Accidentally dressed as an empress

Chapter 120: Strategy

Gu Xiuzhi sorted out the essays from the Imperial Academy and handed them to Yun Se's desk.

When Yun Se had nothing to do, she asked Yi Yuan to come over and read these scholars' works to her.

Yi Yuan, under Aunt Fang's guidance, finally learned to recognize all the characters, although he still couldn't read sentences well.

Yi Yuan recited, "In the past, King Zhou built the Lu Tower. He imposed harsh punishments and harsh penalties, and his officials were harsh and unforgiving. Rewards and punishments were inappropriate, and taxes were levied without limit. The country was in turmoil, and officials were unable to keep order. The people were in poverty, and the ruler showed no mercy. Then, treachery and deceit arose, and the upper and lower classes fled from one another. Many were wrongly accused, and executions were common on the streets, causing suffering throughout the country. From the nobles down to the common people, everyone felt insecure, personally experiencing the reality of poverty and hardship, and none of them felt safe in their positions, which made them easily moved.

Those who are cold benefit from coarse clothes, while those who are hungry are content with chaff. The tumult of the world is an opportunity for a new ruler. This means that it is easy to be benevolent when the people are exhausted. If there had been a wise ruler who was loyal and virtuous, and the ministers and rulers had been united in their concern for the troubles of the land, and had rectified the mistakes of the previous emperor, divided the land and the people to reward the descendants of meritorious officials, and established a state and a ruler to treat the world with courtesy, and emptied the prisons and exempted the executions, and abolished the crimes of imprisonment and corruption, and allowed everyone to return to their hometowns, opened the granaries, and distributed money to help the lonely and the poor, and reduced taxes and levies to help the people in their urgent needs, and simplified laws and punishments to maintain the country, then all people would be able to reform themselves, be more frugal and orderly, and be cautious of their own behavior, and meet the expectations of the people, and with great virtue, bring peace to the world, then everyone in the world would be happy and at peace.

This person's writing is quite interesting. Yun Se said, "Bring this bamboo scroll over here so I can take a look."

After reading it, Yunse thought that this person was a good person with great ambitions.

She looked up the signature. It was Liu Zhi, a very unfamiliar name. She had never heard of the surname Liu before. It was probably a student from a poor family.

Yun Se had to find an opportunity to mention to Gu Xiuzhi that there were still some good talents among the students of Tai Academy.

Yi Yuan opened the bamboo slips and continued to read the next volume.

The Art of War says, "There are generals who are sure to win, but there are no people who are sure to win." From this perspective, securing the border and establishing meritorious service depend on good generals, and they must be chosen carefully.

I have heard that in the use of troops, there are three most important things to do before a battle: one is to have a good understanding of the terrain, two is to have the soldiers trained, and three is to have sharp weapons.

The art of war says: A ditch of 15 feet, water flowing gradually along the path of a chariot, rocks piled up in the mountains and forests, hills and mountains along the river, and where there are vegetation, this is the place for infantry, and two chariots and cavalry are not as good as one.

There are mountains and hills, which are connected to each other, and there are vast plains. This is a place for chariots and cavalry, and the number of infantry is only one-tenth of that.

Pingling is far away, with a river and valley in between, looking down from a high place. It is a place suitable for bows and crossbows, and short weapons are not as effective as one in a hundred.

The two camps are close to each other, on flat ground with shallow grass, where one can advance or retreat. This is the place for long spears, where swords and shields are three times as effective as one.

The reeds and bamboos are lush and dense, the grass and trees are thick and dense, the branches and leaves are thick and dense. This is the place for spears and halberds, and two long spears are not as good as one. The winding roads are hidden, and the narrow passes are narrow. This is the place for swords and shields, and bows and crossbows are not as good as one.

The soldiers are not selected and trained, the troops are not trained, their daily routines are not refined, their movements and rest are not coordinated, they fail to seize opportunities and avoid dangers, they attack in front and slack off in the back, and they lose touch with the rhythm of the drums and gongs. This is the fault of the soldiers who are not trained, and one out of a hundred is not the same as the other.

If weapons are not perfect and sharp, they are the same as going with bare hands; if armor is not strong and dense, it is the same as going naked; if a crossbow cannot reach far, it is the same as having a short weapon; if an arrow cannot hit the target, it is the same as having no arrow at all; if the arrow hits the target but cannot penetrate the target, it is the same as having no arrowhead at all. This is the disaster caused by a general not understanding his soldiers, and one out of five is not as good as the other.

Therefore, the Art of War says: If your weapons are not good, you will give your soldiers to the enemy; if your soldiers are unusable, you will give your general to the enemy; if your general does not know how to fight, you will give your lord to the enemy; if your ruler does not choose his generals, you will give your country to the enemy. These four are the most important things in war.

Small and large have different forms, strong and weak have different positions, and dangerous and easy situations have different preparations. To humble oneself and serve the strong is the form of a small country; to unite the small to attack the big is the form of an enemy country; to use barbarians to attack barbarians is the form of China.

Yun Se interrupted Yi Yuan, "Who wrote this?"

Yi Yuan flipped to the end and saw two words inscribed on the signature. Yi Yuan read them out, "Yun Xiu?"

Yun Se looked a little dazed. The military strategy here was what Zhong Xuan had said before. He had once wanted to write a book on military strategy. Unfortunately, he was too weak and later too ill, so he was unable to complete the book in the end.

But I don’t know when Yunxiu was found.

The strategy of using barbarians to control barbarians was originally proposed by Yun Xiu and implemented by Yun Lang.

Yunse closed her eyes.

Yi Yuan opened another scroll and read: "When a sage king is in power, the people are not cold or hungry. This is not because they can farm for food or weave for clothing, but because they have opened up the way for them to acquire wealth. Therefore, when Yao and Yu experienced nine years of floods and Tang experienced seven years of drought, the states were destroyed and impoverished because they had abundant livestock and were well prepared in advance.

Today, the land and people are united, and the vast population has not escaped the fate of Yu and Tang. Furthermore, there have been several years of natural disasters, including floods and droughts, yet the accumulation of livestock remains unsatisfactory. Why is this? The land has surplus benefits, and the people have surplus strength. The soil that produces grain has not been fully cultivated, the benefits of the mountains and swamps have not been fully exploited, and the nomadic people have not all returned to farming. When the people are poor, evil and wickedness arise. Poverty arises from want, want from want, and want from want from not farming. Not farming means no land, and no land means no home, leaving home and neglecting the people, making them like birds and beasts. Even with high walls and deep moats, strict laws and severe punishments, they cannot prevent evil. When cold is cold, it does not require light clothing; when hunger is hungry, it does not require delicious food; when hunger and cold reach the body, it disregards shame and decency. It is human nature to go hungry for a day, and to go cold for a year without making clothes. If a hungry belly cannot eat, and if a cold skin cannot wear clothes, even a loving mother cannot protect her children, so how can a ruler truly rule over his people? A wise ruler knows this, so he encourages his people to engage in agriculture and sericulture, reduces taxes and levies, and accumulates abundant livestock to fill granaries and prepare for floods and droughts, so that the people can have what they need.

Yi Yuan read the signature: "Yun Xiu."

Such a rebellious and treacherous person wrote such a benevolent and people-loving policy paper.

Yun Se pressed his temple and said, "Okay, I'll stop here for now. I don't want to listen anymore."

She now knew that Yunxiu was an excellent student at Taixue Academy and had done very well in her policy essays, but so what could she do about it.

Yunxiu has left Lingyun City. She is not a princess anymore, and she will not be the heir to the Yun Kingdom.