Chapter 91: This Guy is Really Cool!
“Settle the bill!”
“Alright!”
The shopkeeper couldn’t help but almost laugh when he saw the books Yang Zhengshan had chosen. These books were all stored away, and it was uncertain if they would be sold even within a year. Yet, today, someone had come along and bought six of them in one go.
“Thank you, customer!”
After leaving the bookshop, Yang Zhengshan went to the Liang’s Cloth Shop to buy a 100-year-old ginseng, which cost a staggering 700 silver taels, almost enough to break Yang Zhengshan’s bank.
He then bought some high-quality tea leaves, fur, and cloth.
“Good grief, I need to save up more for the New Year’s gift!” Yang Zhengshan muttered to himself.
Today, he had spent over 1,000 silver taels. If it weren’t for the 2,000 silver taels Lu gave him as a gift, he wouldn’t be able to afford the gifts.
He didn’t worry about Yang Mingcheng’s preparations, and after staying for another night in the small courtyard, he would return to the Welcoming River Fortress.
With only half a month left until the New Year, Yang Zhengshan had to write a military strategy book within that timeframe.
Time was pressing, and Yang Zhengshan hastily returned to the Welcoming River Fortress, dove straight into his study, and began writing.
Initially, he wanted to write a book on actual battle experiences, but after considering it for a long time, he realized it wasn’t easy to write. Each item required careful thought, and the purpose and reasons behind each training exercise needed to be explained.
If he had the time, Yang Zhengshan could slowly refine his work, but now, he was under pressure to finish the gift for Zhou Lan.
No choice, Yang Zhengshan could only copy the “Thirty-Six Stratagems”.
The “Thirty-Six Stratagems” referred to 36 military strategy tactics, divided into six suites: the first suite, “Winning Strategies”, the second suite, “Enemy Strategies”, the third suite, “Attack Strategies”, the fourth suite, “Mixed Strategies”, the fifth suite, “United Strategies”, and the sixth suite, “Defeat Strategies”.
The first three suites were for use when in a superior position, while the last three were for use when in an inferior position. Each suite had six tactics, totaling 36 strategies.
Some things wouldn’t be remembered if not thought about, but after contemplating them daily, Yang Zhengshan discovered he could remember them all.
Yang Zhengshan racked his brain for five days and finally memorized all 36 strategies.
He then compiled them according to his memory, making adjustments where necessary.
It was compilation, not dictation, as Yang Zhengshan couldn’t dictate them verbatim. He could only recompile them according to his thoughts and language.
As for the parts that didn’t fit, such as “Surround Wei to Rescue Zhao”, didn’t that involve the non-existent Wei and Zhao states?
Yang Zhengshan thought for a moment and changed it to “Surround the City to Attack the Reinforcements”.
The two had some similarities, but even if they differed, it was all Yang Zhengshan’s compilation. He said it was so, and this world wouldn’t argue with him.
The “Thirty-Six Stratagems” didn’t have many words, and Yang Zhengshan finished the draft in just two days. He then spent three days refining it, making meticulous adjustments, and finally completing the book.
24th day of the 12th month.
Yang Zhengshan took his compiled “Thirty-Six Stratagems” and two large carriages of gifts to the Jing’an Prefecture.
As it neared the end of the year, Zhou Lan was extremely busy.
Busy with military training, busy with handling military affairs, and busy sending New Year’s gifts.
However, Zhou Lan didn’t need to personally handle the gift-giving. She only needed to arrange for servants to run errands.
Yang Zhengshan arrived at the Jing’an Prefecture but didn’t immediately go to see Zhou Lan. Instead, he went to Zhao Yuan’s place first.
Zhao Yuan had a large courtyard in the Jing’an Prefecture, where Yang Zhengshan could temporarily reside.
After settling in, Yang Zhengshan began his rounds of visits.
The Jing’an Prefecture had a Commander, two Vice Commanders, three Adjutants, and two Pacification Commissioners.
Apart from these, there were the Guard Office and the Patrol Inspectorate.
Yang Zhengshan sent gifts to all the officials with names and surnames.
They weren’t valuable items – a catty of tea leaves, two pieces of decent-looking fur, and several bolts of cloth from the Liang’s Cloth Shop.
The gifts varied according to the officials’ ranks.
Yang Zhengshan wasn’t trying to curry favor with these officials; he only wanted to show his good intentions and let them know he hadn’t neglected them.
As for whether the officials were satisfied with the gifts, that was up to them.
If they weren’t satisfied, Yang Zhengshan couldn’t do anything about it. He couldn’t bankrupt himself, after all.
The key was that even if he went bankrupt, the officials might not appreciate it.
In fact, many officials didn’t care about his gifts. Some didn’t even bother to see him, letting their servants handle it.
The differing attitudes towards gifts were truly discernible.
Over two days, Yang Zhengshan visited all the officials in the Jing’an Prefecture, including the Commander, Clock, and the Ning State City Guard, Mu Qiu.
These two were aware that Yang Zhengshan was Zhou Lan’s person, so they treated him relatively well, personally receiving him and giving him gifts in return.
After dealing with the others, Yang Zhengshan finally went to the Commander’s Manor to pay his respects to Zhou Lan.
Inside the manor, Yang Zhengshan followed a servant into the main hall.
However, as he crossed the threshold, he slightly hesitated.
This was because there was not only Zhou Lan in the main hall but also a middle-aged man in his thirties.
This man wore a loose, elegant scholar’s robe, had a refined face, and exuded a warm, refined aura.
He sat below Zhou Lan, with a gentle, spring-like smile on his face.
Upon seeing him, Yang Zhengshan felt an inexplicable sensation.
This guy is really cool!
Yang Zhengshan thought he was also quite the cool uncle, especially after his beard grew thicker and more well-groomed. He had a dignified air about him, like “his steps were deliberate, his demeanor was upright, his clothes were clean, and his hair was well-groomed”.
But this person was different, with a face like jade, eyebrows like swords, eyes like ink, and a slender, refined body.
Envy, admiration, and surprise filled Yang Zhengshan’s heart.
Caution, too.
Only one glance, and Yang Zhengshan knew this person was a high-ranking expert.
Although the other was sitting calmly, Yang Zhengshan felt an intense, hidden danger emanating from him.
It was as if he were a sheathed sword, with a sharp blade and a hidden killing intent.
However, with Zhou Lan present, Yang Zhengshan only hesitated for a moment before entering the main hall.
“Your humble servant pays respects to Commander Zhou!”
He bowed and saluted.
“No need for formalities, Yang Official,” Zhou Lan seemed to be in a bad mood, her eyes tinged with dissatisfaction.
Of course, this dissatisfaction wasn’t directed at Yang Zhengshan; he hadn’t done anything to offend her.
“Brother?” Yang Zhengshan’s heart skipped a beat as he suddenly understood the other person’s identity.
Yang Zhengshan had inquired about the Ning Country Duke’s Manor and knew that Zhou Lan’s father, Zhou Mao, held the position of Central Military Commissioner, Left Vanguard of the Prefectural Banner, and Grand Tutor to the Heir Apparent.
Yang Zhengshan also knew that Zhou Mao had four sons, of which the eldest had died young in battle, the second and third were illegitimate sons serving in the military, and the remaining one was the Ning Country Duke’s Manor’s Young Master, Zhou Xi.
This person must be Zhou Xi!
Yang Zhengshan bowed again, this time to Zhou Xi.
“Your humble servant Yang Zhengshan, Defender of the Welcoming River Fortress, pays respects to the Young Master!”
Zhou Xi’s attitude was extremely warm, and he waved his hand in greeting.
Zhou Lan didn’t care about her brother’s attitude and directly asked Yang Zhengshan, “What brings you here?”
Yang Zhengshan replied, “As the New Year approaches, your humble servant has prepared a modest gift for the Commander.”
“Gift?” Zhou Lan raised an eyebrow, looking at him strangely.
Giving gifts was a common practice in the officialdom, and everyone was used to it.
Of course, some people would use it as an opportunity to bribe their superiors or curry favor.
Zhou Lan wasn’t that kind of person, and she didn’t care about the gifts.
What she was curious about was Yang Zhengshan’s gift, knowing his family’s financial situation.
“Uh, there’s nothing good inside. It’s just a token of my respect.”
Yang Zhengshan couldn’t say much, even though he had carefully prepared the military strategy book. He couldn’t boast about his own abilities, saying how exceptional his compiled book was.
As he spoke, Yang Zhengshan handed the gift list to Zhou Lan.
Zhou Lan scanned it, her eyes passing over the other items, including the 100-year-old ginseng, without much interest.
However, she did notice the “Thirty-Six Stratagems”.
“Thirty-Six Stratagems”?
“What is this?”
Yang Zhengshan beckoned to Yang Mingcheng, who hastily brought in a wooden box.
Zhou Lan opened the box, took out a thin booklet, and began to flip through it.
At first, she was curious, then shocked, and finally, her expression turned to astonishment.
As a member of the Ning Country Duke’s Manor and a commander, Zhou Lan had read many military books since childhood, but she could guarantee she had never seen this “Thirty-Six Stratagems” before.
The strategies in the book left her even more astonished.
The “Thirty-Six Stratagems” was based on the yin-yang changes and the opposition relationships in the I Ching, as well as the ancient military strategists’ thinking on hard and soft, strange and normal, attack and defense, and other opposing relationships, adapted to actual situations, enemy situations, and changes in circumstances.
Each strategy embodied high-level wisdom and tactical skills, possessing great practicality and operability.
“Where did this come from?”
Within a quarter of an hour, Zhou Lan had finished reading the entire book, and even though she only browsed through it, she could see the exceptional nature of this military strategy book.
(End of chapter)
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