Chapter 379: Chapter 227: Hidden Dangers_3
"Do you want to be looked down upon for the rest of your lives? To be labeled as the disgrace of your families for life? To be despised by your parents forever?"
These three questions made Chu Huan and the others’ expressions change. Of course, they didn’t want to be looked down upon, nor did they want to be laughed at for the rest of their lives.
"Don’t you want to be like your elder brothers?" Seeing Zhang He and the others’ expressions change, Zhao Yao saw hope for them, knowing they didn’t truly want to be useless. "Don’t you want to surpass your brothers and achieve something great?"
"Yes, of course we do," Chu Huan said, clenching his fists tightly, showing an unwilling expression, "I don’t want to be useless."
Zhao Yao looked at Zhang He and the others: "And you?"
Zhang He and the others said, "We don’t want to be useless either."
"Then do you want to surprise your fathers and brothers, or make them look at you differently?" Zhao Yao continued to ask persuasively.
Upon hearing Zhao Yao’s question, Chu Huan and the others became excited.
The four of them shouted in unison, and very loudly, "Yes, very much!" They dreamed of having their fathers and brothers see them differently.
"Then are you willing to listen to me?" Zhao Yao continued to entice, "As long as you are willing to listen to me, I can help you achieve something great."
Chu Huan and the others eagerly said, "Willing, very willing!"
"Then you must complete the tasks I assign."
Zhang He and the others hurriedly asked, "What tasks?"
"Study tasks."
Upon hearing the word "study," Song Jicai and the others immediately showed painful expressions.
"Boss, you wouldn’t make us read books, would you?"
"Boss, don’t you also hate reading? Why ask us to do it?"
"Boss, we’ll do anything except read books."
"Boss, if we liked reading, we wouldn’t be like this now."
"I know you don’t like reading." Zhao Yao himself didn’t like reading, but it was unavoidable, "I won’t force you to read, but tell me, what do you know and what do you want to do?"
Zhang He said, "Boss, of course, we want to be generals like our fathers and brothers."
Zhao Yao asked, "Then tell me, what does it take to be a general?"
"Of course, you need to know how to ride and shoot."
"Lead troops to fight."
"Know martial arts."
"Understand military strategy."
"You’re not wrong," Zhao Yao nodded, then asked, "Can you do all these things? Are you proficient in all of them? Especially military strategy, how many military books have you read?"
Chu Huan and the others were speechless. Although they could ride and shoot, compared to their brothers, they still had a long way to go. As for military strategy, they had never studied it or read military books.
"Do you think you can be better than your fathers and brothers without mastering anything?"
Song Jicai and the others were silent.
"I don’t like reading either, but my uncle asked me to read the ’Spring and Autumn Annals,’ so I read it diligently." Zhao Yao continued, "The military strategy I learned from my uncle, I will teach you exactly, but if you don’t read military books, you can’t truly understand the strategies he taught."
"Your father is skilled in handling horses and chariots, how much have you learned?" Zhao Yao asked Zhang He, "Shouldn’t you put effort into learning how to handle horses and chariots properly?"
"Yes."
Zhao Yao then looked at Song Jicai: "How much of your father’s true skills have you learned, at least three-tenths?"
Song Jicai said somewhat ashamed: "No."
"Then shouldn’t you properly learn from your fathers and brothers?" Zhao Yao said, "If you can learn at least half of your fathers’ skills, you can become generals, but how much have you learned?"
"Moreover, leading troops is not just about strength and brute force, it also requires intelligence." Zhao Yao said, "Without intelligence, you are nothing but fools and will never become great generals like your fathers."
"Boss, you’re right, so what should we do?"
"You can only read more. Without reading, you’ll never become knowledgeable." Zhao Yao said with a bitter smile, "I don’t like reading either, but I’m forcing myself to read more now, so I can manage my fief properly in the future."
"If you truly want your fathers to see you differently, then learn skills well now, and when you come to my fief with me in the future, show your true power and make your fathers proud of you."
Shen Sen and the others were filled with passion by Zhao Yao’s words, their expressions becoming very excited.
"Boss, we’ll listen to you, we’ll study hard and read well."
"Great, I believe you won’t disappoint me." Zhao Yao looked at Song Jicai and the others with eyes full of trust and continued in an encouraging tone, "I believe that in the future, when people mention you, they won’t say you are the useless sons of General Zhang or General Song, but will praise you for surpassing them."
Shen Sen and the others were thrilled at the thought of this scene.
At this moment, they heard the sound of greeting the emperor from outside.
"Why has Father come?" He asked a dumb question, knowing that the troublesome father must have come to see Yingpin.
With a click, the door to the room where Zhao Yao and the others were was forcefully opened from the outside, and then the emperor hurriedly walked in.
Zhao Yao was about to stand up and salute when the emperor scooped him up and then felt him all over.
As the emperor checked him over, he asked with concern, "Naughty kid, are you hurt anywhere? Is anything uncomfortable?"