Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 118 Ready to Fight, Unable to Fight
In the capital, Xuan Chong was both training troops and investigating the mental state of the city's youth. Xuan Chong reasoned: "We must understand their desires and needs, unlike those pedantic scholars who look down on them and believe that high-pressure indoctrination can solve everything."

In the unique civilization system of the East, when agrarian civilization develops to a certain level, "spoiled brats" are an inevitable phenomenon. This phenomenon is actually similar to the "wanderers" in the countryside.

In the early days of Eastern agrarian civilization, "playboys" were no different from the rural libertines of the Ming and Qing dynasties in their entertainment, engaging in cockfighting, dog walking, catching crickets, and gambling.

During the Qin and Han dynasties, Liu Bang's father, Liu Taigong, came from a family that produced officials in the state of Wei. In his youth, he was a typical playboy. His later years, when he asked Liu Bang to build a market for him in the palace, where he could engage in cockfighting and football, clearly demonstrates his youthful, hedonistic lifestyle.

Another example is Li Yuan, who in his youth was also a guy who rode horses and fought dogs in the capital.

These phenomena indicate that after the Iron Age, productivity increased dramatically, enabling the formation of large cities. Some young people in these cities could leave their jobs to engage in manual labor, but they did not engage in effective mental labor after leaving their jobs, which led to the phenomenon of "young people wandering the streets".

In modern terms, this means that under a certain employment rate, developed regions such as the capital have experienced a situation of idle labor.

After investigation, Xuan Chong determined that: "The spoiled sons of wealthy families are actually empty inside, just like Kong Yiji. On the one hand, they are illegitimate sons in their families and cannot let go of their birth. On the other hand, they cannot abandon the class system. They want to get up but cannot find a direction. They can only get together with people of the same status and engage in entertainment activities such as cockfighting and dog walking."

Note: Rebellions were frequent during the Tang Dynasty, often involving wealthy and privileged young men from privileged backgrounds. Coincidentally, in an era of powerful figures, Empress Wu Zetian's inability to personally wield a sword made it easy for her to gather ideas and begin discussing ways to change the status quo.

With the advent of the industrial age, the number of spoiled brats has actually been reduced by the system. The number of jobs provided by industrial society has increased significantly, and young boys from high-class families are arranged to work. Only a very small number of mentally immature and weaklings who cannot even pass the system's education will continue to wander unemployed in low-level pursuits. However, such spoiled brats are already individuals with very low abilities and no longer have the power to disrupt social stability.

After understanding the specific circumstances of these "collectivist, well-educated, and youthful" social strata in Beijing, Wu Fei's entire strategy revolved around inspiring this group to achieve "my struggle."

In the 35th year of the Tianli reign, the纨绔子弟 (sons of wealthy families) who joined the army in the capital city became like a pot of wine, strong and mellow.

Merchants in Kyoto say that if you were to further categorize spoiled brats, those in the East Market would be the most elite.

Others get involved in brothels by spending lavishly to compete for women's affections. But the logic of those young masters in the East Market is: my brothels are different from yours. You get involved by paying money, but I get involved by having the power to fight.

Of course, it's not that they don't pay, it's just that they won't be ripped off. Literati used their talent to charm those courtesans, and now young masters can book a whole group for just one or two taels of silver and get all the "vegetarian" services.

As for the "meat" items, after the third relaxation of restrictions, Wu Fei issued an order: "Give the prostitutes a melon, it's one hundred silver leaves, you can take it home afterwards."

Although it wasn't expensive—just the cost price for the brothel owners to sell and train people—the brothel owners cried out that it was a blood-sucking price.

But these young masters from noble families basically didn't do that—just like those dolls that cost several thousand yuan in Xuan Chong's previous life, it wasn't that they couldn't afford them, but that they would be beaten by their mothers if they were "secretly shipped" home.

A prostitute is a prostitute; her price is highest when she's on the shelf but hasn't sold yet. And this high premium is actually driven up by a large group of "shills" with no real intention to buy—in other words, writers who are good at writing—who are inflating the prices.

The beauties in brothels always fantasize about finding the perfect husband in the world of pleasure. They think they are very popular, but it is impossible to make these talented men impulsively fall in love. Even if a talented man says "I will redeem the beauty" while drunk, he will immediately change the subject when asked to do so the next day.

While these "beauties" were left desolate and few horses and carriages at their door, they still hoped that the eldest would marry a merchant.

…the most impractical path, and the most difficult and down-to-earth path…

In the East Market camp, Wu Fei emphasized to these young masters who were about to take command of the army: "In the future, you will be the true pillars of His Majesty's army." As he spoke, the young soldiers sat in formation, with charcoal pencils and paperboards covered with ink in front of them. After the bell rang, the exam began.

After these young masters followed Wu Fei in his daring and absurd ways for a while, they gradually lost interest in the "beauties" that were presented to them. After kneading the so-called jade futons with their hands, they felt that they were no different from their own maids.

After the initial novelty of these high-brow "low-brow" experiences wore off, they began to contemplate life. "Who am I?" "What can I do?" "Why is the world like this?" "Can anything be changed for me?"

During the exam, Wu Fei's mind wandered: "Why did men like to engage in sexual intercourse in their past lives? It was probably because sexual satisfaction made their brains start to think of saints."

In the past, these spoiled brats foolishly squandered money on drinking and carousing, mainly to slap the faces of those self-proclaimed learned scholars.

The playboys couldn't stand seeing scholars and poets easily become the patrons of courtesans; when they flaunted their wealth, what they really wanted to say was: "I may lack talent, but I'm rich, and that's still awesome!"

Xuan Chong reflected on his actions with shame: Impulsive spending on mobile games is also a problem; if you lack the skills, you make up for it with in-game purchases.

Nowadays, after Wu Fei's act of "renting official prostitutes at a low price" with his fists punctured the seemingly impressive purchase restriction system in Yaodu, these former rich fools have begun to think about what is truly awesome.
Those things that were once touted as amazing by others can be easily trampled on; clearly, they are not worth pursuing for a lifetime.
Yes. Now Wu Fei is shielding them from Tianwei's punishment, allowing them to do things they wouldn't have dared to do before, and letting them know the word "power".

Especially since Wu Fei didn't engage in these childish behaviors while they were indulging, the spoiled brats started to gravitate towards him after their wild antics. —The so-called "idea king" is someone who is the first to wake up from his childishness.

The military officers in Dongshi quickly realized the truth: a man may not need to be drunk and have a beautiful woman on his lap, but he must hold power.

Xuan Chong comments on the mindset of these young officers in the military today: They'll trample on everyone who deserves to be trampled on, except for those who can't rebel. This is how a feudal dynasty manages to scrape together its last bit of strength. The blood and sweat they're giving these纨绔 (spoiled brats) now is "the ability to do what they couldn't do in the past."

…A man's ultimate goal is to be a force to be reckoned with…

In the palace, Princess Xiasheng, about to be married, rode a white horse, galloping through the courtyards amidst the flowers. After dismounting, she angrily went to her mother's side. Later, in her private quarters, she recounted her dissatisfaction to her mother.

Xia Sheng's displeasure stemmed from the pitiful tone she heard during her conversation with her best friend from the Minister's mansion today. The Minister's daughter's conclusion that the princess's life partner was not a good match was based on what her father and brothers had said.

Such a reputation was created by the Confucian scholars in Da Yao who had mastered the classics.

When Wu Fei humiliated these people, he was now completely disgraced. In the eyes of scholars and writers, Wu Fei was a dissolute scoundrel from the frontier, now indulging in drinking, gambling, and whoring with the sons of various wealthy families and their military servants.

More than one or two censors have submitted memorials, and some veteran officials in the court have also suggested that Wu Fei should be demoted back to the southern border, so as not to tarnish Da Yao's morality.

The princess had only seen Wu Fei once at a family banquet a few months ago, and had never seen him again since. However, she had heard no fewer than dozens of absurd stories about Wu Fei spending the night with a woman. — Naturally, her impression of him worsened day by day, and she even felt that she was far inferior to the palace maids who were sent to marry him.

Little did they know, Wu Fei had always strictly adhered to the rules, keeping a close eye on the "Entering the Subtle Realm" of the Body-Fixing Technique, which was constantly approaching but always just a hair's breadth away.

…Men: How many divisions is a princess worth? Women: A sister can be exchanged for 100,000 soldiers…

"I do not seek to marry into a noble family; I only hope that my future husband will not betray me!"

In the palace, the Imperial Concubine heard the faint pleading in her daughter's voice and frowned. She could only soothe her daughter, saying, "Another day, I'll have your father issue an edict to discipline the prince consort." Of course, this clearly did not satisfy the princess.

Princess: "So many ministers have written to Father, but that man hasn't changed his ways. Mother, please help me persuade him."

Consort Yu remained silent. She loved this daughter very much, but in the "second half" of the palace competition, she was no longer a major player. Maintaining her current position was the most important thing; a slight misstep could lead to her downfall.

In the imperial harem, the "opening act" is when a new emperor first ascends the throne. At that time, it's normal for women in the palace to rise and fall, and even low-ranking concubines have a chance to turn the tables. The emperor is young, passionate, and loyal, and the service of young concubines is remembered. Even if whispering in the emperor's ear displeases him, as long as she keeps quiet in time, His Majesty will forget about it after their first encounter.

But now it's the second half. The titles of concubines that were due have already been bestowed, and Emperor Xu's fondness for the harem has greatly diminished. His monthly meetings with the concubines are merely routine. Moreover, in recent years, Emperor Xu has left the palace quite frequently. The concubines all tacitly understand this. If Consort Yu were to say anything wrong during these purely official meetings, her rank would only drop, not rise.

Neither of Consort Yu's two sons will inherit the throne, and her former ally, Empress Chan, died young. Empress Chan's son is the Prince of Bo, who has already fled to the Western Rong. Currently, she is considered to be among the losing faction in the harem.

The current favorite is Consort Shuang, who is also the biological mother of the current King Zhou. This King Zhou is competent in civil administration but lacks military prowess. In recent years, the northern armies suffered multiple defeats, which was a clear indication of the King Zhou's incompetence to everyone.

Consort Yu knew that the most notorious playboy her daughter had married was a military family whom His Majesty was trying to win over to the border troops. —This was not something the inner palace could discuss lightly.

…Wu Fei had already used the money meant for marrying the princess to fund his soldiers…

On the main camp side, Wu Fei was teaching these young military officers on the blackboard how to send out scouts, then measure the elevation of each hilltop using the "leveling instrument used in the camp," and then, based on the recorded readings, compile statistics and draw topographic contour maps.

Since the last time they were told to die on the battlefield, ten more people have left due to illness. However, after leaving, they continued to cause trouble in the city and were caught by the censors. When the matter was reported to His Majesty, His Majesty did not show any leniency. —Those who remain here have been forced into a corner.

Everyone is destined to experience the battlefield. If you run away now, no matter how arrogant you were before, you will fall as hard as you fall.

Therefore, at this moment, these "brains" in the army, who were enjoying their moment of "happiness," had to think about how to survive in the future.

Just as Wu Fei was giving a lesson, Emperor Xu walked in, and everyone stood up and bowed.

Entry to this camp was by means of a token, which bore one-third of the tiger tally's pattern. Therefore, anyone who saw the tiger tally could enter the camp.

"His Majesty!"

Upon seeing the emperor arrive, the officers in the camp stopped their lessons and bowed down.

Emperor Xu smiled and said, "I've come to see you. Don't panic."

Emperor Xu looked at the measurement diagrams on the blackboard, then flipped through everyone's books, and asked them questions. He discovered that they were all formulas for "carrying provisions" when marching into battle, and of course, elements such as "winter clothing." He understood that this was what a "long-distance expedition" was all about.

…They appeased these young men, assured them that if they achieved meritorious service, they would be given important positions, and thus Wu Fei was allowed to stay…

Emperor Xu: "You have trained your troops well; you are a man of integrity and diligence."

Wu Fei: "I am able to do things entirely because of Your Majesty's trust."

Emperor Xu was speechless: "You've been in the capital for a year, and you still can't speak properly."

Wu Fei lowered his head and remained silent.

Emperor Xu: "This year, there are signs that the false Hao has moved south. How is your new army doing?"

Wu Fei: "Currently, the entire army has a full complement of 2092 men. The training in battle formations has been completed, and we are now preparing for the trivial matters during the campaign."

Emperor Xu: "You said that forty percent of them would die on the battlefield. Was that a joke?"

Wu Fei: "Playing away from home, all sorts of unexpected things can happen, and it's possible that more than 40% of the players will be dead."

Emperor Shu frowned: "I asked you to train the troops, do you want to wipe them all out at once?"

Wu Fei: "Your Majesty, even if only 40% survive, we can still expand the army after returning to the capital for a year. An army is not judged by the number of people, but by whether the surviving soldiers have souls."

Emperor Xu seemed to understand, but then looked puzzled and asked, "Losing forty percent of the troops is one thing, but what if the entire army is wiped out?"

Wu Fei: "This minister is 90% confident that the entire army cannot be wiped out."

Emperor Xu became interested: "Oh, you don't hide the losses you've suffered. Yet you're so confident in protecting the army on the battlefield? What kind of logic is that?"

Wu Fei: "Weapons are instruments of violence; those who kill will be killed in return. The army I trained for Your Majesty is destined for war, so there will inevitably be casualties. However—as a general, one must consider the enemy, oneself, and the route before the battle. I entered the camp at the age of ten and led the troops at the age of fourteen, so I am somewhat familiar with the battlefield. Before the battle, I am fairly confident that I can 'stay put and retreat'."

Emperor Xu: "Tell me, what is permissible and what is impermissible?"

Wu Fei took a deep breath: "Before two armies clash, scouts are sent out first, just as two people fight each other and first sizing up their opponent. Is the opponent strong? Or steady on their feet? Is they willing to fight to the death or just trying to protect themselves? These things can be seen. When encountering a strong army, one should naturally avoid its sharp edge; when encountering a weak army, one should look for opportunities to fight. This is the way to survive on the battlefield."

Emperor Xu nodded.

Wu Fei continued, "The strength or weakness before the battle can be seen from three aspects."

The first factor is the number of soldiers. In war, the stronger party fights the weaker one, which is like the strong beating the thin.

However, even a lean leopard can hunt a strong horse, and there are many instances in warfare where the few win against the many, so the numbers are not entirely absolute.

The second principle is strict discipline. When an army obeys orders without question, it is like a short person with taut muscles, capable of defeating a tall and mighty enemy who is lax and negligent.

The third factor is the availability of provisions and military supplies. Imagine a bear and a tiger fighting in the Southern Mountains. They have been locked in a stalemate for several days. The tiger, full of energy, follows the bear's tracks tirelessly for days, eventually exhausting the bear. When the bear becomes agitated and tries to escape, the tiger strikes with a single, decisive blow to the throat. This is analogous to two armies facing off—the side with insufficient supplies will become impatient, making hasty and reckless moves, eventually weakening itself. The side with ample supplies, however, can withstand the attacks to the very end and ultimately defeat the enemy.

Based on these three points, I will determine "attack, defense, advance, retreat, and survival".

…the candlelight shone brightly…

As the emperor left the camp, he murmured, "In times of crisis, it is essential to nurture such talent when governing the country!"

The eunuch standing nearby understood immediately; it was clear that the emperor was still resentful about the situation deteriorating when the Prince of Zhou led the army in previous years.

Little did they know, Emperor Xu had another thought in his heart: "It's a pity I was born too late. If I had been born ten years earlier, I could have been tempered and refined, and then I could have been sheathed."

Now Wu Fei's blade is too sharp; Emperor Xu doesn't believe King Zhou can control it.

(End of this chapter)