Military Strategy, Deploying Troops

Chi Lin gritted his teeth. He didn't know how good his memory was, only that this was his only chance for a comeback this year; otherwise, he would have to repeat another year of study.

Soon, everyone received the transcribed papers and sat down at their respective desks.

But when they saw the contents of the first page, almost all of them wore miserable expressions.

Military strategy!

If they couldn't even understand it, how were they supposed to memorize it?

Some subconsciously flipped to the second page, while others remained stuck on the first, seemingly searching for a way to commit it to memory.

Lu Xian furrowed his brows, his gaze lingering on the first page for a long time before he finally turned to the second.

On the platform, Lu Hong watched and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had been terrified that Lu Xian would get stuck on the military strategy and waste too much time; fortunately, there hadn't been much delay.

He then looked toward Chu Ming in the back, who was still stuck on the first page, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

Clearly, he was a person who didn't know how to adapt.

If Lu Xian could display his talent during the memory examination, he would surely gain the favor of Lord Feng, and his future career path would be...

My son is secure.

But no sooner had this thought emerged than he saw Chu Ming flick his gaze toward the second page.

Lu Hong's heart shifted slightly, but he immediately returned to his usual composure.

One step slow, every step slow!

Moreover, my son possesses superior memory; that boy named Chu Ming has already fallen behind in both talent and time!

Chu Ming looked at the new notification on his panel, surprise appearing in the corners of his eyes.

[Military Strategy (Entry): Troop Deployment]

[Progress: 1/100]

With the assistance of "Ten Lines at a Glance" and "Photographic Memory," he had memorized the contents of the first page in a few moments, and the [Military Strategy] entry had subsequently appeared on his panel.

"Military strategy...?"

He pondered inwardly, pausing for a short while before continuing to flip through the papers on his desk.

The contents of the last two pages were significantly longer than the first, making the memorization time slightly longer, but the total content of all three pages took him less than half a quarter of an hour.

"Still have to wait over an hour..."

Chu Ming looked at the military strategy on the first page with a bit of boredom; it recounted a historical anecdote about the use of troops.

Thirty years ago, Xiang Yue, commander of the Tiger Armor Army in Xirong Prefecture, won a battle against ten thousand men with only a thousand.

At the time, Xiang Yue was merely a chiliarch of the Tiger Armor Army. He had led a thousand men deep into the territory of the Southern Barbarians on a reconnaissance mission, only to be discovered by the massive barbarian army.

Over ten thousand barbarians pursued Xiang Yue, and since they were deep in enemy territory, it was easy to imagine that without a miracle, the thousand Tiger Armor soldiers—including Xiang Yue, a chiliarch at the peak of the Bone Strengthening Realm—would all die in the Southern Barbarian lands.

Yet, despite such a disparity in strength, Xiang Yue ultimately returned to the Great Qin Dynasty with over seven hundred Tiger Armor soldiers, even carrying the severed head of the barbarian commander.

He had relied on the path of military strategy!

Familiarity with military strategy, flexible application, and adaptability on the battlefield...

Chu Ming looked at the [Military Strategy] on his panel, lost in thought.

"It's just a pity the content is too sparse; it only allowed me to unlock [Military Strategy], but the progress isn't rising."

"It seems that the Poetry, Politics, and Military Strategy book is truly necessary to obtain."

Military strategy was different from poetry and literature; it was difficult for ordinary people to come into contact with it. The only known way for him to improve his [Military Strategy] was to acquire that book.

As time passed, the atmosphere in the hall gradually became more active.

Some shifted from silent memorization to whispering, while others swayed their heads back and forth...

Feng Yuan did not intervene. How they memorized, whether they were distracted by others, and whether they could settle their minds—all of this fell within the scope of his test.

Lu Hong had originally wanted to tell everyone to be quiet and not disturb others, but after a gesture from Feng Yuan, he could only let it be.

Time flowed on, and an hour passed quickly.

Of course, this "quickly" applied to everyone except Chu Ming. He had been able to sit still for the first half-hour, but toward the end, he began to grow restless.

It was mainly because he was thirsty. More than half the day had passed since he arrived at the private school, and apart from some meat porridge in the morning, he hadn't had a single drop of water.

Moreover, ever since he began practicing the improved Tiger Python Body-Forging Technique, his body was prone to hunger.

He hadn't expected it to take this long; now, he was both hungry and thirsty...

Feng Yuan observed all of this.

What is wrong with this kid? He was calm and composed during the academy exam, and even for the first quarter of the memory exam, he was normal. Why is he becoming more impatient as time goes on?

Can't remember it?

He sighed inwardly.

If he couldn't remember it, it proved his talent was lacking. But since he had placed first in the academy exam, he must have put in the effort. If he kept it up, he might achieve something in the future.

But judging by the second half of this memory exam, his temperament was impatient, which made it unlikely he would accomplish great things.

As for Lu Xian and the other two, although they were somewhat restless, they managed to restrain themselves quite well.

"Time is up."

As Lu Hong's voice rang out, all the youths hurriedly set down the papers in their hands.

"You have a quarter of an hour to rest."

The crowd felt a sense of relief; whether they rested or not didn't matter, as long as they could take care of their own personal needs.

Hearing that there was a quarter-hour break, Chu Ming slowly stood up, walked out of the private school, and stepped onto the street. He took out a few copper coins, bought a flatbread, and ate it with some plain water; only then did the hunger subside.

When he returned to the private school, Master Lu Hong and Lord Feng Yuan were no longer there.

But... a scene that he found difficult to comprehend was unfolding before his eyes—Huang Lu was surrounded by a group of people.

He saw Huang Lu clutching two things that looked like tree roots tightly in his hands, while the others were actually scrambling for them.

"Heh heh, let me tell you all, Brother Chu Ming ate the Yellow Bright Root my father sells. Not only did his illness recover, but he also took first place in the academy exam!"

"There are only two roots, the highest bidder takes them."

"Hey, hey, look, Brother Chu is back."

Chu Ming's brows twitched, and he walked outside with an indifferent expression.

It was still better to get some fresh air outside.

Yet, he could still hear a thing or two from the outer hall.

"I have ten copper coins."

"I have thirty."

"Fifty, I can't go any higher!"

"Brother Huang Lu, give me one, and I'll take you to the Green Bamboo Pavilion tonight for fine food and drink."

"Alright, alright, here, Brother Chi Lin, catch."

"I bid sixty, is anyone going to compete with me?"

The room went silent for a moment, then Huang Lu's voice was heard: "Brother Guan Chong, catch."

Carrying medicinal herbs on his person?

He couldn't understand it.

Huang Lu's little farce of sitting on the ground and raising prices for medicinal herbs did not last long; the quarter-hour passed quickly, and the youths returned to their desks to sit down.

"Begin," Lu Hong said in a deep voice. "You only have a quarter of an hour, write as much as you can."

As his words fell, the youths began to write furiously, fearing that if even a second passed, some of the things they had memorized would slip away.

After writing a few sparse paragraphs, most of them began to rack their brains, the pain on their faces visibly increasing, yet the pens in their hands could not descend.

Lu Xian wrote slowly and steadily, which Lu Hong observed with a silent nod.

Guan Chong and Chi Lin, who had consumed the enlightenment herbs, were also writing silently; did they truly have some effect?

But looking at the seller, Huang Lu, he was staring blankly at his desk, where, aside from his name, there were less than two lines of content.

Compared to Huang Lu's composure, Chu Ming appeared somewhat hurried.

He had indeed memorized the content, but he hadn't practiced much in terms of penmanship, so he held no advantage in speed.

A quarter of an hour might not be enough to finish writing.

After I go back, I really need to grind my writing skills and see if I can grind out a related skill...

On the platform, Feng Yuan watched Chu Ming's somewhat anxious expression, then looked at his stiff way of holding the pen, his eyes filled with even greater disappointment.

Soon, the quarter-hour passed, and all the answer sheets were collected.