Chapter 10: First Meeting Li Shimin

The spring breeze of March was like a pair of scissors, cutting through the willow leaves and fluff!

Fang Yiai stood quietly by the door, gazing at the vast, boundless sky. The Tang Dynasty was still the same, but Fang Yiai was no longer the same person. Linglong, supporting the door, quietly watched the Second Young Master. It had been two days since she had seen the Second Young Master smile.

"Second Young Master, is there something troubling you? Can you tell Linglong?"

"Linglong, it's not a big deal. Father told me he would choose a wife for me from a family of equal status, essentially an arranged marriage. I am against arranged marriages, but I don't want to make Father sad," Fang Yiai said with a bitter smile.

"Second Young Master, you don't have to be so troubled. You should understand that this is your destiny. Your marriage is not just your own; it concerns the interests of the entire Fang family!" Linglong stood behind Fang Yiai, smiling gently, but her smile was tinged with sadness.

Fang Yiai turned around, grabbed Linglong's shoulders, and said with a smile, "Linglong, do you know, I've always wanted to make my own decisions. I don't want my marriage to be tainted by political considerations. So I asked Father for a few years to become stronger. If I can become strong enough, I won't need an arranged marriage, and I can choose a marriage of my own free will."

"Second Young Master, why do you have to do this? What's wrong with marrying a well-bred lady?" Linglong tried to persuade him, her heart aching.

"Linglong, do you really think so?" Fang Yiai asked with a hint of amusement.

Linglong smiled sadly, "Second Young Master, why do you tease Linglong? I am just a lowly servant. Even if you can choose your marriage freely, Master would never let you marry me. It's not that Master doesn't want to, but the entire Tang Dynasty would never allow it. And I wouldn't agree either, because it would harm you."

Fang Yiai shook his head. Although he didn't want to admit it, Linglong was right. Social norms were an unbreakable shackle, and only time could solve this problem. If he dared to challenge this shackle, he would be completely devoured. Fang Yiai didn't continue, as he feared Linglong would be even more heartbroken.

In the afternoon, Fang De came over and said with a smile, "Second Young Master, Master wants you to go to the study!"

Fang Yiai nodded, had Linglong return to the room, and went to Fang Xuanling's study. Upon entering, he saw Fang Xuanling sitting at his desk, drinking tea with a smile. There were four other people in the study. He recognized Du Ruhui, but the other three were strangers: one was very refined, one was very handsome, and one was very fat.

The handsome old man with a short beard looked at Fang Yiai and chuckled, "Xuanling, is this your prodigious son, Fang Jun?"

"Uncle, hello. I am Fang Jun. May I ask who you all are?" Fang Yiai was puzzled. Who were these people? From their appearance, they were clearly of high status.

"Yes, my young nephew, there's no need to be nervous. We are here just to see you. You can call me Uncle Yishifu," the refined old man said kindly. "We have all studied the Chu-Han chess you invented. To be honest, I am now completely captivated by it. It is filled with the essence of military strategy."

"Are you Li Jing, Uncle Li?" Fang Yiai was now quite excited. Li Yishifu was none other than Li Jing, the famous Li Tianwang.

Seeing Li Jing nod, Fang Yiai almost wanted to ask for his autograph, but he restrained himself, remembering this was the Tang Dynasty. Seeing how much Fang Yiai admired Li Jing, the fat old man was not pleased and glared, "Young nephew, am I not worthy of respect?"

"Well, I don't know who you are, Uncle. I really don't know," Fang Yiai was at a loss. How could he respect someone he didn't even know? Hearing this, the handsome old man laughed heartily, pointing at the fat old man and saying, "Old rascal, you're speechless now, aren't you? He doesn't even know who you are, and you've been boasting all day. Now you're embarrassed!"

The fat old man's temper flared, and he stood up, slapping Fang Yiai's shoulder hard, making Fang Yiai wince in pain. The fat old man was satisfied with Fang Yiai's reaction and said with a wicked smile, "Young nephew, how many people in the Tang Dynasty are surnamed Cheng? And who else surnamed Cheng can compare to me? I'm not boasting, but except for Qin Er, everyone else is just dust to me. I can blow them away with a single breath."

As the fat old man boasted, Fang Yiai thought. Seeing the fat old man's shameless demeanor, Fang Yiai was a bit afraid. Could this be Cheng Laojing? Fang Yiai said pitifully, "Are you Lord Lu, the famous Cheng Zhijie, known throughout the Tang Dynasty?"

"Ha ha, young nephew, you are indeed clever. And your physique is quite good. I have high hopes for you. Do you have a girlfriend yet? If not, consider my daughter. I haven't agreed to anyone else, no matter how much they begged!" Cheng Yaojin said shamelessly, not caring about Fang Yiai's reaction. He then pointed at the handsome old man and taunted, "What do you think, old rascal? See how I impressed the young nephew!"

The handsome old man was very displeased. This old rascal was too shameless. His shamelessness was a hallmark, and just seeing it made one think of Cheng Zhijie. The handsome old man couldn't describe this old rascal. He couldn't fight him, and he didn't care about insults. He was like a wall of iron. The handsome old man didn't want to argue with this old rascal anymore and turned to Fang Yiai with a kind smile, "Young nephew, my identity should be easy to guess. I am of the same lineage as Yishifu!"

Hearing this, and considering Cheng Yaojin's attitude, Fang Yiai immediately guessed who he was and quickly knelt down, shouting, "Commoner Fang Jun pays respects to His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, wishing His Majesty eternal blessings and a life as long as the heavens!"

Everyone in the study was stunned by Fang Yiai's words. This kid was truly different. Others would say "Long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor," but he said "Eternal blessings and a life as long as the heavens." Fang Xuanling was speechless at his son's performance and could only glare and scold, "Brat, what are you saying? Apologize to His Majesty immediately!"

Li Shimin waved to stop him, "Xuanling, there's no need. Today, we are just gathering as friends. There is no Emperor of the Tang Dynasty here, only Li Shimin." He then pulled Fang Yiai up and said with a smile, "Young nephew, your slogan is quite unique. It sounds quite catchy. Have you used it to trick people before?"

"Your Majesty, I dare not. I swear this is the first time I've said it," Fang Yiai was sweating. This was a famous line from Wei Xiaobao, and everyone who heard it was dead, truly living as long as the heavens. Li Shimin, seeing Fang Yiai's nervousness, patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "Young nephew, I've already said there's no Emperor here today. You can call me Uncle Li."

"Ah, then I will follow your command, Uncle Li," Fang Yiai quickly agreed. Building a good relationship with the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty was something he could only dream of. "May I ask, Uncle Li and the other uncles, why did you call me here?"

"Sit down first, young nephew," Li Shimin said. After Fang Yiai sat down, he continued, "Young nephew, we have all studied the chess you invented. I think it is deeply imbued with military strategy. I want to ask, why does the cannon have to jump over a piece to be effective?"

"Uncle Li, the cannon is actually based on the bow and arrow. Think about it, can a bow and arrow function without a person? Moreover, the Chu-Han chess can show many things, but I believe the most important is coordination," Fang Yiai explained briefly.

Li Shimin and the others pondered Fang Yiai's words, finding more and more sense in them. A bow and arrow are just objects; without a person, they can do nothing. Li Jing thought deeper, interested in the coordination Fang Yiai mentioned. He stroked his beard and smiled gently, "Young nephew, can you explain in detail what you mean by coordination?"

Fang Yiai thought for a moment and said, "Coordination is quite complex. On a large scale, it's about coordination between armies. First, understand the purpose of the war. If the goal is to eliminate the enemy's forces, we can attack where they must defend, then surround the important area without rushing to attack. When the enemy sends reinforcements, we can ambush them on the way. This is called 'surrounding a point to attack reinforcements.' For this to work, all units must coordinate well. If any unit fails, the attacking force will be surrounded by the enemy. So, coordination is key. On a smaller scale, it's about individual soldiers. There's a saying, 'Trust your back to your comrades.' On the battlefield, if you coordinate well with your comrades and do your part, they will handle the rest. This is coordination, effective division of labor, achieving unique results!"

After listening to Fang Yiai's explanation, Li Jing, a master of military strategy, clapped happily and said after a while, "Young nephew, I now understand what you mean by coordination. However, the 'surrounding a point to attack reinforcements' strategy seems incomplete to me. The enemy can always retreat, meaning they still have the freedom to act. I believe you have other ideas. Why don't you share them?"

"Uncle Yishifu, as a military genius, you should know that the most important thing is to achieve victory with the least cost, valuing the lives of soldiers above all. If we want to take control, we can expose our most important asset to the enemy, making them attack with all their might. While they are attacking, we can send a large force to outflank them, gradually forming a large encirclement. Then, we can coordinate with the forces defending the central stronghold to completely destroy the encircled enemy. This is the 'central encirclement' strategy, but it will result in significant casualties," Fang Yiai said with a smile.

"Listening to you, young nephew, is better than reading ten years of books," Li Jing said happily to Li Shimin, "Your Majesty, I think I have finished my questions."

Li Shimin nodded and asked with a smile, "Young nephew, what is the difference between a general and a commander?"

"A general is the soul of the army. A general must share the hardships and joys with the soldiers, so that when executing orders, the soldiers will do so without hesitation," Fang Yiai explained. "A commander is the soul of all armies. A commander must first consider the purpose of the war. If it is to intimidate, then swift and decisive action is necessary, even at the cost of many soldiers' lives, to instill fear in the enemy. If it is to eliminate, then a cautious approach is needed, preserving as much of the army's strength as possible."

Fang Yiai wasn't sure if his explanation was correct, but he saw Li Shimin's eyes light up and say, "It seems our visit today was not in vain!"

Li Jing smiled and nodded, saying with a hint of amusement, "Your Majesty, the rest is up to you to decide!"

"Indeed, young nephew, from tomorrow, you will attend the Imperial Academy," Li Shimin thought for a moment and patted the dazed Fang Yiai. Fang Yiai hadn't reacted yet when Fang Xuanling came over and kicked him, scolding, "Brat, what are you standing there for? Thank His Majesty!"

Fang Yiai was quite annoyed by the old man's violence but still knelt down and said respectfully, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness. I am deeply grateful!" Fang Yiai said it sincerely, but he inwardly despised it. Attending the Imperial Academy—was it really that great? After all, he was a穿越者 (穿越者 means "time traveler" or "穿越者" in this context, but it's better to use "穿越者" to maintain the original flavor), and did he really need to learn all those classical phrases?

The big shots chatted for a while longer and then decided to leave. As they left, Cheng Laojing patted Fang Yiai's shoulder and said boldly, "Hehe, young nephew, you're quite impressive. Think about it, my daughter Ling is as beautiful as a celestial being. She would be a perfect match for you!" Fang Yiai was speechless, and Fang Xuanling had no way to deal with this old rascal. Li Jing scolded, "Old rascal, stop embarrassing yourself. Let's go!" Cheng Yaojin pouted and threatened Fang Xuanling, "Xuanling, I am very sincere. Don't disappoint me!" Then he waddled off with Li Shimin, disappearing into the distance. Fang Xuanling finally exploded, shouting at Fang De, "Fang De, from now on, if that old rascal comes, tell him I'm not here!"

Fang De smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Will that work? Lord Cheng is known for not being reasonable."

Fang Yiai was still confused. He wanted to ask what these big shots were doing today, as they seemed to have only interrogated him and done nothing else.

Looking at the sky of the Tang Dynasty, the wind blew gently, and everything was shrouded in a haze!

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