The Path of the Sage

Fang Yun was extremely cautious in his heart because one only has three chances for the Talent Martial Performance. If he fails thrice, he would be unable to merge with The Path of the Saints.

At the same time, Fang Yun was also overjoyed.

Once the Talent Martial Performance is completed, the power of his secretive strategy will greatly increase. Although he might not possess the destructive power of The War Poetry, a "poetry soul" equivalent – a 'military soul' – with unexpected miracles, will surely emerge.

In the past, Sun Tzu, Sun Bin, Wu Qi, and other semi-saint military strategists entered the Demon Realm as if it was unguarded land, relying on the power of their military strategies. Even the Sub-Sages couldn't compare to the successors of the Military Strategists in this respect.

The mysteriousness and cunningness of the Military Strategists far surpass all other schools of thought. Even the manipulative techniques of other factions couldn't compare.

"General, you're awake? We are saved!"

The soldiers cheered.

Fang Yun nodded slightly, glancing at the men without saying much, lost in thought.

"Don't disturb General Fang's thinking. Let's leave," someone suggested.

The group gradually exited, showing their respect.

Looking at his legs, Fang Yun speculated that the limitations of the Talent Martial Performance had suppressed his physical state to its minimum, focusing only on testing his strategic military knowledge.

It was his first time leading troops, yet Fang Yun wasn't nervous at all. Instead, he felt a subtle excitement and an inherent confidence. This confidence stemmed from his recent studies. Not to mention books like "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu, which are classics revered by All the Saints that he had already memorized and fully comprehended, but even the continuous intensive study using his talent last night was more efficient than studying without it for a year.

"Someone, take me out!" commanded Fang Yun.

Immediately, soldiers brought forward a palanquin, lifting Fang Yun.

"Raise the tent and start the roll call!"

Fang Yun was well aware that this test wasn't solely about secretive strategies because no military strategy exists in isolation. Since there were no additional memories after entering the Talent Martial Performance, he should first understand his subordinates.

"Knowing yourself and your enemy ensures victory in every battle. Simple, yet incredibly accurate."

Inside the central military tent, Fang Yun took the central seat. The military officers lined up on both sides, and Fang Yun began the roll call, addressing each one by one.

During the process, Fang Yun carefully observed each officer - their movements, tone, and demeanor - to gauge their character and gain a preliminary understanding.

"This is the simplified method of the 'Eight Expeditions' from 'The Six Strategies'. Known also as 'The Grand Strategist's Military Methods', it was supposedly written during the Warring States period by a Great Scholar, channeling the wisdom of Jiang Ziya. The book explained his own military strategies through dialogues between Jiang Ziya and King Wu. Though it didn’t elevate him to a Semi-Saint, it still became a genuine military treatise, earning its place in history through the Talent Martial Performance."

"The Eight Expeditions are not complex. They're methods to assess a general's thought process, adaptability, loyalty, integrity, temperament, and other facets. Right now, there's no way to fully employ it. One can only make rapid judgments using some psychological techniques. They might not be entirely accurate, but they're undoubtedly useful."

Fang Yun quickly noticed a slightly anxious officer, and he mentally noted it.

"Officer Fan, detail the situation of our army and the enemy’s, including morale, weapons, provisions, the environment, and all other specifics. Ensure accuracy!" Fang Yun commanded, with an imposing demeanor befitting a great general.

This was one of the immense benefits of the Book Mountain illusion. If it weren't for his experiences prior to ascending Book Mountain, he wouldn't have adapted to his new role so swiftly.

"Yes, sir!"

The officer quickly briefed him on the entire situation.

Apparently, Jing's troops had just battled with Wolf Savage, resulting in casualties on both sides. The Jing Kingdom's soldiers were exhausted and low in morale, preparing to retreat.

The most alarming issue was the lack of provisions. Starting from yesterday, they could only eat to 30% of their capacity. Today, not to mention fighting, even training seemed impossible.

Although the savages were less intelligent than humans, they were much smarter than the Demon Clan. With even a Sub-Sage scholar serving as a military advisor among the Wolf Savage, defeat in battle was certain. Hence, even the officer knew that they had to mask Jing's army's weaknesses, making the enemy believe they still had strength, allowing Jing's army a safe withdrawal.

After hearing the officer's explanation, Fang Yun pondered deeply.

"There have been many strategies throughout history that have deceived the heavens and crossed the seas, among which the stove-reducing tactic of Semi-Saint Sun Bin is the most famous. The enemy can't count our soldiers one by one and can only judge from other aspects. Soldiers need to cook food, and a single stove can only cook a set amount of food for a fixed number of people. Hence, Sun Bin left stoves for a hundred thousand men during his first camp set up, fifty thousand for the second, and thirty thousand for the third. Pang Juan thought Sun Bin's army was demoralized and pursued Sun Bin, only to fall into an ambush. In the end, Pang Juan had no choice but to take his own life, sealing Sun Bin's reputation for wisdom."

"Reducing the stoves was a tactic to feign weakness while actually being strong. Now, in this talent demonstration, I need to act contrarily, leading a genuinely weak army. To retreat, I must give the barbarians an illusion of our strength. The difficulty of this surely surpasses that of Sun Bin's tactic. If his stove strategy failed, Sun Bin's army would not suffer much; they'd only waste some food supplies. However, if I fail, it means complete annihilation of our forces."

"In this talent demonstration, if one only knows strategies like deceiving the heavens but doesn’t understand warfare and how to implement the tactics step by step, they cannot succeed. Talking strategy without actual combat experience and real-time demonstration is worlds apart!"

"Since it's a talent demonstration, I must oversee every detail of the strategy. These officers can probably only be considered as puppets. They might make mistakes, but they won't actively help me succeed. If they could help me implement any strategy I mention, then the Path of the Saints of Wisdom would be too simple."

"So, next, I need to travel through the camps, understand every place thoroughly, and get to know both our side and the enemy's. Then, I have to think about which methods to use for the strategy, and finally, I need to review my detailed plan and specifics."

After deep contemplation, a vague outline formed in Fang Yun's mind.

Inside the central tent, Fang Yun asked a few individuals, and as he had suspected, they wouldn't provide strategies but would only follow his orders, with probably average execution skills.

Lastly, Fang Yun looked at the panic-stricken supply officer and suddenly slammed the table, shouting, "Officer Yu, don’t you admit your crime?"

Officer Yu, scared, knelt immediately and begged, "Please, General, spare me! Please spare me! I shouldn't have embezzled the military food supplies! The current supplies are only half of what was reported. In at most two days, we'll run out."

The officers were shocked. Some cursed, some despaired, while others tried hard to think.

Fang Yun thought the situation was already dire, but it turned out to be even more challenging than he imagined. Normally, he would have executed this supply officer immediately, but doing so now would tell the whole army there's an issue with the supplies, which could lead to a collapse in morale without the barbarians even attacking.

"Although you've committed a grave crime, considering your years of service to the Nation, I'll give you one chance to redeem yourself. If you succeed, I'll spare your life. If not, your crimes will only compound. Do you accept?" said Fang Yun.

"Thank you for sparing my life, General! I will be forever grateful and will do anything to repay your kindness!" Officer Yu said with tears streaming down his face.

"Stand aside for now. I'll instruct you on what to do later."

"Yes, sir!" Officer Yu quickly stood up.

At this moment, the outline of Fang Yun's strategy became clearer, but some details were missing, so he said, "Take me to inspect the camps!"

The officers led Fang Yun to inspect every part of the camp, from the external defenses to the guards, and all types of soldiers. Everything was covered in detail, and Fang Yun got to know all of it.

The whole process was time-consuming. By the afternoon, thanks to his talent and the help of the rare book, even without being an Imperial Scholar, Fang Yun could remember everything clearly.

With enough details, a plan started forming in Fang Yun's mind. Although not perfect, it could be considered a strategy to deceive the heavens.

Just as Fang Yun was about to deploy his plan, the barbarians from the opposing camp suddenly launched an all-out attack. A daze overcame him, and images flashed before his eyes: scenes of barbarians killing, the burning of the camps, and finally, his own corpse was hung high for all to see.

Fang Yun strained to open his eyes, only to find the military camp had vanished. He was seated at a table, clutching a brush drenched in ink. The brush pressed against the paper, ruining it completely. It would need to be rewritten. He felt aches all over his body, and his right arm had gone numb.

"Time of the day..."

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Fang Yun turned to see the sun at its zenith.

It had been dawn when he began writing, with the sun yet to rise, but now it was already noon.

"It seems time here operates the same as in the talent performance world. This isn't good! I have to see off General Zhang today!" Fang Yun quickly rose, rubbing his numbed arm. As he opened the door, he saw Yang Yuhuan and everyone else from the house outside.

"Little Yun, are you alright?" Yang Yuhuan hurriedly approached with concern.

Fang Yun smiled, "I'm fine. In fact, there's some good news. I'd rather not go into details now." He didn't want to worry Yang Yuhuan and the others.

Relieved, Yang Yuhuan replied, "That's good to hear. No wonder Nunu wasn't worried."

Nunu, who was lounging by the flower bed soaking up the sun, opened her eyes and lazily yawned. She waved a little paw at Fang Yun, a casual greeting, before burying her head back down to continue her nap.

"I need to go to the Yue Tower now. Da Niu, ready the carriage."

"The carriage is already outside, ready to go. However, the personal soldiers of Governor Zhang came by and have already left to report back," Da Niu informed.

"What did you tell them?" Fang Yun inquired.

Yang Yuhuan replied, "We weren't sure what happened to you, so we only mentioned that you truly couldn't come out at the moment."

"Mm. I need to leave now. Don't worry about me!"

As Fang Yun and Da Niu hastily departed and settled into the carriage, Fang Yun’s calm returned. He quickly recalled the previous day's events, remembering that he had promised Zhang Poyue a farewell poem.

Peeking out of the carriage window, he thought it a pity.

"It hasn’t rained, so 'Rainy morning in Weicheng, dusting off the light dust' can't be used. 'An entire heart of ice stored within a jade pot' also doesn't fit. He's traveling by land, not water, so 'March fireworks down to Yang State' won't work either. Let me think..."

(To be continued...)