"Uncle, I wish to hear the details," Xun You said, looking at Xun Yu with curiosity.
Xun Yu stroked his beard and said, "For many years, as the 'Palace Guardian Commander' in the court, Cao Cao's reputation has been thunderous."
"Who doesn't know that he was a hot-headed youth in his youth, relying on his father Cao Song's protection and fearing no one, causing trouble everywhere. If it were just troubling the powerful and gentry, it would be fine, but the late Emperor sold official positions, and he also joined in!"
This...
Xun You's eyes darted around. It seemed this had nothing to do with the annotations of "The Art of War" or a fifteen-year-old child understanding "The Art of War."
Just as he was wondering, Xun Yu's words continued.
"It was precisely because Cao Cao, as a member of the Imperial Council, memorialized the late Emperor, angrily denouncing the sale of official positions, and was severely reprimanded by the Son of Heaven, that he became disheartened, resigned his post, and returned to his hometown to diligently study military strategy for ten years."
"Thanks also to Cao Song's high position. He was a Doctor of the Imperial Academy and the Grand Minister of Agriculture. He hired over thirty scribes to copy ancient texts, and managed to compile over thirty volumes of military books, which were sent to Qiao and Pei for Cao Cao to study."
"The ups and downs of officialdom, a mind as calm as water... Even so, Cao Cao spent a full ten years in seclusion in Qiao and Pei studying history and military strategy, before producing commentaries on 'The Art of War,' writing his insights, and compiling them into 'Essence of Military Strategy,' also known as 'Sun Wu's Thirteen Chapters'..."
"Uncle was fortunate enough to see his annotations. They not only contained principles of warfare but also methods of conduct—knowing when to advance and retreat, recognizing success and failure, understanding honor and disgrace! It cannot be said to be not insightful..."
Oh... Hearing this.
Xun You suddenly understood. "Uncle, I understand your meaning. Cao Cao, having experienced the ups and downs of officialdom and maintaining a calm mind for ten years, was able to gain insight into 'The Art of War.' This mere fifteen-year-old boy in the Qiao and Pei military camp, guided only by the talented Cai Yan, even if he had studied military books since birth, would never be able to be so familiar with 'The Art of War'!"
"Lord Wei asking us to test him is superfluous..."
Hearing this, Xun Yu stroked his beard again. It saved him further explanation that his nephew Xun You could fully grasp his meaning.
However... there was still another layer.
"The Art of War" is profound and extensive. Even Cao Cao, who annotated it, would not dare to say he was thoroughly familiar with it without experiencing the Yellow Turban Rebellion and receiving guidance from the "God of War," Huangpu Song. How could a fifteen-year-old boy achieve such a feat!
"Uncle, since we are going to the military camp, let us test him. Although this young boy may not understand, perhaps he is also a promising talent. In the current state of the world, talent, especially young talent, is indispensable!"
"I think so too."
Xun Yu and Xun You exchanged a glance, and no more words were spoken between them.
Speaking of which, due to their status as noble families, the Xun clan of Yingchuan had specialists who explained Confucianism, righteousness, and military strategy from a young age...
Xun Yu and Xun You were both exceptionally intelligent, rare geniuses of the Xun clan of Yingchuan in a hundred years. If one were to truly compare, they were the ones thoroughly familiar with military strategy!
...
That night, three carriages drove into the Qiao and Pei military camp.
The official roads in Yanzhou were not smooth and were full of potholes, so the carriages did not travel fast.
The carriages stopped, and the doors opened. Cao Ren and Xiahou Yuan discovered that not only had Wei Hong arrived, but also two men dressed as scholars with extraordinary demeanor.
Since Emperor Wu of Han dismissed the hundred schools of thought and honored Confucianism alone, the status of scholars was extremely high.
Furthermore... given the current situation in Yanzhou, there was a desperate need for knowledgeable individuals. Cao Ren and Xiahou Yuan naturally treated Xun Yu and Xun You with great courtesy.
"Lord Wei, I didn't expect you to come in person!" Cao Ren personally went to greet Wei Hong, as he was the "sugar daddy." Even his elder brother Cao Cao treated him with great respect, let alone Cao Ren.
"General Cao, I am also curious. It is truly unbelievable that a fifteen-year-old boy claims to have read thousands of books and is also knowledgeable in military strategy." Wei Hong stroked his beard. "General Cao is kind-hearted, but do not be deceived. I have specifically brought two gentlemen to test him."
This...
Cao Ren scratched his head...
Since it was Wei Hong's intention, he naturally could not stop it.
"Lord Wei, gentlemen, please this way..."
Cao Ren led Wei Hong, Xun Yu, and Xun You into the main tent.
Lu Yu and Cai Zhaoji had been waiting there early. Wei Hong glanced at them. Their clothing was not glamorous, but the faces and demeanor of this brother and sister, one pure and beautiful, the other pure and handsome, were quite eye-catching.
However, Cai Zhaoji still carried an aura of scholarly talent, but this young boy seemed a bit...
Mediocre, yes, that's the word, mediocre!
Ah, I know, this is not an era where one judges by appearance. Such a boy could be found easily in any private school. Truly mediocre!
"Miss Cai Yan, this is Lord Wei Hong from Chenliu Commandery, and these two are..."
Cao Ren introduced them proactively, but... he was meeting Xun Yu and Xun You for the first time and did not recognize them. His words trailed off, creating an awkward situation.
At this moment, Lu Yu cupped his hands. "Greetings, Lord Wei Hong, Mr. Xun Yu, Mr. Xun You..."
Hiss...
Upon hearing this, Cao Ren was stunned, and Xiahou Yuan was also stunned.
Why could this young man directly pronounce the names of Xun Yu and Xun You?
More importantly, were the names he pronounced correct?
Xun Yu and Xun You were also a little taken aback. They had never met this young man before. At this time, they were both obscure figures, and they would not deliberately write their names on themselves...
So... the question arises!
How did this young man recognize them?
Almost everyone fell into a daze, but the most bewildered was Wei Hong!
Others might not recognize Lu Yu, but he was very familiar with him.
This fifteen-year-old boy before him... no, wasn't he "Hidden Dragon"?
After searching diligently for several years, he never expected him to appear in Cao's camp. Moreover... he was wearing such ragged clothes?
This was "Hidden Dragon"! How could Cao Cao treat "Hidden Dragon" like this?
Wei Hong was about to ask, but the words stopped at his lips. He was wondering... could it be that "Hidden Dragon" had arranged this deliberately? If he recognized him rashly and ruined "Hidden Dragon's" original plan, wouldn't that be... doing good deeds with bad consequences?
With this thought, Wei Hong looked up... and saw Lu Yu wink at him. Obviously, Lu Yu had also recognized him.
After all, in his past life, he was the "Strongest Brain," the "Brain King," with astonishing memory. How could he easily forget faces he had seen before?
Lu Yu was truly worried that Wei Hong would expose his identity.
If it were to get out that "Hidden Dragon" was in Cao's camp, with the saying "possession of a treasure invites trouble," who knew if Old Cao and Yanzhou would become targets of public criticism!
The subsequent situation might develop to another extreme, which was not what Lu Yu wanted to see.
Fortunately...
Wei Hong was not stupid and understood the situation. Seeing his silence, Lu Yu felt relieved.
...
Just then, Xun Yu stepped forward.
"This gentleman must be the young master Lu Yu, who has read ten thousand books and is familiar with military strategy, correct?"
"I, Xun, would like to ask, how could young master Lu Yu know my name and that of Gongda as soon as he spoke? Have we met before?"
Xun Yu's eyes narrowed, and he appeared extremely curious.
"Naturally, we haven't!" Lu Yu blurted out. "As for the names of you two gentlemen, well..."
Lu Yu's eyes moved downwards, and his gaze landed on Xun Yu's crotch...
This...
This immediately made Xun Yu feel embarrassed!
He was a little short, but... it's not as if he could be identified by the "length" label of his lower body... and have his name called out, right?
What is... what's going on?
...
...