But hearing Xu Zhen’s words now, why did it seem like all the figures in the Three Kingdoms were scholar-generals? Her enthusiasm suddenly waned.
This shouldn’t be the case.
The student pondered deeply, and the more she thought about it, the more she realized it was true. Not to mention figures like Zhou Yu and Kong Ming, even Yuan Shao presented himself as a scholar-general, fond of waving a feather fan.
Where was the grandeur of conquering the land?
The student frowned and said, “What I like is, of course, the killing god!”
Xu Zhen was surprised, “Why don’t you want to be other types?”
The student replied, “Scholar-generals and wise generals sound impressive, but they rely on understanding human nature, and it's easy to make mistakes. It’s all just luck.”
Xu Zhen smiled and said, “How can that be considered luck? Human nature is indeed difficult to grasp, but precisely because they can see through it, they can stand higher than others.”
The student was already curious about this.
She was about to ask more when she remembered their initial topic and asked, quite puzzled, “Teacher, what does my aspiration of becoming a famous general have to do with you making things difficult for us?”
Xu Zhen thought to herself: of course, it has nothing to do with it. Outwardly, she sincerely said, “Let’s set aside the previous question. As for becoming a famous general, I hope to guide you on that path. So, I must tell you, what you said earlier isn’t quite right.”
The student asked, “What’s wrong?”
Xu Zhen explained, “You said they rely on luck, but relying on luck is actually quite important.”
The student questioned, “What's wrong with that? Are we supposed to stake the lives of our armies on luck?”
Xu Zhen laughed, “What’s wrong with that? Every step you've taken since birth has relied on taking risks, but initially, someone helped you. Later, as you gain more experience, you know how to make choices, which increases your chances of winning those risks.”
The student frowned, “Ridiculous.”
Other students didn’t quite agree either. For many, relying on luck was considered a lowly tactic, something street kids would do, and true heroes scorned it.
Xu Zhen then said, “What you see as luck is often the result of others’ accumulated wisdom, which comes from reading and learning.”
The student replied, “If that’s the case, what does it have to do with leading troops into battle?”
Seeing she wanted to talk about leading armies, Xu Zhen asked, “Do you know the famous general Han Xin?”
The student responded, “Of course!”
Xu Zhen continued, “Back then, Han Xin’s friend Zhongli Mei came to seek refuge with him. Han Xin forced his friend to commit suicide and then took his friend’s head to see Liu Bang, but was ultimately imprisoned by Liu Bang, which hastened his demise. How do you interpret this event?”
Zhongli Mei, who sought refuge with Han Xin, was originally under Xiang Yu. That’s why someone suggested to Han Xin to present his friend’s head to Liu Bang as a sign of loyalty. But unexpectedly, Liu Bang used this as a pretext to imprison Han Xin, accelerating his death.
The student was only half-informed about this, casually saying, “Unfortunate luck, making Gaozu think it was a provocation rather than loyalty.”
Xu Zhen sipped her tea, the cold, bitter taste helping her think clearly. She explained, “Han Xin listened to slander back then. By doing so, he lowered himself in rank compared to Liu Bang, appearing particularly servile, and was morally indefensible, becoming a villain who persecuted his friend. You see, besides the glory of killing, famous generals have much more to consider.”
Chapter 52: Fifty-Two Treasures?
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