Chapter 5

Horse hooves...

A hint of doubt flashed in Cao Ren's eyes.

"Can you really understand the Art of War by flipping through it so quickly?"

His tone was gentle, his gaze deep, as if he was eagerly awaiting Lu Yu's response.

"Of course I can understand it..." Lu Yu smiled.

The Art of War, in this era, might be a difficult and obscure military textbook, but in his previous life, "the greatest brain" Lu Yu had read versions of the Art of War with at least eleven different commentaries.

The most famous was Cao Cao;

In addition, there were the Tang Dynasty's Shen Ce General Li Quan, the great poet Du Mu, and his grandfather, the prime minister Du You, among countless others.

Du Mu even criticized Cao Cao, saying his commentary was inaccurate and misleading!

Having read so many versions of the commentary...

When it came to the Art of War, Lu Yu could be considered to have an enterprise-level understanding. In terms of theoretical knowledge, no one in this era could match him.

Seeing Lu Yu's full confidence...

Cao Ren pointed to the first paragraph of the Art of War and said, "War is a matter of vital importance to the state; it is a matter of life and death, a road to survival or ruin, and must be thoroughly studied. Therefore, it is necessary to examine the five fundamental factors and compare the various conditions, to ascertain the results: one, the moral law; two, heaven; three, earth; four, the commander; five, method and discipline."

"Can you explain the moral law, heaven, earth, the commander, and method and discipline mentioned in this paragraph?"

When Cao Ren studied the Art of War, it took him three months to roughly understand the five dimensions of victory—moral law, heaven, earth, the commander, and method and discipline—under his brother Cao Cao's explanation.

In his view, the Lu Yu before him, without a teacher like his brother Cao Cao, and reading so quickly, could not possibly understand the principles!

"About that?" To his surprise, Lu Yu blinked, thought for a moment, and then replied clearly. "The moral law, heaven, earth, the commander, and method and discipline are the five dimensions of victory proposed in the Art of War."

"To explain in detail, it requires practical examples. General, have you heard the story of Duke Wen of Jin retreating three encampments?"

Hmm... retreating three encampments?

Cao Ren was taken aback, not because the young man was citing classics, but because... when his brother Cao Cao explained it to him, he seemed to have used the story of Duke Wen of Jin retreating three encampments!

It had been a long time, and Cao Ren's memory was not very good, so he couldn't remember clearly!

In any case, Cao Ren's interest and curiosity in Lu Yu grew.

"Please explain in detail."

Cao Ren gestured for Lu Yu to continue...

At that moment, Lu Yu's voice rang out.

"First, let's talk about the moral law. In the story of 'retreating three encampments,' Duke Wen of Jin kept his promise and retreated ninety miles, winning the moral high ground and gaining support from the international community. This is victory through the moral law!"

"Next, let's talk about heaven and earth. Duke Wen of Jin retreated to the position of Chengpu, which was closer to his own country and farther from the enemy. Due to the climate and distance, his country's supplies were continuous, while the enemy's supplies were scarce. Additionally, the terrain was more familiar to the Jin army and less familiar to the Chu army... Therefore, in the dimensions of heaven and earth, Duke Wen of Jin was already in an unbeatable position!"

"As for the commander and method and discipline, the Chu army's commander was incompetent, while Duke Wen of Jin's generals were wise and brave, such as Xian Zhen, Hu Yan, and Zhao Cui. The methods of command were clearly superior, and the Chu army could only fight conventionally, while the Jin army often won through unconventional means... This is the essence of the Art of War."

His explanation was clear, logical, and forceful.

Lu Yu's words left Cao Ren and the surrounding subordinates stunned!

A stunned silence, filled with awe and respect!

Moral law, heaven, earth, the commander, and method and discipline.

Fighting conventionally and winning unconventionally.

Could a fifteen-year-old young man really have such insight?

Even if he had read military books since childhood, his experience was not enough to give him such insight!

Among them, Cao Ren was the most shocked.

Not because of the young man's comprehensive understanding of the Art of War, but because his analysis and the examples he used felt familiar, yet he couldn't be sure if they were right or wrong.

The story of "Duke Wen of Jin retreating three encampments" he had definitely heard from his brother...

"Fighting conventionally and winning unconventionally" also seemed familiar.

But, hearing it from a teenager, it felt a bit "unreal"!

This...

"General Cao? Is what he said correct?"

The subordinates looked at Cao Ren with hopeful eyes.

Cao Ren shrugged... "I... I don't know!"

The Art of War... Cao Ren's understanding was half-baked, how could he dare to judge Lu Yu's analysis!

"This... Only my brother can judge!"

"Then... should we inform Lord Cao?" a subordinate suggested.

A fifteen-year-old talent who could interpret the Art of War had emerged in the Qiao Pei military camp.

Cao Cao had issued a decree to seek talented individuals, and this was right before their eyes.

This was a big deal!

"My brother is currently campaigning against the Mo rebels in the Yuzhou region, he might not be in the office..." Cao Ren frowned.

However, he suddenly thought of something. "You... go and inform General Xiahou immediately. If Miaocai is here, he can certainly make an accurate judgment!"

Miaocai was Xiahou Yuan's courtesy name...

When Cao Cao explained the Art of War, Xiahou Yuan was also present, and he listened more carefully and remembered more clearly than Cao Ren.

Thinking of this, Cao Ren hurriedly instructed. "Miaocai is nearby, go and invite him immediately..."

...

The sound of hooves echoed, and soon Xiahou Yuan and his guards rushed over.

"Zixiao? What's the urgency?"

"Let's not waste time..." Cao Ren pulled Xiahou Yuan over and asked impatiently. "Quickly, explain the five dimensions of victory—moral law, heaven, earth, the commander, and method and discipline—that our brother taught us in the Art of War. How do you understand them?"

The Art of War?

Hearing this, Xiahou Yuan was initially stunned.

However, when he heard "moral law, heaven, earth, the commander, and method and discipline," he immediately recalled the content, especially the five dimensions of victory, which left a deep impression!

Seeing Xiahou Yuan still in a daze, Cao Ren urged him impatiently.

"Miaocai, stop being mysterious, just speak!"

"Zixiao, have you already forgotten that when our brother explained the Art of War, he specifically used the example of 'Duke Wen of Jin retreating three encampments'?"

Uh...

At this, Cao Ren was still fine, but the subordinates' faces all tensed up.

Duke Wen of Jin retreating three encampments... wasn't that what the fifteen-year-old Lu Yu had just explained?

Before they could recover from their surprise, Xiahou Yuan slowly began to explain the Art of War's moral law, heaven, earth, the commander, and method and discipline, which matched Lu Yu's explanation word for word.

Even... Xiahou Yuan's explanation was more general, while Lu Yu's was more detailed and comprehensive!

Uh...

This...

They didn't know that Lu Yu's interpretation was based on the later整理 (整理 means "整理" in Chinese, which translates to "整理" in English, but in this context, it means "compiled" or "organized") compilation of Cao Cao's commentary on the Art of War.

For a moment...

Cao Ren and the subordinates were all momentarily stunned.

It seemed that this young man wasn't reading a book beyond his comprehension; he truly understood the Art of War. If that was the case... the other military books he had skimmed through...

Thinking of this, the corners of Cao Ren's mouth lifted slightly.

Found it, found it...

The young, intelligent, and insightful person his brother was looking for, the strategic talent for the Cao camp, had been found!

And this young man... didn't even need to be carefully cultivated, he was ready to use!

Wait...

Cao Ren suddenly thought of something.

This Lu Yu seems to be Cai Zhaohui's brother?

He is surnamed Lu... so they are not blood siblings!

Then the question is, who is this fifteen-year-old young man? Who are his parents?

...

...