"They can wipe out the Japanese pirates in just two months?"
The Empress looked surprised, her beautiful eyes gazing at Qin Chuan with eyes as clear as autumn water.
Qin Chuan was also very surprised. Did I say that?
I clearly said it would take two months to see results!
Holy crap, did I fall into a trap?
The Empress took the "Art of War by Qi Jiguang" and began to read it. Qin Chuan thought she had understood it, but she frowned and ordered the eunuch behind her, "Go and summon An Dingguo and Xiao Yun here."
"yes."
The eunuch behind him immediately went to do so.
Soon, an old general in his sixties or seventies with a white beard and a handsome young general, wearing worn armor and holding helmets, entered the imperial study, knelt down and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" three times.
Qin Chuan then realized that he hadn't knelt before the Empress yet, but it was too late. Kneeling now would be shameful. He hoped the Empress wouldn't hold a grudge...
"Get up," the Empress said calmly, flicking her dragon robe.
“An Dingguo, look at this…”
As the Empress spoke, a eunuch presented the "Art of War by Qi Jiguang" to the old general with both hands.
Qin Chuan looked at the old general of An Dingguo, wondering how he would evaluate this book, "Qi Jiguang's Art of War"...
An Dingguo's calloused and bloodied old hands trembled as he held "Qi Jiguang's Military Treatise," carefully turning the pages. After reading a page or two, he exclaimed in surprise:
"This is truly a divine book!"
"With this divine book, how can we not destroy the Japanese pirates!"
Hearing him say this, the young general Xiao Yun beside him curiously picked up a page or two, and immediately his eyes lit up, bursting into uncontrollable laughter:
"Hahaha! That's amazing! I never knew soldiers could be trained like this!"
Hearing the eunuch cough, Xiao Yun realized his lapse in decorum and felt immediately embarrassed. He then became much more serious and said solemnly:
"In my humble opinion, this military treatise is an unparalleled masterpiece. Unlike ordinary military treatises, which are mostly abstract and useless, this one is excellent because it is detailed and practical. You can simply follow the instructions, which is truly amazing! It teaches you how to win battles step by step!"
"Furthermore, this military treatise seems to be specifically designed to counter the Japanese pirates," Xiao Yun said, turning a few more pages. "If we follow the instructions in this book, arrange our troops according to its rules, and manufacture weapons such as wolf-tooth rakes, we will surely be able to defeat the Japanese pirates!"
"This humble general has also fought against the Japanese pirates. Their main weapon is the Japanese sword, which is sharp and long. Once we engage them head-on, our army is at a disadvantage. In addition, the southeastern coastal area is not flat, making it difficult to carry out large-scale positional warfare. As soon as our army gathers a large number of troops, the Japanese pirates will flee at the mere sight of us..."
"After our troops withdrew, the Japanese pirates gathered several thousand more and attacked the coast again, killing and burning relentlessly... In short, we can't defeat them when we have fewer men, and we won't fight them when we have more. Our Great Gansu lacks large warships and its navy is also inadequate, making it difficult to go to sea to fight. Therefore, the problem of the Japanese pirates has been a headache to this day..."
"Now that we have this military treatise, it is truly a treasure bestowed by heaven! Your Majesty, grant me five thousand troops, and I am confident that I can wipe out the Japanese pirates within two months!"
After Xiao Yun finished speaking, he knelt down and begged for permission.
Qin Chuan was overjoyed upon hearing this, as he was finally relieved of the blame.
The Empress hesitated for a moment, then said, "This matter will be discussed at the court meeting tomorrow."
"Your Majesty!" Xiao Yun couldn't help but cry out, his face filled with sorrow. "How can we trust those civil officials in the court? They argue for half the day over trivial matters. At a time like this, why are you still asking these civil officials? With this divine book in hand, how can I not be afraid of destroying the Japanese pirates! Such an opportunity to save the country and the people, should it be delayed because of these old fogies in the court?"
"Your Majesty, this old minister is willing to serve as General Xiao's deputy and go south with him. This old minister also wants to kill the Japanese pirates!" An Dingguo said tremblingly.
"Absolutely not!" The Empress glanced at An Dingguo and said, "The Southern Xiongnu have repeatedly raided our borders and may be planning something big soon. If war breaks out in the north, who will guard the northern frontier? Can Zhang Chaozong hold up the entire country by himself? The three of you are the only ones in our dynasty who can fight. The northern frontier cannot do without you. None of you are allowed to go south!"
Hearing this, Qin Chuan muttered to himself, "Is the Great Gan Dynasty really that precarious? There are only three capable people left... Tsk tsk tsk, this Empress is truly pitiful, there are even signs of the country's demise. No wonder she's so eager to find talented people..."
Thinking of this, Qin Chuan took out a few more copies of "Qi Jiguang's Art of War" and said, "Why bother the two generals with such a trivial matter as eliminating the Japanese pirates? Just send someone to handle it!"
An Dingguo and Xiao Yun both turned to look at Qin Chuan: "And who is this...?"
When the two men saw that Qin Chuan was actually sitting on a stool, they were both surprised and a little indignant, as if to say, "We are loyal to the country, serving it hand and foot, risking our lives, and we don't even have a stool to sit on. Why do you have a stool to sit on?"
“Generals, this is Qin Chuan, the one who has caused such a stir in the court. He brought this military treatise,” said a high-ranking eunuch in a python robe.
Hearing what the eunuch said, An Dingguo and Xiao Yun still had some resentment in their eyes, as if to say, "So what if he has poetic talent? Can he compare to our hard work and great achievements?"
The eunuch, of course, understood what the two generals meant, and hurriedly said, "This military treatise must have been written by him."
This was actually what the Empress wanted to say. This old eunuch had been in the palace for decades and was the Empress's personal attendant, so he had long since figured out the Empress's intentions perfectly.
Upon hearing that the military treatise was written by Qin Chuan, An Dingguo and Xiao Yun were filled with surprise and doubt. Xiao Yun immediately bowed to Qin Chuan and said, "No wonder he could write such a masterpiece as 'Man Jiang Hong'! Mr. Qin is indeed a man of great talent! This humble general is in awe!"
An Dingguo clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This old minister is also in awe!"
Qin Chuan had just heard the eunuch say that the court was in an uproar because of him, and he thought to himself, "Am I that famous now? All the officials are arguing because of me?"
Seeing An Dingguo and Xiao Yunchao bowing to him, he handed them several copies of "Qi Jiguang's Art of War" and smiled slightly, saying, "Generals, you have made great contributions. I should learn from you."
When the Empress saw him suddenly pull out several more copies of "Qi Jiguang's Art of War," she couldn't help but roll her eyes at him, as if to say, "You have so many books, why didn't you take them out sooner..."
An Dingguo said, "This old minister has a question."
Qin Chuan said, "Please speak."
An Dingguo said, "Sir, your surname is Qin, so why is this military treatise called 'Qi Jiguang's Military Treatise'?"
“Uh…” Qin Chuan scratched his head. After the Empress’s questioning earlier, he felt that the clearer he explained, the more the other party would ask. So he simply said, “Qi Jiguang is my pen name.”
"Oh!" An Dingguo and Xiao Yun nodded as if they suddenly understood.
Qin Chuan was praying in his heart: "My dear ancestor, Grandpa Qi, please don't be angry..."
"As for who to send south to quell the Japanese pirates, we will discuss that in court tomorrow. An Dingguo and Xiao Yun, you two may leave now. I have some matters to discuss with Mr. Qin," the Empress said.
An and Xiao bowed and left the Imperial Study.
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