From a slave to the Great Qian Martial Saint

The last two days of August are the mid-year evaluation of the Zhechongyuan Academy, known as the Autumn Examination.

The first day was the written exam.

The exam begins at 9:00 AM and ends at 7:00 PM.

The candidates were a mix of those recruited through the civil service examination and those recommended through the civil service examination, totaling over 150 people. They were divided into five examination rooms: A, B, C, D, and E. Each examination room had 30 candidates and 5 invigilators. Each candidate had a small table, and the candidates were several feet apart from each other.

Although the conditions at the Zhechongyuan were simple, it had one advantage: it was spacious enough.

The exam lasts a full five hours, and some people worry that stomach upsets or needing to use the restroom will delay their answering time, so they simply fast before the exam.

Chen Shi didn't care about these things. As a king-level divine body, the Sky-Supporting Divine Body could not only withstand the power of the earth veins, but also made his physique exceptionally strong. Even if he ate rotten flesh, he would not suffer from intestinal discomfort.

He ate a hearty breakfast in the morning and arrived at his examination room, the T-shaped one, a quarter of an hour early.

As the sun gradually rose, just past Chen Shi (7-9 AM), I tried curling my hair.

"So many."

Looking at the stack of exam papers on the table, Chen Shi couldn't help but frown slightly.

There are ten sheets in total, with one question on each sheet.

The Art of War states: "Warfare is based on deception." Twelve methods of deception are listed and explained.

Upon looking at the questions on the first test paper, Chen Shi frowned. Then, he checked the remaining nine questions one by one.

The *Wu Zi* proposes "victory through good governance," emphasizing that military discipline is superior to the size of the army. Briefly explain the aspects encompassed by "good governance" and why it is more important than the number of troops.

The Art of War states: "The best strategy is to attack the enemy's plans; next is to disrupt their alliances; next is to attack their army; and the worst is to besiege their cities." Based on historical context, write a short essay discussing and explaining the relationship between "attacking the enemy's plans" and "disrupting their alliances."

……

It's almost entirely theoretical knowledge, including what's taught in the classroom and what's recorded in military books.

However, it is not enough to simply read from the book; most of them have some interpretations.

"That's just empty talk."

After reading it, Chen Shi couldn't help but shake his head.

I took a deep breath, picked up the first test paper, hesitated for a moment, and began to answer the questions.

Although it was theoretical, it was still an examination held by the Zhechong Academy, which was different from the civil service examinations for scholars. It did not require neat handwriting or extensive use of classical texts; as long as the explanation was clear and understandable, it was acceptable.

That makes things much simpler.

Although Chen Shi had only been enrolled for a short time, he had already completed most of the strategy courses and had also read some military books in his spare time. His memory was far superior to that of ordinary people, and he generally knew how to answer most of the questions.

Chen Shi didn't think too much about it and just focused on answering the questions.

So it went relatively smoothly.

The ten questions were answered in just over three hours.

With a little over an hour left, I reviewed these answers again and made minor modifications to address any shortcomings.

Finally, he blew the ink dry and nodded in satisfaction.

Even if he couldn't be the best in this written test, he certainly wouldn't be the worst.

"The examinee puts down his pen."

At the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), the examiner gave a shout.

Everyone stopped answering, placed their hands on the table, and then stood up and left their seats.

After the candidates left, the examiners collected and sealed all the exam papers.

And so, today's exam is now over.

On the way back, the students gathered in small groups, discussing today's exam questions.

Chen Shi was the only one who seemed a bit out of place. He went to the canteen to eat first, and then went straight back to his residence.

"Young master, did your exam go well today?"

As usual, Lian'er was already waiting outside the door.

Chen Shi ignored him and went straight into the house.

After a short rest, first refine your essence and blood, and when the night is deep, take a few breaths to calm your mind and nourish your spirit.

One night passed.

The interview was on the second day.

The examiner and the candidate face each other, and the examiner asks questions randomly, which the candidate answers on the spot.

Just like yesterday, it was divided into five sessions, with thirty candidates in each session.

They lined up according to the order drawn and entered a room one by one for the interview.

Chen Shi drew number sixteen, which wasn't very early or very late.

The exam will still start at 9:00 AM. Each person will have about 45 minutes inside. After the exam, they must leave the room immediately to prevent the exam questions from being leaked.

By the time they arrived at Chen Shi's place, it was already late afternoon.

Inside the room, there were five people sitting there: one chief examiner and four assistant examiners, who would give evaluations based on the examinees' answers.

"You have been ordered to attack the city, which has been besieged for three months. The city's food supplies are exhausted, but the defending general still refuses to surrender. Our own forces have also suffered heavy losses. Now, the commander-in-chief orders you to take the city in seven days. What will you do?"

Upon seeing Chen Shi enter, the examiner immediately asked the questions without any further explanation.

Is this how it begins?

Chen Shi paused slightly, gathered his thoughts, and then spoke.

"As the art of war says, the best strategy in warfare is to attack the mind, not the city. Psychological warfare is superior to physical warfare. Since we have failed to capture the city after a prolonged siege, and our troops have suffered heavy losses, we must seek another method to attack the mind..."

Chen Shi's thoughts were clear and his language was brisk; he finished answering in a short while.

The five examiners pondered for a moment, then each made a few marks on their papers.

"You lead an army of 20,000, surrounded by an enemy force of 50,000, with only enough supplies for five days. A frontal breakout would result in heavy losses, while holding out for reinforcements is risky as you have no idea when they will arrive. What will you do?"

The examiner then asked another question.

Unlike yesterday's written test, today's questions were all about practical applications.

Compared to simply reading from a textbook, these methods better test a candidate's critical thinking skills, which Chen Shi excelled at.

I couldn't help but smile to myself; today's exam was easier than yesterday's.

Then, without thinking about anything else, I focused on answering the question.

After organizing my thoughts, I will continue to answer the second question.

Over the next two quarters of an hour, the examiner asked a total of five questions, which Chen Shi answered one by one.

The examiner will record each answer after the question is answered.

After answering all five questions, the examiner waved his hand, and Chen Xingli left.

Before the next candidate entered, the five examiners exchanged opinions and gave their scores for the assessment.

"Finally, the exams are over."

Stepping out of the examination hall, Chen Shi couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief. He said he didn't care about the results, but it was still an exam, and he couldn't help feeling nervous.

Now that the exam is over, everything is set in stone, and I'm too lazy to think about it anymore.

With some time before dark and no classes today, Chen Shi decided to head to the Martial Arts Pavilion to find two more military books to read.

They didn't leave the Martial Arts Pavilion until it got dark, and after having dinner, they returned to their lodgings.

As always, I refine my essence and blood, and nourish my spirit and soul.

"This year's cohort is much better than the previous ones."

In a room, a group of examiners gathered together, looking at the list of the top three who had just been evaluated, nodding and smiling.

This year, not only are there several outstanding students, but the overall level is also better than in previous years.

"Sir, what brings you here!"

As they were talking, a middle-aged man walked in.

A group of people quickly stood up and bowed respectfully.

"Are the grades ready?"

The middle-aged man, expressionless, asked a question directly.

"Just finished, please take a look, sir."

The examiner nodded and took over the prepared list of names.

The man looked at the list, picked up a pen from the table next to him, and wrote "First Place in First Class" after the name of the thirteenth place in the second class.

"This is."

The examiners looked surprised, then nodded in agreement.

Since the adults have made this decision, what can they say?

The middle-aged man turned and left, and everyone hurriedly copied the list again. The original thirteenth place in the second tier was directly promoted to first place in the first tier.