Chapter 446: Small success depends on friends, big success depends on enemies
Siping is a really good assistant. I only taught him once and he grasped the key points, and then he taught Siyu. So, I hardly had to deal with the management of the treatment.
That’s great, I can take some time to learn from Mr. Dong.
Since arriving in Dali on October 20th, it has already been early December, making it over a month since I came to the ancient town. I have been studying with Mr. Dong day and night.
It was more of a discussion than a study session. These conversations, involving astronomy and geography, local customs and practices, future developments, and everything in between, were incredibly beneficial.
One day, Mr. Dong asked me, "Who is Zhuge Liang's soulmate?"
I said, "Liu Bei."
Mr. Dong said, “Tell me the reason.”
"Zhuge Liang was a man of great talent. He lived in Longzhong. Everyone knew he was a man of great vision and vision, but even the county magistrate looked down on him and didn't invite him to be his advisor. It wasn't until Liu Bei came and visited him three times at his thatched cottage that he invited him out of retirement."
Mr. Dong shook his head.
After being denied by Mr. Dong, I immediately thought of another person and said, "Lu Su."
"Tell me why."
"Although Lu Su was Sun Quan's man, he knew that Zhuge Liang's purpose in coming to Wu was to persuade Sun Quan and Zhou Yu to unite the weak for the common survival of Shu and Wu and jointly deal with Cao Cao.
Unlike Zhou Yu, who was narrow-minded, Lu Su considered the overall situation, so he secretly protected Zhuge Liang and provided him with many conveniences. He could be said to be Mr. Zhuge's confidant. "
Mr. Dong still shook his head.
I'm a little lost. I've read "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and "Records of the Three Kingdoms" many times. I can't think of anyone who could be Comrade Zhuge's soulmate.
Mr. Dong took a sip of tea, put down the cup, and said, "Zhuge Liang's soulmate is Sima Yi."
I was startled and asked, "Why Sima Yi? They are sworn enemies."
Mr. Dong said: "Liu Bei understood Zhuge Liang, and he recognized his talent and trusted him. He relied on Zhuge Liang to fulfill his hope of restoring the Han Dynasty.
Lu Su understood Zhuge Liang, admired his talent and understood the overall situation. He was just a die-hard fan of Zhuge Liang.
Only Sima Yi could frighten Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang used the Empty City Strategy, which no one saw through except Sima Yi, who laughed loudly. This was the Empty City Strategy.
But Sima Yi was a suspicious person. After seeing through the plan, he hesitated and decided to wait and see before attacking. As a result, Zhuge Liang escaped unscathed.
Therefore, a person’s true soulmate is not his friend, but his enemy.”
I think what Mr. Dong said makes sense, but I also find it difficult for me to fully digest and understand this truth at the moment.
He saw what I was thinking and said with a smile, "Let's say you are a chess master and no one around you can beat you. Wouldn't that make you lonely?"
Your chess friends all admire you. They understand your first, second, and third meanings of this move, but you think further than them. You've thought of the fifth and sixth meanings of this move. No one knows.
In this way, others will simply not be your match. You will have no interest in playing chess with them. Even if a master comes along, you will be able to make him surrender in 20 moves. You will find it extremely boring.
When things are so boring, the first thing you feel is that there is no one in the world who understands you and no one has reached your level.
Second, life without an opponent is boring.
Third, because of lack of interest and loneliness, you will get sick.
Suddenly, one day, a man comes and wants to play chess with you. You make a move, and he takes a piece.
You see, this move is very powerful. It can provide comprehensive defense and also contains murderous intent. You thought of the sixth level, and he has already thought of the seventh level.
So, all your brain cells are mobilized, all your fighting spirit is aroused, thinking about the next move to break the deadlock and turn passivity into initiative? If you are not careful, you will be defeated by the opponent.
At this point, Mr. Dong asked, "Is this person your opponent or enemy?"
I said, "Yes. An absolute enemy. He's here to challenge us."
Mr. Dong asked, "Everything you were thinking was guessed by the other party, wasn't it?"
I said, "Yes, he not only guessed it, but also guessed your next response method, and was waiting for you to fall into the trap."
Mr. Dong laughed heartily: "He knows everything you are thinking. Is he your soulmate?"
I raised my thumbs and said, "Master is Master after all. Now I understand everything after you put it that way."
Mr. Dong said: "So, small successes depend on friends, big successes depend on enemies."
Listening to these profound words, I stood up and bowed to him, "Thank you, Master, for your guidance. It really cleared up the fog and brought light to the world. I, your disciple, now understand many things."
He said, "Tell me what you understand?"
I stood there, talking non-stop: "For example, Liu Ji, if he hadn't encountered Xiang Yu, a brave general with the strength to pull mountains and the courage to conquer the world, and if he hadn't defeated Xiang Yu so badly that he couldn't face his parents in Jiangdong, he wouldn't have become emperor. He would have been just a small-time thug in Pei County.
If Zhu Yuanzhang had not been forced to starve to death, he would have been a monk in Huangjue Temple for the rest of his life. If he had not fought a bloody battle with Chen Youliang, he would have been able to control the southeast.
If Zeng Guofan had not encountered the Hong Xiuquan uprising, he would have been a mediocre court official and would not have become famous throughout the world.
These people were able to achieve great success only after encountering powerful opponents. By extension, if someone's fortune is told that their fate is mediocre, without major ups and downs, then they will only achieve small successes, not great things.
Mr. Dong folded his arms across his chest and looked at me with a smile: "Shanhong, this young man is teachable. So, I am not your soulmate, I am just your teacher.
Where is your soulmate? You have to find him. He must be your enemy, a strong opponent. Only by defeating him can you grow.
I bowed to the ground and said, "Master, you have already said that you will always be my teacher."
Mr. Dong sighed, "I'm getting old, and my memory is getting worse. Aging is an insurmountable natural law. Yesterday, I held the key in my hand and searched everywhere for it."
I shook my head and said, "You will never grow old. You have a young heart."
Mr. Dong smiled and said, "Sit down, I'll tell you a story about eternal youth."
After I sat down, Mr. Dong took a sip of tea and said slowly:
"Once, Einstein was on a train. The conductor came over to check tickets. Einstein searched all his pockets but couldn't find his ticket.
He frantically searched everywhere. The conductor left, figuring that someone like Einstein wouldn't evade the ticket. After checking, the conductor returned and saw Einstein still searching, even bending over to check under the seat.
The conductor said, don't look for me anymore, I know you are the famous Einstein.
Einstein said, “I know I am Einstein, but if I can’t find my train ticket, I don’t know which station to get off at.”
After hearing this, I laughed so hard that my stomach hurt.
Mr. Dong didn't laugh. Instead, he said, "Whether this story is true or made up, it just shows that aging is inevitable. You're young, so cherish your time."
After this conversation, I came to two conclusions. First, Mr. Dong was hinting that his health might be failing, and he was entrusting me with the task of carrying on his unfinished work.
Secondly, he told me the truth of fortune-telling: without the ups and downs of a fate full of conflicts and killings, a person's success will only be small.
Don’t be fooled by the fact that some people’s horoscopes look bad, because they may actually be someone who will achieve great success.
Mr. Dong surpassed Chang Nanxi's fortune-telling theory based on physical strength and weakness, and also surpassed Master Hongyi's oracle bone inscription analysis method.
In other words, when I do fortune-telling and horoscope analysis in the future, I should...
I won't omit 1500 words here, I'll leave it for the next chapter. It's already well over 2000 words, after all, typing is hard work.
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