Seeing how excited the two children were, Lan Tian pointed at the maps on the surrounding walls and said solemnly, "Boyang, Zhongling, you will both become pillars of the state in the future. You must learn to view matters from the bigger picture. Take the successive wars across the three regions this time—only by understanding the relationship between the three battlefields can you predict where the war will head and make decisions favorable to your own side.
For example, you are now on the Nanyang battlefield, leading a force in an offensive against the Cao Army. You must use every ounce of your skill to make the Cao Army feel threatened, yet you cannot rashly engage them in a decisive battle, because General Guan's task is to contain them, not to slay enemy generals and destroy their troops.
A general must flexibly grasp every advance and retreat. If the commanders leading troops possess a sufficiently strong overall perspective, wouldn't General Guan have a much easier time? He could then devote his energy to ordinary commanders."
Lan Tian used simple, accessible examples in his explanation, and the two brothers nodded repeatedly. Lan Ji patted his chest and promised, "So being able to put the commander completely at ease is what it means to stand on one's own. I'll study hard at Tiger Guards Martial Hall, and I'll strive to become that kind of person someday."
"I too feel that my experience leading troops is insufficient. From now on, I'll need to seek more guidance from Uncle Gao," Lan Yuan nodded in agreement.
"Take it slowly. There are only a handful under heaven who can become the sort of general the teacher described—even I..." Gao Shun thought to himself that there were not many such perfect generals even among the famed commanders