Words Strategize for the World

When Fang Wei and Lan Xi arrived at the Qu residence, they were led to a room arranged by Qu Zheng by the gatekeeper.

The two had only rested for a short while when a servant brought them their dinner.

"Fang Wei, do you think that man will come?"

Lanxi kept wondering if Fang Weiyue's man would come, and during the meal, she asked him her question.

Fang Wei didn't think too much about it. It would be good if the man came, but he wouldn't lose anything if the man didn't come.

"It's uncertain. It would be good if they could come, but if they can't, there's no loss, right?"

Thinking about it, it made sense, so Lanxi stopped thinking about it and focused on eating.

The food at the Qu residence was to their liking, and the two ate quite a bit. After the meal, Lanxi stayed for a while before leaving.

When he was left alone, Fang Wei chose to cultivate. He had been at the Law Level for some time, but had yet to advance to the first level.

Fang Wei maintained a constant sense of urgency, so he never missed a day of cultivation. Based on the time and his own cultivation progress, he felt he should be entering the first level soon.

The Qu family was the home of three high-ranking officials, unlike the simple conditions of the school. Therefore, he continued his cultivation until an unusual sound came from there.

The sound was coming from the roof, and he guessed it might be the man arriving.

Having heard the sound, Fang Wei stopped cultivating and sat in his room to wait.

A short while later, a furtive figure appeared at the window, followed by a knock on the door.

Fang Wei sat up straight, said "Come in," and then a man dressed in black night clothes pushed the door open and came in.

Pointing to the seat opposite him and inviting the man to sit down, Fang Wei said, "I knew you would come, and I was right."

The man was clearly taken aback; he hadn't expected Fang Wei to say that. After I sat down, he asked, "How did you know I was coming or not?"

Fang Wei smiled and said, "I don't know, but I think if you're someone who's unwilling to settle for mediocrity, you'll definitely come. Conversely, if you don't come, it just means I misjudged you."

Hearing Fang Wei say this, the man seemed to relax. He smiled wryly and said, "I didn't expect you to be able to tell fortunes, young master?"

"No, I'm not a fortune teller, but I believe I can offer what I can afford. If someone is content with mediocrity, no amount of leverage will help, right?" Fang Wei began to steer the conversation.

Hearing Fang Wei's words, the man was somewhat puzzled, so he asked, "Then why are you so sure that I am not content with an ordinary life?"

"I see it in your eyes. Most people who live a life of crime lack faith and their eyes tend to be dull. Such people are just getting by. But you are different. Sometimes your eyes are very sharp, which shows that you have strong opinions. And people with strong opinions are usually not content with mediocrity."

Fang Wei looked at the man and spoke with conviction.

After listening to Fang Wei's words, the man's feelings were complicated, a mixture of joy and sorrow. He was a man in his thirties, and no one had noticed him for so many years, but now a teenager had seen through him.

The man felt a strange sense of gratitude towards Fang Wei; perhaps this was the gratitude for being recognized and appreciated.

"Since you understand so well, then I will obey your orders."

The man had already indicated in his words that he wanted to follow Fang Wei, and Fang Wei was naturally happy to oblige.

Of course, the man would only observe for a while. If Fang Wei didn't perform well or the stakes were too low, the man would leave. To put it bluntly, it was just a gamble between the two parties; whether they won or lost, neither side would lose anything.

Fang Wei and Hanzi were both well aware of this.

The two then talked for a long time, and Fang Wei got a general idea of ​​everything from the man's background to his experiences wandering the world.

The man's name was Ding Sheng, and he was from a small village in the northern part of the Ba Kingdom. The northern part of the Ba Kingdom was poor in resources and bitterly cold. After a snow disaster one year, most of the villagers had no food to survive. It was at this time that Ding Sheng's family left the village and fled south to escape the famine.

During their escape from famine, Ding Sheng's parents passed away due to hunger, cold, and illness. Ding Sheng was left alone to endure a life of hardship and loneliness.

Ding Sheng had worked as a carpenter's apprentice, learned blacksmithing, worked as a waiter in a restaurant, joined a small gang, worked as a bodyguard, and eventually joined the army, making him quite experienced.

It was these experiences that broadened Ding Sheng's horizons, made him more opinionated, and continuously enhanced his abilities.

Ding Sheng had been in the army the longest and was very knowledgeable about the military management of the Ba Kingdom.

If it weren't for one of those events, Ding Sheng might still be in the army of the Ba Kingdom.

The army of the Hegemon Kingdom is strictly managed, but the welfare benefits are excellent. The army is entirely composed of men, so soldiers often relax at the Red Mansion on their days off.

Ding Sheng was not interested in this kind of thing, so he could not get along with Bu Chang. It just so happened that on a sunny day, Bu Chang was short of money and wanted to borrow money from Ding Sheng to go on a whim.

Ding Sheng knew this kind of money was never going to be repaid. He had lent money to the infantry commander before, but this time Ding Sheng needed the money, so he didn't lend it to him. Unexpectedly, the infantry commander held a grudge and severely punished Ding Sheng the day before a drill. As a result, Ding Sheng couldn't keep up during the general's drill the next day. Ultimately, Ding Sheng was discharged from the army.

After that, Ding Sheng lived a life of wandering the streets, swindling money to make ends meet. He himself didn't know when this kind of life would end, until he met Fang Wei today.

That's why Ding Sheng decided to take a gamble after talking with Fang Wei.

Ding Sheng's confession moved Fang Wei. Ding Sheng had such a wealth of experience; if he was truly dedicated, his abilities must be considerable.

"Good, not bad. I didn't expect you to have such a wealth of experience, Ding Sheng. Very good. From this perspective, it also proves that I didn't misjudge you."

"I summoned you to the Qu residence today to test you, and you have lived up to my expectations. Here's what we'll do: the Ba Kingdom is about to attack our country, and many refugees have appeared. I have 100 taels of silver here; take it and find some usable people among the refugees for my use."

After Fang Wei finished speaking, he took out a silver note and handed it to Ding Sheng.

Having made his choice, the man no longer hesitated and accepted the money.

"Once we find the refugees, how do we settle them?"

"I'll leave this to you. You can decide on the number of people, but they must be useful; I don't need useless idlers."

"Okay, I'll go right away. I promise to bring you back some usable men by tomorrow afternoon." Ding Sheng said, clasping his hands in a fist salute, and then left.

Fang Wei was quite at ease with Ding Sheng. Ding Sheng was someone Fang Wei met and who gave him a chance when he was at his lowest point. Such a person, who was opinionated and unwilling to settle for mediocrity, would never give up an opportunity for a mere sum of money.

If Ding Sheng ran away with 100 taels of silver, it wouldn't matter; 100 taels is a very small sum for Fang Wei right now.

Regardless, Fang Wei was somewhat pleased to have finally found a suitable person. If he could use this to build a secret team, that would be ideal.

One must eat one bite at a time and walk one step at a time. He knew there was no rush now and could only wait and see what kind of person Ding Sheng could find tomorrow.

After Ding Sheng left, Fang Wei began to rest, and did not get up until it was fully light the next day.

All his washing and breakfast were taken care of by the servants. After that, Fang Wei, having nothing else to do, continued his cultivation.

During this time, Lanxi came by. After seeing Fang Wei diligently cultivating, she didn't stay for long before returning to her own room to cultivate as well.

After lunch, Fang Wei went to find Qu Zheng, but was told that he had already gone out. Unable to find Qu Zheng, Fang Wei could only return to his room.

However, after returning to his room, Fang Wei did not continue cultivating but instead began to contemplate the upcoming Hegemony War.

I wonder if the envoy from Chi Kingdom has already brought reinforcements from Yan Kingdom. If there are no reinforcements, will Chi Kingdom be destroyed?

If the army of the Hegemon Kingdom attacks, should I tell my teacher that I should also go to the battlefield?

Besides these two questions, there are several other issues, such as: how to join the Chi Kingdom's army? How to lead an army? and so on.

Actually, none of these are the most important things. What truly matters is whether the Blazing Kingdom can win the war, and if not, what will it do?

Fang Wei thought about it again and again, but due to a lack of necessary information, he was unable to figure out these issues.

Unfortunately, we had no choice but to give up.

Fang Wei couldn't figure out the problem, but he still had some ideas about what to do next.

Regardless of the outcome of the war between the Hegemon and the Blazing Kingdom, he was determined to lead troops. Only by leading troops and fighting battles could he gain experience and lead troops better in the future.

Fang Wei didn't know much about military affairs; at most, he only knew ancient military strategies by heart, especially "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu.

Thinking of this, Fang Wei decided that he could write down Sun Tzu's Art of War from memory so that he could refer to it later.

Without hesitation, Fang Wei quickly began to write from memory. He ground the ink, laid out the paper, and started writing.

"War is a matter of vital importance to the state; it is a matter of life and death, a road to survival or ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected."

Therefore, it is examined through five factors and compared with plans to ascertain its true nature: first, the Way; second, Heaven; third, Earth; fourth, the General; fifth, the Law…”

Sun Tzu's Art of War consists of 13 chapters. By the time Fang Weimo finished writing, it was already afternoon.

Just as I finished writing, I heard a servant outside report that someone was requesting an audience.

Before he could even pack up, Fang Wei followed the servants out of the Qu residence and found Ding Sheng waiting at the door. He hadn't expected Ding Sheng to keep his word; he'd said he'd find it that afternoon, and he had indeed found it that very afternoon.

"Ding Sheng, have you found the refugees?"

"Yes, we've found it. It's currently being housed at an inn, but the money..." Ding Sheng said somewhat embarrassedly.

"Money is fine, as long as we find the person. Come on, take me to see them."

Fang Wei waved his hand and said.

"Alright, young master, please follow me."

Ding Sheng led the way, followed by Wei, and the two quickly arrived at an inn after passing through streets and alleys.

After Fang Wei followed Ding Sheng to the inn's room, he met six refugees.

"Come, let me introduce you all. This is the young master I was talking about."

After Ding Sheng finished speaking, the six men began to bow to Fang Wei.

"Greetings, young master!"

The six people said in unison.

Fang Wei looked at the six people in front of him, wondering what abilities they might have.

All six people were dressed in very tattered clothes, with their outermost garments covered in patches.

Upon closer inspection, Fang Wei noticed that one of the six people had a very serious expression, accompanied by a look of pain on his face. Despite this, the person's eyes remained remarkably bright. This prompted Fang Wei to take a closer look.

This was not a big deal, but it made Fang Wei realize that this person was different.

Aside from a pained expression and bright eyes, this person was also dressed in patched and rough clothes, but this person was much cleaner and tidier.

Fleeing is not like migrating. However, the fact that this person is still willing to pay attention to themselves and their image during the escape suggests that they may have received some education.

Fang Wei thought to himself: This person might have some ability.