you just go by boat, it will take seven or eight hours. It doesn’t seem to be very fast. Think about the distance of more than 200 miles. In modern society, how long does it take to drive a car?

By car, you can arrive there in just over an hour. In comparison, the time on the road is indeed quite slow.

"Hou Feng, the last time you went to Gusu to report a message, how long did it take you to walk there?" Chen Fan suddenly remembered the last time Hou Feng went to Gusu, and wanted to know Hou Feng's speed, and also to learn about this by the way.

I immediately asked if there was any secret walking technique in the era.

"It took about two hours." Hou Feng replied.

"Two hours, that is, four hours, more than fifty miles in one hour, which is equivalent to 25,000 meters per hour, which is similar to the speed of a modern long-distance running champion." Chen Fan thought to himself, as far as Chen Fan knew, the long-distance running champion

, 10,000 meters, in less than half an hour, Hou Feng's speed is also achievable in human history.

"It's pretty fast. Do you have any secrets? You can go really fast." Chen Fan asked curiously.

"Many people can achieve this. Yan Hai is faster than me. There is no secret. Just run more and practice more." Hou Feng, an honest man, replied.

Chen Fan was a little disappointed after hearing Hou Feng's answer. It was not that he was disappointed that he had not heard the training plan, but that he was a little disappointed with Hou Feng's emotional intelligence. This question actually gave Hou Feng an opportunity to show himself. Smart people will run more.

Practice can tell you the experience, and the mediocre people will say the second half of the sentence, "There is no secret, just run more and practice more." In Chen Fan's opinion, only the first half of the sentence is added, which not only belittles the person asking the question, but also demeans the questioner.
Chapter completed!