Chapter 324: The Path Ahead
Shaoyao hadn't played this game for quite some time and was itching to get started. The moment she confirmed Wu Yong understood the rules, she eagerly assumed her position.
In the first round, Wu Yong was utterly defeated.
By the second round, he had gradually grasped the tricks of the trade, and it took Shaoyao twice as long as before to defeat him.
By the third round, he was already trading blows with Shaoyao. Though he still lost, the gap was rapidly narrowing.
Hua Zhi wasn't surprised. No matter how talented Shaoyao was, she couldn't match a general stationed at the frontier. If he lacked such ability, Yan Xi would have been worried.
In the end, one side intentionally held back while the other was fiercely competitive. They spent the entire day in the courtyard, not moving even as the Hua family members returned one by one.
Seeing this, Hua Yizheng didn't approach but asked, "When did General Wu arrive?"
"He's been playing with Shaoyao all day." Hua Zhi looked at her grandfather. "Have everyone come take a look. Starting tomorrow, everyone must learn this. The Hua Clan School will add this as a subject—consider it a game for everyone."
Hua Yizheng gave her a deep look and was the first to walk over. The Hua family crowded tightly around the large sand table.
In this round, though Shaoyao reached the enemy commander's front, her own base was captured—Wu Yong won.
Looking up at the spirited person who showed no anger at losing, Wu Yong felt the blood in his veins warmer than usual. It was exhilarating. He hadn't expected Shaoyao to be not only skilled in medicine but also proficient in military strategy.
"Will Miss Shaoyao be free tomorrow? Shall we battle again?"
How could Shaoyao refuse? Her eyes lit up, and she nodded immediately. Hua Zhi wanted to stop her but was too late. However, under her watchful eye, given Shaoyao's oblivious nature, if Wu Yong didn't confess, she'd never notice. Thinking that Wu Yong would be the one suffering, Hua Zhi said nothing.
As it was getting late, Wu Yong politely declined the Hua family's dinner invitation and left quickly, leaving the sand table behind.
Hua Zhi returned to her room, consumed her Medicinal Cuisine, and spread out paper and brush. Though her injuries weren't fully healed, writing was no longer strenuous. Since it was for her family's use, she wrote the rules in great detail, unintentionally filling several pages.
Watching from the side, Shaoyao grumbled, "You didn't explain it to me this thoroughly."
"If you want to study classical texts, I'll annotate every word and sentence for you." Hua Zhi took the page from her hand and placed it at the bottom of the stack, giving her a teasing look. "Want to learn?"
Shaoyao shook her head vigorously—she wanted no part of those things!
Hua Zhi rolled up the papers and tapped her on the head. "The Hua family has produced civil officials for generations, but the sand table isn't for teaching them how to write. Of course, I need to be detailed."
That... made sense. Shaoyao felt a bit guilty and helpfully carried Hua Zhi to the newly made wheelchair beside her, pushing her out.
At this time, not only the main branch but also Hua Yichen and his brothers were in the study. They stopped talking and looked over when they saw Hua Zhi. Hua Pingyu even walked to the door and asked softly, "Why aren't you resting properly? Is something wrong?"
"There is a small matter." Hua Zhi glanced inside. "Is it inconvenient? I can come back later..."
"Nothing is inconvenient for you. Come in." Hua Yizheng walked out from behind the desk and looked at what she held in her hand. "Is this for your grandfather?"Hua Zhi handed it over. "It's about that sand table."
The others gathered around upon hearing this, taking turns to look through the pages. Hua Zhi patted Shaoyao's hand. "No need to wait here. Go attend to your tasks."
Having spent the whole day playing with the sand table, there were still many medicinal herbs left unprepared. Shaoyao chuckled twice before running off. She truly didn't want to stay in a room full of pedantic scholars. Though no one had ever given her a hard time, those fragmented memories seemed to suggest she'd been treated quite harshly...
After reading through it, Hua Yizheng looked up at his granddaughter who never ceased to amaze him. "Did you come up with this way of using the sand table?"
"I'm merely building on others' ideas. Since the Hua family's future is tied to Yinshan Pass, we need some foundation to stand on. Relying solely on scholarly ways isn't enough - when real fighting breaks out, no one cares whether your surname is Hua." Hua Zhi spoke plainly, yet harshly. "But having the Hua family completely abandon literature for martial arts isn't feasible either. Our roots have nothing to do with martial prowess. After much thought, we still need to apply what we've learned here."
Hua Zhi tapped her temple. "What has allowed the Hua family to establish ourselves in court all these years is our intellect. That should serve us just as well in another setting."
"Hahahaha!" Hua Yizheng suddenly burst into loud laughter. People both inside and outside the room showed surprise - this was the first time in a year they had heard the old master laugh so heartily.
"Father." Hua Pingyang approached with concern. Hua Yizheng waved him off, wiping tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes. "I'm happy, truly happy. Zhi Er, tell us, what should we do?"
"Negotiate with Wu Yong. The Hua family must enter the military camp. No matter how many military strategy books we read, without practical application it's just empty talk that harms both others and ourselves. Wu Yong will agree."
"Oh?" Hua Yizheng raised an eyebrow.
Hua Zhi shook her head. "This has nothing to do with Yan Xi. The Wu family and Yinshan Pass have a symbiotic relationship. If Yinshan Pass holds, the Wu family remains secure. If Yinshan Pass falls, Wu Yong won't survive either. It's no secret now that the Chao Li Tribe still harbors malicious intentions. Meanwhile, the severe drought in the north has the grassland tribes growing restless. Wu Yong knows perfectly well that if both sides attack simultaneously, Yinshan Pass likely won't receive any reinforcements. All of Daqing's elite forces would be deployed to the eastern front. Wu Yong's position isn't secure, Grandfather. You once held the second-rank official position, the peak for civil officials. Your vision and strategic insight far surpass ordinary people. Unless Wu Yong is foolish, he certainly won't leave your talents unused."
Hua Zhi suddenly smiled. "Actually, he's already using you, isn't he? Otherwise, why would there have been that assassination attempt?"
In the room, four elders and four adults listened quietly to the youngest family member speaking confidently. The young woman speaking didn't know that before she entered, they had been discussing their future path and had disagreements. Now, they had their answer.
Hua Yizheng laughed. "So confident in your grandfather?"
"Naturally. After all, I was taught by you. If I'm this capable, how could you be any less effective?"
Who exactly was she complimenting? Hua Yizheng glared at her.
But Hua Zhi wasn't intimidated. Her grandfather had always been a paper tiger around her. "This sand table is just another form of theoretical discussion. Still, it's not completely useless. When mastered to the extreme, one can control the entire situation, keeping both enemy and allied forces within grasp."So far, Hua Zhi hadn't found anyone with that capability. She wasn't up to it, and Yan Xi still fell short. His awareness was quite strong, but he was ultimately still too young—some things truly require time to bestow.
Hearing this, Hua Yizheng felt somewhat moved. "Tomorrow I'll have people make more sand tables so everyone can set aside time to learn."
Hua Zhi nodded. "Don't go to the government office tomorrow—wait for Wu Yong to come. Also, there's another matter: the Hua family's equestrian archery needs proper training. When it comes to critical moments, we can only rely on ourselves."
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