"Speak freely, I will pardon you today!"
Sun Jian breathed a sigh of relief after receiving Emperor Ganwu's words.
"Your humble servant obeys the decree!"
Since I have to say it myself, I'll just say it directly.
"Your Majesty, I believe that before dealing with this situation, we should first analyze the reasons."
"Before Your Majesty arrived, I said that the predicament shown on the sand table was due to my poor personnel management. The general in charge of the troops is a complete idiot, and not only the general in charge of the troops, but even the marshal in charge of the troops is a fool."
"Regardless of how this situation is resolved, the marshal and the general in charge of the troops should be executed immediately by the army after the battle!"
When everyone heard Sun Jian cursing them as idiots, good-for-nothings, and morons, they all beamed with joy, especially the two princesses, who couldn't stop laughing.
"Go on!"
Emperor Ganwu nodded, signaling Sun Jian to continue.
Sun Jian didn't mince words and continued, "If... if I were to lead the troops in this situation, I believe that, given the circumstances, we should not only not retreat back to the city, but should instead launch an attack."
What?
What?
Everyone was shocked when they heard this!
Not only were Li Gancheng and Mr. Zhuang stunned, but Li You and Li Mu were also dumbfounded.
Even the two princesses, who had just been all smiles, were stunned.
There is no shortage of commanders among them. Anyone can see that the current situation is a dead end. The three forces are being restrained and controlled at every turn, and the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers are hanging by a thread!
It's already difficult enough to escape and survive, how can they possibly launch an attack?
Isn't this just suicide?
Did he want to annihilate the entire army?
Mr. Zhuang was the first to lose his composure. He directly rebuked Sun Jian: "Fine! Fine... fine, you scoundrel! You dare to spout such nonsense in front of His Majesty! I'm asking you how you plan to withdraw your troops, and you want all your soldiers to be buried alive with you!"
"Although this is a war game, it is still not something to be taken lightly! His Majesty is here, how dare you act rashly!"
"If you can't answer, then don't answer! If you dare to talk nonsense again, I will punish you severely!"
Mr. Zhuang was so angry that his face turned red, and he looked like he was disappointed in his son.
After speaking, he turned around and bowed to Emperor Ganwu: "Your Majesty, please calm down. Although I have only met this unruly disciple once, I am still his teacher. As the sage said, 'If the teaching is not strict, it is the teacher's fault.' If Your Majesty wants to punish someone, punish me for not teaching him properly."
At this moment, even Li Gancheng ran over and tugged at Sun Jian's sleeve, whispering, "Brother Sun, although this is a hypothetical battle, we cannot speak carelessly about such things, much less treat them lightly."
Sun Jian, on the other hand, appeared calm and composed. He did not rush to reply to Li Gancheng's words, but instead glanced at Mr. Zhuang first.
Although the old man has a short temper, it cannot be denied that what he just said was indeed in defense of himself.
This gave Sun Jian a warm feeling.
Sun Jian bowed respectfully to Emperor Ganwu with both hands and said, "Your Majesty, you just spoke your mind, saying that I may speak freely today and that you have forgiven me. May I still speak now?"
Everyone held their breath, their eyes all turning to Emperor Ganwu.
I want to see how this old emperor will punish Sun Jian for his arrogant words.
Emperor Ganwu glanced at Sun Jian with interest, but did not rush to answer. He first raised his hand to let Mr. Zhuang rise, saying, "Minister Zhuang, please rise."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Seeing that His Majesty was not angry, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and turned their disdainful gazes to Sun Jian, as if to tell him that His Majesty's lack of anger was due to His Majesty's benevolence and magnanimity, and that he should stop spouting nonsense.
"As I just said, you may speak freely today; it will not be considered taboo."
"In today's game of chess, everyone is welcome to speak frankly about their strategies,"
"Gentlemen, what do you think of Minister Sun's point of view just now?"
After saying this, Emperor Ganwu pointed to Li You standing to the side and said, "Let's start with General Li You."
"This humble general obeys the order."
Li You first bowed to the old emperor, then looked at Sun Jian and snorted coldly, saying, "This humble general believes that Sun Jian's words are truly the views of a scholar, utterly foolish. If this were a real battlefield, Sun Jian's strategy would harm the entire army. Such a person should be executed on the spot by our army!"
After Li You finished speaking, Li Mu also stood up and echoed, "This humble general agrees with your opinion, brother. Sun Shidu is skilled in martial arts and may become a good general, but he is definitely not a good commander. This humble general has followed His Majesty through hundreds of battles in his life and has experienced more than a dozen large and small battlefields. I have never heard of such a military tactic! In this situation, not retreating but attacking is simply no less than a mantis trying to stop a chariot, or an egg hitting a rock."
After listening to Li You and Li Mu's analysis, everyone nodded in agreement.
As expected of the Emperor's Left and Right Generals of the Imperial Guard, his knowledge is far superior to that of Sun Jian, a mere child!
Wang De chuckled and followed closely behind: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, this old servant doesn't understand these things. This old servant doesn't know how to use troops, let alone any military strategy. This old servant's wish in this life is to serve Your Majesty well."
Emperor Ganwu nodded meaningfully, then looked at his son with interest. "Li Gancheng, what do you say?"
Li Gancheng gave Sun Jian and Mr. Zhuang a complicated look and said hesitantly, "Your Majesty, I also believe... I also believe..."
"Just say what you think. It's just a discussion, why beat around the bush!"
Seeing that his son was somewhat hesitant to speak, Emperor Ganwu spoke up loudly.
"yes!"
Li Gancheng composed himself and continued, "Your subject also believes that what Generals Li You and Li Mu said makes sense. In this situation, we should retreat gradually. Being passive at every turn and attacking will only increase casualties."
After Li Gancheng finished answering, Emperor Ganwu glanced around at everyone and noticed that they all understood each other perfectly and looked at Sun Jian with disdain. Only then did he turn his gaze back to Sun Jian.
“Minister Sun, you have heard what everyone is saying. They advocate a gradual withdrawal of troops, and they think you are just a bookish scholar with foolish views.”
"I would also like to hear your explanation of how you intend to launch an attack?"
"As you command."
Sun Jian smiled and strode to the sand table. He addressed the crowd in a loud voice, “Gentlemen, the best strategy is to attack the enemy’s plans, the next best is to disrupt their alliances, the next best is to attack their army, and the worst is to besiege their cities. Is this saying correct?”
Upon hearing this, everyone in the room was stunned for a moment. After understanding the meaning behind the words, they gradually expressed their agreement.
Even Emperor Qianwu and Mr. Zhuang stroked their beards, analyzing the meaning behind Sun Jian's words, and nodded silently.
These words of Sun Jian come from "The Art of War" in his previous world.
They had naturally never heard of it.
Although there were many military books and strategies in this era, they were not in the same time and space as the historical world after Sun Jian.
There may be similarities, but they are by no means exactly the same.
This is similar to poetry and prose. Although some amazing collections of poems have been passed down from this era, figures like Li Bai, Du Fu, Bai Juyi, and Su Shi did not actually exist in history.
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