Chapter 1 Noisy

Du Fengchi instructed the shopkeeper a few words and then left in a hurry. The shopkeeper had already accepted the gold earlier, and now he refused to accept the money for the meal, instructing a clever waiter to lead the way for them, and respectfully saw them out of Linjiang Restaurant. By the time Miss Zhuo walked out of Linjiang Restaurant, the carriage was already waiting at the door, and the guards were all on horseback, waiting.

Miss Zhuo suddenly thought of something and asked the shopkeeper, "Besides places to eat and drink, what interesting places are there in Yicheng to go shopping?"

Yicheng is a gathering place for merchants, but besides eating, drinking, and shopping, there really aren't many places that can be said to be fun. The shopkeeper was stunned for a moment, and actually looked at the clever waiter beside him. The waiter said crisply, "Why don't you go to Hongyun Alley, Miss? Today, the Yizhan Building in Hongyun Alley is holding the monthly tournament for marching chess. I think your guards are all experts in marching chess..."

The shopkeeper interrupted the waiter and said with a smile, "Hongyun Alley is indeed lively. Most of the young people in Yicheng like to run to the Yizhan Building. However, Miss, shouldn't you go to Xunfeng Pavilion to settle down first?"

When the Yizhan Building and the monthly marching chess tournament were mentioned, Miss Zhuo noticed that the surrounding guards began to prick up their ears to listen. She smiled and said, "Let's go to Hongyun Alley and have a look."

Miss Zhuo turned to the guards and said, "Whoever lost the worst just now, take Qiao'er to Xunfeng Pavilion to settle down first, and the rest of you come with me."

The guards responded enthusiastically, "Yes." And those who had lost the chess game just now could not help but sigh. The shopkeeper quickly called another waiter to lead the way for them. Du Fengchi had already told him to make this group of people satisfied no matter what.

The waiter trotted all the way, leading them through the bustling city. Although they didn't want to attract attention, with the demeanor and temperament of these guards, it was impossible to keep a low profile. General Manager Liu sat on the shaft of the car next to the carriage driver, and after the car started, he whispered, "Du Fengchi was called away just now, saying that something happened to the Ye family."

Miss Zhuo pondered slightly and said, "Uncle Liu, send someone to take a look. This Young Master Ye is too interesting."

"Yes." General Manager Liu replied, and then he waved his hand, and a guard quickly came up. "Hang Tianqi, go to the Ye family to see what's going on, and report back when you have news."

The group soon arrived at Hongyun Alley. Hongyun Alley was more than two zhang wide. Although the traffic was heavy, it didn't seem too crowded. However, in front of the Yizhan Building, layers upon layers of people gathered, almost obscuring the entrance of the Yizhan Building. A huge chessboard was hung at the entrance, and everyone was gathered around the chessboard.

The waiter looked eagerly, and then beat his chest and stomped his feet, "Today, Xie Xiaoyi actually entered the monthly tournament final. If I had known, I would have asked the boss for leave this afternoon to come and watch. Now I'm afraid I can't squeeze in to listen to the commentary."

A guard asked, "Is this Xie Xiaoyi very good?"

The waiter replied, "To let you all know, I just saw that you all were using brass chess pieces and nutmeg folding chess boxes and chessboards, which is the highest grade set. You are also very good at chess. But we can't afford such a chessboard. I only have a set of pottery chess pieces and a bamboo chessboard. The Yizhan Building charges very little for renting chessboards and chess pieces, so we can often come here after work if we like to play marching chess. But our practice is limited, and our chess skills are always not improving, and we are always no match for those teenagers from better families. But this Xie Xiaoyi, like us, is also a part-time worker, and he still carries bags at the dock every day. It can be said that Xie Xiaoyi is the well-deserved number one master among the poor people in Yicheng."

Marching chess is easy to learn but difficult to master, and there are two ways to play: two-player and four-player. Each side has a certain number of points at the beginning, and uses the points to exchange for different types of troops. Some people like cavalry, some like infantry, some like mixed troops, and some like specialized troops, and different types of junior officers also need to be exchanged for different points, and there are different levels. From this, the elite soldier tactics and the human wave tactics that have evolved each have their own characteristics, and even the military generals feel that the designer of marching chess must understand military affairs. Among the guards who came with them, there were indeed several masters who loved marching chess. Lu Dan, who was talking to the waiter, was one of them.

"What's the commentary?" Lu Dan asked.

"Every time during the monthly tournament finals, the chess pieces laid out by the two players are immediately transmitted to the outer hall. Each time, there are two or several marching chess masters who explain to everyone why the two sides play like this, what are the advantages and disadvantages, and speculate on the strengths and weaknesses of both sides and how they will play next. These commentaries are very exciting. Many tactics that were originally incomprehensible become clear with a little explanation from these masters." The waiter said with a look of longing. "The big chessboard hanging outside doesn't matter, no one explains it. Everyone just looks at it confused. Those with high skill are fine, but those whose chess is already bad can only know who wins and who loses in the end, but they don't know why."

When he got closer and saw the name of the other chess player hanging next to the big chessboard, the waiter was dumbfounded and said, "No wonder so many people gathered here. Xie Xiaoyi's opponent is actually Suo Zheng."

Lu Dan asked, "Is this Suo Zheng very powerful?"

The waiter happily said, "Suo Zheng's brother is the second senior brother of the Ye family workshop, and he himself is also a trainee worker in the Ye family workshop. Now, the several managers of the Ye family workshop are busy with the Old Master Qi's mansion, and Suo Zheng is probably one of those responsible for making chess pieces in the Ye family workshop. He deals with chess pieces all day long. Suo Zheng's chess playing style is unrestrained and unconventional, and he often comes up with strange moves. Everyone likes to watch him play chess. He was the first to create the super human wave tactic of not exchanging for junior officers."

Lu Dan listened in a daze. Although marching chess has gradually become popular in the capital, it has never been as lively as in Yicheng, where people can surround a large chessboard with commentary and live broadcasts. As for tactics, it is several months "behind" Yicheng. The human wave tactic is already a rogue tactic that people in their army are laughing and scolding. What is the super human wave tactic?

"Is this marching chess also a business of the Ye family?" The waiter didn't notice that this voice, which sounded like thunder in his ears, came from General Manager Liu. When the waiter and Lu Dan started talking, General Manager Liu kept relaying the conversation between the two to Miss Zhuo. Hearing that this marching chess was also related to the Ye family, General Manager Liu couldn't help but ask.

The waiter nodded vigorously and said, "Yes. Young Master Ye of the Ye family created marching chess. At the beginning, everyone only thought that the chess pieces were exquisitely made and were just a toy. Later, when it spread, everyone began to feel that marching chess was ever-changing and really fun. The Ye family opened the Yizhan Building, where you can rent chess pieces and chessboards. We, the laborers and poor people, can also play here. The main thing is that you can always find opponents here. Those who are bad at chess, no matter how rich their families are, are still bad at chess. Rich and poor families are the same in the building. We small people are fine with a set of pottery chess to play with. Those rich young masters even specialize in collecting brass chess pieces. However, the brass chess pieces carved into human figures are indeed exquisite and beautiful. I also have a brass crossbowman. There are also many ways to play. Before, there were only two people or four people. Later, someone came up with a way for three families to not help each other, and some people used many sets of chess pieces together to conduct large-scale battles. Now, half of the second floor of the Yizhan Building is reserved for large-scale battle play. However, most people still play two-person duels, and the competition also follows this rule. The third floor is a place to select good players to try out new ways to play. It is said that it is more exciting and fresh than large-scale battle play. Ordinary gameplay only has six types of soldiers: spearmen, halberdiers, swordsmen, archers, crossbowmen, and cavalry. It is said that there are now 19 types of soldiers being tested on the third floor. If Young Master Ye hadn't been busy with Old Master Qi's mansion recently, it is estimated that there would be more. Several young masters who are familiar with the Ye family are desperately urging him. However, it is not easy to go up to the third floor. Not only must you be good at chess, but you must also have a reliable local family to vouch for you."

Lu Dan asked strangely, "What guarantee is there for playing chess?"

The waiter chuckled and said, "The chessboard on the third floor is a sandbox made according to the terrain of Yicheng and the surrounding area. It was sent by Governor Peng Detian. There are people from the Yicheng General Military Office recording it at any time while studying new ways to play."