RPAGF Chapter 60 Do You Know? 14
Chapter 60 Do You Know? 14
The Treatise on Military Preparedness is a military book written by Mao Yuanyi of the Ming Dynasty. The book consists of 240 volumes and is divided into five parts: "Commentary on Military Secrets", "Study on Strategy", "Formation and Training System", "Military Resources", and "Divination Records". The content is extremely rich.
It contains a wealth of information on city defense, troop deployment, offensive and defensive strategies, weapon manufacturing, astronomy, geography, and many other aspects, making it arguably the largest military encyclopedia.
This book has both a solid theoretical foundation and high practical value.
Even a complete novice who knows nothing about military affairs can become a master of military strategy after studying this book.
When he first saw the book at the Jia family mansion, he was immediately awestruck and couldn't put it down. He read it carefully from beginning to end, sentence by sentence, and memorized its contents.
This time, he only brought out one volume of "Bing Jue Ping", which collects some important ancient military treatises and provides commentary and annotations on them.
When the other party saw "Wubei Zhi" (Treatise on Military Preparedness), they reacted just like Sheng Changfeng when he first saw the book: they were immediately amazed and praised it repeatedly.
His Majesty once strongly encouraged civil and military officials to study military affairs for the sake of border defense. He also ordered Zeng Gongliang, the Vice Chancellor, and Ding Du, the Academician of the Duanming Hall, to spend five years compiling the "Essentials of Military Classics". The amount of content it contained and the scope of its influence were already amazing. But I never expected that the "Treatise on Military Preparedness" would be even more magnificent.
Based on the "Complete Essentials of Military Classics", the "Treatise on Military Preparedness" expanded and extended the breadth and depth of its various categories and contents.
It wouldn't be surprising if this were written by a military general who had fought on all sides for many years and had rich combat experience.
But the one who produced this masterpiece was just an eighteen-year-old boy. This means that he has not only encountered a talented person, but also a rare genius!
The other party immediately reported the matter to the Prince of Yan, who naturally did not believe it and sent people to conduct a thorough investigation, finding out everything that had happened to Sheng Changfeng from childhood to adulthood, leaving no stone unturned.
But it turns out that the book was indeed written by Sheng Changfeng.
"If he's so capable, how come he failed even a minor imperial examination?" the Prince of Yan asked, puzzled.
Someone who can write such a masterpiece on military strategy can already be called a great talent. Even if someone has some academic bias, it shouldn't be this bad.
After thinking for a moment, Jing Wangqiu immediately came up with an excuse for Sheng Changfeng's failure to pass the exam.
"Everyone makes mistakes, and even horses stumble. Perhaps he was simply unwell or lacking energy at the time, which led to his failure in the imperial examination."
The Prince of Yan flipped through the information about Sheng Changfeng that his subordinates had brought him, and saw that it indeed stated that he had been seriously ill some time ago and had only recovered in the last few days. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's a pity. If he had passed the exam this time, I could have recruited him directly into my service."
“Your Highness, now that he is living in seclusion, waiting for the right time and preparing to make his move, isn’t that the perfect opportunity for you to treat him with respect and courtesy?” Jing Wangqiu said with a smile.
The Prince of Yan nodded: "That's exactly right!"
As a prince, the Prince of Yan could easily see whomever he wanted. However, the Emperor was keeping a close eye on him and the Prince of Yong because of the repeated proposals from the previous court to establish an heir apparent.
In addition, Sheng Hong was recently reprimanded for Sheng Changfeng's nonsense about establishing an heir, and he's probably still being questioned by the Emperor.
Therefore, he doesn't dare to go to see Sheng Changfeng openly now, and only asks Jing Wangqiu to arrange for the two to meet privately.
Jing Wangqiu knew that it was not appropriate for the Prince of Yan to meet Sheng Changfeng openly, so he planned to have Sheng Changfeng come to meet him under the cover of night.
In the dead of night, Sheng Changfeng was naturally unwilling to deliver the goods himself, so he made an excuse to leave the city and stayed at a manor outside the city for two days, thus avoiding the meeting.
Finally, after deliberately keeping the Prince of Yan in suspense for two more times, and only after the Prince of Yan's curiosity about him had reached its peak, did the two finally meet.
As the saying goes: what is hard to obtain is cherished deeply.
People only truly cherish something they have obtained through hard work and effort.
The current Prince of Yan is just like that.
If Sheng Changfeng were like everyone else, coming and going at will, his interest would greatly diminish after just one meeting.
In his view, Sheng Changfeng is not currently in the court, so his assistance to him is limited. Moreover, the Prince's mansion has countless advisors and retainers, and he has never lacked people to offer advice.
However, after failing to see Sheng Changfeng for a long time, his curiosity reached its peak. He felt an itch that would itch to the core if he couldn't see him. Finally, he couldn't resist anymore and set off for Yuqing Temple when Sheng Changfeng left the city.
Here he finally met the person he had been longing for day and night.
Truly a prodigy, extraordinary and exceptional!
His attire was simple and understated, yet he possessed a composure beyond his years. His eyes were calm and profound, revealing a wisdom that understood the ways of the world and a detached perspective that transcended worldly concerns. He was courteous, neither arrogant nor humble, displaying the demeanor of a distinguished family.
The Prince of Yan was testing him, but he was naturally fearless. He didn't say much, but what he said was meaningful. In the back and forth, the relationship between the two sides gradually grew closer.
They talked about Confucian classics, poetry, songs, and prose; they discussed historical events and current hot topics; they talked about medicine, astrology, divination, and military strategy.
Finally, the conversation naturally turned to the "Treatise on Military Preparedness". Sheng Changfeng did not keep it to himself, but took out a few more volumes, and the two studied them carefully. Of course, it was mainly the Prince of Yan who read them, and he explained them from the side.
The two chatted from noon until the moon was high in the sky before reluctantly stopping. The Prince of Yan then ordered his men to escort him back to the Sheng family.
“This man is indeed quite talented! I will definitely bring him under my command. If not, I must eliminate him completely, otherwise, if he were to join the Prince of Yong, he would definitely become a major threat to me,” the Prince of Yan said to Jing Wangqiu.
Jing Wangqiu remained silent, quietly preparing for their next meeting.
After that, the two frequently contacted and met in private, and their relationship gradually grew closer. Finally, after a series of tests, the Prince of Yan began to trust Sheng Changfeng, started discussing court affairs, and regarded him as a behind-the-scenes advisor.
Sheng Changfeng never disappointed him, always leaving him satisfied, which made him trust Sheng Changfeng even more.
Just as Sheng Changfeng's plan was progressing steadily, the situation in the capital was constantly changing, with two bombshell pieces of news emerging one after another.
The first shocking piece of news was that Gu Tingye of the Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion, after failing to marry the eldest granddaughter of Grand Tutor Yu, attempted to forcibly bring his mistress into the Marquis's Mansion, which caused the old Marquis's death from anger. This was truly the most unfilial act.
Gu Tingye was a notorious playboy, flamboyant and rebellious, a frequent visitor to brothels, and his reputation in the capital was already infamous. So when the news of his father's death spread, no one doubted it, and it directly attracted countless people to condemn him, forcing Gu Tingye to leave the capital in a sorry state.