Mang Shusheng's Ink Painting Practice

Chapter 31 Tool Man

Faced with the pitiful Miss Zhou who was sweating profusely, Zhao Yifu chose a very cruel way to make her face the reality.

He said, "Miss, do you know how much weight an ordinary infantryman in our Great Xu Dynasty has to carry when marching?"

Zhou Qingzhao shook his head.

Zhao Yifu said, "My armor, weapons, rations, water bags, etc., all weigh no less than 60 kilograms!"

"And they have to travel at least fifteen miles every hour, which is the normal marching speed when carrying such heavy loads."

Zhou Qingzhao's face turned pale after hearing this. She lowered her head and said, "I understand what you mean, sir. It seems that even you don't think Qingzhao can realize her dream."

She looked extremely depressed, the feeling of having just regained her dream only to have it shattered in an instant. It was a dejection that would have been worse than never having had this beautiful dream in the first place.

Say something.

Zhao Yifu was secretly delighted, thinking that the matter with this girl could finally be over.

But unexpectedly, I suddenly received a message from an old father on the spiritual level.

This is obviously what he wants to see the most, right?

But Zhou Su, as Zhou Qingzhao's father, actually softened his heart and hoped that Zhao Yifu could help her get out of this depression.

Zhao Yifu felt like he was about to be driven crazy by his troubled old father. He said helplessly, "So, after learning about this little bit of difficulty, have you decided to back down?"

Su Die stood between her young lady and Zhao Yifu and said angrily, "The young lady is already like this, why don't you let her go?"

Zhao Yifu said: "I just put some difficulties in front of Miss Zhou and told her the price of realizing her dream."

Su Die said: "Young lady, you are such a noble person, even if you want to join the army, you will not be like those big-headed soldiers."

Zhao Yifu smiled and nodded when he heard this, saying, "Miss Sudie is right."

Su Die thought she had won and showed a smug look on her face.

But Zhou Qingzhao frowned and said, "Mr. Zhao, please don't laugh at me. Even if Qingzhao doesn't know anything, he knows that in order to command an army, he must be able to convince everyone in the army."

"Sudie, you better stop talking..."

Su Die immediately showed an aggrieved expression. She felt that she was speaking for the young lady. How could there be anything wrong with that?
Zhao Yifu continued to smile without saying anything. He actually understood his old father Zhou Su's mentality.

Zhou Su naturally opposed Zhou Qingzhao's dream, thinking it was pure nonsense.

But he couldn't bear to see his daughter sad, and couldn't help but want to make Zhou Qingzhao happy...

This kind of complicated mentality can only be possessed by an old father whose mind is full of his daughter.

After understanding Zhou Su's mentality, Zhao Yifu realized that he was stuck between father and daughter and that it was not a matter of simply leaning towards one direction and everything would be fine.

He probably has to take on the heavy responsibility of guiding the two sides' thoughts to collide and then make them understand each other.

This position meant that he couldn't show his edge in front of Zhou Qingzhao, and had to speak out Zhou Su's inner thoughts in a way that she could accept...

As for the old father’s true feelings?
Zhao Yifu didn't think this was difficult.

He was silent at this moment because he was thinking about what to say next, and in Zhou Qingzhao's eyes, he was waiting for his response and decision.

Zhou Qingzhao took a deep breath and said, "I'd like to ask you, sir, what kind of difficulties will I face if I want to realize my dream?" "I think your sending me out of the city this time was a reminder. It made me realize that achieving dreams requires more than just passion. I also need to be well prepared."

"I want to hear what kind of difficulties I will face, so that I can be mentally prepared."

I didn't expect her to be so stubborn.

Zhao Yifu had anticipated this. He said, "It depends on whether Miss Zhou wants to be a brave general leading the charge, a military advisor assisting in military affairs, or a wise general who can decide battles from afar."

Zhou Qingzhao's expression shifted as if he expected something, but he still said politely, "Please advise me, sir."

Zhao Yifu said, "If you want to be a brave general, then Miss Zhou must take good care of her body."

"Not only must you be able to do everything that ordinary soldiers can do, but you must also do it better than those male generals who command troops, or even much better."

Su Die said in disbelief, "How is this possible? Miss, you are not gifted as a woman, how can you compare to those men?"

Zhao Yifu said, "This is a problem that any brave general must face."

Zhou Qingzhao asked, "What about the military advisor who assists the military affairs council?"

Zhao Yifu smiled and said, "This choice is relatively easy. Miss only needs to be good at one or more of the following: marching and deploying troops, responding to emergencies, making ingenious plans, coordinating and dispatching troops, analyzing the overall situation, or understanding people's hearts."

"It's not difficult for Miss Zhou to access this kind of knowledge, so what Miss Su Die said before is correct. As a young lady, you don't have to follow the same path as ordinary people."

Zhou Qingzhao showed no sign of being happy. Instead, he calmly asked, "So what does it take to be a wise general?"

Zhao Yifu said: "On the basis of being a qualified military advisor, one more thing is needed: the courage to make decisions."

Su Die was quite excited after hearing this and said, "Doesn't that mean there is a good chance that Miss can realize her dream?"

Zhou Qingzhao helplessly pulled Sudie back and said, "Little Sudie, I told you to be quiet for now."

She looked at Zhao Yifu and said, "Sir, are you testing me?"

Zhao Yifu did not answer, but just made a "please" gesture.

Zhou Qingzhao took a deep breath and said, "Let's not even talk about the path of a brave general. If I were to become a military advisor, not to mention how long it would take to learn all that knowledge, which general would be willing to ask a woman like me, who has never experienced the battlefield, to advise on military affairs?"

"And the same goes for being a wise general. Who would trust an army to the hands of a woman like me who has no foundation in the army without any reason?"

"So, in comparison, diligently practicing martial arts to improve physical strength and starting as a brave general in the army is the truly reliable path..."

Zhou Qingzhao suddenly understood. She said, "I understand what you mean, sir. You are not setting three paths for me, but a proper direction for development!"

"As long as you're in the military, the topic of a person's bravery is always unavoidable."

"I must first possess a certain level of personal prowess to ensure I can gain a firm foothold in the military."

"Then I need to demonstrate my ability as a military advisor, allowing a certain commander to recognize my talent. Only then will I have the opportunity to further develop into a wise general who can win battles thousands of miles away."

After she said that, it seemed to be true...

Zhao Yifu suddenly felt guilty when he saw Zhou Qingzhao's burning eyes. He subconsciously looked around, worried that the old man would suddenly jump out and cause trouble for him.

(End of this chapter)