Chapter 284: Chapter One Hundred Ninety-Six
Upon hearing the word "Xiongnu," the expressions of Song Dekang and the others instantly became very serious.
He Lianfang, who was playing a war game with Zhao Yao, felt a chill crawling up his neck. The only person capable of making him feel like this was the emperor.
Zhao Yao stood in front of the sand table, staring at the terrain on it. He was contemplating which route to launch his attack from.
This sand table was made by the butler at He Lianfang’s behest, specifically to better teach Zhao Yao military strategy.
Zhao Yao had been diligently reading the "Spring and Autumn Annals," learning a great deal of military tactics from it. He Lianfang feared he would only be adept in theoretical strategies, so he created the sand table for Zhao Yao to practice on.
Seeing He Lianfang’s somewhat troubled expression, Zhao Yao quickly asked with concern, "Uncle, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Do you need to rest?"
"I’m fine." He Lianfang composed his expression, "Have you thought it through?"
Zhao Yao nodded lightly and said, "I have." As he spoke, he picked up a model village, "Uncle, I plan to send two teams at night to raid your village. One team will disguise in your troops’ uniforms, pretending to be under attack, and run to inform the garrison that there’s been an attack. The other team will simulate the raid on the village."
He continued, "Once your village is attacked and your supplies are burned, your troops will be thrown into chaos."
He Lianfang listened, a slight smile tugging at his lips, "Not bad, continue."
Zhao Yao then turned his gaze to the river on the sand table, and thoughtfully said, "I can divert the river to flood your stronghold..."
He Lianfang listened attentively, his eyes momentarily flashing with surprise.
Zhao Yao did not notice He Lianfang’s subtle reaction and continued, "I could also have someone dig a trench under your city walls..."
After listening to Zhao Yao’s plans, He Lianfang calmly praised him, "It seems you’ve been studying the ’Spring and Autumn Annals’ earnestly." In truth, his heart was not as calm as his demeanor suggested. He hadn’t expected Zhao Yao to have such a talent for military strategy.
Since meeting Zhao Yao, He Lianfang had only instructed him to read the "Spring and Autumn Annals" and hadn’t formally taught him military strategy.
The tactics Zhao Yao had just employed were insights he’d gained from reading the "Spring and Autumn Annals," demonstrating an impressive level of intuition, which took He Lianfang by surprise.
Receiving the compliment, Zhao Yao grinned and said, "I find the ’Spring and Autumn Annals’ quite interesting."
"Your intuition is commendable." He Lianfang held a wooden stick and pointed to the fortress on the sand table, saying seriously, "From here..."
Zhao Yao’s heart skipped a beat as he focused intently, listening to He Lianfang’s explanation.
The strategies Zhao Yao had proposed were quite good, but they had flaws. He Lianfang refined the methods Zhao Yao had mentioned.
Zhao Yao listened, his eyes widening, and mouth agape, marveling inwardly: So this is another way to fight.
Though He Lianfang’s face remained expressionless as he discussed attack methods, his tone was not cold; instead, it was very gentle. He explained it in the simplest way for Zhao Yao to understand.
Zhao Yao listened, nodding repeatedly, occasionally showing an enlightened expression on his face.
When He Lianfang finished, Zhao Yao looked completely astonished.
"Uncle, then can I do this..." Zhao Yao pondered new ideas.
Seeing how quickly Zhao Yao grasped the strategies he had just explained, He Lianfang felt both amazed and pleased.
The two continued rehearsing various combat methods at the sand table until the butler came in to remind them it was time for lunch, prompting them to stop.
Lunch was hot pot, purchased from the Zhenxiu Building.
While enjoying the hot pot, Zhao Yao continued discussing the attack methods with He Lianfang.
He Lianfang listened, inwardly marveling: Just like the master, truly just like the master!
As Zhao Yao spoke, he felt that practicing on the sand table wasn’t entirely satisfying.
"Uncle, when I go back, I’ll get someone to make models of cities, soldiers, horses, so that we can practice better." He suggested making miniaturized models of cities, soldiers, horses, or using cards, and then strategizing over maps.
Understanding what Zhao Yao meant, He Lianfang nodded and said, "That’s feasible."
Zhao Yao, sitting across from He Lianfang, seemed like he wanted to ask something but hesitated.
Seeing Zhao Yao’s hesitant expression, He Lianfang gently encouraged, "If you want to say something, just say it."
Zhao Yao put down his bowl and chopsticks, scratched his face momentarily, then said, "Uncle, there’s something I want to ask your help with, but I’m not sure if I should."
"Go ahead."
"Uncle, do you remember when I mentioned last time about the alliance between Wusun and us?"