Courtyard House: Drunk and tipsy, the whole courtyard exposed at the start.

Everyone was stunned.

Sha Zhu couldn't help but interject, "Da Biao, who's Ah San?"

Zhang Dabiao exhaled a puff of smoke, giving him a "you don't understand this" look: "India, you know. Back in the British concession, those Indian policemen with turbans would call the English 'Ah San' all the time, so the locals gave them that nickname."

"Another explanation is that during the Shanghai Bund era, there was a custom in the Shanghai dialect of adding 'A' before a name, and 'San' also had a slightly derogatory meaning there. The British Concession in Shanghai employed a large number of police officers from India, and over time, the term 'Ah San' came about."

Everyone suddenly realized and nodded in agreement.

But reporter An Hong still frowned: "Then why is Comrade Zhang Dabiao on guard... on India?"

"As far as I know, although there are some minor frictions between our two countries, overall the relationship is still quite good."

"In 53, we put forward the Five Principles, and in 55, India was one of the initiators of the Bandung Conference."

"You don't necessarily think they would... against our country..."

Not only An Hong, but many people frowned, thinking that Zhang Dabiao was making a mountain out of a molehill.

Zhang Dabiao carefully chose his tone and began to speak: "In the past two years, the Nehru government of India has been making a lot of small moves on our border, encroaching on our territory and implementing that so-called 'Forward Policy'."

An Hong's expression tightened. This matter had indeed been reported in domestic newspapers, but they were all quite restrained.

She pressed further, "Comrade Da Biao, do you think they will take further action?"

Zhang Dabiao sneered, his smile carrying three parts contempt, three parts understanding, and four parts certainty that "I saw through it all long ago."

"It's not a matter of whether or not they will, it's a certainty. And they'll only get bolder."

He leaned forward, lowering his voice as if sharing some incredible secret.

"The Indians are trying to take advantage of our misfortune. They think we've just gone through three years of drought, the domestic economy is in trouble, and we've fallen out with Big Brother, so they think we're easy targets and want to take advantage of us."

"In addition, with both the US and the Soviet Union stabbing them in the back, Nehru must be incredibly arrogant now, thinking that we dare not touch him."

An Hong's pen moved faster and faster, and Director Wang's brows furrowed.

"Da Biao, so you mean there will be a war? A big one? And this war is inevitable?" Director Wang couldn't help but ask.

Zhang Dabiao threw the cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it out. He leaned back, crossed his legs, and began his "highlight moment" for the day.

"Whether or not we fight doesn't depend on us, but on just how stupid the Indians are."

"But in my opinion, their adventurism will eventually get out of hand and cross the so-called McMahon Line to provoke us. At that point, we'll have no choice but to fight."

Everyone was still wondering, feeling that a country couldn't be so frivolous as to fight against us, could it? What would be the benefit?

We've made a name for ourselves on the peninsula, so to cause trouble now would be crazy.

I can't understand it at all, I can't figure it out.

He paused, then suddenly gave a "I'll give you a heads-up" look, his tone becoming meaningful.

"Let me tell you, in many things, we need to see beyond the surface to the essence."

"India is an ambitious country, but its ambitions are disproportionate to its strength. What is this called? It's called 'ambitions higher than the sky, but fate thinner than paper.'"

"But if a real fight breaks out, the Indians are just asking for trouble. With their limited fighting strength, they'd be like an egg hitting a rock when they encounter our border troops who have been tempered by countless battles."

"What level are our soldiers? They achieved a real 1v17 victory, and we even drove the Americans away. And what about the Indians? They haven't fought a war in years, and they only bully their own people."

"So my deduction is that this battle will probably break out soon."

"Moreover, if we don't fight, we won't fight at all; but if we do, we're guaranteed to win. There's no need to even think about it—victory is assured!"

"Moreover, after the war, the southwestern border will be at least peaceful for thirty years."

Every word of these words struck everyone's hearts like a nail.

The neighbors in the courtyard were thrilled to hear this.

Xu Damao slapped his thigh excitedly: "Da Biao is right! He dares to mess with us, let's beat him up!"

Liu Haizhong chimed in, his tone dripping with official jargon: "Exactly! We have to teach them a lesson! Let them know how many eyes Lord Ma has!"

An Hong's pen hovered over the paper, then stopped.

She looked up at Zhang Dabiao, her eyes filled with shock.

This analysis reveals the psychology and underlying strategies of international competition; it's hardly something an eighteen-year-old student would say.

"Comrade Zhang Dabiao, your words are very valuable. I will definitely compile them into an internal report and submit it when I get back," An Hong said solemnly.

She couldn't judge what Zhang Dabiao said, but she had recently collected a lot of "casual chats" from the public about the international situation, and she had to organize them.

Some say it's going to fight the Russians, some say it's going to fight the Americans, but this is the first time I've seen her mention going to war with India in her interviews.

After the interview, An Hong and Director Wang pushed their bicycles out of the yard.

As soon as the person left, the courtyard erupted in chaos.

Yan Jiecheng leaned close to Zhang Dabiao, lowered his voice, and asked with a sly look in his eyes, "Dabiao, you were talking so confidently just now, did your father leave some instructions? Did he foresee this battle?"

Originally, everyone was planning to go home and cook after the meeting, but after hearing what Yan Jiecheng said, everyone stopped in their tracks.

Oh yes—Zhang Dabiao's father is called Zhang Banxian!

What Zhang Dabiao said—repeating what Zhang Bansian said—was always accurate.

Yan Jiecheng's question immediately perked everyone up.

Zhang Dabiao used to use Zhang Banxian as a shield, and this time it might be another divination by the old man before his death, so everyone dared not take it lightly.

Zhang Dabiao looked helpless. He really wanted to drag Yan Jiecheng out and beat him up. What the hell was he thinking about all day long?

Can you make things a little less complicated?

"Don't spout nonsense. The Master said, 'I did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits!'"

"This is a strategic analysis based on the current situation! Do you even understand strategic analysis? This isn't feudal superstition! This is my personal opinion!"

"Let me tell you, to judge the international situation, you have to look at geopolitics, historical development, the balance of power between the two sides, and their strategic intentions. This is called 'seeing through the phenomenon to the essence,' and it has absolutely nothing to do with whether my dad is a fortune teller or not."

"Some things aren't metaphysics, they're science."

After saying that, he picked up the net bag and strolled back to the east courtyard, leaving a group of neighbors scratching their heads in the middle courtyard, their chatter continuing until dark.

Xu Damao watched his retreating figure, shook his head, and sighed, "We don't understand any of his 'geopolitics' or 'strategic intentions' stuff."

Liu Guangqi patted him on the shoulder: "That's right, you don't understand. Da Biao may seem unserious sometimes, but he's never been wrong about anything he says."

Madam Jia heard everything clearly from inside the house. She turned pale with fright, muttering, "How...how does he know everything? He even knows about war? How can a mere boy like him analyze this?"

"What if Zhang Dabiao takes a dislike to our family one day? He might analyze our Jia family too..."

Banggeng went back into the house with a gloomy face and without saying a word.

Although this matter has nothing to do with the Jia family, Bang Geng's "godfather" Yi Zhonghai said that Zhang Dabiao must believe whatever he says, because he has never been wrong.

But he would rather Zhang Dabiao make a mistake once.

Even making a mistake once is better than nothing.

Since such major international events weren't predicted by fortune teller Zhang, it's easy for things to go wrong...

Right?