The Prodigal Son

Qin Yu's rapid-fire questions left Pei Du somewhat bewildered.

Once he came to his senses, Pei Du immediately went forward to examine the map.

Everyone looked at Qin Yu suspiciously, pondering to themselves.

Qin Yu is so aggressive, could he really have some brilliant plan?

With this in mind, everyone gathered around, except for Wu Chi, who had already memorized the map of Chenzhou.

Although he didn't understand the complicated relationship between them, Wu Chi, out of respect for the imperial envoy, advised Qin Yu: "The terrain at Lianghekou is open, making it easy for a large army to deploy! Our chances of success in attacking from Lianghekou are extremely slim! I still suggest that we hold Xining Prefecture and wait for the imperial reinforcements!"

Wu Chi put it very tactfully.

It's not just that the chances of winning are slim; as Pei Du said, it's practically suicide!

"Lianghekou is advantageous to the enemy's attack, but it offers us no benefit whatsoever!"

"Yes, for the garrison to attack the rebels from Lianghekou with such a small force is tantamount to suicide!"

"To defeat the strong with the weak, one must either use unconventional tactics or take advantage of the terrain! Lianghekou has neither."

"It is good that Lord Qin has the intention to attack, but compared with the rebels, we have no advantage whatsoever, so it is indeed not advisable to attack..."

Everyone gathered around the map and began to discuss it.

Although they weren't from the Ministry of War, they still knew a bit about military operations and warfare.

They had assumed that Qin Yu's aggressive demeanor suggested he might be something special.

In the end, they were just overthinking it!

Attack from Lianghekou?

Anyone with even a little military common sense wouldn't do that!

If we follow his advice, even if they manage to return to the capital alive, they will surely be punished by the court!

Lu Si stared at the map for a while, then looked up at Qin Yu: "I say, you didn't understand the map, did you?"

"Even if I don't understand anything, I still know more than you, you stupid pig!"

Qin Yu retorted without any hesitation.

"You are the one who..."

Lu Si instinctively wanted to retort, but thinking of the gold medal in Qin Yu's hand, he swallowed his words and said irritably, "The art of war says, 'When advancing, one must take advantage of unpopulated terrain; when fighting, one must take advantage of favorable terrain!' You're a member of the Qin family, don't you even understand this? If you want to show off, don't drag all of us down with you!"

"You think you know anything about military strategy?"

Qin Yu stared wide-eyed in astonishment, as if he had seen a ghost.

The sky cleared, the rain stopped, and he felt like he was all set for himself again?

"Even if I've never eaten pork, I've at least seen a pig run."

Lu Si snorted and raised his chin. "I've at least read a few military books!"

Lu Si wasn't exaggerating when he said that.

He had indeed read some military books.

Although I haven't fully grasped it, I still remember a few sentences.

"I bet that's all you know how to say!"

Qin Yu gave this show-off a disdainful look. "In war, one engages with the orthodox and wins with the unorthodox! Ever heard that?"

Lu Siwei hesitated slightly and shook his head gently.

"Military tactics are like water, which has no fixed shape; adapting to the enemy is the key to victory! Have you heard of that?"

Qin Yu asked again.

Lu Si frowned, searched his memory carefully for a while, and shook his head again.

Are these two sentences found in military strategy?

How come I have absolutely no recollection of this?

Not only did he not recognize the name, but none of the people present had ever heard of it.

Which military strategy manual contains these two sentences?

However, not having heard it before doesn't mean they don't understand what it means.

"Your explanation of military strategy is quite insightful."

Pei Du looked up, annoyed, and said, "But tell me, what's so special about attacking from Lianghekou? What made you victorious? If you can give me a reason, I'll apologize to you in public. Even if you point your finger at me and call me a stupid pig, I'll accept it!"

He really didn't see what kind of ingenious tactic it was to abandon the terrain and attack.

It's also because Qin Yu's behavior since leaving the capital with them has been quite good. If it were before, he wouldn't have bothered to ask and would have just ignored Qin Yu's words.

"Who cares if you apologize!"

Qin Yu curled his lip, a mischievous smile flashing across his face. "How about this, if my method works, you'll acknowledge me as your master, okay?"

Hmm, it's indeed a bit unreliable to let him leave the Treasure Mirror Bureau and follow me.

Even if he were willing, the female demon certainly wouldn't.

Then let's take him as an apprentice!

It's reasonable for a master to order around his apprentice in the future, right?

"I... I'll acknowledge you as my master?"

Pei Du almost laughed in exasperation, "What can you teach me?"

"Of course I'll teach you how to lead troops into battle! Do you expect me to teach you how to indulge in drinking, gambling, and whoring?"

Qin Yu smirked and said arrogantly, "Once you've mastered my military strategies, becoming a marquis or general will be a piece of cake!"

He taught himself military strategy?

Pei Du's lips twitched, and he momentarily doubted whether he had misheard.

Coming to his senses, Pei Du asked with renewed interest, "So your method didn't work?"

"I'll give you fifty thousand taels of silver!"

Qin Yu said generously, "I lack many things, but I have plenty of money!"

Is that so?

Pei Du lowered his head in thought.

This deal seems a bit unprofitable!

However, on the other hand, it's unreliable to take Qin Yu as your master, but from another perspective, it seems like it's not a bad deal to take the Duke of Wei as your grandmaster!

He really wanted to study military strategy under the Duke of Wei.

The work done by the Baojing Division is quite different from military campaigns.

Even in martial arts, the Duke of Wei can give me pointers!

If you calculate it that way, it seems like a sure-fire way to make money!

With that in mind, Pei Du readily agreed: "Alright! It's a deal!"

"You...you really said yes?"

Xu Wan stared at Pei Du in astonishment.

"Say yes, why won't you say yes?"

Pei Du raised an eyebrow at Qin Yu: "I bet his method won't work!"

"Alright! We have a bet, so let's stop trying to provoke us."

Qin Yu glared at him, then looked up and swept his gaze across the crowd: "Listen up, all of you! You've done a great service by following me this time. Anyone who dares not to offer some benefits will be dealt with by me!"

It's because these people have nothing left to gamble on.

Otherwise, he really wanted to gamble with them, just like he did with the people from the Faculty of Arts.

As he spoke, Qin Yu reached out and drew a line on the map.

Qin Yu's words were harsh and arrogant.

The crowd scoffed, but then followed the direction of Qin Yu's swiping finger.

If they can really make contributions, it wouldn't hurt to give Qin Yu some benefits.

What I fear most is that I've done nothing of merit and yet still get implicated.

However, after looking at it for a long time, not a single person could figure it out.

Just when everyone thought Qin Yu was talking nonsense, Wu Chi suddenly raised his head.

"The Holy Envoy's insight is indeed exceptional; I am truly impressed!"

Wu Chi was so excited that his breathing suddenly became rapid.

"..."

Hearing Wu Chi's words, everyone couldn't help but feel annoyed.

Is there any way you can fawn over someone like that?

There's a right time to flatter someone!

"You're not bad!"

Qin Yu nodded, looking at Wu Chi with satisfaction, "At least he's much better than this bunch of good-for-nothings!"

The word "idiot" almost made everyone explode on the spot.

"General Wu, what have you figured out?"

Xu Wan brushed aside the hair hanging at her temples and looked at Wu Chi with a puzzled expression.

Judging from Wu Chi's expression, he doesn't seem to be flattering anyone!

Could it be that Qin Yu, that bastard, has actually come up with a surprising trick that no one else has thought of?