Chapter 34: The Heart of a Military Advisor (Part 2)
When asked about military affairs, he answered fluently and concisely and clearly.
He Ran was very satisfied and said with a smile: "You are familiar with the geography of the world, which is a rare talent. Coupled with your military qualifications, with a little training you can become a general with both wisdom and courage, but I am not sure Your expectations are more than that. I hope that one day you can stand alone and take charge of one side."
Chuangtong smiled and said: "Fame is not what I want. I was tempted to serve because of the new policies of the military advisor. It's enough to just follow the military advisor."
He Ran took a sip of tea and said: "I regard you as a good brother, so I will say whatever I want. Although you are indifferent to fame and wealth, you and I are not the same people. I am forced to do things, and you take the initiative to do things." It’s true, I don’t have any lofty ambitions to benefit all people, I just want to be comfortable and leisurely. You have the ambition to save the world and save the people. Before, you wandered around because you didn’t meet a wise master worthy of your service. Now our king is considered wise and kind. This is a great opportunity for you to display your talents. To be honest, our country will be in danger of annihilation after this battle. Then I will be able to hide in peace and quiet. The heavy responsibility of protecting our borders and territory will fall on you people. I'm with you, so don't think about following me."
Chuangtong lowered his head and said nothing. Thinking that he would not be able to listen to his jokes all the time in the future, he couldn't help but feel a little sad.[
Because he mentioned that he could enjoy some leisure time from now on, He Ran was in a good mood and added some advice: "Do you know what is the most important thing to practice as a strategist?"
Chuangtong thought for a while and said: "Wisdom."
He Ran shook his head and said: "Everyday trivial things are all about wisdom, just read more and think more. Do you still remember when I ordered the soldiers to pour water into ice to keep the barracks warm on the grassland?"
Chuangtong nodded and said, "Remember."
"Everyone knows that water can freeze in winter. Being able to make good use of it is resourcefulness, and it has a lot to do with experience. I only thought of doing this after hearing related stories. You have traveled around and have more experience than the average person. You are indeed resourceful. You need to practice, but to become a strategist, this is not the most important thing. The most important thing is to cultivate your mind and develop a calm and perseverant heart."
Chuan Tong nodded slightly.
He Ran continued: "You must remember this. As far as cultivating the mind, I am far from qualified."
Chuan Tong smiled and said: "My lord, you don't have to be too modest. I just said that I thought you would be frowning at this moment, but you can already talk and laugh happily. We all admire you very much. You can't express your anger and joy. Kunshan collapsed in front of you." Immediately calm."
"Yes..." He Ran wanted to remind him that "Taishan collapsed". Fortunately, he stopped what he was about to say in time. He couldn't help but laugh and said: "I am too emotional, and I can usually cope with it, but I can't control myself when it comes to my relatives. If it had been someone else this time, I would have been able to lead the army to attack Zhao in a few days at most, but I was able to wait for more than two months. After so many years of practice, the only thing worth it is What is commendable is that he no longer acted purely out of loyalty and understood the importance. If he had really forced himself to go on the expedition, even if he had not died of illness on the road, he would have recklessly used troops to kill his brothers."
Chuang Tong agreed: "The most rare thing in the world is to have self-awareness. As far as being in charge of soldiers, your temperament is indeed a fatal flaw. Fortunately, you can clearly see this."
He Ran shook his head and said: "If you can't see me, you are even less qualified to be a military advisor. Take me as a warning. The person in charge of the army cannot tolerate any mistakes. It was because of my impulse that I led my brothers thousands of miles to attack Jigong. He killed many good brothers, and I still feel pain thinking about him."
Chuan Tong let out a breath and said, "Sir, don't count on me anymore. I feel I'm still far behind you. If you all think that you haven't cultivated the heart of a strategist yet, then I'll have even less hope."
He Ran smiled gently and said: "You haven't started practicing yet. When you reach the corresponding position, you will have different feelings. Looking back on the days when I worked at Guiyue Villa a few years ago, how could I dare to think that I would be able to command thousands of troops in the future? Ma? Take your time, I think you are a great talent anyway."
Nai, with an expression on his face, said: "If you fail to meet your high expectations in the future, please don't blame me."
He Ran raised his eyebrows and said, "That's not necessarily the case."
"It's bad luck for me." Looking at his expression, Chuang Tong knew that he was losing his seriousness again, so he stood up and prepared to leave.
He Ran waved to him to excuse him, but suddenly he remembered something and asked: "Stay here, where is Xihe?"
Without thinking, Chuang Tong said: "What you are asking about is the Xihe River in the State of Zhao? Both the Kang State and the Liu State also have regions called Xihe."
He Ran raised his big finger and said: "Awesome, let's just talk about Zhao Guo."[
Chuantong replied: "In the middle reaches of the Huangsha River, there is an area on the north bank, which is roughly a hundred miles away. It is close to Linchuan, and it is about... seven or eight hundred miles away."
"Oh..." He Ran seemed to be thinking.
"Why do you think of asking about this place? There is nothing special there."
He Ran replied absently: "Li Yong is from there."
"I see. If there's nothing else, I'm going to resign."
He Ran seemed not to hear, swaying slightly and staring at the geographical map.
Chuang Tong knew that he was concentrating on something in this situation, so he stopped talking and walked out quietly. Before he reached the door, he suddenly heard the military advisor calling him. He turned around and came back, and saw that the military advisor's face seemed to be happy.
He Ran waved and said: "Come on, come on, tell me the terrain of Linchuan in detail. If you explain it well, you will be able to get the position of deputy general."
Chuangtong was very excited. He approached and asked in a low voice: "Sir, do you want to march into Linchuan?"
He Ran looked at him approvingly and said: "You guessed it right. Talking about Li Yong made me come up with a strategy. Since Muyu City will be difficult to capture for a while, we might as well not be in a hurry and copy it first. When the Marquis of Linchuan went to his hometown, he brought out 30,000 men like a ruthless man. He probably didn't have any soldiers left to fight. Even if there was a fire in his house, even if he was willing to save it, the soldiers would not be moved. When the morale of the army is dispersed, the battle will be over. It's easy to fight. Li Yong's men and horses are not suitable for us. They will not be willing to sacrifice their lives for us. But if we fight back home, it will be another matter. These four thousand people will immediately become a tiger and wolf army, which is enough to defeat us. Linchuan is in trouble. If this plan works, you, as the deputy general, are actually the supervisor of the army. You can practice freely with other people's soldiers, but you must have a good relationship with Li Yong and those generals. Don't mess with them. If you make them anxious, your life will be in danger."
Chuangtong nodded knowingly and said, "I understand this. I can give you a brief marching route map tomorrow."
He Ran was in a good mood and said: "You still owed me a picture last time. Even if the picture you handed in this time is not as good as the one in Shi Xiang Ling, it can't be too different."
Chuangtong laughed and said: "I will tell you about the relevant geography first. You just said it. If you explain it well, you will let me be the deputy general and work with you."
"It seems I still don't have the confidence, let's talk while drawing." He Ran spread out a large piece of paper.
Chuan Tong grinned and said: "How can a lower official be compared to Shi Xiang Ling? Xiang Ling has been immersed in this way since he was a child."