Troops Beyond the City, Strategies on Paper

At dawn.

On a small hill at the edge of the dense forest of Five Marshes.

Biaoxin pulled on the reins, bringing his warhorse to a stop.

This man, Biaoxin, was tall and imposing, with a broad back and a thick waist. He had a prominent forehead and a beard that hung straight down to his chest. His gaze gave him a wolfish and fierce appearance.

The horse he rode was not tall, several heads shorter than the Grasslands horses, and was called Short-Legged Horse. However, this kind of horse had tight skin, taut flesh, abundant strength, and excellent endurance.

"Ahead lies our first destination, Jiarong County."

Biaoxin's gaze pierced through the dense forest foliage, landing on the distant city wall, a sinister grin spreading across his face.

"Most of the garrison soldiers in the city have been transferred out, and the defenses are lax. My men infiltrated the city three days ago. With just one charge, we can enter the city, and then all the money and grain in the city will be ours!"

A voice suddenly came from behind him—

"That sounds nice, but how will we divide it after we get it?"

Upon hearing this, Biaoxin reined in his horse, turned it around, and looked behind him.

Behind him stood five or six mountain horses, each carrying a rider, all of whom exuded an extraordinary aura.

These people were the chieftains of the most powerful tribes in the entire Five Marshes, including De Ying and his son Geluolan from the Saluo Tribe.

Looking at the group, Biaoxin sneered, "I started this whole thing, so I should rightfully take the lion's share!"

Upon hearing this, the others' expressions immediately changed, and one or two impatient individuals were about to step forward. However, they then heard Biaoxin continue, "However, your willingness to form an alliance is out of respect for me, Biaoxin. We have fought for many years and have some grudges, but now is a rare opportunity, and we should unite against a common enemy. Therefore, I am willing to cede some of the city's contents. Whoever seizes them can keep them! My tribe will pave the way for you!"

"You'd really be that kind?" someone questioned directly.

Biaoxin grinned and said, "My ambitions are different from yours. In the words of the Central Plains people, 'How can a sparrow know the ambitions of a swan!' However, there are some things I need to make clear to you. You can rob any money and grain in this city, and you can do whatever you want with any women you fancy. But you can't touch any of those skilled craftsmen! They all belong to me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, someone laughed and said, "What do we need your permission to rob? You think too highly of yourself!"

However, just as the man finished speaking, a strong wind blew in the air, and a large swastika appeared out of thin air, spinning and flying rapidly. With a "whoosh," it swept across the man's neck, and his fine head rolled off. Blood gushed from the large scar on his neck, startling the horse beneath him into neighing loudly!

Splash!

Blood fell to the ground, and the soil congealed. (Mango Live Network)

Those around them then came to their senses. De Ying and the others' expressions changed, and they drew their swords from their waists, pointing them at Biaoxin with solemn expressions.

"Don't panic." Biaoxin's expression remained normal. The light and shadow around him distorted, and more than a dozen figures appeared out of thin air. These people all had half of their arms naked, their heads were bald, and they wore a string of Buddhist beads around their necks. Their eyes were closed, and their bodies were full of Blood Qi energy.

A somber and solemn atmosphere immediately enveloped the surroundings. The clan leaders who had drawn their swords felt their bodies sink and their limbs stiffen. Their expressions changed drastically, and they cried out in warning.

In the Lin Zhong, commotion immediately broke out. Wisps of smoke, poisonous insects, and skeletons flew straight over. This was the elders and shamans responsible for protecting the clan leader making their move.

Sudden!

A beam of golden light descended from the sky, enveloping the forest within a radius of thirty feet. Where the light touched, there was neither life nor death. The chiefs of many tribes, along with their tribal elders and shamans, felt their minds reeling, and vaguely saw an enormous Buddha!

"May all beings be free from the constraints of humanity and the law, and may all sentient beings be liberated! I take refuge! I take refuge! I take refuge!"

The roar was like thunder, resounding in everyone's minds! It made them excited and unable to control themselves.

Among the crowd, only Biaoxin and a few others were able to maintain their composure.

"It seems the Marsh God is truly gone; despite such an attack, there has been no response whatsoever."

Squinting, Biaoxin shook his head, turned to look at the distant city, and then waved his hand. "Go! Send the order out! Advance immediately! With such a commotion, the city must have already discovered it. There's no time to lose, men! Loot!"

His words were carried out by the messenger, and the next moment, a commotion arose in the Lin Zhong below the mound, as figures clad in rattan armor rushed out.

Excited and ferocious, their battle cries thundered as they roared away.

The crowd surged like a tidal wave to the town gate, which was about to close, but only closed halfway before falling silent.

Then, the crowd passed through the door and entered.

Within the city, a sense of Human Path rose, but it was immediately shattered by a golden light.

Soon, screams echoed from the city, and the city was in an uproar.

"A world of ice and fire."

Qiu Yan sighed as he experienced the images transmitted from the original body.

At this moment, he was carrying a baking basket and standing in the crowd of people waiting for the exam. Beside him were familiar faces such as Zhang Zhen, Zhou Guan, and Luo Jiayun. The surrounding area was full of people, some seeing off the examinees and others going to take the exam, chatting with each other. The atmosphere was just as noisy as before.

"This is the Fortune in Human Path dynasties. On one side, there is war; on the other, there is literary gathering. Like oil being poured on a raging fire, brilliant articles are written. Their Fortune are different. But I wonder if the one emitting the golden light is truly the Buddhist Sect. Why do they kill without any restraint?"

"Brother Qiu, it's your turn to answer this question about the meaning of the scripture."

As Qiu Yan was thinking, a voice came from the side. It was Luo Jiayun, who was holding a book and pointing to a sentence on it.

The Provincial Examination was different from the Dao Examination. All candidates from Jiannan Circuit had to gather at the Jiannan City Examination Hall to take the exam. Luo Jiayun was from Rong Prefecture, but he was also from Jiannan Circuit, which is why he reunited with Qiu Yan.

However, Luo Jiayun was a diligent student. Even before the exam, he was always studying and would test his knowledge of the classics with Qiu Yan. After Zhou Guan, Zhang Zhen and others arrived, Qiu Yan introduced them to each other. After getting to know each other, they began to study together.

Having deciphered the meaning of this sutra, the group was about to explore it further when suddenly there was silence around them. Then, a group of Confucian scholars gathered around, led by none other than Fang Ziyan.

"Brother Qiu," Fang Ziyan forward and bowed, "Today is the Provincial Examination, a time for us scholars to showcase our talents. This time, I, Fang, will have to compete with you."

"What are we comparing?" Qiu Yan asked, somewhat puzzled, then shook her head. "When taking the exam, you just need to write down what's in your mind. There's no need for comparison."

Qiu Yan was still immersed in a faint sense of Human Path, and had no time to say more to Fang Ziyan.

Fang Ziyan wasn't annoyed; he smiled slightly and left.

The Confucian scholars who came with him all stepped forward to greet Qiu Yan. These people had met Qiu Yan in Wuxin City and came here to reminisce.

Not long after, Gu Yanzhi also walked through the crowd. This talented scholar, who was as famous as Fang Ziyan, was dressed simply and followed by a page. He had also been there for a long time to meet Qiu Yan.

However, after saying a few words, he suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Brother Qiu, there is something I need to remind you of. These days, Brother Fang has been in contact with Imperial Censor Li and Commander Pan, aiming to become the top scholar in the provincial examination."

After saying this, Gu Yanzhi left.

Such a seemingly random remark, upon hearing it, made Qiu Yan realize something. He had been using his Divine Sense to cover the Pan Household these past few days and had some understanding of what was happening there, but he didn't want to be distracted.

"I see. Fang Ziyan wants to follow the path of the New Party. Because of my friendship with Chancellor Ma, he sees me as a member of the Old Party and wants to prove his loyalty. But these intrigues are really troublesome, and I don't need to get involved."

As he was thinking, a sudden commotion arose ahead. It turned out that the supervising official had arrived. This supervising official was no ordinary person; he was the observer of Jiannan Circuit, equivalent to the provincial governor in Qiu Yan's previous life, which showed how important he was.

Behind this man stood the academic officials from several prefectures in Jiannan.

The examiners called out names, summoning candidates from each prefecture. After identification, they were allowed to enter the Examination Hall.

Soldiers stood at the entrance, responsible for body searches, which was normal and nothing to complain about. However, every now and then you could see people being searched and found with cheat sheets or other items, then crying and making a scene, but ultimately they would be dragged out.

After Qiu Yan finished the inspection and received his exam number, he entered the examination room.

Upon entering the examination hall, the Literary Thought Aura spread from all around, obstructing the mind's focus.

Qiu Yan didn't take it seriously and found his exam room according to his exam number.

The examination cells in the Examination Hall were more spacious than those in the Prefectural Academy. As soon as Qiu Yan sat down, he was about to pack up his examination basket when he saw two candles on the table.

"This Provincial Examination is truly well-thought-out."

With a sigh, Qiu Yan called over a patrolman to light the candles. The sky was just beginning to lighten, and the light was dim, so candles were necessary.

After he had set out the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and ground and moistened the brush, the inspector came over again and handed out the exam papers.

Qiu Yan picked up the exam paper, glanced at it, and then wrote his name and place of origin in the corresponding places. These places were to be sealed after the papers were collected, which is commonly known as anonymizing the names.

After finishing these tasks, Qiu Yan put down his pen, took a deep breath, and began to recall the chapter's memories. Although Divine Sense assistance and his memory was better than before, and after the condensation of the soul, poems and articles flowed more often into his mind, he could not become complacent because of this. He still had to maintain a proper attitude and be down-to-earth.

At this point, the examiners, deputy examiners, and other examiners will patrol the examination room and solemnly reiterate the examination procedures as a warning.

The inspector who came to Qiu Yan's side was Kong, the Kong, the Academic Commissioner. He was the Provincial Education Commissioner of Jiannan Circuit. During the Dao Examination, he served as the chief examiner in various prefectures, and now, during the Provincial Examination, he had become the deputy chief examiner.

When Kong, the Academic Commissioner, passed by Qiu Yan, he nodded and smiled slightly as a greeting, but did not stop, thus avoiding suspicion.

After a while, the patrol came again, this time distributing test paper sheets.

The exam questions were decided only an hour or two before the exam started, and then copied and distributed, so the inspectors had just received theirs.

After receiving the exam paper, Qiu Yan glanced through it briefly.

Compared to the Dao Examination, the Provincial Examination was more formal. In addition to the examinations on classical texts and Mohist texts, it also included two other sections: miscellaneous essays and policy questions. The miscellaneous essays had to be written in the form of chapters, memorials, essays, or eulogies, which was equivalent to the practical writing of Qiu Yan's previous life. The examination mainly focused on the candidate's literary talent.

Then comes the policy questioning.

Ce refers to countermeasures and strategies; question refers to inquiries and inquiries.

In short, it asks candidates for their strategies, which are usually related to current affairs.

When Qiu Yan saw the question, his eyes lit up and a sudden realization dawned on him.

There were four words written on the paper--

Southwestern Military Strategy!