Chapter 17 Chapter 17 The tender pink lips opened and closed beside his cheek...
The next morning, while Zhang Jingxuan was working in the bookshop, Xue Yuanyin went to the forest to pick up some gravel, soil and branches. He returned to the yard and took out the last bit of wood left to make a sand table.
A real marching simulation sand table is not easy to make, and the process is tedious and complicated. However, the conditions here are limited, so we don’t pursue precision and beauty. We will just make a simple sand table that can be used.
Xue Yuanyin didn't need to worry about the crumbs on the floor. Granny Chen swept them up on her own initiative. Seeing Xue Yuanyin working attentively in the yard, she went into the kitchen to prepare lunch.
Xue Yuanyin carved and chiseled for several days and finally completed a simple sand table.
When Zhang Jingxuan came back from work at noon and finished his lunch, Xue Yuanyin placed the sand table on the table and said proudly, "Look! What is this!"
Zhang Jingxuan examined it carefully for a few seconds and asked, "Sand table?"
Seeing her busy tinkering these days, he didn't ask any further questions, but he didn't expect that she actually made the sand table.
He gently stroked the mountains, rivers, and paths and tracks on the sand table with his slender fingers and asked, "How did you make it?"
"Using local materials and combining them with my unparalleled mind and skills," Xue Yuanyin said with a straight face. "What are the results?"
Zhang Jingxuan nodded gently: "Very good."
He picked up a dried clay figurine beside him and placed it on the sand table. He said, "I've also read some military strategies and tactics, and in my spare time I've played a few games with my adoptive father, Lord Xie. Since we're not going to the bookstore this afternoon, why don't you and I give it a try?"
He raised his eyes and looked at her, observing her reaction calmly.
If a person really has that kind of thoughts in mind, he cannot hide it in his every move.
"So you have something else to hide?"
Xue Yuanyin didn't notice his gaze at all. Only her competitive spirit was burning, and she was ready to fight: "Who's afraid of who? Come on!"
The two of them set up a sand table on the table, with a best-of-three format. The first two rounds were an attacking and defending system for each side, and the third round was a free game for both sides.
In the first round, Xue Yuanyin took the attacking camp.
She had slightly more troops in this round and tried to attack, but was stopped by Zhang Jingxuan. She made a circuitous route and attacked directly into the hinterland. Zhang Jingxuan used the terrain to resist, but was ultimately defeated by Xue Yuanyin's troops and lost the round.
Although Xue Yuanyin won, she did not relax her brows. Even though Zhang Jingxuan lost, the loss was very small and he was quite at ease.
What else could Xue Yuanyin not understand? She glared at him, but he stared back indifferently.
He actually knows military strategies and has hidden them so well!
In the second game, Zhang Jingxuan took charge of offense and defense, while Xue Yuanyin took charge of defense.
In stark contrast to his gentle exterior, his methods were unwavering. He launched a direct, brute-force attack, without even a tentative attempt. After two rounds, Xue Yuanyin's city was captured. Although he lost some men, Xue Yunyin lost far more.
Zhang Jingxuan won this round.
Xue Yuanyin put the little man back in his place and couldn't help asking, "How dare you attack right away? There are seventy-two strategies of the thirty-sixth army..."
Zhang Jingxuan came over and stood behind her. He suddenly leaned closer, pressing his hard and broad chest against her back. He picked up the little clay figurine and demonstrated it to her. The words that came out of his lips were hot and brushed her ears.
He suddenly came so close to her, and his gentle voice sounded softly in her ears. She was stunned by the sudden masculine scent.
She could even feel the thin muscles on Zhang Jingxuan's chest against her back.
After a while, Xue Yuanyin finally heard what he was saying. He said slowly:
"You mentioned the Thirty-Six Stratagems and Seventy-Two Stratagems because they were all due to a lack of men and horses. I have many men and horses, so why should I bother with this? We should just capture the city and eliminate the root of the problem without any worries."
Xue Yuanyin felt her ears were warmed by the hot air from his mouth, and said awkwardly:
"You, just explain it, why are you getting so close?"
Why...why is he deliberately teasing her? This is really weird!
Zhang Jingxuan lowered his eyes to look at her ears. Her earlobes were white, small and round, with a few strands of hair gathered in front of them. Whether it was because he had deliberately leaned in close or for some other reason, they were already flushed crimson.
He calmly looked away, straightened up, and said, seemingly not noticing anything wrong:
"I'm afraid you can't hear clearly. It will be easier to explain if you're closer."
Xue Yuanyin felt suspicious. When he walked back and sat down opposite her, she glanced at him, only to find that he was calm and composed.
If you're close, you can hear clearly? Is that really the case?
Xue Yuanyin said absentmindedly, "You're not as gentle and modest as you appear."
He was cold-hearted, decisive, and thoughtful, and he blocked her way to victory by using military tactics right from the start.
She said unconvincedly, "If you had used military tactics effectively and avoided the losses from a strong attack, you might have won a more beautiful victory."
Zhang Jingxuan's attitude remained gentle, but his voice was firm: "I don't like giving the enemy time to struggle. I will only seize the situation as quickly as possible until they completely lose the power to resist."
Xue Yuanyin was speechless.
His way of planning the army was not like that of the moderate and kind prince's party, but more like that of the Prince of Yu's party, who were swift and decisive and achieved great victories by sacrificing a small number of people.
Her own style, on the other hand, was to weigh the pros and cons, consider the losses, and try to use every possible means, which was not like the sharp and ruthless style of Prince Yu's faction.
Xue Yuanyin asked curiously, "Who taught you how to plan your troops?"
Zhang Jingxuan said, "Maybe it's because the teacher taught the book, and he combined the strengths of many people to form his own style."
All right.
He does have some skills and talent. He is indeed a young talent and should not be underestimated.
Xue Yuanyin's desire to win was completely aroused: "In the third round, we have the same number of people and horses. You will definitely not be able to attack by force. I want to see who will win!"
At the beginning of the third game, the two sides faced off, but they were not able to win the game quickly like in the first two games.
Both sides used their military tactics and strategies, sending troops back and forth to test each other, using both real and fake tactics. In the end, Zhang Jingxuan sent out troops but suffered heavy losses, while Xue Yuanyin made a concession but retained his troops, so it was a draw.
"Although you can win, you only have strategies. You are not proficient in the art of war. You are not as good as me. I said I can still teach you!"
Xue Yuanyin was delighted and in high spirits. She walked over to his side, pulled a small stool and sat down. She leaned over to take the little clay figurine from his hand, and accidentally brushed her fingertips against his fingers, picking up some warmth.
She was completely unaware and said with great joy:
"Just call me Master Xue and I'll teach you, how about that?"
Zhang Jingxuan suddenly turned his head to look at her.
She was usually very careful with her manners, but today she must have been in high spirits, so she leaned very close to him, her plump pink lips opening and closing beside his cheek, and a strand of her black hair hung down, gently brushing against his ear.
His eyes darkened for a moment, and he wondered, did she know that he approached her intentionally?
Was she really unaware? Otherwise, why would she get so close?
The absurd words from the school always appeared frequently in Zhang Jingxuan's mind.
From feeling absurd at first, to starting to doubt, and then having to follow the thread to think deeply, to now, he took the initiative to test it.
If this is true, then things become a little troublesome.
Xue Yuanyin talked for a long time and found that Zhang Jingxuan did not move. She pushed him gently and frowned in confusion.
"Zhang Jingxuan, what are you daydreaming about? I told you to discuss sand table simulations. Once you've mastered them, I'll definitely give you a few serious duels. Do you hear me?"
Zhang Jingxuan came back to his senses, lowered his eyes to hide his thoughts, and said calmly: "I'm listening. Aren't we going to have a sandbox simulation? Let's get started."
After a slight pause, he stared at her and whispered, "Master Xue."
Xue Yuanyin was startled for a moment, then her heart blossomed. She put on a serious attitude and joked:
"If you ever go to the battlefield and win a battle, remember that I taught you."
Zhang Jingxuan pulled the corner of his lip and said, "I hope that day never comes."
Xue Yuanyin was delighted when he was called "Master Xue". He did not hide anything and devoted himself to it for several days, teaching everything he knew.
But she soon discovered he had little to teach her. She taught him a military strategy, and he not only absorbed it thoroughly but also quickly applied it to other situations. As for strategic planning, he had been adopted as a son by Lord Xie at a young age, and after years of immersion, he was even more adept at it than she was.
All she could teach were some unorthodox little tricks, like when two leaders were fighting and couldn't win, she would take the opportunity to pull down the enemy's pants and kick him hard in the lower body.
She looked very confident and reasonable, and asked smugly, "Does it really hurt to kick a man in the groin?"
There was no awareness that he was using despicable tactics.
Zhang Jingxuan: “…”
It is indeed a real dirty trick.
He remained calm and said, "It's very painful, so painful that you lose the ability to resist. If you are in trouble and can't defeat the enemy, remember to kick quickly and don't let the enemy notice."
Xue Yuanyin was immediately overjoyed, her round, dark, lychee eyes curved into crescents as she said:
"Okay, since you said so, I'll remember it!"
Zhang Jingxuan looked over and saw a face full of smiles and high spirits.
The figure vaguely overlapped with the little girl in my memory, and she was lively, smart and energetic in a way that I had never seen since then.
Xue Yuanyin suddenly remembered something and turned to ask, "By the way, why do you keep calling me Xue Yuanyin? Don't you know that my father gave me another name, Xue Ling?"
Zhang Jingxuan said calmly, "I know."
"Then why do you still call me Xue Yuanyin?" She said with a bit of disgust, "With both my first name and last name."
Zhang Jingxuan lowered his eyes and said, "You are Xue Yuanyin. If I don't call you by your name, what else can I call you by?"
Suddenly thinking of something, he raised his brows slightly and said thoughtfully:
"I remember you used to have a nickname. What was it?"
Xue Yuanyin's face changed, and he said nervously: "What nickname? I don't have a nickname! You remembered it wrong..."
Zhang Jingxuan suddenly curled his lips and uttered two words softly and slowly: "Qiao, Qiao."
Xue Yuanyin was stunned. The next second, her cheeks flushed red, instantly scalding like boiling water!
Ahhhh!
Aaaaaaaaaaaah!
Zhang Jingxuan! He actually remembered! He actually still remembered her nickname!
Oh my God, this is so shameful! Does he know what he is talking about?
How can you just call out a name like that?
Xue Yuanyin didn't know whether she was embarrassed or angry. She felt that the temperature on her face could burn a tomato. She yelled at him in anger:
"Zhang Qu! What are you yelling about?"
Zhang Jingxuan clenched his fist and coughed lightly, hiding the smile on his lips: "Don't be angry, I won't shout."
Seeing that she was about to lose her temper, he quickly changed the subject: "Xue Yuanyin, do you want to learn the Book of Changes?"
Xue Yuanyin was stunned, the temperature on her face still not fading, she said a little unhappy:
"Isn't it enough that you got first place in the proctored exam? You want to show off your work here?"
"no."
Zhang Jingxuan casually fiddled with the clay figurines in the sandbox and said, "I'm asking if you'd like me to teach you something else. Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, the unity of heaven and man, the interplay of all things. This principle also applies to military strategy. If you master it, it will be beneficial without any drawbacks."
He raised his eyes and stared at her, not missing any subtle expression on her face.
If what was said in the school was true, his unreserved approach should be what she wanted.
He thought he had treated her well enough, even partially, by leaving her with more skills so that she could cope with various emergencies in the future.
Seeing that Xue Yuanyin was still hesitant, he was already familiar with how to stir up her emotions, and calmly stated the facts:
"Your Zhouyi test results are terrible. Don't you want to beat me? If you don't master the Zhouyi, you will never be able to surpass me in your life."
Xue Yuanyin always felt that he was mocking her, and her anger was immediately aroused. She said:
"Okay, since I have a lot of free time lately, I'm going to defeat you in your best subject!"
Xue Yuanyin had no idea what he had learned from the Book of Changes, but he only knew that what he had learned over the years was of great help to his career.
She recalled the frustration of coming in second, snorted, and said, "In a few days, I will challenge you, and this time I will definitely avenge my previous shame!
Zhang Jingxuan stood up and tapped her head. The intimate gesture made her slightly stunned.
He seemed unaware of what he had done. He walked to the window with his hands behind his back, looked across the deep green shade in the yard, then looked up at the high, vast sky. Finally, he turned his gaze to look at her and said,
"The Zhouyi, also known as the Book of Changes, is also Vanke's flagship. Regarding the Book of Changes, I have a skill few people know about. Listen carefully."
He said slowly, "I wonder if you've heard that, besides the military theory, the Book of Changes also has another famous saying—"
Xue Yuanyin's heart fluttered when he noticed that he lowered his head slightly and heard a low voice in his ear:
"Study the I Ching and gain insight into the mysteries of heaven. I will teach you how to discern the fate of others."
Xue Yuanyin was in a trance for a moment. Before she could hear his words clearly, the first thing that came to her mind was...
The mellow bass that rolled out of his throat seemed a little hot. The author has something to say:
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I’m almost at the copywriting stage. Have you noticed? ovo
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