NOVPUBCheng Zhidong shook his head and said, "It's precisely this kind of thinking that could lead to impulsive decisions. While most military generals are purely martial in nature, there are also those who excel in both civil and martial arts, such as General Zong. Another example is General Luo—though he never took the imperial exams, he has read extensively."
Pan Hongzhi added, "Moreover, the military also has the position of a strategist. These individuals are well-versed in the history and tactics of both allies and enemies, and they would never allow their generals to fall into the same trap again."
"..."
The mentors took turns pointing out logical flaws with sharp critiques, leaving the five young boys utterly deflated after racking their brains for so long.
Though they were used to being criticized, today's challenge was particularly difficult, and their morale took a noticeable hit.
At this moment, Zong Zhao finally spoke up with Xu Wan's permission, offering a hint: "You can take the existing strategies, identify their patterns, and modify them—altering the form without changing the essence."
"Altering the form without changing the essence?" Zong Wenxiu asked.
The little devil murmured, "The methods may change, but the underlying principles remain the same. First, we need to summarize the patterns of victorious battles."
He Zheng immediately jumped in: "First point: Strike where the enemy least expects it. The method must be novel—something no one has used before."
Wei Xinglu joined the discussion, summarizing: "Second point: When neither weather nor terrain is advantageous, leverage the power of nature to save manpower while catching the enemy off guard."
Shen Yibai felt like they had already covered everything. After a pause, he stammered, "Is... is there anything else?"
Zong Jincheng added, "Third point: When necessary, make use of other less predictable lethal weapons—like firecrackers or gunpowder mixtures. Ah... I’ve got it! What if we add poison to the firecrackers? When they explode, the poison would scatter everywhere!"
The little devil immediately looked at Zong Zhao and asked, "Father, is this plan feasible?"
Zong Zhao replied, "If we improve the method of throwing the firecrackers, I think we can test it next time."
"Wah!! Father approves of us!!" The little devil shrieked in excitement.
The boys cheered and jumped up, wishing they could high-five each other if they weren’t so far apart.
With their spirits lifted, they began brainstorming how to refine the strategy.
Zong Wenxiu suggested, "What if we use oxen to carry the firecrackers into the battlefield? Both our soldiers and the enemy wear some red in their uniforms, so we could switch to different colors. The oxen would charge at the enemy’s waving red cloth, using their strength to deliver the firecrackers and poison right into the enemy ranks."
"But once the oxen charge in, who will light the fuses?" Shen Yibai asked, puzzled.
"As long as one firecracker explodes, it’ll set off the others. We just need to make the first fuse longer, right?" He Zheng said with a grin. "We’ve got experience with this—big brother took me to see how they make extended fuses for firecrackers a couple of years ago."
A couple of years ago?
Xu Wan frowned, growing increasingly uneasy as she listened.
Narrowing her eyes, she asked, "So, the firecracker with the extended fuse that was tied to the ceremonial rooster during the wedding, blowing up my red veil... that was your doing, wasn’t it?"
The little devil immediately panicked: "Mother! I’ve already admitted my mistake! I’ll never dare to mess around like that again!!"
Back then, he had only wanted to put Xu Wan in her place. Now, looking back, it was nothing but a cringe-worthy memory—he wished he could dig a hole and bury himself in it.
Meanwhile, Zong Zhao had no idea that Xu Wan had been humiliated by Zong Jincheng right after marrying into the family. Her life in her own home had already been difficult, and being bullied by a spoiled brat on her wedding day must have made her the laughingstock of the capital.
Seeing the grim expressions on his parents’ faces—especially his mother’s terrifyingly calm smile—the little devil quickly raised his hands in surrender: "Once the discussion is over, I’ll go kneel in the ancestral hall and write a 3,000-word apology letter while I’m at it!"
Xu Wan had long since forgiven him—after all, she settled scores on the spot. Soon after the incident, she took over household management from her mother-in-law and had been molding the little devil like clay ever since.
But Zong Zhao thought the punishment wasn’t enough and added, "And copy the Classic of Filial Piety once."
"Yes..." The little devil slumped, accepting his father’s special brand of "affection."
Beside him, He Zheng was so ashamed he couldn’t even lift his head.
Just because he had mentioned the firecrackers, his big brother was now stuck writing a 3,000-word apology plus 2,000 words of filial piety—over 5,000 words in total. He’d probably be writing well into the night. He Zheng decided he’d join his brother in writing the apology later so he wouldn’t have to suffer alone.
Xu Wan clapped her hands and said, "Alright, let’s continue. Does anyone else have suggestions?"
Wei Xinglu said, "Using oxen as a spearhead does reduce casualties, but their size makes it hard to deploy enough of them to cover tens of thousands of enemy troops. If only there were smaller animals that could dart through the crowd—then we could distribute the attack evenly and wipe them all out."
Shen Yibai proposed, "Rats?"
Zong Jincheng looked at him like he was an idiot. "Can they even carry firecrackers?"
Shen Yibai: "..."
Well... no, probably not.
Not even a weasel could manage that.
He Zheng suggested, "What if we use sparrows to scatter poison from the air? Tie something heavy to their legs so they can’t fly far before dropping it."
Zong Wenxiu asked, "But how do we ensure they fly over the enemy and not us?"
He Zheng: "..." What a suffocating question.
War strategies were so hard—he was suddenly grateful the imperial exams didn’t test this. Policy essays were a thousand times easier.
Zong Jincheng countered, "What about carrier pigeons? They’re trained to recognize people and return home. What if we capture some from You Country?"
Zong Wenxiu shook his head. "No good—they’d just fly back to You Country’s capital, not circle over their soldiers."
Wei Xinglu suddenly exclaimed, "I’ve thought of an animal that’s small, nimble, and can dart through crowds!"
The boys immediately caught on: "Monkeys!"
"Exactly, monkeys," Wei Xinglu said. "They’re compact, agile, and can move quickly through crowds. Whether it’s spreading poison or delivering firecrackers, they’d be perfect."
Zong Wenxiu raised another concern: "Again, how do we stop them from coming to our side? Oxen can be directed by red cloth, but how do monkeys distinguish friend from foe?"
"Train them," the four troublemakers said in unison, turning to him. "Haven’t you seen monkey performances at the capital’s theaters?"
Zong Wenxiu: "..."
Sorry, I grew up in the slums. I don’t have your refined experiences.
