"...Grand Academician Zhang may have misunderstood the word 'steady.' The Shuowen Jiezi says that steady can mean tranquil. What is tranquility? Stillness! Steadiness means seeking victory through stability, not squandering opportunities in battle. Too much haste, on the contrary, impairs judgment. Delving deeper into steadiness and speed brings us to the efficient use of literary qi. How can the same amount of literary qi produce the greatest effect? Throwing out every piece of War Poetry in one go accomplishes nothing except consuming literary qi. In light of all this, I believe steadiness surpasses speed."
"The 'speed' at issue here does not mean anxious haste, but swiftness and rapidity. Sun Tzu said, 'Swift as the wind, measured as the forest, immovable as a mountain, inscrutable as darkness, moving like thunder.' These are the words of Military Struggle. What is military struggle? The path to victory is military struggle! When two armies face each other, begin with 'swift as the wind' and end with 'moving like thunder.' That is the way of warfare! Summoning War Poems should naturally honor the principles of warfare!"
"Grand Academician Zhang, you are mistaken. Only by observing the situation and acting when action is possible can one be swift as the wind and move like thunder. How does one act according to the situation? Steadiness is indispensable. Without it, speed is nothing more than wolves racing and boars stampeding, vicious dogs charging through the streets, rabbits scattering across the wilds-raising clouds of dust without grasping the proper way."
At this point in Fang Yun's argument, several people smiled. His words painted a scene before their eyes, vivid in every detail.
The two continued debating, until the others simply stopped talking and listened to their views.
Soon, everyone noticed the difference between them. Zhang Chengxuan was a quintessential